Escadrille Ecosse Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 Messing about with SU needles. What fun. You seem to be making progress though Pete Good luck with the RBRR. Will either cure you of your ailments or kill you. Weather forecast up our neck of the woods is looking rather challenging at times so be prepared. And if you need assistance let me know and I'll do what I can to help. Although I have my own challenges during the day on Saturday and Sunday as I am Club Steward for the last sprint double header at Kames (Muirkirk) this weekend. Waterproofs and long johns needed I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 As I recall, (and I do quite vividly even after 13 years), the RBRR is a severe test of both man and machine, but especially man. In our case, the car could have done the trip again, straight after. The crew however, were almost completely broken by Gordano early on Sunday morning. It helps (a lot) if you are a crew of three in a big saloon. A small convertible with non-reclining seats however …… It also helps if you are one of those people who can sleep while hung on a barbed wire fence in a storm, or even just while sat upright in jolting, noisy car. I am not. Once was enough. Came very close to going home from Gordano (just 35 miles from home) and then again when we went within 15 miles of home on the Sunday afternoon. The hotel room in Enfield for Sunday night was uncancellable though….. both crew are pretty stubborn! Bad weather, especially persistently bad weather is unhelpful…. It is very noticeable at the Badgers Holt stop that the crews are in much worse condition if the weather is bad. Lucozade Sport is good….. but not magic. Not sure if we had discovered it on the RBRR but certainly gets used on the 10CR. I’ll see you at Badgers Holt and will be chasing you nearly all the way back to Haynes. Not sure of your route, but you’ll almost certainly be passing within a mile or two of here…. So if you do have issues in that area, we can likely help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted September 30, 2021 Author Share Posted September 30, 2021 Thanks for the support! Colin we pass Glasgow-ish (is that where you are?) late afternoon on Saturday so expect you'll be busy if we're anywhere near you. I won't come on here nagging if we're stuck on the north coast Nick I wouldn't attempt it without a reclining passenger seat to sleep in! Although it's not easy even then; not surprised you've never been tempted back. From Badgers Holt it's the most direct main road route towards Yeovil. A30, possibly. The road numbers in my brain have all merged into one. I'm apprehensive about weather and fuel, on top of the normal worries of a 48 hour drive in a partially tested car. Did it in 2018 and the only proper rain was just after setting off, then it was dry the rest of the weekend. Looks like being a different proposition this time, we shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 Oh for heaven's sake. Just seen that my new radiator top hose is leaking along its seam... Fortunately i've got the old one plus another new. Annoyingly I'd just got the car home from the lockup after partially draining the coolant to swap a jubilee clip. So now I have to part drain it again but without the convenient bits of pipe and funnel (which I didn't bring). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 38 minutes ago, PeteStupps said: Oh for heaven's sake. Just seen that my new radiator top hose is leaking along its seam... Fortunately i've got the old one plus another new. Annoyingly I'd just got the car home from the lockup after partially draining the coolant to swap a jubilee clip. So now I have to part drain it again but without the convenient bits of pipe and funnel (which I didn't bring). WTF! I am pleased to hear you have a reclining passenger seat. I was concerned. Even with that I realise this is not an endeavour for me. The local TSSC group just posted to say that you guys have a stop at Gartcosh Social Club tomorrow between 5.39 and 6.39 pm (which seems remarkably precise ) that's pretty close to home so if I can get away sharp I'll try and pop along to say hello. But seriously, while I can't help with the human wreckage, if you need mechanical help give me a shout. Any yes the North coast is a ways away, the thing that folks tend to forget is that by the time you reach Inverness you're still only half way to the top . Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 29 minutes ago, Escadrille Ecosse said: the thing that folks tend to forget is that by the time you reach Inverness you're still only half way to the top . Yeah, that does come as a bit of a surprise to we southerners, following on from the surprise of how far north of the border Glasgow and Edinburgh are . As for that hose…… . Eh? It’s not even a seam it’s a moulding line and should be a vestigial external feature only. What is it with reproduction rubber parts??! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 5 hours ago, Escadrille Ecosse said: so if I can get away sharp I'll try and pop along to say hello. Would be great to see you if you can! No idea how close to those times we'll be of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Hope all going well on the RBRR. This is the view of Kames motorsport complex from the Scimitar where I have retreated for so heat. A bit damp shall we say although I can see a small patch of blue over to the west 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Looks a lot like here. About 20mm of rain since 7am….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted October 2, 2021 Author Share Posted October 2, 2021 Still going ok,we've got a minor coolant leak but can't trace it. There's also a noise which I thought was speedo cable or something rubbing as it's road speed related. Decided to start worrying that it's somehow gearbox related. Otherwise we're making excellent time, ahead of the checkpoint timings so far. Weather has been mixed, we had a beautiful morning along the north coast. Now raining steadily and set to get worse. Currently heading along A82 towards Fort William with lots of traffic. Oh and I'm tired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Good to hear you are still going Pete. Tiredness not unexpected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 10 minutes ago, PeteStupps said: Oh and I'm tired! Yeah….