G.I Ginge
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 posted on 13/12/13 at 06:11 PM |
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My Shiny New Panther!
Hi all!
I've just bought Eddie99's Panther that he's been trying to sell for a while. What a lot of fun it is! Anyhow, I'm a COMPLETE
novice with kit cars, so will probably be heavily reliant on the collective wisdom of this forum. So thanks in advance. 
I have three super-basic questions to get started:
1) I've bought an aeroscreen to go on the car. How do I fit this? I'm presuming I need to drill a few holes through the fibreglass
bodywork, but I haven't thought much further than that. I've read about possibly using rubber around the edge so it doesn't scratch
the hell out of the bodywork where the screen contacts with the car. Is this a good idea? Where can I buy it?
2) I haven't confirmed this with Ed, but in an earlier post he mentioned that the car was dyno'd at about 110bhp with a 1.8 zetec blacktop
engine. Is there no way to get a bit more power than this out of the engine? I drove a 1.8 focus for years and that had about 140bhp. Why the big
discrepancy?
3) Ed has removed the grill of the car as he said it was getting too hot on track days. I don't mind the grill-less look, but do think it makes
the car look sort of 'unfinished'. Does anyone have suggestions for either a grill that won't compromise air intake or another way
to increase cooling that I (an utter mechanical imbecile, remember) could make happen?
Many thanks for ANY advice. It is gratefully received.
Dan
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Dave Bailey
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| posted on 13/12/13 at 06:17 PM |
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Ref the cooling.. how is it plumbed? Does the bonnet have any vents to offer a low resistance path out of the car to maximise airflow through the
rad?
Dave B
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Dave Bailey
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| posted on 13/12/13 at 06:17 PM |
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O sorry WELCOME!
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TimC
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| posted on 13/12/13 at 06:31 PM |
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Hello, that's a great buy.
Is it one of Ed's aero screens i.e. the GTS one?
Oh, and join http://bristolkitcarclub.co.uk/ . They are a very active and helpful bunch.
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NigeEss
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| posted on 13/12/13 at 07:04 PM |
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Hello and welcome,
Dyno figures are what bhp is at the wheels, manufacturers quote figures at the flywheel. So allowing
for transmission losses you've probably got nearly 140 anyway.
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.................Douglas Adams.
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big-vee-twin
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| posted on 13/12/13 at 07:42 PM |
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Standard Zetec is about 115 the RS version gets 130 with fast cams etc. But as you say that's at the fly not wheels, so its about right.
Edd built that Panther to a good level, with a custom dash too.
Duratec is 145 out the box.
Duratec Engine is fitted, MS2 Extra V3 is assembled and tested, engine running, car now built. IVA passed 26/02/2016
http://www.triangleltd.com
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 14/12/13 at 07:06 AM |
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Wow so many responses already! Thanks for the warm welcome.
On the cooling front, the car has a carbon fibre air intake on the bonnet. However, it looks like this might be too far back to direct the air to the
radiator specifically. The radiator is mounted about six inches in from the nose of the car which seemed pretty sensible to me, but might make extra
air flow tricky. Ed is delivering the car this morning so I will get some pics up to give you a better idea. In terms of vents to direct air out, I
didnt see any. Where would ne a good spot for them?
The aeroscreen is indeed from Ed so hopefully it is a gts one, but I couldnt say for sure. Ed simply assured me that it would fit the panther. I think
he was taking pity on my ignorance and keeping things as simple as possible for me. Is the make of the screen important? Do different screens mount
differently?
Thanks for the comments on the horsepower. I feel better informed already. She felt pretty quick already, but if I wanted a few extra horses, any
suggestions on a relatively straightforward way to get them? Please dont say turbo charger-I dont think Im quite thete yet!
Thanks again for the help.
