Quick Fix!!

November 2009

Off for a ride goes the Pinepac Mustang, taking a wee ride up in the air on the hoist

It was the diff & not the axel!

Bri pulled out the axel & it was in perfect condition, pleased now we didn’t ring to get one of the boys to bring up the spare axel off the bench! & bring it to Noosa

The Mechanic, aka Bri found a pile of metal shavings at the bottom of the axel housing!

A broken Spool was the culprit!

& for people like me with a bit less knowledge on how this works, It effectively locks the diff, so both wheels turn at the same speed all the time
So it seems my Bri tore the spline that turns the axel & if the terminology isn’t quite right for you Rev heads reading this out there, get over it, this is my blog!
Will I ever get my head around all this car stuff?

It seems he tore that sucker right out the middle of the spool!
How on earth? Yes you may very well ask, as I did
“I could have been running to much negative camber on the back axel or just too many hill climbs with sharp corners which in turn put to much strain on the spool”
ARG! I see!!!

“Just pop down the street & buy a new spool now”! says I
Not that easy to find I can tell you
Now the phone calls, internet searches, the head scratching begins, because the diff is an Atlas, out of a 3 ltr GT Capri made in the late 70’s, not an easy task to find

Finally he rings Ken Hooper in NZ, the Group A Mustang expert & ex Pine Pac Racing Mechanic, who built the car in 1985 & rebuilt in 2006 & upon asking where he got the spools from Ken replied, he had made them
I can see the next thing will be the old spool & spare axel will be taking a wee holiday across the pond to NZ, so Ken can make us a new one!!
& yes I was right
that is just where it is heading, all wrapped in bubble wrap

In the interim, as a quick fix, Bri took the spool out of the spare diff & took it to Ozzie diffs to set up. Four hours later & another $50 of diff oil, Bri has the new spool in place
Hopefully this baby holds together, as yet to try!

"You Play, you Pay"

Friday the 13th Nov 2009, 6am & we are on road heading for “The Hill” to the 12th annual running of Historic Noosa Hill Climb
Off to the National Park, up the picturesque, Gyndier Drive at, Tewantin, regarded is one of Australia’s premier hill climb courses & after walking the 1.5 ks up this baby, I agree wholeheartedly, 14 right, left, right, left, turns, I can see the weekend is going to be loaded with lots of thrills and spills!

Even though we were doing the speed limit towards town
I could hear the longgggg line of cars say behind us, “Joy of joys” as we come to the 2 lane part of the highway
Engines racing, tyres screeching & so the hordes rushed past us!

All too early we hit the Gateway congestion of traffic & we come to a halt!
So much so for leaving early enough to escape this, not early enough it seems!
Luckily within 15mins, we are again rolling happily along with no more hold ups

The day looks very overcast!
Radio forecaster says, a mainly fine weekend, wonderful
But wait they have now changed their minds!
Showers expected, with storms!!!
ahh discussion ensures

But fear not we are prepared; we have the wet weather tyres at the ready on the tyre rack, if needed
The sky looks very like the dust storm of last month!
The radio reports “A smoke haze over the city from small fires around Noosa!!”
Yeah right! just where we are heading!
“Visibility is down from 8ks from 20ks”
Yea Gods & little fishes!!
We arrive, set up camp & familiarise ourselves with our surroundings, then head for the air-conditioned comfort of our Unit

Saturday dawned bright & sunny & warm, ohhh soooo warm
More than 165 cars were entered & nearly 10,000 spectators lined the road over the two days to see some of the world’s oldest & most valuable cars do battle
Thrills & Spills were right with more than a few crashes, but after all it’s a professional motorsport event,” so what more do you expect
It wasn’t all smooth sailing though with a couple of the vintage cars coming off second best after accidents, thankfully no one badly hurt
A Ferrari & a jag, & a RX7 to just name a few, either took a detour off the side of the mountain!!! or into the wall

Bri was running with number 18 so was one of the first starters, he managed to get in 4 runs, the sighting run was 75 & the last run of the day was 72

Ohh this is looking pretty good!

“Darling you need to be not quite so much the crowd pleaser at take off, with all that smok’in, sreetch’n tyre shit, you lost valuable seconds with that ” I tell him

The Mustang, being a race car & not road registered, had to wait up the top of the mountain until there were 20 or so cars ready to come back down the track together

During the last run down of the day he thought he heard 2 loud bangs!!

