GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

Pictures, courtesy of Andy Manston M & H Photography

Parked in the sunshine at the start...



Did I mention the first test was a bit rough...



Stopping at a marshal for a signature...



Best test of the day at Thorpe Abbotts...

[alladdin]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

well done gavin
with regards to your test times, i have no idea what machinery your up against but i have never thought of a scimitar as a potential class winner ? then again ive not spent much time thinking about scimitars at all

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

well done gavin
with regards to your test times, i have no idea what machinery your up against but i have never thought of a scimitar as a potential class winner ? then again ive not spent much time thinking about scimitars at all

Neither had I until I bought one

The event was won by a TR5 and their Test Times were as good as any, there were also 6 Mk1 Escorts, all either Mexico or RS2000 spec, some quicker than others, a 2.3 Vauxhall Viva, and a few Minis near the front of the field. I've no idea whether I can get quick enough to win anything, but I'll have a lot of fun trying

[Graham]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

excellent stuff, looks like a lot of fun

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

I had some spare time last weekend so thought I'd start by removing the handbrake lever and cables

The cables moved reasonably freely but are well greased now so they slide even better - they are a good design with a grease nipple half way down the outer casing

Looking at the lever itself, there are 2 holes for the cable adjuster and I've been using the bottom one, changing this to the upper one should give more leverage but I will reinforce the hole with some washers first as it's a bit close to the edge and already worn



I also removed the gear linkage rod and discovered the pins were too hard to drill into, so I ordered some 3/8" x 1.1/4" clevis pins off eBay which arrived yesterday
This is the current arrangement that proved unreliable and the new pin alongside



The original pins are welded in from the outside, but after grinding off the welds I could knock them out. I then enlarged the holes to just under 3/8" and hammered in the new pins. I was going to weld it in place but I don't think it needs it as it is a good tight fit. Next job is to machine some more nylon bushes and it can go back together



One other problem I had when fitting the axle was the thread pulled out of one nut when I did it up with the torque wrench which made me realise how short the rear studs are, so I got some nuts of eBay and some longer studs from a Scimitar specialist which arrived today, that's another job for the weekend

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

I'm rather behind with this thread, but here's a report of a rally I did in July...

Ross Traders Historic – Saturday 21st July 2012

Based around Ross-on-Wye, the organisers had devised a route with 125miles of Regularities and 15 Tests. George(ina) was navigating this time so we were in the Novice Class, seeded 38 out of 44. Since the last event I had modified the gear linkage with bigger clips and altered the angle of the handbrake cables to try and improve the leverage.

The event is known for having tricky Regularity sections and the first one we were given the navigation as we left the start, it looked quite simple with just a few map references and directions. Unfortunately the first junction had 2 roads going in a similar direction and George had plotted the wrong one and we did an extra loop arriving 2 minutes late to the first control. There was more confusion as we continued through this Regularity dropping 3 more minutes but we managed to get the last one only 2s out so we were happy when we arrived at the first Tests.

Tests 1, 2 and 3 were held on the Whitfield Estate, a mixture of tarmac roads and dusty concrete areas which we had both been through back in April on the Ross Endurance event. They all went well, George was impressed by the improved speed since the Leukaemia Rally, and even the handbrake was working on the dusty concrete!

Back out on the road for 2 more Regularities which went a lot better, the first one was already on the map and we only dropped 13s over 6 controls, the next one George had to plot as I tried to maintain the correct average speed, she did an excellent job getting the route plotted within a couple of controls, and we managed to arrive at the first 6 controls very accurately dropping 10s in total. Unfortunately driving to the final control we were stopped by a member of the public who had been upset by the speed of an earlier competitor. We chatted to them for a few minutes before driving slowly to the last control – the times here were removed from the results as most of the competitors had been affected.

We were now back at Whitfield Estate for 4 more Tests, similar to the first ones they went very well with some more quick times. Then it was off to fill up with petrol and the lunch halt, but when I tried to start the Scimitar in the petrol station there was no life from the starter motor… Unperturbed and quite hungry, we pushed her into the car park and walked 100yds to the lunch halt in a pub next door where Ross Motorsports Club had laid on a barbecue. We had a quick lunch, checked the mid morning results which saw us lying 27th, surprisingly high up considering our poor start, then we went back to the Scimitar to see if half hour cooling down had helped. There was still no life from the starter, but a passing motorist offered to help and we tow started her.

