History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[911thillclimber]

The only tub damage on the car now is a nicely repaired rear bulk head panal on the drivers side from the rear suspension link anchor points to the outside pontoon. This panel is steel.

It was not Lola who said Peter Sadler had the 590, but I can't recall who did say that, but the Lola was with Peter for just the '79 year when it was new.

Colour progression:

Kelly Girl Green when new with Peter, Lola sales sheet and Autosport end-of-year report for 79 confirms. Front body section today is lime green gel coat.

Car gets a red paint job over the green I presume from Bernie Garwood.
None section has the non-492 arch shape from new and now has the alloy front chin splitter and winglets (as on the part collected today.)

Paul collects the car from Garwood who lives only 2 miles from the Farm (Seyers Common). It is red as in the period pic above. Paul buys in 82.

Paul Wilkins at the Farm deems the nose to far gone and buys the last factory nose spare in gel Orange. Rear section painted to match as in the period pic above alongside the DRW. This was completed in 83.

Car in orange sold to Dennis and Len in 85, car was orange.

Could Bernie have converted the car for long distance in 81?

Questions;

Why was the front body with special arches?
Why was the tub with short side pods to match the arch shape?

[911thillclimber]

I've just been trying to find a post someone made quite recently that showed an S 2000 race with a tangle of cars at a tight bend, those cars had Caribbean airways stickers on them.
There was a T 492 half out of shot with race number XX on it.

Can anyone re-direct me to it please?

[Tim Wilkinson]

I don't think that picture got posted, did it get emailed to you?

The info on Peter Sadler's T590 came from post 1296 - http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...90#post3043001 and he had a Tiga for '81 with Sytner in it at least once, apparently.

Does Paul remember if the bulkhead repair was there when he bought the car back in '82, or was that something he did himself, or was there no damage then?

[911thillclimber]

Thanks Tim, there is so much info flowing (thank goodness) on this thread i can't remember everything (or what I had to eat last night...)

I will ask Paul what was done in the re-build but he did say the body was rough but that the rest was ok.
Note in the side shot that the front Revolution wheels are centre lock and not the normal bolt-on of the T 492.

There is something very modified about this little car over the 1980 to 82 period.

It's killing me bit i've seen those rear view mirror pods somewhere before in the zillions of pics I've seen.
I think the Bell car had them/similar.

Can anyone find the thread on S2000 racing with the gaggle of cars in the bend, one (Tiga?) getting well crumpled.

[paulSenna]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Can anyone find the thread on S2000 racing with the gaggle of cars in the bend, one (Tiga?) getting well crumpled.

PM sent. Many congratulations on finding the chassis number. This thread has some of the best detective work tracing a car's history I've seen.

[ogits]

"Note in the side shot that the front Revolution wheels are centre lock and not the normal bolt-on of the T 492."

Initially S2000 weren't allowed centrelocks but I have a feeling the rules or interpretation was changed, possibly for the 1980 (81?) season. They were a Lola option from the factory at some point for the 492.

The four stud fixing on the original wheels was a real pain as the plating used to flake off the nuts and gall in the wheels.

I think it was just a different hub, so upgrade was easy, just meant spending money

[911thillclimber]

Thanks for the details.
Any thoughts on the wheel arch shape/
You saw a lot of original cars back then.

Used the car today instead of writing about it.

Gearbox worked, engine, despite EVERYTHING now done to it popped and banged it's way up the hill under load.

I'm looking for a skip....

[Clive Brown]

Once you've got the engine running properly and producing full power, the gearbox will probably jump out of gear under maximum load.

That's what racing's all about....

[ogits]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

.</P>
Any thoughts on the wheel arch shape</P>

Er...it has been a while since I saw one.

The side pod used to stick forward from the tub a few inches and carried a body peg at the front/top. It looks like that pod has been finished level with the tub and the arch modded to suit.

I don't quite understand the comments about the body coming from Lola with that arch shape. Was it possibly from someone else's copy mould? Unless Lola changed it but it looks a bit odd.

Specialised Mouldings never seemed to throw anything away - I wonder if the moulds are still there.


The L & R mirror supports, I think, were Lola and you just bought accessory mirrors to fit on top. The central ones were made by various people.

John Sheldon used to use his dentist mirrors to cut down on drag!

