Dont tell me Fly still has the alternator on now the Pinto's back in ...
And well done for the event
Dont tell me Fly still has the alternator on now the Pinto's back in ...
And well done for the event
I think most people had trouble on Silian hairpin mate, I missed the give way so we just barred it round, the DSO wasn't too pleased to say the least
I was sitting in a 205 (car 62) and unfortunately it was early doors for us when the car lunched a shaft in the first farmyard . Was a cracking skid up to there though
Your Escort wasn't sounding to healthy when I pulled over for you to pass on the way home by Daltons (Talsarn). I'm guessing you're not out on the Gremlin if the car's going into the bodyshop? Going to be interesting to see what the wizard's got in store for us
Of course, had it on the cossie as well, just had to change the pulley
I think the DSO had a go at most people - I stopped 8ft before the line to try and help get round, mashed the exhaust, did a 11 point turn and he complained that I hadn't stopped close enough to the line (you're allowed 10ft)
Had a quick look at Fly today, hole in no 4 manifold branch and large crack in no 3, no wonder it wasn't sounding healthy
No more Road Rallies for the moment, going Sprinting, maybe a couple at the end of the year though
GavinR
Discovered why Fly wouldn't rev too well after damaging the exhaust - I'd reversed into the tarmac bank so hard it had pushed the silencer forwards and bent the panhard rod, resulting in this...
Anyway, took some pics after I'd stripped Fly to a rolling shell to go to my friendly bodyshop
Always look so different in this state, but should be back in a couple of weeks looking nice and shiny again
In the meantime, a local fabricator is making me a new rather narrow axle casing, after discovering that my baby atlas was in fact only a narrow atlas I need something a few inches narrower to fit my 8" slicks
Then I'll have a few weeks to put it all back together for my first Sprint in late April
GavinR
Had a call from the bodyshop a couple of days ago to go and have a look at Fly - they'd taken the old panels off and found a few 'problems' underneath so suggested I take her back and weld everything up before the new panels go on
Picked Fly up this morning after the engine bay and surrounding areas had been sandblasted so I can see how much there is to do
The good side
A few more problems on this side - not even attached to the door pillar anymore
No wonder it was a bit drafty on night events!
And the strut tops are rusting through from underneath the repair panels, the edges of the bonnet slam panel have disintegrated and the lower front inner wings are mangled where the front panel welds on
Looks like I'll be busy tomorrow - only 5 weeks to go before the first Sprint!
Although it's been at least 12 years and countless rough events since the last set of front wings and panel were fitted so she hasn't done too bad
GavinR
look like FLY lasted a good few years,only fair for abit of tlc now,only just noticed you holes for filler caps on both sides any reason to this
also got any more pics and spec of the mk1 mex?
Last edited by tim; 18-03-2007 at 00:45.
I used to run 2 standard fuel tanks in the boot before I could afford an alloy one - I ran out just before halfway on a Norfolk Road Rally and this was my solution. Used to get funny looks in petrol stations though
Mexico is a genuine Mexico, slightly tuned engine on standard carb, standard brakes, suspension and gearbox, English axle with 4.4 LSD
Then just the usual safety features, cage, harnesses, sumpguard, spotlights, etc
Still pretty quick down the lanes though
GavinR
Update from last week
Bad side repaired
Trial fitting of wings and front panel
Got everything fitted properly, wings bolt on with 19 bolts, and undersealed everything in sight
Fly was delivered back to paintshop on Sat and should be collecting this Thursday night ready to bolt everything together this weekend. First event is Curborough on 22nd April pray:
Must find one of those 3 timing struts I've got as well - shows how many Sprints I've turned up to without one and had to make one in a hurry
Also picked up my new axle last week, together with a new WCXM, strut brace, steering rack, starter motor and some fully adjustable top mounts from Mac
GavinR
Picked Fly up last night - lovely and shiny for the first time in years - looks a different colour which just shows how much it had faded over the last 12 years since the last respray
Plan is to have it running by Monday night pray:
GavinR
good lucky cant wait 2 see FLY all done
Well Fly's not running yet
Did find some tyres though
Didn't realise I'd collected that many over the years, and about 50 of them are on rims, which is why I've narrowed the axle instead of buying new rims
Back end back together with some 20/53-13 TB15's - fits perfectly even on full compression
And the engine's bolted in on the new WCXM and rack, just needs all the plumbing and wiring, and a gearbox might help
Looks like I'll be out in the shed a few evenings this week, 12 days to go to Curborough pray:
GavinR
Just started up the cossie
Nearly there now, just the brakes and a bit of suspension work, fit the doors, seat & harnesses, lights and find some decent slicks to run on
GavinR
well done on the turnaround...
