With the sun shining and a cool morning it it time once again to grab a cup of coffee and head to the shed and see what some of our members have been up to during the past few months.
Peter Stanley – Mk IIA Sprite
Peter’s Hillclimb Championship Winning Sprite has been undergoing a few updates while waiting for the Collingrove Hillclimb season to resume. Looking forward to seeing the Sprite back in action……….
As Peter states:
Not quite self isolation, but isolation from any motor sport…..
I have had the chance to refurbish the rear suspension and fit a long overdue Panhard rod. The whole exercise started out because of a broken wheel stud and just grew from there.
Maybe the old slug will behave in a more Spritely fashion.
Hope everyone is keeping healthy
Pete.
Pat Miller – Ford Special
As many members are aware Pat has been building various clubman and other style vehicles for many years and his current project is slightly different to the two clubman style vehicles he competes at Mallala.
I will let Pat continue the story:
This my Ford special being tested at Mallala by the engineering team from Motiv Engineering. I had tried to get the car registered through the hot rod association but the man at DPTI decided that the car is a clubman and therefore requires very expensive engineering certification. No it did not pass, being the first time it had ever been driven a few gremlins showed up. The engineers did not like the feel of the brake pedal and the front suspension rubbers were too compliant. I noted a lot of things I did not like. All of the above are being rectified during the current confined to barracks situation.
The car is built on a 1948 Prefect ute chassis, boxed with new cross members. The body I built based on a 1927 Ford T. The grille, inspired by a 1937 Ford, once again hand built. The engine is the SOHC 2 liter Ford from the Anglia I used to race. It runs a mild cam, head work, Mhale pistons, steel flywheel, comp clutch, twin throat Dellorto carbs, etc, trans is Cortina 4 speed, diff is a refugee out of a Toyota Hiace van, it has the biggest drum brakes I have ever worked on. Front axle originated in a 1940 Ford I adapted GM spindles AU Falcon brake rotors and lightweight Holden calipers. The rack and pinion steering is another Cortina refugee attached directly to the axle. On test it proved to feel too light and too slow. The steering column was a leftover from the same Nissan Skyline that was the source of the drive train of my Irukandji Clubman. Wheels are standard pre AU Falcon 15” x 6” running 205 Yokahama tyres. Paint is 2 pack, brightest red I could find. Trim by Cool Trimmers. As I intend to give a bit of a seeing to at a super sprint meeting I fitted what would be a CAMS approved roll bar, attachments are built in so that a full harness seat belt can be readily fitted. I have not weighed it but my guess is around 800kg
Despite not achieving the engineers big tick I was not disappointed with the test. Sitting in the seat beside the test engineer with no helmet the wind blast on the main straight at Mallala nearly blew my face off. For car powered by an ancient 2 liter engine it flies. I hope I will get a degree of understanding when I turn up at sports car cruises in this machine.
Pat Miller.
Grant Stephenson – Ford Escort
We visited Grant last time in the shed to look at his Bugeye , but while there we also had a past look at his Ford Escort. This started life as mudsprint vehicle and evolved to an Improved Production Race Car (Club Car). Here are a couple of snaps from the mud sprint days at Southern Districts Car Club’s track at Old Reynella (now the track is covered with houses).
Stay safe and will see you in the shed soon….