"Gearbox worked, engine, despite EVERYTHING now done to it popped and banged it's way up the hill under load"

HT breakdown? Rotor/cap/crossfire? Just a few useless/annoying suggestions for stuff you have probably done already. I'll have a look at your engine pics.

[spd(john)]

Having followed you expliots over the last couple of years I cant help but feel that after all that you have covered over the winter, the one thing I cant find in your write up is any ref to the fuel cell, (the car seems to run ok when on the flat on the rollers, even under load), the moment you ask it to run up a incline it coughs and splutters, going back to basics suggest to me fuel pickup/feed could be a issue.

1, Have you ever had the fuel cell/tank apart.

2, Do you have the correct inline fuel filter.

3, Is there a vent on the tank.

4, All your issues remind me of the problems we had with the Philbeam`s fuel system in the early days.

[Dan Rear]

Graham et al. The Caribbean Airways S2000 race at Mallory 28-3-82 (almost exactly 30 years ago!), has a T492 driven by Peter Newman from Redhill - not far from Sussex I think. Its numbered "26". Does this help? He quallied last but 2, my records aren't complete, but he didn't finish in the top 10.

[911thillclimber]

John:
Thanks for the thoughts. The tank is a foam-filled alum 'slab' sided tank been in the car years with circuits etc and the filter is 8 mm bore inlet/outlet and a stout Facet pump red-top.
I have a vent too which is new one way valve job.

You have though made me wonder...
It pops under load, esp in third (say going up Ceder straight before the kink when the pedal is to the metal). The car is well under load there.

Brand new ignition leads and the special porsche plug tops on their way.

Dan;
That is brilliant (and I think you have said it before?)
Peter Newman? possibly a hired gun for the race with Bernie the entrant??

Any chance you can scan and post on the thread??(please)

At least this puts a driver's name in the car in the race with # 26.
Is Peter know to S 2000 circles?

[ogits]

Don't remember the name but he may also have a Lotus & E-Type according to google.

[sebring115]

Its not cross firing in the dizzy cap is it? Had that once under load. Had to rotate the cap so the rotor arm was next to the plug it was firing, otherwise it sparked to the wrong plug (it was half way between two I suppose)

Good luck

Mark

[Dan Rear]

Graham, sorry I don't have the tech to scan and post the prog page, maybe someone else can who has it. No, I'd never heard of Peter Newman, then nor since, so I don't think he was a hired gun in the usual sense. Maybe a mate/mechanic of Bernie's?

[andy97]

Originally Posted by spd(john)

Having followed you expliots over the last couple of years I cant help but feel that after all that you have covered over the winter, the one thing I cant find in your write up is any ref to the fuel cell, (the car seems to run ok when on the flat on the rollers, even under load), the moment you ask it to run up a incline it coughs and splutters, going back to basics suggest to me fuel pickup/feed could be a issue.

1, Have you ever had the fuel cell/tank apart.

2, Do you have the correct inline fuel filter.

3, Is there a vent on the tank.

4, All your issues remind me of the problems we had with the Philbeam`s fuel system in the early days.

Perhaps its a simple as the fuel pick up not actually getting all of the (low) fuel levels that hill climbers tend to run with when its on a hill. How was it when you tested it at Curborough, how is it when you put more fuel in?

[911thillclimber]

Pulled the 6 plugs out last night, two not firing and others all sooty as is the exhaust colour.
New leads and plug caps on their way and new plugs too.
Current plugs have run for 12 minutes I think..

This will mean ALL but ALL the ignition is brand new.

Hope that will fix it.

[Chris Townsend]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Graham, sorry I don't have the tech to scan and post the prog page, maybe someone else can who has it. No, I'd never heard of Peter Newman, then nor since, so I don't think he was a hired gun in the usual sense. Maybe a mate/mechanic of Bernie's?

Peter Newman also appeared at Brands 7 March 82. Qualified 13th of 17 finished outside top 10.

[ogits]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

What is the firing order on these plugs?
Is it still on carbs? Sorry I haven't followed every detail. Do the carbs suffer from fuel surge?
Inside the dist. cap - any tracking/moisture/dust? There are some poor quality components around.

[911thillclimber]

The two non-firing plugs are on each side of the flat 6 engine both at the fywheel end.

