History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[haggispeed]

found the other guys that advertise here http://www.thoroughbred-covers.co.uk/

As John says covers can flap in the wind and buff the paintwork, but if it is really well tailored it won't flap around, mine has the minimum of tie downs and doesn't flap in the wind. Yes agree a box trailer is nice, if you've got the space to keep it, mine has to live in the front garden so I had to get rid of my box and go back to an open trailer.

[driftwood]

yes my 1200 quid comment was based on gardners set up
i actually paid big£$ for a dogs gonads covered trailer 1 size fits all race cars i own
i will never transport race car uncovered or allow folk to see a race car on trailer
ok rac ecar gets wet on track but motorway rain is dirtier and can be 2-4 hour journey race is 10-20 mins worth at most

[911thillclimber]

Thank you all as ever!

I found on google a car cover net that covers the entire car and over the car cover itself for trailers. You strap in over under the car for £37.
I need to trailer the bare chassis to McClurg Motorsport next weekend and the weather is bound to be dirty. As you say, the M1 will be beyond dirty...

I can cover the chassis and net over it for this short journey.

Spoke to Gardener yesterday actually for a trailer-in-the-gerden cover which they could make easy to my pattern. This is to make the trailer less obtrusive at the side of the house. Mustn't offend my very tolerant neibours..

Further than that though I recon it is easy to make a light steel 'bird-cage frame over the trailer and alum sheet it over, hinged at the front and tilts up. Good rain/sun shelter too

Have mig welder and lots of pop rivits over from the build! Nice summer project and easier than restoring the 911 or the Lambretta!

New slicks will cost £1026 so need to be a bit frugal for a while.

Car looks great sitting on the floor again.

I really hope my troubles mechanically are done enough to get a full hillclimb season in.

[haggispeed]

Originally Posted by driftwood

yes my 1200 quid comment was based on gardners set up
i actually paid big£$ for a dogs gonads covered trailer 1 size fits all race cars i own
i will never transport race car uncovered or allow folk to see a race car on trailer
ok rac ecar gets wet on track but motorway rain is dirtier and can be 2-4 hour journey race is 10-20 mins worth at most

£1200 is a lot for a tailored cover I reckon, at that money I'd be tempted to go for the box.
Of course some of us aren't rich enough to own multiple race cars so don't need a one size fits all soultion...
Absolutely agree though, nothing worse than towing your lovely clean car through all that motorway dirt - Yuk !!

[oneofapair]

Originally Posted by haggispeed

A really well made cover will not damage the car. We have a guy race with us, John Harrison, who makes excellent well fitted covers, I think he's based down in the SW somewhere, if you want me to get you a contact number Graham let me know. A company called Gardener Racing advertise covers here http://www.gtmotorsportuk.com/Trailer%20Covers/
(used to be Mick Gardner) I thought they used to do fitted race car covers as well

John Harrison can be found at HARRISON TRIMMING 01322 662115 Nr Brands Hatch

[driftwood]

covered trailer will be lighter than alloy shet and frame construction
then its better water tight than sheet alloy a su need to glue silicone fill all joints betwen sheets and rivet holes etc in time alloy rivet sheet will flex rattle water get in etc and unles su lik epolishing they get grimey

i have had 10 trailers and ive been thru it all hence the trailer i now have i knew it was the Mutts nuts when i first saw it!
Graham i will send u a foto then you can salivate but the 911 will have to be sold to pay for it but it is a once in a life time purchase trailer

[911thillclimber]

A hillclimb friend has a SWB Audi quattro and he has a full-on BJames coved trailer.

He is very popular when it rains...
But the thing is a 7K dream, looks great and is well engineered.

I just like the idea of doing this in the summer time!
Take your points about water, and you know i don't like getting wet!

This is all hard work compared to racing my road going tweeked 911.

[911thillclimber]

[driftwood]

7k for a traler is less than i paid for mine
Its alloy tilt bed i can stand up inside all 3 sides open out to stand under and i put my car inside to work in the rain ive not bothered fitting my wind out awning to the van!

Love racing in the rain sorts the men from the boys greta leveller of cars and motor performance

have you ftted some nice flared arches to the body yet?
rear wing?
front splitter?

