History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[stevie m]

Have you thought about using motorbike carbs on the engine? Bogg Bros in Malton,Yorkshire would be a good source to try.They can fit bike carbs onto just about any engine 4,6,8,10,12 cylinder probably more! and they do custom inlet manifolds.Recon they could do it for a three figure sum and set it up on their rollers too.

[911thillclimber]

I've been married for 32 years. She knows EVERY racer's trick to hide anything so i simply tell the full truth and hide....

I need to start the hillclimb season preferably this year! Any custom set-up will delay things, but I thank you for the idea. Some 911 lads are running Triumph fuel injection bodies on 911's now out of interest.

Some have suggested that one/more of the inlet valves might be cracked open, closed when cold, cracked open when warming/hot.

The valve clearance on a 911 is only 0.004'' so you need to be very carefull when setting.

However, the engine would be rough everywhere to some degree. When it starts and ticks over cold it is so smoooooth it is impressive, then after a minute or so the noises begin and incrase as temperature rises.

Ignition?
Not plugs as the other (same spec) set I have has not changed anything.

I have Aldon electronic ignition so might change these back to points and see what happens.

Time is running out!
Should be racing Easter weekend.

[maguire imp chassis no1]

OK im on my way to get it,thats the best deal ive seen

Keith

[911thillclimber]

I'm fed-up taking hot coffee out to the crowd outside waiting for the sale to open this sat morning...

I would be speaking in a high pitched voice if I sold this thing for less than £20K if anyone was deranged enough to buy the hotrod.

Someone had actually showed an interest a few weeks ago but faded later.

If sold I would have to find another thing to do, probably tweek my 911 some more.
Nice and simple and everything just bolts on!
Or a Radical with a car engine/box

[maguire imp chassis no1]

Well done those cars look lovely,i hope you get it sorted

Keith

[driftwood]

will give u 7k for the 6 cylinder beetle at least i can go to the curry shop and get some dinner in it

[911thillclimber]

If I sold the 911 hotrod it would fetch in today's 'Magazine article fueled' inflated prices about £20K, maybe more because it has some nice period mods under there which are now the rage.

The Lola may be worth a real £10K tops, more if broken up as the engine is a rarity (same as the one in my 911) and would sell for £5K with the box, maybe 6.
The tub as it is with body about £8K as a roller but you won't I believe be able to circuit race in the Historic S2000 pack as it is.

So, for my 'collection' a tops of £30/ 35K.

Could get a nice Crossle, an ace Radical, an ace Tiga/ March S2000.

I've had the 911 since 1988 so i guess i will be buried in it, the Lola is disposable, but has cost a fortune...

Anyway! Enough of disposing of my assets, Mrs Hillclimber starting to see sense in the PMO carbs, so if it all fails at Hi-Tech on wednesday i think that will be that.

I saw my first T 492 at the Race Retro show 2 years ago and fell in love; hope that won't happen again next week!

[driftwood]

I saw my first T 492 at the Race Retro show 2 years ago and fell in love; hope that won't happen again next week! dont go to Thailnad may see ladyboy- i am dreading the thought!

The tub as it is with body about £8K as a roller but you won't I believe be able to circuit race in the Historic S2000 pack as it is.I struggle to see 8k need gnox £1500 motor £2k wheels calipres uprights £4k- expensive T490 car!!! above becomes more realistic!!!

[911thillclimber]

T490/492 seem to be good money for the original ones, or at least the asking prices are growingly high?

One in Europe for 30K Euro, another in UK for £28K iirc.

I'm sure i paid too much for everything, but they are very hard to find in the first place, many I'm told changing now from father-to-son and not out to the market.

Decided to butcher the car some more.

I've moved the steering wheel a full 3.5'' up and 1.25 to the right.
Certainly feels so much better to me with far more space between wheel/gear lever/ knees and above all i feel in the car and on on it as I did last year.
The wheel was far to into my lap.

I'm trying to get as confortable as I can in the car so the seat is 1'' back and a few other tweeks also.

I really need to get the carb(s) sorted out and it will be ready for the season.
Oh, and some tyres too...

[driftwood]

u cant use euro prices for cars we live in Uk and £€ is now equal but we still view it as 1.5-1
i cant see any more than £15k for S2000 poss 20k for TOP spec race winning car

[911thillclimber]

Back to some techie stuff:

The carb issues has been bugging me and I think it just could be play in the car spindles leaking air into the carb. In the repair kit I had with the webers are 3 new spindle sleeve bearing made from teflon tape.
Took the offending carb off (the engine side that bangs/explodes) and took the one bell crank off. Found a sleeve bearing already in there (the tripple webers do not have bearings, spindle runs direct in the carb body...so why is this bearing in there?)

I fished this old sleeve out with a Stanley Knife and eased a new one back in. Greased everything with nice sticky Lithium gease and after checking the spindle snaps closed under the tension of the carb springs popped it all back onto the engine.



This was so easy I thought I would do the other side now I had completed my training.

Off it came, but no sleeve bearing. There was a good amount of play though, so in went a new sleeve bearing, eased in gently:



So, the first carb has had a visit before by someone and explains why the repair kit had 3 new sleeve bearings not four.....

The spindles are far tighter now, so this can only help with the carb tuning and just might have fixed the backfiring?? Time will tell.

