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Peugeot 306

29th July 07

Our modified Turbo Intake trumpet has been completed and is back from the machinists, and we are very happy with it. We have made a small bracket for the waste-gate mounting and the Quaife ATB Diff and Big wing sump are both installed.

On the suspension side the springs have been fitted and seem perfect, and our suspension expert has completed setting up the rear end such that it now doesn't bump steer at all, and the front end should be ready for corner weighting after this evening.

24th July 09

The progress of the car seems to be really gathering pace now as things usually do when the reassembly phase begins. Intercooler and Oil cooler are installed behind the turbo cooler, the dump valve piping has been assembled, the intercooler hoses are sorted and turbo feeds installed.

The fuel system is now nearly complete, with ends to fit the swirl pot the only missing part at the minute. A fitting has been inserted into the header tank to take the top feed from the swirl pot, the Group A restrictor has been chopped, is being welded and will soon be filleted to a smooth curve, and routing to the air filter has begun.

All parts for the steering assembly have now arrived, we are using a manual rack which required a different pinch spline joint. The rear anti roll bar is now installed with the polybushes mentioned in the last update.

On the body and interior side the main dash panels are cut and just need to be secured in their final places, a roof panel to secure the headlining has been installed and carbon caps for the mirrors are made. At the rear sections of the body have been cut to enable further flow from the radiator.

On inspection of our diff we discovered that there was some damage so we have decided to play it safe and have sourced a brand new Quaife ATB Item which should be more than man enough for the job. We have also bought a baffled big wing sump to ensure that oil starvation will not be a problem.

20th July 09

We gave the driveshafts a light coat of hammerite as they were also coated with rust, this along with the other clean up jobs will drastically improve the look of the underside of the car. Also at the back end we are using some 5 inch flexible hose to feed air from the roof scoops to our radiator, which will also feed from below the car.

We obtained some custom polybushes which fitted our S14A Anti-roll bar inside Supra Mk4 U clamps that we had from our donor Supra. Considering the car had no ARB at the back before this should improve things considerably.

For the interior we solved the problem with demisting the screen by sourcing a small electric unit which you can place where you like and only costs us 400grams, we can supply these if you want one. We are using a Bailey DV30 recirculating dump valve for this car and our Silvia, and in this case have made a custom take off pipe for it due to the very tight constrictions around the throttle body area.

For the fuel side of things the setup is progressing well, we are using a main pump fed from the custom aluminium swirl pot which in turn is fed by the Facet lift pump. These are being installed at the minute. The intercooler is a thicker 60mm item, and again has been modified on the intake and exit pipes to fit the tight confines of this car.

The bumper has been repainted and looks excellent, and the turbo cooler installed in front of the intercooler.

15th July 09

We have now completed de-rusting the rear end of the car, there was a lot more surface rust than expected buried under the underseal but nothing that went through the metal thankfully. As has been said before, we caught this car just in time.

The rear beam was also teeming with surface rust, so this, the track control arms, diff carrier and hubs have all been painted.

Also the fuel and Oil systems are taking shape, our custom tank has arrived and we are more than happy with it and the swirl pot. We have begun routing the hosing for the fuel, and in car are using 811 spec hose to prevent any smell reaching the cockpit.

We have also got some replacement springs which will allow us to experiment a little with the spring rates.

22nd June 09

Over the weekend our BD14 Inlet Cam Arrived, we found an anti-roll bar for the rear end- the S14A front end start is of a good stiffness for this application, and the Turbocharger has been installed.

18th June 09

Noel has now removed a portion of the rear end to make way for the rear mounted rad and has installed a box section of metal to re-strengthen the area. The radiator has been mounted on its rubber mounts.

In the engine bay the exhaust has been heat-wrapped and is being put together for the final assembly. We have now sourced a idle control valve suitable for our new 50% larger throttle body, and the engine is awaiting the inlet cam from Piper to complete it.

In the interior the final pieces of unpainted area have been prepared and touched up in Matt black, as mentioned before all this will be covered with lightweight carpet and carbon. We have added a dash bar for essential side impact protection, opting for Square section instead of CDS tube due to this allowing us to use it as the primary mount for the dashboard, for which some flat sheet carbon is being produced.

