Well it has been a long time but I was out at Brands yesterday so thought I had better update this thread!
Briefly after Brands last year she got parked up on the drive and SWIMBO got serious about me buying her a house, so most of my free time became hers and I was reduced to thinking about upgrades and scouting the net for parts. I managed to procure some plexi windows, a full poly-bush set and a few other bits and pieces. A good mate, Will, has just returned from Afgansitan and I promised that I would take him out on a track day so I got permission to book Brands this week and planned to use the week before to ensure that she was ready. So she has sat on the drive until last week when I, unfortunately, got some bad news from a friend and I had to use her to drive 300 miles to Kent and back. Cue a rush looking for all the documentation so that I could get a tax disk and make her road legal again. I found all of the stuff, eventually, but the Post Office informed me that DVLA had never marked her as SORN so they will be looking to receiver the tax for the 4 months she has not been taxed, still waiting for that one. Still she started first time and ran absolutely fine for the trip down and back so I was very pleased. What was not so good was that all of the time I had booked to give her a good once over had now disappeared in a puff of smoke and all I had time to do was clear out the detritus from the last track day, pack some tools and spares and fit a 1l skimmed milk carton as a makeshift oil catch tank. (See previous posts about oil surge and smoking exhausts round Clearways) My thinking was that as she had run very well for over 300 miles that would count as a shakedown prior to the track day.
So Tues morning, 0545 hrs, we left and she ran beautifully up to Brands and we arrived in plenty of time, bagged a garage and I set to looking for any problems that might occur. Cue the first issue of the day. When I fitted the “oil catch tank†I, mistakenly it seems, thought that the small gaps between the plastic cap and the breather pipe would be enough to vent any excess pressure but it wasn’t and oil had been forced through the dip-stick pipe past the dip-stick itself. I decided that a progressive approach was required and drilled a couple of 4mm holes in the top of the handle and was expecting to have to increase as necessary. As it turned out this was sufficient and lasted the entire day without problems and without any smoke at all. She passed noise testing (84db) with flying colours (105db limit) and warmed up nicely on the sighting laps. I did a few flying laps to show Will which way the track goes and then let him loose in the car. Cue red flags after about three laps and on return to the pits a number of marshals crowding round as steam erupted from the bonnet with a vengeance. I was told that I had just dropped all of my oil all over the track and a couple pf the following cars had spun off. I was horrified and quickly lifted the bonnet to see coolant everywhere. I did a quick check for any oil but couldn’t find any at all. I showed the marshal who had stayed with me and he agreed but they didn’t accept this over the radio and continued to announce over the tannoy that I had dropped all of my oil over the track. Me one unhappy bunny s I really dislike being blamed for something that was not my fault, especially something like dropping oil all over a race track. Still the marshal agreed that there was no oil under the car, the fluid over the engine bay was coolant and he told me not to worry.
What really surprised me was the reaction from everyone else; I got several drivers coming round to my garage not to berate me for spoiling their day but to express concern over my misfortune and offer assistance if required. When the engine had cooled a little it became apparent that the alternator belt had snapped and the resulting increase in water temp / pressure had split the bottom hose from the coolant pump to the oil cooler dropping most of my coolant. Time for my next surprise as Mark, the owner of a very nice Sierra Cosworth, in the other side of the pit garage came up trumps and found a piece of pipe the was about the same ID with a single 90 deg bend in it. With a bit of work we managed to shape it to fit and using an additional jubilee clip, to prevent a nasty kink form forming, fabricated a good repair. Then came a really annoying disappointment as I discovered that the v-belt I had brought was not the correct one and was far too short to fit. Cue another nice surprise as the owners of a very nice Volvo came round to borrow a can of WD40 and said they thought they might have a longer belt. They did and although it was still not really the correct length I did manage to fit it and get the alternator attached to the block so we were good to go. A quick road test towards the Texaco proved that nothing was leaking and so the marshals let me back out before lunch and a dozen or so laps proved that she was good to go again.
By 1630 hrs the tyres were looking particularly hot and buggered so I did a good inspection and each tyre was wearing evenly, a good sign, the NSF and OSR were wearing more heavily than the other two. I decided that as I had to drive back on the road it would be wise to spread the wear and swapped the sides on each axle. This proved successful and the repairs held for the rest of the day so Will and I had great fun right up until the chequered flag at 1700 hrs. Given that the track was empty for the last 30 mins we both got 15 mins each of uninterrupted flying laps of Brands, there can be no better way to end a day. So I packed up, thanked everyone who helped, grabbed a slow coffee to calm down and relax before the journey back and then headed home. There wasn’t even too much traffic on the M25 so overall a very successful day.
Outcomes / Tasks:
I need to fit a proper oil catch tank. – Ratsport £32
I could do with moving the header tank as it fouls on the strut brace.
I could do with a proper oil cooler and get rid of the OEM water system.
I need some properly sized spigot rings for my 15†rims (currently fitted with Toyo R1’s)
I could do with some gauges for oil pressure and temp.
Need to fit the poly bushes.
Need to fit the plexi windows.
Need to think about more power (ABF anyone?)
