as dave said tis a cracking thread very good insight into the world of rallys and sprinting... something i really want to get into next year so i have been following closely, good to see how its done properly popcorn:
as dave said tis a cracking thread very good insight into the world of rallys and sprinting... something i really want to get into next year so i have been following closely, good to see how its done properly popcorn:
some great stories there, love the sound of the track day at combe, showing up the jap stuff
Cupra Formentor / MR2 Mk3 / Fiat Ambulance
What a great thread and an even better car it is be fantastic to own a car for so long and have done so many things with it,so many memories I bet.
Dont reshell as the shell is the soul of a car. Jay
Superb read there GavinTook me a while but i got thereIts fantastic to see this car getting used hard for so many years.picked up a few battle scars but i think it all adds to itDont Re-shell though just keep plating
tommy 2000
Haven't done much on Fly recently, been busy digging a hole for a new garage popcorn:
But that's ready for some hard core to be delivered next week, so I got back to work stripping the 4 door donor car
I'd started on this 3 weeks ago, removing the doors and all the chrome trim which have been donated to a friend as spares for his 4 door Road Rally car, one wing I'm keeping, the other's too far gone to be saved
The Webasto sunroof went on eBay and made £43
Tonight I removed the interior and hopefully it will fit in my 4 door Mk1 without too much trouble, along with the door cards which might be more awkward
GavinR
Spent the morning digging up a tree stump that was in the way of a new bit of drive I need to lay for the garage - it was a bit heavy so I had to use the large shovel to move it
Then it was back to the 4 door this afternoon - engine, gearbox and front suspension ready to be dragged out but it was dark by then so that's a job for next weekend
Interior is all out now - might have to cut some of the floorpans out as they're nice and shiny
GavinR
Tidy digger you have there Gavin. :cool/:
Me too
I'd phoned Ron at HT last weekend to see if he'd started rebuilding the cossie - he'd not only started it, he'd finished it and it was ready for collection
So I picked it up yesterday morning, no major problems found, although one rear head bolt was completely loose
Back in the workshop tonight, looking nice and shiny
Then I went to Steve at S&C who'd built me a new Nippondenso Gear Reduction Starter which will hopefully be more reliable than the Bosch one I was using this year popcorn:
Then today I carried on cutting up the 4 door, cut out the slam panel, front strut sections of the inner wings and the auto tunnel, still got the floor pans and boot floor to remove
And my gearbox is back from Quaife, I hope its better this time pray: as their customer service was not exactly helpful
It went back as it jumps out of reverse and leaks oil, and has done this since the first day I fitted it, and I've only done 100 competitive miles with it, but still they replaced the layshaft pinion as it was worn, didn't find anything wrong with reverse, and then charged me £230 for the privilege
I argued with them, Gareth at WWRS who'd supplied the box argued with them, but all we got out of them was free carriage back to Wales
Anyway, I've entered Goodwood on 2nd Feb, so there'll be a few long weekends coming up over Christmas
GavinR
Nice shiny engine again Gavin.
It beats me how Quaiffe have any customers left. Not had any experience with them myself, but only ever hear bad things about them.
Sierra cosworth turbo race car
QMN saloon car championship
RETRO Motorsport
I ordered a new gear knob from them and they charged me more in postage than the cost of the item.
Have to get my knob in person next time.
cut the rear quarters off, they go on 2 doors fine if you damage the rear section, i have fitted loads of 4 door quarters to 2 door escorts that have just dameged the rear section, try finding 2 door quarters!
Made a bit more progress this weekend - finished chopping up the 4 door so now I've got space to work on Fly
Saved a few panels
And fitted the engine and box back in Fly, just got to put all the ancilliaries on and go for a test drive - I thought I'd better make sure the gearbox works before sorting out the boot floor, etc
I've also bought inner and outer sills to fit for the MOT this year - I was going to do this before Goodwood on 2nd Feb, but the MOT runs out on 2nd Feb as well so there's no need
Should be running next weekend with a bit of luck
GavinR
Hi Gavin
this is an awesome thread, great to read all your stories and soo much history on FLY
By the way, does this look familiar??????
