GavinR's Mk2 Rally Car - FLY

[GavinR]

No that was me and DVY

Pic from that event


Only time I've driven there but hoping to go back there this year in Fly

[Paul C]

Well done then, first visit there and you win!!

Not much point going back then

What engine was in the MK2?

Heres the regs then --> http://www.fatalbertstages.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=134

Paul

[GavinR]

DVY was running the Cossie that's now in Fly

I sold DVY after Millbrook 04 as a rolling shell, sold the sequential gearbox to Jon Segger and no one made me a decent offer for the engine so I kept it

Very glad I did now

[Paul C]

Just filled out my entry for fat Albert and noticed your on the list already ! Kept that one quiet!

So Lewis, Windy, Barn, are you all up for this one as well?

Paul

[Barn]

Just filled out my entry for fat Albert and noticed your on the list already ! Kept that one quiet!

So Lewis, Windy, Barn, are you all up for this one as well?

Paul

Hi Paul

Yes mate, we are putting an entry in, we should all service in a row in Turbosport stylee

Fitted that box yet??

[Paul C]

Hi Barn,

No not yet! Haven't touched it since Millbrook Will get it in ready for this one though.

Have you done anything to your G3?

Paul

[GavinR]

Just filled out my entry for fat Albert and noticed your on the list already ! Kept that one quiet!

Thought I'd see how Millbrook went first before I decided whether to enter or not

Been a bit busy since Millbrook hence no time for updates, but I enjoyed it as much as any year, despite the wet weather

Anyway, quick report on Millbrook - my 13th visit there, 12th finish, 3rd time in Fly but first time in the wet so I made sure I was organised to go out on the familiarisation run to see where the wettest bits were

Had a decent set of Michelin PB20's to run on, only done a couple of hillclimbs from new, so there was plenty of grip apart from the funny coloured tarmac on one of the big hairpins which was terrible

Doing the Clubman 2WD meant joining in on the 3rd stage so we weren't too surprised when the 2 litre Darrian seeded behind us overtook after 4 miles (he was doing the national event) - other than that, the event started well.
Even though I know the venue very well, it was a lot different in the wet, and we had a big moment over one of the crests just before lunch (you can take it flat in the dry but apparently not in the wet ), very nearly drifted up the wrong road and into some armco

I was hoping the weather would clear up at lunchtime and it nearly did, but then it started raining again so we continued on the wet tyres

First stage after lunch featured the big jump that we always look forward to, but half a mile into the stage the throttle pedal went nearly to the floor and we were struggling up the hills and didn't get any air at all over the jump, second lap was even slower but managed to get out of the stage and back to service

We were disappointed having dropped about 45s but the service crew were happy to actually have something to do instead of just checking the wheel nuts, tyre pressures and refuelling.
Rich dived in and diagnosed the problem as melted throttle cables - there's a plastic bush that fits snugly into the hole through the bulkhead - this had melted allowing the metal outer cable to pull through the bulkhead, hence no travel on the pedal.
Instead of removing them to pass the end through smaller holes/washers (a painful job!), he cut 2 slots in a bit of ally plate which allowed the cables to go through but not the outers. Plenty of silicone sealant and some foil tape to reflect the heat and we were ready to go for the next stage

Managed to get a bit of air this time as we were back up to speed and the last 2 stages passed without any problems

Result was 10th O/A, 6th in the 2.0 class but could have been about 7th without the throttle problem

Still pleased with the result as Fly is not quite set up perfectly yet, but is getting better every event

[Barn]

Hi Barn,

No not yet! Haven't touched it since Millbrook Will get it in ready for this one though.

Have you done anything to your G3?

Paul

Good stuff buddy, yes, ive pulled the offending pull cables out and had the replacements arrive, but i can't be arsed to fit empopcorn:

I ponced about with the laptop sorting out the spark cut on the flatshift. Took the battery out and junked it (after knackering it the day before Millbrook whilst trying to get the old bastard started)

Just got a new engine to fit, throttle bodies and mapping to set up on the rollers, change the pads and bed them in, and i'm all done i suppose

You?

