The Passion for Speed 2018

I cannot believe how the time has flown so quickly.  The last time I posted to my blog was September 2017 however, we did try and race the Datsun J-Series again during November but it proved to be somewhat disastrous.  I had said all along that the motor just feels lazy and had no ‘get up and go’.  Anyway, after much effort, we realised this was going nowhere and the decision had been made to pull the motor and redo it completely.  With no plan to race it again in 2017 there was now a big gap until 2018 where all going well we would consider doing the Cape Town ‘Passion for Speed’ event.

The engine had been removed, stripped and all parts were thoroughly inspected.  It soon became evident that the rings had collapsed resulting in not properly sealing which further resulted in oil bypassing and the net result was a ‘tortoise’ engine and explained my initial stance that it was just a lazy engine.  Martin obtained a new L20 block and had it bored to fit the original 60thou oversize pistons, fitted a brand new set of rings, redid the bottom end and had the cylinder head cleaned and the ports polished.  
While the engine was still out, a further decision was taken to also replace the gearbox (it was grating just a tad anyway), clutch and release bearing mechanism.  This proved a little trickier than was expected as it was soon discovered that the clutch fork was the incorrect one used and a brand new one was ordered.  Finally the engine and gearbox were refitted and a full nut & bolt check was performed right around the car.  

• 

• 

• 

My much earlier request was to also further stiffen the suspension as I felt that it was still a little too soft for my personal liking.  The necessary heavier springs were sourced and the gas shock inserts were modified accordingly.  Last but not least a brand new set of decal will be affixed sporting my old race number with just the minimum signage for display.
All in all then, quite a bit of work has been done since my last outing in November last year and with the car having already been tested and the engine having been run in, we are hoping for at least a finish in both heats, irrespective of where I finish in the race.  I will also use this opportunity to set an official laptime for class classification as I hope to try race a fair amount during the 2018 season all things going well.  

As ever, I am truly grateful for all the effort, hard work, time and money that has been put into this exercise in order to get the jinx off our back.

Thanks ‘Boet’

Follow us on social media:

• 
•