…… Fossa home in one piece, the biggest trophy we could hope for!

Following our excursion to the traxday at Zwartkops Raceway, engine out and find that damaged bearing. Apparent reason for that bearing failure, unbelievable, incorrect installation. Do not ask, does not make sense ……. a lot confusion around this. Water under the bridge, spilt milk …

Looking through all our available crankshafts for a suitable replacement or one most most suitable for re-machining. Measuring every journal it is rather shocking to find the sizes that these parts have been sized too. Precision is apparently not high on the priority lists of the machine shops used.

Where to find a suitable crankshaft, well we have that sub assembly in the shed that was organised by Cyril Turner ….. Disassembly finds a useable standard crank with useable bearing shells of which the big bends are ACL. Yes, yes I can already hear the community about using second hand shells, not having the crank polished and …. and …

With time running out, our AX is reassembled without removing the head or pistons. Engine installed, valve clearances set, this time to the clearances as given for the camshaft identified by a renowned camshaft shop as a BCF3. Start up and then a tappet like noise. Puzzled, check clearances again. Tapping continues. Removed the spark plugs and using an endoscope it is clear that the valves have been tapping the pistons.

Remove the cylinderhead and do a valve leak test finding the exhaust valves on one and four leaking a bit. Out comes the backup head, not as flowed as our home made job, but desperate times. Busy with this quick thinking and hard labour, MTN decides to mess with internet connectivity and our entry is not in!!! Late evening after seven or eight calls to a pretty much useless help center, the internet lifts for long enough to get that entry in.

A quick test have us confident to race, the test kept very short as the sidedraughts produce music at a volume some might frown on.

Friday pre-race day I fit an additional water temperature gauge and go electronic on the oil pressure gauge fitting them in a temporary position on the steering cluster, much easier to monitor with a oil pressure light in the mix.

Raceday, Saturday, 9 April. Track side just after six.Qualifying at 07H50. Fossa feels good, temperature good, oil pressure good. Best lap time, a 1:28.757 with five cars behind us.

Race one, 10H40. Everything sounds good, energy juices flowing and then, second formation lap, corner six, ignition cuts out. All the cars go by and I free wheel into the pits, hoping I can resolve the issue quickly. By race end we move Fossa to her spot with no answer to her cutting out. For some reason her ignition switch has failed. Hot wire our own car and she is ready for race two.

Race two, 13H55. Due to not completing race one, we start at the back. I am really looking forward to some action. Clive (Porsche) and Mel (Ford Consul) have a side by side race in front with the whole batch of non finishers of race one bundled behind them. Fossa feels good going down the straight once those sidedraughts come into play, but dead in the corners. I feel very tempted to go and join the group. After a few laps the group dissolves when Mel pulls ahead of Clive. I catch up with the Porsche and once pull in next to Clive heading to corner one, knowing I do not have the usual power in and out of corners I let the opportunity slip.

The jetting used on the DCOE 40’s was done for us by a pro, my feeling, the 36mm choke tubes are to large for Fossa. It is a new learning curve. I have got some idea’s ahead of our next outing which will probably be a super track day as our next race will only be 6 August at the Redstar Raceway with the away races of Dezzi’s and Phakisa next on the menu.

Cheers 🙂

A lot of water have gone under the bridge since our 2016 Passion for Speed exit from race two …

For a week Fossa’s engine is started often and her oil pressure is stable with a very smooth sound even at rpm’s.

Fossa’s engine and gearbox removed, inspections follow.

Engine: Her oil is drained finding no bearing glitter, her oil filter is removed and dissected, no glitter, her sump is dropped and inspected, no glitter. We thin the engine oil with thinners and filter it using coffee filters, an extremely time consuming procedure. Other than dirtying the filters no other material is found. This verifies the her bearings should still be in good condition.

This still leaves the question, why the pressure drop during race. Once again, research galore. Did the oil fail under the heat of the day? It is one option we have to pursue.

I try and make contact with a friend at a certain orange oil company for some answers. No luck. I contact the same company telephonically, sent from this person to that, to that to that ……. Almost a half an hour later I am asked from which company I am calling, I verify it is not a company ….. I am then informed I have to speak to ….. and am promptly cut off.

Oils are an issue that is not discussed with friend or foe as opinions are extreme. These opinions cause a lot of lost time and brain work refining. In the past we have had excellent results with semi and full synthetics, marking drained cans for reuse in our road car. Still on a search for answers and frankly a bit annoyed at my previous experience I have heard of an oil that some have raved about. That oil is a Total product and my next attempt is Total. The assistance is professional with a understanding for our “non-company” situation. I am sent some requested data sheets and given contact details for a representative. Later the afternoon the contact meets us and we are the owners of 20 liters well priced Total Quartz 7000! Now that is how things are done!

Everything cleaned the sump goes back, new filter and our Total Quartz 7000.