The rear beam has been sent off for machining work to begin to allow us to adjust camber and toe. The Power steering rack is being modified by a specialist in order to delete the power assisted side to give more feel.

9th June 09

In the last week we have done mostly tidying work on the 306, the interior is now rust free, had a coat of red oxide and is now painted matt black. This finish will be under a layer of lightweight carpet and our carbon dash but it is nice to know that all is in order and tidy underneath.

The front bulkhead has been plated with carbon panels to block off any holes that were left from the stripping of the dash. This should prevent as much wind and engine noise as possible from coming into the car. Again these will be under the carbon dash but are part of thoroughly rebuilding the car.

On the brakes side we have now installed a dual master cylinder setup, these both being compact items, this will allow us to run a adjustable restrictor on the rear cylinder to adjust the bias. The exhaust has been heat wrapped and awaits its coat of paint, and the wiring is being sorted out and the unnecessary disposed of by our electrician.

We have extended the front wheelarch where it emerges in the bonnet to allow some extra room as the tyres were rubbing previously.The carbon tailgate skin has been produced and awaits fitting, the roof will be entering production soon.

4th June 09

Since the last update we have ripped out the ABS system in preparation for install of a simple race master cylinder, this alone has saved us a further 9.87Kg. Also we have installed the head with the ARP studs and WRC head gasket and we have test mounted the inlet manifold.

The Turbo spacer has been deepened to give us further clearance and our Race Guru Colin Davids has leant his services to begin setting up the suspension and introduce features to the car to ease this process in the future.

1st June 09

Work on the car has been progressing well over the last few weeks.

On the engine side new manifolds have been used on inlet and exhaust, using a custom HCS Inlet and a Cossie 2WD high flow exhaust to hopefully make full use of a new turbo, which is a Custom built Group A GT30. A spacer had to be machined to enable the turbo to clear the head, this sits between the two parts of the exhaust.

On our new gas flowed head a BD14 Cam is now being fitted to the inlet, and larger "Grey" injectors, custom fuel rail, aeromotive Fuel pressure regulator and large short throw throttle body will also help intake more air.

We are getting rid of the abs system to save weight and to this end a different ecu will be used, this will also utilise a wasted spark ignition system from a more modern ford engine, which removes the weight of the distributor.

A genuine WRC multi layer metal head gasket and ARP studs are being used which will hopefully prevent any problems in that area. A new deeper radiator is being used to keep temperatures under control and a turbo cooler is going to be installed between the turbo and header tank on the water loop to cool the water at this critical point.

On the carbon side a mould has been made for the roof and a Tailgate has been produced, all that remains is it to be polished before being put on. We have machined a pair of brackets to enable the mounting of the Skyline GT-R calipers and Ksport 356mm discs to the Cosworth hubs.

20th May 09

Since the last update we took a trip to the Nurburgring so most of our efforts were focused on the Porsche in the run up to this.

Over the last day we have completely removed the dashboard, blower assembly and heater matrix in order to shed weight and improve the look of the interior. Also gone is the thick sound deadening around the gearbox, 3 layers thick in places. In total this process alone has yielded a 24.7kg weight saving. This figure is without the wiring we will be loosing when we strip the loom of the huge current excess. As you can see the car is in desperate need of this.

This weight saving will add up with the 101kg lost on the conversion to 2WD, carbon panels, stripping interior, alloy rad and fuel tank to give we hope a curb weight of 1000kg down from the 1210 it came in at.

11th May 09

We have now received the 306 Cosworth back from the bodyshop for final assembly and geometry setup of the suspension. The Interior will be installed, front geometry adjusted and new Toyo R888s used all round, on the red and black Rota Torque Wheels.

9th May 09

All that remains in the bodyshop now is to flat and polish the 306 and we will have it back to us. The bonnet and doors have now been painted and our trademark carbon etching put in the paintwork.

25th April 09

The 306 has now been painted fully, the panels have been polished and trim painting of the bonnet and door skins are all that remain until it is shipped back to us.

