Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[Peter Jack]

I worked with a guy on Indy cars that had worked for Team McLaren both in Can-Am and Indy cars. He always said if you were buying a used Can-Am McLaren you were much better off buying an ex team car. Apparently Trojan built all the bare chassis but then the team got the bare chassis and built then up from there while the customer cars were all put together by Trojan. The advantage of the team cars were they were all put together by the mechanics who had to work on them and everything was assembled for ease of repair and maintenance while the customer cars were put together in the quickest way possible.

Neil, We usually refer to what you're going through as experience. We've all been there. Forethought never seems to be 100%. 

Pete

[manta22]

Chris;

Unfortunately the new 2-groove pulley is only slightly smaller than the one that's on there now. I'd sacrifice that thing in a minute if that solved the problem! This is one problem that is peculiar to a mid-engine configuration- the cockpit rear bulkhead is right ahead of the pulleys. At least my starter is easily accessible. 

Pete;

Anyone who buys a race car without taking it apart and reassembling it is asking for trouble. We tore Bob Peckham's M8C apart every 2nd race and inspected everything for wear & cracks. That's one reason we never had a DNF.

It wasn't forethought-- I wasn't thinking at all. 

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Peter Jack]

The teardown and reassembly should definitely be part of routine maintenance. The advantage of the team mechanics putting the car together was that they got to mount all the ancillaries where they wanted and they could modify the chassis where they wanted.

Even back in 1979 we were required to provide fresh magnaflux for the suspension and crack tests for the wheels before every 500 mile race.

Pete

[tauruck]

I was lucky enough to be able to pull the Mazda Rotary in about 35 minutes.
Easier than trying to remove individual components. Mid engine projects can be
a big problem. We had 4 bolts and you'd get the engine and gearbox off the chassis.
Neil you're right about stripping and reassembling a bought car. The guy I bought my first F2
car from took off all the "good stuff" before delivery.

[manta22]

All of the push-lock fittings & hose have now been delivered and now I have made a few hoses for my fuel system. The fuel is drawn from a pickup in the fuel cell, through a large filter into the Carter electric fuel pump. Out of the pump it passes through a 10u filter and into a fuel log. Here is the filter setup; they are mounted on a removable aluminum panel near the right side of the engine.

These filters are big so there should be little pressure drop across them.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[tauruck]

Good quality components there Neil and beautifully assembled.

Pro job as expected!!!

[DND]

Peter Jack

Another plus buying a ex team car was they was full of ' Trick Bits ' they had made during the year, that the factory car did not have so you would be a year ahead of the other guys buying the factory race cars

[Peter Jack]

Peter Jack

Another plus buying a ex team car was they was full of ' Trick Bits ' they had made during the year, that the factory car did not have so you would be a year ahead of the other guys buying the factory race cars

That was so true. We were spoiled to live through that era. Racing has never been so good as when Can Am, Trans Am and Formula 5000 were at their peak. Pro racing was almost affordable and the competition was first class.

Pete

[manta22]

I had some openings into the cockpit from the front wheel wells that needed to be closed; otherwise a dust or salt storm would occur at speed. I cut out templates from light cardboard and transferred those to 1/8" plastic sheet. This stuff is polyethylene, used on sprint cars for body panels, etc. It is waterproof, resists rocks, is available in may colors, and is cheap- about $2 a foot in rolls.

I found that aviation tin snips were good tools to cut it and a heat gun allowed it to be formed a little. It drills easily and self-tapping screws make it easy to remove when necessary. I used some yellow plastic to match my chassis color and some black to match my body gelcoat.

It's a little hard to see what's what in this picture but since the front right brake disk is visible it may make sense.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Peter Jack]

I absolutely hate seeing screws of any sort used on a race car. Sooner or later one of them inevitably ends up in someone's expensive tire. In an application like that I'd use cheap hardware store aluminum pop rivets. They're easy to drill out and replace and they hold just fine in that sort of application. JMOHO 

Pete

[Dynoroom]

The people who "sweep" the course from time to time at Bonneville or El Mirage constantly find self tapping screws on the track. A few competitors find them in there really expensive AND sometimes hard to get LSR tires. If you can use rivets or some other semi-permanent fastener your fellow racers would appreciate it, no matter who's car its on.

     

[Dynoroom]

PJ beat me too it... Enough said.

[manta22]

Good point, guys-- I'll replace them with rivets.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[DND]

When I built my 37' gasser in 61' I used #4 machine screws - nuts and lock washers to hold the alum firewall etc together, at 22 yrs old and my first car I thought it would be fine [ like they say I learned the hard way ]

Well after the first day half of the screws were gone, and like the other guy said in went the pop-rivets and not a one ever came out

With the engine mounted solid lots of ' Cool Vibes ' going on that you don't think about till after things happen

DND

[fordboy628]

When I built my 37' gasser I used #4 machine screws - nuts and lock washers to hold the alum firewall etc together, at 22 yrs old and my first car I thought it would be fine [ like they say I learned the hard way ]

Well after the first day half of the screws were gone, and like the other guy said in went the pop-rivets and not a one ever came out

With the engine mounted solid lots of ' Cool Vibes ' going on that you don't think about till after things happen

DND

It's why airplanes are riveted (and bonded . . . ) together for most structure(s).

I won't use "lock washers" or self tapping screws anymore.    Not even for the trailer . . . . .

 
Fordboy