[JonSegger]

I sold DVY after Millbrook 04 as a rolling shell, sold the sequential gearbox to Jon Segger and no one made me a decent offer for the engine so I kept it

ah.. and did I mention how much I love the gearbox...

[GavinR]

ah.. and did I mention how much I love the gearbox...

Yes I was hoping you'd be tired of it by now so I could have it backpopcorn:but you weren't so I had to buy a new one instead





Identical to the one I sold you - 5 speed, 2.04 1st and 0.87 5th - except for the alloy casing, Quaife won't build them in steel casings any more after some Irish drivers discovered it was a weak point

Should be in Fly ready for Shelsley Walsh on 30th June

Just don't ask how much it cost

[Retromotorsport]

Ok... won't ask how much it cost ...

How much DID you pay for it ...

[david_white]

Hmmmm, that makes me do a little sex wee

How much was it?

[Barn]

Sex wee??? Classic

Not as much as mine

[GavinR]

Not as much as mine

That's cos you've got an extra cog

I bought the original one (that Jon's got) in 1999 for £2k + 2 secondhand Quaife Pro's

The alloy casing's are about £500 extra and apparently there's something called inflation as well

Luckily the eBay sale of my Fordson tractor and mini baler / wrapper have paid for the box and gear display with about £1 to spare

[alladdin]

so we need dave roberts to work the price out

[GavinR]

Just been out testing the new gearbox
Now I can hardly change gear fast enough - you're on the throttle more as each change is quicker even using the clutch

Everything working perfectly, should be a laugh at Shelsley Walsh on Sat, heavy rain forecast like last time though popcorn:

[GavinR]

Excellent day out at Shelsley yesterday, despite the heavy showers and spending 30mins pushing the van out of a soggy field

Having competed there in May in similar conditions I knew what to expect and I could remember the hill very well, I was looking forward to seeing if I was getting quicker through the year

The day started well with 1st Practice only .14s slower than my quickest time in May, I never thought about the gearbox, it was just like being back in DVY
Had a bit of trouble getting off the line, excessive wheelspin despite a serious bit of tyre warming got a time of 3.49s for the first 64ft, went sensibly up to the Esses (a square left --> square right complex) nicely sideways round both and flat to the finish for a time of 40.63s and 79mph (the same speed as I'd done all 4 times in May)

2nd Practice was wetter so tried just driving off the line this time, giving 3.19s for 64ft which was a bit more like it, kept in on the first corner as a 'stream' runs down the outside when it rains, braked a bit later for the Esses and finished on 39.53s and 79mph, very happy

Had a little walk half way up the hill at lunch to see how much water was on it and then got ready for the proper Timed Runs

1st Timed Run, looked slightly drier on the start so drove off the line and planted it a bit earlier, only to find excessive wheelspin again resulting in 3.22s, part way up to the Esses there's a slight left which is flat in 3rd, the back end stepped out a bit too much but I kept on the power, changed up to 4th and was a second quicker into the Esses, drifted round those and finished on 38.29s (but still on 79mph across the finish it seems the quicker I try to take the Esses, the more sideways I am, so I get on the power later ending up with the same terminal speed )

2nd Timed Run, slightly drier by now, managed 2.96s off the line, fraction quicker into the Esses again after being tidier up the first few corners, nicely through the Esses, finishing on 37.89s (and 79mph for the 8th time!)

Thanks to Barney, Sarah and Matt for the accommodation, helping out on the day, and pushing the van out of the field

Summary of times:
Run......64ft.........Ess Approach.....Finish
P1.......3.49s........27.13s..............40.63s/79mph
P2.......3.19s........25.89s/74mph....39.53s/79mph
T1.......3.22s........24.87s/77mph....38.29s/79mph
T2.......2.96s........24.56s/78mph....37.89s/79mph

Got a weekend off next weekend, then a 2 lap Sprint at Curborough, can't wait!

[Retromotorsport]

Well done Gavin..
cant wait for the " i did a 80" post... next time .. next time pray:

[Barn]

It couldn't have been a weight thing not hitting the magic "80" cos young Gav refused a roast pork and apple sarnie at lunchtime!