27th March 09

The conversion to 2WD is now in progress and should be finished by tomorrow morning, while we did this we decided to replace the mounting points in the front cross member to bring the arms up into alignment as already discussed, this should greatly aid the handling of the finished car, remove bump steer and possibly erratic camber compensation. The rear end is complete and the front is waiting on engine mounts from Collins Performance.

25th March 09

The car has just been transferred to our workshop to undertake the work to convert the car to 2WD. Also the Tailgate has been received prepped and ready to mould from our bodyshop so work will begin on that soon.

19th March 09

The car has finished being painted by our bodyshop, and we have now decided to change direction slightly with it. Due to the problems associated with using the front driveshafts of the Cosworth on the 306 (ie they make a steep angle which will reduce life), we have decided to convert to the Cosworth 2WD setup, which also has the advantage of reducing weight with the lack of the extra diff.

The parts have all been sourced and the car will be going in the workshop when the Silvia Vacates it next week.
Parts to be changed include:
-Gearbox
-AP Racing Paddle Clutch
-Baffled 2WD sump
-Steering Rack
-Steel Cross member
-Propshaft
-Rear 7.5 Diff
-Polybushed rear beam and arms

14th January 09

The rollcage is finally fully installed, with custom links to the rear struts, door bars and a cross bar behind the seats. with a link to the transmission tunnel.

8th January 09

Since the last update work is continuing with the ECU install but we have not had much time to work on this since the start of the S14A and a few customer projects.

The extra rollcage elements are being finally installed today and then the car will be sent off to be painted. After that the installation of the rear mounted radiator and fuel tank will bring us close to completion.

22nd December 08

We are currently in the process of installing a custom ECU and loom to the 306 that we have manufactured ourselves, and in the process are removing the distributor and changing to a more modern setup.

Also we are removing the ABS system and electric pump to cut down further on unnecessary weight.

2nd December 08

The brake lines have been brought inside the car and the rears now run down past the drivers side to the dash panel. This is where the brake bias valve will be mounted to allow in car adjustment of the braking pressures front to rear.

The front discs are now installed and the mounting brackets are being manufactured to allow fitment of the Brembo Gold GT-R Calipers, which have been freed up by fitting the KSport calipers to the R34.

28th November 08

The shortened shocks have now been fitted at the front end which are a great improvement, the car now rides at the level of the lowest setting on the previous shocks, but on its most extended setting, meaning the spring can be properly used and useful adjustment achieved.

As you can see the wheels sit well in the arch but not as close to them as the Skyline or Porsche. This is as a result of the shape of the wings, the Splitter is only 3.5inches above the ground, which is actually lower by a few mm than a F1 cars front wing.

The door bars and our custom diff strengthener for the rollcage are painted and back to us, again a marvelous job by Ian. The paint looks and feels if anything better than the original.

You may notice that the car has a hole in the rear bumper. This is due to the fuel tank being changed, we don't like the idea of it and the driver on the same side of the car, as you can see. This will leave a void which is a perfect slot for a diffuser which will be custom designed and made in house.

21st November 08

We are now waiting for the shortened shocks to be completed so we can mount the front end properly, ensure that the clearances on the Tyres are ok and then mount the front calipers using our custom brackets.

15th November 08

The  carbon fibre splitter for the 306 is now completed and installed, all that is left for it is a few stay bars to prevent it being sucked off. The grille in the under bonnet panel is being installed to allow flow of air to the intercooler, as before only the bottom edge would receive undisturbed air.

The rear wing is now installed using a adjustable stay from another wing to allow customization of the setup between situations. The wing is a carbon blade with custom endplates and mounts.

12th November 08

Roll cages strengthening plates are now fully welded in and the diff strengthening bars and door bars just need a lick of paint. The Alloy E-Tech Strut brace is welded in as we are using a non-standard top mount and strut shape.

The wheels are on, they are Rota Torque Red Lip drift wheels, and currently have 265 profile Pirelli P-Zeros on them. Naturally this means the suspension is on, although the Cosworth shocks and springs mean with the higher 306 arches that the car still rides high, though the problem is less than before. We have modified the rear mounts and are currently working on the front to solve this problem.

