Spare Parts

It quickly becomes apparent the short life span of some components on the car. Particularly mechanical. As Bob says, these cars were never designed to be raced. I snapped my axle instantly, it is so easy to do. While I do have a basic supply of spares, it is quite obvious that I will always have to keep up my spares supply. If anybody has any spares just lying around that they would like to donate to a good cause, I would only be too happy to take them off your hands. I would of course acknowledge your generosity.  3 speed crash gearboxes, diff centres, axles, any red motors, basically anything mechanical. It doesn’t have to be from an EH. These cars are basically built up using the best bits from comparable models. As long as we keep within the rules. Body panels are always useful, if they are rusty or a bit dented that doesn’t matter. I’ll even travel short distances.

Muscle Car Masters, Eastern Creek, 4&5 September 2010.

I had been looking forward to this meeting for months. I’ve been twice to this meeting in previous years but not racing. And here we were, Friday morning, leaving home for the trip to Sydney and Muscle Car masters. This was the first time I had towed my car any distance with my ute, so I was unsure of the range of my ute with a load. Needless to say I found out, about 2 km short of the track. Oh well, at least I had a couple of fuel drums with me. It didn’t take too long to walk to the servo, bloody raining though. I arrived at the track, the others had set up and were going through their fuel jokes. Yeh, good one guys. Unload the car, take the trailer to the trailer park and relax for a while. I’m not doing Friday practice so plenty of time to get set up and check the car over, again. There’s plenty going on and lots of people arriving. now I just have to wait for Saturday morning. It looks like we are going to get wet.

Race 4 Muscle Car Masters Eastern Creek NSW

This is our 7 lap feature race for the weekend. I’m starting from spot 26, not too bad, I would have liked to be a bit further up. My DNF on Saturday didn’t help things. Away we go, I’m a bit paranoid about my starts, I’ve let a few go through. That’s ok, makes it more interesting. There’s a black flag out after turn 3, not my number, thank goodness. One of the other EH’s is just ahead, I make it a goal to pass him. He changes into top quite early on the main straight, I keep Billie in 2nd and pass him. I use 6800 revs in second on the straight. Now for that Cortina. I can keep up with him around the back of the track and round him up down the straight. Now for that orange Jag and Steve in his EH. I am able to catch them quite quickly. I can easily out brake both of them at turn 2 but lose a bit of ground around the back. I keep up with them down the straight, maybe 4 lengths between us and outbrake them again. Nowhere to pass, I lose a bit of speed. Play catch up again, around turn 5 and 8 they slow a bit where I want to go faster. This baulks me a bit. Follow them onto the straight, I’m just a bit too far back to do anything. I finish in spot 23, 1.8 secs behind the Jag and 1.2 secs behind Steve. My fastest lap was a 2.03.6, not quite as fast as my last time here, but that’s ok. The good thing is that my fastest for this race was better than the fastest times for the Jag and Steve in his EH. A great weekend’s racing comes to a close, we say our goodbyes and start the drive home. Now to plan my next outing. Nothing but regular maintenance for Billie.

Race 3 Muscle Car Masters Eastern Creek NSW

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. Beauty, a dry track and not too warm. It should be a good day! Our race was quite late, so there was plenty of time to check the car. A trip to the fuel truck to replenish supplies and we are ready. I’m starting last this time because I was the first not to finish the previous race. I watch my revs, I use 3000 and slip the clutch. We’re away! Now to play catch up. I get past a couple at turn 2 and keep chasing. The oil flag is out after turn 5! Slow and watch for oil. The oil starts at turn 6, around the back, around turn 9 and up the back straight. Around turn 11 and 12 as well. Most of it on the racing line. I’m always amazed at how slippery it is. Keep going as hard as I can, racing with Dave and Greg, trying to catch up to Phil and Steve. Geez, 5 laps goes quick, another great race with no problems. A slow but good start, no breakages. I’m trying not to brake into turn 5 and trying to go harder into turn 8. My time for this race is 2.06.0. Not as fast as I had hoped, but I picked up 6 spots. I’ve finished in position 26. There were 6 DNF’s this race.

