Firehawk's N2 racecar project

[firehawk]

Ok, I've been lazy and haven't updated my project thread for over a month so it's about time I wrote something.

I've had the N2 kit since December and have been working on prepping them for installation on the car. There are some minor cracks and scratches from transportation and some topcoat has cracked off the FRP. The rear flares needed most work but are now sanded smooth and primered;


The rear wing is already installed on the hatch (the fuel filler door looks horrible but will be covered by the rear flare);


A few photos of the rest of the kit are here.

The drivetrain is just about complete - only the rear halfshafts are missing as I need to find a big enough press for replacing the bearings. The transmission is bolted to the subframe with my "custom made" transmission mounts which are actually modified from a few polyurethane bushings left over from our endurance CRX;


Getting the backlash and preload on the diff dialed in was a bit of an adventure but I finally did get it them to the specs given in the service manual. The backlash feels a bit uncomfortable as there's an audible "clank" when I turn it but putting oil into the diff will probably dampen it a bit.


The engine is now almost done and I'm waiting for the clutch and flywheel to arrive before I can lift it into the car.


I unwrapped all the wiring looms and removed any connectors and wires which are not necessary. I also rerouted the wires so that they won't interfere with the carb linkages and the belts.


The carbs are now fully cleaned and rebuilt with brand new gaskets and set screws. The linkage still needs a bit of work as I've had some problems finding suitable connecting rods for it.


I found that the water pump I have is from an AE82 and slightly shorter than the AE86 pump. My brother is a wizard with the lathe and made a small spacer plate to align the pump pulley with the other two;


All the pulleys now line up nicely;


There are a few more engine and drivetrain photos here.

Once I have the clutch and flywheel, I'll put the engine in the car and can then finish the electrical stuff, including relocating the battery to the passenger side footwell. I'm also almost done with the N2 kit, so I'll probably start installing them pretty soon.