First run out of the year in The Eleven yesterday ( Easter Sunday ) , I did about 120 miles around the Yorkshire Dales after attending " Supercar Sunday " in Chatburn near Clitheroe
in the morning . Plenty Porsche / Ferrari / Lambhorgini / BMW / AUDI etc. etc. but only one Eleven , with it creating as much interest as all the exotics , particularly with the youngsters .
The car was going like a train and never missed a beat , the weather was cold but dry and bright , however as I look out of the window now ( Easter Monday ) it is snowing ! ! In all it
was an enjoyable day with the social side of the car meet followed by the run .
Spent the last week getting the car ready for this year with routine fluid changes , brakes , tappets , greasing etc. . Additionally I stripped out the rear suspension links and rebushed
using compliant yellow items , greased up , new bolts and nyloc nuts with large 2mm thick stainless thrust washers I made on each side of the bushes . I then tightened the nylocs
to where the arms had some resistance to rotation . Everything was fine out on the run and an improvement on previous , still taught but compliant . It is only a ten minute job to check
all the bolts so I will keep the set up as it is now for the time being .
For those interested in things with two wheels , I spent Nov /Dec / Jan / Feb restoring a 1985 Yamaha SRX 600 , 608cc / 4v / 45bhp /149kg . they known as the Cafe Racer or
the Super Single . It is about 95% finished and so far I am well pleased with the result .
The season starts .
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jonclancy
- Posts: 943
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm
Re: The season starts .
Yep, officially started! 
Spurred on by Bob’s posting, my XI saw the outside of the garage for the first time in nearly five months. I grabbed the Wanner and got pumping. Dashpot topped up, oil and coolant checked. All good.
Pleased to see my car started after a couple of cranks and I warmed it up on fast idle, checking for anything untoward.
All good. A run up to the local garage to top up with Super, and a cold razzle to the next town and back was enough to make me smile. I just love these little cars!
Still got a list of jobs to do through the Summer. Including re-bushing the rear. I have a selection of vices, some very large, which might help. Oh, and some pieces of workshop equipment from Record! Hah! (Very Funny - you die last!)
Still waiting for rosters to align and weather to improve before we can run out to Sparkford with the boys.
Anyone else out and about yet?
Spurred on by Bob’s posting, my XI saw the outside of the garage for the first time in nearly five months. I grabbed the Wanner and got pumping. Dashpot topped up, oil and coolant checked. All good.
Pleased to see my car started after a couple of cranks and I warmed it up on fast idle, checking for anything untoward.
All good. A run up to the local garage to top up with Super, and a cold razzle to the next town and back was enough to make me smile. I just love these little cars!
Still got a list of jobs to do through the Summer. Including re-bushing the rear. I have a selection of vices, some very large, which might help. Oh, and some pieces of workshop equipment from Record! Hah! (Very Funny - you die last!)
Still waiting for rosters to align and weather to improve before we can run out to Sparkford with the boys.
Anyone else out and about yet?
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Westfield 129
- Posts: 867
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:20 am
Re: The season starts .
If you use the newest urethane bushings with the center tube, installation is pretty easy. You can do it with a C Clamp or your fingers, even a mallet could work.
However, removal is still best done with a vice and an appropriately sized pair of sockets, or even better, a press.
The weather is good here, but I have a new car to play with and have not driven the Westfield as much as usual.
I have acquired a '70 narrow chassis Morgan +8 with the high compression engine and the short gears. It even has an antediluvian Moss gearbox... While it was restored, it still needs some work. I am installing a tube damper rear suspension, and a pair of camber plates up front.
Anyway, it makes the Westfield feel like a very modern car. The Morgan feels just like the Bugatti Type 57 that I drove in college...
However, removal is still best done with a vice and an appropriately sized pair of sockets, or even better, a press.
The weather is good here, but I have a new car to play with and have not driven the Westfield as much as usual.
I have acquired a '70 narrow chassis Morgan +8 with the high compression engine and the short gears. It even has an antediluvian Moss gearbox... While it was restored, it still needs some work. I am installing a tube damper rear suspension, and a pair of camber plates up front.
Anyway, it makes the Westfield feel like a very modern car. The Morgan feels just like the Bugatti Type 57 that I drove in college...
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jonjh1964
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2017 10:10 pm
Re: The season starts .
I'm still waiting on the DVLA for the post IVA registration of my Eleven. I took my SEIW for it's MOT on Friday and followed it with an hours blat around South Somerset, it's now back in the garage with the radiator removed and ready to post back to the manufacturer for a pressure test/repair, but I'm still grinning from the first run of the year. The Eleven is undergoing post IVA transformation, so far I've removed all the IVA kit and fitted the headlights, rear lights and seats and currently have the exhaust off to remove the 'dB cone' and allow me access to fit a catch tank and breather for the crank, timing and rocker covers. My upper steering column is off having the quick release welded for the Springall 14" red leather 'Lotus 7' steering wheel. Hopefully everything will be sorted to get a few more miles on the car before a day at Slark Race Engineering at the end of the month for rolling road and suspension setup before this summer's planned trips to Shelsey and the Le Mans Classic.