20-21 July

[Flannel]

I'l kick it off.

Adjusted the Load sensing proportioning valve on my 80 after having the lift fitted this week. Moved it down. Might take it up a tiny bit after it settles.

Tried to seal these crappy clear indicators again, always filling up with water.

[Stage1V8]

New front shockie bushes.

Fitted a nifty tachometer from Summit Racing: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-1797

Needed to replace the 12V bulb with a 24V and hook up to a 12V feed.

Next job, get the vacuum gauge in.

[mudbugga]

Adjusted the front wheel bearings in the new wagon (R50 Terrano), fitted LED interior light bulbs, removed busted and trimmed the cracked monsoon shields, blocked the EGR vacuum line, fiddled with the tailgate switch so the interior light doesn't flicker on/off all the time and started to make up some lights and aerial mounts.
Plus had to take kids to the Lego show.

[Still Unbroken]

A good weekend....
Bought some 35 Silverstones, and a manual tyre changer (works reasonably well), Sold the 33 Mickey T's, Installed a Truetrac lsd in front of 70. Went for a play with the siverstones on and love both the diff and the tyres

[catalystracing]

Saturday pulled some old roses out with the strop
Sunday went into Sutherlands Hutt via Ruakok to check track after recent storms with the Featherston Family 4X4 club. Was better than expected, we bought lotsa chainsaws as expected trees down. But used pick, grubber and shovels to fill deep ruts and holes.
Had lunch at the Hutt threw the dog in the river after he rolled in something very icky ...he finished the trip in the canopy.....
Came home and just finished unpacking truck when we had the 6.5 quake here in Welly that really got the ticker going.

[jonossiksilvia]

started pulling shit off the truck ready to drop the trans out. rear crank seal decided to give up.

[Filthy4x4]

Spend most of the weekend eating dirt under my truck...

Didnt get a chance to clean it after Possum Palace so had plenty of different flavors falling in my mouth

Feel like I sort of achieved something, got the winch semi mounted and the pto drive on, now to find the electrical issue thats draining my batteries...

Hopefully will have it ready for Possum Palace this weekend

[coxsy]

Had a run around Porters rd Rotorua, nothing major a Prado with to wider rims for his simexs keeper popping beads a 80 cruiser bent front panhard bar and Isuzu bighorn steering box bolts came loose and box moved off the chassis,

[FORGE1]

Got some freebies this weekend from a lady from work. Td04 turbo and legacy seats so started getting the seats ready to be installed in the safari during the week. I think I might need to do the lsd diff oil in the back as I got stuck on a pull over bay when talking on the ph only 1 wheel spinning at least I pulled over though lol

[kbushnz]

I have cut off the roof section in the playdoh, marked out the chop for the floor and sides. Went for a skid in Woodhill on Saturday and got a mates truck stuck a few times doing the hard tracks, and some the wrong way Also drove some which hadn't been driven in a looooong time. Serves me right as I had to get out and drag the winch rope around, almost falling into the water bogs And I got mud sprayed all down my shirt... Ahhh the joys..

[Evo88u]

Finally got the surf ready for a wof , had to replace the turbo and some other bits. It hasn't had a wof since January 2013 were is the best place to take in Christchurch ? Also do you need a back bumper on the surf and mud guards for the wof ??

[safaripete]

modified a bar on a mates safari

[sibainmud]

Spend most of the weekend eating dirt under my truck...

Spent Sunday doing the same thing.....same flavour too

Didn't get a chance to clean it after Possum Palace so had plenty of different flavors falling in my mouth

Went to Possum Palace to replace blown turbo on T2. It was REALLY quiet being there on a "bi" weekend with no one around. Changed engine oil and filter and replaced fuel filter. Removed radiator to bring home for cleaning as truck hasn't seen a hose for months. Removed about 1/3 of the mud from under it (80kg). Must of made difference as I had to wind mechanical jack up to get front wheel back on

Hopefully will have it ready for Possum Palace this weekend

An hour of work Friday when I get there and I'm good to play another weekend.

The journey there feels more like a commute now

Cheers,

[RJT]

Replaced drag link to finally get a WOF on the Terrano. Fitted body lift and front bar I've had sitting around for ages. Ordered some new rims and Hankook RT03's. now just have to mount rear tow hook and get out and drive

[Filthy4x4]

An hour of work Friday when I get there and I'm good to play another weekend.

The journey there feels more like a commute now

Cheers,

Yeah the drive is more enjoyable now, did you go for a drive or just fix and disassemble?

