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At last, we did some work on the car this weekend (I know, I couldn't believe it either). Nik came over to give me a lift, come to think of it, I think he did everything, well I did brew up a couple of times and pass him the lump hammer.
We started by trying to straighten the front of the old girl first. Due to a rough end to the season and letting my Dad have a go (it's all his fault) she was looking a bit sad. It looks a BIT better now, needs some paint but I havent got any. Next job was to fit a new carb and wash my filter out too. Then it was time to add some negative camber to the outside front wheel, which is now allowed in Hot Fords this season. Check out the pics!
" we used this home made wooden block as a guide, the pic on the left shows the camber as standard - the wheel rim is almost touching at the top, whereas the pic on the right the wheel now has negative camber thats why there is a gap at the wheel rim top, we did this by altering the bolt and the hole on the strut, this means the tyre will get better contact with the track when cornering, well thats the theory anyway!! "
Inside front wheel - Outside front wheel
It does look a bit better, dont you think! Well it is better, take my word for it..
Its the first time my part worn car has seen day light for about 12 months, It will be out on track this season at some point, its got a major oil leak at the moment, that hopefully will be fixed soon. Watch this space!!
So thats it for now, I might get to throw some paint on it before weekend but I doubt it. I'm going up to Buxton on Saturday 3rd March for a bit of a practice, see how she handles and how the new carb is. See you there maybe!!
3rd March 2007 - Practice Day.
Well I got up this morning and it was wet, as I started getting organised putting the car on the trailor etc, it got wetter! "here we go again I thought". Anyway, got to the track and it was lovely, bit nippy but the sun was shinning and all looked good. Got out on track for my first practice session and the car was running terrible, it chugged round and just about made it off to the centre, I didn't even do a lap, great!!!
We'd put a new carb on and although we couldn't see anything wrong with it, we took it off and put the old one back on, went out again and it was running spot on but handling rubbish and I mean rubbish! So back to the pits, jacked up wheels off, a couple of loose bolts nipped up and I was back out on track. WOW!! it was spot on now, handling and running really well. There was a few other cars out on track which was good, much better than going round on your own. Roll on next weekend, 11th March. I need to get some white paint this week so I can go over the front as it looks horrible at the moment, its the only paint I had to go over a ffew scabby bits. The new carb is back on the bench in the garage waiting to be looked at. Maybe we'll have another look at it on another practice day. Some pics below taken by Sharon, my better half.
AYUP!!! who might this be having a go in HF97 Marc Hampsons Hot Ford. No surley not!!! yes it is, its.... sojo/Mr Green, aka Martin, the Buxton Rooki Photographer If you think his shutter speed is quick, you should of seen him go round Buxton! They would only let him out on his own because they didn't want him to follow anyone in to the wall. I think he enjoyed it, he was grinning from ear to ear when I saw him afterwards. He was bringing back the probans I let him use. I think he got a bit over excited though while he was out on track, I only say this because the overalls were wet around the bum! lol wonder if Marcs seat was wet afterwards too lol Nice one Martin, was it worth missing county for???
My cars ready to go this weekend 11th March 2007, I've got some new tyres for it and Its had a well over due lick of paint too. See you Sunday!!!!
11th March 2007
Well, the new season soon came round. I didn't get time for a practice before the racing started so I didn't get chance to get the car warmed up and the new tyres a bit worn in. My car always splutters a bit when I take it out for a practice when I get to the track, then its normaly ok. So having no time for a practice meant it had to do the spluttering in my first heat of the day.
Heat 1: Got away ok but was passed straight away by much faster cars, a few scrapes early on too and the car wasn't handling well at all. About half way I think, there was a bit of a bump and a few cars were involved and I hit one of them pushing my front panel in once again, the race was stopped to remove the cars involved my radiator seemed ok so I carried on. I finished but out of the top 10. When I got back to the pits and inspected the car, I'd got a puncture on my outside front tyre and the negative camber we'd put on that wheel wasn't there anymore either so we changed the wheel sorted the camber out again and I was lining up for my next heat.
Heat 2: Got off to a good start recieved a few more knocks but nothing to serious, this race was stopped too due to #2 Gary Thomas losing a wheel on the back straight ("hope your luck changes soon Gary"). I had a great restart passing the car in front straight away, some good tusssles and I finished 8th, better but not really good enough.
The Final:
Great start, very rough race but also some really good racing too. here was a nasty looking accident in this race #77 Andy Ledgar's car was up in the air when I was coming into the bar bend, it looked like it was almost upright on its front bumper, luckily it landed back on its wheels and I think Andy was ok atleast I hope he was. Got held up a bit when this happened, cars in front slowed, I think some drivers including myself were expecting waved yellows to come out but they didn't so it was go go go!!! again some great racing and I finished 6th.
After the rough meeting on the 11th March the car is ready to go again, the front end needed pulling out quite a bit and the back end, well, I struggled to pull that out, I think I moved it a bit but not much, the drivers door popped out easy enough though. The bonnet just needed jumping on a few times to flatten it out again. I cleaned my plugs and carb and slapped yet more paint on it.
See you this Sunday then. It a British Championship Qualifiying round so I'm hoping to pick some more points up.
Due to unforseen circumstances I had to cancel my booking for the meeting on the 25th March but now I'm looking forward to racing again on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, which is The Northern & Midland Championship Final for the Hot Fords!!!! BE THERE!! OR...... DON'T BE!!!
Monday 9th April 2007.
The day started rubbish when I decided to get my petrol for the race car from the petrol station I pass on the way to the track, which is just down the road from the track. They had ran out of petrol!! GREAT!! I had to go and find another petrol station, which was Morrisons just outside Buxton centre, sadly I had no time to nip in and grab myself some chicken and Veg Balti pies :-( if you aint had one, you aint lived!! "If anyone from Morrisons is reading this and would like to sponsor me with, mmmm, lets see, a years supply of Balti pies??? I'm up for that!!!"
To the racing!! Practice was rubbish, car felt terrible in the bends. Heat 1: It had started raining a while before the racing started so needless to say, the track was wet, funnily enough, thats what happens when it rains. It was just wet but oily too. I was taken by three or four cars straight away but soon got in to the racing but getting a little side ways on the bends, finished 8th. No good really but considering how the car was handling I suppose it was ok. Heat 2: Even wetter this one and again very slippery, ye another bad start left me with a lot to do but did a bit better finishing 8th. The Final (Nothern & Midland Championship Final) This was to be a closed grid for the start with the drivers who had scored the most points in the qualifiying rounds starting nearer the front, I was 8th on the grid and got my best start of the day but this was a realy slippy race, loads of sideways action in the bends, someone had spun on the bar bend early on and I think this held the cars behind up slightly alowing the front pack to get a away. I was struggling all the way through this 20 lapper for grip and was under pressure from the #769 car which eventually overtook me, we had a good old tussle in bad conditions and I eventually got the place back but then ended up with #69 on my back bumper right to the end. I finished 8th, which wasn't as good as I wanted but I guess its a finish in the points and they all count. A good day really because didn't ave much damage at all. I'm not quite sure what to do now though, the thing is I have a newer car which need the engine sorting and I have the old one which I'm using at the moment, which isn't handling well and is a bit bent and not very nice to look at, it needs a lot of time spending on it and I havent got much time. So I cant make my mind up whether to spend the time getting my new one out again which I know handles better or just carry on with the old one.
