Pittsburgh and back

Yesterday it was blowing 50 mph, tomorrow it's suppose to snow and today it was perfect for flying. A little cold but light breezes all day. Loaded up the parts to be plated and off I went.

Used Zelienople Municipal airport, borrowed one of there crew cars and was at Paul's Chrome shop in less than 15 minutes. At least that's done and I can concentrate on other projects.

Plumbing

Now is the time to measure for all the oil lines. I don't see any problems or road blocks. Looking at about 18 ft of oil lines and another dozen fittings. The water hose from the swirl pot to the intake manifold does not line up. Have to give some thought to this problem.

Happy Holidays...

...and Merry Christmas to all!

Next week

The weather was good, but the timing was bad. It looks like I won't get to the platers until next week. Still some loose ends to wrap up before Christmas and just don't have the time.

Parts ready for plating

The new parts Brian made have been glass beaded and wire wheeled and now are ready for the nickel plating. Doing this prep work saves time at the shop and a couple of bucks for me. A win, win. I have my eye on Wednesday to bring the parts out to the platers. The weather is looking good so far, here and out by Pittsburgh.

Back to work

Had a little time today and worked a couple of hours on the car. Removed all the new bits and pieces to ready them for nickel plating. Called up the Co. that does the plating to see how long it would take, 6-7 weeks. One way or another, they must be out to them sometime next week.

Reflections

It seemed so long ago. When I first saw the Lola I thought, it's in pretty good condition, this shouldn't take to long or cost too much. I was very wrong on both counts. But one big advantage over buy a car that's in race condition, is you know every inch of the your car. All parts are new, rebuilt or just inspected. Your not relying on some other persons work. You know what you got.

Anyway, back to work. Brian had to move the oil cooler location back to the original spot. The rear wing struts got in the way. Probably more secure at this location.

What's next?

With the car safely back in the shop, and the holidays fast approaching, not a whole lot will be accomplished till after Christmas. One of the first items on the list, all the new metal pieces must be nickel plated. I'll use the same plating shop that's out by Pittsburgh. No UPS, I'll drive or fly, can't take a chance at this point. The engine has to be removed for the flywheel and clutch installation, then oil lines.
I like to think at this point the major obstacles have been tackled, and the rest is down hill from here on in(fingers crossed).

It's Back!

Just got back today with the car. I'm very pleased with all the work, Brian did a fantastic job.

Snow....Again

I guess if it's snowing , this must be Wednesday. Right now there must be 3-4 inch's of snow with sleet that's slowly turning into rain. It's starting to look like next week to retrieve the car. The big issue with the weather is my shop, it's about 400 ft. behind the house and there is no driveway, I just drive across the yard. If the yard is really soaked, the truck tires sinks into the yard and gets stuck, big time.

Snow

Had my fingers crossed the car would be back before I had to deal with snow(4-5 inch's). The fall has been so mild, you thought the snow wouldn't happen till the new year. The plan is to pick up the car Wednesday, the forecast is for warmer days. It should be gone by then.

Lola just about done.

Brian sent a email, says the last thing to be completed is putting the black coating on the headers. So the car will be ready for pickup next week. That's like a month ahead of schedule, or I could say I was hoping before Christmas, with the possibility of early next year. Very good news I must say.

No news

If everything is going on schedule, the collectors for the exhaust system should be completed this week. But even if the car is completed, the truck is not configured for moving a race car at this time. The truck wouldn't be available til next week.

Race schedule update

Below is the race schedule from the "Formula 5000 Drivers Association" I have been waiting for. This is the group I belong to and the series I plan to run. Wow, two races on the west coast. Last year the first race(May) was in California, and the F5000 group race was cancelled because no one went. Maybe having the events in late summer/early fall might help. Anyone on the east coast would must likely leave the car and equipment out there and fly back and then return for the October race. Something to think about, still many months away.

(news release)
The Formula 5000 Drivers Association is pleased to announce its racing schedule for 2010. Building on the success of the prior two years, the Association has announced an expanded race program for 2010 consisting of five events spanning from the east to the west coasts of the U.S.