I however was quite distressed that there wasn't any caramelised veal served on a bed of Bolivian wild rice!!

And there was me thinking that this sprinting & hillclimbing lark was civillised!!!

I had to resort to being a rally peasant and resort to a burger for my sustenance!

Anyway, well done Gav, your getting quicker everytime buddy.

[GavinR]

Getting a bit behind on my thread so I thought it was time for an update

15th July - I went back to Curborough again, this time for a 2 lap Sprint, helped by Barney and friends as usual

Once again, the day started off rather wet and this continued through lunch and into the 1st Timed Runs, after which I was 8 seconds off the pace, behind 2 Peugeot 205's

Then the rain stopped and slowly the track began to dry, so I gambled on fitting the slicks for the final run, as I didn't have anything to lose pray:

I had a bit of a go and knocked 10 seconds off my time which was very pleasing. While I drove back to the paddock, Barney watched the 2 Peugeot's do their final run, and then ran over to tell me that I'd won the class

Both Peugeot's had been trying too hard in the still damp conditions, and had overshot the hairpin right to go back round for a second lap, one of them stalling in the process, so had set slower times than me

So my first pot of the year

And a couple of videos on youtube, taken by Barney
http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthread.php?t=120825

[GavinR]

The week after I went down to Llandow (21st July) for another sprint, 1.75 laps of the circuit

1st Practice was damp but it dried nicely for 2nd Practice although I was still 3rd in class behind the usual 205 that I can't get anywhere near (he's got the class records at most venues) and another 205 driven by a local welshman

Typically it rained during the lunchbreak so it was a quick change to wets for the first timed run and then a game of spot the big puddles before you start aquaplaning

2nd timed run it had dried quite well so I tried the slicks again, setting my fastest time of the day, but still finished 3rd in class, about 1s behind the welsh 205 but a good score for the OFSC

Still I've now done 8 events in the championship (you count 8 scores) and have 3 left in September to look forward to.

I'm currently 2nd in the Mod Prod Class but just ahead of Windy in the OFSC handicap class

[GavinR]

After Llandow I had a week off work to do some jobs round the house and a bit of work on Fly

I'd entered for the Fat Albert at Keevil in early August and decided an oil cooler would be a sensible addition

I'd bought one before Millbrook but didn't bother fitting it as the weather was so cold and wet, but Fat Albert has some long straights and 8 mile stages so everything has to work a bit harder

Anyway, I moved the electric fan so it's now offset to the other side of the rad, and mounted the oil cooler vertically between the grill and the rad, cutting one of the return pipes to route the oil through it, and also moved the washer bottle to under the front wing before it melted on a hot oil pipe

As it turned out, the weather was scorching at Fat Albert with Fly finishing the stages with the oil at 110 deg C and the water at 105 deg C, this with the electric fan on permanently

Seeded a bit high at Car 8, we weren't expecting to finish that high up having been at least 5 years since I did an airfield event, but Fly was going very well, despite some of the straights being a bit long for my gearing...

We could get flat out (about 110mph) on the start finish straight about 100yds before the chicane, and then they removed the chicane as too many cars were mowing it down making it too dangerous for the marshals to rebuild it, so we were then doing about 600yds flat out. Then in the afternoon, going in the reverse direction, there was another long straight past the control tower, and one round a very wide left hander that we were taking flat at 110

After the first stage we were 11th overall and it got better as the day went on, we finished 6th overall and 3rd in class

Only one minor indiscretion all day, when trying to outbrake car 21 (who gas14 was servicing for) into a chicane, I outbraked myself, slid through a plastic barrier and put a tiny dent in the front wing

The Matador slicks were working very well, letting us brake very late for everything and hanging on nicely round the corners, still plenty of life left in them
The gearbox was pissing oil out all day, even worse than normal, probably because it was so hot, and then the 3rd to 2nd gearchange was getting a bit unreliable by the end causing some more interesting moments under braking
Oh and the starter packed up after 2 stages - The solenoid had come loose just before the final run at Llandow so I'd tightened it up and it seemed ok during the week but on the event wouldn't engage properly and even when it did it wouldn't turn the engine well enough to fire up so Steve's currently making me a new one

