Mister Towed on the road... - Page 36

Mister Towed · #**701** 29th October 2016, 17:23

Thanks for the support everyone, it is a bit of a dream and I doubt I could make a go of it if it was my only source of income.

I have a Ford Puma on my drive at the moment waiting to donate its (Yamaha) 1700 twin cam. It weighs 85kg fully dressed, puts out over 120hp in standard guise and will spin up past 7000rpm all day long - Ford didn't even bother putting a red line on the tacho.

That'll be bolted to a Mazda RX8 gearbox. I have a five speed one sitting on the chassis at the moment (I have a Spitfire chassis in the garage and a GT6 Chassis in the shed) but I'll probably use the six speed version if I decide to build a more track focused version. As the RX8 six speeder has closer ratios and shorter gearing in top it would be better for acceleration but give higher revs when cruising.

I'll keep you posted with developments, the next step is to get a chassis onto its wheels and modify the body I have to fit. Although the Spitfire wheelbase is only 8mm longer than the 356, I accidentally bought a Banham body designed to fit the Rover 100 chassis which is 180mm longer, rather than a correct length Pilgrim body that the seller thought it to be Oh well, vive la challenge!

Jeff H · #**702** 29th October 2016, 17:44

I have a Puma that me and my son use for track days,

Great engine in them, goes very well, I didn't realize they fitted to the Mazda gearbox, they are also cheap to buy which is a bonus if you need any spares.

Good luck with the project.

Oh and thanks for the badges.

Paul L · #**703** 29th October 2016, 17:50

Mister Towed - I look forward to following your retirement builds.

Good luck, Paul.

Mister Towed · #**704** 29th October 2016, 18:17

Thanks again guys.

Jeff, the Puma engine needs an adaptor plate to fit the Mazda box but they're available from a couple of different suppliers for around £130.

It's the lightest mass market engine around for its power and like you say, really cheap - I paid £110 for a runner with an MOT.

I'd considered the Rover K series but it's physically bigger, weighs another 20 or so kilos and every other one is advertised as having head gasket failure.

There are also adaptor plates available for the Ford/Jaguar V6 engines, so if I ever get around to building a more authentic Lancia D24 it'd have the Jaguar 2.1 litre V6. That'd give about 160bhp straight out of the box and have the correct engine layout for the real D24, which had a V6 motor.

Can't wait to get started now...

Oh, and I'm glad the 250 badges were suitable, btw.

Mister Towed · #**705** 17th December 2016, 16:43

MOT passed this afternoon with no advisories so that's four for four, hooray!

Having said that, there was a bit of an issue that's been dogging the car since I finished it back in 2013. When I restored the chassis I used all new brake components including new calipers, discs, pads, shoes, hoses and rear wheel cylinders.

The brakes have always been really good, but there was a feeling that they were dragging for a second or so after releasing the pedal. That issue was never a real problem but it never went away. The handbrake was always a marginal pass too - as it's on single circuit hydraulic brakes it has to achieve 25% efficiency and it's only just managed that each time.

So, today, the car decided it was time to reveal what the problem had been all along. The moment it rolled over the inspection pit one of the rear wheels seized solid and wouldn't budge no matter what.

With the wheel and drum removed it soon became apparent that both the mechanism that allows the cylinder to 'float', effectively resetting the shoes each time you release the brakes, and the cylinder itself were seized despite still being in 'as new' condition. It was clear that they'd been partially sticking since I built the car, hence the brakes dragging after release, but the knock on effect was that it had made adjusting the handbrake cables impossible because the shoes weren't resetting properly after each operation, altering the adjustment every time you pressed the brake pedal or pulled on the handbrake.

So, after a bit of jiggery pokery, I now have brakes that don't drag when you release them and a handbrake that managed 27% efficiency on the test.

Hooray, car is now better than ever and is ready for the Brass Monkey's run on 27th December. See you there?

lancelot link · #**706** 17th December 2016, 19:36

Great news Towed ...I really wish I could get up to that run , it looks cool ...Xmas for me this year will be cutting , glassing , filling , sanding ....repeat ..

molleur · #**707** 17th December 2016, 20:07

Well done! Congratulations.

Paul L · #**708** 18th December 2016, 06:38

Mr T - Congratulations on the MOT pass.

Also, it sounds like good news that you found the problem with your brakes in a safe place.
( I also recall the previous brake line failure on your driveway.

)

But Shirley a man of your forum experience has some photos of this historic event to share.

Cheers, Paul.

PS
I did spot a photo of your Speedster with a convertible roof "next door" and would love to see a build thread for that too.

phil9 · #**709** 18th December 2016, 06:44

well done towed ...was out in mine too ..think wee all ready for 27th

Mister Towed · #**710** 18th December 2016, 07:07

Thanks for the words of support guys and sorry for the lack of photos. I'll make sure I get plenty on the Brass Monkeys run.

I believe the rear cylinder seized when it did because we'd just done the checks of all the brake hydraulics, which involves me putting maximum force on the brake pedal while the tester checks all the lines and seals for leaks. That probably pushed the cylinder out just far enough for it to stick totally rather than just drag the brakes for a second.

As I drive anything on the road defensively (with a view to self preservation) I've only actually had to use maximum braking force in my Spyder once in the last four years I've probably never pushed the piston out that far on the road.

Looking forward to the run out on 27th, should be a great friendly event.

Paul L · #**711** 12th February 2017, 07:07

Mr T - Great to see your car made it into KitCar.

Hope you are enjoying retirement.

Cheers, Paul.

Mister Towed · #**712** 12th February 2017, 17:52

Thanks Paul, yes, my car did photobomb Phil's mag article a bit (sorry Phil).

Retirement is great so far, just can't work out where I ever found the time to go to work.

Will be giving my Spyder a refresh soon as it's beginning to look a little frayed around the edges after four years of back road blasts. Once that's done then I'll start my 356 Outlaw, no rush though.

BTW, bought myself an Alfa Romeo GT coupe as a daily driver yesterday to replace my old faithful Nissan Micra, after all, you're only old once...

phil9 · #**713** 13th February 2017, 05:27

no big deal towed nice to see it in there ..sorry i mist you sunday about this weekend ...teas on...

Mister Towed · #**714** 13th February 2017, 06:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil9

no big deal towed nice to see it in there ..sorry i mist you sunday about this weekend ...teas on...

Yep, it'll be nice to catch up Phil.

Taking Mrs Towed and Towed junior away for a surprise trip to The Lake District tomorrow. Sadly we'll be using her Pulsar for the journey as she says the back of the Alfa is too small for her to get comfortable in. As junior is now taller than me and gets sick in the back of any car anyway he gets the front seat and she either drives, which she generally prefers not to, or goes in the back.

She went to see 'Fifty Shades Darker' yesterday though so I tried selling her the idea that the back of the Alfa is like a purpose built, suede leather lined S&M dungeon that she could get all submissive in, but she ain't buying it and refused to get in. Quite a relief really as I was worried that all the chains and studs might scratch the paintwork...

We'll be back for the weekend so I'll drop in then for a chat about raising the back of the gearbox to drop the front of the engine. See ya soon.