Pendulum Outlaw, Build, Adventures and Misadventures

[Mellow]

Subscribed - great work!

[jpilcher]

Nice work Tom, Hope to meet up with you this season. I'm in Hamilton.

[Ds1]

GREAT garage!!

[Tom Elder]

Thanks guys!

Jpilcher, We get out to Hamilton every once and awhile, I send you a note the next time we are heading out that way.



6.35mm (1/4") wheel spacers waterjet cut at CNC Profiles Inc.






Installed the new long studs on the rear, complete with dog points





When I did my research on raising the front spindles I had read you could only raise them, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, when using a 15" wheel. Always loads of different opinions on the internet. I decided to split the difference and raise the spindles 18mm. At 18mm there was a clearance issue with the leading edge of the control arm and the wheel. Even after significantly trimming back the control arm, at full lock and bump there was a slight scraping of the wheel.







I have two real forged Fuchs and two replica cast Fuchs on my car. I swapped the wheels around, putting the real Fuchs on the front , thinking the forged material might be a little thinner and consistent material thickness than the cast material, this also helped.

With the 6.35mm wheel spacers I hope to dial in the stance and hopefully completely solve the clearance issue with the control arm and wheel. The full lock and bump only happens when backing into my narrow two car wide driveway with other cars in the driveway.

Has anybody raised their spindles 19mm and fitted 15" wheels, what additional steps did you take to get the necessary wheel clearance. 19mm is quite commonly quoted but I have not come across anything describing additional measures taken to get the wheel clearance.

[Tom Elder]

Gearbox is back in the car.

I really don't consider myself a transmission guy, and I flipped back and forth on whether to ship the box out and have someone rebuilt it or do it myself. My previous gearbox experience, includes Formula Ford Hewland gear ratio changes, easily done, these boxes are meant to come apart and go back together at the race track, between sessions, simple box. And previously changed a ring and pinion on a VW bug transaxle, a long time ago!

I decided to do it myself, opportunity to learn, opportunity to buy more tools (which may never get used again)

Before rebuilding, 1st was a little bit tough to get into gear occasionally. But the 1 -2 shift was best achieved by a very very slow shift, any quicker and it would grind. So at the stop light you had to be prepared for a quick start away from the light, then the slow slow slow up shift by which time you would have the following vehicle all over the back of you, thinking dumb P-car driver can't drive a manual. I also wanted a better top gear for highway cruising, too many flat roads around here before you get to any place interesting. The box also leaked oil.

Overall, I would do it again, it wasn't that difficult. There was a OMG moment when I had two gearboxes all apart on my bench, "will I ever get all this back together" The 911 box and the 914 box which I was salvaging the taller top gear from.

I think the most difficult part was deciding which parts were too worn to reuse. Mike Dr. Evil DVD’s, gives some good advice on what parts from a donor box can be transferred from the less wear higher gears to the lower gears. For the syncro bulk rings, it was easy to decide, there is a wear spec in the manual, Under spec toss it. The sliders were the difficult decision, no experience on what is passable,and the parts are expensive.

In the end, I ended up replacing the following with new parts, 1st and 2nd bulk rings, 1st - reverse slider, 2nd - 3rd slider, 1st syncro teeth. Moving the used 911 5th gear, syncro teeth to 2nd.

In the past, this box has had a failure of the clutch fork pivot ball. A poor repair was done, where they made a t -nut installed from the diff side, But the nut was longer than the hole it past thru so the ball stud never clamped down on the housing, so it moved around. It was good to catch this issue before it caused any damage.

From the donor 914 case, I made the fork setting fixture. I was going to cut down the 914 input shaft and save it for a clutch alignment tool but found the VW type 1 input shaft I have works for an alignment tool.

[Tom Elder]

GF and I are making a bit of a tradition going to Hershey and making it a an extended weekend vacation. 1st year going to Hershey then on to the Air and Space Museum | Museums and Zoo | Smithsonian , Atlantic City and NYC, week long tour before heading home. Last year was Corning Museum of Glass , Pittsburgh and Fallingwater | Home

This year, we went to the The Antique Automobile Club of America Museum for the Lotus / Tucker exhibit, then the swap meet, then over to Philadelphia for the Home | Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

We always check out the local Triple D's as well www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives.htm


AACA Museum

Lotus





Early Tucker prototype engine was air cooled falt 6, drawing is of a later water cooled design







2015 Hershey, swap meet was good, always a lot of interesting Porcshe and stuff to look at. Picked up some 92mm P&C's



Checking out the headlight details








Bill's million kM Turbo Second Bill | Issue 199 | Excellence





Simeone shots next post

[JohnJL]

Tom, are you going to Cayuga tomorrow? I say you mention Hamilton above, which is Toronto Motorsports Park, Cayuga? Open lapping day tomorrow.

[Tom Elder]

HI, John, no I will not be going to Cayuga, my motor is not really strong enough for tracking. Sad to say it will be 20 years! this year since I have been on the track. Hope to change that after house reno's have been done. The Lotus 7 hanging in the shed would make a good vintage racer.

I need to get the car on the ground this week end, install shifter, bleed brakes, rough alignment, etc, fire it up.

I will be going to the UCR PCA open house, next Sunday and maybe EA's Cars and Coffee.

