Dadson Racing: 2010 Revival

[Whittie]

Video upload is so slow!!!

 

Next one is up here

 

 

 

[Whittie]

Fan belt in 3. 2. 1.

 

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

In the rush to post promptly after our last event there is one (major) little thing I failed to mention, after pushing the car into the slip road we couldn't fire it at all and the photographer said he couldn't hear the fuel pump (which is normally audible even outside the car) so I looked under the back and sure enough a wire had dropped off so that was reconnected and with ignition the carbies were refueled ready for the push start and chug-a-lug-pop-bang home.

 

This is not a new issue, we have previously dealt with it successfully using a combination of gaffa tape and cable ties but the look is not in keeping with a rebuilt show quality car so when Rikki the sparkie was working on the car I asked him to crimp the connectors so they would stay in place, which he did.

 

This is a pic of the initial pump/filter fit up you've seen before, you can see the remnants of the tape stickie on both the connectors and the side of the pump.

 

While Rikki has been able to tidy the pump wiring a lot, Bosch clearly have a design problem with their connectors, they just wont stay in place without assistance.  (apologies for the pic quality)

 

So it's time to forget about the look, we're back to a reliable competition set up.

 

Cheers

Dad

[CroS13]

I hope your auto electrician got rid of those dodgy as hell scotch lock connectors on the fuel pump harness. Is that what you are referring to when you say "crimp the connections"??

 

love the car by the way, i don't think Ive commented on it yet. colour is amazing.

 

Rudolf.

 

 

[Grandad]

Hi Rudolf

 

Thanks for your interest in our project, that first pic was taken before the sparkie started I only used it for clarity because the other two are out of focus so well spotted and yes those and other scotch lock connectors are long gone having been replaced with solder.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Will called the other day saying he will need his fish oil spray gun back soon to give his latest project a once over with his "brew" so having finished with it I decided this would be an opportunity for Will to see the Zed arrive at his workshop under its own steam and not on Vinces' flat top, so I removed the race tyres and refitted the shopping trolley wheels and set off.

 

Will sets high standards for himself and is a hard man to please but to say he is impressed with the standard of the rebuild since the Zed left his shop would be an understatement, I don't think I've ever seen him smile so much and having heard it arrive, people from his adjoining units wandered in to inspect it as well.

 

This man truly is a magician, here's a couple of pics of his latest project.

 

The engine in this started life as a 308 but has been taken out to 355 so should go fairly well and the induction is configured to fit under the stock bonnet but knowing the problems associated with Holden V8 motors I think I would have stored this one for later use and fitted a Chevy 350, anyway that's just my view so to each his own.

 

Cheers

Dad

[gav240z]

Very cool I do like that shape torana  especially with the flares. That v8 looks expensive with the glimer? pulley set up. Should make an interesting noise.

 

It is always nice to see others appreciate your work. Well done you guys deserve it.

[Grandad]

It is always nice to see others appreciate your work.

 

Hi Gav240Z

 

Through a series of coincidences and "while were at its", the rebuild went from a reasonably modest rust removal and re spray to the full on rebuild you've witnessed, when the car came to me for reassembly I thought that the body was so good I couldn't possibly cut corners and refit crappy looking old parts so that's why I got to know the electro plater, powder coater and fastener supplier so well and the end result is effectively a brand new 1977 260Z.

 

Right through the rebuild process we fully expected we would end up with a head turner and hopefully a competition class leader, so far we are happy on both counts, one thing we had not considered for a moment was peoples reaction to the car which has been amazing, even non car people have commented positively, the reaction and unexpected comments from trade suppliers and fellow competitors (as mentioned in a previous post) has been both uplifting and humbling at the same time and has certainly left me with the feeling that all my time, effort and pain has been well worth it.

 

 

Hi All.

 

We are a bit lucky over here and have a rather unique situation at Barbagallo Raceway aka Wannas, there are three retired guys, Gillie, Boots and Blue who are camera buffs and historic car enthusiasts they attend many of the local events and snap away to their hearts content then collate their pics and send out a CD of them to the competitors.

