Hot and Cold

Well you may have noticed that for the first time since my blogging I skipped May month as quite honestly there was nothing worthy to report back on.  The 140Z suffered bearing failure while the Datti holed a piston.  On closer inspection it was analyzed to be oil starvation of the center main in the case of the 140Z while on the Datti it seems apparent that metal fatigue was the cause of holing the piston and NOT detonation as was initially suspected.  A great deal of extra careful preparation was put in this time by 'Mr Datsun' as being sidelined on any race day is most demoralizing but such is the nature of the game.  Hopefully all the dedication would finally pay off in our favour this month.

Having had both engines rebuilt, both were now in need of some pre race mileage but being the month of June it is also one of the wettest of the winter season.  As mother nature would have it, the Friday was rained out most of the day and we both were unable to get down to put any decent mileage on but were offered a last minute grace after the last practice of the day to put in all of 3 laps to at least ensure that everything was OK.  That was the total sum of for both cars and would have to make do for qualification the next morning  at 09h00. Another very unusually tradition was broken as we decided that the weather was simply not conducive to tanning meat in the rain and as such postponed such for the first time that we can remember.  (I'm sure some of the bad luck we both encountered the next day was as a result thereof.)

As we were only out to qualify at 09h00 we lay in until 06h45. got out of bed rather hesitantly and started making our way down to the track via the 'Montana-gue' workshop as we still had to find a spare temperature sender unit for the Datti.  From there we hit the track and leisurely performed our usual routine before qualifying.  This also entailed that both cars would be on full wet tyres as rain was far from letting up as yet.  With quite a few car withdrawing for different reasons the field was a little thin but what the heck, this was weather for ducks anyway.  The rain let up slightly and we managed our qualifying in the wet and slippery at 09h45 with the 140Z being place on pole and the Datti down in 5th with a 1:48.9.   Soon after qualifying it started to rain some more.  So we left the cars on the full wets and passed our time waiting for race 1 which was due off at 11h30 but due to all the delays eventually only got underway at 12h45.  With just minutes to spare before the first race, 'Mr Datsun' suddenly decided at the very last minute to go onto full slicks which we managed to somehow do but with no time left we left the Datti on full wets which would turn out to be the wrong decision.  Too late, snooze you lose as they say.

Race 1:
Due to all the lengthy delays, the rain had held up and a dry line had started forming around most of the track and by the time we had done our 2 lap warm up it was inevitable that the full wets were now useless to say the least.  What the heck, I would give it my best even if it meant I would destroy a set of tyre in the process.  At lights out the 140Z felt strong yet the Cosworth powered Pinto had the legs going into T1 with the 140Z hot in pursuit.  Further back the Datti did its best to just hold on to getting into T1 with the rest already hunting down the Datti like a pack of ravenous wolves.  By lap 3 I was dead meat and even the class D cars were passing me.  Meanwhile up front the 140Z was in a duel of serious note and had his hands full in keeping up with the Escort, that of Neil Hawkins.  'Mr Datsun' played a waiting game sussing each move out and on lap 5 tried to make his move on lap 5 but was too hot going into T3 which left him with no option but to back off.  This mistake resulted in that the back end of the car getting light and unsettled the car too much putting him into a 360 spin coming out of T3.  That put paid to any chance of a win and the 140Z had to settle for 2nd place some 5.02 seconds behind the 16 valve Escort.

Race 2:
With the weather having cleared of rain for now it was safe to assume the use of slicks yet again but the clouds were once again threatening from the south.  We managed to get underway at 15h20 some 1 hour later than scheduled but hey there was no rain and that was OK with us.  This time the 140Z would start from 2nd while the Datti (now on slicks) would start from 10th place.  At lights out the Datti was off the mark like a scolded robbers dog and by the time I hit the start finish line I had already made up 2 places with T1 still to come.  The 140Z meanwhile was again out-dragged going into T1 but this time there would be no mercy shown.  They were tucked up nose to tail looking like a convoy with the Datsun now being severely held up in T2, T3 and T4.  The Datti again found another 2 places coming out of T1 and by T2 was already up into 6th place.  The chase was on to try and make up some time but catching the Alfa and Zakspeed Escort up front was one thing, passing them would be something else.  Lo and behold on lap 4 with a slowing Zakspeed going into T5 and the Alfa following his race line I dived low and passed the Alfa out of T5 and then passed the Zakspeed down the main straight leading both into T1 again.  I managed to hold on until lap 6 when somehow they eventually both passed me yet again and I was relegated to finish 3rd in class B for the day. Meanwhile the 140Z now on lap 2 had decide were the weak point was and closed in on the back of the Escort going into T1.  Almost touching they both headed towards T2 where the Datsun made his move to the outside and out braked the Escort into T2passing him on the outside.  Through the kink the both drifted and by T3 the Datsun was already pulling a gap.  By T4 it opened some more and the chase was now in full reverse.  This endued for another 2 laps when suddenly the gear lever on the Escort snapped off and that was game,set and match no tie breakers.