4th November 08

On inspection of the bonnet and doors we decided that they were ludicrously heavy for what they were and they needed to be replaced with Carbon Fibre items. Perspex windows have just arrived to replace all but the main windscreen.

A Carbon bonnet was made and fitted over the existing mountings to allow easy usage. We sourced some Escort Mk.5 Cosworth bonnet vents, had them cut and they have just been fitted into the bonnet. As you can see below these are ideally positioned to vent hot air from the turbo.

The KSport front Brake setup has just arrived, its 356mm disks and 8 pot calipers are likely to be a tight fit under the 18 inch Rota GTR wheels we have lined up.

           
Bonnet and Vent Construction

                   


Carbon Fitted

         
KSport Brakes

28th October 08

A quick update, the top mounts are in and we have machined the chassis to allow for independent adjustment of castor and camber, as unfortunately the eccentric adjustable top mount design forces you to change both at the same time between preset notches. This means we now have infinite and independent adjustability of the geometry of the front of the car.

The roll cage is now in as well and is now having stiffening plates welded on. We will now not be using the rear OMP strut brace, instead fabricating our own from Aluminium and using this for a strut brace as well as a mount for trim panels. Also in this area we have fabricated our own additional cage bars to attach to the rear diff mount, which was previously held on by a few small brackets and the boot floor!

Initially a wider set of ford fitment wheels were going to be used but now we have decided to use Japanese fitment wheels. This means that we can keep one set of track and one of road tyres, which can then be switched between the Skyline, 306 and eventually Supra at our convenience. We found a solution that allowed us to fit these 5 stud wheels to the original transmission, usually 4 stud.

Also at the rear end of the car the Hi-Spec brake setup was modified as the design of the caliper allowed for only two of the cylinders to be bled.

14th October 08

 The project has now turned from a quick update of the car to an overhaul as they often do. Steering wheel, seats, mounts and harnesses are in, carbon door panels installed and the rear carpet ripped up, soundproofing gone and recarpeted with light weight fabric from our Retrotrim service.

 The existing “carbon look” gauge pod was removed and the tacho temporarily mounted above the steering column and the boost gauge in the headlight adjustment position. Rust has been treated on the front wing and after inspection some work and welding was needed around the rear suspension turrets as there were rust patches evident there.  The 14 point roll cage will be going in shortly, and will be connected to the suspension pick up points to help the strut braces to minimize flex of the suspension.

 The front shocks are due to go on and the rear were sent away to ensure correct replacements, which have now arrived. The 4 replacements are Gaz Gold coilovers which are bump, rebound and height adjustable and the springs we have chosen are hard road/track to ensure performance while keeping practicality. They will be a considerable improvement on the current single adjustable AVO/Spax setup, where the shocks are worn. We are also fitting adjustable top mounts and track control arms to allow for adjustment of Camber, track width and castor.

Front Suspension setup and rear coilovers.

 The 306 Maxi was designed as a front wheel drive rally car, and thus the chassis and body shell are orientated on getting the most from the front end. In the installation of the Cosworth 4WD system the track is the same front and rear, to the effect that the rears sit perfectly in the arches but the fronts sit nearly 2 inches inboard of where they could. To take advantage of this possible extra track we are adding width front and rear.  

The car in the bodyshop.

At the rear our bodywork guru Ian has done an excellent job on widening the bodyshell by meshing the original steelwork with his own, thus keeping the shape and look of the car, just even wider. To make use of the extra track we will be using 10 inch wheels all around, which will be more deeply dished than the current wheels. More pictures and info coming soon.

3^rd October 08

 We have begun by installing a Sparco bucket seat with a subframe of our own fabrication, OMP deep dished steering wheel and sorting out a problem with the steering.

 29^th September 08

 We have just received a Peugeot Cosworth Maxi 306. Currently running around 300hp at 1Bar the engine and turbo will be sorted to produce hopefully around 450hp. Also the car will be fully stripped, bodywork straightened and generally given a going over.