3rd and 4th May 2008.... and beyond
 thanks to Mike

I wanted to get the engine in, bolted down and make a start fitting up all the additional items such as alternator, power steering, rad, fuel tank etc this weekend but as usual things didn’t go according to plan. 

After working Saturday morning, my first job when I got to the garage was to fit the new fuel pump and push rod before dropping the engine into place.  Unfortunately the new fuel pump push rod was significantly bigger in diameter than the one we had removed and condemned so, to make progress, I spent most of the afternoon machining the new shaft down until it was a good fit.  With this done and the fuel pump fitted (some 2 and a half hours later) I decided to go and help Kirsten, Trish and Loz who were working on Kirsten's’ V8 that she was due to race the following Monday.

The following day I was joined by Trish and Richard and determined to make some meaningful progress we set-to with the job in hand.  First job was to drop the engine into the chassis while attaching the exhaust headers to the cylinder heads as the lump was slowly dropped into place and then securely bolt the engine down onto the chassis rails. 

Next, Richard and I fabricated up the exhaust system and clamped it all into place, a fiddly/time consuming job but after an hour or so the car was back on its feet looking like something had actually been achieved!!  With the engine in place we then started to site up and secure some of the bolt on components such as carb, air filter, power steering pump and alternator and by the time it was time to go home things were looking a lot further forward.

 I have discovered a problem with the fit of my flex plate to my new bell housing so have had a couple of evenings this week back at the garage removing the clutch and flex plate off the car so I can take it to Performance Unlimited on Saturday morning to have a new (smaller) plate fabricated to refit over this coming weekend.  Also during the week I have plumbed up all the power steering system, sourced and fitted two new drive belts (not exactly off the shelf from Halfords those!!), fitted the fuel tank, fuel lines, MSD system and got the radiator and hoses cleaned up and ready to bolt back up.

Friday 2nd May 2008
 thanks to Mike

Spent a long night up at the garage last night (01/05).  Richard made the long trek over also (top man) and the main job was to get the engine mountings on and lock-tightened into place.  This went quite smoothly, a bit of messing about with bolt sizes and lengths but after an hour or so both engine mounts were securely fitted and Richard coupled up all the upper tie bars to add some valuable tension to the upper frames.  Whilst the engine was out we also decided to fit the new flex plate, flywheel and clutch assembly rather than leave it until the engine is back in the car.  Thanks to both Richard and Derek F for their assistance as ever.

Sunday 27th April 2008
 
With Richard not able to make the trip to the garage on Sunday, Trish said she'd come to the garage to give me a lift with the engine and by the time we got there both Derek and Lee Fairhurst had arrived and more importantly, had the kettle on...result!!  Once the engine was unloaded Trish cracked on with rubbing down my header sets (thanks for the ace repair btw to Geoff Coleman of NFR) while I made a start finding all the bolts, nuts and various fixings Richard and I took off  last November....you can guess how that went!!  Eventually I set to fitting up (temporarily) the now bright yellow engine mounts. Next with the help of Derek, Lee and Trish I dropped the engine into the chassis to check everything lined up and measure up for the new exhaust pipes and BSCDA approved silencers I'd decided to invest in. 

The engine dropped in really well and Derek and I started on the job of exhaust fabrication which again went really smoothly.  Derek and I decided where the best place would be for everything to sit, I cut some exhaust pipe down while Derek welded it all together and by early evening we had the engine sat in it's home with the headers, exhaust pipes, silencers and tail pipes all in place. 

Just before we left we took everything out again (in true 218/278 style I here you say) so Trish could paint up the exhausts in UHT paint and I could tighten everything up prior to final fitment later this week.

I still have a few minor issues I want to address with the engine mounting system but basically everything should now fall into place this week so we can get on with all the ancillary stuff at the weekend such as wiring, brakes an lines, fire wall, fuel tank, battery, seat, gearbox, clutch, floor etc etc etc.
 
I've now decided that Skegness is not realistic for my first meeting this year but if all goes well I may try and get to Buxton the week after if we've managed to get it all together and fit a test day in somewhere in the meantime.
 