He backs into our pit area with some difficulty, on his return down the mountain, wheel spinning with one tyre!!
He's head down bum up under the rear end of the car for some time, BUT!! all seemed well!

Oh & did I mention the Group A Pinepac Mustang Touring car! in that total of, Thrills & Spills, previously?

No??

Well add it to that total! now!!
The big bang was something after all

The weekend came to a depressing conclusión!

She wheel spun on the way to fuel up, for the first run of Sunday morning!
I had to climb out & help push her up an incline, 2 Gallant Gentleman rushed to my assistance

Bri just said a few choice words! & drove straight back to our pit!!

Either a broken Axel or a broken diff!!!
Thus cancelling out another good days racing!

A Different Kind of Oil Leak

Good grief...I swear, I know now ....“Oils aint oils”

There are bloody black oils, red transmission fluid, pink or red power steering oily shit

Purple differential fluid, coolant fluid which could be! green, yellowish or reddish with a faint, sweet smell

There is heavy light tan or black gear oil, brake fluid or as we have here shock absorber oil

& then there is ... Is it a drip, a seep or a leak or even a slow seepage,

I have heard it all, the whole debate

Yeah I know this conversation has come up before!

dripping oil wrapped in strips of torn cloth!!!

All I know is yes I have noticed it, darling !

I have noticed the smoke, smelt the burning odour caused by the oil seeping onto the hot engine or from coming into contact with hot exhaust parts, yes indeed & yes I have mentioned this before I know,

but this is my blog & I will rave as much as I see fit!

Why is it gaskets continue to leak oil?
All very frustrating if you don't find & correct the source of the problem

To date! We have had

Diff spewing oil @ 2 different times, one pinion seal, 2 diff axel seals
2 engine oil coolers
a leaking oil catch tank
a brake fluid reservoir leak

Now it’s the Koni Shocks turn @ $I000 each to replace, thankfully only 2 seals were needed $200 dollars!

Hmmm....what next??? me thinks!

ahhhhhhhhhh & now we have it dear readers, looks like we have a wee Engine sump oil leak????? Enough said

Historic Leyburn Sprints around the Houses, 15 & 16 August

Ahhhhhh....the beauty of a gorgeous Friday morning when one has a long weekend off to go historic racing.
Friday 14 August, 7.15am, promises to be bright & clear with the mist wafting in waves across the dams as we pass.

We are heading off to the 14th annual Leyburn Sprints to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the running of the Australian Grand Prix, which was run at the nearby Clifton airfield circuit.
We will help to swell Leyburn’s population of around 300 to become 2 of the 15,000 fans and competitors expected.
We never did make the trek down to the coast to the airport to stock up on the avgas, so we now have to make the detour to Ipswich to pick it up, $67.00 for 20 litres

We head out the Warrigal Hwy, turn off at Gatton & wend our way up & over a landscape dominated by rolling hills! covered by pastures of many different veg’s & grain crops, towards Ma Ma creek

Lord give me strength!

We dilly & dally our way to the top of the summit of the Great Dividing Range with its spectacular views

We brave the 3 metre bitchamin road, i.e. wide enough for one car in one direction, the one lane bridges, the side track ahead signs, to name but a few of thee delights that we encounted
Past herds of cattle, rusty old woolsheds & abandoned houses & other scattered remnants from a bygone era of early settlement

Tom tom, sat nav, really did do us proud this time, NOT!

But on a positive note, it was places we had never been to before, & this is what this is all abt, the “Feeding of Our Souls” before they float sky high & our worn out bodies are 6 foot under

OMG!!! HOLD ON....

Yes indeedy the brakes on the trailer do indeed work, as Bri makes a sudden stop!

They locked up as smoke belches from the tyres leaving behind beading!

F off all you meandering cattle!!!

...I am brave and strong and courageous....... breath in, exhale out!

Across to the New England Highway through Clifton we travel, at 11.10am we hit Leyburn, winch the Mustang off & unhitch the trailer & set up our spot for the weekend

1pm Bri takes the car off to scrutineering, where they find a missing weld in the roll cage! Between the top of the bar & the roof!
“Must get that welded mate”!
Yeah right!
Ahhhh how?