 

As you know we've been off the track for four years, Gillie was there and made his way down the pits to a Zed car he'd never seen before, as soon as he saw us there was instant recognition but then he was stunned by two things, first was the car that used to be silver and second the realization that we've been away four years, anyway the shutter went into overdrive.

 

I received an email from Gillie the other day requesting confirmation of my postal address and attached it had a cover pic of a CD he's sending to us, when I replied telling him the he'd got me excited he sent me another pic so here they are.

 

Wannas at night.

 

Cheers

Dad

 

 

[Whittie]

Took the missus for a drive through the hills yesterday for her first outing in it. I was a little unsure of how it would go, but things went pretty well I think. Grins all round, car ran flawlessly and she even said "I think we should keep it"

 

You little ripper!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

The CD of pics arrived today.

 

Team DADSON

 

Whittie at turn one

 

Whittie at the bottom of the hill under brakes.

 

Dad loosing coolant.

 

Enjoy.

 

Cheers

Dad

[PB260Z]

Looking for the "Like" button  ;D

[Whittie]

[PB260Z]

That would be the one.

[Whittie]

Don't worry, I've thought the same myself on pretty much every post that the old man has put up!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I heard the most wonderful sound this morning, the Zed rumbling up the drive and into the garage.

 

Whittie has had the car for the last few weeks to put a few ks on it doing some cruising with his new wife, fortunately she is all smiles and thinks it's a fun little car which is good.

 

The ks have crept up enough to consider the engine run in so it's now time to re-tension the head and get a bit more aggressive with the tune in preparation for our next events.

 

Hmmm looks like Whittie's been having fun.

 

Our Yoki 050s have one event left in them so we are keeping them for the next Speed Event Series Barbagallo Super Sprint on May 10 where Whittie is hopeful of significantly lowering his current lap time, I've had them removed and stored replacing them with a set of John Fowler sourced Dunlops, we know the Dunlops are not as quick as the Yokis but at about half the price it comes down to $s per lap and for what we do the Dunlops will be perfectly fine.

 

I've had interstate guests for a week and have lost track of time a bit, I thought I had two weeks before our next event but it is next weekend and scrutiny was this morning which of course we have missed so we will cop a penalty for having it done at the event but we will still be in.

 

The car is back up on stands ready for me to go over the underside tomorrow to check that all is tight and good, the front wheel bearings need some adjustment but that's to be expected.  Next week I'll be a bit busy the car has to go to Tuss for the head then to John Fowler to have a bit of neg camber taken out then I'll get the job of tappets and tune.

 

Next weekend is a two day event consisting of a Hill Climb Saturday followed by the Northam Flying 50 Round the Houses regularity event on Sunday.  WA is the only state where these Round the Houses events are permitted, they are held on closed public roads and are huge fun.

 

Here's a pic of Whittie in practice last time we did this event in 2009, this road has had a roundabout removed to create a straight so it takes a few laps to produce a clean surface.

 

With the dust and sand blown off you can see where the roundabout normally is.

 

Bring it on I'm excited.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I checked things over while the car was up on stands and all was good, all that was required was a slight adjustment of the front wheel bearings and while the opportunity was there I decided to lower the ride height 5mm, I couldn't help thinking it was a bit like giving a new car it's 1k service.

 

The suede MOMO wheel is already showing signs of wear from sweaty hands (as we have been advised it would) so I thought as we have two complete steering wheel set ups I might fit the leather one for daily use and commutes then change to the suede one for competition, a bit like changing road wheels really, so with that in mind I climbed into the drivers seat and was strangely overcome with an odour this car hasn't had since 1977, that essence of new fabric and drying glue that sais, I'm new, I sat there for a few moments in enjoyment and thought, that's another little thing that makes the journey of the rebuild so worth while.

