Twin Spark Cup 156 Project

[Alfatango]

https://www.twinsparkcup.com.au/

After speaking with John during the AROCA Meeting, this seemed like something that I could do and this way I can take my passion for cars to another level. The regulations are pretty straight forward and you need a Motorsport Australia/CAMS Racing license or the other non cams one which I forgot. However I like to do other CAMS events so I will hopefully be getting one in a couple of months when my current one expires.

I was shocked at how well the paint came up after a cut, polish, wax and finish. Spent about 10 hours cleaning it and  about another 10 hours fixing odd bits and stripping it.

So far have ordered:
Slotted discs $300
Ferodo DS2500 pads $800
Braided brake lines $250
Federal semi slicks in 225 45 17 $800
New crystal vision bulbs as factory ones sucked $50
Timing belt kit
Clic R pliers as can't figure out how put them back together
All off ebay

Other than that it already has an eibach suspension kit so won't have to do the suspension for a while.

Next step will be bucket seat, harness and roll cage and that's it. Roll cage is around $3k. Bucket seat is around $500 to $1000 and harness is around $500.

So pretty happy with potentially having a race car for around 8k all up and its cool as you can do it in stages. I found that you can hire a car trailer for around $150 for the day so it saves driving to the track on semi slicks.

[Alfatango]

After cut, polish, wax and finish.

[bazzbazz]

Finally got the dog smell out

Don't worry, it'll come back first time it rains . . . . 

 

[Alfatango]

The interior isnt going back in so no more dog smell .

[Alfatango]

Nulon 5w 40 Racing oil
K&N oil filter
Penrite 75w 90 gear oil
It already has a K&N air filter

[Colin Edwards]

"The fascia must remain standard except for modifications essential for the fitment of a full roll Cage. Original
instruments must remain in the standard location. Standard instrument stalks must be fitted and working.". 
My reading of the above seems it will allow removal of the "centre console" including trim down to and including the handbrake.  Call John Burkhart for clarification.  Most TSC cars I've seen retain the centre console / gear stick surround / handbrake trim.  Probably replaced after carpets removed?

"7 Wheels and Steering
7.1 Wheel Diameter
All cars must use 16” diameter wheels.
7.2 Wheel Width
Maximum rim width 7”
7.3 Wheel Type
Wheel type is free. Competitors MUST ENSURE that wheels are suitable for racing purposes and should be
inspected regularly for cracks, rim damage etc.
7.4 Modifications Prohibited
Steering must not be altered from standard specification as regards method and position/mounting points of
components. The bending of steering arms is not permitted under any circumstances. The steering ratio must remain
as standard for the model. On models fitted with power steering as standard it must always be in full working order.
However, the standard Power Steering oil cooler may be removed and/or replaced by an aftermarket oil cooler.
8 Tyres
8.1 Specification – Nominated Control Tyre
Federal 595 RSR are the nominated control tyre to be used by all competitors until 31 December 2020
R Spec tyres are not permitted.".

TS engines do not handle sustained high engine revs.  A wise investment would be a custom soft rev limiter set to around 6100rpm. 

Welcome aboard!!

[Alfatango]

Thanks Colin. Didnt know about the revs. How does a rev limter work for the Twin Spark? Is an ecu or obd thing?

[bazzbazz]

Federal semi slicks in 225 45 17 $800

All cars must use 16” diameter wheels.

Oops, hope you kept the receipts. 

[Alfatango]

Yeah I thought about it Bazz, before I bought the slicks but I like the 17s that came on the car as they kind of look like the 156 touring car wheels.  I was hoping to do a couple of sprints and the Winton 12h in the next couple of months but lock down seems to cancelling events. So I may as well get used to the federal as the other options were nankangs, Hankook and bridgestones which were a bit more.

The more popular 16s on the 156 are 16x6.5 so I will hunt around for some 16x7s that I like.

[warsch]

While Colin says that TS don't handle high revs, I will politely disagree.

I have a TS track day car which I rev out to the limiter, and so far it's been to about 55 race meets over the last 4 odd years and it's at about 220kkm now.