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INDY BIRD
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| posted on 14/12/13 at 07:39 AM |
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Hi welcome and good luck with the car,
Ask Eddie he is very experienced with these cars and has built some fine cars,
I would live with the power for a bit then see where you want to go, as the car is like new and very nice tidy build,
We you on track or road use? Road use I would say its plenty enough power but we all want more,
There is plenty of ino on the net to get more power from a zetec, can't remember if the car has std injection system or not, but cams and a
quick fix is remove the cat but of course for emissions you will need it at mot time, but will release a few etra horses,
Good luck with the car and ask edd as said he knows is stuff,
Sean
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snapper
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| posted on 14/12/13 at 10:08 AM |
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Let me assure you that car is plenty quick as it is, Eddie is also a very good driver
You should get to know the car before wanting more bhp and be aware in this cold damp weather this type of car will put you in a ditch if you go all
boy racer straight away
Be cautious, take it easy.
I think Ed built this with the original Ford ECU, ask him, if so tuning is limited unless you change for aftermarket
An option for more oomph is a 2.0L 170bhp Zetec, easy straight swap
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 18/12/13 at 03:28 PM |
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Thanks for the replies.
I actually had the chance to speak with Ed about all the issues when he dropped off the car the other day.
I'm going to leave the cooling for now- Ed explained the situation with the overheating was during a blazing hot day, on a track, after a full
day's thrashing. I'm not really going to push the car to those sorts of limits, so no need to take any action. Ed was even nice enough to
offer to send me the grill material to replace it!
Regarding the power, it was really just for my information. I totally take on everyone's points- I need to learn any car thoroughly before I
start tweaking.
The car isn't going out until the spring, so that will give me plenty of time to fit the aeroscreen and get some pictures up on this site!
Just two more questions- having sat in the car for a more reasonable length of time now, there is a big difference between the angle of the break
pedal and that of the accelerator. I'm a bit taller than Ed and have clown- sized feet, so this is going to make switching between them tricky
for my right foot. Is it easy to change the angle of this pedal or am I just asking for a world of pain?
Also, I'm too tall to see the digital speedo- the wheel is in the way. Is it possible to reposition the steering wheel?
[Edited on 19/12/13 by G.I Ginge]
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 26/12/13 at 09:47 PM |
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Bump! Can anybody offer any advice RE: the brake pedal?
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eddie99
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| posted on 1/1/14 at 05:26 PM |
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Hi Dan,
Glad your happy with the car, regarding the brake pedal. Its a wilwood pedal box which doesn't have much adjustability however i think i spaced
out the throttle pedal towards the driver to aid with heel and toeing, You might not like the new position and its easy to remove the washers between
the throttle pedal pad and the throttle pedal. However you can't change the angle easily I'm afraid.
Kind Regards
Ed
http://www.elitemotorsporteng.co.uk/
Twitter: @Elitemotoreng
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elite-Motorsport-Engineering/153409081394323
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 10/1/14 at 08:39 PM |
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Hi Ed. Thanks for the reply. I shall have a look at the washers on the accelerator pedal and see what can be done.
A question for anyone- I want to fit a fuel sender to the car's tank so I can actually have a fuel guage. What fuel sender have others used? Im
concerned that with such a small tank just buying a sierra sender might be too big?
Thanks for any replies.
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INDY BIRD
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| posted on 10/1/14 at 09:17 PM |
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Something like this
http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/fuel-tank-sender
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 10/1/14 at 10:35 PM |
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Thanks very much
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 14/1/14 at 10:27 PM |
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So I've got the suggested universal fuel sender on the way now, but, having removed the panel to the rear of the car, I'm having trouble
locating where this fuel sender will need installing. I have tried to attach a picture to illustrate, but cannot seem to do it. I keep being told that
a jpeg file is not a supported file type, irritatingly. I'm going to have a thorough look tomorrow, but shouldn't a hole for a sender just
be a round bit on the top of the tank? Where else would it be?
I also have some new shiny bits on the car like a new handbrake and gear knob. Plus I've tidied up some scuffs to the 'doors' with
some rather neat looking strips of foam rubber. I so WISH I could figure out how to share pictures on here! 
[Edited on 14/1/14 by G.I Ginge]
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mcerd1
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| posted on 15/1/14 at 08:58 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by G.I Ginge
I keep being told that a jpeg file is not a supported file type
how big are the pics ?
re-size them to 1024x768 or 800x600 and try again (also save them as *.jpg not *.jpeg)
btw what kind of 1.8 focus did you have with 140 bhp 
as far as I knew they only come in 115 or 125 ps flavours....
