Superformance MKII, Riverside Racer 289 FIA vintage race car

[1795]

Troy,

Thanks. Never have been one to let dust settle on me, but I cannot take all of the credit. I am working with an amazing team. The knowledge and expertise is a wonder to experience. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with them, learning from them and problem solving with Ross, Roy and Rick. There is not a day that I do not learn something.

Spending time with Ross is great. Enjoy listening to his stories and sharing his dream of getting a cobra on the reach track. Have also had regular input with Dennis Olthoff as well. I truly feel like I have the best support I could imagine. Morris has provided some helpful suggestions as well that improve my knowledge and contribute to the build.

This is a team effort and I thank everyone for their support and assistance.

Jim

[1795]

And the work goes on. Ross and I got together yesterday, and we will continue tomorrow with the help of Roy and Rick with the differential installation. While I was waiting for Ross to get across the border, I installed the tow straps on the FIA. Most race organizations require tow points both front and rear. So I attached these straps to the quick jacks and will ziplock the tails in place so that they are not rubbing on the paint while racing.



The we went on to installing the differential. The half shafts have to be removed to clear the frame and frame mounted tow hoops. Here the differential sits on the floor jack with the shafts removed.



Next, it was a series of ups and downs with the floor jack and hoist as we maneuvered the the differential back and forth until we were finally able to secure the two top blots through the mounts.



We are making a few minor adjustments to the lower supporting bracket and will be installing that Friday. Things are moving forward and I plan on having the car back home early next week so that I can start working on the engine and transmission install.

Have a nice holiday weekend!

Jim

[Sawdust]

Jim
Excellent progress! Each day gets you closer to your goal. Say hello to Roy, Rick and Ross for me.

[1795]

Sawdust,

Will do. It's a good thing that I watched a lot of WW II movies that had British characters, being that Ross' parents are English. Therefore, I knew what he was asking for when he wanted a torch and knew that he meant flashlight

I have said it many time, but here it goes again. It is such a pleasure to spend day after day with Ross and to learn from him and exchange ideas. A true innovator and someone who does not settle for close enough. He is always striving to improve what he offers and has a lot f experience to build from.

Jim

[Sawdust]

That's funny. I know the "English" language very well........ The trio are a wealth of knowledge for sure!

[1795]

Well, stupid me, I thought that the couple of things that were supposed to be done by Friday would have been completed, without recalling that this Friday was the start of a holiday weekend. so, the bracket and the brake lines from Classic Tubes will not be ready until Tuesday.

Still, I managed to get a few things accomplished. We noticed that with the 275's in the rear that the inside tire walls were rubbing slightly on the pop rivets, so I ground the rivets down with still leaving enough to keep the panel stable. That should remedy that.



I also finished drilling out and tapping some holes in the lower section of the rear suspension as we had to relocate the heads of some bolts and shorten them to allow for clearance for the rear rotors. I did manage to break on of Rick's taps on Wednesday, but bought a new one and went a little slower this time and completed the other three holes and placed the bolts.



Lastly, here is a picture of the cutout that we had to do in the trunk for the differential due to those cooling fins. A flat plate would have fit, but not this one. we will be fabricating a cover for this. Given that it is a race car, having this opening is actually beneficial, as it allows for easier access to fill the differential and place a breather hose and catch can.



Have a nice holiday weekend.

Jim

[Blas]

DANGER !
Not sure the front and rear tow straps are well placed on the standard Quik-Jacks especially as mounted at 90 degrees to the two mounting rods.
You might want to talk with Ross and Rick on this to confirm.
Any directional movement on the Quik-Jack will destroy the surrounding fiberglass... BIG TIME !

I can speak for the MKIII - and they are cosmetic items only.
Just two simple threaded rods in a decorative SS tube. I would not even recommend standing on one.
Blas

[1795]

Blas,

Talked to Rick and Ross before hand, and they will be fine. These straps are for rolling tows, not for being jacked up by a tow truck. I have used them with a winch to get the car on the trailer with no problem. You are right in that if we were trying to jack the car up with them the fiberglass, like the aluminum on the originals, would suffer.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by 1795

Blas,

Talked to Rick and Ross before hand, and they will be fine. These straps are for rolling tows, not for being jacked up by a tow truck. I have used them with a winch to get the car on the trailer with no problem. You are right in that if we were trying to jack the car up with them the fiberglass, like the aluminum on the originals, would suffer.

The "quick-jacks" on the Superformance MK II ("289") are identical to the original cars........and therefor fully functional BUT will still often allow body damage. When Shelby developed the quick-jack system it was for race convenience, not for esthetics and therefore using structural tubes that were designed to hold the bumperettes in a "fore/aft" plane in the "up/down" plane was marginal at best. The original FIA/USRRC car bodies were often damaged by use of the jacks, but hey, it's a race car and we will pound it back for the next event. The same physics apply now.

[moore_rb]

{Sigh}..... so jealous.

Those half shafts are art.

In fact, this whole thread is pure porn for car guys....

[1985 CCX]

Sweet brake set up.
May need a few pointers on that front.

[1795]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

Sweet brake set up.
May need a few pointers on that front.

No problem. Can't wait to test them out on the track.