Its "FDT 260 V" My dads old car. Had some great success in it mid 90's time and did battle againt DVY (and beat it!!!!)
Thread highjack over + keep up the great work
Ta
Steve
That's amazing the previous owner must have copied your dad's car when he built DVY in 1993
I bought DVY in June 1997 from Wakefield, I think he'd only done 7 stage events in her in those 4 years
GavinR
Hi Gavin, If you got the car from Wakefield you must have got it off Tim Wood. Its the same guy we got FDT off. Did yours still have the "kleenacar" sponsorship on it????? We bought FDT in '93 and tim used the cash to do DVY.
DVY was the "evolution" version of FDT. FDT had a pinto whereas DVY had a cossie, but then I dont need to tell you that do I
The pinto we had was essentially a standard RS2000 bottom end with a trick head built by Watsons of Wakefield who I think are still going strong (they rally a spaceframe mini with a Honda Vtec in it and VW running gear (I think))
When Tim built DVY we were in thick of competing with FDT, Ive got some old pics somewhere of the 2 cars together in service then doing battle on the stage. On single venues with laps FDT was know to pass DVY, but then i guess DVY still needed some development
So there you go, some history on your old car.xmaswave
Keep up the great thread
Last edited by steveo_mex; 22-12-2007 at 18:04.
Ta
Steve
It all makes sense now!
Yes I bought DVY off Tim Wood, no sponsorship stickers on it but I remember the log book pic had Kleenacar on the bonnet
DVY is still going strong in the forests, now owned by Rupert Lomax and running a Warrior Pinto, most recently came 3rd in class on the Cambrian Rally in the Historics
GavinR
I'd finished sorting out the hardcore for the new garage last weekend and almost got Fly back together, so this weekend I just had a few last jobs to do
The new starter motor had to be rotated a bit to make it clear everything, which left the terminals underneath so I made up a longer battery cable and it all fits nicely now.
Then I pumped the oil round for a few minutes (as I normally do after a rebuild), then went to start her up.
Only it wasn't quite that simple - the engine was cranking at a reasonable speed and firing a bit but wouldn't quite catch, so I put the battery on charge for half an hour and had another go, and another, and after a bit of pray: eventually there was life in the cossie again
It's always a bit hard to start after a rebuild as everything is nice and tight again so I left it running for 30 mins including a 'leisurely' test drive to check the gearbox
No oil came out, as moulded slicks on damp greasy roads meant hard acceleration was out of the question, but it did prove the LSD still works - and I did 200 yds in reverse without it jumping out of gear so I guess that's an improvement
Then this evening I made a start on the boot floor by clearing everything out of it - I can see I didn't clean behind the tank last time it was out
Tomorrow I'll start cutting out the old floor
GavinR
Got most of the old floor out tonight, cut it down the centre of the chassis rails and about 2" in from the rear panel - don't want the heat from welding the new one in to affect the paint job - chassis rails seem ok, a few small holes right at the back next to the rear panel
Had more trouble finding the spot welds under 15 years of hammerite than drilling them out, but not got the old panhard rod mount off yet- its split away from the chassis rail underneath, but it's welded up the side of the chassis rail as well in a previous attempt to strengthen it, so there'll be some careful grinding going on at the weekend
It does look odd like this
GavinR
Gavin,
Good to see FLY is getting some tender loving care, as they say "old fords never die, they just get faster"
I see DVY is back up for sale on Fleabay as a rolling shell
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ESCORT-RS-2000...QQcmdZViewItem
Chers
Steve
Yes I had a couple of texts about DVY - more like a bare shell though
I've been busy the last few weekends but as Goodwood is only 2 weeks away I thought I'd better get on with the boot today
Cut the old panhard rod mount off and welded the new Gp4 one on - I think its designed to go further forward than this, but it needed to be here so the rod clears the diff cover. I'm glad I'd taken the boot floor out as it made this a lot easier
Then I trimmed the new floor so it would fit round the strengthening tube and laid it in place - it fits very nicely and some of the spot welds line up
Its now all welded down one chassis rail and partly down the other, so next weekend I've just got to finish welding it in, fit some new fuel hose, refit the fuel tank, pumps and battery, fit new harnesses that arrived this week from PLR along with 4 new Matador slicks - not sure why I've bothered as its bound to be raining but you never know
I'm seeded Car 9, behind a Focus WRC02 & a RS200 and ahead of a Darrian T90 & a 6R4 - that should be interesting
GavinR
just read the whole thread ! the cars certainatly evolved ! good luck with future events
Have you got that boot floor in yet? All ready for Saturday?