Open House | PCA UCR

Engineered Automotive

A few pics from Simeone













Some more garage art

[jjeffries]

The Simeone Museum is a must-see. Dr. Simeone is one of the good guys, strong emphasis on orginality and functionality for his exhibits. That Cobra coupe is pretty mind-blowing, for example. Cars, like old fighter planes, look way cooler with some wear and tear, IMHO. John.

[Tom Elder]

John

I agree with you, I get more pleasure from looking at the preservation cars than the over restored ones. I really enjoy seeing the battle scares of passed competition and the imperfection of the original construction techniques.

I can appreciate the talent and patience of today's craftsmen restoring something to better than new, raising it to the level of fine art, but I think some of the story has been erased.

The preservation cars, hold me my attention longer, wondering about the guys who build them, the tools they used, and how they raced them, what changes were made, session to session, race to race, one season to the next.

Simeone, excellent place to visit.

Shifter mods

[RocketWrench]

Originally Posted by Tom Elder

John

I agree with you, I get more pleasure from looking at the preservation cars than the over restored ones. I really enjoy seeing the battle scares of passed competition and the imperfection of the original construction techniques.

I can appreciate the talent and patience of today's craftsmen restoring something to better than new, raising it to the level of fine art, but I think some of the story has been erased.

The preservation cars, hold me my attention longer, wondering about the guys who build them, the tools they used, and how they raced them, what changes were made, session to session, race to race, one season to the next.

Simeone, excellent place to visit.

Shifter mods

That gear shift is brave!!! Don't get me wrong, I like it, just slightly worried that you might shift up with some venom in your wrist and snap it off!

[wachuko]

What an amazing thread!!!

[usera]

Originally Posted by RocketWrench

That gear shift is brave!!! Don't get me wrong, I like it, just slightly worried that you might shift up with some venom in your wrist and snap it off!

I'm with you, very cool idea, but I'll take the additional 2 oz and keep the rigidity.

[Rich Lambert]

What a cool drill attachment to center the shift rod under the bit...I've never seen that before.

[rennch]

Killer build!

[rennch]

Ok, now that I've had a chance to dig through every page. Wow...what a difference a real engineer makes!

Question...any idea where your girlfriend got those vintage motorsport pictures? I've been looking for pics like that for ages!

[Tom Elder]

Shifter, I am not overly worried about adding some lightness and removing some strength. Fore / aft beam strength is only minimally reduce. Definitely the cross car beam strength is reduced. Actual loads to shift through the gears is low, when done properly. Over coming the 1st / reverse gate is the highest load, but generally done when stop.

To your point shifting in the heat of battle. I like to practice driving with quiet hands, economy of motion, light touch, place it in the gear. Don't run the lever through to a heavy hard mechanical stop. Not always successful at it. If I do bend it, then it is opportunity do something different again. Worst case, it is a awkward drive home. It was done more for visual effect than weight reduction but I do have a weight goal, to keep it light as possible but still add some sound deadening. Amusingly the gear level was bent before I owned the car, don’t know why, maybe to position it closer to the driver.

Thanks for all the feedback, it is appreciated

Michael, Most of the pictures were from British Motorsport calendars, McKlein Photography | McKlein Publishing I don’t know if they still offer them for sale.

The past few years I have been getting this calendar from a motorsport store in Toronto F1, Sports, Road & Historic Cars & US racing - Motor Sport Magazine

[Flieger]

I didn't know that was a solid piece. Figured it was a tube. That's the way I'd lighten it- switch to a tube, maybe Aluminum even.

[Tom Elder]

May 2nd

Rough out an alignment, bleed the brakes and got the car on the ground. Push it out into the sun light after the long winter. It fired up surprisingly quick, but sounded a bit rough. Popped the deck lid to check all the plug wires, they were ok. Went to get a screw driver to turn up the revs from 500 to 1000. When I walked back to the car, the deck lid was swaying back and forth,like an excited dog swagging its tail so hard it could not keep its hind quarters still. The old dog was just happy to be outside in the sun. Should have taken a video, you had to be there.

Did a finger test to each of the exhaust pipes, the whole left bank was running cooler than the right bank, confirmed with the pyrometer. Went for a short drive around the block, walk home distance. Brakes were a bit spongy, bled them again. Back out for another test spin, brakes felt much better. Went for a longer spin out to a quiet area, to do an Italian tune up, that seem to do the trick, much smoother running. Came back and turned the idle down from 2000 rpm.

While concentrating on feeling the brakes and what was happening to the engine, I almost did not notice, I no longer have the slowest 1-2 shift in the world! AWESOME!!! OK it is still not Toyota or Hewland quality shift but a HUGH improvement over last year.

Sunday went to the UCR PCA open house, so spent some time on the highway in new 5th gear, seemed very good, less busy at 120kph. Biggest concern with the gearbox is, it takes a bit of effort to get it out of first gear. So I think new sliders and syncros need a bit of time to get happy with each other.

Another bonus the gearbox used to leak as much, if not more oil than the engine. No gearbox oil on the garage floor.

It is starting to drive fairly well, all new suspension bushings, dampers, brakes calipers and master cylinder, gearbox rebuild. It now JUST! needs some carb tuning, suspension dialing in and major engine overhaul .............

Nice deep dish at UCR PCA open house







The following week end went to my nephew's place of employment. www.longfieldsltd.com













My nephew has been over to England twice for training at Classic Car Restoration Courses Beginner to Expert & Ex Forces Courses

Time to leave, when the Flathead V8 club arrive, I like my engines flat not my head.

[1990C4S]

Is your nephew an employee there? Or Randy's son?