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Track Day In The Rain - Advice Needed


Dodgey

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The rain only comes in the car from the sides so put some doors on, leave the roof of whilst you are on track and moving at speed the rain goes over the top and behind you.

As for footwear just buy a pair of light trainers with the thinnest soles you can find. Later get some race boots, they are soooo comfy.

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Aye - no way am I going out on a wet track without the doors :-)

I do have race boots, well, Puma Speed Cats that a lot of people recommend - got them for half price (£30) a while back....

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I am loving the bin liner effect interior, made me chuckle, but probably effective. Reminds me of when Liam bubble wrapped his car at a track day......i still smile at that.

In terms of driving in the rain and i don't mean to teach you to suck eggs here, but really do keep your distance from other cars (lock up and aquaplainging), be extra gental and smooth transitioning from one peddle to an other and with the input controls......smooth is the way. Smile and relax, no fastes times of the day will be set so just settle back and learn about what your car does in the conditions and when at the limits.

Take a sponge to bail out like david here.

IMG_1708.jpg?t=1345838977

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I bought these for a rainy trackday :-)

http://www.toolstati...n+Jacket/p82483

http://www.toolstati...Trousers/p34614

nearly went for this to match the car!! http://www.toolstation.com/shop/2+Piece+Hi+Viz+Rainsuit/p45983

but decided against looking like a fisherman driving a banana :laugh:

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Horrific weather all the way up, then the sun came out at 9am and was sunny all day!! Ripped out all the plastic :-) Awesome! Had a fantastic day. Met a load of very helpful guys and a gal, who helped my with the little things I have no idea about - like getting my car off the trailer lol. Really got stuck in, had a blast. Such a sweet car to control with oversteer. Loving the live axle.. well, almost.....

Now need to find someone to repair a Ford English diff - which started whining like a banshee under load on my last session. Sounded like I was driving a BTTC car :-p The people I met came for a spin and confirmed my diff bearings are shot. Ahh well. b*******s up This coming Friday's track day at Keevil.

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Getting the diff out and back in is not a massive time job, and getting it rebuilt again not a weeks and weeks job so don't give up. However how do you know they are shot.....is there oil in it?

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The guy I met noticed what he thought was transmission oil coming out of one of my rear brake hubs, if I remember correctly. He checked if it was brake fluid and then said, "nope, it's oil". Not much, but a light coating on the rear drum (O/S). Will check the oil tomorrow - never thought of that. I see a bolt in the rear - is that how you check?

Thinking back he told me I should replace my ... would it be hub seals?

Edited by Dodgey
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Unfortunately these maladies do show up on a trackday, hope you get your diff sorted out soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yep, a 1/2inch square drive bolt. Fill with the ford recomended gear oil and when it starts leaking out of the bolt hole it is full. Diffs do not often fail, normally they whine a bit with no oil in them and get hot.

The drive shaft oil seals in the end of the live axle are part of the bearings. Removing the shafts is easy enought (before you refil with oil), but replacing the bearings is an enginering company job really. THey get the old ones off and the securing collets with a grinder. The newones get pushed on and the collets have to be heated, seated and quenched to contract and thus hold the bearings in place. Not expensive to do by any stretch, but the tools to do it are not common home garage tools really........could be wrong, you could have whole Machien mart catalouge at home for all i know.

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Lol . You are not far from the truth Mark :-) i had a few key tools but now im amassing em!

I now know the english axle well! Half shafts are at my local garage who are doing the bearings for me.

Diff is completely stripped in my garage. I removed the pinion bearing today (cut it off), and the bearing races from the case (hammer!). Everything is marked up so i know what goes where. Done a LOT of reading on english diff settings! Going to replace all the bearings and oil seal and set it up as per spec.

Everyone says it is too difficult / specialist only . .......which only makes me want to do it more :-) I have a digital micrometer so i can verify pinion depth and set carrier bearing preload. I have a spring guage for the pinion preload, and i have access to a DTI for checking the backlash ( can also be done with a piece of solder!) . I am used to doing very precise stuff with gear meshing .... Years of RC helicopter building so i am not put off by it all.

I will have to run to my mates garage to use his press but the rest i feel i have covered. I will be doing a details blog of this when im done ( if i am happy with the results).

Btw - it was the pinion bearings. You can wiggle the pinion at the flange side to side by a good 0.5mm at least. Maybe 1mm. I checked the flange bolt and that was mega tight.

In the meanwhile i have bought a 3.89 diff off fleabay for 80 to keep me going so i can take my time on the diff ( and sell it after it is done).

Never know, if it goes well i mit grab a LSD :-)

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