History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[driftwood]

no need for plate on a special saloon car

[911thillclimber]

OK, but no point in drilling the rivits out (admitted, no big deal) and to remove it.

Tony cannot recall removing the plate, so presumably John S did or someone much later.
Mike said the car had no plate when he had it, no reason to dis-believe anyone.

As has always mystified me, there is no evidence of a chassis plate ever being there (there= normal Lola position) yet the Tony Harman pics in john's garage clearly show the plate in place.
I would expect some surface corrosion to have taken place under the plate to the tub from manufacture time to the time it was sold to Alan H.

Oh dear: looks like the mystery tour is off again.

[haggispeed]

that's what I like, after getting on for 2 years (OK 21 months) 36 pages and 527 responses we finally get back on topic....
now all we need is for a newbie to pop up and say "yep - I got the plate - do you want it" QUICK Duck !! there goes another pig...

[911thillclimber]

Maybe that is the worlds largest 'off-thread' ever!

I started another one here but it's buried here somewhere!
It has been suggested to start a thread (good grief, not another...) on this problem on the nostalgia forum on the Autosport site.

Could be worth a go!

I can't rest till I've bottomed it out having got so very close now.
Wish JohnS was a pc enthusiast. He told me he hated computors and had kept a few bits of the build...maybe the number?

No; he told me he had no plate that he could recall.

Gotta keep on trying!

[haggispeed]

I really must catch up with John next time I'm down in the smoke, haven't seen him in years, not sure he's doing any racing now, think he may still have his old Suzuki SC100 tucked away somewhere. Oops careful - that sounds like a cue to take the thread off topic again !!

[driftwood]

last time i saw Jons name in race mag /programme was 97? in caterham series
he must be getting free bus rides by now?

[haggispeed]

Yes he was racing a Caterham for quite a while with 750 m/c, must be close to the bus pass thing I guess.

[911thillclimber]

Got the car to McClurg Motorsport and chatted the car through with Sean who I know from Hillclimbs and recently SPA type stuff!
Nice set-up so confident the car will come out as fit as can be for a simple lad like me to peddle.

Got a shock driving home though as we passed a Prosport (?) the forerunner of the Ultima on a trailer.

We went past it slowly.
Trish said she though I should put a closed body on the car and I would be happier!
Set me thinking....

Been rattle-canning the damaged front, and it is sort of OK.
Sean is a fan of the car turning 908.

Webbers next.

[driftwood]

Is the wife wanting you to turn "gay" by suggesting you add a roof!!!
I would prefer you raced car open in 908 esque body livery and wore pink helmet as i will think of you as more of a "He man" than the car in closed roof form!

[911thillclimber]

I thought you would ridicule me for the hard top so I would keep dry!

I guess i like the 904/906/910 enduro racer bodies. Unlikely to happen. Was offered a new 906 body for £4K 12 months back. I think the dimensions are not quite right for the Lola.(seating position)

Had an un-date from Sean last night. The suspension I had set is/was all over the place. Not sure if anything was in the right place!

I am obviously a He-man to have driven it in that state...

I hope he can put it straight. Nothing is as simple as they first seem except race car drivers of course.

[911thillclimber]

Sounds like Sean has sorted it today.

Wheel base even and close to the 92'' by design, angles ok ride height done (to hillclimb 'spec' ie tall!) and some other bits, and the rear toe is good.

Will collect this sat and then its engine time.

Meanwhile the silver/Martini stripettes to the damaged corner is going well if you dont look too closely as it is sort of warm in the garage tonight.

I might even have a shot of the car being ready for a club practice weekend at Loton in March (but it might be damp...cue Driftwood).

Certainly will enter the first Championship meeting at Prescott in April and find a good day at a private Curborough with a few mates.

From this, not sure about all-silver?

[driftwood]

1 all silver cars fine static rather dull on track ( yes i have had 2 silver cars) look at McLarens they had dayglo red on the cars!

2 IMHO your car has the rear tyres too wide for the power of your motor.I would reduce from 14 down to 12 as the track is too wide making the car rather boxy/square in relation to wheelbase
Fitting 10 inch wide rear wheels would possibly mean the tyres would spin on start line but i think you will need to experiment with them just to see what does happen

3 I see no benefit in going to a short sprint track to test the car when you need some "quality" seat time running for 10 -20 minutes at a time doing short 2 lap bursts to get some modifications done to the set up.Running the car in the damp/wet is futile unless you have had plenty of dry seat time and you now want to hone your wet driving skills and create a wet set up
Why not take the car to Mallory Park every weds morning £100 and get 30 or 40 laps in the car even if you have to run only 3 laps at a time
You will gain far more than running at 2 or 3 hillclimbs from 1 mornings session

now painting crash helmet Pink for your first run!

[haggispeed]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Trish said she though I should put a closed body on the car and I would be happier!
Set me thinking....

