1970 Ginetta G15

[Darkspeed]

Dropped in to visit my old mate today and we dug through his collection of Imp filter heads and extracted all of the relief valves to select suitable candidates for modification.




Got a few there that will suit our needs


Also took a couple of snaps of the engines.







molebert s engine is on the stand being assembled - awaiting a thrust - head already completed, and my cylinder head is on the bench for it's assembly.


To progress my mates build I dropped the dummy build engine in his chassis which confirmed that he needs to chop some more steel from the O/S rear cradle tube - I see more G15 chassis welding in my near future.
















Just because

[lebowski]

Can you not get a decent sized plenum in that gap? I have thought it would work better than pipes with tight bends and it looks like you have reasonable space.

[Darkspeed]

May 19, 2021 14:19:45 GMT lebowski said:

Can you not get a decent sized plenum in that gap? I have thought it would work better than pipes with tight bends and it looks like you have reasonable space.

Depends what you mean by decent sized - the gap is just over 3" - 4" by the notch in the chassis - the issue is to be able to fit a plenum/airbox and allow for maintenance. If you have a plenum with connectors that push over the TB ends the plenum would be 2" deep.

On PHX the air box is about 2" deep and has the benefit of being able to be bolted onto the DCOE's even then there is only just enough room to get the cover plate on after the main box is fixed to the carbs.





The issue is that my mate wants to add some full length bellmouths and knowing him a full size 5" deep ITG filter assembly.

[lebowski]

I see what you mean. Could do with some bulkhead type grommets to join the plenum/tbs instead of short lengths of pipe, although I don't know if they exist in that sort of size or how well they would seal.

[Darkspeed]

Parts for the engines are still arriving - ARP nuts for the mains





Quite a few gaskets and parts also on order with the Imp Club who do a great job of supporting engine parts.


G15 #13 is coming along - first coats of high build

[biturbo228]

Paint! Exciting times

[Darkspeed]

Found a small amount of time this afternoon before the heat/humidity got unbearable to machine another adjustable oil pressure relief.








Two more standard types and one later B1 type and that should give us enough test pieces to play with.

[Darkspeed]

Just when you think you are getting things under control and starting to be sensible someone goes and says something really stupid..


The daughters fiancé was round at the weekend and mentions that he might like a car project similar to the sort of thing I get involved in says he has little put aside and would like to put it toward a car before daughter finds out and it gets absorbed by her ever growing fleet of ponies.

Says he likes the look of the G15 then goes very pale when I tell him the costs involve these days.

I idle away a bit of time here and there.

Facebook - Midas - seller asking a bit much really but it was to gauge a reaction. - "Oooh no"








Facebook and ebay - GTM Rossa - Priced not bad but more than I would like to pay - "Not really"








And there lies the problem when the future father in-law is playing with Strato's G15' Gemini's G27 etc.

Now I was quite taken with the Rossa - Mid engine old school 1275 A series open or hard top option - may be a bit of haggle room - quite local - on the road - I was almost going to mail the seller. Then stupid me I say - If you really want a G15 I can make a call as I know where one is.... A call later I am now making plans to go and collect not one, but two ex race G15's FFS - for the moment its just collection and storage at the farm whilst me and the owner have discussions.

No new Rossa project for DS.... G15's cannot get away from the bloody things. Still like that Rossa - probably destined to be French doors in the dining room instead.

[biturbo228]

Tell you what, if you've got one too many G15s I'd be more than happy to come and take one of your hands

[Darkspeed]

Jun 16, 2021 21:16:05 GMT biturbo228 said:

Tell you what, if you've got one too many G15s I'd be more than happy to come and take one of your hands

Everybody wants the pretty cars


Not interested in the Variant Ginfire G15 hybrid on eBlag then - That's okay nor was anyone else the first week. - Now there is best offer - Sprint wheels must be worth £100 - I think the entire planet is too faint hearted when it come to that mongrel.




The G21 he had only made £900 - what people failed to realise with that one is that its quite straight forward to register one of those without any paperwork as they are not and never were kits.

[biturbo228]

...I actually rather like that Spitfire chassis or Ginetta? Southampton's not that far away either...

Too many projects already!

Wish I'd spotted that G21. I'd have had that in a heartbeat...

[Darkspeed]

Jun 16, 2021 22:37:17 GMT biturbo228 said:

...I actually rather like that Spitfire chassis or Ginetta? Southampton's not that far away either...