 

Saturday 26th April 2008  
 thanks to Mike

 
Having had the call from Dave Powell to say the engine would be ready for us to collect from EDA (dyno site) at Castleford on Saturday, I put plans in place to pick Richard and Catherine up from their homes in Colne early doors with a view to getting the engine back to our workshop in Widnes so we could get cracking on the rebuild as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately I got another call from Dave saying he wasn't 100% happy with all the readings and more time would be required on the dyno on the Saturday before we left.  Dave told us not to arrive too early as he expected it to be after lunch before the engine would be ready but as we got there just before noon, the engine was just about ready for it's first "pull" with my carb fitted.  The engine had been giving good results with the EDA carb on it but Dave wanted to run my new carb on it before we left to set it up correctly.  Both Dave and Kenny Coleman, who owns EDA, spent some time with us checking all was OK but on the engines first run with my carb on it we found it was over fuelling even on tick over.  After a quick strip down job on the new carb both Dave and Kenny diagnosed the new carb as faulty and the decision was taken not to risk a full strip down and repair as this may invalidate any warranty on the unit.

This photo shows the engine coupled to Kenny's' bell housing, flywheel and
dyno jut after we fitted my new carb bought of Performance Unlimited to
replace the faulty one bought in the USA.

  Luckily for us Dave had a replacement carb to hand and this was duly fitted, set up and soon the engine was again ready for a series of pulls on the dyno equipment. 

...

This image shows stripping the dyno components off the engine after the
days fun!
In the shot is me & Richard  + Dave Powell of Performance
Unlimited

The engine went through several runs always giving good results and eventually we settled on a set up and all there was then left to do was remove the lump from the dyno and load into our van.

.......                                

...

                                                    
               By this time it was now gone 5.00pm so we decided it was a waste of time going back to Widnes at that point and I dropped Richard and Cath off at home before calling it a day myself.

  Thanks to both Cath and Richard for their time on Saturday, there wasn't too much for us to do during the day but I think we all learnt from the exercise and it certainly made for a very educational and interesting day.   Also huge thanks to Dave Powell and Kenny Coleman for their meticulous attention to detail and patience during the day, nothing seemed like too much trouble...not had the final bill yet though!!!!

18th April 2008
   thanks to Mike

With us still not having our engine back yet I have been turning my attention to other things of late.  Together with my dad I have fitted some tie downs in the back of the ex-Mark Webster truck, changed a few things around and fitted a pair of 300W lights to the rear to help us repair the cars when we get damage. 

I've also been working to help get a V8 stockcar ready to race for the Swinton Car Project.  Kirsten is kindly being sponsored by the SCP in 2008 and is shortly to take delivery of a car which she will race all year.  The car I have been working on is the SCP's spare car which has lied dormant for a couple of years awaiting some TLC!! With any luck Kirsten will race the spare car at Sheffield on the 5th May before taking delivery of her "new" car in time for the Skeggy weekend 25/26 May.

 
As usual a few stockcars have passed through my hands at Boundary Garage where along with the F1's of Derek Fairhursts and my own I've also helped out with the F2's of Lee Fairhurst and Josh Coleman. Both of the F2's are now out on track and racing and hopefully Derek and I won't be too long.

 
Finally a bit of late news...Kirsten has registered for 2008 in the Buxton Bomber formula.   In a combined effort by Jamie Davidson's "sharks" the Dowd's family, Kirsten and her boyfriend Loz, a car has now been finished for Kirsten to race at Buxton this Sunday (20/04), we will add an update of how she went on next week.  Many thanks to everyone who has pulled together to get the car ready in time for Kirsten's' banger debut.

 

19th March 2008
   thanks to Mike

With the engine not back yet, apart making a couple of new panels etc, things have been quiet at the 278 garage recently. The car is more or less ready for the engine to be refitted and once it's back we will get cracking and get out ASAP. To be honest I've stopped chasing a particular date or meeting now, once the car is back together we will go testing somewhere and then look to start our season.

   
New bonnet made up ready for paint

Since coming back from the US for the Florida Nationals and Daytona, I have been kept busy sorting paintwork for various drivers including Josh Coleman (F2 615) and Derek and Lee Fairhurst. Hopefully by the time Easter is out of the way most of this years paintwork will be done with and I'll be able to concentrate on my car once the engine is back with us.

We have also now completed the purchase of the ex-Mark Webster transporter and we are on with making a few mods to it to suit our needs.

 
New (to us) transporter for 2008

  
New truck currently being used to store various panels awaiting paintwork


 

4th February 2008
   thanks to Mike

Latest from the 278 team is that we've had a bit of bad news insofar as the engine needs a fair amount of work doing on it after being inspected by Dave Powell of Performance Unlimited.  I've given Dave the go ahead to get on with the job but parts supply will mean I won't get the unit back until late March.  The earliest I can see us out again will be the NIR 12/4 meeting but I won't be able to commit to that date until much nearer the time.

