Taking on the 156 Selespeed Sportwaggon

2b1ask1

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It is Italian I know but it also has a long way to go to get my full trust... Best part of 1,000 miles this week will test it! Tomorrow is Hull via St Albans, Nottingham, Worksop & Lincoln, Thursday on from Hull to Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, down to Gloucester, Friday to Taunton, Exeter and home via Hendon! I'm already 300 miles up...
 

conaero

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They love to be driven Newton not sure I would trust that Sillyspeed but I guess its still going.

Incidentally, what's the cost of the clutch. We know it's a similar system to the 4200, same pump and other parts???
 

Smaky

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It is Italian I know but it also has a long way to go to get my full trust... Best part of 1,000 miles this week will test it! Tomorrow is Hull via St Albans, Nottingham, Worksop & Lincoln, Thursday on from Hull to Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, down to Gloucester, Friday to Taunton, Exeter and home via Hendon! I'm already 300 miles up...

Well on Friday you have a chance of the expert eye...
 

2b1ask1

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Maybe but I will probably hit the 303 home. I think Duncal would run away if I turn up with it again!
 

conaero

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I would not in any way call Duncan a selespeed expert...

Posted at 2.09am, just in from the pub?

Can you please stop publicly rubbishing Duncan and others, they have not done anything to justify this.
 

2b1ask1

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So with nearly 7,000 miles done so far, confidence is growing but also the oil consumption (note to self to track it down this weekend). I'm going to throw a daft question out there:

Has anyone retro fitted a set of flappy paddles to a 156?

I ask because I cannot jump out of the 4200 into it and convert my thinking to two buttons that are moving with the wheel so I just drive it in city. Surely it is only managed by a set of slip rings and the system uses four wires. I'm going to try and pick up a set of paddles from a breaker and see if I can wangle them in somehow I think...If it can be done it would be much more 'drivable' :D
 

lisknik

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Yes they have, it def rings a bell, in fact i am sure i have seen some for sale either on facebook or fleebay, can't remember which. May be worth a google ;)

And brilliant news! Both my 2.0 liter twinnys used oil, my 1.8 did not, glad to hear its going well, panicked for a bit a month or so ago ;)
 

2b1ask1

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Yeah I've seen the aluminium paddles on fleabay but they are for the later cars with the small paddle buttons on the back of the wheel. This gives bigger paddles but they still turn on the wheel.

If the buttons are can bus just adding a micro switch in line won't cut it as it needs the can bus signal to be correct. On that basis if I buy a scrapper wheel and strip the buttons I should be able to convert them into paddles...
 

2b1ask1

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Cheers Nik, I think custom is the way to go so I can match the stationary type & size of the Maserati.
 

Smaky

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So with nearly 7,000 miles done so far, confidence is growing but also the oil consumption (note to self to track it down this weekend). I'm going to throw a daft question out there:

Has anyone retro fitted a set of flappy paddles to a 156?

I ask because I cannot jump out of the 4200 into it and convert my thinking to two buttons that are moving with the wheel so I just drive it in city. Surely it is only managed by a set of slip rings and the system uses four wires. I'm going to try and pick up a set of paddles from a breaker and see if I can wangle them in somehow I think...If it can be done it would be much more 'drivable' :D

Yes, using the facelift steering wheel and clock spring, depending on the year of the car though you may need to remove a spline from the steering column to allow the new wheel to fit.
 

2b1ask1

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Thanks Smaky; are the buttons CAN-BUS or simple micro switches do you know? If the new wheel will transfer I have to assume CAN-BUS is common then as the horn and airbag will be CAN-BUS for sure. Without taking the wheel off mine, I assume this all happens through 4 x slip rings (spring contacts)?
 

Smaky

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I'll let you into a secret, The clock spring in both of these cars is not what you think. It is actually just a long ribbon cable coiled round but with enough excess to allow the wheel to rotate, this makes all connections permanent, the signal though for both is analogue until it gets to the steering wheel board and this makes the swap easy, the only this to change is the airbag connector, and that may be where you stop and think.


And those ebay paddles look awful in the car and still spin round with the wheel, I'm guessing that you want stationary paddles like the Maser? If so then that will be a lot trickier
 

2b1ask1

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Wow ribbons! Italian's setting it up for a failure eventually then....

I need to get in there to have a look. I'm hoping that I can maintain the buttons and fit fixed paddles yes. If the switches are pure analogue I may need to look at moving the PCB off the wheel then. Presumably the airbag has no involvement with the wheel board then?