Hi Folks,
It seems that, finally, we have started to return towards normal life after the trials of the past couple of years.
I have a few places that I’d like to visit locally, and which would lend themselves to mini-tours.
In the Cotswolds area:
Classic Motor Hub
Patrick Edwards Machinery
Origins
Museums such as Gaydon, Beaulieu, Atwell-Willson, Brooklands
Prescott, Gurston Down, Shelsley etc
There is a fabulous route via Cirencester, The Slaughters, Guiting Power, Snowshill, Broadway, etc which is a nice three-hour bumble out from near Chippenham.
It’s time we had a get-together. Anyone interested? Other suggestions?
2022 Outings
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Splat
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:12 am
Re: 2022 Outings
Might be a few minutes late…….
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jonclancy
- Posts: 943
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm
Re: 2022 Outings
I hope you’ll get that lot back together before June!
I think you’ll squeeze in mine, Or bring the Lamb-bone.
I think you’ll squeeze in mine, Or bring the Lamb-bone.
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biggles
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:10 am
Re: 2022 Outings
Blimey! What's the plan Splatters? I see the lump's out and the front wishbones off. Just a refresh or was there an issue?
Hope you're keeping well btw.
Tim
Hope you're keeping well btw.
Tim
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biggles
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:10 am
Re: 2022 Outings
Oh yeah, JC the historic specials day at Cotswold Wildlife Park has always been on my list and haven’t managed it yet. In Aug I think…
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Splat
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:12 am
Re: 2022 Outings
A fairly comprehensive refresh!
The engine is out to address a couple of things. Primarily, I want to quell the persistent significant leak from the main seal. It’s got one of those lip seal conversions, and to use the Aberdonian vernacular (for I’m writing this from the granite city), they’re shite. If you fit them really carefully then they’re leak-free for a few hundred miles. But then, when they do start leaking they’re worse than useless. Options are to line-bore a scroll seal back in place, or fit one of the MED split-seal kits. Waiting until it’s stripped down before we make a decision. The other issue is to cure a massive dip in the torque at around 2500 to 3500rpm. Exactly where you don’t want it when overtaking. It’ll be a cam swap (I’ve no idea what it’s running at the mo). But it’s a full race head from a Midget Challenge car, on a choked 45 DCOE, so it’s always going to be a top-end power mill. Otherwise, I’m hopeful that the strip will reveal no major wear, and it’ll need nothing more than a hone, rings and bearing shells. I’ll also consider roller rockers (it’s actually running stock rockers which proved a better solution than the old, sloppy roller rockers that it once had. The motor is with Neil Slark (of Slark Race Engineering) who really knows his onions when it comes to A-series tuning and builds. I’m capable of actually building it, but not the engineering! So it made sense to have him do the whole thing.
Meanwhile, both the front AND rear suspension is off. With the motor away for a couple of months, I figured that it was time to fit the Westfield-supplied front poly-bushes and the home-specced rear poly-bushes that Jon and I specced and sourced some five or six years ago! As an aside, I replaced the metalastic ones, like-for-like, about six years ago. It’s done about 10,000 miles since, and with very loosely torqued A4 stainless bolts fitted, they were still in really good condition.
With the suspension stripped, I’ve also decided to swap the thin (post-‘73) rack for the fat rack. Jon’s “leant”* me a pair of early steering arms, the rod-ends arrived on Saturday and the reconditioned rack should be delivered tomorrow (Monday).
Finally, when I stripped out the carpets and polished the ally panels, seven years ago, I fitted rubber matting. Loose under the seats, glued down in the two footwells and press-studded to the sill panels. I’ve now decided to remove it. That exposed the surface rust under the seats.Knowing that the underside was also bubbling slightly, I’ve rubbed the steel sheet down, both top and bottom, brush painted four coats of grey Hammerite and then a further three coats of grey stone-chip sprayed to the undersides before a final top coat of grey enamel sprayed over the top (stone chip otherwise being solvable to solvents).
Oh, and I’ve had both seats professionally retrimmed (and a really nice job it is too.
And the Maniflow big-bore exhaust Zircotec-coated in white……
I’ll detail it all here as it comes back together!
The engine is out to address a couple of things. Primarily, I want to quell the persistent significant leak from the main seal. It’s got one of those lip seal conversions, and to use the Aberdonian vernacular (for I’m writing this from the granite city), they’re shite. If you fit them really carefully then they’re leak-free for a few hundred miles. But then, when they do start leaking they’re worse than useless. Options are to line-bore a scroll seal back in place, or fit one of the MED split-seal kits. Waiting until it’s stripped down before we make a decision. The other issue is to cure a massive dip in the torque at around 2500 to 3500rpm. Exactly where you don’t want it when overtaking. It’ll be a cam swap (I’ve no idea what it’s running at the mo). But it’s a full race head from a Midget Challenge car, on a choked 45 DCOE, so it’s always going to be a top-end power mill. Otherwise, I’m hopeful that the strip will reveal no major wear, and it’ll need nothing more than a hone, rings and bearing shells. I’ll also consider roller rockers (it’s actually running stock rockers which proved a better solution than the old, sloppy roller rockers that it once had. The motor is with Neil Slark (of Slark Race Engineering) who really knows his onions when it comes to A-series tuning and builds. I’m capable of actually building it, but not the engineering! So it made sense to have him do the whole thing.
Meanwhile, both the front AND rear suspension is off. With the motor away for a couple of months, I figured that it was time to fit the Westfield-supplied front poly-bushes and the home-specced rear poly-bushes that Jon and I specced and sourced some five or six years ago! As an aside, I replaced the metalastic ones, like-for-like, about six years ago. It’s done about 10,000 miles since, and with very loosely torqued A4 stainless bolts fitted, they were still in really good condition.
With the suspension stripped, I’ve also decided to swap the thin (post-‘73) rack for the fat rack. Jon’s “leant”* me a pair of early steering arms, the rod-ends arrived on Saturday and the reconditioned rack should be delivered tomorrow (Monday).
Finally, when I stripped out the carpets and polished the ally panels, seven years ago, I fitted rubber matting. Loose under the seats, glued down in the two footwells and press-studded to the sill panels. I’ve now decided to remove it. That exposed the surface rust under the seats.Knowing that the underside was also bubbling slightly, I’ve rubbed the steel sheet down, both top and bottom, brush painted four coats of grey Hammerite and then a further three coats of grey stone-chip sprayed to the undersides before a final top coat of grey enamel sprayed over the top (stone chip otherwise being solvable to solvents).
Oh, and I’ve had both seats professionally retrimmed (and a really nice job it is too.
And the Maniflow big-bore exhaust Zircotec-coated in white……
I’ll detail it all here as it comes back together!
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jonclancy
- Posts: 943
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm
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biggles
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:10 am
Re: 2022 Outings
Any update on the works Splatters?
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jonclancy
- Posts: 943
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm
Re: 2022 Outings
He’s probably at work!
Greetings from Vegas! Home tonight and hoping to get my fat rack ready for fitting in the next whenever. I’ll add to the other thread. Need to get my MOT sorted, so we can actually get out on these visits.
How’s your XI doing? Any progress?
Greetings from Vegas! Home tonight and hoping to get my fat rack ready for fitting in the next whenever. I’ll add to the other thread. Need to get my MOT sorted, so we can actually get out on these visits.
How’s your XI doing? Any progress?
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biggles
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:10 am
Re: 2022 Outings
No, I’m in the middle of a barn conversion/granny annexe for my folks. Currently building up to a sorting out with the naughty builders who think they can overcharge by 100% on both materials and extras…