Spyder Automobiles

Amazing what you find in fuel tanks at times. This is from a 944, you can clearly see the in tank filter has badly deteriorated and fell apart when it came out. The pile of rust and dirt was scraped out of the bottom of the tank as can be also seen on its way out.

Please be patient with us at the moment we have had no power, internet, or phone reception since 4.00 a.m. September 1. There have been brief moments of usable phone reception though. At the moment there is no time expected for these services to return. I'll be returning missed calls as I can.

Something a bit different for us, at the moment a Riley RMB from 1950

The 914/6 has had it's first drive even if it was a short one but that is good progress!

914/6 GT Porsche The 914/6 is now drivable and is now running nicely after some Carburettor issues have been resolved. It has, in fact, had a short drive and initially feels ...

The Triumph engine has really taken a leap forward lately and is getting closer by the day. After a couple of hold ups we're back on it!

The new and old water pump impellors that should make an improvement!

Well the Triumph is on the way to be assembled now, it has new gallery plugs, welsh plugs, the block deburred and the crank has been installed! The crank spins very nicely so it will rev well, forged pistons and rods are next!

This heat exchanger was making a horrible noise due to a leak. The second issue we have had with these, first was different heights causing the muffler to sit on a huge angle across the car. Now angled mounting flanges, the manufacturer claims these are made on a jig! All I can say is the jig needs a rethink!!

The Triumph GT6 engine is starting to come together, we now have almost everything we need for it. The pushrod length is yet to be determined after the head is fitted, so for now the assembly can begin! The head was the first piece of the puzzle!

We have been busy doing the suspension upgrade to this SC and it is coming along very well, it should be a well behaved and effective car.

A customer had an oil leak which looked like a timing chain tensioner oil feed hose. Further investigation found the leak was coming from around the distributor.
After the distributor was removed it was easy to see the incorrect distributor 'O' ring had been fitted not only the wrong size and shape but material as well!

The 3.4 twin plug has really come up very well. The RHD Racing Hardware Developments 45 mm throttle bodies and the EMU ecu has really proved to be a great combination. Originally it had 50 mm throttle bodies which were way too big, now it has far better mid range and top end power! In the video it hit the 6500 rpm rev limiter in 1st and 2nd gears.
Go for a ride here to hear the symphony!

1972 3.4 twin Plug with RHD throttle bodies and EMU Classic ecu This is a job we just finished it has a 3.4 twin plug 911 engine which has been transformed by fitting these throttle bodies and EMU Classic injection system...

One arriving, one leaving, and one ready to leave and one drove itself onto the ramps! Quite a day it was.

The EFI revamp is done and it's looking much better than before! Power is marginally better than previously but the mid-range power is far better, making it far more drivable. Pretty good for a 20 year old engine!
Previously it had 50 mm throttle bodies, now it has 45 mm throttle bodies, alongside the EMU Classic, ECU

They sure got their money's worth with these AMG brakes these are 2 of the 8 front pads! The rest as can be seen were very low but not metal to metal!😳

We have the major components back for the Triumph GT6 engine from machining now to find the time to assemble it!

These bearings have done very few KMs but have been noisy and getting worse, they were fitted by a capable owner. I have never seen a wear mark like these being a thin band in the centre of the shell so early in it's life

The new Refuze fuse boxes fitted, easy fitment and so much better than originals. You can clearly see on the 7th fuse down the heat that has been through it the new fuse box will eliminate that and be far more reliable

Some goodies arrived today from Refuze, looking forward to fitting them

Before and after same car years apart. The lower pic is now with the new Throttle Bodies and a much tidier engine bay

The man and the car that was the beginning of Spyder Automobiles journey with Porsche in 1958.
John Gregory bought the Speedster in 1958 and drove it everywhere, and never spared it! Here they are up at Jindabine!

We had a little rain yesterday, luckily we escaped with no damage, but the Street was flooded over the gutters. At one point the wind was so strong you could see the airflow over the parked car, like it was in a wind tunnel!!

The engine and chassis are about to reunited, new EFI, clutch re-bushed suspension and serviced shockers! After 20 years of hard excersize some freshening up was due! Looking forward to seeing how it performs now!😀

Wishing everyone a safe and fantastic Australia Day long weekend!🇨🇰🇨🇰

A bit of a chemistry lesson which could be very interesting and informative!

So you have had an engine problem or a turbo, come back with a note saying. It failed due to oil contamination.

So you take a sample of the oil, and it comes back that looks something like the one below. which looks like a text from the last Roman empire. So how do you know what is good and what is bad, and further what are the parameters for bad oil versus good oil.

Well, let's try to put it into some English (Fingers crossed)

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These are the parameters for used oil. Sampling can vary on each test but is a good base number to base any results on.

Copper from wear debris rarely produces concentrations greater than 50 ppm, which would be considered high. 10 ppm to 20 ppm would be more typically seen in most engines.

Iron levels Typically, Iron levels should be no higher than 300 ppm; more elevated than this indicates an oil change is due.

Aluminium is ALWAYS a foreign contaminant. It should not be present in the engine oil. Aluminium levels should be within the range of 2 to 6 PPM. Anything higher than this, the bearings need to be analysed.

Lead should always be below 30 ppm.

Tin is another wear metal expected in any machine using plain bearings, as lead and tin are the most predominant metals used

Silicon oil samples from a new, rebuilt, or repaired engine read silicon up to 400 ppm. But most engines will generally have a silicone level of around 15 PPM. This can fluctuate if a coolant leak is present or you are using an anti-foaming additive, which some companies produce (not us), and this will increase the silicone levels up to 850 PPM.

Sodium If an oil analysis shows elevated sodium, it can mean a coolant leak.

Potassium high potassium levels indicate the presence of antifreeze in the oil.

Molybdenum is a standard level commonly added as a friction modifier; all levels are acceptable.

Nickel usually is seen in marine engine applications.

Silver is usually found in most engines as they begin to wear.

Titanium Is just another anti-wear type additive added to many oils to reduce friction.

Vanadium enters the oil via unburnt fuel particles and are mostly non-harmful.

Magnesium Is a detergent commonly used in engine oils and used as an aid to control deposits.

Cadmium again not something to get to worried about in most engines

Calcium is added to engine oil as a detergent and neutralises the acids formed by the combustion processes in the engine. The acceptable range for calcium in oil is between 1650 PPM and 2300 PPM, with an average of around 2040 PPM.

The phosphorus content of new oil is typically associated with an Anti wear additive. They are used to reduce wear by limiting the friction of moving parts. They do so by forming a thin- protective film on metal surfaces. They range from 1100PPM to 1200PPM, but higher levels offer better engine protection.

Zinc in motor oil creates a protective coating on the engine's metal surfaces so it can withstand the stress put on the camshaft and other components.

There are no current settings for safe zinc levels, as Boron is now preferred over zinc additives.

Magnesium is typically related to the detergent additive packages used in engine oils. Detergents are used in lubricants to help control deposits and keep contaminants suspended in the oil so they can be carried to the filter and removed.

Barium is a de-emulsifying agent, non-staining agent, and wetting agent, again harmless.

Boron ensures higher lubricity of motor oil, reduced friction, and lessened engine noise while making the fluid more slippery so that the engine runs smoothly. It's a metalloid used as a detergent, anti-wear, or extreme pressure additive in the lubricant. The only time boron should be of concern is when there are high sodium and potassium levels, which would indicate a coolant leak.

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Let's hope this helps demystify what true oil contamination is from: a rejected note from some sales guy on a counter playing god with your next claim.