Many thanks to Guy, Misha, Matt and Olly for bump starting us before each stage and looking after Fly, and Carrie for keeping me pointing in the right direction, and Fly for standing up to the punishment

Couple of pics - slight drift out of a chicane


Same chicane going backwards - don't know why people say Fly is set up too low


And another one from the morning


Thanks to my old friend Vanroy for these pics - there's some more on his site http://www.muddylanes.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/4b.html

[GavinR]

Just finished getting Fly ready for Wiscombe Park Hillclimb this weekend

It's a round of the OFSC on the Sunday, but I've entered the Saturday as well to get in some extra practice as I've never been there before

I think I've sorted Fly's starter problems by fitting a new solenoid, started up fine just now and I'm trying some different oil in the gearbox in the hope it will stay inside this time

Full report on Monday

[Barn]

Good luck uncle Gav, let me know how you get on with your "wetting" problem

[GavinR]

Well I've cleaned all the old oil from the outside of the box and from inside the car, and removed the rag from the gearstick hole which was soaking it up so I'll have a look after the first run

[GavinR]

Another enjoyable weekend at Wiscombe Park

I'd never been there before so I'd entered Saturday's event for a bit of extra practice as the OFSC championship round was on the Sunday

Wiscombe is 1000yds long and one of the more interesting hills I've been to this year, first section is a long drag up hill across a field on a narrow stretch of tarmac, slight left over a crest at Bunny's Leap, a short straight and then 11 or 12 continuous corners with another crest through some trees into a hairpin right at Sawbench then a 4th gear straight up to the final hairpin left at Martini and a short blast over the finish

Perfect weather all weekend, and I was pleased to start with 50.21s and then 48.15s for the 2 morning practice runs, trying to remember where the corners through the trees went

Then Sat afternoon for the 1st Timed Run, with a slow 48.16s after too much drift out of Sawbench hairpin so I tried to keep it tidier on the 2nd Timed Run to improve slightly to 47.86s, which left me 6th in class out of 10

Feeling that I should have improved more over my practice runs, I arrived bright and early on the Sunday morning and spent 30mins walking up and down the section through the trees, making notes , and then had a good look at Bunny's Leap, trying to convince myself it could be taken flat

Then I changed the rear tyres, my medium compound Matador's showing some metal in places after 80 miles on the Fat Albert Stages a few weeks ago

Practice went well, with 48.11s and 47.47s, getting the hang of the twiddly bit through the trees, but still lifting over Bunny's Leap

1st Timed Run I came off the start a bit sideways, so decided to try it flat, had a bit of a moment drifting in mid air but managed to sort it out just before getting into the trees and was very pleased with a 46.81sover a second quicker than Saturday

2nd and last Timed Run, got a bit more grip off the line, flat over Bunny's, nicely through the trees and then made a real mess of it at Sawbench coming out far too sideways, clipping the rear quarter on the bank, but was still a fraction quicker on 46.79s, which was good enough for 5th in class

So a good weekend, just a bit of panel beating to do before the next one at Curborough in 2 weeks and even the rebuilt starter was working perfectly

[GavinR]

A couple of short videos from the Sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cmxnJERP3QYouTube - Wiscombe Hillclimb 02/09/07.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jeft1UIzGUYouTube - Wiscombe Hillclimb 02/09/07.

Couple of pics of the quarter panel damage

[Barn]

Always the NS rear quarter Uncle Gav!

What was the food like at the Hillclimb? :food: Was it up to the usual standard i require?

[windy]

Ah making good use of that sacrificial panel on an escort. Nicely peeled bumper. You should have put a plate on your rear lamp to stop the lense getting damaged.

