KS's hillclimbing odyssey

[911hillclimber]

Thanks Neil!

Idea is not getting a warm reception...
Graham.

[neilbardsley]

It doesn't have to be all about the racing!

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[KS]

Well, it does when the thread is called KS's Hillclimb Odyssey!

[BILLY BEAN]

Keith,
Thank you for the update and pictures.

[KS]

Footage from St Gouéno:

https://www.youtube.com/live/GGe7EbrR4U ... hare&t=634

[KS]

OK, so here we are again, this time at one of the (if not THE) shortest hillclimbs in the UK: Tregrehan, near St Austell in Cornwall. Essentially it's a launch straight into a gentle left (do I lift, do I try flat out?) then in to a long uphill right (with penalty cones on the inside – get a one second penalty for each one hit...), followed by a short straight into a sharp hairpin left over the line. It sounds easy but is described as 'technical'.

The event was oversubscribed, with a full complement of cars and bikes. As it's only 15 minutes down the road for me, it would have been rude not to to both days. The car hadn't been touched since St Gouéno two weeks previously, other than a change of plug. I normally run NGK BR6ES, but decided to try some slightly colder Platinum BPR7ES instead. A mistake, as we shall see.

Scrutineering was a very casual affair – no check of clothing or helmet, just a brief look under the front at the fuel tank and a casual look at the engine bay. As the 'scrute' wandered off, I asked if I could have the sticker, to which he said 'It's on the screen, Keith'. I hadn't even noticed he'd already passed the car...

The first run was a bit messy (well, the previous night's shenanigans with a few friends hadn't helped) but the car felt good, even though I was slow compared to last year's runs. The first timed run netted me a 24.09 (I said it was a short course!), followed by a 24.27 and then finally a 23.70. Better but still slower than last year. However, I finished the day 8th out of 14, so felt pretty happy. I was also third quickest on launch times behind a pair of 4WD Audis. The weather had been perfect, with the tarmac nice and warm. That evening ten of us had dinner in our local, The Globe, which was a great way to unwind.

One of Saturday's runs: https://youtu.be/l8wyT9-IAxo

I was really looking forward to Sunday but this is where things started to go wrong. The first run started with bad wheel hop – something that I have never previously experienced in the 914. Very odd. As I went into the right hander ('Carlyon') and changed down into second, there was a slight clonk from the rear of the car, but it seemed OK. Then, turning into the final left-hander, a louder clonk followed by the car running over something, had me worried. As I glanced in the mirror, I saw one of the 914's heater flapper boxes rolling across the road – it had fallen off and I'd run over it! I can only think the wheel hop had vibrated it loose and the earlier sound I'd heard was as it hit the ground still held in place by the heater cable, which subsequently parted.

On the next run, as I went through the tyre warming process (dump the clutch, floor the throttle and pray for the CV joints), there was a louder clonk from the rear as I lifted off the throttle. Bugger, I thought, I've broken an engine mount – or worse. The car was drivable so I aborted the run and headed back to the paddock, at which point I decided to call it a day and head for home during the lunch break. And this was when I discovered I'd made a mistake with the change of plugs. Out of respect for the broken mount (or whatever it was) I tried to drive slowly back, but the plugs were fouling badly and all I could do was cough and splutter my way until they cleared, and keep it in a lower gear to keep the revs up. After a mile or two things were back to normal and I made it the few miles back home.

Here's a short video in which you can hear the 'clonk – and my casual expression of dismay: https://youtu.be/hFxq76Ef2R8

It seems that the two bonded front engine mounting rubbers (between the engine support bar and the crankcase) have parted company after years of use and three seasons of abuse. Not a difficult fix, but it meant that under power the front of the engine was allowed to lift, slamming back down when coming off the throttle. I've now ordered replacements from Roger Bray and also a fresh set of BR6ES plugs (which are cheap as they are used largely in motor mowers and 50cc mopeds!).

Next time out is back at Wiscombe at the end of July and I have to say I cannot wait...

[hashman]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Keith.
I suppose when you've uprated and replaced some parts the other older ones become the weakest link in the chain.
At least they are relatively easy inexpensive fixes.....I hope.
I still love the sound of your car.

Karl

[Lightweight_911]

.

On the plus side, it's fortunate that the engine mounts failed at an event a few miles from home - would have been a lot more hassle if it had happened in France !

On another note, I don't know where you source your plugs from but there are a LOT of fake NGK plugs on the market - nowadays I usually get mine from Tim Green at the Green Spark Plug Co.


.

[rhd racer]

It’s funny you know Keith, I have been battling axle tramp off the line since I went onto slicks, and have been chasing set up solutions thinking that a combination of spring rates and camber was causing the transaxle to bounce off the line. Turns out the simple answer was that one of the gearbox mounts (which are in the same rough location as a 914, just a little forward) had lost it’s fluid and locked at a jaunty angle. The other one, left to try and do the work of two, had no resistance at all, so was also bin worthy. A lovely set of semi solids later and it is literally transformed…..

Glad you found yours a lot quicker than me - I had the box off twice last year and I hadn’t spotted it ….