Wish I'd spotted that G21. I'd have had that in a heartbeat...

Not enough to go in the photo's to say what the chassis either way .

On the G21 - Galv chassis and the full body - buyer must have thought Xmas had come early no matter what the reason it was bought - parts or project.

I still like that Rossa.

[Darkspeed]

I will let the pictures do the talking. - Circuit race car 750 MC

















Sprint car











Sprint car chassis











Picked up a few other parts which I will go through as and when


Got another oil filter housing for a sport - race type - Interesting as this is a GE relief valve - We have another GE one in a box of parts. Pinned plunger - things to note - oil cooler relief valve removed and blanked off. Gasket faces vibro engraved to improve gasket seal to hold the extra pressure.

[colimp66]

Have you dug the sprint car out and taken it home?

Col.

[Darkspeed]

Jun 29, 2021 21:03:26 GMT colimp66 said:

Have you dug the sprint car out and taken it home?

Col.

I have the lamp pods - it's about all I could fit in my car - the exhumation works will happen shortly.

[Darkspeed]

Had a few imps and plenty of tuned parts as you may have noticed in this thread but I have never seen one of these - read about them but never seen one.



From the Impsite


All the sport heads have the oil drain (from head to crankcase) and they all use the same valve sizes.
Sport head casting numbers (not a Rootes part number) with last digits
....107 : the very early sport head, possibly for use with competition cars and the dry-liner 998 Rally Imp from the end of 1965
....162 : 162 fitted to early production Sports up to 1968; the Rallye head casting, basically the same as the 180 cylinder casting but ported and chambered for 150 CD Strombergs and 998cc.
....180 : the most common. It was the later sport head, used until the end of production. It is a thicker casting than the 107, giving more scope for modification.


This one has been modified for Wills rings on a 998 bore and the combustion chambers have been opened up to unshroud the valves.







You can see the difference to a stock Sport 180 head -





It is interesting that the combustion chambers look very factory in the way they are finished - Ports are as cast so no huge ports on this one. We collected nine sport heads in all two 107's and 7 180's one of the 180's was a full fat 1.4/1.125 and others with less wild mods.

Also picked up the racer pedal box

Interesting thing with this - well if you have an interest in these things is that it's the layout of an early car with the bellcrank but its from the shell of a later car.

Some lovely details.




















Note that with the intention to be really standing on the brakes no weight saving holes in that pedal.....


Also worthy of note is that the bellcranks are not as per Ginetta modified from the original IMP pedal have a leverage built in to increase the mechanical advantage onto the M/C's that are all 0.7's It's a really nice solution.

[Darkspeed]

As well as the Imp stuff there are parts for a very special VW build that I will detail as I find out more about it but there is a short stroke crank I think ground for using X-Flow rods - I may have misheard - the barrels from an aircraft engine they are alloy finned and lighter.... Need to dig out the VW boxes and see what they are about as well. It was stillborn project as the regs changed during the development - and so the G15's were shelved and a Caterham and an all steel 1400 crossflow was built instead.

Not 100% sure but I think it was destined for the G15 - as a version of the G15 Super S - no rad, no water pumps no water , better box and Hewland gear options- CV joints super lightweight engine - The Sprint shell is supposed to be a Ginetta ultra lightweight shell - will see when I get hold of the doors bonnet and engine cover to see if they give any indication of being such.

Stories going around with these old boys on the day were around all the things done whilst racing - one G15 racer having one of his apprentices spending days sanding the body down to reduce the thickness of the shell. Then sprayed with one thin top coat.

Hmmmmmmm - notice something familiar with that sprint car shell.

[biturbo228]

Intriguing!

The hotted up air-cooled flat 4 sounds like a perfect match for a G15!

[Darkspeed]

Jul 2, 2021 13:41:50 GMT biturbo228 said:

Intriguing!

The hotted up air-cooled flat 4 sounds like a perfect match for a G15!

Trouble is that




Just does not sound quite





So the VW needs to be something really special - this one sounds about right - but at 7600 my engine is just coming on cam !

[Darkspeed]

Itchy has been busy with the making of a GF rear bumper - There are quite a few G15's running without bumpers with just the mouldings cleaned up but I always think they look unfinished and bumpers whether original or GF look best.




















I have the front bumper moulds back with me and the plan is to lay up some with carbon and carbon and Kelvar mixes.