April 2015
A very big congratulations to the Mensley family on getting their Fiesta ST to the end of the Britcar 24hrs race, and finishing an incredible 14th overall, completing 394 laps. They changed the rear wheel bearings many many times, and almost succumed to gearbox failure but they finished, which is an incredible feat. Well done to all concerned.
The donor gearbox is stripped, and I'm taking the casing over to Faircharm Restorations to be cleaned. I've lined Quaife up to rebuild the box and I'm going for a taller fifth gear at the same time, and a Gripper or Tran-x Diff. Not decided yet.
Its the Dunlop Britcar 24hr race this weekend at Silverstone. My friends, the Mensleys, are racing in their Fiesta ST, car 65. It may not be the quickest car, but its hopefully going to last the distance.
Follow its progress on
TSL timings website
I collected a second hand gearbox from Ipswich yesterday, setting off at 5pm I got there and back in a little over 5 hours. Good trip in the beemer though. If you pointed it straight up, it would would drive you to the moon if it had enough fuel. Its relentless the way it chews through the miles. [90MPH is only 2000rpm in top, it'd make an exceptional powerplant for a lightweight tin tip, or even a caterham/westy].
The box cost me £70.00, and I'll dismantle it and get the casing blasted and painted this week.
Its my sons 10th birthday today. Ten years have passed oh so quickly. I know thats a cliche, but they have. All the stuff thats go on, ten years, where did they go?
The QKE38Z gearbox has developed a leak, and on closer inspection, the Ford IB5+ casing has cracked, on the rearmost torque link fixture. I've pulled the entry for the Loton event on the 19th, and I'll remove the engine and box and start the long overdue upgrades. Disappointed to say the least. So I now need to find another IB5+ gearbox, to allow the Quaife box to be rebuilt. I think the Fiesta and maybe a few Focus models used the IB5+, maybe someone can advise. The wider the search, the easier it will be to find a spare box.
I've entered the Loton Park hillclimb on April 19th, in Sports Libre, and I'm hoping to get a run at one of my favourite hillclimbs.
And I've borrowed an engine stand from fellow sprinter David Hunter, so I can build the new engine. I've already got most of the parts, I just need to make decisions on things like, dry sumping, and alternator configurations without the mechanical water pump fitted etc. Simon Bainbridge will be out again in the stunning Syncro V8 on Monday at Croft, which I'd like to attend, but cant make the trip up. Lets hope the engine issues from Combe dont recur, and Simon gets to stretch the legs of the V8.
