Freshened Radiators

Walts Radiator of Port Jefferson flushed, painted and pressure checked both water and the single oil radiators. One brass plate on one of the water radiators is missing and will be re welded.

114

Is the number of rivets now stiffen the chassis by 50%. Epoxy glued and bonded it looks beautiful. The center rivets are steel for more strength while the ones around the perimeter are aluminum. Each rivet is countersunk for a neat look and to provide the largest "grip" for the rivet's head. 

Minilite Wheels

Thanks to my friend Charlie Munch our Minilite wheels look brand new.

Trailing Links and Fuel Cel

Fuel Cel inspection shows fresh foam

Today the fuel cel was opened and inspected. The findings were encouraging as the foam within was nearly unblemished and fresh. The inspection cover was torqued back to 36 lbs to prevent any leaks. Both uprights were bead blasted and painted and the trailing links were inspected on the lathe for straightness. 3 out of 4 o the trailing links were slightly out of round so we decided to replace all 4 with new chromolly rods from Prince Racecar Engineering. He will also ship us all new Aurora A Series rod ends. The rear suspension is slowly coming to completion in terms of checking, replacing and refinishing.

Axle Joints

Axle joints which were covered with surface rust were thoroughly cleaned, bead blasted and then painted. Both bearings in the uprights will need replacement. The tie-downs were able to squeeze the chassis together to make it as straight as possible. Today the new aluminum floor will be cut from the old steel floor template.

Banana

Carefully measuring the chassis we realize that we are dealing with a banana - not much of one, yet still, the frame is not 100% straight. Lining up lasers and steel guides we realize that the lower part of the chassis frames are about 1/8th of an inch out of true. This is not much for a 36 year old race car but we want to get it perfect. With the help of two tie-downs we squeeze the frame together and after one night of settling the frame is straight as can be. Next step is again disassembling the lower suspension, changing all the bearing, checking all hardware and starting the process of fabricating a strong lower chassis plate.

The Move

With my friend Charlie Munche's help we yesterday we moved the Lola chassis cum parts by van to Mark Wehrman Engineering. This place is the mecca of high end race cars and Mark has half a century of knowledge in this field which is unsurpassed. With his guidance and help we hope to finish the car soon.

The Kent engine - Part II

Our Kent 1600cc engine is complete and will be bench tested this week at Midnight Auto in New Jersey. Amongst many new and refurbished top end components the power unit has been freshened by installing Mahle pistons, a Williams crank and a new  Cosworth oil pump. Pete Mc Carthy of Midnight Auto will be helping us install the engine next week.