GSKTR4 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Only a few days to go and both Tony and ourselves appear to have gearbox problems. Mine started making lots of horrible noises soon after I gave it some stick to test out how it was running - only just got it back after the Rally of the Tests - now with full throttle available - the extra power was obviously too much for the "reconditioned" (read repainted) 'box - Ade and I changed the 'box tonight (to a non-overdrive unit he had sitting in his garage) and hopefully we'll have the job finished in good time. Hopefully Tony will be out on Saturday too but sadly Bill Wyatt has had to work so there won't be three TR4's to make up a TRactors team with The start venue and rally HQ is Cranage Hall - close to the M6 at Holmes Chapel - well worth the trip to at least watch the first test in the hotel grounds. Full details of other spectator points at Spectator Information - if you come along please make yourselves known - Tony Sheach is running at 24 (in the "masters" category) and we're at 26 (leading the "experts" away!). cheers, Andy Lane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 It true - im stuglling with my new hybrid gearbox - stag box, comp. overdrive, saloon car close ratio's and input shaft, saloon laycock plate, TR cover and all else TR ........ its a nightmare. 4th in / out tonight and if it still wont give me drive im on for a non od standard box to get me round ......... why do i make life so complicated ??????? BTW im only in the masters category because Rob Kiff is a white hot navigator ....... little to do with my ability I can assure you. Regards and happy gearboxes Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 4th in / out tonight and if it still wont give me drive im on for a non od standard box to get me round ......... why do i make life so complicated ??????? ... Mmmm - exactly what I'm doing .... looking forward to having a chat about what to do/not to do when I get my o/d box rebuilt ??? Sorry - posted by Andy - didn't realise Ade was logged in on this PC!! cheers, Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Ah...the joys of gearbox swapping. Does anyone else get the impression that the removal of the TR 'box with the body in place was a design-afterthought? Or were the TR designers just having a bad day at the office? I feel sorry for you Tony with the roll-cage to contend with AND a hard top to get in the way! New spine on order? Anyway, the replacement 'box, although it feel smoother, is a total unknown, but I did find a broken clutch fork pin (lukily we had a new one). Incidentally, the "New" release bearing fitted to Andy's car had only a couple of thousand miles and was already destroyed - beware! cheers all Adey:cool: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 I have a non OD in and I believe about to work ne I back of the slave rod - joy - £10 well spent on that gearbox - thanks you Walter Petchey - bailed out by friends again - what a lucky boy I am. For Sale - high performance TR4 gearbox and overdrive, close ratios, big piston overdrive, stag box and bearings etc. etc. etc. looks great ....... works like its a DAF ........ ACA .....no returns or calls answered ...... See you Friday for a jar! Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GSKTR4 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Ah well, nobody else seems to want to get the ball rolling so it looks like it's down to me ... I think I can safely say we all had a bit of a torrid time, lots of silly errors dropping the TRactors team down to third (out of 4!) and individaully Ade and I were 38th, Tony Sheach/Rob Kiff were 50th and Les McGuffog/Mike Stenhouse were 58th in the Vitesse Our excuse was that, having swapped the 'box earlier in the week, we had to recalibrate the Brantz - unfortunately we must have used the wrong marker for the measured mile and it was only on the first test that we discovered that a mile on the road was reading 0.71 on our trip meter - meaning we arrived very early everywhere - luckily we had a "jogularity" section next, with measured distances, so we could guestimate how much to alter it by and by the time we got to the second regularity it was near enough perfect. In fact I measured 10 miles on the motorway at 9.97 miles, which is about 0.3% out or something :rock: - so we did do a little better later on, other than silly errors on tests caused by there being very small diagrams of very complex tests, and too much to do at once to call out the cones, stop astrides, reverses, etc. early enough and a big wrong slot in the same place wid did it last year. Still, it was a very well organised rally with great venues and some great names from the past - Roy Fidler regailing us with stories of losing a toe and breaking a leg in the infamous crash on the Alpine Rally and promising to dig out some previously unpublished photographs of the works TR4's Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Our excuse was that, despite the dodgy box, halda out by 22% (for overdrive) and my speedo reading 22% high (so damn hard to calculate speed!) we did well and Rob's navigation was excellent - all except failing to record out self start time on the second regularity of the day, landing us a shamefull 1800 second penalty plus 300 on the next leg = 2100 seconds ........... had we not got this a top 20 finish was ours ...... ho hum. And I clipped a cone on the first test (groan) and .......... Car made it home OK at 4500 rpm all the way down the M6. M40, M25, M3 so home brew mechanics ok, although I did damage the exhaust badly so arrived at my place deaf ...... Another great rally and a must do annual event I think. Told by a few marshalls to wind my diff off a bit to get the car to stop steering with the rear axle on the tests, if this works ill be chuffed ! Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Ironically, the plot n bash was one of the easier regularities. I managed to plot the last 2 regularities whilst Andy was negotiating one of the more mundane tests (width, height estimation test). It's not easy when the day starts badly as you're forever chasing. Andy didn't mention the idiot who baulked us for 80% of the 1st test! --> Having reached the first timing point on the "gosularity" we found that the driver of the car in front had got out and walked back to get the codeboard he'd missed, leaving his car in the timing gate! He didn't let us through and was painfully slow on the rest of the test:angry: great event, but much more fiddly than last year and without the fun of Oulton Park. we'll be back... (I think) Adey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GSKTR4 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Photos now available at Tony Large Photographic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mrodbert Posted March 16, 2005 Report Share Posted March 16, 2005 Self-start regularities: the bane of my life. We came a croper on the one on the Targa last year; started late realised our error; drove like a pratt to catch up and was 2 minutes early Its hard to find combined driver/ navigator stupidity like that these days. Well done guys. As I'm breaking in a reserve driver (not Jon) on the Ilkley here's hoping w ekeep it competitive in Yorkshire. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted March 16, 2005 Report Share Posted March 16, 2005 Mark - if youre short of a driver and fancy a rally let me know - both Tony and Chris are very busy with Jobs and MBA;s at the moment ....... either in your TRactor or mine ..... Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lesmcguffog Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Great day out and enjoyable event. Many people seem to have same comments about the test diagrams being difficult to read which caused our undoing on 2. Biggest problem was those self start regularities, set off on time but with Mike still plotting very easy to forget to write the time on the card. Good news is having spoken to Henry Carr it is unlikely that there will be any self starts on the Jubilee and test diagrams should be clearer. cheers. Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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