Gearbox: Doing a partial disassembly we find the selector fork doing duty in third and fourth with some wear. A replacement from a donor gearbox show a deeper engaging and is fitted, hoping for a quick fix.

Fossa is reassembled and with hopes of an appearance at the Redstar Raceway taken around the block. First attempt at running in fourth immediately fails. No quick fix, gearbox out and complete strip down. We find a little bit of wear on the selector. All parts are cleaned, all bearings packed with grease, seals replaced, do a small modification on the three / four rod and reassemble. Testing at road speed shows improvement and I can’t get her to jump out of fourth.

Out of the blue we are contacted by a Total Lubricants Technical Advisor, Petrus. We have had some communications and further developments will be announced as they develop.

It is too late for an entry in the upcoming race and that in an untested car. We decide to attend a Super Traxday at Zwartkops Raceway. Her gearbox immediately proves cured and her engine delivers what is asked until on lap two “The Roach” frantically points to the oil pressure gauge. Up and down like the Rand Dollar exchange rate followed soon by some dreaded bearing noise.

We will soon remove her engine for further investigation into what caused the failure. It is almost as if the rotor on the oil pump releases from it’s shaft or some pressure relief valve failure. Considering that it is the AX block there is no release to sump passage …. Firstly I have to sort and clean her “workshop” area as the constant repair on repair have not left any time for that or for a break either …..

With a lot of luck Fossa will attend the next scheduled race at Zwartkops Raceway on the 9th of April ……

Cheers 😉

Howdy, without going Texan plain. Very good and a little less good. Happiness level = High with reservations!

Thursday, 28 January. We arrive at Zwartkops Raceway at about 11 something o’clock. Do documentation, find a pit spot, scrutineering …

Fossa Ford Anglia’s pit spot

First opportunity to take to the track and we grab it with both hands. It is our first opportunity to test / practice for a race in a while, a little excited, adrenaline at a high, Fossa behaving rather well. Her temperature a stable 85C, oil pressure good. A few laps in suddenly, her engine cuts out with a hint of octane enhanced fuel in the air. Many things go through your mind, you have spent hours to get your car up to spec, and then this. Like your “life flashes past your eyes” you run through everything done in preparation to pinpoint the possible cause and all of this happens before you exit the car a few seconds later. 

Calling 911

I exit to find fuel leaking underneath. Not able to do real inspection with cars passing at speed, I patiently wait for the session to end and the Zwartkops Marshall’s come to my rescue. Back in the pits we find Fossa’s fuel line hanging on the ground. To take things from any type of quick fix, the loose line did some mating ritual with the propshaft and is ripped in multiple places. Off to a spares shop to buy fuel line of which I have meters of stock at home. Back at the track, install the line and make possible further dislodging bulletproof. It is hot with the temperatures at a guessed 32C, then a very welcome light rain. After the heat experienced we really do not mind!  We leave Zwartkops Raceway late, tomorrow is another day.

Friday, 29 January. Back at the track, pre six am. Check all vital statistics. Opportunity arrives and Fossa is back on track. In our minds nothing have changed but now I have a new vibration at speed in fourth which results in her jumping out of gear. A new challenge! A few decisions have to be make. Remove and strip gearbox, source and fit different gearbox, at the track, at home or leave it as is and do a best effort. Gary recommends, best effort.

Our turn to qualify arrives. Unfortunately I do not have the time sheet as that is on it’s way to KZN. We are way above our best times, times that are closer to when we started race a few years back, oh well, I did say we would do a best effort? Cameron and Les Mc Leod will check their stocks for a replacement as well.

Saturday, 30 January. Track side pre 6am again. Race 1 is at 07h00. Final checks. Fossa coasts out on track. Her engine feels exceptionally good, the best in a very long time. It is very frustrating having a good power plant but the link to the tar is playing up. We do not lose any places and do not gain any either, completing our first race in over a year.

Race one: Lap times: 1:49.994, 1:30.573, 1:30.129, 1:32.885, 1:35.923, 1:35.631, 1:38.532

Fossa Ford Anglia, Race one

Race two, 15h30. We head out knowing our limits, hmm, okay. It very soon becomes reality that a Porsche 356A and a Mini can be lunch and dinner as even with our gearbox limitation Fossa is clearly faster. The Porsche slips up in corner eight and gives a free pass. A lap and a half later the mini becomes history on the uphill to corner five, Fossa’s first race over take on that straight. And then high temp, oil pressure drop, sudden power drop and a bearing noise on the table top have me pulling the plug on the race.

Race two: Lap times: 1:48.200, 1:31.708, 1:29.275, 1:28.827

Despite using a “lesser” grade camshaft, this probably is the most power we have had to date. I feel a 1:26, 1:25 maybe 1:24 average lap time would have been possible with four working gears. Still one of my most exciting race days yet!

We have less than a month and a half to the next schedule race meet at Redstar Raceway. Today was a recovery day, Tomorrow the assessments and repairs will start again. Cheers 😉