(how was the starter?)
Turned the engine over as if there was no compression - very impressed and small enough to remove with everything in place
As long as Steve's posted the alternator out to me, or is going to tomorrow, I'll be happy
Only ran it for a couple of minutes to check there weren't any leaks, couldn't be bothered to make another alternator fit so now water pump running either, and it was a bit loud with just the manifold fitted
GavinR
Thats what i like about those starters.. slips in easily and comes out easily. And your not the first to check wether you've forgotton to put the plugs in
I belive it went before the weekend , maybe saturday as he pointed to a label and said ............
"well go on then, you pronounce where he lives then"
I gave up
superb thread ! just found it and im impressed.the road rallies seem to have got rougher since the 80's ?
I'm not sure if the road rallies have got rougher but I always seemed to do better on the rough ones
Since the introduction of the 30mph average, a common way to slow people down is too use a lot of whites or farmyards, although in parts of Wales and Devon the roads are so nadgery there's no need
GavinR
Well I took Fly up the road this evening and the gearbox is f**ked
Its a Quaife Pro 5 speed I bought off eBay in Feb, the guy had bought it as a spare with some broken gears and rebuilt it himself new parts from Quaife, but never actually used it. Well all I can say is he didn't put it back together very well
Sitting there on idle it was rattling like mad, drive up the road and its even worse, you change into 5th and there's no drive at all, even though the gear lever's in the right position
5th gear's probably sitting on his bench at home still
Anyway, looks like I'll being putting the Quaife Clubman back into tomorrow night after work, and trying not to break it at Curborough on Sunday pray:
Tooks some pics of Fly back together on some fat tyres, front suspension not properly set up yet, should be a bit lower by Sunday but just being careful with the front wing clearances at the moment
GavinR
Big thanks to Barney who came down last night and helped me change the gearbox
Just been out for a quick lap of the countryside and what can I say
Bring on Curborough
GavinR
How did it go at Curborough?
Very well, no problems at all
I did first practice on the intermediates I'd turned up on, didn't bother tyre warming and had excessive wheelspin off the line without even trying got round in 40.29s
Barney complained I was lifting a front wheel on the tighter corners so we tried to lower the front but the spring seats were locked solid so we just bolted some old SB10's on and removed the passenger seat to save some weight and went out for 2nd practice
Bit of tyre warming this time (there's a specific area just before the start line where you can spin the tyres to warm them up) and got off the line better, a bit sideways round the final hairpin and across the line in 38.64s
Then a rather long lunchbreak before 2 timed runs in the afternoon, quickest time to count
Couldn't think of anything else to do on Fly as everything was working well, warmed the tyres up and cut a few of the corners and got down to 37.32s - almost too sideways round the hairpin and had at least 2 wheels off the track - if all 4 are off you don't get a time
Bit of drizzle on the start line for the final run but not enough to wet the track, kept it a bit tidier and finished on 37.02s
A few mods are planned for the next round which I hadn't got round to this time - I've got some AP Monte Carlo's to go on the front, harder springs and adjustable top mounts and I'll get everything lower and set up the camber properly and dig out some softer SB20's to run on
Hopefully the Quaife Pro will be rebuilt and I might even go to a rolling road to make sure the engine's set up OK - although that might have to wait to just before Millbrook
GavinR
Got a few bits done this weekend as I'm out at Shelsley Walsh next Sunday
Fitted some shorter & harder springs to the front and my new top mounts - Driver's Side
Passenger's Side
I've left them in the middle to start with until I set the camber
GavinR
Having had a very narrow atlas casing built (47.5"), I was having trouble getting shafts short enough to fit my Gp4 Quaife Hubs
After speaking to Gareth from WWRS, he thought he might have some that had been specially made a few years ago for a customer who ended up arching his car so last weekend I spent an hour round there looking at shafts, hubs and diffs. After failing to find these specials I discovered a solution to my problem - fit a Quaife Gp4 flange to a Gp1 Shaft
This is the top one, with a 15mm spacer instead of the bearing and I've cut 12.5mm off the end with still leaves loads of spline length
Middle is my old Gp4 shaft which I'd cut down for Curborough but with no where near enough spline to last reliably
Bottom is a bare Gp1 shaft
Close up of Flange ends
Close up of diff ends - plenty of spline to go even shorter - the one I'm using is on the right
And a pic of the hub waiting for the shaft & flange to go back in
Last edited by GavinR; 07-05-2007 at 16:46. Reason: Forgot last pic!
