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#Post#: 28883--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: June 26, 2012, 4:24 pm
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Which one!?! ;D
#Post#: 38270--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: September 26, 2012, 4:10 pm
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Things are moving on aplomb. ;D Two more rallies entered but
first a copy and paste sum up of the LDC 2012
On an oddly sunny Sunday I set off from South Cumbria for a
gentle drive through the county to the start some 46 miles away.
Got almost half way when the misfiring kicked in big style and
it all came to a halt. One dizzy in super retarded mode! A
quick bit of timing and one very tight pinch bolt later and it
was running better than ever.
Sat at 50mph on the northern roads and stopped at Rheged fuel
station. It was virtually full when I set off...and about
48miles had past and 24 litres went in. :eek: Today was going
to be interesting!
Got signed on at Penrith amongst the amazing collection of
motors and was presented with War and Peace or the rally pack as
it's known. I'm glad I'd taken 3 clipboards!
As said before there was 13 "tests" on private land some of
which were literally flat out stages intermixed with 4 sections
of Average speed on the more remote and challenging roads around
the Eden Valley.
Thing is the normal road sections are given in Tulip diagram
form which is easy to follow. The against the clock bits on the
road you get handed in coded form as you sign on.
So for example for one 7 mile section all you have to know
exactlydown to which side of the junction to drive on was this:
Start: MR91/580133
58 12 MS N590095S N596062NW G 59
And then you have to average 30mph for say 3.2 miles....then
23mph for 2.4 miles etc and at any point you'd round a corner
and pull up at a unknown Marshal point to the exact second. It
only takes a cyclist or tractor and that 30mph becomes something
quite different.
So with maps plotted Tray turned up having followed up in the
Puma. 13 test diagrams to annotate some of which looked like
mind benders and we lined up just outside for the first test
round a lot of brand new trucks!
I have to thank the lads from the Young Guns forum for these
pics:
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/170465_10150959659774440_1916814738_o.jpg
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/469482_10150959660154440_1370233050_o.jpg
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/469557_10150959660669440_1755353848_o.jpg
Some of the turns were too tight to get the back end out early
without using a hydraulic handbrake. Which are currently banned
for no sporting reason anyone can think of.
Non the less it went well and off we went down the road. Next
test was tighter still and the one after that was on very loose
shale. Good fun but still needing a handbrake really!
First regularity came up and 4 seconds after we'd been counted
down by the marshal our stopwatch froze. Which meant doing the
whole thing on guesswork! I think we lost about 90 seconds
which is a lot.
Next couple of tests and Tray had a uncharacteristic freeze on
one of the tests as the diagram didn't seem to plot onto the
test. This resulted in I think a number of crews blasting into
a farmyard after about 1.5miles flatoutness only to find the
chicane cone that looked like it should be up the yard right
next to the gateway he'd just flown through. Cue some reversing
and confusion!
That test was still impressive.
The last regularity before lunch was over the roads that thread
between the two carriageways on the M6 before turning to the
infamous Bretherdale road that meets with the Breasthigh
greenlane. The farmers permission had been granted but after
dropping a mere 4 seconds I think Bretherday proved a challenge
after getting stuck behind a big gay boingy and then encountered
haytiming contractors driving New Hollands flat out which is
scary enough in a Land Rover with a whopping great cage but in a
period non caged mini I'd hace been pooing myself because with
such hold ups by the end the speeds required are not something
I'm going to detail.
Lunch was at the excellent Tebay Services and fueled with Beef
and Stilton pie we set off for an afternoon of rallying heaven.
The test at oddendale quarry was rough, loose and the landy slid
about with it's tail out exactly as I wanted it too. Finished
the test laughing like a maniac. After that we did a reverse of
the long farm test with the odd placed cone. Knowing where it
was and the fact that it was mostly down hill meant some
interesting speeds even for the landy. What the Lotus Sunbeams
and Mk2 Escorts were pulling god knows! We got into flat 4th a
couple of times which is good considering you can enter in a
road car.
Some other tests near Lowther Park may have meant some brushes
with scenery put I just kept the foot down.
Arrived back at Penrith tired and deaf. Tray headed home while
I relaxed for a bit at the feast afterwards and saw some
provisional results.
44 crews entered. Not all doing the full event but I was told we
got 17th overall. More than happy with that!
Oh and it averaged about 10mpg over the whole day. It might go
faster than it did a few weeks ago but blimey can it sup!
