History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[Clive Brown]

Here http://www.flickr.com/photos/wembley_1966/2417788557/ is a picture of David Enderby's KG, taken at Lydden Hill with the 1300 BDA fitted. The car is also a monocoque with tubular engine frame, not a spaceframe as the caption incorrectly states.

[911thillclimber]

How interesting is that!
Never seen a clear pic of the Enderby car.
If the wheelbase is about that of the Lola (92") i would guess the car is 24" longer overall than the Lola body,nearly all at the rear.

Looks lower than a GT40!

[Clive Brown]

Wheelbase of a standard KG is 7'10½".

[911thillclimber]

2.5" difference, usefully shorter as the rear body could be that much shorter obviously.
Thanks for the info.

The box came back today from MB Engineering, almost delivered to my door as Mike was passing by this morning.
It's back on the engine and I've just spent 2 hours fiddling with the clutch mechnaism.

I now have 34mm lever movement and the box needs 24mm, I can just get the longer lever by the wheel so my right hand does not hit the gear knob when in 2nd when I'm snatching full opposite lock .... The actual travel of the hand is nearly 2 x that of the shorter lever, so this should slow things down in the 'heat-of-the-moment'.

I have full clutch master cylinder throw now the pedal face is 20mm higher to my foot, thus the slave moves it's very full travel and the clutch arm therefore is thrown more than the clutch needs to clear by 25%.

Surely that should do it!?

Getting pistons and barrels tomorrow, but must decorate the bedroom first before the engine come out and apart....

Here for those of you absolutly facinated by a dead Porsche 2nd gear synchro: ( )

[Clive Brown]

I'm pleased to see that you are decorating the bedroom before you take the engine out.

Far better to strip and build your motor in a nice warm clean room, rather than a cold dusty workshop....

[911thillclimber]

You ALL know i need serious Brownie points.
There are no car parts in the house. Lots of broken parts in the garage...
There is a lot to do this winter, and only 6 months 'till the first hillclimb.

Do Lola engine
Do make a new dash board for the Lola
Do tidy wires on Lola
Do polish Lola (existing) body
Do talk to the mould owner of a certain KG....

Rebuild the 911 gearbox (yes, another one, 2nd gear too)
Rebuild 911 brakes so they actually stop the thing well (no chance)
Rebuild the 911 exhaust so there is a heater after 18 years of fully air conditioned luxury...ie freezing cold spring mornings.
Put off rebuilding the 911 shell after 22 years of abuse.

Get the Barlotti Kart working, maybe sell so I can restore my Lambretta TV 175 Ser III, though I intend to do this when i retire if i can ever afford to in my life.

Now you know why I need a skip full of points.

[911thillclimber]

Ha!
If only my garage with gappy doors was heated..

For your info Clive:

[Andy Clegg]

Hi 911,
Did you ever race the kart? The reason why I asked was that I was the Shenington photographer between 2001 and 2007.
Andy

[911thillclimber]

Hello Andy:
No I have never ever raced a kart.
I bought the Barlotti /Class IV as an ebay special last october as a light relief from the Lola!

I fully restored it (nice project to be honest) with the intent to 'demo' it with the Historics Club of which I'm a member.
Will all the Lola's troubles I eventually only got to Silverstone as a non-runner.
It needs brake fluid and petrol and a few hours tinkering to get it sorted.

[Andy Clegg]

They used to have demonstrations at Shenington during one of the big race weekends, once a year. Think that they had Whizzo Williams out one year. I think I've asked you before about you racing the kart. Sorry.

[Clive Brown]

Generally, bob-or short-tailed cars hinge as per your Lola. Closed or longtailed cars have to hinge off the back of the roll hoop, viz. Porsche 908 Langheck.

[911thillclimber]

Freewheeling a bit on the car this last week.
Pistons and barrels on my bench, box all done and ok.
Need to get the points in the bag and then hit the engine hard.

Plan is to be done with the chassis/engine/box by Xmas so i can do a bit to my 911.
Daughter had her MX5 written off in an M6 pile-up, impressivly strong car the MX5, big rear-end shunt, every panel damaged...
So, all in all a bit distracted.

[chunterer]

****, MX5 crash sounds nasty, I hope your daughter is ok, not too shaken?

[Andy Clegg]

Best wishes to your daughter. Before my illness, I used to be driving from Oxforshire to Lancashire several times a year using the motorway (M40 and M6), I hated it.That was for about 25 years. I use the train now.
Andy

[911thillclimber]

Thank you for your concerns.
At 26 she is supple and a tough little thing, her kneck was a bit sore for a few days, fine now.
In these circumstances she has lost all the work we have put into the delightful little car the MX5 is (anyone who had a Spitfire/Spridget in the 70's get one and smile), so v irritating, but metal is nothing, and she is fine.
Just full of Alfa GTV at the moment......my spanners and voltmeter are ready for the 'adventure'.

The hire car is a 26 mile old Astra Deisel with a lot of bells and whistles, not cool but bloody comfy!

Itching to get going on the Lola, waiting for all the parts to arrive before the 911 goes into its Carcoon and i have the full width of the garage.

Plan is to be done by Xmas.

The Lola is very big when taken apart!

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

The Lola is very big when taken apart!

So would a Karmann Ghia be, but it has the big advantage that when Mrs. 911thillclimber boots you out of the house having caught you fondling Porsche engine components in a newly-decorated bedroom, because of the roof you can live in the rear section.

[911thillclimber]

I've had a 911 Mistress for 23 years, so she knows only too well my passions!
She is just pleased I don't use Junk anymore, or indeed do gas welding either.
Both smell very bad apparently...

Junk needs a week of washing-up duty to remove, but it still stays under the finger nails; just what was in that stuff?

A 911 engine certainly spreads out.
I think its done about 60 miles since my last effort on the cheap, so must try harder this time.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

She is just pleased I don't use Junk anymore

I should hope so too, for Junk is 60s/70s slang for horse/Charlie/smack/heroin.

You wouldn't by any chance have meant Gunk, would you?

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

I should hope so too, for Junk is 60s/70s slang for horse/Charlie/smack/heroin.

You wouldn't by any chance have meant Gunk, would you?

presumably *not* a Freudian slip

[911thillclimber]

I'm an engineer, so innocent.
I'm an injuneer so cannote spekll (or type)
I'm a hillclimber, so normal.

Honest mistake!

[911thillclimber]

Found a few more pics of the Ghia build by Tony and John.
A pic clearly shows the chassis plate on the tub. It is in this pic right by the instrument cluster (the right hand gauge), a small black square.

On the original scanned pic from tony I've zoooommmed in x 800% and the details cannot be made out!!

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

I'm a hillclimber, so normal.

So you are asking us to believe that you are in it for the craic, not for the crack?

[911thillclimber]

Ha!
Mrs Hillclimber thinks I'm on something to keep messin' about with this stupid car...
I could just pump up the tyres on the 911 and go and do all those Classic runs for old fArts and flash cars!

[Clive Brown]

Not a shot we've seen before.... Just look how nicely KG bodywork fits over your Lola chassis.

Suits you sir, suits you.

[911thillclimber]

It is so, looks great.
Very tempting after the box/engine rebuilds.

Here is another of the clutch of pics sent to me by Tony.
This shell out of Dr E's moulds show it to be one piece, with Tony/John carving it up to be more user friendly.

Before I saw these pics I wondered why there were so many self tapping/rivit holes around the cabin section, they were for all the bulkhead panels.