[peterpjb]

jim, is it maybe possible to take a photo of the point were the handbrake cable is attached to the ora caliper ?, thanks a lot!

[1795]

Originally Posted by peterpjb

jim, is it maybe possible to take a photo of the point were the handbrake cable is attached to the ora caliper ?, thanks a lot!

I would certainly take that photo for you if I could, but alas I have not hooked up the handbrake as vintage racing in the US does not require the handbrake as long as the front and rear brakes have their own distinct sources for brake fluid.

I do have the pads and mechanism for the handbrake, but did not install them for weight savings. I figured that I would be able to adapt the SPF system to work with the Girlings. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Dan Case might be able to provide a picture of the handbrake to ora caliper mounting from his 289 street car.

Jim

[Moto One]

Good to see that it's all coming together.

Mark.

[1795]

Was working by myself today, so did not want to move forward with trying to do the engine and transmission install by myself. Although, if I had to I would, but there is some time. Will not be able to make Mid-Ohio, just not enough time to make sure everything is right. Shooting for Watkins Glen on July 8 now.

Moved to the boot and started doing the prep work for the install of the fuel system. Stated by placing the ATL fuel cell in the boot and marking the cut points towards the rear of the boot. You will see in the picture two small yellow markers at the back of the fuel cell, those are the pickup pouts. I want the fuel cell to be somewhere between level and angled slightly towards the rear to ensure that fuel will be at the pickup points. Acceleration will force fuel to the pickup points and hard braking will slosh the fuel away from them. You do not want too much of an angle towards the pickup points, as that will decrease the amount of fuel that the fuel cell can hold. Mine is a 15 gallon fuel cell. It will be interesting to see how this effects handling, as the weight will be behind the differential, as opposed to right over it as in the stock application. The FIA cars with the extended fuel cells had a cell over the differential and one in the boot as well.



Then took my time and looked for any frame members that might be in the way, and sure enough there was a frame member.



So I took my trusty level out and measured the depth from the bottom of the fuel cell at the back to the point where the frame member crossed underneath the fuel cell. Then I placed a piece of lumber of the appropriate thickness where the back of the fuel cell would be and marked the spot towards the outside of the trunk where I would need to cut to drop the fuel cell in.



I then moved on to the fuel pump. The car comes stock with a Facet fuel pump already installed,



I removed the Facet and replaced it with a Carter fuel pump. Luckily I was able to utilize the same mounting plate and wiring. You may notice that there are two ground wires. The Carter came with one and there was already one there for the Facet, so I figured that an extra ground wire wouldn't hurt...



That was todays work, more to come tomorrow.

Jim

[Moto One]

Jim, 0012 has that same fuel pump just sitting back in the trunk, with fuel injection the pump is under the car. (along with a pressure gage that has to be on a lift to be seen?) we have disconnected the trunk pump, thats not doing anything. (don't need the electrical draw). What your doing is just amazing, and we are watching your build closely.

Mark

[1795]

So, have kept up the pace a little, although was slowed down slightly for a couple of days. Realized that the slave cylinder and fork setup was not going to work due to space considerations, so had to order a hydraulic throwout bearing. When it arrived I was test fitting it on the Toploader, and these things are a tight fit. Well, the transmission was sitting on top of a couple of 2x4's on top of concrete blocks and as I was trying to slide the throwout bearing onto the shaft the transmission slipped and fell on my left-hand middle finger. Split it open like a hot dog/sausage on a grill. Let loose a few choice words and then finished placing the bearing on the shaft. It was after that that I realized i was bleeding quite well and that a bandied would not be sufficient, so it was off to urgent care for a little surgical glue. The NP did mention what big hands I have! Seriously though, I really do have big hands for my size, I can palm a basketball with either hand ad am only 5'10".



I also worked on the front tower access holes for the radiator cooler lines and oil cooler lines. There are two holes in the front tower and it is recommended in the manual to use some rubber tabs to prevent the aluminum line from chafing. It has been reported to me that these rubber tabs have a tendency to fall out. I recalled using rubber compression fittings on hoses from my maple syrup production days, so I bought a couple of rubber compression fittings, cut them to size and they will work when the time comes.



I also enlarged the slots on the engine mounts to accept a larger bolt due to concerns over the torque of a race engine as opposed to a street engine. The slots on the engine mounts are slightly smaller than the mounting points on the frame, which will accept the next larger sized bolts.



I then move to the trunk and worked on the mounting of the fuel cell and fabricated a steel bracket to hold the fuel cell in place. Had to drill and tap holes in the bracket and the frame to secure the bracket.



Well, that is all for now. Will update you as the build progresses. Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there.

Jim

[Mark IV]

Jim,

Remember, no project is "official" until you bleed! You and your FIA are now "blood brothers"!!

You are making steady progress. Has the Harrison tank arrived yet?

[1795]

Rick,

No Harrison tank yet, probably will not show up until the beginning of next week. Found some empty 1 quart paint cans at Lowes for $2.50 that I will use for catch cans. The ones that they sell in the racing catalogs and sites can go from $25-$150 per can. Nice savings. You need to have a one quart catch can for all vents, i.e., radiator over flow, crankcase vents and differential vent.