MCNSPORT: D-Mac86 The Evolution

[MCNSPORT.com]

Hello Speedhunters, Darren McNamara here bringing you an update on the DMac86. In this post we are going to take a brief look back on 2011, and more importantly a look forward to what lies in store for 2012. We will also take a look at some of the other '86s in my life which reside at MCNSPORT HQ.
In the above photo, some panels from the DMac86 have been removed in the off-season which suggests some activity. Well read on and my master plan will be revealed ...



This was our final lap in anger in 2011 and it was quite spectacular. We have to declare how pleased with how our 2011 summer tour went. We brought a brand new experimental car to the table and got a fourth and second in our first two events. I must say we got a fantastic reaction to the car from everyone we met and I have to thank everyone for their kind words during that time. As a tuner, the fans reaction is one of the most important things to me.
Since the above picture was taken, we repaired the damaged sump and ran the Hayward Rotary motor in anger and all is well thankfully. Having to rebuild the engine would have taken up precious time. I have to say I fall more and more in love with these motors every day. Not only are we making silly power from 1.3 litres, we lost enough oil to cause serious damage to a piston motor but yet our rotary is still in good health.



More panels scattered around our upstairs canteen area hints towards maybe a bigger rebuild than you might be expecting ...



That's the roof that has been removed ...



... and that's every other panel!



Almost every panel will make its way back onto the car for 2012, but not the front bumper. It was destroyed during our kerb hop in Mondello but still, it lasted two events which is not bad!



Before we get down to business, let's take a little tour around MCNSPORT HQ ...
A 1985 chassis is getting the full treatment and is ready to be reborn and live a second life. There is always something satisfying about bare shell rebuilds like these. Everything has been re-worked better than factory and it's nice to know when it leaves our doors, it will last for another twenty plus years. Keeping the AE86 alive makes us happy!



My personal AE86 history goes back eleven years when I bought my first AE86 at the age of 16. This is that very car and it needs no introduction. It remains Europe's most successful drift car and it's hard to see any other car topping it. Back in the day, we took on Europe, Japan and America with great success and had some legendary battles and some of the best times of my life. I owe an awful lot to this car and I will never part with it.
What a shame I hear you say as you look at the pic and see the car now in a state that can only be described as a shelf. The reason the car sits like this is, after four years drifting with a lunatic driver learning to drift and trying to punch above his weight, the frame no longer points in the right direction on basically all four corners. But, rest assured one of my goals for 2012 is to fully rebuild this car using a screaming NA 4A-GE which is the whole reason I started drifting, trying to emulate Katsuhiro Ueo beating all the more powerful cars.
Maybe you guys would be interested in Speedhunters following the rebuild later in the year?



Let's move on to this one. Something I've always wanted was a genuine Black Limited Trueno and when the opportunity arose last year and I snapped it up. Over the winter I sourced some perfect orange panels and the car went to the body shop to get all the panel gaps straightened. It now lies in our storage unit and will be fully rebuilt this year also (hopefully) with sensible upgrades but with a stock exterior as the Black Limited should be.



By the end of the year our shop car collection will be legendary and our very controversial Carina TA60 is going to be a big part of that. As it sits now, it's a 'rat' look sort of lifestyle machine but it will not remain that way. It's current job is to get noticed and show off the new range of Work Meister CR01s, which it is doing very well. But its primary purpose will be as my drift practice car. Using parts we have lying around the shop we will build it into a cost effective but very capable drift machine and the best part is it will have four bucket seats and harnesses with a four person rollcage, meaning we can take three passengers at a time for a heart stopping ride with myself.



No, this isn't an old shot from six months ago, this is how the DMac86 sits right now so let's get back to business. The reason behind the total rebuild is we planned to do a lot of modifications during the off-season and then Prodrift released a new rule book which will come into effect in 2013. This meant we would either have to re-modify again in 2013 or do everything at once, so we chose the latter.
Eagle eyed viewers will notice the AE86 crossmember and steering rack. There are two reasons behind this - One is we are now developing a full new range of AE86 suspension and steering arms which will be available from MCNSPORT. Our arms will make the AE86 chassis more competitive and we are putting a lot of time and effort into them and I'm really excited about how they are progressing.



Ever present team member 'Happy' Darren Butler has learned to love and hate this project, but all the time spent grinding is worth it once we hit the track.