And so ended a weekend of drama, uncertainty, jubilation and chilly weather with both Datsuns still in one piece and which will live to race another day.  A huge thanks to my 'boet' for making all the effort and sacrifices to ensure that both cars could make the grid and most of all that we managed to have fun while putting on some enjoyment for those die hards who came out and supported the days racing.

Thanks 'Boet'

Seconds out, round 2.

April 14th and time for the 2nd round of the classic car championship.  With the first round being officially declared null and void due to administrative issues I am not sure of how this is yet to all play out in the end.  What I do know is that slowly but surely its becoming more and more difficult to compete in an ever declining field let alone the personal costs associated with it all, yet I choose to continue for as long as I possibly can, making every sacrifice I can to do what I love and more importantly to spend time with my brother.  This weekend would be no different although in some ways it was.  My Datti was made race  ready as ever which included having to obtain a spare piston (yes times are tough), new rings, bearings and such like after yet another engine failure in March.  In between the SSS was made race ready as well and taken to the track but was eventually decided not to be raced for personal reasons.  I tested on the Friday in somewhat unusual very hot berg wind conditions which resulted in a rather high temp at first and also proved a very sluggish session.  A few minor changes were made to the Datti and by late afternoon the air temperature had cooled and better results were seen.  We left it as such and ended off the day with our traditional braai which lasted into the night along with some dear friends and racers as company.  All weather sites forecast rain for Saturday, something I personally dislike on any given race day.

Up early as is now customary we were greeted by cool and overcast conditions with a good chance of rain but for now it was still at bay.   We prepped  the Datti as best as we could and qualified 9th out of a poor 18 car field, yip as I said earlier, an ever declining field.  Our first race was off at 11h00 and was behind the Escort GT of Jaco Lambert with his dad Arnold in the RS2000 on my inside.  With the rain still holding off we were underway and at lights out I kept the RS2000 at bay while I concentrated on the Escort GT in front of me. By halfway heading up to turn 2 I managed to outbreak Jaco going into T2 and held on with a very tail happy Datti showing a pair of heels to the Escort GT.  With no further action I held on this position only managing to post a best 1:30.5 and for a brief half a lap was rattling a Perana V8 on its debut outing but he managed to pass me effortlessly on the back straight which left me out alone and finished some 6 seconds ahead of my closest rival at the flag.  I do undoubtedly believe the 2 Blue Ovals were not at full cry at any stage of the race.

Race 2 had all the signs of rain and yet it still held off.  I was now starting behind the Sirocco of Biccari and at light out briefly held onto his bumper but proved too strong on the straights.  Two laps latter it stated raining.  I had been caught out in that as the weather had further cooled I adjusted the tyre pressure 0.5bar higher than the first race to compensate for the cooler track and this would prove disastrous in the wet.  Initially the times although slower were still OK but by lap 5 it had started to rain even harder bringing all the road muck to the surface which simply became an ice rink.  Competitors were either going on straight or spinning in corners.  Soon the tides turned and the FWD feast began.  Knowing my only real competition had only survived 2 laps in the first heat I was assured of a class win no matter where I finished and instead I tried my level best to keep this ice skate on the ice rink without spinning off at any stage.  Admittedly there were even class C cars who managed to pass me, spin and regain onto the track and finish ahead of me but I was in a different thinking pattern.

And so ended another day at the race track.  My real concern is when is it going to end.  I mean this literally as I cannot see an ever declining category being afforded track time with so few cars without some form of concern at higher echelons.  Either a major change is going to have to take place so as to have fuller grids else I suspect that the writing may be on the wall.  At least this is what I personally suspect could still happen.  That is something which I unfortunately have no control of and can only hope that change is sooner rather than later or even never.

Although the Datsun SSS was not raced by my brother it still had to do duty as our fellow friend and racer in yet another Blue Oval broke a crankshaft during the first heat. The Datsun SSS was kindly made available for him to drive in the second heat.  Unfortunately rain, a wet track and a unfamiliar race car are not a good combination on track and Trevor in his wisdom decided to play cautious and pulled it in before any mishaps could occur.  What a good heart and kind gesture boet!!

As ever the Datti lived up to it former performances albeit one tooth out on the camshaft and in slippery and wet conditions.  Mr 'Datsun' will make the small adjustments for the next race and we expect an even  stronger performance with the provision its remains dry.

My sincere thanks for the all the dedicated efforts go to my boet to ensure that I have never ever arrived to find my race car not ready to race. Give that man a Bells!!

Thanks 'Boet'

To be, or Not to be.

Well the 2012 championship season finally got underway for us albeit on a slightly wrong footing.  By that I mean that we suffered quite extensive engine failure on the Datti on the Cape South Easter weekend (2 in fact) while the 140Z was of a slightly lesser nature, it too required attention, besides minor body work repairs.  We thus resigned ourselves to the fact that both time and money were not in our favour and we would have to make do with what we had.  As such, it was decided to rather park the 140Z and rather race the SSS as it would save some time in getting it more or less race ready as well as provisionally accept that class S was no longer which suited the omission of the 140Z.  That's another story for another day.  As for the Datti, well we only had our last A14 block left and had to best prepare it to be as competitive as was possible.  'Mr Datsun' best applied his mind and truly produced another gem of an engine.  All that was left to do was some suspension adjustments and ride height settings on the SSS and we were ready to go.