 

I took the car to John Fowler for another wheel alignment yesterday, we're going to keep playing with the setup until we find the one that works best for us, this time the neg camber has been reduced slightly while the caster has been increased, one tends to off set the other so in a straight line less neg camber gives us an increased contact patch which will allow better braking in a straight line, when cornering as turn angle is increased the extra caster has the effect of increasing neg camber to again maximize the contact patch which should allow us to carry more corner speed, (well that's the theory anyway), the car feels better on the road with a little less tram lining and no loss of turn in but that was on public roads at traffic speed with tyres that are extremely forgiving, the real test will come in competition with R spec tyres.

 

The car is set up with effectively a quick release front, the bumper has the normal mountings which are easily accessible allowing for quick removal while the spoiler has four wing nuts which come off in seconds, this set up was done so the car can go onto virtually any car trailer but is also useful for accessing some hoists.

 

I dropped the car off to Tuss in the afternoon so he could re tension the head for us the following morning when the engine was dead cold, as he's a tight for space he stacks cars on hoists overnight and knowing the time and effort that has gone into the Zed it was always going to have an elevated position and while this may not be new to many of you, this is the first time I've seen a car jacked up onto a two post hoist.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

We have just had the most amazing Dadson Racing Weekend at Northam which is about an hour and a half east of Perth in the Avon Valley, there was a hill climb on Saturday then Round The Houses Regularity on Sunday.

 

After posting the pics of our last event at Northam and recalling just how much abrasive grit is thrown up in practice I decided I had urgent work to do so on Friday I purchased a meter on 3M VentureShield to cover the front of the bonnet.

 

This material is simply amazing to work with, applying the film over the power bulge was so simple it was as though the bulge wasn't even there but the leading edge of the bonnet was not to be quite so simple.

 

Ultimately all it took was patience and perseverance to coax the film into place then I was onto the front panels beside and under the headlights, it was getting late when I did the passenger side and I'm not happy with it so will probably redo it later but it's good enough for now.

 

Then for scrutiny I had to reposition the throttle return springs to a couple of crappy old brackets I was able to acquire and while there not up to spec with the rest of the car but they will be soon.

 

With that done I refitted the air filters, put the battery on charge (just in case) and went to bed for a few hours before my 5.00am start in the morning.

 

Almost against the odds I managed to get up on time and rendezvoused with Whittie for our convoy to Northam, there's nothing quite like driving into a sunrise in crisp morning air admiring wispy clouds in the sky tinged with glorious morning colour, I don't do it often and each time I do I tell myself to do it more often but I know it won't happen because I really do like my sleep.

 

We had to get to Northam early not only for the scrutiny we missed in Perth last weekend but also because the Hill Climb was being run in two groups and being double entered we were in both, anyway I was first up and feeling seriously apprehensive. 

 

I grew up with non power assist everything but that's now a day or two ago so it's taking me a little while to reacquaint myself with that concept and acquire some confidence in the brakes, I am also aware that this track has a hairpin halfway up that we arrive at carrying considerable speed and knowing I would arrive with cold race pads I decided my first run would effectively be a sighting run.

 

As I made my way forward in the queue toward the starting line it occurred to me that with a green low traction track this might just be the perfect time to test our launch control without stressing the car too much so I turned it on, with the clutch depressed the revs are limited to just under 4k but when the clutch is released full power is applied and the limit goes back to the higher setting.

 

I had a practice then four timed runs and used the launch control on all but my last run because I wanted a comparison, as it turned out I bogged down at the start yet recorded my best time because by then I was familiar with the track and had confidence in the brakes, I think I'm a launch control devotee and I'm thinking spectators think so to because Whittie said that every time I rolled up to the line the cameras all came out.

 

Whittie went out in the second group and preferred the launch control off but as I was the all powerful custodian of the video camera I determined he would do at least one pass for the camera with launch control activated but sadly for Whittie that turned into several passes with launch control activated because the all powerful custodian of the video camera couldn't get the freakin thing to work.

 

Here's Whittie approaching the start line.