Reason number two for the use of an AE86 steering rack is that the new rules do not let us push the engine through the bulkhead so the old bulkhead had to be removed and a new one made. This will move the motor forward and that would interfere with our previous front steer system.



The bulkhead is not the only thing that has been removed, the transmission and driveshaft tunnel have also been replaced. Using AE86 steering rack means the engine has to now sit on top of it and anyone who knows rotaries will tell you they are only made for a front steer steering rack system, and you have to mount them very high for a rear steer steering rack which takes away from their very low centre of gravity, which is one of their main advantages. So how do we prevent the centre of gravity being raised? Well here is our plan ...



Introducing the Saenz TT Series Sequential Transmission. One of our new partners, Saenz Transmissions Europe, have supplied us with their TT 5 speed sequential gearbox. Saenz also make a 6 speed but we don't need so many gears in a drift car. Mike at Saenz has been very enthusiastic about what we are doing and supplied us with custom ratios to my specification.
One of the great advantages of the Saenz is the layshaft lies alongside the main shaft and not below like most transmissions with keeps the weight lower down and lowers the centre of gravity It's also lighter than the Supra transmission it is replacing and is ready for 9500RPM flat shifts!



This is my new gear lever which I must not mistake for the e-brake!



Now that our engine and gearbox sit higher, this has caused us to remove our axle third link mounting point. We have re-engineered the third link mounting point as it carries a surprising amount of load and it's life will only get tougher as we develop more grip and more power, which is planned for 2013 in our final evolution of the car.

[MCNSPORT.com]

Also looking forward to 2013 and the completion of the master plan, we have enlarged the rear wheel wells. This is to give us the option of running 18inch wheels when we make more power.



We would also like to welcome OBP Motorsport to our program for 2012. OBP have supplied us with their Pro Race Floor mounted pedal box system. I'm 6'1" so I fit just about perfectly in the AE86 chassis so OBP have supplied me with their rear facing cylinder setup and nice alloy false floor. We will now have adjustable bias on the bias bar for our much enlarged braking system. The bias is adjusted easily with the cockpit mounted turn knob. This should also lower the centre of gravity



Among this box of disassembled parts lies our only motor upgrade for 2012. Hayward Rotary have supplied us with a dry sump kit for the 13B they built us. And yes you've guessed it, this will allow us to mount the engine lower, and lower the centre of gravity even further. It will allow us to rev to our 9500RPM limit at ease and we will be mounting the oil tank in the passenger footwell. This will help with weight distribution which is difficult to get even on a lightweight car



I have just returned from Charlotte, North Carolina with Falken Tire where we were testing the Falken Tire Saturn Sky for the upcoming Formula D season. Whilst in NASCAR country, I decided to take advantage by picking up some NASCAR parts for the rebuild like this adjustable track bar or panhard bar mount. If you've ever wondered what they do in the pit lane when they wind a wrench at the rear window, well most of the time they are tuning this part. This is a chassis mounted panhard mount and can be screwed up or down easily thus raising or lowering the panhard bar pivot point and changing the setup.



The final upgrade waiting at the shop are these MCN/GRP4 alloy front hubs. These are much lighter than the steel items they are replacing and are unsprung, so it's a weight saving exactly where we want it. With all the above parts installed I hope the overall weight to remain the same but time will tell.



I hope you've enjoyed our first post for 2012 and we are looking forward to bringing you lots more. My plan for the second evolution is take what we have learned from running the car in 2011, make the setup changes and upgrade the more stock items of the car like the gearbox and brakes. We are modifying the chassis to the ultimate level of spec and forward planning to our third evolution which will involve more power and more rotor(s).
In just a few months this car will truly be a formidable AE86 in our eyes and Europe's best drift car, capable of taking on any D1 or FD competitors that visit our shores ...
-
Darren 'D-Mac' McNamara

Check out the article on Speedhunters.com http://speedhunters.com/archive/2012/03/...x#comments

[zenki]

This will be so awesome when it's finished.

Amazed by the amount of fabwork that goes into a build like this.

Looking forward to see the next updates.

[MCNSPORT.com]

Well i'm back in good old IRL after FD Round one with both the Falken Tire Saturn Sky and me bruised and battered after this...



