History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[911thillclimber]

I think the shuffle makes a lot of sense and would explain a few things. Maybe this will jog a memory with Tony too?

I'm waiting for the papers to arrive from Mike as there are name and numbers.

I must be guarded here because the HU number I have is actually a T 492 currently racing.
I do not have a claim to anything and i will not start a storm over who has the rights, simply not worth any grief as my hillclimber is not worth much.

There needs to be a link to Dennis humphries for it to work.

I'm sure that the replacement for the crashed T 490 HU6 (Toleman car) came from Dennis.
Tony remembers that it came to them as a complete car....but how complete?

If the HUXX car had a bump and a new tub in 86 then i can imagine that the owner then would use the same chassis number, why wouldn't you?

This would leave the damaged tub sitting around.
Probably perfect for the Humberstone re-build. My car has evidence of some light damage to the outer box section but not enough to re-tub a car.

Tony sent some scanned pictures of snaps he took during the re-build with John. I'm sure one shows a chassis plate in place!

Maybe not so clear then!

Thank you for your offer to research for me. I will send you a few names when i get them.
Mike has stressed to me that these papers are not with authority, and could be a red herring and of far more use to the owner of HU XX than me!

What a knotty little bit this is.

[911thillclimber]

Well, what a red herring that was!

The paper arrived today.

It is for a Lola I know of and who i know the driver of in the late 80's!

The car though did have a 'new and stiffer tub' in 1986 with a name/number of the guy who did it!
Must be worth a phone call because the chap might recall where the old tub went.

[spd(john)]

A fantastic read, hope you get to the bottom of this story.

Good luck.

John

[andy97]

I think you should put the Special Saloon body back on & then enter the CSCC's Special Saloon/ Modsports/ Thundersaloons Revival race at Mallory Park on August Bank Holiday monday!!!!!!

[911thillclimber]

Hello John!
I doubt I will EVER get to the bottom of the tub's chassis number ever.
Andy:
That has been suggested by a few recently. I could do that if i really tried, but with the 911 engine in it it has moved on from when Tony built it in 88 for Alan.
Also, the tub willbe a full 3" too narrow now so the body would overhang.

The mould exists....

[911thillclimber]

Bit of techie stuff today!
Took the car to bob Watson Engineering (mega player in 911's etc) who I've known for 21 years for the carbs to be set-up on his rollers.

We started the engine and allowed it to settle and warm. Oddly it started quite well (typical...) and then Bob looked at the exhaust manifold tube temperatures using an Infra Red sensor.

One bank showed the pipes to be quite even at around 200 deg C.
The other bank (the side that has always been a bit iffy) showed 2 of the 3 pipes to be much higher at 250 BUT the middle one was a 'cool' 50 deg C!
Thus it was not firing. Ignition? fuel? both??

Time will tell as i left the car there for closer examination.
So i have a 5 cylinder Lola Porsche, but soon to be a 6 cylinder!

[911thillclimber]

Like the pedulum this thread is of the car's tech and history side, i contacted the owner of the T 492 mentioned on the paper mike sent me, the one he was not sure why he had it.

The paper mentions the hillclimb car Fidoe raced and indeed the owner of the HUxx car says the car when he found it was a wreck of a hillclimb car which he had rebuilt and has since been re-tubbed again!

Now, Mike had an ex-hillclimb body which he intended for my car when he had it, but it was not in good shape, so he bought the new body i am now using.

He gave me the old hillclimb body which i subsequently sold for a bag of peanuts to a young lad in Scandinavia(!)

Hope you are all still with me.

I bet the paper came to Mike with that horrid hillclimb body from the Channel Islands.
I have been given a phone number for a Dennis Humphries, but we are not sure if he is THE Dennis Humphries I'm after. Will call this weekend and see....

Will this ever get concluded?

[911thillclimber]

The Lola is still at Bob Watson's place but getting closer. To what I'm not sure!
It now has twin sensors for simultaneous emission monitoring, and Bob is fitting new jets as the mixture at idle was crazy weak.
Not sure if the sparks are on all six reliably but Bob said they are 'stable'

Sounds like a statement in A and E.

I hope to pick it up this saturday.

Out of interest the kart looks like this now.

Note the painted floor in the garage!

[911thillclimber]

Dissapointing news from the Rolling Road today.

Cylinders 5 and 6 have a leak, # 6 can be heard (vividly I'm told) through the carb so that inlet isn't right.
# 5 is sending bubbles into the engine oil so i'm hoping that is via the exhaust valve and not the bore....

Both are down 25% over the good ones.

So....
Engine out, one side off with the cam the heads and hope to find some dodgy valves and not seats.
Just maybe I will be lucky.

First race is 25 April so might cancel that one day job and have all of easter hols to finish the car. Next full-on race is the weekend after at Prescott.

Will be busy over the next few weeks, but at least i know where the engine stands.

This is the second mechanical 'bad thing to happen' in my 21 years of motorsport, (gearbox crunch and now this) so not too bad!



If ALL else fails the first part of the season will be in my trusty 911

[911thillclimber]

Been a bit busy today getting to the heart of the engine. I think the poor thing is simply tired. Major parts all OK, rings look a bit shiney and the valves a bit iffy.

All in a days work:

[spd(john)]

Hi Graham,

Have you seen this weeks Motoersport News, page 17 ref, the return to the uk for the 2ltr sportscar championship of a Lola T296 that was a ex hillclimb car, I know its not your chassis type but never the less it came from a hillclimb back ground, thought it might be of interest to you.

