Moray Phoenix Rally Team RAF Lossiemouth

[tomfomthenorth]

Well I have a lot of pictures and quite a bit of info, but there are a lot of blanks that need filling too, hopefully you will be able to help with some of that.

So a bit of context then, the car has been an RAF rally car for longer than the 2 years that we, the "Moray Phoenix Rally Team", have known it. The problem has been a lack of continuity, Audrey was team Co driver in 2012 and driver in 2013. A lot of the personalities have changed and with it some of the cars history has become hazy. Now we have a core team of 5 that will be with the car for 2 full race seasons (Audrey the driver, Myself co-driving, Jon, Craig and Jake our engineers), from here the only way is up.

[tomfomthenorth]

What we know

This isn't just a Nova with mudflaps, it is a ready to race rally car, in so much as it has all the electrical isolators and map lights and rally trip computers you need. The car was once a stage winning car. But it has spent 6 months in a dusty hangar with the drive train out for repairs.

The engine is a 1400 Nova engine with balanced OEM crankshaft, shot peened balanced rods, "fancy" pistons and a Kent 0 63 competition cam.

looking at it it has some pretty sporty induction on ITBs or twin carbs, sorry I'm a turbo EFI man usually still have stuff to learn.

It has discs all round with twin master cylinders and a hydraulic handbrake.

A probably overkill 4 puck clutch.

What looks to me like a front LSD pictures to follow, very exciting.

Gaz coilovers on the front and I think ARB upgrades.

Roll cage, race fuel tank, fire extinguishers.

I thought a fairly well designed mainfold into a larger exhaust.

[tomfomthenorth]

The problem

The car was rallying at Otterburn in June when the clutch let go. It had a competition Clutch 4 puck paddle fitted that has really badly failed. We were trying to do a little post mortem today and found that it had taken a big chunk of gearbox bellhousing away and that the Input shaft??? that should float to enable clutch changes was siezed in fore/aft movement and had quite some wobble side to side.

[tomfomthenorth]

The other problem is that while it worked the hydraulic handbrake was used and locked the rears, but then they stayed locked!

Can I post pictures before the 15 posts?

[tomfomthenorth]

Now we have 3 gearboxes, one is knackered so we can forget that one. One of them is a RWD gearbox so would mate to the engine but would stick out the wing of the car and the third is the replacement, it can be seen here on the left next to the broken one.

http://imgur.com/a/0qNtJ#34
http://imgur.com/a/0qNtJ#35


We believe it to be off a more powerful engine, the numbers cast into it read

GM 90 288 855
760
6

whereas the old one read

GM 90522089
780
22

http://imgur.com/a/0qNtJ#33
http://imgur.com/a/0qNtJ#32

Is this going to be an issue?

[tomfromdelmonte]

Hi Tom. Great to see another nova rally thread. Please some more pictures of the build and work in progress (and hold the camera steady!). What events to you expect to be using the car in next?

[Benn]

Awesome looking rally project. Can i just say tho, if you rear brace was bolted/welded to the turrets it would work alot better then being on the struts.

[tomfomthenorth]

Once I have 15 posts I can post pictures in the thread.

The front brace looks rubbish I don't think it's doing anything at all.

[tomfomthenorth]

Yours looks beautiful mate, it must be great to build from the ground up the way you have. We have to start somewhere in the middle. If I have my way at the end of this season I will strip the car and seam weld it. Wobbly camera yeah haha, that album is a bit of a photo dump atm, I was losing patience with clumsy technology.

[tomfomthenorth]

Right action shots,





As you can see last season started well.