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted October 2, 2021 Author Share Posted October 2, 2021 Managed a short sleep, even half an hour seems to make a big (albeit short-term) difference. @Escadrille Ecosse we're due at Gartcosh by 6pm according to google maps, if you happen to be around. Bring the nice weather please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 First royal blue Spitfire at Gartcosh was Not-Pete but next one was Pete. 1000 miles in and doing well. A very nice car you have there Pete. And I even managed to arrange for a bit of dry weather. Good luck for the rest of the drive guys. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Spot the energy food and drinks…… Lucozade? Or Irn Bru? Take it steady tonight fellas, conditions look proper nasty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 24 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Spot the energy food and drinks…… Lucozade? Or Irn Bru? Take it steady tonight fellas, conditions look proper nasty. Irn Bru and Tunnocks caramel wafers. Proper local scran. Yes, take care. Crap weather, dark and tiredness is not a great combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted October 2, 2021 Author Share Posted October 2, 2021 Great to meet you in person Colin, thanks for dropping by. The Irn Bru has been a revelation, kept me alert on the M74 and M6 down to Tebay services (saving the caramel wafers for the dreadful M5 section). Awful weather a little while after we left Glasgow, lots of standing water. Apparently one team have crashed out, no injuries. It was one of the Spitfires but don't know any other details. Just entered Wales after accidental detour. Got a good hour's sleep while Mike battled the motorway boredom. No rain at the mo, roads damp but not drenched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Pleased to meet you too Pete after all the online chat. Keep it going and rubber side down mate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Nice to meet you Pete, sorry no time to chat. Everybody arrived together! Doesn’t usually happen quite like that. Car looks good - hope the rest of the challenge went smoothly and you didn’t really need a Dynamo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 18 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Car looks good It does 19 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: hope the rest of the challenge went smoothly and you didn’t really need a Dynamo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 Good afternoon gents, very belated update before I start asking for more advice! Was pleased to have a post-RBRR break from frenetic spannering, then work and family kept me occupied. After all the effort and investment was very satisfied that engine and gearbox performed well on the Round Britain. The overdrive made a world of difference, as you'd expect. I only left it on in 1st gear a couple of times... (locks out on reverse only). We did indeed suffer dynamo failure at 1am in Wales but had a spare in the boot. It turned out that I had put new brushes in the spare but not the one under the bonnet, and one brush had worn down, broken up and half fallen out. Silly me. The spare then caused some worry later because the ignition light started flickering at odd times. Other issue was a mis-fire at high RPM that became more prevalent on Sunday afternoon. Weeks later I discovered it was the coil, which had been on the car since I bought it 7 years and 16k miles ago... The slight coolant leak turned out to be the water pump weeping. There was still a pinhole evident in my dodgy radiator soldering but apparently nothing coming out of it. The weather was a mix of fine and awful. I resorted to gaffer taping the inside of the hood to the passenger window to keep some of the rain and wind out. Bit of performance when trying to open the door later on. Anyway I loved it, except the bit along the M5 when I'd finished my driving stint but co-driver Mike was clearly knackered as well. I've never seen such bloodshot eyeballs on a sober man. I then couldn't snooze for worrying that we'd crash and die. But it all worked out in the end Here's a few photos to prove it happened: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 They're all quite mad...... but in a good way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Utterly bonkers. Glad you made it, really glad you didn't die and very pleased to have met you. PS where is that wee petrol station? It looks vaguely familiar... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 5 hours ago, Escadrille Ecosse said: Utterly bonkers. Glad you made it, really glad you didn't die and very pleased to have met you. PS where is that wee petrol station? It looks vaguely familiar... hehe, thanks! I'm particularly glad about not dying. Your Irn Bru ration helped I reckon. The petrol station was in Tongue, just off the RBRR route slightly. Google said it was there but we nearly drove past, it was less imposing than expected... cute, if a bit lacking in facilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 I've got a bit of an oil pressure concern, unfortunately. The running pressure is fine, without being astronomical. But starting from cold or after standing for a while, it definitely takes longer to build up than it should. I've done some direct comparisons against my FWD 1300, and the Spitfire takes much longer for the warning lamp to extinguish and also for anything to register on the gauge. My only thought is the pump - any other possibilities? I've changed filters a couple of times (Mann) and it made no difference. I haven't swapped the FWD filter over to it though, which would eliminate that variable. I'm wondering if the pump baseplate is worn / not quite flat, which is allowing the pump to completely drain out. But not really sure if that makes sense - would it completely drain itself via the pickup anyway? The FWD pressure springs up almost immediately, whereas the Spit takes a good few seconds. Even if I spin it over a bit with no choke. I didn't change or service the pump during the full rebuild, but did grind the scores out of the baseplate during a bottom end service back in 2018. Wondering if I might have ground it a bit unevenly. Can't remember noticing this before but I knew the engine was a bit tired previously so wouldn't have paid close attention. Any thoughts welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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