[ozmech]

Evening all.
I came upon this thread recently and it took quite a while to read it all through.
Once upon a time (1979? 80?) a group of us from the current S2000 series went to Denmark for the weekend. The meeting was at Jyllandsring between Silkeborg and Arhus. I took the Toleman Lola as well as John Brindley's Lola and John Webb's car. The Toleman Lola was for Jac Nelleman who had rented it for the weekend.
To make up the numbers for the races, the S2000 cars were mixed in with small local racing saloons like Simca 1100 etc. which made for some entertaining overtaking manoeuvres.
At the time there was a bit of talk of running the S2000s with an uprated engine e.g. Pinto with twin Webers and the cars could easily handle a bit more power. We ran them in some 6hr races without major problems.
Interesting project - getting that engine & box in and making it look so neat.

[911thillclimber]

It is sad that the Toleman tub was lost, and even sadder for me that this tub is a mystery!
To read this saga from scratch is worthy of a medal or at least a good micro brewery pint.

The body side of this project is still work in progress....

I've repaired the wall damage (quite extensive once I'd ground all the shatter cracks out) I will tart the front up so people won't laugh too much and sit back to recover.

I've seen the S2000 Historics belt round Olton and thet do not seem to need any aero help, let alone a slow hillclimb?

As to (hillclimbing) racing in the wet:

Love it as my cars are never that front running and I can get very close in the wet.
The Impreza I had was out of this world and bagged me several class/Championships and even a track class record, but those cars are very flattering to kid you that you know what you are doing.

The 911 in the wet is just great, but it is in all conditions on the right tyres (Kumho V700).

The Lola in the wet is crazy due to the tyres, old circuit wets. The rolling road will see them off at the rear I think.

[driftwood]

yes ditch circuit wets way too hard and fit some nice soft wets i have a new set on my lola and im sure they are way too soft for circuit racing i can leave my thumb print in the tyre

[911thillclimber]

The wets will stay for a while as the car will be set-up on the rollers soon, and that should finish the rears off.

A set of hillclimb soft slicks will do nicely even if £1022 the set...

Wondering if to have some tread patterned ones or leave them 'slick'
(BMTR web site shows the choice)
Wheels collected yesterday (£150 + Gordon's share the pair) from Ian Jamison's place in York.

Messing with getting the new winch on tomorrow and get the body back on, and then off to McClurg Motorsport next weekend for the suspension tweeks with Sean.

So far, ahead of the game!

[morninggents]

[QUOTE=911thillclimber;2627988]
Wheels collected yesterday (£150 + Gordon's share the pair) from Ian Jamison's place in York.

Just for clarification it's Ian Jemison. He's in Bishopthorpe, York.

Usual disclaimer.

[911thillclimber]

Yes, you are right!

The wheels are incredibly straight, esp considering the one that I used to stop the car with against the wall..

Out of the two sets I now have, I've used the non-damaged one and keeping the 'wall' pair as spares. Hope not to need them in the future.

The first event is in early April so a good 6 to 7 weeks to sort the suspension and the dreaded webers, so in good shape unless the webers are no good ater all.
A new set are a mere £3,000. I think I will go injected if it comes to that.

Sadly, from now on it is specialists all the way.

The car is sitting on the ground now with the pretty bodywork on and looks great.

[SAMD]

What are you having done to the webers?

[911thillclimber]

They have been ultrasonically cleaned (some time ago) and a new overhaul kit fitted last year by me.

They are 2 litre 911 carbs in good condition, new custom chokes for the 3200cc 911 engine and the corresponding bore sized manifolds, so on paper all is good for a high torque engine, about 220 of both.

The car went on a very respected rolling road with an ultra respected operator twice, £500 of tuning and we got 198 bhp and the thing runs smooth enough but with severe back firing.pops.bangs that are embarrassing and not right. I've had a 2.2 911T engine on webers and it was quiet and smooth.

I'm hoping that there is nothing wrong, just the setting up.

I will take it to Hitech here in West Bromwich way as I'm advised they are good and have tweeked 911 cars before to very good effect. They are 30 mins drive from me too.

I'm not looking for 250 of both, just a good running flexible engine with torque low down the rev range.

The engine is a bog standard 3200cc 911 which normally would run Bosch fuel injection. My 911 has the same engine on this injection and it is great.

Webers on this or any other 911 is nothing new at all, so this should be a simple game.

The engine was so noisey last year i was nearly stopped racing it!

[911thillclimber]

Nearly there:

[driftwood]

wot no 908 rear fins!!!!