The 2010 U.S. Formula 5000 Revival Races will take place at the following venues:

• April 29 – May 2: Road Atlanta, GA - HSR Walter Mitty Speedfest
• June 10 - 13: Watkins Glen, NY – HMP Bobby Rahal Legends of Motorsports
• July 15 - 18: Road America, WI – Kohler International Challenge w/Brian Redman
• September 3 - 6: Portland Raceway, OR – SOVREN Columbia River Classic
• October 1 – 3: Infineon Raceway, CA – CSRG Charity Challenge

Rollbar rear supports

Two more items completed. The original rear facing roll bar supports no longer fitted because I was using carburetors instead of fuel injection. So the new ones had to be made with a slight bend to clear the carburetors. They also support the air intake that sits on top of the carbs.

Rear wing struts

Rear wing struts where next on Brian's list. I really wasn't sure how he was going to tackle this problem. He took the best approach, start fresh and discard the two old supports. The only issue was with the oil cooler bracket, this was now in the way. So I decide have the oil cooler moved back to the original location, over the gear box. Will need to make a new mount.

Just like all the previous work, this to came out real nice. Brian at Vintage Racing Services certainly comes highly recommended.

Exhaust system

The left and right exhaust are now being worked on. Brian has the collectors for the exhaust system on order and should be here after Thanksgiving. Looking good.

Oil pump

The oil pump and all the belts are now in the right location. Just need to order a shorter belt. Brian mentioned this was no easy task, not much room for the pulleys. Just above the pulleys and to the right(round cylinder) is the new swirl pot.

I'm just amazed how fast all this is being accomplished.

OIl Tank done

Brian sent a couple of photos of the completed oil tank. It's a lot more than just a cylinder that holds 3 gallons of oil. Really nice work, isn't it.

Update

Received some news from the shop yesterday. The swirl tank for the cooling system is done. They used original drawings that Eric Haga had. The oil tank is 90% done. Next is the throttle bracket, rear wing supports, rear roll bar supports, pulley system for the oil pump(a bigger job than I thought) and exhaust system. So, everything is looking good so far.

No News

I anticipate hearing from Brian this week about the car. First comes the estimate. All the items on the list have to be custom made. But a least this is a big restoration Co. that has been in business for many years. It's not just one person working on it. When the job starts, I'll try to get Brian to send some photos. Or maybe I'll make a visit.

Empty nest

This was suppose to happen in August, and now it's November. But the car is finally at the shop in Connecticut. Went up yesterday, but a course early yesterday morning there was a tanker fire on Rt. 95 at exit 19 and I had to go to exit 30 in Stratford. The northbound lanes where closed all morning. So my morning drop off turned into late afternoon. But it's there.

Another race date added

Well, Bobby Rahal's historic race club has just added a July race in Mt. Tremblant, just outside of Montreal. That makes 4 events so far. And we're only up to July. Still waiting to hear from the F5000 association on their race dates.

A slight delay.

I forgot after talking to Brian(making the exhaust system) in September that he would be down in Mexico racing at the end of October. Called him yesterday and will drop off the car next Monday.

2010 race update

Bobby Rahal's group "Historic Motorsports Productions" has announced another event at " Barber Motorsports Park" in Birmingham, Alabama on May 20-23, 2010. That's two trips south so far.

Loading up!

Heading up to Vintage Racing Services in Connecticut this week for the exhaust system. The car fits with no problems in the back of my van. The first time I picked up the car in the van, I used a loading dock in St. Louis to get it in and my front end loader at home to remove it. But neither of these would be available at the race shop. So made some ramps and put a winch in the truck, and voila.

