History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[Mike Harte]

You appear to be doing a lovely job, Graham, and I wish you well with it.

I really envy the amount of space that you have around the engine bay. In my old Anglebox with a pre-crossflow engine, to get the engine out, or even replace a head-gasket, I would have to remove the twin Webers on their manifolds and the exhaust manifold. And the only way to hold them in place required Allen bolts using a long handle key turning about a quarter of a turn at a time. Not a job that could be done when the engine was hot without seriously burning my hand as I was the only one with hands small enough to get in the gap between the manifolds and the side of the engine bay.

In hindsight, when I had the wheel arches modified to take the wide wheels I ran, I should have got them to make some modification to the side wall to make it easy. As it was, as it took so long to get the head off, I had to scratch from the final of a cup race that I qualified for it in the heat earlier that afternoon, blowing the head-gasket as I crossed the finishing line.

[911thillclimber]

Thank you.
The flat 6 engine is huge but the layout makes it easy to work on and it is beautifully engineered, lots of dowls and sleeves to ensure a precise fit.


Generally, the thinking is 40 hours to disassemble and clean and measure.
40 hours to build up, so 80 hours and a specialist @?100/hour and the engines can cost a great amount!


I love this kind of DIY, cheap too, but the parts and services will still be a Big Bill. Mrs Hillclimber still on-board.
Phew!

[Mike Harte]

My engine wouldn't have been what you could call anything near being well engineered. I was lucky that a local engine engineering business worked on the steel crank and camshaft as well as boring the cylinders and shaving the head. They also, at almost cost, supplied all the gaskets and bearings that I needed which was very helpful.


Being as how stressed the engine was, I took the decision to change the head gasket after every race, and completely rebuilt the engine after every other race, so approximately every fortnight and every month during the season of about 8 months. We would dismantle on the Sunday night when we got back, and re-assemble on the Friday night before the race, often all nighters - I would do the build, and my helpers would do the install, leaving the carbs and exhaust for me to do in the morning before we set off to Brands to "run in" the engine.

Luckily, 4 pot Ford pushrod engines are pretty easy to dismantle and put together, but getting the Webers back on could take at least a couple of hours, usually longer than the re-build itself.

[911thillclimber]

Lots to update on:

Cams and springs arrived today, 56 hours after ordering them.
WEVO Shiftgate arrives tomorrow after a game, Government made more money than anyone else involved.

Split the crank cases.

Made a DIY quality splitter like the one sold by Stromski Racing (sorry to them). Cost me £8.75 and a few hours on my trusty 1939 lathe.
Undid a zillion case bolts and screw, even those that hide from you (3).

Assembled the DIY splitter and turned the socket set....

Pop!

It only worked perfectly. Amazingly easy, so worth the faff of making one (Stromski is a lovely design and $370)

No effort to open the cases at all, ridiculously easy.

Crank out, mains are perfect, pump feels super smooth, laygear looks ace.
Drips of oil all over the floor, but hoping to get a 'charity payment' parts washer this weekend from a DDK'r.

So much cleaning to do, but then a BIG wait for an uncertain delivery from the USA at Xmas.....

Pictures here:

DIY splitter parts. The stud is M20 to scale it.



All in place on #2 conrod, set at BDC.

[911thillclimber]

WEVO gateshift actually arrived, an expensive small box of natty bits.

Took the rods off the crank, bolts much harder to unscrew than I thought, but all big ends are wonderful. Crank RINGS and RINgs and rings, and ring, and rin,ri,r

Cleaned the cases of old sealant, bagged a lot of parts up and had a big tidy and de-oil of the floor, the bench and me.

So wish the rods and pistons were coming soon.
Heads having a final clean/soak overnight ready to be dropped-off for twin plug machining.

Started a ring binder to put the BIG BILLS already amassing away, out of sight, out of mind.

[brookesy]

Lovely work Graham you must be very satisfied with your progress.

[911thillclimber]

Well....
If only the parts from the USA would arrive as quickly as the other parts, and if I could only get some crank main bearings then yes!
You going to the DDK swap Meet tomorrow?
Hope to have a chat if you are.

[brookesy]

Sorry I missed it, but we must catch up, the the Nike is completely stripped now and I am about to start getting parts plated and the spaceframe is going to
Andy at Axminster panels to get the panels fitted before I take it for powder coating.

[911thillclimber]

You should be ready for the start next year then!
Mid April!!


Heads now at the m/c shop and a few other thngs going on, but ruing dry of things to do for a few weeks.


Getting bored now while I wait for parts which are about 2 months off yet from the USA.

Made a knock-off of the Stromski Racing wrist pin clip insertion device.
Anyone who has inserted these know they ca be a very free spirit when they escape, and hard to find after landing.
Made it, tried it, and it sure works well!

Cost: ?0.50

[911thillclimber]

Finding pockets of Black Art on this little engine, namely racing valve springs, a subject new to me.
The inner spring is very slightly tight in the outer spring, the stock posrche parts have a 1mm clearance.
Seems this is normal and dampens harmonic vibrations and movement when the engine is screaming as loud as the current driver on track...


Asked if all is well with the Kent Cams engineer 'looking after me' there. Their service is patient and detailed, just as well.