 

Whittie in his preferred launch mode.

 

Whittie in launch control

]

 

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the launch control, I'll get pics and vid up on the Northam Round The Houses as soon as I can.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Whittie]

Haha, those videos are great! It's worth noting that on the 'launch control' version I just had my foot buried flat to the floor until the wheel spin stopped (and got stuck on the limiter right before changing gears), so it wasn't a fast getaway by any means. Looks and sounds good tho!

 

I think the launch control will be good once we get to grips on the level of throttle to hold as obviously above enough to get 4,000 rpm there is no more revs for your throttle position.

 

In circumstances such as drag racing, this will work fine, however, on the circuit and hillclimbs, etc, the limiter also prevents revving above 4,000rpm on down-shifts unless the clutch is entirely depressed and not just 'engaged enough to spin the gearbox' which is non-ideal as I found out on sunday.

 

I guess you could always turn it off once you're moving, but I've got no problem with punishing clutch's - that's what they're built for!!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Here's what turbo power does for a Zed.

 

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I'm seriously pleased that I burned the midnight oil on Friday to get the front of the car protected because come Sunday our worst fears were realized, Whittie was placed mid field in the first practice group, (the street sweepers) I pleaded with our team leader for us to be placed up the front because of fresh soft paint but it was not to be.

 

The first vid is the formation lap, the start line is after the right hander at the bottom of the hill, the following vids are each pass until the battery died, interestingly Whittie found some clear air and set the second fastest time of this group.

 

 

 

 

More to come when I get the editing done.

 

Enjoy.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

With the backup battery in the camera I managed to get Whitties next event but intervention of a fat finger has broken it into four vids instead of three.

 

For safety reasons Cams have set a minimum lap time of 60sec for this track and most of the cars entered can't get close to it but following their practice the front running cars in this vid, the Red GT40 @ 56.55, the grey Porsche @ 58.37 and Silver 240Z Stroker with white stripes @57.77 and also the black Porsche @ 59.77 were on notice that if they broke out once more they would be out of the event and on their way home, fortunately it's not realistic for the stewards to check every cars lap time so as long as it looked safe and there were no accidents they allowed the event to continue which was good because most of those cars broke out and Whittie did a couple of 59s for good measure.

 

If you look at the last car in the first vid you'll see an MGB with a bruised right front guard, I was in his practice session and I suspect the red mist descended and he out braked himself into turn two (all corners here are 90deg) and tested the integrity of the concrete barrier, in previous years that would constitute an immediate fail and see the car and driver on their way home but amazingly the stewards assessed the situation and vehicle damage then allowed him to continue competing, one shower doesn't make a flood and I'm not about to change my view on Cams over one incident but it did demonstrate a little compassion.

 

By the third vid the lead cars have caught the back of the field, we hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed driving and filming it.

 

 

 

 

 

There was no clear winner in the most admired and photographed car category for the weekend but I think it's fair to call a dead heat between a red GT40 and a blue 260Z.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Whittie confirmed this week that he's heading OS for a few years in a couple of months, there remains a tiny competition window before he leaves so the pressure is on again to get a bit more done to the Zed before he goes.

 

At our last event I played with the launch control for the first time and was really happy with the way it worked, I didn't think much more about it but watching the vid of Whittie bouncing off the rev limiter in 1st for way too long without really getting anywhere made me realize we not only have to learn to use it to better effect but also have the car too highly geared for hill climb and standing start events.

 

When we bought the car it had a 4.4-1 final drive that we were told had a viscous center however we soon found out that it was in fact an open diff so I sourced and fitted a viscous center and had all the bearings and seals replaced at the same time, this ratio suited our needs extremely well for our local events, at Phillip Island with a good entry onto the front straight we were just hitting the limiter before the end which didn't really hurt our times and the gearing was great every where else.