Escorts always sound good through the trees

[GavinR]

I was surprised how neatly the lens had been removed - not even a scratch in front of it - and the bumper is a very odd shape now

Anyway I will try and gently push the panel back into shape this weekend, fit a chrome bumper as it's the only straight one I've got (hopefully paint it first though ) and fit one of my spare light lens

Then its 3 laps of Curborough next weekend (assuming I've got an Entry)

[GavinR]

Quite a small entry at Curborough this time as it was 3 laps so everything takes a bit longer

I'd tidied up the quarter panel and fitted the chrome bumper (sprayed with 4 coats of black hammerite first), so Fly was looking straight again

Rain was forecast for the afternoon but luckily it didn't arrive until after everyone had finished

There were 2 other competitors in my class, a lovely red Mk2 that had been at Curborough in April and was now fitted with arches and a fibreglass bonnet, and a black Alfa Romeo Sprint who I'd seen at a few events this year - so all I had to do was a good consistent run to win the class

Had a bit of a play in practice, seeing how sideways I could go round the top hairpin but settled down for the first timed run and was leading the class by 5 seconds after this run

2nd timed run had another play to see what difference it made and was almost 1s slower but still won the class easily

1st Timed Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huaGNEi9GVoYouTube - Curborough 3-lap Sprint 23/09/07.

2nd Timed Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmn4zRTU5hgYouTube - Curborough 3-lap Sprint 23/09/07.

[Barn]

Well done on the class win uncle Gav

No damage & no rain

Plus the chicken in gravy with stuffing rolls were superb :food:

[Retromotorsport]

Well done on the win

[GavinR]

I was out at Loton Park Hillclimb last weekend, the last round of the Midland Speed Championship / OFSC for this year

A good entry of 10 in my class with a few people I recognised from competing here in May, including a very nice Pinto powered Mk1 Escort, which the owner has been improving all year, including lightweight panels / windows and sticky Avon slicks

I had a quick walk up the hill first thing just to remind myself where it went, being keen to improve on my times from May

1st Practice went well with 64.30s, only 0.1s behind May's fastest run, but the course was still cold and not giving much grip

2nd Practice I'd nicely warmed up the rear tyres and then had to sit on the line for a few minutes when a Renault 5 Turbo span off. As it was practice, I didn't bother reversing back to warm them again, so had a bit of trouble getting off the line, but once I was moving I went a lot better, stopping the clocks at 63.52s

After practice I was 3rd quickest in class which was promising but one 205 that had beaten me in May with a 61.5 had yet to put a decent run together, and the Mk1 driver told me he'd done a low 62s the day before and only managed a 64 in practice

1st Timed Run and everything had warmed up nicely, off the line in 2.64s, through the split at 24.87s (0.6s quicker than practice), then thought I'd try 3rd instead of 2nd for a 45 left up the hill but I wasn't on cam so lost a bit of time here and finished on 63.05s

2nd Timed Run and the weather was turning cold but I really wanted to get into the 62's, so 2.69s off the line, through the split again at 24.87s, better gear choice up the hill and finished with 62.97s

I was very happy with this, until the 205 and the Mk1 both went quicker leaving me 5th in Class

Anyway I'll buy myself some sticky slicks for Christmas and see what I can do next year

Couple of videos as usual
1st Timed Run, the split time is taken just before the square right at Triangle, and just as I go out of shot I'm in the wrong gear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=027HkG61M2EYouTube - Loton Park Hillclimb 30/09/07.

2nd Timed Run, near the top of the hill, the finish being just over the last crest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QR_xR_sRX0YouTube - Loton Park Hillclimb 30/09/07.

No more events this year, but I'm doing a Trackday at Castle Combe next week, hopefully doing some high speed testing
My axle is back with Meirion of WWMF who built it in March to fit the 4.6, so we'll see how Fly handles at 125mph with no spoilers

[tom burgess]

Nice onewell doneyou were going a bit quick to see how youre bumper looked though

[GavinR]

I competed on a Track Day for the first time the other week at Castle Combe where I met up with my brother Derek and his Clio 172 Cup

I wasn't too sure what to expect but Derek's been doing them for a few years now and said I'd enjoy it



We'd only been to Castle Combe once before to do a Sprint in '92 or '93 (before they built the chicanes ) but after a very sensible drivers briefing (if you drive like a muppet you'll be sent home & be careful on the first few laps as that's when most people go off) we were ready to go

There were 4 sessions in each hour, 2 fast and 2 slow, so we arranged that Derek would go in the 1st slow session and I'd be in the 2nd slow one so we could be passengers for each other

