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The Buchka 242 Fake Racecar

"Jury is still out if the center point of tubes will fit under the hood, we'll have to see."

Cut the point flat and plate it. Gusset the bottom as needed.
Don't weld any of the stuff yet, I'll bet you change it to fit around the intake.
In fact they both will need to get worked to fit around each other.
Or you can just cut a hole in the hood and do it "Weld Er Up" style! ;^)
 
"Jury is still out if the center point of tubes will fit under the hood, we'll have to see."

Cut the point flat and plate it. Gusset the bottom as needed.
Don't weld any of the stuff yet, I'll bet you change it to fit around the intake.
In fact they both will need to get worked to fit around each other.
Or you can just cut a hole in the hood and do it "Weld Er Up" style! ;^)

The tube configuration as pictured likely won't change. I iterated pretty heavily in FEM and those four tubes are kind of the "magic sauce" that makes the front suspension box stiff. Any other layout that gives more room for the intake turns the front end into a real wet noodle. Cutting the point down a bit is a possible out for hood clearance if that's all it needs. Any more will need a small bulge in the hood.

Did some more work today:

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Harness bars are fabricated and mostly welded in. Ideally they would tie into the same node as the tubes going back to the rear suspension box but the seat height drives the shoulder harness position and that's not negotiable. In any case I found that they don't add a whole lot of stiffness to the frame so it's not much of a compromise.

Also did a bunch of welding on stuff all over the chassis but that's not really picture worthy.
 
Hi there. Found this thread while researching for my project - I challenged myself to build a "Locost" (Lotus Seven Replica) and want it to be B8444S powered. Ironically in Brazil, which is where I'm from, this engine, while not cheap, is much less expensive than any other respectable small-block V8 and for being narrower than a 90 degreee V8, will fit into my chassis easier.
After reading the whole thread here I felt compelled to register to the forum and follow it because so much goodness and also it has already given me a few answers for my own project. To the Buchkas I can only say well done and congratulations for your craftiness and ability with various workshop tools and jobs. Mind blown by, for example, the bellhousing and various other stuff accomplished already.

Well, presentation made, I ask if you have any news for us regarding the build. Also have you considered going with the original Volvo ECU? Any ideas as to what parts that'd need? I'm thinking at least original ECU, loom, keys & keyhole, immobiliser antenna ring, not sure on the instrument panel (DIM)?

EDIT: Maybe also the chassis/body ECU (not sure whats the name, BCM I think)?

Cheers
 
I'm sure y'all are aware by now, but this project is super badass.

I second that. Way out of my league. I'd be satisfied to get a B8444s to fire up and run in factory tune, outside of a P1 car (in my case, in my home-made Locost)...
 
Hi there. Found this thread while researching for my project - I challenged myself to build a "Locost" (Lotus Seven Replica) and want it to be B8444S powered. Ironically in Brazil, which is where I'm from, this engine, while not cheap, is much less expensive than any other respectable small-block V8 and for being narrower than a 90 degreee V8, will fit into my chassis easier.
After reading the whole thread here I felt compelled to register to the forum and follow it because so much goodness and also it has already given me a few answers for my own project. To the Buchkas I can only say well done and congratulations for your craftiness and ability with various workshop tools and jobs. Mind blown by, for example, the bellhousing and various other stuff accomplished already.

Well, presentation made, I ask if you have any news for us regarding the build. Also have you considered going with the original Volvo ECU? Any ideas as to what parts that'd need? I'm thinking at least original ECU, loom, keys & keyhole, immobiliser antenna ring, not sure on the instrument panel (DIM)?

EDIT: Maybe also the chassis/body ECU (not sure whats the name, BCM I think)?

Cheers

Hey bud, thank you for the kind words. Your locost sounds like a fun project, I've considered building one myself but I've been able to live vicariously through a friend and his Caterham project. The B8444S will definitely be a very tight squeeze in a locost. I think you'll find the height of the engine difficult to accommodate. The narrower V-angle and DOHC configuration both drive up the total height compared to an LS style engine and you might find yourself needing a pretty substantial bump in the hood to cover it up.

The original ECU was never really something Karl or I entertained. Neither of us were interested in jumping through a bunch of hoops to fool the immobilizer and other interconnected chassis signals only to be left with an unmodifiable engine calibration. I know there is at least one guy in Sweden who successfully ran the engine on an old Haltech E11v2 standalone by deleting the VVT functionality and converting to a cable actuated throttle body.

Things are happening on the car slowly but surely. The drivers seat and harness mounts are 100% complete so we've been able to strap in and make engine noises while turning the steering wheel. This was a big milestone.

I wasn't happy with the steering column mounts so they got some revisions. Built a box section to hold the forward shaft collar in place. Also re-arranged the tubing supporting the rear shaft collar and added a removable strut down to the pedal box mount. I only have a few pictures of the box section, will post more later. All of this greatly improved the vertical and lateral stiffness of the column and actually allow for mounting of master cylinders (probably important that those fit :-P)

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Added some taco braces to the knee bar to give more shear area in that region in case of a frontal impact. Also added a few up by the windshield bar for a small stiffness gain.
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Hey bud, thank you for the kind words. Your locost sounds like a fun project, I've considered building one myself but I've been able to live vicariously through a friend and his Caterham project. The B8444S will definitely be a very tight squeeze in a locost. I think you'll find the height of the engine difficult to accommodate. The narrower V-angle and DOHC configuration both drive up the total height compared to an LS style engine and you might find yourself needing a pretty substantial bump in the hood to cover it up.