Race 2 Muscle Car Masters Eastern Creek NSW

Race 2. Well, enough said. My grid spot is #33. I’m determined not to miss the start this time. Watching the starter, the 5 second signal, red lights on, lights out, I’m not going anywhere! The car feels funny! Because I didn’t want to stuff the start, I used way too many revs and dropped the clutch. Instantly my left axle broke, I could move but every time I tried to use some revs the car just wanted to fish tail. I’ll have another go just to make sure. Yep, I can’t apply any revs at all. I knew I had broken an axle, the clunking noise confirmed it. Hand out the window to let them know I am returning to the pits and the slow drive around to turn 4 where the entry to the pits is. I had already gone past the pit entry on the main straight. I switched off the car, changed my shoes and jacked up the left hand back. Yep, I could turn the wheel. With the car in gear you can’t turn either wheel because of the welded diff. We had no more racing on Saturday so I got changed and jacked the car up properly and put the stands under. Drain the oil, wheels and drums off, axles out, start undoing the diff centre. I wanted to get as much done as possible so that I wouldn’t have so much to do in the morning. One of my spare parts is an axle, just in case. Good move. After I had my diff out, the guys racing had finished their race and were coming back in. Because this was my first DNF (did not finish) I was getting some stick. No worries, it had to happen some time. We were able to get the broken piece of the axle out of the diff, which was good, I could re-use the diff. A quick check for broken bits, a clean up of diff and housing, and back in we go. It’s amazing the offers of help. I had a hand coming under the car with the bits I needed just as I needed them. Spanners were not a problem, the right one came in at just the right time. Diff back in, right axle in, right drum and wheel on and right side off the jack. Now to re-fill the diff through the left hand axle tube. Easy with a funnel. Quickest I’ve ever done it. Replacement axle in, drum and wheel on and off the stand. Job done, ready to go again. About an hour for the job. Good one! Thanks to those helpers, very handy. Made the job easy! Now I can just do regular maintenance jobs in the morning. I’ll check for leaks then as well.s.  I need to control myself at the start, even if it means I lose a couple of spots. Tomorrow is another day!

Race 1 Muscle Car Masters Eastern Creek NSW

Race 1. It’s been raining all night. The track is very wet and the rain is still falling, although not hard. Practice goes well, I’m being very careful not to drop off the track as the grass would be like glass. My practice time is 2min 16 secs. Not fast, but safe. I’m on grid spot 33 for the first race from 43 starters.

Sitting on the dummy grid waiting for the sign to go. Got it, we are away on the warm up lap. I’m following an Imp, doing some weaving and warming the brakes. Sitting on the grid for what seems like forever, I can only just see the lights. Huh? Everyone is gone! I’ve missed the start! Because I didn’t have any revs on Billie stalled! Bugger! Now I am last! Give it to her!, flat out down the straight giving chase. The track is still a bit greasy in spots so I’ll have to be careful. I caught a couple of back markers and gave chase to the next group, being very conscious not to stuff up again! There’s Dave in his Imp dicing with Greg in his Cortina and others. I should be able to catch this group. I do and immediately start dicing with them. With the 3.36 diff I am now running I find I have to wind Billie up more than before. I have also lost a bit pulling out of slower corners. I am able to get past most of these guys and start pulling away. Going through turn 4 the Galaxie is across the track, damaged in the front and back. I hope he’s not hurt. I brake hard and go past on the grass just in case he is rolling. Back to the race, I’d like to get up with Steve in his EH and the orange Jag. This race is 5 laps, it goes really quickly and this is my finishing spot. I take the flag and go slow around to the pit entry. The guy in the Galaxie is ok, but his car is a mess. My best time for the race is a 2.06.8. Not bad considering the track is still wet and greasy. This is my first time racing in the wet. I will start race 2 from position 26. Time for the pit routine for me, all the usual checks and get up myself for stuffing the start. Now to wait for race 2. There’s plenty going on though, plenty of quality racing to watch.

Shock Absorbers

When I was building Billie I didn’t have a budget nor did I have unlimited funds. Along the way you are always on the lookout for cheap bits, as I still am. Even better are the parts which you can scrounge for the best possible price ($0). This is why I had second hand shockies on the car. A set of GT-130′s on the front and a set of GT Gas on the back. Now while I was starting out they were fine. But now that I am starting to go a bit faster, especially around the corners, I was starting to feel the limitations of them.

The worst time you notice them giving up is during a series of left and right hand corners. Before the shockies have done their job from the first corner you are going around the next, wanting them to perform again. If they can’t keep up the body of the car becomes unsettled, which means that your cornering speed becomes affected. I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind changing my shockies and surpise, surprise, a friend had a full set of Konis sitting on his shelf. Second hand yes, but as they are Konis and adjustable, a claim was made and a deal struck. A quick lesson on how to adjust them and a quick clean up. On their softest setting they are harder than the old shockies that I had on the car. So this is the setting I’ll start them on. My next meeting is at Eastern Creek where I will be able to get a good idea of their performance. If I feel I need to stiffen them a bit it is easy enough to adjust the settings.

I have sometimes felt that the suspension on Billie is a bit soft. That in itself is ok, this allows the body to roll and transfer the weight to the back and outside wheels. But if the shockies don’t work the body just continues to bounce, which is no good. At least this way the body will still lean but the bounce will be controlled. At Wakefield Park recently a number of people remarked to me the amount of body roll I have. I do listen to everything and use what I feel is useful. Rather than making wholesale changes I would prefer to make one change at a time. This way you can gauge if the change you made is good or bad, rather than guessing. I’ll go to Eastern Creek having made one change, I’m hopeful that it will be a worthwhile one.