2007- Fiesta- After winning the LMA Eurosaloon champioship in 2006 the Fiesta race car we ran was sold. This was to make way for future projects and after many great races will be sadly missed.
2007/8-Nova- A slightly sorry looking Vauxhall Nova Diesel came to us with a rotten front end. The strut tops had pushed through the inner wings and the bottom arms pulled free of the chassis. The original mounts were reloacted and then all of the rust cut out. The chassis legs themselves were still solid so the engine mounts were reinforced and remained in their original place. A new front cross member was made from 44mm CDS Tube and the front tie bars located with spherical bearings. The front end was semi space framed for rigidity taking bracings around the original chassis legs and back to the bulkhead. The fuelling and boost were tweeked slightly and a front mounted intercooler added to the space frame. Exhaust was made to flow freely then brakes and dampers were adjusted and the car performed admirbly on it’s subsiquent track days at Oulton Park and Donnington.
2008-Cavalier- A Vauxhall Cavalier came to us for some track day preparation on a budget. The cheapest thing to add to any race car is lightness so it went on a significant diet. After shedding more than a few kilo’s the car sat a little high and the customer couldn’t run to a full suspenion kit so some suitabel lowering springs were fitted and a few tricks of the trade applied here and there. Brakes were given some adjustment to dial in the new balance and pads were uprated. The driver was given a bucket seat and harness and the interior finished off with more lightness and lack of anything else.The exhaust was treated to a touch of simplicity to help performace, cost and to keep it within the noise regulations. The owner added the livery and it rewarded him with plenty of smiles at his first run at Mallory Park.
2008-Porsche- Throughout 2008 we worked extensively with a customer in the development of his Porsche 924. By the time the work was done it was 944 with 968 engine, LSD, big brakes, wide arch kit, huge wheels shod in slick tyres, full cage, bucket seats. The list goes on and on. This was a full spec, full fat, out and out race car kept road legal for it’s regular trips to track days all over the country. Driver training was carried out by AA Silencers owner Mark Hammersley and now this is one car/driver combo to watch out for at circuits near you!
2009-Robin-The search for something a little bit different is an endless one in world of cars. It seems just about everything has been done and it gets harder and harder to raise and eyebrow and make people smile. Enter the Reliant Robin, purely comical to some, practical transport to others but not many see them with much performance potential. Fitting a motorbike engine has been done before, almost always in to the rear to reduce the cars natural desire to fall over. The main problem with this is that with all the weight in the back and only one wheel at the front it may not fall over any more but it wouldn’t go round corners either. To do this you need some weight at the front to generate grip but not too much, you need a very well balanced chassis with an element of pitch and body roll control, it will need good traction through the rear wheels and more power than the standard reliant engine can produce to make the whole package a bit more fun. Enter the AA Silencers Honda V4 robin. The prototype was finished in mid 2009 and all systems show promise. There is now a full development plan afoot involving a full body off build to get everything just where it needs to be. Then and only then will it be unleashed on a drift course for some full on power sliding sideways action!
2007- Fiesta- After winning the LMA Eurosaloon champioship in 2006 the Fiesta race car we ran was sold. This was to make way for future projects and after many great races will be sadly missed.
2007/8-Nova- A slightly sorry looking Vauxhall Nova Diesel came to us with a rotten front end. The strut tops had pushed through the inner wings and the bottom arms pulled free of the chassis. The original mounts were reloacted and then all of the rust cut out. The chassis legs themselves were still solid so the engine mounts were reinforced and remained in their original place. A new front cross member was made from 44mm CDS Tube and the front tie bars located with spherical bearings. The front end was semi space framed for rigidity taking bracings around the original chassis legs and back to the bulkhead. The fuelling and boost were tweeked slightly and a front mounted intercooler added to the space frame. Exhaust was made to flow freely then brakes and dampers were adjusted and the car performed admirbly on it’s subsiquent track days at Oulton Park and Donnington.
2008-Cavalier- A Vauxhall Cavalier came to us for some track day preparation on a budget. The cheapest thing to add to any race car is lightness so it went on a significant diet. After shedding more than a few kilo’s the car sat a little high and the customer couldn’t run to a full suspenion kit so some suitabel lowering springs were fitted and a few tricks of the trade applied here and there. Brakes were given some adjustment to dial in the new balance and pads were uprated. The driver was given a bucket seat and harness and the interior finished off with more lightness and lack of anything else.The exhaust was treated to a touch of simplicity to help performace, cost and to keep it within the noise regulations. The owner added the livery and it rewarded him with plenty of smiles at his first run at Mallory Park.
2008-Porsche- Throughout 2008 we worked extensively with a customer in the development of his Porsche 924. By the time the work was done it was 944 with 968 engine, LSD, big brakes, wide arch kit, huge wheels shod in slick tyres, full cage, bucket seats. The list goes on and on. This was a full spec, full fat, out and out race car kept road legal for it’s regular trips to track days all over the country. Driver training was carried out by AA Silencers owner Mark Hammersley and now this is one car/driver combo to watch out for at circuits near you!