Thanks for the quick answer! I see, the plan is to make a +442E chassis which is 4 inches wider, 4 inches longer and 2 inches taller. Not sure whether the extra 2 inches will be enough but man... that engine has got the best of me when I heard the sound. If I'm doing something crazy, why limit it to a more mundane engine? It's not like we have any race regulations here as there isn't any Locost championships etc. so we don't need to be constrained by any rules except those of physics of course.

The original ECU was never really something Karl or I entertained. Neither of us were interested in jumping through a bunch of hoops to fool the immobilizer and other interconnected chassis signals only to be left with an unmodifiable engine calibration. I know there is at least one guy in Sweden who successfully ran the engine on an old Haltech E11v2 standalone by deleting the VVT functionality and converting to a cable actuated throttle body.
Yeah, If I end up not using OEM those would be my reasons exactly, but either path isn't without its difficulties. I know you had to talk even to Volvo engineers to get the info, so after going such lengths to achieve your goals I understand one might not feel like giving away the treasure so easily, but I'll ask -- In case I'd go with an aftermarket ECU, would you mind sharing the info you have on eg. how to drive the CVVT solenoids, possible maps etc.? Thanks

Things are happening on the car slowly but surely. The drivers seat and harness mounts are 100% complete so we've been able to strap in and make engine noises while turning the steering wheel. This was a big milestone.

I wasn't happy with the steering column mounts so they got some revisions. Built a box section to hold the forward shaft collar in place. Also re-arranged the tubing supporting the rear shaft collar and added a removable strut down to the pedal box mount. I only have a few pictures of the box section, will post more later. All of this greatly improved the vertical and lateral stiffness of the column and actually allow for mounting of master cylinders (probably important that those fit )

Added some taco braces to the knee bar to give more shear area in that region in case of a frontal impact. Also added a few up by the windshield bar for a small stiffness gain.

Great to see project's still alive and having good progress. Keep up the good stuff. Following this thread with great interest.

Cheers
 
Yeah, If I end up not using OEM those would be my reasons exactly, but either path isn't without its difficulties. I know you had to talk even to Volvo engineers to get the info, so after going such lengths to achieve your goals I understand one might not feel like giving away the treasure so easily, but I'll ask -- In case I'd go with an aftermarket ECU, would you mind sharing the info you have on eg. how to drive the CVVT solenoids, possible maps etc.? Thanks

As mentioned earlier in the thread, we're planning on using a Link G4+T to control the engine. The engine uses fairly conventional engine-oil fed cam phasors for VVT that requires closed loop control of the solenoids. The G4+T supports this strategy on four cams with user-definable trigger patterns. The jury is still out on if the stock cam trigger wheels can be properly translated to the Link configs, but we're hopeful. In the worst case we will have to modify the trigger wheels.

We have no maps or other info at this time. The talking we did with Volvo engineers was pretty superficial and never ended up going anywhere, so there really isn't any secret sauce to share there.

I would have no problem sharing any maps or calibrations we end up with. Secrecy is dumb. Just be aware that they will be of limited utility unless you have an almost identical engine setup.
 
Here are a couple of photos of the updated steering column mount. The lower removable strut is made from a piece of aluminum hex stock with right and left hand threaded rod ends. Probably going to run a compact reservoir on the clutch as pictured and some remote reservoir masters for the brakes.

Also vaguely visible are the keenserts i installed in the pedal box to allow for bolting it on from underneath.

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Ooo yea, drink that C-

Hehe. We keep Diet Coors around the shop because it's low ABV, cheap, and inoffensive. Seems to work well when you want a refreshment but also want to Keep On Wrenchin! (TM) and not kill your productivity.

I sat in the FRC last night and tried out the new steering situation. Column feels super stiff and should stand up to reacting the multiple lateral g's this thing will pull in the corners. Many triangles, much race.
 
As mentioned earlier in the thread, we're planning on using a Link G4+T to control the engine. The engine uses fairly conventional engine-oil fed cam phasors for VVT that requires closed loop control of the solenoids. The G4+T supports this strategy on four cams with user-definable trigger patterns. The jury is still out on if the stock cam trigger wheels can be properly translated to the Link configs, but we're hopeful. In the worst case we will have to modify the trigger wheels.

We have no maps or other info at this time. The talking we did with Volvo engineers was pretty superficial and never ended up going anywhere, so there really isn't any secret sauce to share there.

I would have no problem sharing any maps or calibrations we end up with. Secrecy is dumb. Just be aware that they will be of limited utility unless you have an almost identical engine setup.

Great! On to google "closed loop solenoid control" and learn about it.

Still talking about the engine, and how you said it would be a tight fit in my proposed car's engine compartment. I've googled a lot and couldn't find any dimensional drawings for the B8444S. Wikipedia says it's 754mm long and 635mm wide. What's this thing's height from the bottom of the oil pan to the top of the intake plenum?
 
Hehe. We keep Diet Coors around the shop because it's low ABV, cheap, and inoffensive. Seems to work well when you want a refreshment but also want to Keep On Wrenchin! (TM) and not kill your productivity.

I sat in the FRC last night and tried out the new steering situation. Column feels super stiff and should stand up to reacting the multiple lateral g's this thing will pull in the corners. Many triangles, much race.

We only keep 3 different kinds of Beer in the Garage which kills the produtivity every****ingtime :D
 
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