Section : General

All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

Posted By : David Thompson, 21-Dec-2004, 11:36am

• All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

  Posted By : David Styles, 21-Dec-2004, 12:12pm

  It is exceptionally quiet round here int it ?
  
  I packed the car away in its garage after brands.. and haven't even got round to polishing it yet !
  
  I did go out and start it up the other day though..
  
  let it come up to temperature and revved it a bit.. I also drove it backwards and forwards 4 feet. Was immense fun to just sit in it again...
  
  and thats it for me...
  
  Hopefully next season my driving will speed up, and then I'll know if I want to make any changes to the car.
  
  to be honest, I want to fiddle with it badly, but I'm aware that it can go a lot faster than I can at the mo.. so I might as well leave it alone.
  
  Going to have to do a trackday soon after Christmas.. to get a bit more time in it... and because I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.. dangerous drug 'track time' isn't it ?
  

  • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

    Posted By : Andy Vowell, 21-Dec-2004, 02:40pm

    Yep all very quiet, you must all be busy in the garage working out a way of disguising a supercharger as a alternator or some other devious schemes. Though I must admit I've also been dabbling in the garage a little.
    
    Engines
    
    No1 engine (broke at Donington) is almost back together with just the thrusts to get. No2 engine (broke at Brands) is in pieces, lots more pieces than it started with so will is on its way to the great smelting pot in the sky. No3 engine (the scrapyard special) will probably rise through the ashes of No2 with a torquey endurance cam ready for the Birkett race. Just gotta weld up the rear main bearing cap to stop the thrusts from spinning
    
    And the rest of the car,
    
    I've removed my No50 in preparation for No1 next year if Graham will let me have it.
    I have a plan to sell my Princess calipers on ebay, buy an aluminium set and still have spare change.
    I've been angle grinding the inner surfaces of all the accessible body panels to shed some weight.
    The development of the watermist injection system to improve the temperature and density of the air charge before going into the carbs is progressing
    
    Only15 weeks to go, better get a move on
    
    Cheers
    Andy
    
    

    • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

      Posted By : Chris Wilson, 21-Dec-2004, 02:57pm

      Hmmmm, well at the other end of the scale, my project now has complete rear drivetrain, front suspension, stub axles and hubs etc fitted (still need a few more shims tho ) and four "normal" wheels/tyres attached to now keep the chassis off the ground (instead of wooden blocks!). Wheels and tyres will get sorted near the completion of the project!! Nowt achieved with power plant/gearbox yet - gearbox is being sorted by an ex gearbox guru from the triumph works and have told him I don't want to see it until at least February!! I still can't get my head around what he is doing with it, something about a Herald (alloy) diff casing, Italia/miata?? close gear ratio all going into a non-overdrive 1500 gearbox so that it will mate up with the 1500 lump and propshaft. I've told him to write down what he finally puts together so at least I'll look "knowledgeable" when someone asks me in the future!!
      
      Just sorting out new brake system and pipes etc etc - good job I've got my own car to work off for pipe routing and the like!
      
      Haven't even looked at the bodyshell yet!!
      
      Must sort out getting a workshop/garage built at the bottom of me garden as well cos fed up of getting wet, cold, miserable and eating carrots to improve my night vision when trying to do things in the dark!!
      
      Oh well, enough for now!!
      
      Merry Xmas to one and all and A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you all!!
      
      Regards

      • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

        Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 21-Dec-2004, 05:07pm

        I'm getting very frustrated at not being able to work on the car
        
        The van is buggered and has no engine.... *crank is being re-ground* which leaves the racer stranded on the trailer outside the house until the van is fixed.
        
        The racer cannot be worked on safely as my jack has broken too - a new one is on order (low entry - high lift) but cannot be delivered until Jan . At least I got my engine crane now which allowed me to extract the vans engine and dismantle it... *progress*
        
        The rear suspension for the racer is all aquired now... just got to fit it along with headlights, indicators to annoy the other racers with The engine is at the builders and I can't even pick it up until the van is fixed.
        
        The GT6 has started making a 'clonk' at the rear which means I have to fix that too and Angs Spitfire needs a new bonnet and boot... *but that's her job *
        
        Sheesh... I've got a lot to do.... but fixing the van is holding it all up... sob "
        There's loads of *crap* all over the house since we can't get down to the tip because hte van is bust...
        
        Arrrrgh, argh.... poo, bum etc
        
        PS all you current racers, if you are going to the drivers dinner you should get your stuff off to Mike soon....
        
        
        

        • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

          Posted By : Michael Davis, 06-Jan-2005, 07:35pm

          Hmm...let's see...
          