Looking forward to this weekend, still cant find that farkin electrical gremlin

[ladeda]

Looking forward to this weekend, still cant find that farkin electrical gremlin [/quote]

Try turning the headlights off bro worked for me

Hope I get the chance to come check out possum palace one day sound mean as.

Replaced the front ball joints which were a mixture of dry and really floppy to say the least.
Got the dent puller out on the Cill,came back nicely considering the large rock sized dent it had in it.
Decided while I was doing the front ball joints to quickly service the front wheel bearings while I had the hubs apart and all that.

Nek Minnet I have about 25 odd bits of outer bearing in my hand .
Now where do you find a front wheel bearing for a lada on a Saturday, as I can't exactly leave it on the hoist at work all week.
The answer is fricken no where .

I did manage to, and quite proudly, get the rollers into the cage and smash the race back on. Woo hoo bucket of grease and crossed figures got me home. Next weekend,s mission front wheel bearings, new rear springs and new rear brake hose.

[Mattman]

now to find the electrical issue thats draining my batteries...

Have you got an ammeter? If so start at the battery positive lead and disconnect it and test with meter. If you have current draw then you have a problem. Work backwards to the fuses to find which circuit has the draw.

Matt.

[Filthy4x4]

now to find the electrical issue thats draining my batteries...

Have you got an ammeter? If so start at the battery positive lead and disconnect it and test with meter. If you have current draw then you have a problem. Work backwards to the fuses to find which circuit has the draw.

Matt.

We did that, and traced it back to the 30A Ignition Switch fuse, which hasnt popped but managed to drain 2 batteries dead flat in about 10 mins

[tweake]

finally got IC done.




but in a muppet of the week moment i must have left the boost controller loose and its lost it guts half way home. at least the IC got a good test with 20 psi running through it.

[Mattman]

[/quote]

We did that, and traced it back to the 30A Ignition Switch fuse, which hasnt popped but managed to drain 2 batteries dead flat in about 10 mins [/quote]

That is a lot of current draw. You need to test each fuse in the box that is fed from the ignition circuit. Get a diagram to find out what it feeds.

Some trucks have ceramic heaters as a booster for the heater and these can fail.

Matt.

[slide]

managed to drain 2 batteries dead flat in about 10 mins

My bet would be diodes in alternator to drain it that quick!
Undo B+ wire, as well as charge wire and recheck battery drain to confirm.

[kbushnz]

[skid]

oops, did you slip with the grinder dude

[kbushnz]

Sure did.....

[IcedJohnno]

Well I achieved a bit, trialling in my Austin 7.

Won the trial outright, in a registered, road going car that I drove there and back, against the trials specials with hinge pivoting front springs etc, light bodies and seating further back. Yes!
It is 1 / sometimes 2 wheel drive, but I figure it is nearer the stuff we are into here, rather than going in the off topic weekend achievements!

Pretty damn pleased especially with my suspension mods and carb tuning.
About a year ago I gave the transverse front spring a whole lot more droop capability and made it much softer. It starts off 6" higher, then sits at a similar height to normal but is way more flexible. I measured the articulation the other day and the car now lifts up to 350mm before a 2nd wheel lifts off. That's 0.35 over a 2.235m wheel base, so quite capable... especially with the shocks all slackened off, and even though it has normal 1/4 elliptic rear springs. They are the next mod, well another set actually.

Carb (SU) is on a really long inlet system to make the most of the torque range. Manifold had been condensing on the outside so figured this was happening internally too, as I get different richness between 1/4 and 2/3 cyls. Been missing and farting and the throttle like an on-off switch, since I got it back on the road a year ago. Not a lot of use for trials!
So thanks to a suggestion via a good tuning mate; Garry at P.A.D. Racing, I made a chimney to go around the exhaust headers and up and around the inlet system. Made a bit of a difference, later vastly improved when I added a thermostat out of a modern bike.
Was not sure how this would go as the system is a thermo-syphon one, i.e. no water pump. I drilled a couple of small holes in it so it would always flow something and then put it inside the top hose. Worked a treat!
Had been playing around with reshaping needles but in the end I ran out of time and stayed with the original one that Garry had made 10 years ago using the Dyno, with a previous engine. All I did was drop the needle a bit to lean the whole range. Figured the full revs I was using on this trial (about 6500) were going to be really brief runs (2 mins max with about 30 secs at peak revs) so running lean would not damage anything.

Car went a treat, very controllable throttle when you back off and then put power back down and still heaps of power up high to spin up & clear tyres of mud etc. (my usual style)

Some photos from the 2nd section 'The Gauntlet' which thankfully got canned after the car that ran after me got well airborne too. Thankfully cause I landed on top of 2 markers, throwing my trial away at this stage! Earlier a car had nearly rolled on the 1st part of the section when it backed over a bank after running wide on a corner. I had to stand on the front wheels when the driver and 'bouncer' were getting out to stop it going over backwards!

