Rallyrep in action

[Tim C]

Originally Posted by SorenR

Looks like one of the securing rings caved in and the differential pinion shaft "left the building"...

Once the shaft is gone, all the cogs are free to move around...

Have you found the remainding 3 cogs and the shaft ??

I think you're right Soren. The mounting holes for the pinion shaft are a bit messy but that probably happened whilst it was trying to escape. Difficult to tell what went first.

The 3 other cogs and shaft are still M.I.A.

[SorenR]

Originally Posted by Tim C

I think you're right Soren. The mounting holes for the pinion shaft are a bit messy but that probably happened whilst it was trying to escape. Difficult to tell what went first.

The 3 other cogs and shaft are still M.I.A.

The reason I asked for the missing parts is that I'm wondering if one of the cogs split and jammed the pinion shaft so that it broke - since you mention that both mounting holes look messy... If the locking clip fell off one end, that hole should look clean as the shaft would have exited through the other hole...

Anyways, locking the differential would make the car driveable.. Yes ?

[Tim C]

Originally Posted by SorenR

The reason I asked for the missing parts is that I'm wondering if one of the cogs split and jammed the pinion shaft so that it broke - since you mention that both mounting holes look messy... If the locking clip fell off one end, that hole should look clean as the shaft would have exited through the other hole...

Anyways, locking the differential would make the car driveable.. Yes ?

It would have been nice to have had all the bits to do a bit of detective work as to the cause of the failure.

Yes, still have drive (rear only) with the centre diff locked .

Got another gearbox in over Wed/Tues evening. Then the following evening discovered that all the clutch fluid had leaked out through the slave cylinder .
It wasn't disconnected, just removed from the gearbox but obviously didn't like being disturbed.
Anyway, new one fitted tonight and all seems tickerty-boo.

So some how we seem to be ready for the hillclimb at Wiscombe tomorrow and Sunday, fingers crossed.

[darreno'd']

Were you tempted to have a good go with it being rwd only? bet it would have been fun.

[Tim C]

Been a bit busy lately and not updated .

Our last hill climb was back in April when we managed to get the gearbox in for the Wiscombe meeting.
I did touch on it in one of the many "crappy weather" threads.

Saturday was cold and damp but it didn't really rain at all. They have resurfaced the course during the winter and it seemed very grippy even in the damp conditions. There were a fair few incidents, but we managed to stay out of trouble .
I got a good run and pipped a couple people who would normally be ahead of us to take second place behind the Sierra Cosworth of Geoff (can't remember his surname but he is Mr "Turbo Technics"). It's a well sorted and proven car with some tricky turbos (unsurprisingly), so it was good to be just behind him .

It pee-ed down all Saturday night and after a postponed start to assess the conditions, the Sunday meeting was eventually abandoned .

Since then we've had a month off and slipped a new motor into the engine bay .
Still a 10V, but rebuilt from the ground up, forged pistons, all lightened and dynamically balanced, head work etc.
It was mapped on Wednesday and it looks like there is more to come but we've now got 40 or so more horses and nearly 90 more torques. It all comes in at 500rpm lower, comes on stronger and holds on for a few more revs as well .

Haven't had a chance to drive it yet but we'll see how it performs over this weekend at the Manor Farm hill climb at Charmouth, near Bridport.

[Audi Derek]

Good luck with the new motor Tim, we know its been a long time coming..



..

[Tim C]

I don't know where the time goes, that's another week disappeared!
Probably all the catching up that has to be after two full days of motorport at the weekend and preparing for another day tomorrow.

Last Saturday at Charmouth we battled the gale force winds blowing directly off the sea. The cool conditions seemed to keep the grip levels low and they had coned off the first corner a bit tighter, so we couldn't quite match last years times.

The first timed run was squeezed in before lunch, during which we had a down pour of the closest I've seen to horizontal rain. So my first place was pretty much secured.

Sunday saw some more pleasent weather and another first place.

The car ran sweetly and the trophy cabinet is looking fuller .

Off to Castle Combe tomorrow for the sprint. A fair bit going on there tomorrow and Sunday I believe, as part of the hosting clubs anniversary.

[Tim C]

A good day yesterday at Castle Combe, bar a light shower at lunch time. A huge entry of 140 varied cars, but it all went smoothly and finished in good time.
The only off I'm aware of was a Radical that left just before me, got it wrong at the second chicane and on to the grass, leaving me on the start line for a while. The report came back over the radio that he was OK but stuck in the mud!! To which the start marshalls gave the familiar comment "you'd have been alraight, you've got 4 wheel drive". He was dragged back on to the black stuff and drove back under his own steam .

Mr Turbo Technics was there in his Sierra and putting in practice times 4 seconds quicker than us , so we thought we were fighting for second place. But on his first timed run of the afternoon he missed a gear and buzzed the engine. He reckoned the exhaust valves had probably said hello to the pistons. Bit of a bummer for him.
Andy's times were unusually consistant, putting in 72,72,71 and a 71.35 seconds. I was a bit knackered and all over the place with a 74,72 and a 73 but strung together a 70.93 to nab first in class and knocking over a quarter of a second off my previous best.


Our class was a bit of a mixed bag with the Turbo Technics Sierra, a Renault Clio tweeked with Clio Cup suspension, a TR7 with a Rover V8 dropped in it and two escorts, the white one with a supercharger.

Had a bit of wander around the paddock at lunchtime.....









The Gabe-mobile





The Porker club were in town.















Would've liked to have seen this run but kept missing it .





End of the day, safe and sound, which is the main objective.

[Nicky C]

A few photos from to catch up on.

Charmouth first. Spectating had been dramatically reduced due to financial restraints insurance, organisation and marshalling, so it was a bit limited.

Only a couple from the wet and windy Saturday.





I was a but more enthusiastic the next day when the sun came out.

[Nicky C]

And Castle Combe from a couple of weeks ago.