The next Regularity went well, only dropping 11s, but the one after was ‘plot and bash’ with a lot of junctions close together and we dropped 30s after pulling over to plot some of the route early on. This took us down to Chepstow Racecourse for some more Tests in the Car Park and on some gravel tracks inside the racecourse which were great fun. Back out on the road for the final Regularity which was a tough one, with many speed changes and 8 controls saw us lose 1m 40s after a few mistakes. Then we arrived back at the Racecourse for the last 4 Tests before heading back to Ross-on-Wye for a buffet at the finish

When the results came out we were surprised to find we’d set the quickest time on Test 1 and were consistently quick throughout the day, which moved us up to a very good 11th Overall and 2nd Novice, we even beat all the Experts and a few of the Masters

Many thanks to George for her efforts and to the organisers and marshals for an enjoyable day, we drove home without further problems after a tow start at the finish and a new starter has now been fitted

[Graham]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

nice one well done gavin

[danknight72]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

well done mate

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

After the Ross Traders last year I did one more event, the Vale of Clwyd Classic in September with Cath Woodman
We didn't have the best of events, being held up on a few regularities by other competitors who were lost, and finished 13th overall

I haven't used the Scimitar yet this year as the Escorts have been taking up too much time, but I've entered the East Anglian Classic next weekend so I've spent the last 2 weeks sorting a few things out...



I'd bought new longer rear studs last summer, but had been unable to fit them as the rear hubs are very difficult to remove from the axle shafts. Eventually, after borrowing a 12 ton hydraulic puller, I got them off and also removed the hubs from 2 spare shafts while I had the chance. Because of the forces involved, the thread on the end of the shaft can get damaged so I put them in the lathe to rethread them, only to discover the drivers side shaft was very slightly out of true

By eye, it looks dead straight, but it seemed sensible to fit a spare one. While I had everything apart, I fitted new wheel bearings and set up the endfloat to 5 thou, something which is also a lot easier with the hubs off which allows the back plates to be removed and the shims replaced as required



I also wanted to fit a roll cage for added safety, but you cannot buy a Scimitar cage off the shelf and after receiving a few quotes of around £1k just for a rear cage, it was time for some lateral thinking

After some careful measuring, a search on eBay and a trip to South Wales, I ended up with an old Safety Devices rear cage for a Mk1 Escort for £75



The paint wasn't good, even the diagonal was welded on the wrong way, but perfectly solid

First job was to remove all unnecessary bars such as the rear stays and the diagonal, leaving the main hoop



Remove all old paint, shorten the legs by a few inches, add new 4mm base plates, make new back stays from 2m of roll cage tube, and a couple of B-pillar tags - this is before final welding, everything just tacked together



After carefully welding all the joints, apply 2 coats of smooth hammerite and leave to dry for a few days



All bolted into place



Under the body at this point is a nice flat plate forming part of the chassis and the original seat belt mounting point, so very strong



The rear stays are lined up with the main rear chassis members, so the mounting plate has to be quite wide to get bolts either side of the chassis rails. The rear coil over mounts are also a few inches behind here adding to the strength



I'm pleased with how it's come out, total cost about £125

Next job is to fit some bucket seats

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

I tried the bucket seats in but the subframes didn't line up with the cross bars I'd fitted to the chassis for the normal seats, so I removed the floor for better access



Welded some longitudinal strips of 4mm flat bar to bridge the gap



Ally sheet to reflect heat from the exhaust and provide a solid surface to lay the new floor on



First layer of fibreglass added, a few more layers to follow



I've got to the same point on the passenger side as well

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

More progress...

New floor painted



Carpet fitted and cut round where the seat subframes will sit
Also showing my modified throttle pedal - I'd never been happy with the pedal sitting 4" lower than the brake pedal as it doesn't feel natural there, so I'd bought another pedal box earlier in the year, bent it to a better angle and welded a plate across the bend for strength



With the seats out it was a good opportunity to lie upside down in the footwell and swap over the pedals - it now sits level with the brake so I can heel and toe
The throttle stop used to be the bulkhead so I made a new one out of threaded bar and 5mm ally plate



As I was fitting bucket seats, a better set of harnesses seemed appropriate, so I added a couple more eyebolts for a 6 point harness. Under the floor they are bolted to a 12" length of flat bar which spans the new seat rails



Seat and belts installed, passenger side was done a few hours later - the harnesses are out of DVY, but as they expire at the end of the year, they will end up in the Scimitar permanently next year



Finally, rear end finished, the new studs are a perfect length, flush with the end of the nuts



The last few jobs were to try and make it cooler inside the car, so I cut away the splash shields from the inner wheel arches to let hot air escape from the manifolds into the arches, and also wrapped the exhaust from the manifold to the first silencer which is the section under the footwell

By 2pm Friday it was all done and I drove her up the road for the first time this year - the brake pedal was going too far and the handbrake was not doing much either, but I was already late for meeting George so I loaded up, threw some tools in the van and we headed off to Norfolk...