So I sat in with Derek, but the first session was short lived when a Westfield buried itself in the tyre wall at Quarry after a couple of laps so I let Derek carry on by himself whilst I warmed up Fly

My session was interesting, after a lap the tyres were warm and I began to catch people, first one was a '98 M3 who promptly went straight on at one of the chicanes next time round it was a Toyota Supra who did the same thing they should stop looking in their mirrors

Derek's next session was quicker, having now fitted his Toyo R888 sticky tyres and was overtaking the same M3, an Impreza and a Saab 93 Turbo

I was getting quicker as well, this time getting past a couple of Impreza's and an Evo 9 who were a bit surprised when I cruised past down the long straight to Avon Rise and Quarry. I did show them under the bonnet afterwards though

Didn't make the 3rd session as the starter packed up (again!) so pushed it back to the paddock and Derek tow started me for the next one when I couldn't fix it. He took an instructor out who was pleased with his lines and just got him to brake later and harder for everything

I got back out again but this time, after 10 minutes Fly started misfiring so I came in. Couldn't figure out what was wrong initially so I was just about to put her back on the trailer when all the electrics packed up and we finally figured out that the starter had shorted the battery
Luckily I had another battery in the van so that was fitted for the last 2 sessions and the starter disconnected.

Meanwhile Derek took me out again and demonstrated how much quicker he was going by braking later but when we came back in his front brakes were completely shot - currently his Clio is completely standard except for the Toyo's but some uprated discs, pads and stiffer suspension will be fitted shortly

I went out for the final 2 sessions, pleased that everything was working perfectly now, and found that Fly was perfectly stable braking from 125mph into Avon Rise, so I won't bother fitting any spoilers over the winter

So I enjoyed the day and I'm sure I'll do another one next year

Little pic approaching Camp Corner onto the main straight

[GavinR]

Now all my events for the year are finished, its time for a good look over Fly to see what needs doing this winter popcorn:

The engine's back at HT for a freshen up and the gearbox is with Quaife so they can sort out why it jumps out of Reverse

Back in March I rebuilt the front end and after the last rally in August the boot floor had started to crack (again ) this time worse than ever, mainly because it can't take the strain of the panhard rod mount


Also there are multiple 8mm holes where Fly's had many different silencers over the years, so this bits getting weak as well


Although it doesn't look too bad, the tank well is very thin and has rusted through in places so I need to repair this


Actually the only part that is good, is the spare wheel well that was replaced with new metal last year to fit the dry sump tank

And the diff tunnel is cracked from the diff hitting it too often - you can even see where the prop flange has creased it


Anyway, a few months ago I found a very good boot floor


It even came with a whole car attached


Its twisted at the front and sits crooked - one of the inner wings is bent - and has a lot of sealant holding it together and parking dents all over it
It looks like it was painted with a roller full of Dulux, but underneath it is very solid

So today I've started stripping the 4 door, I'll cut the boot floor out and possibly some chassis sections, depending on how bad Fly is

Its an Auto as well, so the tunnel will come out to go in my new shell, whenever I get round to that

[Barn]

FLY needs a rest and needs to spend the rest of its life grazing and eating double deckers!

Do a re-shell Uncle Gav, you know it makes sense.

If not

[Dave]

For some unknown reason I don't keep up with this thread very well. No idea why, but it is very much my loss.
Your posts are always detailed and very interesting, and the clips are excellent. Top marks for the thread, the clips and the car Gavin.
For some reason it is one of the less read threads, yet has got to be one of the highest quality ones.
Keep it up

[GavinR]

Do a re-shell Uncle Gav, you know it makes sense.

Never
If shells were as cheap as they used to be I might be more likely to, but they're not
Fly is still a strong straight shell, she's still got a good 5-10 years left before retirement

For some unknown reason I don't keep up with this thread very well. No idea why, but it is very much my loss.
Your posts are always detailed and very interesting, and the clips are excellent. Top marks for the thread, the clips and the car Gavin.
For some reason it is one of the less read threads, yet has got to be one of the highest quality ones.
Keep it up

Thanks Dave