Superformance MKII, Riverside Racer 289 FIA vintage race car

[1795]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Jim, your water temp gauge reading appears to be low....is that a correct reading at between 120 to 160? You mention that it "Did not boil out as much water the last race"?

Great footage to watch for us armchair spectators! Aside from the ever present risk of bingles, as well as the long lonely nights in prep for the races, you must be having a ball on the track!


Here's cheers!!
Glen

Glen,

With the FIA fuel log there is no port for the water temp sensor. Tried to find a place with adequate metal to place a bung but could not find one. Had the engine builder make an in-line assembly, but there was no room to place it between the intake and radiator, as that is where the thermostat had to go. So, the only place left was in the line coming from the radiator back in to the engine. I did notice that once the thermostat opened that the temp went from 180 down to 140, so I am going with adding 40 degrees to the water temp to estimate engine temp. Not optimum, but it is what I am stuck with until I can find a better place for it.

Jim

[1795]

So far I have been pretty much trying to race with the factory street suspension setup. Have done ok, but other than adjusting the camber, castor and toe for racing, it is pretty much stock. Being an adequate mechanic, I have come to the conclusion that the car needs a race mechanic to get it setup correctly.

So, I talked to Dennis Olthoff and I will be transporting the car down to him and over the course of the next month he will be going through the car and getting it setup into race form. We will reinstalling lowering blocks on the transverse leaf springs to drop the ride height an inch or so, maximizing the camber, castor and toe, looking at the shocks, Rick Muck is supplying some adjustable sway bars and solid mounts, checking the bearings, fabricating brake cooling ducts, and Dennis will be taking a look at some race tuning of the engine as well.

The car should be ready for the US Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in September. Looking forward to having the car properly setup and being able to just focus on my driving skills. With building a new house, I just do not have the time to try to get this all done myself, and I really do not have any where near the knowledge and skill that Dennis and his crew have.

Jim