Been rattle-canning the damaged front, and it is sort of OK.
Sean is a fan of the car turning 908.

erm.... this is kind of obvious but I'll say it anyway.... why not put a Karmann Ghia body on it, I'm pretty sure it will fit
But it doesn't have to be pink

[911thillclimber]

Drifter:
You have said this before, and I even went to Mallory late last year to have a looksee. Great track (great Historics meeting too, A40's, Escorts and suchlike)

What if the car falters though?

Curb is a sprint track and that is where the car will live, snappy corners, hard brakes etc, but we shall see. Don't you need a Race License for Mallory (I have National Speed Open)?

The rear may well be too wide at 14''/12'' tyres, I know to a set of March c/locks for 6 wheels with correct fitment for the fronts for £1000. The rears are 10'' and the fronts 9''

I can mess with this car for ever, so now the chassis is all but straight I simply intend to get the engine running smoothly and learn the car this year.

I'm sure there will be a list at the 1/2 way mark, and a bigger one by Sept 2010, and i think the closed body will be on that list.

Tempted by a VW esc shell (like the recently restored Thunder Saloon V8 engined one) as you can get drag racing bodied quite redily.

Seems to me the windscreen is the starting point, VW or Ultima style.

Tony:

Believe me the Ghia body has been considered. I think Dr Enderby has the moulds still but wasn't it Fibre Fab who had the big fire last year and maybe the moulds were there?
He seems a very affable character, so he just might allow a copy off them...Would have to be made 2 piece for access in a cramped paddock.

I have another idea too, but best kept secret for a while.

Could always sell it!
And buy one already done that works.

The car is not wide enough for the Ghia now!!

[ASDS]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

OK, but no point in drilling the rivits out (admitted, no big deal) and to remove it.

With the variety of engines that the car has had it may well have suffered from vibration which in turn may well have caused the rivets to snap - this happened to a McLaren F5000 with the chassis plate falling into the cockpit and the owner 'lost' the plate until he was fitting a new seat when it suddenly fell out onto the garage floor. If a couple of the rivets did snap then a previous owner may well have removed the plate for safe keeping.

It's all speculation though.

[911thillclimber]

Take your point.
I was looking at the scanned pic that Tony (haggispeed) sent me showing the plate in the normal Lola place during the re-tubbing of the crashed car. It is clear to see.

Not there now.

I can only think it was removed for posterity maybe by John Sch.
Can't get in touch with John but did one at the start of this lot, very affable but not a computor type. Lost the phone number now, BUT I don't want to pester anyone too much (just those on here!)

Maybe the plate is in John's garage since it came off. As said, strange thing to remove, but i think i am flogging a dead horse now and it will remain one of the cars 'charms'.

We are now over 30,000 hits on this saga, and if a clue hasn't shown itself by now it never will as there must be an awful lot of readers visiting and some very knowledgable amongst them.

[SAMD]

Are there holes there where the plate would have been?

[911thillclimber]

Yes, exactly where the factory typically placed the plates.

There are several locations for the plates, but Tony's pics show it to be in the 'normal' spot.

I have my own custom plate there now for insurance purposes.

My money is on John Schneider having or knowing the whereabouts!

[911thillclimber]

Interesting:

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/attachmen...6&d=1236441387

[driftwood]

yeah but no but!!
wheel base is the issue
t490 is cockpit forward car the 908 car is mid cockpit car
suggest you do that as a new project

[911thillclimber]

Yes, the crunch is the position of the 'mid' bulkhead and where it is to the wheel axles.

Another project?

You must be kidding.
Last week there was a slight interest in someone buying the car!

If that happened then maybe I might, but I would buy something 'done' and probably nornal like a V8 old TVR......

[eamonn ledwidge]

Stick with bodywork you have, aiming for 908 clone. Nice in silver, but with stripes in orange finishing in arrowhead. See 908 on Targa Florio 1969 or 1970 in Porsche story/Julius Weitmann. Pics are mono, but could be most effective.

Keep plugging on re chassis plate. It will turn up when you hand the helmet up, then you can spend retirement years putting car back to original.

Many thanks for the most fascinating history and build story. You have done the right thing with this car - enjoy.

ps 2010 budget is wrong - no allowance made for Driftwood consultancy fee and his guest driver money.

[911thillclimber]

Oh no! Not another one with the 908 bug!!

That livery is great; there was one in Gulf colours with one arrow, and one with 2 orange arrows I think.

I think the Gulf colours are way overdone nowadays, they are everywhere, but the Silver/Martini colours are the part though!

As to PAYING Mr Driftwood? Cripes, he's offered to pay me £6K for a go in it (or have I missunderstood the deal?)

Off to the garage now for a bit mor rattle-can spraying, only the best for this baby.

[911thillclimber]

[driftwood]

1 is that a toyota Yarris next to the lola? maybe you need to fit the throttle pedal to the lola!
2 my 6k offer was for the car to take it of your hands and put you outta your misery!
3 i agree gulf livery seen on FFords caterhams fiat strada race cars
908 looks great body shape plus martini silver interesting and with your Pink crash helmet it will all blend in well together !!