          Racecar is still damaged from Cadwell last year and is also leaking EP90.
          Van *still* doesn't have a working engine and I realised I can't even get the old one out with the van parked where it is now. I should also finish some internal rewiring that I started months ago too.
          Trailer has large holes in the load bed, non-working lights and a knackered winch
          ....and now my roadgoing spitfire has developed a thirst for oil and my everyday (relatively modern) car has a brake problem...
          
          So that's a full house (well a full driveway anyway ). Oh, and it looks like I'll be working (that's real work, not car work) during a lot of the weekends between now and about May.
          
          Currently getting depressed and wondering why I bought all these cars anyway
          Mik
          
          PS NiG, thanks for the reminder, I did finally send off my stuff to Mike.

          • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

            Posted By : David Styles, 07-Jan-2005, 08:54am

            Mik,..
            
            I have a racing spitfire here in the garage thats not road legal,..
            and FIVE HOURS AWAY a road spitfire on a trailer in a lockup.
            
            I don't even get to drive the road spitfire at the minute.. and the garage here is too small to do anything to the race car.
            
            If you want cheering up.. do what I did the other day.. go and sit in the race car and start it up.. just to bring it up to temperature like...
            
            the sound of that engine and the SMELL of the inside of a race car.. (is it only mine that smells funny ? sort of clean?) will cheer you up no end.. there's a strange feeling to sitting inside a fully stripped out spitfire I reckon..
            
            maybe its because I'm new to all this.. it cheered me up though.. oh and while you're there, think about sitting on that grid at Silverstone... and watching the same lights go out as they'll be watching at the British Grandprix again this year !
            
            not long to go now...
            
            

            • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

              Posted By : Michael Davis, 08-Jan-2005, 12:12pm

              You can hardly see the lights from the back row of the grid

              • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

                Posted By : David Styles, 10-Jan-2005, 09:48am

                
                what are you saying about my driving ??!
                
                I plan to be a little better next year !
                
                
                
                

                • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

                  Posted By : Michael Davis, 10-Jan-2005, 02:18pm

                  I was thinking of me actually I plan to not spin three times in practice at silverstone this year!

    • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

      Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 21-Dec-2004, 05:30pm

      ''I've been angle grinding the inner surfaces of all the accessible body panels to shed some weight.
      
      The development of the watermist injection system to improve the temperature and density of the air charge before going into the carbs is progressing''
      
      
      hmmm, methinks use paintstripper and let H2O do the metal removal for you in the time honoured manner and I didn't actually appreciate that water could be pursuaded to burn in a triumph engine... does it need any special addatives or will ordinary tap water do?
      
      is it a matter of giving it water or taking some other solution ???
      
      
      ho ho ho and a merry christmas to all
      
      bin

      • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

        Posted By : Andy Vowell, 21-Dec-2004, 06:00pm

        There is method to my madness, here's the theory:-
        
        "Water exists mainly in a liquid state because that is its most stable inter-molecular structure. When we apply heat energy to it, its molecules begin to expand: a great deal of heat is absorbed during this process owing to water's specific heat capacity. When the water changes from the liquid to gas state, large amount of heat energy is consumed in sustaining the process. The latent heat of evaporation is approximately six times more than gasoline!
        
        Because of its huge specific- and latent- heat capacity, water is the perfect liquid for regulating excess heat under certain engine-operating conditions, for example induction charge air cooling; but its biggest contribution is inside the combustion chamber where, under excessive loading, pre-ignition and detonation can otherwise occur."
        
        So, by injecting water into the induction flow we can both cool the air going into cylinders, very advantageous on a hot day when cars are less powerful as they suck in hot air. Plus by having water in the combustion chamber, detonation is better controled enabling finer tuning to a efficient, repeatable and therefore more powerful burn.
        
        As for letting good ole ferrus oxide doing my panel thinning for me, I only have 15 weeks before those other nasty TSSC racer are gonna try and take my No1 off me. So will grind away
        
        Cheers
        Andy

        • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

          Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 21-Dec-2004, 07:11pm

          why not use dry ice, that's even colder?

          • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

            Posted By : Chris Wilson, 21-Dec-2004, 07:23pm

            Sheeesh!!!! Come back Einstein (or whoever!!) all is forgiven!! If the FIA/MSA ever decide to make a physics or chemistry degree a compulsory requirement to be a racer, I'll stick to conkers!!!
            
            And that's twice I've been utterly confused and lost today on the message boards!!! (See Tools and Techniques board - Dave Styles post!!) Arrrgh - They're coming to take me away ha ha, they're coming to take me away ha ha!!
            
            Regards

          • All was silent, nothing stirred, not even a mouse.......... 

            Posted By : David Pearson, 22-Dec-2004, 07:04am

            Or better still fit a fogger kit and disguise the NOS bottle as Andy's water container!
            Nigel Blue Book, reg check?!