I'm off to inflate my tyres tomorrow night. Should check the oil really as well
I got the floor welded on Saturday before heading off pot collecting at the Midland Speed Championship Awards in Birmingham, then got everything painted Sunday
Monday night finished the interior - new harnesses, fuel pipes and tidied the battery cables, checked the pull cables and one came off in my hand so fitted a new one
Then had a day off today, got everything back in the boot, fitted the 4 new slicks and went for a short test drive in between the snow showers
Oh and I'm back on the old Bosch starter, rebuilt with a new motor and solenoid, as the Nippondenso one is crap
So I'm ready, all loaded up so I can do a day's work tomorrow before heading down to Goodwood tomorrow night
Weather forecast is cold but sunny so should be a good laugh
GavinR
Nice one, well see you on saturday morning!
Paul
Well it was a lovely sunny but freezing day at Goodwood yesterday
We stayed the night with friends in Bognor on Friday so it was only a 10min drive on Sat morning, then 15mins scraping ice off Fly before we could get settled in the service area.
But things had warmed up slightly by 9am and the 1st stage - no problems on it but the scrutineers spotted oil leaking from a rear hub at the finish, so Barney spent 15mins sorting this out by tightening the hub bearing and putting loads more sealant on the halfshaft flanges.
The 2nd stage we were 23s quicker, despite taking to a grass bank when handbrake hairpin left out of the car park didn't go according to plan due to oil on the rear disc
3rd stage I thought I'd try the last bit of the Woodcote chicane flat in 3rd (the corner before the proper Goodwood chicane only we were going in reverse direction), only to get 3 wheels on the grass and mow down a wooden stake before Fly was back on the circuit, but the 4th stage was better and a few seconds quicker
We were lying 8th at lunch when an old friend and Road Rally rival that I've known for 15years - Ian Mepham - came over complaining my carbs were out of balance, so he balanced them in between stages and the cossie ran a lot smoother
After 6 stages we had squeezed ahead of an Impreza and were just 6s behind the Evo IX seeded just in front of us, so we had a good go round the last 2 and beat him by 5s, finishing 6th o/a and 2nd in class
Thanks to Barney for servicing and Sarah for codriving very well - she was very pleased with her first trophy on only her 4th rally, and Rob & Jo for the accommodation, food and drinks the night before
No pics of the event as yet, but another old friend David Morgan came along and took a few so there'll be some to see later - so just a pic of the boot all finished with nice new braided fuel hoses, and I even polished the fuel tank while it was out
And one of Fly all nicely tucked up in the shed next to DVY who I bought back off eBay the other week - but that's another story
Last edited by GavinR; 03-02-2008 at 20:13. Reason: .
GavinR
Hi Gavin,
Good result at the weekend
Hope these pictures attach ok
Well Done Gavin on youre resultto get that far up in an old mk2 is astonishing
tommy 2000
No worries, will get some better ones next time when I get a digital SLR
And as for tom go and wash your mouth out
Great result, glad to see you beating the four wheel drive tat!!
Well done on your result Gav.
So what are your plans for DVY?
Paul
Superb Gavin!! well done. All the best blokes finish 2nd in class at Goodwood so I hear... (We were 2nd in class & 8th o/a last year)
Wish I could have been ready in time... but there's always next year.
I happened to be at Goodwood... To see you vandalise a poor defenceless stick...
JB
Gavin said he'd been on the grass a bit. Didn't realise it was all four wheels
Top class write up, as ever Gavin.
And I only thought I got 3 wheels off as well
Glad it was only a thin stick - didn't even scratch the bumper
GavinR
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