So some progress was made on the D-Mac86



I decided to run with as short of an exhaust manifold as possible to increase spool and reduce lag. To do this the exhaust has to run on the drivers side of the car and not the passengers like before. This will leave space on the passenger side for the alternator re-locate and dry sump pump. We are also using the Tial Stainless exhaust housing which sould also increase spool and it uses a "v" band clamp so no more annoying turbo gaskets. The 60mm wastegate is now mounted extremly low as well so over all everything will be mounted much lower in the engine bay keeping all the weight down and lower in the center of gravity



The down pipe is now 3 inch and expands to 4 inch under my feet. "v" bands everywhere equals no leaks!!



The original seat cross member has been removed as they are too ugly to be included in my perfect 86 so we are these on each side. Interestingly these will continue through the tunnel and basically be one complete box section from sill to sill. Inside the tunnel this will be used to mount the Saenz Sequential gearbox

Darren

[MCNSPORT.com]

Update time.....


Hello Speedhunters! It’s been a little while since our late update of the DMac86 but we have been very busy re-engineering the chassis for improved performance in 2012. So let’s get straight to it …

As I touched on in the previous post we have a new bulkhead and transmission tunnel installed this year due to a change in the Prodrift rule book, and our new Saenz sequential gearbox. In the image above, you can see an opening on the right hand side for the dry sump oil lines to run into the car and the placement for the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs for the OBP Motorsport floor mounted pedalbox. One more detail is the hole for the steering column which was a bit of a challenge to keep as simple as possible, without too many UV joints and to also clear the turbo and wastegate placement. We recessed the opening and the UV joint now runs inside the tube welded to the bulkhead.


Another change we had to make for the new Prodrift rule book was to add the two front frame rails or chassis legs. You may remember we had tubed the front of the car last year as it was the easiest solution for us (I had previously damaged the front of the car) but it needed two rails to be legal again.

The stock radiator support has not been used and we simply slid a tube through both rails and welded it in, this tube now mounts the tension rod brackets. Our radiator is in the rear so it made things a little easier for us.

We also had to modify the tubes that hold the front fenders and the hood pins. Once the car comes off our spit we will chop the front of the rails off and make things a little neater


We have had a little more time this year to spend on the fabrication so we have blended a lot of the welds to make things look nicer. Paddy’s amazing camera makes it look like we have chromed everything!

You can see down along the tunnel in this picture, and the crossmember that the gearbox bolts to is now part of the chassis and runs from sill to sill (rocker). You can also see a one inch tube welded across the tunnel which is used as the pivot for the sequential gear lever. We’ll take a look at these later in more detail…


Because the engine and gearbox are solid mounted in this car, and as far back as possible, removing the gearbox requires removal of the engine so we decided to make a removable cover for the Saenz Sequential selector which sits on top of the gearbox. This should allow for quick and easy adjustment and inspection.

The rod from the gear lever to the selector will run through the rear facing panel, all will become clearer in the next update.

The old exhaust tunnel on the passenger side (RHD) is now being used for the revised coolant lines that run both through the cockpit and under the car.


A lot of tube work has gone into the interior of the car. We have completely revised the third link mount and added a diagonal bar to the main hoop as well as the new driveshaft tunnel and diff tunnel. The fuel cell has had some modifications and has been placed lower in the car.


We have boxed the floor under the fuel cell which allows for the in tank swirl pot to protrude from the bottom of the tank and provide the pick up for the filter and pump which also mount in here, the clamp here is for the fuel pump.


Here’s a better look at the added tubes to the roll cage and the new third link mounting arrangement. You can also see the “top hat” as i like to call it over the diff which allows the third link axle mount to move inside the body of the car


Here’s a closer look at the new seat crossmembers that now form a full channel across the chassis along with the added gearbox member

The recess at an angle on the right hand side is where one of the coolant pipes re-enters the interior and the hole in the floor on the left is where the second coolant pipe exits the interior. The coolant pipes have been separated this year to prevent heat soak.


Here is a better look at the rear “top hat” for the third link axle mount. We were in the middle of blending it when Paddy arrived. I was a little tired of all the lumps of Falken Tire ending up inside in the rear section of the car last year as well as dust and dirt. The rear of the car is not very accessible with the rear mounted rad so cleaning it is a pain. The revised tunnelling for 2012 should keep a lot more debris out and keep our lovely ’86 nice and clean.


On one of my trips to North Carolina, I picked up these NASCAR adjustable track bar mounts. I’m sure you all have seen the NASCAR guys during the pit stops winding a wrench at the rear window, well this is what they are turning some of the time. This will allow me to adjust my rear roll centre easily. More will become clear on this in our next update.