There's still a funny rattle but it's getting no louder so I
will do my best to ignore it while I sort out another engine for
the future.
Good times
Fast forward to the present and the Devils Own Rally was due to
be run at the start of August but was postponed. So....I took
the chance to make up something I've been thinking about for 5
years.
And it not something I would post on some forumses because of
the armchair lawyers on board such places.
I've taken a serious look at A frames for sometime. Ignoring
the myriad of forum experts who claim they're for recovery only
etc the DFT have the stance that recovery ops aside that if you
A frame a vehicle it must A: be fully road legal and B: be
classified as a trailer also so must comply with relevant
trailer regulations with both brakes and lights etc.
Coupled with the arrival of a proper hugely overengineered A
frame identical to what the AA use that had the option of
overrun braking system coupling the final key was weighing the
rally series as well as my dear wife's "vehicle" on a ermmm
accurate weighbridge at a place I can't mention.
The racer had been hiding a dirty secret in the fashion of a
chopped up td5 bumper on the front. A galv series unit was
sourced that didn't come in a blue box (the metal thickness was
right...the alignment wasn't!).
Two new balls were fitted to the bumper and two german spec
unbraked Knott hitches with a high weight rating were fitted to
the A frame. A post on this fine shire helped with the biggest
hurdle. Creating a suitable vaccuum to ensure the brakes work
correctly.
Making the pedal move was easy. Two control cables were fitted.
One to the brake pedal box in the racer and finishes on a loop
at the front bumper.
The other cable was fitted to the A frame also clips to the
bumper. The small force needed to move the pedal (relatively!)
means a smallish Hi tensile cable and carabinas do the trick
perfectly and hugely over rated.
The lighting was also quite easy. 7 core trailer cable was
spliced into the racers loom and an extra trailer socket fitted
to the rear of the racer by a roll cage foot. I then made a
trailer board that fits the racer exactly with all the right
lights and reflectors and bolts to the back of the racer with a
very short lead that plugs into the socket.
Another socket was then fitted just under the radiator grill
along with a waterproof power connector......
Then the trickier bit. The lighting system passes through a
control box which houses a set of relays. Whenever the brake
light goes on the relays pull switching the larger power source
that has been gleamed from the tow motor. This then fires an
electric vaccuum pump from a modern Audi Quattro. This pump is
T'd into the vaccum system on the racer but with isolators to
allow it to be switchable for when being drive normally.
After a bit of fun with the relays (also from a quattro) which
oddly didn't follow their diagram it now works a peach! Other
things like breakaway cable etc have been fitted and a control
box in the tow vehicle fitted under the passenger seat that just
connects in and the system also has auto reverse.
Apologies for the poor pics and their boingy content: This was
the first set up:
[IMG]
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/IMAG0235.jpg[/img]
[IMG]
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The bumper is held on 4 new M8's but then also the two M16's on
the chassis xmember that's 10mm wall thickness.
And then 4 more M12 10.8 grade bolts.
And then 6 more M8's as well.
I don't think the bumper will come off soon.....
The final wee bit of work is a stone deflector for the back
xmember. Something that seems to happen when it's been thrown
sideways is that stuff sometimes quick big being fired at pace
to the central area of the back xmember. Having been paint
blasted and even bullet holed despite it being a reasonably
condition.
I've plated it where needed and then made a guard that is only
think galv but should help deflect the stuff away from the back
xmember. I don't really care if it's sacrificial...it's easier
to swap than bits of chassis!
[IMG]
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/IMAG0248-1.jpg[/img]
MOT next week and it all seems ok.....one odd thing is the way
it can shake it's driveflange bolts loose. New springwashers and
loctite is the first attempt to keep them all in check.
Fingers crossed.
#Post#: 38272--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: prof-pat-pending Date: September 26, 2012, 4:19 pm
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good pics - looks like good crack >rock<
looks like penrith truckstop me thinks :thumbs:
#Post#: 38278--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Rhythm Thief Date: September 27, 2012, 1:03 am
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What a great thread about a great vehicle. I love the footage of
it hammering through the forests. :thumbs:
#Post#: 38303--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: September 27, 2012, 2:39 pm
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Twas indeed the truckstop Prof. Lots of money's worth of trucks
to hit on the first test!
Dab of left foot brake.... trail throttle...pray to the tyre
gods....just chuffin turn in!
[IMG]
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/471276_10150959658219440_1479553124_o.jpg[/img]
and unclench!
[IMG]
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/266146_10150959659164440_291344742_o-1.jpg[/img]
Much better on gravel!