GavinR
Rear Axle all back together now with new Gp4 link bars and 5/8" Rose Joints to replace the club spec bars and 1/2" joints that've been on Fly since it was 5 linked in 1994
2" lowering blocks and shaft fitted in the hub with plenty of silicone sealant to stop oil leaks, and lock wire through the hub retaining bolts
Final pic showing Fly about 2" lower all round - I've got another 1" I can go at the front before the seats run out of thread - can't decide whether to do it now or see how first practice at Shelsley goes
Still got the front brakes to do, but no gearbox sorted as yet so I'll still be on the Clubman
Quaife Pro has been stripped and the professional opinion is that it's knackered and could do with the input shaft & another 7 gears replacing - everything that the previous rebuilder hadn't done - about £1k to make it perfect again - might as well buy a new one
It rattles like mad cos the input shaft are so worn but the gear below it is new
Previously it looks like the layshaft has either snapped or the needle rollers have disintegrated, allowing the layshaft to drop and the gears to be mangled, it probably lost all its oil and was driven until it exploded - it's been built into a different casing
The lay gear cluster has been smoothed on the inside with a die grinder to try and remove the scorch marks, then refitted to a new layshaft with standard ford needle rollers
so that needs replacing
All the other original gears are black and going rusty where they've overheated and then been left for a few years so have probably lost their hardness and will wear very quickly if they're not replaced as well
Oh and it wouldn't engage 5th because the selector block had been fitted the wrong way round
So that'll be an interesting phone call to the eBayer who'd done 3 miles with it to make sure everything was ok especially when I tell him I want my money back
GavinR
Good work buddy, a mammoth task you have done there mate, especially as i know what you've been up against.
We're both looking forward to you coming up on saturday
as well with chickens in tow
Can't wait for Shelsey, i might try he Quail egg with en -croute at lunchtime with a nice lemon drizzle pastry
This sprinting & hillclimbing lark is awfully civillised and laid back compared to the stages
All said and done though Gav, well done on getting FLY all sorted and done.
Thanks Barney
No lemon drizzle pastry at Shelsley but the Pork and Apple Butties were very tasty!
Anyway, did Shelsley Walsh last Sunday, had a nice little wooden/tin shed to park your cars in which was handy when it started raining
Walked up the hill first thing, only 1000yds long but quite steep, a few wiggles to start with then up to the Esses, a steep 90L/90R combination, then straight to the finish
First Practice in damp murky weather on some part worn PB20 wets, time was 42.72s and 79mph over the finish.
Second Practice slightly wetter, got down to 40.71s and 79 over the finish.
Lunch break and it just started pouring, fitted some brand new PB20's and went for the 1st Timed Run, could hardly see it was raining so hard, nearly went off on the first bend when I aquaplaned on a stream of water which put me off a bit and I only managed 40.98s and 79 over the finish.
2nd Timed Run in similar weather, went for it a bit more and managed to keep inside the stream, lovely drift out of the 90R, finished on 40.49s but still 79 over the finish
Happy to come back in one piece, not sure how the handicap will work but at least I was faster on the timed runs than practice.
I'm back there at end of June, hopefully in better weather
GavinR
Today was Loton Park, bit closer to home being near Shrewsbury and a more interesting hill than Shelsley and a decent length at 1475yds so not far off a mile.
Decent class as well this time, 11 competitors in my up to 2l Mod Prod class, 4 x Peugeot 205's 3 of which had Mi-16 engines, an immaculate white Mk1 and a lovely beige Mk2 RS2000, both with nice Pintos, a double driven MR2, an Astra and a Tigra.
Had a long walk up the hill, too many corners to remember but best to have a good look, a few tight wiggles near the start, a downhill straight into a hairpin right called Triangle, a tight kink R/L before a long 'straight' up the hill with another small R/L kink which can apparently be taken flat, a hairpin left at the top then a crest into a tight hairpin right, then a little straight to the finish.
1st Practice it was pouring down similar to Shelsley, I still had the new wets on the front but had old slicks on the back following a rolling road session yesterday, too wet to change so went out anyway, had a lot of trouble getting off the line and did an embarassingly slow time of 79.34s
Lined up for 2nd Practice with wets on the back this time although the track was drying quickly by now, and then a minor incident called for an early lunch break.
1hr later the track was completely dry so I fitted some rather old SB20's for second practice and was a lot happier with a time of 66.58s although Fly was understeering quite a bit.