The car is heading for paint this week. Paint is always a big milestone in any build as the reassembly starts after paint, so it’s a real turning point. All this will be getting a fresh coat and won’t be white this time…


I’m really happy with the car this time around. At the moment there is nothing I would change with the chassis, everything is how I want it and I expect the performance to really increase because of it. To say I’m excited to drive this once again is an understatement!


Here you can see my homemade spit that me and a friend made a few years ago. We welded on brakes from a Toyota Starlet and an e-brake so we could hold the chassis at any position. I’s not pretty but it does the job perfectly and building a chassis without it would be impossible. Its had some pretty awesome AE86s on it here at MCNSPORT.


I love this shot, it reminds me of one of the walkers from Star Wars!


In this photo you can see the rear wheel wells have been enlarged and re-designed as a semi circle instead of full circle. This will allow the Falken Tire smoke to exit the rear of the car easier and will direct it behind the radiator and the fans should help push it out from there. We have also planned ahead and the larger rear wells will allow for fitting of 18 inch wheels if we decide to increase power with a 3 or 4 rotor…


A more complete view of the front, I can’t wait to see this all freshly painted in the new colour.


It’s been crazy busy here at MCNSPORT in Ireland. The DMac86 will be testing our new range of AE86 suspension arms, steering angle kit and anti-roll bars. Once completed, I’m very excited to push on with other suspension products we have in the works for Nissan S-bodies. It’s going to be a very big year for us.


Some extra gusseting has been added to the cage before paint


Here is a closer look at the aforementioned sequential gear lever and gearbox mount. We have moved the engine and gearbox towards the passenger side of the car for better weight distribution and clearance for the tail of the gearbox and driveshaft is at a minimum but should look very tidy once everything is installed


Here is the slot in the cockpit side of the tunnel where the gear lever travels.

[MCNSPORT.com]

Great shot from upstairs at MCNSPORT. This has to be one of, if not the most insane AE86s ever. I have both built and owned purist AE86s with 4A-GE power and SR20 swaps which I love and are a lot of fun, but there is a lot to be said for a no compromise all out race car. Driving one is an amazing experience.


I hope you guys enjoyed our update. From now on the updates will come very quickly as we hope to have the car completely finished in 4 weeks time and ready to head to Norway for Gatebil to meet up with the rest of the Speedhunters crew.

In the next update, the car should be back from paint and we will have the rear axle modified ready to be installed along with a host of other suspension and engine goodies.
-

Darren ‘D-Mac’ McNamara

Photos by Paddy McGrath

[MCNSPORT.com]

More goodies this car is developing

D-Mac ae86 Godzilla brake kit


Show here with alloy hubs

[MCNSPORT.com]

Our Saenz Sequential has arrived....

[MCNSPORT.com]

Hey, Speedhunters! Time for another update on the 86. The excitement is really starting to build and the finish line is in sight. As we are leaving the outside the same colour as last year all the panels just need to be re-fitted once the chassis is complete. It doesn’t look much like a car right now, but the exterior will come together very quickly.



Paddy called while I was in New Jersey for Formula Drift so it’s good to have proof that the boys were busy while I was away haha. There is a lot going on in this photo… I see an OBP floor mounted pedal box, OBP dry sump tank, passenger footrest and the top of out Saenz sequential gearbox. Mmmmm…



The axle is now in place so the third link is bolted in. It is adjustable from inside the car, which will make setup changes easier. We are also mocking up the fuel cell at the moment…



…as you can see in more detail here.



The rear mounted radiator mounts in the same position as last year.



But the adjustable panhard rod mounts are new for 2012.



Back inside the cockpit, our gear selector rod is a little short so we are machining up another one.



Here is the Saenz unit. It really is engineering porn at its finest. The engine and gearbox have to come out one more time, and I’ll be sure to get a pic for you of the unit sitting on the shop floor.



Hmmmm, I wonder how many of these will be left over when the car is finished. Then you have that moment where you second guess yourself and think you’ve forgotten something.



Our Owen Developments turbo has a new location this year with a much shorter Martelius custom manifold to increase response. You can also see the flange for the external wastegate hanging down here. Everything is much more compact this year, and mounted lower



We also sent the turbo and inlet manifolds to Martelius Exhausts in Finland to get ceramic coated. I was really impressed with the ceramic coatings we did last year and now we have taken it to the next level with the whole exhaust system, turbo, coolant pipes and inlet manifold being coated.