[Edited on 15/1/2014 by mcerd1]
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eddie99
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| posted on 15/1/14 at 09:48 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by G.I Ginge
So I've got the suggested universal fuel sender on the way now, but, having removed the panel to the rear of the car, I'm having trouble
locating where this fuel sender will need installing. I have tried to attach a picture to illustrate, but cannot seem to do it. I keep being told that
a jpeg file is not a supported file type, irritatingly. I'm going to have a thorough look tomorrow, but shouldn't a hole for a sender just
be a round bit on the top of the tank? Where else would it be?
I also have some new shiny bits on the car like a new handbrake and gear knob. Plus I've tidied up some scuffs to the 'doors' with
some rather neat looking strips of foam rubber. I so WISH I could figure out how to share pictures on here!
[Edited on 14/1/14 by G.I Ginge]
Im afraid there isn't a hole for a fuel sender, otherwise i would have fitted a sender originally. To properly put a hole in it, you need to get
tank out of the car and get a ring the correct size TIG'd on, also make sure its got no fuel or vapours in it when doing so.
http://www.elitemotorsporteng.co.uk/
Twitter: @Elitemotoreng
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elite-Motorsport-Engineering/153409081394323
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 21/1/14 at 08:20 AM |
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Ah. I think that might be a project for next year, then! I want to actually enjoy DRIVING the car for a while before I blow myself up drilling
holes in fuel tanks!
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 3/2/14 at 11:18 AM |
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Got the car out for its first drive this weekend! Loving it- especially with the aero screen to take some of the sting out of the buffeting I do
have two small questions, neither of which is particularly urgent:
1. Under a steady throttle of about 2-3,000 revs, there is a noise coming from the engine bay. It sounds like maybe a belt or something under strain?
This noise goes away if you rev the car beyond that threshold, but it is also present during acceleration up to 3,000 revs. Anything to worry about,
do you guys think? I can't say I noticed any issues with performance whilst the noise was present. I should also say that the car has been sat
unused for at least 2-3 months, if that's relevant.
2. The brakes felt a bit less positive than I was expecting. I'm used to driving a 350z, which has brembo 4 pot callipers on the front and
computers to sort out breaking for you, so maybe my expectations just need adjusting, but I had thought that a car like this would pretty much stop on
a dime with discs all round. They certainly stop the car, but the initial stop from the brakes did not cut as much speed as I thought they would.
Again, anything to worry about, or am I just used to something different?
Many thanks!
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mcerd1
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| posted on 3/2/14 at 12:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by G.I Ginge
2. The brakes felt a bit less positive than I was expecting. I'm used to driving a 350z, which has brembo 4 pot callipers on the front and
computers to sort out breaking for you, so maybe my expectations just need adjusting, but I had thought that a car like this would pretty much stop on
a dime with discs all round. They certainly stop the car, but the initial stop from the brakes did not cut as much speed as I thought they would.
Again, anything to worry about, or am I just used to something different?
but your 350z would have servo assistance 
non-servo assisted brakes take a fair bit more effort on your part to make them work....
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scootz
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| posted on 3/2/14 at 02:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
... non-servo assisted brakes take a fair bit more effort on your part to make them work....
Non-servo assisted brakes are probably my pet-hate of (most) kit-cars. I'm seriously considering adding a servo to the Quantum.
It's Evolution Baby!
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 7/2/14 at 03:02 PM |
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Ah, OK. So just stamp a little harder. Got it.
Anybody care to stick their neck out and offer a theory RE: the belt noise I can hear?
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wackydo
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| posted on 22/2/14 at 09:36 AM |
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Hi
I work in Keynsham and live in Downend, though not massively experienced would be happy to pop round and have a look at things with u some time.
Tony
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G.I Ginge
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| posted on 22/2/14 at 11:43 AM |
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Hi Tony,
That would be very kind of you, thanks. I've taken the car out for several drives now and all seems to be fine. The noise may be some kind of
air intake noise, on reflection. I'm going to take an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach for now, but if
anything changes I will definitely message you.
Thanks again,
Dan
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