[911hillclimber]

I had severe tramp of the whole drive train on my 911 when I switched to Kumho V70 soft compound, a tyre nor far off a slick in my experience.
Installed poly bushes on all 4 mounts and it dissapeared and the gear change felt more positive.
NVH was worse, but so what.

Wayne's drive train used to look like it was about to drop out the middle of his Boxster!

As an aside, all the electrical connections, leads and plugs for my Lola engine came from Green Plug, ace to deal with esp face to face which I did at the time.

Part of my routine which I never skimp on with the Lola is to spanner check everything critical on a Monday clean after any event, you find or will or can find some surprises.

To Win, first you have to Finish.

Love these detailed write ups.
Doing one on the Lola elsewhere, entertains many!

[KS]

Well, after reading up what's involved with changing the mounts, I tackled the job today. It's a bitch when you don't have a garage/workshop... My fingers, back, arms and head are all still aching, but it's done now apart from reconnecting the gear linkage, which I'll do in the morning as we are now in the midst of a thunderstorm.

The old mounts were Donald Ducked in a big way, having split in two... Here, compared with a new one. Spot the difference.

[KS]

Right, here we are again. Wake up at the back – there will be a written test for you all at the end of the lesson...

So, after the fun and games at the local Tregrehan course, it was back to my favourite venue, Wiscombe Park for the British Hillclimb Championship weekend. As a non-combatant in the BHC, I'd only entered the Saturday as felt I'd have less of a chance of getting an entry on Sunday. As it turns out, I was on the reserve list for the weekend anyway, but a few days ahead of the weekend I received an email to say that, due to drop-outs, I was now in. Whoopee!

Car preparation consisted of, well, putting some fuel in it and checking the oil/tyre pressures etc. The weather forecast was mixed, with Saturday definitely looking better than Sunday, with the promise of some showers and sunny intervals. Sunday looked like rain all day... This would be the first time the track had been used in the wet since being resurfaced, so nobody quite knew what to expect. It looked OK, but as anyone who is familiar with Wiscombe will know, as soon as you head under the tress, things can get very slippery, as this video snippet shows! Sorry for the language...

https://youtu.be/Lte_jXFRyi4

Tackling Sawbench:



Everybody suffered, with the first casualties of the weekend visiting the greenery at various points along the course while others (like me) recorded times that are best kept secret. However, the sun continued to shine and the track dried out, but remained a tad challenging in places It definitely wasn't the hot and sticky track surface we'd all been hoping for! My second run - the first 'race' timed run – was better but the car was still moving about a lot. However, I learned a lot on this run as the 914 proved to be remarkably neutral under power with some controllable four-wheel slides through the Esses. Adrian Crawford has been hassling me to take the infamous Bunnie's Leap flat, something that only the brave tend to do. In the end, he suggested easing off the throttle earlier than usual, to scrub off a little speed, and then crest the Leap under power, the argument being that a car is more stable under power than on a trailing throttle. It worked! Next time, in the dry, I'll try to be a little braver and nail the throttle sooner...

The time was 50.39, a slight disappointment as having broken the 50-second barrier last time out, I had hoped to continue the trend. But with the lower air and track temps, it was unlikely I'd do any better. However, checking back, I discovered that this was, in fact, the fourth fastest time ever at Wiscombe, so I couldn't really complain. The final run (we only had two official timed runs as it was a busy meeting) was 50.36, so an improvement, if only marginally. I was exhausted by the end of the run as the car was a bit of a handful in places.

The biggest problem I'm now facing is at Sawbench, where the engine is dropping off the cam – second gear is a little too high to let the engine stay on the cam, and dropping down into first wastes time as it's so low you run out of revs instantly. It's also hard on the synchros in the 914's box. In an ideal world, I'd need a 904 mainshaft to allow me to close up first and second gears, but sadly my budget won't stretch to a transmission rebuild, so I'll just have to lump it for now. Sigh.

Here's a little sequence by Nigel Cole of me rounding Wis Corner, the very first 90 degree left after the start:




And finally an in-car of the last run. Not pretty but we got there...

https://youtu.be/dijcRfRC4bI

12th out of 17 in class at the end, with the quicker cars largely consisting of Audi TTs and S3s, and an Impreza, so I can't moan too much. I'm not alone, though, for our own JWhillracer has the same hurdle to climb in his class with a 50 year-old 911 battling against 700+bhp 4WD weapons...

I have plenty of plans for the winter, involving a partial engine teardown to change the rods, cylinders and pistons, plus a few other mods. More of that at a later date...

Once again, as always, big thanks to Adrian Crawford for his encouragement and banter ('Stop spending money on the car - you need to learn how to drive first'), JW for his encouragement to get into this sport in the first place and you lot for taking the time to read this far! Now in two days time, it's a double-header at my local course, Castle hillclimb in Lostwithiel. I can have a lie in for this one as it's literally five minutes from my house...

[Mike Smith]

Car sounds great, Keith

Paul has a 904 Mainshaft - in Stock
Tell him I said "it has to be a special price"

Why not put it on the shelf for later - You know it makes sense

Good luck at the local hill

[Bruce M]

Are you running sequential injection or batch fire? CB Performance do a cam sync that fits in the distributor bore & gives you that option (hall sensor, so falling trigger signal).

[neilbardsley]

Nice report. As always

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