We have deleted the old water pump assembly and replaced it with a much neater system. The two coolant pipes will run down behind the oil pump on their way to the radiator.



As I write this, I have just received a new dry sump belt to replace this worn old one and we have most of the -12 oil line plumbing done.



A place for everything and everything in its place……well kinda.



This shot really gives an idea of how much work has gone into this chassis. Almost no area is without modification. If this wasn’t already, it is now surely the world’s most extreme AE86.



I like how the dimpled holes on the passengers footrest line up with the dimpled holes on the seat crossmember. I cant get enough of looking at that gearbox!!



It’s certainly a beehive of activity at MCNSPORT at the moment. The shop will get a nice break once we leave for Gatebil in two weeks. Still so much to do to the car though, and at the same time we have got to be further ahead than Fredric, who doesn’t have a 1,600 mile drive to get there…..



The intercooler and oil cooler are ready to be mounted in this picture. Another advantage of the rear mounted radiator is the very low intake and oil temps we are getting, meaning we do not have to carry so much oil. Our new OBP oil tank is only 1.5 gallons.



The two pipes in the middle of this shot are the new coolant pipes from the engine to under the chassis. They are quite complex and run under the throttle body, but allow us to run the two coolant temp sensors without them being visible.



Here is “Happy” Darren fabbing up the intercooler brackets. Watch that fresh paintwork!!

[MCNSPORT.com]

Hey, Speedhunters! Time for another update on the 86. The excitement is really starting to build and the finish line is in sight. As we are leaving the outside the same colour as last year all the panels just need to be re-fitted once the chassis is complete. It doesn’t look much like a car right now, but the exterior will come together very quickly.



Paddy called while I was in New Jersey for Formula Drift so it’s good to have proof that the boys were busy while I was away haha. There is a lot going on in this photo… I see an OBP floor mounted pedal box, OBP dry sump tank, passenger footrest and the top of out Saenz sequential gearbox. Mmmmm…



The axle is now in place so the third link is bolted in. It is adjustable from inside the car, which will make setup changes easier. We are also mocking up the fuel cell at the moment…



…as you can see in more detail here.



The rear mounted radiator mounts in the same position as last year.



But the adjustable panhard rod mounts are new for 2012.



Back inside the cockpit, our gear selector rod is a little short so we are machining up another one.



Here is the Saenz unit. It really is engineering porn at its finest. The engine and gearbox have to come out one more time, and I’ll be sure to get a pic for you of the unit sitting on the shop floor.



Hmmmm, I wonder how many of these will be left over when the car is finished. Then you have that moment where you second guess yourself and think you’ve forgotten something.



Our Owen Developments turbo has a new location this year with a much shorter Martelius custom manifold to increase response. You can also see the flange for the external wastegate hanging down here. Everything is much more compact this year, and mounted lower



We also sent the turbo and inlet manifolds to Martelius Exhausts in Finland to get ceramic coated. I was really impressed with the ceramic coatings we did last year and now we have taken it to the next level with the whole exhaust system, turbo, coolant pipes and inlet manifold being coated.



We have deleted the old water pump assembly and replaced it with a much neater system. The two coolant pipes will run down behind the oil pump on their way to the radiator.



As I write this, I have just received a new dry sump belt to replace this worn old one and we have most of the -12 oil line plumbing done.



A place for everything and everything in its place……well kinda.



This shot really gives an idea of how much work has gone into this chassis. Almost no area is without modification. If this wasn’t already, it is now surely the world’s most extreme AE86.



I like how the dimpled holes on the passengers footrest line up with the dimpled holes on the seat crossmember. I cant get enough of looking at that gearbox!!



It’s certainly a beehive of activity at MCNSPORT at the moment. The shop will get a nice break once we leave for Gatebil in two weeks. Still so much to do to the car though, and at the same time we have got to be further ahead than Fredric, who doesn’t have a 1,600 mile drive to get there…..



The intercooler and oil cooler are ready to be mounted in this picture. Another advantage of the rear mounted radiator is the very low intake and oil temps we are getting, meaning we do not have to carry so much oil. Our new OBP oil tank is only 1.5 gallons.



The two pipes in the middle of this shot are the new coolant pipes from the engine to under the chassis. They are quite complex and run under the throttle body, but allow us to run the two coolant temp sensors without them being visible.



Here is “Happy” Darren fabbing up the intercooler brackets. Watch that fresh paintwork!!