RF40 Race debut completed

[Ross Nicol]

Hi Guys
Thanks for all the kind words and interest in my car.The photos captured the weekend well too. I was apprehensive because of all the unknowns- will the car be reliable?, after nine months of no racing, can I get up to speed with my driving? Will the car be stable in corners without slicks.
After only 3 laps of qualifying before the big prang and red flag I had a lap time of 1m 32secs, by the end of the last race I had this down to 1m 26.9 secs. Now I can tell there is a lot lower lap times in the car and myself, so watch this space.Now down to questions 1/ Paint colour is Venom Red as used on the latest Ford Falcon XR8 cars.
2/ The trumpet covers were sourced from a local racegear supplier called concept racegear.I supplied one trumpet for them to use as a template.Actually note the springs on either side of the trumpets holding the covers on, these were formerly used as valve or tube retainers in guitar amps.As you guys will know sometimes what seem like great Ideas go pear shaped and this was one of them.The springs didn't hold the covers on securely enough and they fell into the throttle linkages jamming it open.This finished the last race 4 laps early for me.I have now riveted them on.I wouldn't race without the covers on though as a visit to the kitty litter after an off track excursion could deposit nasty little stones in the throttle bodies without them.
They do look good though too.
(A message for Gary Gibbs)I tried dropping the clutch at 3-4000 revs and the ratio is too tall for the clutch to overcome and spin the wheels,hence my adjusted starting technique is get the car rolling before applying the max torque.
I have to modify the end of the dash so my hand can stay on the knob while selecting 4th and 5th gear, to overcome some minor problem missing the 4th gate.
There is a lot of stone chips on the front clip so am investigating protective Ideas for the front clip.Maybe a good forum topic.
I have developed a lot of good Ideas while building the car and hope to pass on as many as I can to forum readers now I have a bit more time.

Regards Ross

 

[Gary Gibbs]

I have now recieved my tranny which has a slightly lower first gear (8.25:1 overall). I will let you know how my launches are once she is running. Thanks for the info and good luck. I am sure you are really having fun with it.

 

[dave harris]

Ross, could you get the paint code type (and mfg. - Dupont, ppg or ?) and I've checked here and Venom Red from a "Falcon" just was not listed (at least not where my paint guy was looking!).

Thanks

dave harris

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Thanks for the info Ross, much appreciated.
There are some good looking stack covers to be seen on www.verycoolparts.com. I can't see how they are kept
secure though.

 

My guess as to the paint code is that we here in the US don't have all the data on Ford's overseas ventures. I have seen in Aircraft Spruce and at the local aircraft parts store here in Houston some flexible paint that is used to protect the nose cone and the like from dings. I would suppose it is flexible and bouncy. Perhaps that's the ticket?

 

[Mark Worthington]

I've also seen adhesive-backed clear mylar film that is used to protect paint around wheel wells, etc. I'm pretty sure it's a 3M product, but I don't know how well it'll go around compound curves.

Nice looking car, Ross. Congrats!

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Hi all, my local Ford dealer tells me the paint code
for Venom Red is "VF".
Ross I can't find a listing for Concept Race Gear.
Do you have a contact number/email address?

 

[Ross Nicol]

Pete and Hersh
The address for Concept Racegear who can supply throttle body covers is -
Concept Racegear
Factory 9
19 - 25 Grange Rd
Cheltenham Victoria 3192
Australia
Ph (03)9585 5340 fax (03)9585 5320
Contacts Stan or Julie
I'll check the venom paint code as soon as I can

Regards Ross

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Thanks Ross. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Ian K]

Ross - where did you get your wheels? They
look like RF's pin drives, but converted
to 5 lug (wise decision).

Ian

 

[ChrisL]

Ian,
I can answer that question since I have them as well.

RF offer these wheels as an option. Pin drives have the advantage of originality and quick-change, whereas the "5 lugs" have the advantage of track reliability and cost.

 

[Dan W]

There is a product people use to protect there paint on street cars that are taken out for lapping days. Its a clear thick tape that is sold by 3m ,I think , just for the purposes of avoiding rock chips.

 

[Ross Nicol]

Hi Guys
Yes my wheels are 5 stud halibrand style, thanks for answering that one Chris. I'm having a second set of wheels made for my slick tyres. They are 17" as there is a better selection of rubber available over 16". For cars up to 1200kg we are allowed a 4 wheel total width of 40" so the rears I have settled on 11" and the front 9".
I have an update- Had the car at Phillip Island yesterday for a practice day and started the day sorting gears and brakes lapping around the 2 min mark. By days end I had time down to 1min 57sec and seen off 2 of my friends in WRX sti cars, they were ok in the corners but I blew them away on the straight.These times were set without pushing hard and come the race in september I will put in a lot more effort.Phillip Island has a quite long straight and the car was hitting 240km/hr well before the end of it.Stability was not a problem at this speed and My confidence in the car is coming along nicely.I must admit I found 2 engine mount bolts missing last week so I'm doing an extensive post race check now.I have a problem with a loud tappet which sounds loose but could be a bent push rod.
So this week I hope to be able to cure under the rocker covers.Could be as a result of an over rev at the last race meeting or sitting on the rev limiter too much yesterday.One thing I am happy with I didn't miss any gears yesterday ya hoo.
I have heard of the plastic from 3M for protecting car panels but I thought it was in sheet form. The tape sounds good I'll have to look for some.
Regards Ross

 

[ChrisL]

I know of people who use ordinary clear book-covering contact, which seems to work well. Its a good idea though to stick it onto a blanket or sheet first, then peel it of and stick it onto the bodywork. That way, it doesn't try to rip the paint off when you remove it at the end of the day. Alternatively you can stick it on when the car is still very dirty... not that GT40s are ever allowed to get that dirty /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif The final alternative is to use a hair-dryer to heat it while you peel it off.

 

Hi Guys,
When I was in Nashville over Memorial Day weekend I had a new Shelby cobra in the trailer with my CAV. The car was brand new and was being delivered to its new owner. Around the nose was a fairly thick clear plastic to protect the paint from chipping. The only way you could tell that it was there was when you got at the correct angle to see the edge of it. Other wise it let the color of the car show through perfectly. Maybe Shelby could point us in the right dirrection.
Joe

 

[Ross Nicol]

Guys
I have a can of paint in my hand.It is PPG and has on the label FORD (Australasia) code: VF
VENOM (Australia)
So this settles the paint code for my car, now I'll open the can and touch up about a million stone chips on the front of the car, damn those stone throwing cars in front of me.
Regards Ross