 

For our first Bathurst in 2008 we decided the 4.4-1 would be way too short so acquired a 3.5-1 to which I again fitted a viscous center, this turned out to be too tall because although we had good speed down conrod we were struggling up the mountain and across the top, we decided that diff was way too tall for us and would be best suited to highway cruising in a turbo car so sold it to a member who was after one for that purpose.

 

For our second Bathurst appearance in 2010 we fitted a 3.9-1 mechanical lsd which was perfect for that track but that was the last event before the re-build and with the passing of time and a little of my increasing CRAFT* when reassembly time came round I simply refitted the diff that came out of it so I'm now faced with my least favorite job on the Zed, changing diffs.

 

First up I raised the car on its suspension to remove the rear sway bar and exhaust.

 

With that done I set the car on jack stands and uncoupled the half shafts which allowed a clear view to the upper diff mount which currently has about 5mm clearance, it will be interesting to inspect the bottom mount for signs of stress because I'm considering introducing a spacer to reduce the gap to zero.

 

With less than 2,000ks on the car we are still well and truly in shake down mode, we have had a couple of strange noises in the back of the car and have identified and cured some but not yet all, I suspected the sway bar was contacting the suspension mount but when I checked it it had clearance but I can now see evidence of touching I guess that only occurs under extreme conditions but that's where we generally use the car.

 

So it's time to get the sad old 4.4-1 out of storage and give it a birthday to bring it up to current spec.

 

With the sound proofing removed previously undetectable road and drive line noise is now clearly audible and intrusive, the 3.9-1 diff had a very slight but annoying whine on cruise not noticeable on drive or over run but it is possible induction and exhaust noise drowned it out at that time I have no recollection of the 4.4-1 being noisy but allowing for my CRAFT* I decided to put a tube of MollyBond into the diff as insurance, I first discovered this product almost 50 years ago and have had some sensational successes with it, I guess if it didn't work it wouldn't still be available.

 

* CRAFT  can't remember a fudgein thing

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I should've known better than to go to my local Irish Pub for dinner last Sunday while I have the Zed in bits because as much fun as it was there are no prizes for guessing who followed me home, at least I now know (according to the pub staff) he hails from County Clare. 

 

First up I decided to cut some ali plate to create a spacer to close the gap between the diff and the top mount to reduce the diff flex when aggressively going from acceleration to deceleration, with the benefit of hind sight I should have taken a little more time at this stage of the rebuild and got it right first up but as I'm changing the diff anyway there's no harm done.

 

 

Here are the two diffs together the mechanical lsd on the left and the viscous lsd on the right you can see the weld where we had to marry the old school ends to odd length viscous axles, all I have to do is swap the cv half shaft adapters over but I'm about to rediscover just how much fun that is and also even though both these diffs have previously been fitted to the Zed, one of these things is not like the other, the one on the right has a sensor at the pinion end and another at the filler, I have no idea what vehicle this diff is out of but it certainly wasn't a 260Z.

 

 

The tolerance on this is really tight and 1/2" drive sockets don't fit so I borrowed a 3/8" drive socket and 1/2" adapter from Tuss and the job was done.

 

 

You can see by the rust marks where the stock leather strap restrained the diff clearing the front sensor.

 

 

But that's not where the new mount makes contact as you can see here.

 

 

Even with the wire connector removed there isn't enough room.

 

 

I'm currently stuffed, I've searched google for hours, I have no idea what vehicle the diff is from and still don't know what the sensors are, I'm thinking the rear one is temperature but I'm not sure and I suspect the front one is looking at rotation a bit like an abs unit but again I'm not sure.

 

I'm at the point where I need to create clearance either by reducing the size of the front sensor unit or the rubber rebound stop, my preference is to reduce the size of the sensor but I don't want to become a latter day Jed Clampert so if anyone has experienced this before I'd love to hear from you.

 

Cheers

Dad

[nizm0zed]

cut the sensor off flush with the top of the diff housing, then seal it all in with epoxy resin?

[lampy]

kind of looks like you can take of the pinion flange and then unbolt the sensor.

Maybe have a look whats underneath?