I also have the balance belt removed to squeeze out every hp. My friend has developer a cheap intake trumpet mod that gives about 5 hp at the wheels, hit me up if it's something of interest.

Also, I believe 225 to be too wide for standard 7" wheels, especially for motorsports use. Not safety wise but performance wise.

[Alfatango]

While Colin says that TS don't handle high revs, I will politely disagree.

I have a TS track day car which I rev out to the limiter, and so far it's been to about 55 race meets over the last 4 odd years and it's at about 220kkm now.

I also have the balance belt removed to squeeze out every hp. My friend has developer a cheap intake trumpet mod that gives about 5 hp at the wheels, hit me up if it's something of interest.

Also, I believe 225 to be too wide for standard 7" wheels, especially for motorsports use. Not safety wise but performance wise.

Thanks Warsch. So you use the factory limiter?

What tyre size would you recommend for 16x7s? A quick ebay search shows the federal rsr semi slicks available in 205 45 16 and 205 50 16.

For anyone else considering a twin spark cup car, these factory GT wheels are apparently 16x7 and it seems like the same wheel on some of the Twin Spark Cup pics. Ideally I would love to find some bbs style wheels.

[Alfatango]

The ebay seller refunded my ds2500 purchase.

https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styling/Alfa-156/Brakes:::1_15_45.html

Best place I have found so far that has all the brake options. Note you can order EBC brakes from EBC.

Ferodo have the ds2500 and ds3000 which is a race pad. The ds3000 rear pads only fit from 2002 onwards. Mine is 2000 so would ds3000 on the front and ds2500 on the rear work? Would the 2002 rear brake change just be a change of calipers or is there more to it?

Regarding the brake fluid, I just purchased the Penrite Racing Brake Fluid 600 Dot 4. Are there any other good options? I am a Nulon convert after using their additives but Penrite is great as well.

[Colin Edwards]

Mmmmmm.  If your changing gear when the engine is bouncing on the limiter you maybe changing a tad late!  Seen more than one TS let go here in Vic.  I'll admit though some of these engines may have been iffy before hitting the track!

Give the "50" profile tires a shot.  They'll provide a bit more grip under braking over the 45's and in theory run cooler.
 
We use Motul RBF 600 or the Penrite 600 in our FF.  The Motul has a slightly higher dry and wet boiling point though.  Driver reckons the Motul also feels better.  Whatever fluid you use - bleed the brakes often!

Not sure if disabling the balance shaft is allowed in the regs!?!  A few restrictions on induction system mods as well methinks!?!

[warsch]

Ferodo have the ds2500 and ds3000 which is a race pad. The ds3000 rear pads only fit from 2002 onwards. Mine is 2000 so would ds3000 on the front and ds2500 on the rear work? Would the 2002 rear brake change just be a change of calipers or is there more to it?

Regarding the brake fluid, I just purchased the Penrite Racing Brake Fluid 600 Dot 4. Are there any other good options? I am a Nulon convert after using their additives but Penrite is great as well.

I haven't noticed any changes in my lap time regardless of what the rear pads are. I used to have EBC yellowstuff at the rear, then EBC ultimax and now it's some generic stuff. I also believe that 156 has to much rear brake bias so better not to go race pads at the rear.

156 and 147 had 251 mm rear rotors with different calipers and pads, they are interchangeable though. 2002 onwards and GTAs have bigger 270 mm rotors, which you can install, but there's no reason to.

I've been running the same brake fluid for all the 4 years I've been racing and never had a problem. I partially flush the calipers every now and then. Again, I guess anything of similar spec would do alright.

[warsch]

Mmmmmm.  If your changing gear when the engine is bouncing on the limiter you maybe changing a tad late!  Seen more than one TS let go here in Vic.  I'll admit though some of these engines may have been iffy before hitting the track!

I don't let it bounce, but just by a few revs. It seems to provide the best performance that way.

But yeah, previous history is important. I've got a donor car with a TS with just 140kkm which has its block pierced through back and front. No sure how that happened, but it was some young bloke's daily and never raced.