1st part of section done (where other car went off backwards), u turn and now lining up to cross next bog / creek

I had walked this Section before the start but not immediately before my run. It had changed... Big rut, the dia of a 19" tyre and about 16" deep for the LH front wheel. Lesson learned! Shades of how I used to trial in the UK and Scotland! Get those front wheels up!! Power off to regain steering and turn. LOL!

Landing, and about to throw the whole trial away as I bounced to the right really hard when I went up in the air the first time. You can see the back of two of the numbered markers that I am about to drive over. Wheels outside the markers = the points of the marker before! At 4 out of 20 this would not have been good!

Looking at where I think I am about to be thrown! R Front rising again as rear L tyre goes through the same short rut.

Front back in the air and about to take out marker no. 5
You can see on the number plate the depth of the mud I have just been through.

[IcedJohnno]

Exit of another section after lunch that I am just about to 'clean' making another 20 points.
Called 'The Sandpit', cos these water ponds make a great place for adult children to play! Front wheels are just about off the ground here too.

This wee Sports Model Austin 7, also known as an 'Ulster' after one of the long distance races where they had a lot of success in Ireland, produces about 34 bhp, roughly 3 times the output of the standard touring car and 1.5 times what a race car would of when built in 1929. (The race ones were supercharged) It is now 802cc instead of 747, is side valve, and runs a new forged & nitrided 2-main roller bearing crank which is pressure fed as opposed to the normal splash fed. I rev it to about 7000 and have improved the breathing via cam, head shape and porting. Originally the tourers ran to 3500.

23 years ago when racing these in the UK, I could lift the motor, all ancillaries and gearbox, walk 200m and then place it in the car by myself. These days I can't! I wonder why my back is stuffed!
I can still just lift the back of the car up off the ground, though not when I have the fuel tank and battery in the rear for Trialling!

Diff ratio is a brand new ex factory 5.625, the low one. 1/2 shafts are also brand new ex factory. I built this diff up a couple of months ago. Tyres 3.50 x 19", running at under 5 psi with motocross rim-locks. Tread has to be a road going period type, not open trials or motocross type. The gearbox, standard wide ratio 3 speed for this type of event. I run an ultra-close 3 speed for circuit racing.

We have a trials series in the South Island now. This trial the inaugural for NZ, I started it 20 years ago and we had 42 entrants this year. We have 3 others, Reefton last month, Blenheim in a month, and Nelson later on.

Great fun and cheap motorsport!

[yeti]

very johnno

[IcedJohnno]

Cheers Yeti !
A few more images. They are all, including those above, by a car friend Carolyn Elcock who is using them for some of her Polytech Photojournalism course assignments.

A ratrod styles Ford 8 Trials Special, driven by a couple of cousins. Gary races the ex DTM championship winning black Zakspeed Escort and won the NZ Mini Sevens championship. This is where I launch, as in the photos above. His bugeye glasses are genuine Russian nuclear fallout googles. Hilarious!

2nd car on section. You can see our trials markers here. White to the left and black numbered to the right. Check out the rusty padlock securing the spares on the rear!

Ex Chch Mayoral car from the previous mayor. This is the standard Austin 7 tourer. They are known as a 'Chummy'.
Driven this year by 3; owner Garry Moore. Johnny, his son who runs the family bar 'Smash Palace' and Greg, Johnny's bro-in-law who runs the mechanics caravan on the 'Thursday bike-nights' at the bar. You will see the car parked up in the bar.

Mauger Constructions nightmare! Phil's twin Coventry Climax engined beast of a trials special. 2 engines driving via jack shafts into the rear cut of an Austin 7 crankcase attached to a 4 speed Austin 7 gear box, rear axle and chassis etc! Note the fireproof sparkplug leads, part of the Milspec for the waterpump motors!
And yes I still beat it!

Phil determined and at speed!
Phil also drives the very rare Yardley McLaren F1 car with the Formula 5000's, and at the Leadfoot Festival etc.

[SMOKEY]

Hi Johnno, thanks for sharing and well done. Don't think I would have the balls to do this if it was my little vintage 7, to scared of hurting it . Keep the reports comming it might not be 4x4 but more interesting than a lot of posts,

BLACKDOG RACING,

FITZY.

[kbjj]

Keep the reports comming it might not be 4x4 but more interesting than a lot of posts.

Very cool... ^^^what he said