As far as the car goes all the suspension has now come back from the shot blasters/paint shop and Tony and I have spent all this weekend re-fitting it to the car. There is still a load of work to do + we have the new truck coming in a couple of weeks so guess we'll be busy even before the engine comes back!!

Massive thanks to big Tony from the 218 team for stepping in and giving me a lift this weekend. More updates to follow as the rebuild continues.

   .. ..

15/01/08 
 thanks to Mike

At the same time as working on the car for the 2008 season we also decided the time was right that we started to look for something more permanent regarding transport to and from the meetings for the new season.  Up to press I have been borrowing either Boundary Garages recovery truck or more regularly Neil Fitton's 7.5 ton transporter.  This always meant quite a lot of running around collecting vehicles, emptying them out, loading up (car, spares, wheels, creature comforts etc) and then reversing the process after every meeting, I reckon I probably did about 100 miles + several hours work per weekend just sorting transport.

With this in mind we decided to look around seriously for our own truck and have now made arrangements to purchase the ex Mark Webster (F1 #226) 7.5 ton box transporter. The truck is more or less ready to go and as it's been used for an F1 before it's obviously all set up with the right gear to do the job (ramps, electrics, air, accommodation etc).  Mark has a couple of jobs to do before we collect the truck but we hope to collect it within a couple of weeks.  My dad has already had his sketch pad out and is planning a few modifications of his own to the interior, he's never happier than when he got a wood saw in his hands so I'll leave him to it!!

Boundary Garage has again come to my aid and agreed I can permanently park the truck at work which is a big help, massive thanks to them for their continued support and also to Neil Fitton of NFR Racewear for the regular loan of his truck up to this point.

Andy Coleman camera phone photo.

I'll add more images once the truck is with us.

14th January 2008
   thanks to Mike

Decided to give the NEC a miss this year, saving the cash for racing instead and the time for garage duties!!

With the entire 218 team at the NEC I took advantage of an empty workshop today and assisted by Andy Williams I have stripped off all the suspension of rose joints etc + stripped the hubs etc off the front and rear axles.  All the radius arms and other suspension components are all now ready to go to the shot blasters where they will be cleaned up and recoated ready for re-assembly.

The front axle needs straightening and the rear axle needs a large repair on the outside end before they too can go to the blasters for the same treatment.

My outside half shaft is also quite badly bent which will probably need replacing

and 12 of the removed rose joints are only fit for the skip so they too will have to be sourced before the rebuild process can start.

With any luck I will have all the bits and pieces back and in place and would like to have the car sat back on it's wheels before we go to Daytona in Feb.  That way the biggest job once we return will be to refit the engine/gearbox and driveline to the car, refit the seat, fuel tank, battery, steering column, dash, floor and sort out the suspect wiring before we go testing hopefully in early March....well you've got to have a plan haven't you??

Trish also came over to the garage today and did a lot of work sorting out various things including tidying up the loose panels and storing them safely away so not to get damaged.

Big thanks to both Andy and Trish for their help today.

Mike

7th January 2008
   thanks to Mike

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30th December 2007
   thanks to Mike

Updates have been thin on the ground of late but that doesn't mean it's been quiet by any means. Along side the 218 car of Derek Fairhursts'
the car has been completelystripped down and re-bumpered. I have had the chassis shot blasted and the car is currently at Boundary Garage in 
Bury awaiting paintworkwhich will be sorted this week. Richard and Cath have been invaluable during the off season and have mostly provided me 
with the motivation toget stuck in!! 

Once the chassis is painted (not doing the body again this year) I will be taking the car back to Widnes where we need to strip off all the 
suspension, repair the rear axle,gat all the suspension and axles shot blasted and re-painted ready for the new year re-build. I will be checking
 on my engines progress at performance unlimited when I get chance and hope to be back on track at the first tar meeting of 2008
 (Skegness 21/03).

Kirsten will continue to practice where possible in my car and may well be seen in the V8 formula again throughout 2008. Kirsten has also
 been offered the possibility of a few outings in an F2, things are by no means certain as yet but it's altogether possible that during the season
 she may be seen out in the formula ones, twos and V8's!!!!

