2022 Outings

[jonclancy]

Ouch!

Well, in the interim, and when you are passing, please post a few pics up in your thread!

I’m going to get some content up about my Fat Rack conversion. Just mega tied up at the moment…

[biggles]

Any update Splatters? How’s the rebuild going?

[Splat]

Well, it’s been a bit of a slog!!

I’ve installed a “fat rack”. But rather than cutting down the tie-rod ends, I extended the threads on the tie-rods (by about 0.75” each side) and then cut double the usual amount (0.5” rather than just 0.25”) off of each rod. I felt that this was a neater solution than cutting down the tie-rod ends too. In the process, I discovered that one of the tie-rods on my “new” (aftermarket, rather than MOWOG) “fat rack” was of mild steel, whilst the other was hardened. Trust me: hand cutting a 5/8” UNF thread onto a hardened steel tie-rod, in situ, is a real chore!!

Getting the rack oil tight was also a bit of a ball ache! And yes, the “fat rack” should be oil-filled (EP140), whereas the later Triumph rack is grease-filled.

And I replaced all of the Metalastic suspension bushes with a mixture of poly-bushes. The thin-walled Westfield poly-bushes were used on the front wishbones. Our own specified and sourced thick-walled poly-bushes have gone into the rear trailing arms. Overall, the ride is noticeably smoother; less “crashy”. But I’m not going to comment on the handling yet, as I’ve yet to reinstall the front ARB. I left it off as I didn’t like the way that it interfered with the tie-rods’ inner ball joints (admittedly only towards full lock and at full suspension droop!). But this has made the rear end waaaaay too loose (and I like oversteer!), so I’ll be reinstalling it when I’ve resolved the geometry (which’ll probably require longer drop-links on my already slightly reprofiled ARB).

The fuel tank has been drained, removed, stripped, cleaned, dried, reassembled and reinstalled. The leaking, plastic sender-unit float has been replaced with a brass unit and all fuel lines and clips replaced with ethanol-proof R7 hose. I’ve also replaced the PCV-based engine breather system (rocker cover and timing cover venting) with a natty alloy breather tank.

Cosmetically, I’ve removed all of the rubber matting that I’d used to cover the footwell floors, seat pan floors and sill tops when I stripped out the carpets, seven years ago. And repainted the seat pans both inside and out. The seats themselves have been re-covered; they were a bit shabby after 16 years of reasonable use.

And then there’s the engine.

My previous mill was pretty useless as a road engine; dominated by its full-on race head. Shed-loads of top-end power, but a monumental hole in the mid-range torque. And it leaked like a sieve through its aftermarket main (lip) seal (replacing the scroll seal).

The new engine has been built by Neil Slark, and about the only things that have been carried over are the block, rods, sump, rocker cover and timing cover. Oh….. and the dipstick! A “new” crank, ground, lightened and balanced, has given a much better land for the (MED, motorsport) split seal to run on. New (not welded-up) pistons run in re-honed bores (still of 1330cc capacity).

My massively over-specced, ex-Midget Challenge race head has been replaced with a brand new unit. It’s a last-of-the-line Rover MPI (multi-point injection) head, with CNC-machined chambers and big valves which Slark Race Engineering (Neil and his father Brian, ex-chief engineer for Downton Engineering) developed for the Super Mighty Mini race series. This has allowed us to delete the bypass hose (with a new, suitable water pump to match), together with the thermostat. But that’s required the heater port to be opened up again (neither that, nor the temperature gauge port are present in the MPI heads, so had to be drilled out) and I’ve plumbed it to a new spigot on my header tank to match. The head’s ports were rifle-filed to match my 7.5” Maniflow intake and my big-bore Maniflow LCB exhaust. The latter has been ceramic coated by Zircotec. Finally, my horribly worn camshaft has been replaced by an A C Dodd Roadsport Plus (RS+) cam.

I only picked the new engine up from Neil sixteen days before we were due to sail for this year’s Le Mans Classic and spent the following day fitting it. The very next day myself and a friend trailered it (on his trailer) to Neil’s dyno, near Bristol Airport. My old engine had been running waaaay too rich, and Neil was concerned that bore wash would destroy the running-in process. Hence, it was started on the rollers (after dry-cranking to bring up the oil pressure, which only took about 10 seconds as I’d primed the oil pump before filling the engine) and fired immediately.

It covered about three miles on the rollers, Neil carefully adjusting the choked Weber DCOE45 to give optimum mixture. I then drove it the 75 miles home down county lanes and then immediately changed the cheap Duckhams oil and filter for Fuchs semi-synthetic and a quality K&N oil filter. Over the next few days off, I was out rain and shine on Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Devon’s country lanes, running-in. After a further 550 miles of constantly-changing revs, with a self-imposed 4500rpm red line, I changed the oil and filter yet again, finally gave it its first wash since last year’s Goodwood Revival (the last time it had been driven!) and then took it to Le Mans (along with Jon and two others).

And it goes like stink!!!

It doesn’t have the light switch (on/off!) top end power of the old engine, but my God it’s fast!

MoT next Tuesday and then…….

Not only has it been accepted for site display at next weekend’s Goodwood Member’s (GRRC) Breakfast Club (Sunday, 17th July), but I’ve been told just today that it’s been selected for the “GRRC Showcase” display, outside the Jackie Stewart pavilion, immediately at the infield exit of the pedestrian tunnel.

So, if you’re a GRRC Member, and planning to attend next Sunday, please come and say hello!

(As ever, clicking on the photos opens them full size in a new window.)

[biggles]

As ever, nice write up!

You've done your bit, now I’m waiting for Jon's blow by blow (or should that be blow by by blow by?) account of the CLM trip!

Glad the rebuild has borne fruit. You certainly are doing your bit to support the British car engineering sector! (for those who haven’t read it, and have a spare half day, because it will suck you in, chase down Splatter's lambo engine rebuild thread on pistonheads).

And here's me getting mildly excited with my latest eBay acquisition, a pair of brand new lower wishbones! Unfortunately, the only thing I’m building at the moment is a barn conversion for my folks, and having serious amounts of grief while doing so…! Sooner or later I’ll run out of excuses why I’m not building my XI and have to get on with it….

Cheers all
Tim
(I’ll see if I can post some pics of a rather fruity Midget racer from The Lane Auto Museum, Nashville)

[Morris]

Wow that's quite a refresh and finished just in time for the summer - good planning!

[biggles]

Tomorrow it’s the Historic Specials day at Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford.

I’m going with the family to do the zoo as well but anyone else going so I can say hi?

Cheers Tim

[Splat]

CDG day trip, Tim. My least favourite destination on the entire network. I’m CONVINCED that the French are out to kill us!! Oh well

[biggles]

Ah worse luck Splatters. It’s the glamour, that’s why we do this!

I’m on a run of San Jose (California), couple of days off, Chennai, 3 off, Santiago (Chile), then two weeks off, thankfully! Heading to the Specials meet tomorrow, then off on the 14 1/2 hr jolly on Monday. At least steak and red wine await. Found a good car museum there but no racetrack, yet….

Anyway, I’ll take a few piccies and try to bung them up here….

Cheers all
Tim

PS JC, still waiting for something from CLM….

[jonclancy]

In due course, Timbo. Rushed off at the moment, but there are indeed some tales to tell.

If you’ve never been to Arnage…

[biggles]

I’m so old, when I first went, I was watching McLaren F1s and Ferrari F40s!