2010 schedule

Next year looks to be very interesting in vintage racing. Bobby Rahal has started a new vintage race club called "Historic Motorsports Productions". The focus is on GTP/Group C; Formula One - 3.0 Liter era; F.I.A. Championship of Makes' 2.0 Liter Sports Racers; Trans-Am; Can-Am; NASCAR; IMSA GT/Production Cars; Open-wheel BOSS cars, including Indy cars, and F5000. HMP plans to organize and stage aligned premium automotive lifestyle events, such as local parades of race cars, vintage period fashion, food and wine festivals, concerts, auctions and concours d'Elegance events. First event will be at Watkins Glen June 11-13, 2010. Sounds interesting, don't know what the Formula 5000 group has planned yet, I'm sure we will be at Road America in July and I know they want to have a race on the west coast, should have their schedule in December. As for my first event, looking at April 8-11 at Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, GA

Before the car goes out for the exhaust headers, wanted to take a look at the rear wing mount again. This mount was with the car and the photos show that. But the wing does not attach to it. It's one of those questions, use this mount and modify the wing or use the other mount and modify brackets for the car. ?

First mount.

Hans.....One more look

Really needed to make a decision before the car went to the shop. Taking a second look I found that a small amount of bodywork would have to be removed for the device to fit with the minimal contact. With no body on the car, the device just about touches the roll bar. I'm going to wait until a I can get a few laps in the car, this will give me a better idea of my actual driving position.

Back to the Hans Device.

Just received the Hans device and could not wait to try it in the car. The problems where as expected. It hits the back of the body and the angle could be better. But I believe with a little padding behind my back this will give a little more support. The other option is to remove part of the body work behind my helmet. Really don't want to do this. But at least my helmet is below the roll bar. Many cars I see the drivers helmet is even or above the roll bar. It will take some testing in the car to see what I will need to do next.

Return from Hershey

Must of walked 10 miles, this place a like a city.

How about this for a tow vehicle?

Many years ago there was a airport right in front of the Hershey Hotel, now just a abandoned runway used for parking. Found a few Magazines on F5000 events, but that was it. Little money spent and a lot of exercise, not a bad day.

Hershey, PA

Driving out to Hershey,PA. this Thursday for the big antique car flea market. Over 9,000 vendor spaces and lots of things to see. Always looking for anything connected to F5000 or just racing.

Hans Device

Hans stands for "Head and Neck Support". A safety item that the driver is being required to wear by more clubs including SVRA which I race with. It sits on your shoulders connected to your helmet and held on by your shoulder belts. The newer race car seats has the driver in a more upright position. Maybe 20 or 30 degrees, which the Hans device is available in. My seat puts me at 55 degrees. I'm going to try a couple of different sizes and see what happens.

Back to the racer

One questioned that was answered at the past race weekend was, what held the nose on. Looking at one of the other Lola T192, it was quite simple. The nose has a pipe that runs through it and supports the outer wings. That pipe mounts on a pair of horse shoe like brackets that are on the radiator support. Mine are missing. You can see in the lower photo of a Lola T192 where the red pointer is. Another winter project.

Non race week

Been playing catchup and have had no time to work on the car. Was talking to one of the organizers of the F5000 group at Watkins Glen this past weekend. There working on a schedule for next year, hoping for races at Laguna Seca, CA., a event in the mid-west which might be a Mid-Ohio, Road America, WI. and Road Atlanta, GA. Sounds like a lot of travel.

Successful weekend

Sunday, no rain in the forecast. Eric (Lola #8)was having some issues with the engine running a little rough and unable to get past 6000 rpm. The last work was done Sunday morning, and the test was going to have to happen in the race later in the day. The race went well, Eric was able to improve on his lap times the engine sounded much better. I was able to get a lot of photos I need for my Lola, and Brian, who will do the exhaust and other work I need, was at the track and got a look at 2 other Lola's similar to mine.

Sunday Watkins Glen

Saturday started out with rain in the morning, but remained rain free the rest of the day. The first qualifying was on a damp track consisting of only 2 F5000, Eric Haga in is Lola T190 and Ted Wenz in his McRae. Midday was the drivers from the original series signing autographs.

Saturday Watkins Glen

Friday morning was a session with the F5000 cars, 8 on track. The next qualifying session would happen at 5 pm. After waiting all day, 15 minutes before 5pm it started to rain. No one went out. Saturday forecast is rain on and off all day.

Friday Watkins Glen

Thursday being the school and test day only one F5000 car was out in the morning. But later in the day a few more went out. Today, if it doesn't rain, I'm sure more will be out on the track.

The blue #21 is a Lola T192, the same as mine.