As ever sponsorship packages are available, if anyone out there want's to sponsor an ageing wannabee F1 driver and a potential young 
female stock car driver in any way please get in touch via this website.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

22nd November 2007
   thanks to Mike

Not too much to report recently, Tony and I went up to the garage on Saturday last week (17/11) and while I busied myself striping the engine 
mounts, alternator and allthe other bit and pieces off the engine Tony set to the front and rear of my car with a sthil saw!! After a very short
 period of time both bumpers were off my car ready for meto set about grinding all the chassis up ready for the new bumpers to go on.

The engine is now ready for me to take over to Performance Unlimited where it will get a thorough check over while the team work on the car
 during the off season.
More news, info and images will be added to the site as we progress.

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   4th November 2007
 Thanks  to Mike
	                                                   

   I think I might have to sack the new editor (Richard), he's far too cheeky!

Richard, Cath and I paid a further visit to the garage today with the aim of removing the last few components off the car to allow us to remove 
the engine. I hoped to have the engine ready for lifting out by the end of the day but as we are all new to this lark I wasn't sure how far we'd get. 
Richard removed the oil pressure pipe work, drainedthe oil and took the starter motor off while I removed the bell housing and clutch assembly
 to make the extraction a bit easier when we lifted the engine.

Once that was done we removed all the main engine mounting bolts that hold the engine mounts to the chassis, swore a lot, cracked a few
 knuckles and broke a couple of tools but eventually they were all out. A couple of the bolts were reluctant to come out of their holes so we then
 decided to lift the engine slightly which released the tension they were under allowing them to come cleanly out of the chassis. 

We'd somehow managed to get to this stage a bit earlier than we thought we would so Richard had the great idea of finishing the job off and 
getting the lump out altogether. We strapped the engine securely up to the hoist and slowly lifted the engine up and out of and away from the 
chassis at which point it became obvious that the engine (still complete with mounts) was much wider that the gap between the upper bonnet 
rails...we needed a plan!! The engine was then lowered back down onto some wooden blocks to allow us to re-position the straps and bring
 the engine out of the bay on a slight angle. With a fair bit of pushing and shoving and liberal use of a 
couple of tyre levers the engine was persuaded past the bars and within an hour or so we managed the "ship in a bottle" trick with relative ease.
  

..   
           

While all this was going on Cath removed my seat belts, seat, covers and various other odds and ends plus did a sterling job of keeping
 Richard and I supplied with tools during the afternoon.  Cath also took charge of the camera so no doubt there's a few more embarrassing
 photos to add to this report!!!

As it's the NS finale next week, we'll probably have a weekend off to go to Kings Lynn next week (Good luck to both Frank and Andrew) but 
keep an eye on these pages for regular updates as we get into the closed season refurb further.

Thanks again to both Richard and Cath for enduring not only my company at the garage but also regularly braving the 100+ mile round trip to
 the garage at regular intervals.

                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  28th October 2007

 thanks to Richard Barwick

               Since the premature end to the season the 278 team decided to get an early start on freshening things up for 2008.  We also decided 
to start training our apprentice mechanic Cath, that should be fun as no one has trained Mike yet either. 

The first weekend after the British we all turned up keen and raring to go, the first job we needed to do was start removing the engine so it could 
be sent for some TLC. At first this looked like a few hours work at most, maybe those who have done this job before will laugh at us now but 
neither of us had ever done this before (f2 engines are easy in comparison).

So it was out with the spanners and on with it. We got the apprentice removing all the panels and the battery which led to tears but that's a 
separate story . Me and Mike had a quick look to see what needed removing before the engine could come out and we realised its pretty much
 everything from the front axle backwards. As the important half of the removal Team has had transport problems lately it meant we were limited 
to Sundays so we got into it and removed the radiator power steering pump and box while Mike stood picking his nose (see photo).

One of the longest and trickiest jobs was removing a bar from underneath the firewall which was Mikes department, I must admit i didn't think it
 was possible for a man to turn that shade of red and still remain standing but he did. After a few choice words it was removed as was the rest
 of the firewall so that part was finished.

We then discovered that when the car was originally built it must have been built around the exhaust manifold bolts so that was a good job for 
Cath to do, all part of the learning curve, at least we show her work on the car unlike Derek 218 who shows her the kettle, must say the brews 
are good though .

We are now just about ready to lift the engine out so what we thought was a few hours has been a few days but once removed we can really get
 a start on the rest of thecar. We will be stripping it down to the chassis and starting from there, so the apprentice will learn plenty before March 
and maybe Mike will too, keep checking in for progress reports and pictures as we get them.