[911thillclimber]

I just knew I was going to be in trouble!

All that will have to wait until the flippin' thing actually works right.

The number of people who have told me not to do anything to the body is about 10:1

Of course, it all just might work this year and I will have little to do this coming winter except a bit of fibreglassin' and a lick of silver!

Been quoted £2K for a prof silver paint job....
Been quoted £3K for webers or injection...
Then there are the fresh slicks at £1K....

At this rate i could have saved all I've spent (ignore the time) and bought a Crossle or even a Dare G12 which was top of the list (once).

Why didn't anyone except Paul Matty warn me about Race Cars?

[driftwood]

Mate race cars are like girlfriends
you like them then fall in love then spend money on buying house etc
next thing you know yr goolies on the line and no cheap way out
consider your self lucky to have only 1 woman in your life and 2 cars it could be worse
I have 10 cars but managed to keep it at only 1 woman ( why would you really go and have 2 thats TWICE the agro!!)

paint job at 2k is what i would expect to get quoted
i can get sports car done for a bit less than 2k
i have paid £1k for my car but it looks good but is not hard baked/laquered enough and chips easily willget 1 season running from it

slicks you cant get away from the cost as you need em

£3k for injection well you have to weigh up the cost versus performance gain

I can save you a lot of grief and bid you 6k for the car!!

[911thillclimber]

Sell for £6K? I would never live to enjoy a penny!

Mind you, £6K on a good 911 engine, Turbo brakes and a few other goodies?

Would need 3 x that to make an RSR of my hotrod 911!

Messed about with the rear brake mounts tonight and wished I hadn't (offer now dropped to £4500!). I will now simply leave the thing alone and hope the snow is not around Fri and Sat so I can deliver the chassis to McClurg Motorsport for a week with Sean.

Need to paint the repair and to find some perspex long enough to make a small upright 'screen' to get the air over my helmet as suggested by Mr Driftwood.
(see, I do pay attention)

Then to the carbs. The idea of injection is only to dump the pesky carbs not performance. I have spent lots of time with engine mapping on my Impreza hillclimber, and it realy can be a marvel.

This would however put the car back months into the season, so I hope the carbs can be rescued.

I certainly agree about the paint situation. I can mod/spray the body easy, done this many times in my dark past in a one car garage, but it is surprising just how many times the body is dinged when moving it on and off the car. The gel coat in colour is a god-send on the current body. Imagine the silver chipped down to a bright red!

Feel a bit bored as I cannot think of much else to do on the car!

This has come a long way from this!

[JohnMiller]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Need to paint the repair and to find some perspex long enough to make a small upright 'screen' to get the air over my helmet as suggested by Mr Driftwood.
(see, I do pay attention)

Clearly not enough attention, being as I am sure I suggested that before brushwood!

For parts of the body that might get stonechipped etc., you might want to consider Ventureshield etc.

[driftwood]

Thats "helicoptor" tape to you! strong clear rubbery tape cover body with along the bottom of the body to protect it against stone chips or mechanics with big feet

[911thillclimber]

Or wives who double as Parts Chaser, collection service and Finance Director....

My attention span is limited so just sometimes I don't quite connect the right thing to the right person! (= most of the time)

Very soon the mechanics will be all done, and the greatest challenge of all will raise it's head: Driving it and driving it fast. Never been too good at spanners, but certainly the driving is trickier.

The gearshift will be the bug bear this year. The Porsche 915 box is a reluctant partner in a 'normal' (?) 911 like my Yellow HotRod is, but add to that the RH shift and the minute lever movement and it is hard.

Need to take my time with it as it is certainly not an FT200.

I have read all the Porsche factory race cars used synchro boxes so they would last. Maybe they were the same.

The other night i browsed through some old 10/10ths pm's sent to me over the 18 month History Search of this little car and one from the Great Clive Brown (maybe he will be let back in sometime) who has a distant recollection that the donar tub might have come from Alan's friend Brian Davies of Autoquip who eventually bought the Ghia re-creation off Alan in into store for years.

Maybe to avert the boredom I should re-open the quest the the invisible chassis number.
I just bet John Scheider has it wedged behind a tin of T cut somewhere in the garage all dusty like an Indiana Jones movie!

But why would it get removed?
The pics from Tony Harman clearly show the plate on the tub during the re-build and the area of the tub was not touched by the Ghia body change. Why would you remove it?!