#Post#: 38426--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Dengieboy Date: September 29, 2012, 3:41 pm
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Great write up as usual landyphil, and well done 17th overall
:thumbs:
Interesting A bar. Now I see why you wanted to know how much
vacuum the brake servo needs to operate without a running
engine. I take it that the tow hitch on the A frame operates the
brake cable that moves the brake pedal and the brake lights
operate (through your home made control box) the vacuum pump to
assist the servo, now that's ingenious! So when are these A
frame kits going to be on the market?
#Post#: 38432--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: September 29, 2012, 4:37 pm
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You got it in one! Yup brake light circuit also activates a
relay coil which fires the pump so that its not running
constantly as they're not meant to run all the time.
Never would dare to sell it. Took years of legal reading before
I started to go and build it up!
#Post#: 40641--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: October 23, 2012, 3:22 pm
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A bittersweet rally report in some respects as there is scant
chance I’ll be able write another for sometime. But what a way
to bow out for a break!
The Solway Historic.
Run by WigtonMC the Solway Historic Rally was originally run as
“The Cockermouth Revival Rally” and rasied money for Cockermouth
town post it’s 2009 flooding.
It then evolved into the Solway Historic rally and is a “Tests
only” rally meaning there is no competitive element on the
public roads just an overall time schedule with 12 or so special
tests at various private venues from Airfields to Kart Tracks
around North and West Cumbria.
Things weren’t looking good the week before as, to seek answers
to the noises within I stuck a videoscope down the sparkplug
orifices and found my bores looked like this!
[IMG]
HTML http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/landyphil/Series%203%20Rally/IV7L0036_zps2d675d8c.jpg[/img]
This would explain why an engine that should be making about
190psi was making between 50-90psi compression! It’s never been
fast but it was getting very “flat”. But the bores were
bizarrely smooth so we took a chance and so I set off on a cold
Sunday morn to head up to Rowrah Kart Track with Tray following
later in the Defender…carrying spares!
The journey was not one I will remember fondly being deafened
and then frozen as the voltmeter in the cab was saying worrying
things so the heater remained off. With a straight cut box and
wing mirrors that kept steaming up I nearly ended up having an
indiscretion on the way there with another classic so it was
apologies when I got to Rowrah!
Most rally cars were already there when I lined up for
scrutineering still getting the odd funny look from rally crews
that hadn’t seen the landy before. Scrutineering passed with so
much as a iffy front right indicator which was just a loose bulb
we got handed all the paperwork and went upstairs and sat with
Richard Craig and Peter Leary running Richard’s MGBGT.
The tests were similar to last years with a few additional ones
and best off all some split/merge laps of Rowrah to finish the
day off. As long the engine lasted that long!
The sun was well out and beginning to dry the rather cold slippy
track when we lined up for the start of test 1 and 2. A reverse
lap of Rowrah. Twice. As soon as the marshal got to “two” on his
countdown all sympathy for the engine went, 3000rpm and lift
the clutch. Get to the first corner on the first test and
JEEESUS come in a bit too hot there!
[IMG]
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/>
Understeer noted I kept it a bit smoother on the turn in to help
the old girl and we sailed round (well it looked like we were
tacking anyway) about 4 seconds faster than the dry lap last
year. Those new rear springs were worth it!
[IMG]
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All the guys and gals from the Young Guns Classics forum had
arrived in proper cars to see Richard and myself give it a go.
Cheer us on and it’s to the fine work of Calum Barrow, Frazer
Kinghorn, Adam Griffin, Andrew Wright and Alex Backhouse that I
have these fine photomagraphs.
Tests done it was out onto the road for a blat up to Broughton
Quarry which was looking rather slippy. Even with knobblies I
could play tunes with the amount of wheelspin in 2nd! Not bad
with the engine like it was!
As feared the top of the quarry despite being large had the
cones about 5mm apart or so it seemed which with no handbrake
made progress slow dropping a lot of time at by going out on the
last but one cone gave it room for me plant it to get it
sideways and power out a bit quicker Good fun up and down the
track though!
A fly round the big concrete slab at Scaryport and we were off
to the soft gravel of the old motel and woodyard at Moota. Bit
tighter than last time due to a big pile of hardcore but great
fun and it with the sun lowish through the trees very photogenic
it would seem!
[IMG]
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After that it was off to Wigton itself for lunch halt and a test
in the auction mart one again on very smooth soft gravel. On
the way there though we came across the sad sight of Richard and
Peter stopped with a fuel pump problems. A few electrical
investigations removed some possible faults and Richard said we
may as well be on our way.