The cap/rotor is new, the engine on near new carbs (about 3000 miles old), good pressure regulator etc and clean new fuel.

New leads & plug caps arrived today, look v nice.

with the soon to arrive plugs, everything ignition will be new.

[ogits]

I read a few more catchup pages bit still a way to go.

So sometimes there are no misfires, sometimes there are? What does your dyno man say? Air leaks?

Are you using a standard heavy flywheel?

Occasionally you can get these random misfires from poor ignition/master switches though that is unlikely to provide such plug readings.

Can you get some ignition traces on a scope? Or other data logging? A Pico would track them. Another challenge for you!

A mobile diagnostics guy might be worth a try. I use a mobile guy for all sorts of stuff. Smoke/leak testing can show up unexpected leaks.
Ignition & wiring faults - the Pico is brilliant.

[911thillclimber]

Installed the nice new leads and plug caps and a set of fresh new plugs.

Started well (for a big Porsche engine on carbs) and quickly settled down to a solid tick over.

Throttle blips fast as ever, sounds the same on tickover as it did before.
Can only test under load so have to wait unless I can get to Curborough soon.

The engine has the Porsche flywheel and sports SACH clutch (alloy cover plate)

Spoke to dyno man this afternoon, who has little to add to what I'm doing.

He thinks it may be rich, so suggests a drop in jets size from 155 to 150.
Cheap and easy, so that is the next stop. He has offered to attend the test day or next meeting (I hope at Prescott).

Seeing or hearing is believing!

[911thillclimber]

Momentum is gathering on a DIY Fuel injection system.
Some others are planning / making the same on the Porsche site I live on based on triumph tripple throttle bodies and injector rails with Megasquirt etc ecu though I favour the Emerald unit.

One car has been running for 12 months now and is good, cost was £700.

A pro system is cashing in at £4K.
My carbs are worth £1500/2000.

If I get pops and bangs next race it is game on.

[911thillclimber]

The DIY injection system is underway. Far too interesting to wait!

Throttle bodies arrived today:

Triumph motorbike system-

[911thillclimber]

Been very busy with the spanners and using some of my old garage tools to try to sort my engine 'mis-fire'
If i gave a blow by blow job you would all be asleep soon, so a quick precise:

# 6 cylinder is persistant and predictable not to fire most of the time (but does every now and then compared to the other 5 which are on song.

Resorted to Gunson colour tune to set the idle mixtures to petrol blue. You can see the erratic spark in #6!
I'm on my third set of plugs changing the heat range each time which has helped a bit. At least only £15 a set...

It was suggested the #6 carb choke was blocked, so fed a copper wire or two down and along the drillings to the butterfly followed by 100 psi. They are very clear.
It was suggested to swop the carbs over and see if the weak plug colour 'followed' the choke. Quite easy to do (15 mins!) it has proven #6 is still weak, THUS it has to be the sparks!

Everything is new except the dist itself. I've tried old and new caps/rotor arms all to no avail.

I wondered if the valves of #6 were being held off so checked the valve clearances at #6 Fire TDC and all is well.
I've found by Gunson Pressure tester and all cylinders are 135 psi luke warm which is good for a 911.
Awaiting my new leak-down tester to arrive.

I am now stumped.
I have a great array of tools.
I have an enviable collection of Porsche spark plugs.

The man who did the tuning on the rollers is coming to Prescott to see the issue himself in 2 weeks time so maybe that will get things sorted.

The DIY fuel injection is happening.

I have the Triumph TB's with fuel lines, throttle position and other things, my aluminium for the adaptor plates are here today so i can machine them to suit the carb inlet manifolds/TB's and I'm getting the spark side delivered on thursday (EDIS-6)
I shall be using Megasquirt for the ECU, Mrs hillclimber says this bit must be new!

Unbelievably, I have yet to stamp HU 62 on my chassis plate, to be done this week. Quite a moment in this little car's life.

I went to Silverstone to see the Sports 2000 race where there were 2 T 492's.
Bloody fast and so very nimble at speed, skinny wheels and the Pinto/Hewland...oh so tempting, talk about looking 'right'.

The new 3 piece bodies are great, fancy one of those this Xmas, but should it be Kelly Girl Green!?
I think burnt Orange, a great Porsche 911 colour is better.