Have a set of titanium top caps to lighten the valve weights. Valves are about 52mm inlet and really quite heavy.


Something to lean every day (even hour) in this race car game.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Seems this is normal and dampens harmonic vibrations and movement when the engine is screaming as loud as the current driver on track...

Yes Graham, this is normal it was new to me too. When everything is in place, you'll see a clearance between the two springs.

We gave up using titanium parts in our engines, having experienced some issues with this material. I think its OK for the spring retainers tho but worth to watch them from time to time. Only my opinion.

Great job!

[911thillclimber]

New to me too titanium, and so I don't trust it much!
Lots of stuff made from it, studs to springs, but I hope the top hats will be ok.
The factory top hats do not seat properly on the racing springs where the titanium ones do so I think I have to follow their use.


Any idea what happens to titanium in these kind of applications?

[911thillclimber]

Really twiddling my thumbs now...

The racing springs are correct with slight interference fit according to Kent Cams. Stops the springs from vibrating.
Have to use the titanium caps with the springs, stock steel ones will not fit, 12 caps here thanks to a ddk'r.
Installation length of the racing springs is 36mm. Not sure what tolerance is on that. (+/- 0.1mm?)
Stock installation length for both valves is 34.2/34.5mm

Not convinced the shims in the heads removed will give me 36mm so fingers crossed. Approx. 1.6mm to come out.

Heads should be back in 2 weeks time from m/c to twin plug, so can be built up while the long wait for pistons/rods continues.(update requested)

Might have to do the garden instead....

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Any idea what happens to titanium in these kind of applications?

No idea about spring retainers but if they fit perfectly it should be OK. Piston axles, seizedcrockers direct on valvescbroken and so on… Dental posts two immune rejections on three! Dont ask me to recommend. Either mechanic or dentist!

[Gerard C]

What displacement your lawnmover? Mine didnt appreciate the use of castor oil, smell is great but the conrod gave up… May be a kind of record for a Briggs&Stratton engine!

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

What displacement your lawnmover? Mine didnt appreciate the use of castor oil, smell is great but the conrod gave up… May be a kind of record for a Briggs&Stratton engine!

Our Peugeot 406 petrol died with worn valve gear.

"Strange," said the mechanic. "They don't normally have a problem with cam shaft lubrication."

But then again I suppose they weren't designed to run on castor-based 2-stroke. "How did that happen?"

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[S griffin]

Did you sell to 406 parts off or scrap it? Was there any value left in it?

[Gerard C]

Did Kent Cams give you the max and minimum lenght for the springs? Must not be "jointing whorls" any time methink. Even with the 8 mark in mind dont put too much stress on your timing gear, lot of inconvenients in this case.

[911thillclimber]

Yes, they did.
Their springs have an installed height of 36mm prob +/-0.1mm


The Porsche springs install at 34.2 / 34.5 for both valves.
They are designed to have a slight (finger push) interference fit between them to stop harmonics occurring at speed.
Stock springs have 1.5mm clearance!


My machined heads should be ready in 2 weeks, so will get on with the set-up then.


The pistons and rods are still mid December/ Xmas.


I still cannot find any mains bearings or cam chains

[morninggents]

Can't let it pass without mention - congratulations on passing the threequarter million mark, Graham.


A great story.

[911thillclimber]

Kind of you to say, thank you.
Kicked off in May 2008!
That is a long time ago, but what a trip it has been.
I would never ever of thought this little club racer (for that is all it is) would prove of interest to so many over these 13 years.


It is a car so very close to my heart giving me so many up and quite a few downs with a very long build story let alone the chase for the Chassis number.
So many people on here have contributed in such a positive way, I can't remember one negative post.
Away from the chassis number search the one key factor in the usability of this car by a very average driver has been the chassis.


Still on it's original set up by Sean of McClurg Motorsport I can jump into the car at any time and feel I can trust the way it drives and handles.
There are a LOT of hillclimb cars with his sticker discreetly placed on the cars in the paddock for good reason.


I am so lucky having this car and the opportunity to scribble about it, but also 750,000 people taking a 'look' at the next step.

[911thillclimber]

[911thillclimber]

Had a busy day in the gaage. with no engine parts in sight I turned to the oil system and removed and cleaned the cooler and the huge dry sump tank.
Car was very dirty when they were removed, but everything good now.

It was with some trepidation I split the dry sump tank to see what was in the bottom after 5 years use. Swarf, bits of steel, shards of aluminium?

Nope, clean as a whistle, so chuffed.
This was a very good engine!

Dirty:



Dry sump apart:



Together again:



Cooler, cleaned and back in. So much dirt trapped in the cooling fins!

[Mike Harte]

Makes you wonder how any of us had time for our proper jobs!

[911thillclimber]

I was in a big job when I bought this Lola in 2008, Director of Design Engineering and all that goes with that.
I did the work tirelessly in the evenings and weekends and it did get in the way of work. It took about 2 years max to get it up and sort of running but still hours and hours in the garage.
Hard going.


Took early retirement (63) and never looked back, no money (in comparison) but lots of time. Have not been in the garage in the evenings since for the last 6 years, and do not work on the Lola weekends, got all day! (ish)