| Cooling Modifications
& Incar Camera - August 2006 |
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During our last couple of events we have been experiencing
severe overheating problems in the gearbox tunnel. The
heat buildup in this confined space has caused components
to get too hot to touch (this even includes the alloy
gear knob), and we believe it has also contributed to
cooking our clutch for the second time!
It's easy to see why this is happening. The Sabre S2
has a completely flat, sealed undertray so there is
nowhere for the hot air from the engine & headers
to escape. We've recently tried a number of different
solutions that we're hoping will solve our overheating
problems, and result in a cooler gearbox & clutch
(and cooler driver & co-driver). These include...
- Using two of the cooling ducts in the front
bodywork to route air directly into the gearbox tunnel
- Cutting vents in the undertray to allow hot air
to escape
- Drilling holes in the front inspection plate
of the bell housing to allow cooling air into the
clutch
- Drilling holes in the top of the bell housing
to allow hot air to escape from the clutch
- Mounting a boating 'bilge blower' in the driveshaft
tunnel to suck hot air away from the gearbox
The following images record the modifications described
above. Click on each thumbnail below to view a larger
image.
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6 holes drilled in bellhousing
to allow heat to escape
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Vents cut in floor under gearbox...
...viewed from below undertray
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Same vents under gearbox...
...view from above
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New ducting for gearbox cooling
& 'Aqua Sump' valve extension
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'Bilge blower' installed on
removable section of undertray...
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...designed to suck hot air out of
the gearbox tunnel
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While the Sabre was in the workshop
we also decided to...
- Fit an extension to the valve on our
pressurised 'Aqua Sump' oil system
- Install an incar camera system for recording
all our racing exploits
Our 'Aqua Sump' occasionally needs
to be pumped up, but because of its inaccessible
location under the radiator, this has in the past
been a major task! We've now fitted a flexible
200mm long braided extension onto the valve to
make it a 1 minute job, not a 30 minute 'mission'
- an air line can now easily be attached and pressure
restored to 35psi.
Installing the camera was also a
relatively simple job. After looking at all of
the expensive overseas options available via the
internet, we came across the New Zealand manufactured
NZ
Helmet Camz system. As the name suggests,
this product was originally designed to mount
directly to the helmets of mountain bikers, motorcross
riders, and snowboarders, but they also offer
a 'Motor Sport Package'. This includes their own
very compact 1/3" bullet camera lens with
separate microphone; protective machined nylon
housing; wired remote control with power on/off
and recording start/stop. The small remote camera
lens can be mounted anywhere in the racecar, and
plugs into the A/V slot of your camcorder (which
can be housed well out of the way). The wired
remote plugs into the camcorder's LANC slot.
The entire system, including our
Sony Handycam (DCR-HC96E), is powered via a 12
volt feed from the racecar, so there is no need
to continually change camera batteries. A switch
on the dash turns the system on & off. We're
looking forward to testing the camera at our next
race meeting, and will post some short mpegs in
the video section of our Media
Gallery.
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Components for incar camera
system before installation |
The tiny remote camera / lens
with its machined nylon housing |
Camera in its protective housing
and attached to swivel mount |
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Sony DCR-HC96E Handycam
housed in 'Pelican' camera case |
Camera case strapped down on
the panel behind the race seats |
Camera attached using 'Manfrontto
Quick Action Super Clamp'
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Clamped to front rollcage (less
nylon housing) for circuit racing |
Camera will be moved to
rear rollcage during Targa |
Link to www.nzhelmetcamz.co.nz |
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| << BACK TO MEDIA
GALLERY |
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