[danknight72]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

3rd overall well done!

[Benzo]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

Good results! What kind of weight are these machines?

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

East Anglian Classic – Saturday 22nd June 2013

Organised by Chelmsford Motor Club, this event runs in South Norfolk. There were 41 cars competing on a route comprising 14 Tests and 5 Regularities, George and I were seeded Car 8. I hadn’t been out in the Scimitar since last September and George hadn’t done a historic since last July, but the long journey from Bristol gave us time to remember how to do Regularities!

At the start we were given an hour to plot the first 2 Regularities for the morning but the event started with 3 Tests run twice at Thorpe Abbotts airfield, home of the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum who were based at his airfield during WW2. The tests were more open than the previous year, a mixture of concrete, gravel and some very muddy and slippery bits, but reasonably smooth and long. We didn’t have any problems and made up some time on the second runs to be lying just inside the top 10.

Onto the first regularity where everything went very well, only dropping 6s over 4 controls was amazing. The route brought us back to Thorpe Abbotts for a coffee halt before 2 more Tests round the airfield made up of the 3 earlier tests joined together and run in the opposite direction. These were great fun but I’m still not quick enough to keep up with the top crews.

The 2nd regularity started well but about halfway through we met a pony and trap on a narrow country lane. By the time we had reversed back a few hundred yards to let them past, the next car had caught us up so we were a minute behind schedule, and we had forgotten to reverse the tripmeter so our distance was completely out, so it was just a question of guessing the time and distance. When we came across the next control we thought we were still late but were actually 19s early, although it could have been a lot worse. The final section went well – as everything is reset at each control, the earlier mistake didn’t affect this.

After a short road section we filled up with petrol and arrived at the lunch halt at an American style diner. Soon results were up from the morning tests and regularities and we were surprised to be lying 4th overall. As we left lunch, we were given navigation for the next 2 regularities, the first one starting 5 miles away, but George managed to plot and check it before we got there. We met quite a bit of traffic on this long section which took us across to the next test venue at Metfield airfield, but managed not to lose too much time, just 13s over the 4 controls.

There were 3 tests run twice at Metfield and they were even more slippery than Thorpe Abbotts, weaving in and out of muck heaps and straw bales was exciting at times, I only slid past one cone and into a soft earth bank, luckily no damage was done.

There were 2 final shorter regularities to finish the event – the first one went smoothly, although by now there were some strange noises coming from underneath the car…
The last one was the hardest as George was given the route when we left the start control, but had it all plotted within a mile and could start checking the speed and distances again. The middle section was difficult with a couple of speed changes and I got one of them slightly wrong meaning we were 15s late at that control, but it was good apart from that. Near the end we passed Car 4, a Mini Cooper, parked up as they had unfortunately run out of petrol – as we’re not allowed to carry spare fuel cans we couldn’t help and left them phoning for assistance.

At the finish we were surprised to have moved up to 3rd overall – having been 4th at lunch we were expecting something to go wrong at any moment, but our test times were good enough (7th on test times) and George did an excellent job on the regularities (4th) while other more experienced navigators made mistakes.

Gavin Rogers & Georgina Clark

Photos to follow next week...

[GavinR]

Re: GavinR's Scimitar Historic Rally Car

After the event I spent a few hours cleaning the car and had a look underneath and traced the strange noise to a knackered prop U/J, so we were lucky there were no more tests

I got a couple of new U/J's off eBay for £7.50 each and fitted them last weekend - I think the prop was all original as the joints had no grease nipples - half the needle rollers had gone rusty and started to break up. So everything is ready for the next event, the Ross Traders, on Saturday 20th July

And I also found someone in Merthyr Tydfil selling some Scimitar parts - I went to buy a spare prop and ended up with the prop, a complete gearbox / overdrive and 2 new ball joints for £65

Good results! What kind of weight are these machines?

The early 70's Scimitars are about 1100kg, very similar to a Mk1 Capri

Thanks