2008-Capri- work began in earnest on AA Silencers next race car. What was originally a 1.6 Ford Capri came in for some major work. This started by completely stripping it to a bare shell. All major areas of rust were tended to, all none structural metal was removed and a roll cage fabricated. Fibre glass wings, bonnet and tailgate were fitted and a new lightweight wiring harness was made. A new cross member was fabricated for the front to relocate suspension and steering components plus engine mounts for the new engine. An inlet manifold was fabricated from scratch to take an as yet untried inlet system combination and an ECU was sourced for the ignition. The wiring loom was made for the ECU and all necessary sensors sourced and brackets and adaptors made to fit them as required. The engine was fitted and rigged with a temporary cooling system. A dash was made and wired in to monitor everything and countless other jobs were completed to make all of these parts resemble a car and stand a chance of working. In late 2008 the key was turned and it fired in to life. All of the prototype systems functioned and the car could be driven. Although there was a huge amount of development to be done the ground work was laid for what would be a tremendous
racing car.
2009-Robin-The search for something a little bit different is an endless one in world of cars. It seems just about everything has been done and it gets harder and harder to raise and eyebrow and make people smile. Enter the Reliant Robin, purely comical to some, practical transport to others but not many see them with much performance potential. Fitting a motorbike engine has been done before, almost always in to the rear to reduce the cars natural desire to fall over. The main problem with this is that with all the weight in the back and only one wheel at the front it may not fall over any more but it wouldn’t go round corners either. To do this you need some weight at the front to generate grip but not too much, you need a very well balanced chassis with an element of pitch and body roll control, it will need good traction through the rear wheels and more power than the standard reliant engine can produce to make the whole package a bit more fun. Enter the AA Silencers Honda V4 robin. The prototype was finished in mid 2009 and all systems show promise. There is now a full development plan afoot involving a full body off build to get everything just where it needs to be. Then and only then will it be unleashed on a drift course for some full on power sliding sideways action!
2009-escort- In early 2009 a MK1 escort shell was pushed in for a little TLC. The owner wanted to carry out as much as possible himself but when it came to taking an angle grinder to his precious shell he was happy to pass that responsibilty on. It was fitted with 4 link boxes and a panhard rod to locate the axle and a pair of rear turrets for some coil over dampers. He then took it away to carry on the long process of rebuilding the car.
2009- Capri- Endless development has continued with the Capri. Wheels tyres, brakes, suspension pick up points, axle and drive ratios, gearbox, differential, anew cooling system, a new lubrication system, more weight loss, aerodynamic aids, a new fuel delivery system, a new exhaust, more testing and more set up work and finally it is ready to race! Fingers crossed for the end result but hopes are high.
Blog/News
June 2009- An early 70’s Porsche 911 came in with starting problems. It had an old KKK mechanical fuel injection system on it so no pointplugging the scanner in on this one! Turned out to have a small solenoid that literally dribbled fuel into the inlet manifold as you crank it over. We reconnected a broken wire and away it went. Stone age design and simplicity itself but it works.
Also in was a 60’s Mustang, proper old school american muscle. Just needed waxoyl and a few niggles sorting out. Nothing major but a lovely car and a perfect example at that.
July 2009 – More Lamborghini’s in for track day silencers. Slightly easier this time as we only had to remove approx 8 db in a removeable end can. These were custom fabricated and tested for their effect on the back pressure of these very sensitive engines. All went well and away went more happy and slightly quieter customers.
4X4 month this month too. Had a few in for the usual high ground clearnce systems or just something a bit freer flowing but one was an all out racer. Sledge hammer simplicity and brute force that must’ve been great fun on the rough. Made a custom exhaust system with 3 breakaway joint so that if it gets grounded or snagged it will only pull off part of the system and not damage the rest. Looked good and sounded great.
August 2009- Have worked with some guys in recent months in developing their MG track cars. One is an MGZS multi purpose family car come track day hack which interestingly is a diesel with enough torque to snap your neck thanks to a thoughtful remap and neatly installed intercooler. The other is an all out stripped bare and nicley set up MGZT V6. This has been built on a budget and has come to us to have some of it’s rough endges smoothed. With both cars looking good we headed for Donnington for some driver training. Wet weather made for an exciting day but great fun was had by all for a very small outlay.
September 2009- the big day has arrived, the first race for our capri. It was a 3 hour treck up to Cadwell Park near Skegness and we set up for the compulsary nights camping, BBQ and beer. 6am soon came around and the team were in full force preparing for Qualifying. The reward for their efforts was 3rd in class and no dramas with the car. It was a tremendous result from a new car at its first showing and all eyes were set on the race. Tension was high as everyone felt it was too good to be true, everyone knew there were always teething troubles and we were all waiting for them. A good start kept the car out of trouble and a super smooth pitstop jumped us up in to 2nd place. The car worked perfectly to the flag and the result was better than anyone could’ve imagined. Smiles all round on the long drive home and a thankfully short check list before the next race.