Still, I am sure my hero will find a way to rectify this matter in time; still it didn’t stop getting the baby out on the track, which was the main thing

We walked the track, darling a bit dubious when he saw the size of the stones in the road, “I’mmmm, I can see the paint tin will be getting a work out when we return home” he says Luckily darling had foreseen what these stones do & had previously adhered a thin layer of foam to the underside of the front mud guards to stop dents

Not so lucky were a lot of the other once pristine cars that on the Sunday arvo were peppered with dents & dings! to the top of their guards!

We then enjoyed a beer & a few rum & cokes in the sun at Leyburn's only pub owned by former Bronco Shane Webcke
Then off we drove to find the Cunningham highway to Warrick to our hotel

Saturday morning at 6.30am we leave Warrick & travelled the 45mins to Leyburn past frost laden fields which sparkled & glittered like crystals as the sun dawned, the Granite Belt indeed living up to its name of being one of the coolest parts of Queensland, breathe taking to see

As he drives, Darlings mind is always on the job & works out the plan for the day, “I’ll take it easy for the first 2 runs, until the road & tyres warm up“ should be ok after lunch to let loose”

Oh yeah that has so put me at ease!!

The car is still tucked up where we left it, luckily not a layer of ice on that baby, as so many others had that had been left in the open air

The 7.30am drivers briefing saw breathes of vapour & frozen lip gloss gasp as the Marshall said “stay away from the hay, each one weighs 600ks a piece, it’s like hitting a kangaroo,
Yea Gods & little fishes!

At 8.30am Leyburn sprints is off & running, 1100m closed street circuit winding its way around the houses

I’m off to rub noses with the Motor Racing greats, Dick & Steven Johnson, & yes indeed the aging autograph hunter, aka me, will again be armed with her paint pen, as these 2 men are yet to be hunted down & capture by my camera

Three!!! attempts later & the assurance I am not a stalker & I have a photo of Dick & I

Bri gets in 4 runs today
1.16.21 - 1.07.71 - 1.06.76 - 1.05.12
Big Boy, you are Smokin!

Sunday dawns & it's freakin' cold here, the scene was set for another nail-biting lap around “the houses” on this cold, zero Sunday morn!

We again attend the drivers briefing, again misty breaths are coming out of nostrils & mouths like smoke!

But like yesterday, again the day soon heats up & jackets, scarves & gloves are stripped off

Bri gets 3 runs today, each run knocking off seconds
1.05.73 - 1.04.77 - 1.03.96

Bloody hell!
Bri! 1.03.96 - Tricky Dicky!! 1.03. 87 & Steven! 1.05.26

But in their defence, Dick & Steven did do a bit of drifting at times, & left so much rubber on the road tyres had to be replaced!

Shhhhhhhh...don't tell him, but I did witness the Squeal of Bri’s tyres a few times in his search of the right grove! This just may have slowed him down!

The most sort after Leyburn rock trophy (second in his category) sits amongst the others in the shed, to be gazed upon lovingly at times

Well done sweetheart, you are indeed my Hero xx

Go Fast or be Passed!

First 2 Photos taken by: Troy King, Professional Production Photography

First they started with a warm up lap

Then lined up on the grid for a photo shoot for Shannon’s PR, then it was out for 20mins demonstration on the track from a rolling start

He & his comrade-in-arms, Peter Woods, in his Black VK Commodore Croup A Touring Car, both agreed that this was the high light of the weekend, being asked to run in the Lunch time track demonstration session with the big guns

Along, with Bri’s hero car, the ex-Dick Johnson’s No.17, Bryan Burt Falcon Hard Top, was

The late Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, 1965 Mustang, which Pete drove to win 68 races from 74 starts, which was driven by, Shannon,s Queensland Business Development Manager, Phil Ross

The ex-John French Falcon XC Hard Top

The orange 1970, 302 Boss Mustang pace car & the ex-Bob Morris XD Falcon sedan driven by ex-V8 super car Driver Craig Harris, plus other racing muscle cars

Last but not by any means least, ex-V8 super car driver & with 7 Bathurst victories under his belt to name but a few, Jimmy Richards

A fellow Kiwi who Bri followed to Race meetings back in NZ in the late 60’s & early 70’s, who drove the Red & White Winfield racing Holden

This weekend was value for money, $185 early bird special, lots of track time & experience, with the beasty guzzling through 75 litres of fuel

“Another day of sprints for you & your car versus the timekeeper”

Sunday 28th June 2009
The start of day 2 of the Shannon’s shootout!