The test at the auction mart was murder last year for the landy
but with no steering damper and new tyres it didn’t seem that
bad. Still a HUGE problem not being able to do handbrake turns
though as some of the other competitors skipped round the cones
pulling on that central steering handle!
HTML http://youtu.be/VgjPcyN7gnU
HTML http://youtu.be/VgjPcyN7gnU
We had a little picnic in the sun and warm (really is the end of
October?) outside and watched the action before heading back out
and up to Kirkbride airfield.
I may have err sort of gone off a touch during both of those
tests as the landy even when not understeering has a turning
circle bigger than the concrete bits. Just as well it’s
designed to go offroad! Marshals did seem to be laughing quite a
lot which shows our work there was done!
It’s a long way from Kirkbride to Maryport if you’re not using
any main roads really but a slightly longer test at Maryport
went nicely even if we were flagging a bit by then. Managed to
get a nice bit of power oversteer which on concrete shows the
engine was still pulling as much as it could!
The next test was a new one at Wellington Farm near Cockermouth.
Felt at home looking at all the mud but still didn’t select 4wd.
Kills what little turn in we have…..and for once maybe I should
have depressed my little yellow knob (Cue “Oooh Errr” type
comments)
Lifted the clutch at about 2500rpm and then went straight for
second…..sometime later we’d moved a few feet and had got most
of the way up to the codeboard before the wheelspin subsided.
As we flew up the first corner which was a bit unsighted I went
in a little hot and slid wide. Not wishing to incur any
penalties by hitting the border markers I hit the brakes and
backed up maybe a yard or two before deploying all the horses we
had…in 2nd….and after we’d sunk about 8inches in about 5 seconds
it began to move slowly off. A quick glance in the wing mirror
showed the sort of ruts I’d expect at a Comp Safari. Any guilt
for the next crew coming along was forgotten as the we were
constantly sliding about but it felt good.
The last corner was a 270 degree round the last cone and it
looked very cut up and on a slope Threw it in and planted it in
2nd and the diff worked it’s magic perfectly. Back end came
round and we did the lot with the steering about straight.
Lovely.
The marshal at the end asked what engine we had. Seemed slightly
bemused by the fact it’s a tired knocking 2 and a quarter in
there.
After a random route up the fells and back it was the final
blast round Rowrah running the right way with two laps and split
and merge. Given that the car in front was a mini and the car
behind a Lancia Fulvia the idea of dicing with a Land Rover flat
out seemed to not appeal so we had the track to ourselves
mainly. Engine sounded a little more rattly so changed up a bit
earlier on every shift.
Last year this little switchback was a 2nd gear job. This year
it was a slight dab of brakes on the way in and then flat in 3rd
bouncing off the kerbs.
[IMG]
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We crept back to the car park and it all went nice and quiet.
Rally done!25th o/a which’ll do.
A check of the LPG gauge showed it was pretty much empty. Not
great in West Cumbria where LPG is clearly too advanced for all
but 1 station in the whole region that closes on a Sunday!
Racer doesn’t really run well on petrol as I still can’t get the
carb spot on and given that it would be getting dark and I
wasn’t sure of how much electricity was spare we made a quick
dash for home.
As it turned out it was a faulty connection on the voltmeter
thankfully and by keeping the throttle light we got home in sort
of one piece!
And that as they say is that. Plan is to put it back in storage
and start what could be a lot changing of bits. New engine
block/bottom end at the very least which gives me chance to look
at whether the gearbox casing is OK. Overdrive could do with a
rebuild as could the bearing in the transfer box I’m guessing.
Finally there’s a hub or two to rebuild as well.
It will return. Just not quite sure when!
#Post#: 40666--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: warrick palmateer Date: October 23, 2012, 5:30 pm
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Great story and excellent photo's. Glad to hear that even with
your concerns for the engine before the event, it managed to see
out the event and your performance was an improvement over last
year. One thing that puzzled me was that you aren't required to
wear helmets. Is that the norm for that category of motor sport
in the UK? Look forward to reading more after you sort out the
88 for next season.
Regards Warrick.
#Post#: 40671--------------------------------------------------
Re: 88" Rally Car story updated
By: Landyphil Date: October 24, 2012, 12:02 am
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Yep for this sort of rally you just need a road legal classic.
Cages and fire extinguisher are recommended though! It's quite
refreshing really.
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