John

[911thillclimber]

Thanks John. Seems I'm engrosed on my rebuild in time for Loton Easter event!
These little cars are shoe-horned into many places, and that 2 litre championship will be a cracker. Fab cars, 500Kg and 250 bhp = bliss.

The re-build gathers pace with much done and some way to go yet. Took a night off due to it being my birthday!
Got a 3/8" drive torque wrench off my petrol-head daughter!

I bought her up right.

Plan is to build the engine up to cam level this weekend and get the cams timed and the engine re-leak tested next wednesday, then back into the garage and finish the engine/install.

Back to Bob's to his rollers for the set-up, then off to the one day (?crazy) meeting to break it/me into shape.

lots of hot new tin-tops arriving this year, 480 bhp in an Evoroo is 'average' now...
Get your turbo on order.(front mount of course)

[dabeca]

Looks like you have a mission ahead and Happy Birthday . just dropping you a quick message to try and get you to find your karmen Ghia body as i have just got myself a Ex Tony Sugden Skoda body! needs work but will update some pics soon and finally get some pics of the Mazuin porsche uploaded as well.

[911thillclimber]

You must be finished nearly by now!
Just where did you find that body so complete?
Great find, will look great.

The temptation to the Ghia body comes and goes, and much of this is down to getting the body off at home but especially at a cramped hillclimb paddock for the scrutes to go over the car.
The body was one piece so as big as Ark Royal when off. It would be a major issue to convert (cut) it into a 3 piece shell, and I would have to widen the tub back to the modified width!

Would look good on a hill though....

Get some pics of that chassis up. Hope the engine is more secure this time?

Graham

[911thillclimber]

After a lot of fooling about the engine is coming back to life.

The rings that came out of the engine had a gap of 2.1mm (!) they should be 0.3mm max...
New ones inside now and the engine is ready for cam timing which will be done down at Porsche specialist Bob Watson as it needs specail tools and a steady hand (and brain) so best I steer clear of that!

At this rate I cam get to the first hill at Loton at Easter to shake the car down.( www.hdlcc.com )

Fingers crossed the day goes well at the rollers.

[911thillclimber]

Cams timed, engine back in and today delivered to Bob Watson's. Next week will be on the rollers and picking it up on friday. Bob opening -up specially for me!

[911thillclimber]

Just took a call from Bob at Bob Watson Engineering....

I have a 6 cylinder Lola Porsche, now delivering a huge.....

269 bhp and 234 lbft.

484 bhp/tonne

All i need now is a driver 'cause i'm not getting into the thing!

What a result after so many difficulties.

Hope the chassis Sean at McClurg Motorsport did will cope!

Dead chuffed. Loton Park hillclimb this Monday next.
Better not rain.

[911thillclimber]

Car now back in my garage and runs fab to say the least.
At long last the car is how i wanted it to be from the start.

The rollers sheet is below. Note the smooth curves and the very flat torque from 3500 to 6000 rpm
This output is very strong for the big 3.2 engine, and Bob feels it is the headers that give it the edge, so all that cutting and welding in dredded stainless was all worth it after all!

It sounds fab with sharp pick-up from blipping the throttle.

As someone on here from another thread has suggested:

Get the chassis number!

If only it was that simple. Anyway:

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by dabeca

Looks like you have a mission ahead and Happy Birthday . just dropping you a quick message to try and get you to find your karmen Ghia body as i have just got myself a Ex Tony Sugden Skoda body! needs work but will update some pics soon and finally get some pics of the Mazuin porsche uploaded as well.

Where did that come from? There used to be a Chevron underneath that!

[911thillclimber]

I would think the Chevron long gone?

Great day at the races!
Engine on full song, gearbox actually working too!
Not a glitch just a cr@p driver..
Need to get focused on driving this thing now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4860010...7626451033295/

[911thillclimber]

Video clip from Bob Watson Engineering of the tune-up after the engine rebuild, how bad it was to how good it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjglkRtkhoA

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Video clip from Bob Watson Engineering of the tune-up after the engine rebuild, how bad it was to how good it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjglkRtkhoA

I notice the car is well strapped down.

We put our FF1600 on a rolling road about 25 years ago and had to stand on the back of it to stop it lifting off the rollers and heading off into the workshop next door!!!!!!!!!!!

[911thillclimber]

On more powerful cars Bob straps the front down too to stop the car climbing out of the rollers, but this is a tiddler.

[911thillclimber]

The Lola's rear near side suspension broke today at Prescott crunching the NS rear tubes, the rear upright and a few other parts inc the rear roll bar and quite a lot of body damage.

Not having much luck with this car!

The rear upright broke across an old bodged weld that was unknown to me but the new-found pace obviously took it's toll.

I was taken by surprise while i blasted along towards the Esses but sill hit a bank etc.

Anyway, just a sore thumb and a bit of damage.

So;

I will replace both rear uprights for new or steel ones if i can and rework both rear corners, beefing everything up along the way.

I will have to bring the 911 out for the rest or 1/2 of the season!

Bloody cars!!

[chunterer]

Jeez, sorry to hear this Graham, massively bad luck!!! Glad to hear you aren't seriously hurt.

Hope you can get what you need done as good and as inexpensively as possible, you've invested a lot of time and love into that car.