A beautiful sunny day dawns, we leave a bit later as we woke without the alarm, which is always a good feeling

The first 6 laps goes ahead without mishap... 2 hours later he’s off for the 2nd outing of the morning

The car feels great.... Power on down to turn 1.... up to turn 2 .....breaking hard then back on the gas... along the 600m back straight.... the car runs strong... ready to corner down through the dipper..... OH SHIT....

A mowing we will go!!!!

We really are so in sync; it is soooo true that many years together you grow oh so very alike!

I like to keep a tidy property, 1 1/4 acres mowed weekly & depending on how fast the grass grows, sometimes twice weekly!

He likes to keep track side well manicured also it seems

Along the 600m back straight a car is up his arse!

From where I was I could barely see daylight between them, I kid you not

I knew exactly what was going to happen from the onslaught of Bri not allowing him to pass him on Dick Johnson straight.

Just prior to the corner, I knew then the race was well & truly on!
There was no way in hell he was going to let him get passed him & while I’m at it!! Who in the hell had moved that witches hat which had become Bris breaking point after turn 2!

So my man decides, even when racing to take a wee detour,

He reckons some attention is needed at the dipper area so he makes a sideway manoeuvre to give it a quick slash on flight

I of course witnessed all this; all I can see is abt 2 inches of the roof of the car down in the dip.

I rejoiced at that as it could have been the wheels I was viewing

By this time I swear I could hardly breathe, but I was calm as I had an audience beside me

I was brought up old school; "never make a spectacle of yourself Pamela"

Breath, exhale, Breath, exhale,

FUCK that was my husband!! Mother would have been turning in her Grave at that point!

Thankfully after what seemed like an age the red flag comes out & Bri is pushed out of the mud & hostilities resume, he is off & racing once again

Now, after the mud slide incident, other wives might have been excited at this point, but no not me, I am the panicker or so my kids tell me, & in my mind what I see isn't my man gallantly riding into battle once again, I see a possibility of bumps & scrapes, crashes & risk, I am terrified once again

The Queensland Raceway site says "If your pride and joy, your passion, has wheels and horsepower its time you brought it out to play.

Cotton balls are all well and good but if you want to get the real deal you have to use it the way it was built to be & how right they are, you do not have to put your car at risk.

If half the roads were as safe as Queensland Raceway it would halve the road toll.

Your car was meant to be driven and you owe it to the people who designed it, and built it, to show what it can do – safely"

How right they are, day 2 & we only have a bit of mud & bits of grass hanging foul!

Qld raceway Shannon’s Sports & Muscle Car Showdown

Photo by
Professional Production Photography
Saturday 27th June 2009

As a hint of early morning light peeks through the wooden blinds, she slowly climbs out of her warm comfortable bed.
She can hear him outside on the patio, patting the dog, lighting his fag & slurping his coffee, over the idling engine of the mustang.
With a heavy heart & hesitant footsteps, she forces herself to make way to the shower, then dresses, wanders out into the still dark morning, & forces herself to face her fate for this weekend –
Two days of adrenalin at The Shannon’s Sports & Muscle Car Showdown.

He was thoughtful enough to say, do you want to stay home.
Thankyou darling, but no, there is no way in which I am going to take the chance of missing any moment of significance as I wait patiently, camera in hand … What were our Vows.. To death do us part

We are off, 5.55am & black as pitch, & a brisk 6 degrees, blinded by the glare from the headlights off the rain puddles on the road!
Then to top it off, further on down the track the fog rolls on in!

Saving Grace, NO wipers needed.
What was that I just said, 15mins away from the venue rain! Wipers on!

The weather discussion starts, slicks? yes, no, maybe, & then a glimmer of hope, as my Granny always said if you can see a handkerchief sized patch of blue in the sky, then the weather will be fine, & there it was, & yes indeed she was right

We unload the Mustang, the wet weather tyres in case needed, the fuel etc etc & took the car & trailer to the car park, in minutes we were all sorted & erected the cover amid the quagmire the ground had become overnight.

Bri then attended the drivers meeting, they stressed how slippery the track will be with all the water lying through the dipper area,
“keep off the green & stay on the black stuff! if you get on the green, grab your passport, as you will end up in some foreign country & in this weather you are likely to hit the wall”, yeah right, just what I wanted to hear!

Back to our paddock area where darling jacks the car up, he's now decided to run with the rear sway bar off, thankfully this was completed with no mishap & the sprint began

The new tyres are duly noted by Mr John English

Clubman Circuit 2.11 km
Practice - 1:13
Best time – 1:08