Watkins Glen-----Revisited

The folks in the red shirts are know as "Team Bedford".  They have been coming down from Canada to Watkins Glen for years.   Lately they have been assisting the F5000 association.  A great group of guys.



L to R  Mitch, Steve, me, Mike and Ken



One week to go

Road America is coming up fast.  Finished mounting the Goodyear's, now their ready.

I have decided to order all new brake pads.  The pedal was getting pretty long at Watkins Glen. After all, how much service can you expect out of 36+ year old brake pads.  The new ones should arrive Friday or Saturday.

Goodyear tires

Removed last years tires and will be mounting my fresh Goodyear's for Road America.  I noticed at Watkins Glen this past June, a whole lot more drivers are using Goodyear's............hmmm.

Gear box

Installed the new 2nd gear.  It will be nice to finally have a usable 2nd gear.   Looking forward to Road America.

The oil temperature gauge stopped working at Watkins Glen.  I think the vibration broke the sending unit.  Purchased this one on eBay.

Engine

Started the race engine yesterday.  No leaks and sounded good.  Next on the list, change the gear ratios and mount the new Goodyear tires.  Having 4 weeks between races is just the right amount of time.

On schedule

Took the truck for a test ride yesterday, no leaks and everything working correctly.  Haven't got the car back together completely, but I still have 2 weeks to go.
We now have 13 F5000 cars entered for Road America so far.

2nd gear

Back visiting 2nd gear.  As you might recall, the 2nd gear I purchased on eBay didn't fit my gearbox.  One of the gears was too long.  Talked to Brian at "Vintage Racing Service" and he said he'd grind the gear down to fit.  Just got it back and we'll give it a try.  

Before

After

On other news, the truck is completed and ready for a test run.  Spent the better part of yesterday finishing the replacment of both fuel lines.  It finally came down to having to remove the turbocharger and a few more brackets for access to the left line. 

Fuel lines

Getting ready for Road America

With the discovery of the broken clutch, there was no need to inspect the rod and main bearings.  So back in the engine goes, with a new clutch pack.  That should be all hooked up by the end of the day.  Getting ready for Road America.

Watkins Glen Photos

Photos taken by Steve Bedford.  Click on link below

Watkins Glen Photos 2011

The smoking gun

As soon as I removed the clutch, the search for the vibration was over.  One of the clutch discs had shattered.  I'm glad I lowered my RPM's during the race at the Glen; the vibration would have been hard on the engine.  Why it happened, I'm not sure. 

Engine removed

With the engine out I can replace the clutch plates and inspect the bearings. 

Oil filter diagnoses

Cut open the oil filter and had a close look at the paper element.  Some very tiny particles, but nothing alarming.  That's good news, once the engine is out of the car I'll take a look at the bearings. It's real easy to do at this stage. 

The engine will be out of the car by the end of the day.

The search continues

Synchronized the carburetors with the tool I just received.  Did find the left bank in need of a adjustment.  But really don't know if this was the problem.  The engine does run smoother, but the real test is on the track at 7000 rpm under a load.  Next is to remove the oil filter and dissect it, looking for engine bearing material. 

Handy tool, just measures air volume.



It can't be all fun and games

The truck had a small fuel leak after we got home from Watkins Glen.  No idea what a big project this has turned into.  The fuel line on the right side of the engine had rusted through leaving a small pin hole.  The line is buried among the engine components making replacement a tough job.  Working on this van is like opening the hood on a pickup truck 1 foot high and trying to reach in, very little room.  I've also noticed the left fuel line is rusted, that one is next.  I've had to move the alternator, a/c and power steering pump along with covers and bunch of other stuff.  Lucky I won't need the truck in the next couple of weeks. 

Carburetors?

Ordered the clutch discs(requires 2). Spark plugs are on order.  I'm starting to focus on the Weber carburetors as a source of my engine vibrations. The engine uses 4 carburetors. 2 for the right bank(4 cylinders) and 2 for the left bank(4 cylinders). There is a chance the carbs are not synchronized. Certain cylinders will be getting more fuel than others. This would result in uneven explosions in 4 out of 8 cylinders. I've ordered a tool that will sync the carbs.  All this stuff should be here next week.