Jamie’s Saph Update (306)

With the propshaft issues ticked off Jamie‘s to-do list, there’s one other major area that needs addressing before the underside is finished, namely the fuel system.

Now this is an area I’ve been pondering over for some time. Do I fit an aftermarket system in the boot area, or run with a standard Cossie fuel tank? Both have their merits, and both have their disadvantages. In the end I opted for the Cossie fuel tank. It’s easier to fit, I know of 500bhp Cossies running them on track with no fuel surge issues, and it has a decent enough capacity so that I won’t empty it as soon as the huge V8 fires up. Also, fitting an aftermarket tank would have been quite tricky in terms of getting a tank which is large enough to hold all the fuel a 20min track session will burn into the boot area without yet more chopping about of the shell. Also, this way the weight is kept nice and low too.

New Cossie tank bolts into place with no hassles.

So the hunt was on for a Cossie fuel tank, and after a quick post on the Fast Ford forum, Alan from Lloyd Motorsport came up with the goods. What’s more is it was like new, having only recently been fitted to a car that Alan was breaking for parts. A trip up to Coventry and a good gander at various other Cossie parts Lloyd Motorsport has on the shelf later, and the little Fiesta was loaded up with the Cossie fuel tank and heading back south.

When it came to finally fitting the tank all that was required was a handful of shiny new nuts and bolts and a new strap. Thankfully the fuel tank strap is one of the few items which is still available from body panel suppliers and only costs around £15.

With that all fitted up and fixed in position I can now start to look at what parts I’m going to need to finish off the fuel system. Things are going to get very expensive very soon.

Removable steering wheel’s great for safety and security.

So while I still had some spare cash I thought I’d better try and sort out another niggly little thing that has been irritating me for some time, the steering wheel. It may sound stupid but every time I go to move the car I have to look at the quite frankly hideous standard steering wheel. I already had a really neat quick-release boss which I got from Brown & Geeson a few months back, but needed a decent steering wheel to fit it to. A quick phone call to Rally Design and I soon had a 350mm suede steering wheel and Sierra boss ready to fit it all, so I did. The removable steering wheel is not only a massive safety feature should the worse happen, but it’s also a great security feature too, no-one’s going to steal a car without a steering wheel are they?

More good news too, in the shape of a box of goodies from Forge Motorsport/SiliconHoses.com which has arrived. It contains a header tank, and a load of silicone hoses, joiners, and bends which should mean I can get the water system plumbed up. If I can get that done soon I will be happy chappy, as it will mean another major part of the build checked off the list. Good times ahead I hope.

Posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 at 2:00 pm under Cars, Jamie, Sierra, Staff Cars. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.