I Bought a Race Car

[Pete McCluskey.]

When we stripped the wheels it seems they have a bit of a history. Several different colours. We stripped them down had them crack tested and polished them up. The last photo is the finished product.
It seems I can only load one image at a time from my iPad.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Next one

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Another

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

The finished wheel.

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Coming together nicely. Are you leaving the wheels as is then?

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Coming together nicely. Are you leaving the wheels as is then?

Yes that is the finished product.

 

[Jack]

Looking good Pete!

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Getting closer, only 10 days before we start testing. Starting to look like a race car.:thumbsup:

 

Looking great Pete.

 

[Terry Oxandale]

So much like a race car. The true beauty is under the skin!

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Ready to rumble, first shake down test at Phillip Island on Thursday.

 

[Keith]

Nice job Pete! Good luck for Thursday. I cannot believe how hi-tech these FF's became after such humble beginnings..:stunned:

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Pete, can you share your kingpin angle (SAI) and caster numbers?

Thanks!

 

Very nice Pete. We expect video of the shake down of course.

 

[Doc Watson]

Very...very...nice... good luck on Thursday

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Pete, can you share your kingpin angle (SAI) and caster numbers?

Thanks!

1 degree of castor and 3 degrees of camber.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Our test day went well, with just a few minor hiccups. Primarily a kinked fuel line that took time to trace. We put in some good times that would have had us in 4th place in the race last year. Not bad for a bloke who hasn't sat in a race car since the late eighties.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

We had a great test yesterday at Phillip Island. We've spent the last month and a bit working away on the finish and final prep of a stunning Swift FB89 restoration. The car ran (99.9%) perfectly all day with a simple issue restricting fuel flow losing us just 4 laps in session 2. A new length of hose had us back on track in minutes.

What an achievement for everyone involved in the project to have everything else go to plan and exceed expectations. The car handled far better than anyone expected, with not a single change needed through the day. We banked a heap of laps in what was intended as a slow speed shakedown test with a brand new car. It wasn't long ago that it was just a bare chassis getting re-welded and repaired.

David Roberts had his first steer in 26 years, ultimately getting into the low 45s with big fuel loads, an astonishing achievement and proving that the Swift can be a really quick car in the right set of hands. It will be interesting to watch a former "Driver-to-Europe" winner compete again in a kent powered Formula Ford at the Island Classic in March!

Well done to all of the Australian small businesses that were involved in the build, each specialising in their field supplying parts and time to produce a great little racing car that was dynamite from lap 1.

High resolution photos are to follow with final livery and a vinyl wrap the next task.

Thanks to Jamie Larner, Larner engines and Ellery Motorsport.

 

[Jack]

Well done! Congrats.

 

Excellent!