gt38088

Hey John better get the recipe for that 964 C4

John McM

Pete, there are 19 separate videos. I just put them end to end on iMovie and am trying to pick the eyes out if it. There's a lot of Lola's butt in there but more post Hanmer to keep everyone excited. Even Nik gets a cameo when we saw him at the Tyre shop in Napier.

I'll put the lot on the Seagate drive and we can look at a preview soon!

John McM

Doug sent me a photo of Lola safely in his garage. Step one done.

Step 2 is to plan. My thought after seeing that video and knowing how information can be distorted is why not document her rebirth in full and if funds allow then put a 3.8 conversion in her?

Everything baselined and sorted for the next 20 years. She would be better than before, plus be unique. A win/win.

Macca

Its a nice idea. But its a $65,000+ idea to put her together again with some mild cosmetic tweaks and rebuild the engine into a strong 3.8 with a tuned exhaust. Afterwards Doug may not want to drive it on the track or in anger ever again and it might become a show car?

nzskater

That 3.8 sounds absolutely stunning.

Any of you guys entering the PCNZ Karting or attending the brunch this month?

mjg

(From the longer Drive+ video) After spending all that money on the 3.8, it still grinds third at the track!

John McM

Matt, BB doesn't grind gears! Can you take your AIM on Saturday to record the times?

Macca

Sounds like a theme! Probably ran out of money after that exxe 3.8L upgrade. Know what that feels like!

John McM

Every Skyhawk that flew in my time on 75 Squadron had a defect log. Most flew with some known item not working. A fact of life with a complex machine.

To prove that, last night I had an attack of boredom/OCD and decided to get an even gap in Heman's headlight surround after my success with the other side.

Fail - someone else had been in there before. They installed the wire keepers incorrectly and stripped the holding fixture thread.

The point of saying that is that perfection on any used car is nigh on impossible. I'm learning to live with my 3rd gear grind on the track. As Steve says, "just shift slower". A lot cheaper than a gearbox rebuild, as Macca knows.

mjg

Yep.

Macca

Agree John. Slow changes prolong the inevitable but if its a keeper may as well bite the bullet (funds dependant) sooner I reckon and enjoy a sweet changing box again for longer. The G50/64 may be a strong box but it seems as soon as they see any prolonged track action the 2/3rd synchros eventual fail. For the road I suspect my box would have lasted another 3-5 years before it became an issue. As soon as the gearbox was hot an dealing with loads was a different story. I agree with Steve, probably gentle in all gears with these old girls is best - but its hard to do when you have Lola breathing down your neck aye ;-)

John McM

The car budget is 99% spent. Unless something breaks I won't be 'investing' more.

Both Herman and the Turbo 3.6 are in great form for the street as is. In fact so much so that when Doug suggested we take Herman to the early 911 coffee meeting this Sunday, I proposed to let him drive Herman while I take the Turbo 3.6. All we have to do first is work out how to rearrange the scaffolding.

gt38088

speaking of gearboxes, my track toy needs new selector, syncros for 2/3 and a new reverse cog of all things. And since the engine and gearbox are out I decided to give it a repaint. More later on this

The Targa dog box is looking good after about 11 days racing. The oil that came out of it after Targa NI looked good, no visible wear so that's good. We just took a peak as not sure what to expect.

Macca

Thats nice to know John but unless you are retiring Herman from all track duties its a problem that wont heal itself. As they synchro wears it will leave deposits on the gear collar and if you are unlucky could eventually create a far more expensive issue than I had. However if you nurse it it may be ok for a while longer. Its the temperatures in the box and the loads on the track that largely accelerate the wear. It may pay to double de clutch as I was (trying) to do towards the end of SITT on the track to make it kinder on the box from 2 to 3. Im not sure of your future plans for Herman and RSG but Im getting the distinct feeling the NITT will be swan song for a few looking to retire their old timers from regular track duty in lieu of longer term mechanical sympathy. Im not sure how long my old girl will remain out there but she's been rebuilt with a medium term view so Im fingers crossed for no unexpected bills in the next 12 months as its been an expensive year for many of us.

Macca

P.S. John. My car budget is always "99% spent". At least according to the old lady. I think it goes from 99% to 150% with one invoice tho :-)