If this had cured the bangs what a £3K saving that will have been!

The mod to the steering wheel position was finished off this morning before taking Mrs Hillclimber for a morning coffee in Much Wenlock and a cosey walk in the countryside. I know how to treat a girl.

Seriously running out of things to do now other than polish it, put it on the rollers, stop the bloody bangs and Driftwood will have to raise his offer somewhat.(considerably)

At the same time I popped in some new NGK plugs, BP5ES, said to be the right plugs for webers. In the early days of my 911 I had a 2.2 engine on tripple webers and that used these plugs too. It will only help I hope.

[SAMD]

Hmm, thats interesting, I have a mini metro with tripple webers and it is not running too well. It has new NGK BP6ES. I wonder would 5s help any.
Probably not, it sounds a bit too easy.

[911thillclimber]

Had to think a bit then:

Is that where you run 2 twin webers and blank one choke off or are you using one of these Porsche/Ferrari/Lancia carbs?

It still amazes me the shear number of people watching this saga, about 2000 hits in the last month!
Not sure which is hardest, keep the audience entertained or fixing the Lola!

[SAMD]

Sorry, I was just testing! It has a V6 Essex, with a transaxle to the rear wheels. I bought it for the engine, (for my Scimitar) in the middle and has 3 (tripple) IDAs between the banks.

[driftwood]

Sir
I raise my offer to £6000 plus bearing spindles and morning stroll with your wife
what worries me is how much coffee can the girl drink in 1 morning?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

It still amazes me the shear number of people watching this saga, about 2000 hits in the last month!
Not sure which is hardest, keep the audience entertained or fixing the Lola!

You're not the only one!!!

Seriously though, I think it's pretty good to have a blow by blow account of a car resto/rebuild, even if when it's finished the whole thread will probably need to go into Historic Racing Today!!

[911thillclimber]

Ahh!
You have given me hope at last in that you think this blinkin' thing will actually get 'finished'

Already I can see some areas for improvement for Xmas 2010.

I've been asking about the glass body re-moulded for the Thunder saloon that is the beetle just restored built on an F5000 mid engined monoposto chassis, cannot think of the name of it but very famous in UK 80's racing:
you know the one! (Mick Hill?)
White with blue stripes, just given a new body etc.

That closed body would be great on a hillclimber.
Keep me dry too (that one is just for Mr Driftwood)

Been put off for a few days by Hi Tech to week this friday for the weber sort-out.

Need to start entering Championships and meetings now, planning to do my first this year at Prescott. Never got to Prescott last year because of sticky brakes.

Need to get organised instead of welding etc.

[driftwood]

Hmmm beetle body
i think you need to go here
www.revenge.co.uk/

[Peter Dunne]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Hmmm beetle body
i think you need to go here
www.revenge.co.uk I go all the time. Its great. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

Fixed your post for you drifty

[driftwood]

Oh such a wag!
Ive walked past it quickly and when my baseball cap blew off outside I kicked it for 500 yards before i bent down to pick it up!

[911thillclimber]

I think the Beetle body was made by Road and Race Restorations?
Fair bit on it on you tube and the car running at Goodwood last year.

To scared to enquire what the last few threads are, but anything starting like that is trouble!

[911thillclimber]

Just back from Race Retro and this has given me a shot in the arm.

Good show but I wasn't ready for what was there.I hoped, but was not sure.
Firstly had a good chat with Andy on the Webcon stand about my exploding carbs.

Leak-down test first to see if a valve is leaking. If tight:
Check the sparks are ok to that side of the engine. Very tempted to put the points back in to prove ..a point.. about the electronics in the dizzy.

He feels there is an occational pass of unburn fuel into the exhaust and pop it goes.

Something to do on the car at least.

Then of course i bumped into the glorious VW Beetle V8 of David Taylor who fortunatly was on the Historic super Saloon Ass stand and took a lot of time out to chat about the car.
He had heard of the Alan Humberstone Ghia bodied car and was pleased to know the lola was still about albeit in a different guise.

It was great to see this car and i have to say I am v interested to see if I can get a Ghia body off the Dr Enderby moulds to close the car again over the Xmas season.

Quite a job to do but would be great.

Wouldn't paint it bloody pink mind but prob chrome yellow.

Need to contact Dr E again if I can find the number. Dr E was very posative in discussing the history of the car ages ago and i know he has the moulds still along with his Ghia bodied Tiga.

New cage, new mounts and difficult doors but....

[haggispeed]

You've got to admit Graham the Ghia is a whole bunch more aerodynamic than the flat screened Beetle, would agree with you about the colour though, but that was what Alan wanted so....
Yellow's a bit boring though, how about gold & black

(I'll PM you Davids contact numbers)

[911thillclimber]

Received and thanks as ever Tony.

did you cut the body moulding to have separate parts for rear, centre and front?

[haggispeed]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Received and thanks as ever Tony.

did you cut the body moulding to have separate parts for rear, centre and front?

Your welcome sir ; (should I tell the masses about you wanting heated windscreens etc....)

With this (Alan's) car we just had a front and rear section, so the top came off the car with the front (erm I think....) so you had a access to the whole chassis. (You can see a line over the roof by the B pillar where we were going to cut it.) With David's it was a bit more conventional with a fixed roof, windscreen pillars and sill then just a complete removable front.