Checked the tracking and found it was toeing out a bit so adjusted that hoping it would help.
1st Timed Run in glorious sunshine, did a 65.37s with a 25.52s split time into the Triangle bend, still a bit understeering though.
Bit confused now as Fly was turning in lovely at Curborough on old slicks and since then I've just fitted harder springs and new top mounts. The only other difference was at Curborough you had a nice drive down to the start which got some heat in the tyres. At Hillclimbs and Sprints, you can spin your wheels before the start line to get some heat in them but it's very difficult to heat up the fronts!
Anyway I had some Dunlop slicks in the van cut to an intermediate pattern and they seemed softer so I tried them on the front to see if that would help.
2nd timed run, very similar split of 25.56s into Triangle but turning in a bit better so took the kink on the straight flat this time, braked a bit later for the hairpins and did 64.20s and finished 4th in class, well behind 3 of the Peugeots who were under 60s.
Very enjoyable day and nice to spend a bit more time in Fly.
Thanks to the dozen people making up the fan club who came for the afternoon to see how I was getting on
Busy week coming up to prepare Fly for Millbrook, long list of jobs, mainly little things like mud flaps, air horns, passenger seat which you don't need for Sprints and Hillclimbs and a few bigger jobs like changing the gearbox - my new one is due on Wednesday pray: when I've got a couple of days off work - fit an oil cooler and put the Monte brakes on the front (still haven't had time to do that)
I'm seeded at 14 which is quite high so I better be on the pace from the start
GavinR
Well done buddy
Ive got the flatshift ECU and software to fit and work out on Tommy before Millbrook
Re-pack the exhaust AGAIN.
And then i have to fit the spare Power Steering Column which is an arse of a job
Then iv'e got to fix the transit as it keeps cutting out
Then all thats left is to tell the missus that im doing the event on the day of her mums party , i could probably be in for a right earful if im that lucky, otherwise it will be for me
Seeded at 40< so should be good to make the way up the board
Good couple of write up there Gavin, glad to see your getting time in Fly again and enjoying her.
The understeer... "harder springs fitted", could that be it ???
I think so - it was suggested yesterday but I didn't have the old ones with me or the right tools to change them
I've gone from 200lb to 325lb mainly because my old car had ran 325's with the cossie engine, and it handled perfectly, but also had compression struts and 190lb rear springs and coil overs
I'll put the 200's back on this week and do some road mileage - I've got to scrub in some moulded slicks for Millbrook anyway and raise the suspension a bit and test the brakes!
GavinR
Well what a day of electronictrickery i had yesterday
The Geartronics flat shift is fitted and what can i say WOW
It has just unleashed the power of the engine, i have to do some small tweaks on the software as the change from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th is a bit clunky but from 4th to 5th and 5th to 6th is a dream
I had the problem of trying to find 2nd gear in a H pattern stlylee when turning round on the duaLlcarriageway which was a bit hairy but as i got a bit more used to it, then i can see why they are so so good.
The one thing that i will have to get used to is the noise of the box engaging gear, the whole car shakes and rattles like its being shot at! and all i do until i get drive is,pray that its going to go into gear pray:
But fab when its on full chat
Good read Gavin, well done & fly is looking well now
Barn, what gearbox are you using? and are you using the geartronics flatshift?
CheeRS
Steve
Good to see you are enjoying your Sprints/Hillclimbs.
Don't go breaking it at Millbrook!
Barney's got a 6 speed Quaife Sequential Dog Box with all the Geartronics stuff on it
Millbrook will be the first time he's used a sequential box
I always enjoy my motorsport I'll try not to break anything otherwise I'll have a busy week before Pembrey!
Went out for a test drive this afternoon - had to scrub in 6 slicks for Millbrook - got the Monte calipers and Tarmac discs on now and they were working well, also refitted the softer springs and raised the suspension all round, seemed to be turning in nicely but difficult to tell on the Public Highway
Just got to fit a quieter exhaust, some mudflaps, air horns, make the gearbox quick release and rig up some sort of breather for it then I'll be ready
GavinR
Car's looking spot on mate
Passed you coming through Talsarn on Thursday afternoon. I was going the other way down towards Lampeter in the mini.
Thanks - thought I'd seen that Mini somewhere before
GavinR
Hi Gavin,
Just been looking through some regs for the Fat Albert stages, and it say's the winners of it in 1999 was Gavin Rogers in a ford escort.
Is this you and Fly?
Paul
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