We gave each car a test run on the Friday midday session and I was satisfied with both the setup and lap times even although I was unable to break a 1:30.  The SSS on the other hand showed signs of brake inefficiency and clutch problems.  Not wanting to spend hours looking for the fault it was decided to rather replace the clutch slave cylinder as it was still the original from the car while the brakes were bled all round.  Thereafter both the clutch and the brake pedal felt fine and we would now have to wait for Saturdays qualifying to see the results.  Was it to be?  We at last settled down to our traditional braai along with some stalwarts and die-hards eventually finishing up around pumpkin time.

Saturday saw us classic car guys having to sweep the track as we were first up in qualifying.  We did our usual prep work and just got on with it.  The weather was perfect for racing and on my 4th lap I peddled the Datti down to 1:29.8 which I was satisfied with given what we had and thereby placing me 2nd in class B and 7th on the grid.  It afforded me a realistic fighting chance, but was to be?  Meanwhile the SSS showed an improved pace and managed a 1:26.05 placing him 3rd on the grid.  'Mr Datsun' was not overly joyed with the brakes and clutch but felt that it should last for the day.

Race 1 was first up at 10h00 and our usual rolling start was done.  Having tucked up to the Scirroco of Biccari I kept the Datti in with chance going through both T1 and T2 but soon fell prey to the Zakspeed of Jeptha.  Not giving up I watched as the Scirroco ran wide in T5 and again in T1 on lap 1 and thought I had an outside chance of catching him should he slip again.  In the interim I had the Datti now well in the low 29's  eventually posting a 1:29.0 on lap four but coming out of T3 I could hear a bearing knock.  I slowed on the back straight and pulled off before it had any chance of destroying my last engine. Meanwhile the SSS was up there but slowly falling back as the 2 front leader headed off into the distant.  By lap 4 the brakes had faded and had to be left foot pumped to ensure just enough brake at the end of the straights all while the clutch required double clutching to engage gears.  Mr Datsun held on for another lap and in turn allowed the MkI Escort of Hawkins through going into T5.  In reaching turn 1 on lap 6 there were no more brakes and the double clutching was no longer effective but somehow managed to allow 3rd gear to be hooked.  The revs climbed, the rear locked under compression and the rear stepped out with a very capable Nismo unable to catch it and spun coming out of T1 where upon it stalled in the middle of the track.  A frightening few seconds past by as the rest of the field charged by eventually allowing him to exit the car and miraculously push it himself off the track and in so doing preventing a red flag situation.

On his arrival to parce ferme he confirmed that the Datti had indeed run a bearing which put paid to the rest of the day.  He too felt that the brakes and clutch on the SSS was not repairable and we thus both called it a day spending the rest of it in T3. It was NOT to be!

We have now both sat down and worked through what needs to be done going forward on both the SSS and the Datti but again time is the determining factor. As such the Datti may not be ready in time for the next race in April.  The SSS will also need a different approach but of even greater concern is the 140Z.  Will it race again and if so, where and by whom?

A brilliant little motor was prepared which really impressed me for the first 4 laps but ultimately, it was also NOT to be!!

Thanks 'Boet'

When you're HOT you're HOT!!

It was a long wait and one that was in some ways a somewhat of a let down.  A lot of work had be done and prepared for in order to make the annual Cape South Easter a success. What we did not truly anticipate was the exceptional and persistent hot weather conditions that prevailed and remained with us for the entire weekend.

Everything started going pear shaped from early on the the Friday morning already.  It started off with the Datti which had a brand new motor and had never been run before.  I managed to leave the pit lane and got around T1still weaving to warm up an old used set of tyres, got through T2 and headed for T3 still warming the brakes but but T4 there was a rumble in the 'Jungle' whereupon I pulled off on the back straight with a rod hanging out the block.  Inexplicable and perplexing but disheartening non the less.  Luckily I had the spare ready and waiting and we merely proceeded to swop the motor in the baking heat.  It took us a little over 90 minutes to be up and running again but I chose not to do any further testing in the heat and rather awaited the last session afforded to pre-77 cars just so as to get a heat cycle into a new set of slicks.  The 140Z was race ready but the jetting was not right and required a leaner mixture to what is normally used.  A small change was made but proved not any better.  We left it a such a would again test in the early morning session which offered cooler testing conditions.  As per usual we ended the evening off with a pit 'braai' and called it a day just before pumpking time.

Saturday was as per usual bright and early and a stinker was always on the cards.  Both our Datsuns were cleaned down, washed and polished.  The 140Z on the other hand never made qualifying as on the out lap and again on T4 the dry sump pump seized and snapped the belt leaving the 140Z stranded on the back straight.  It was soon evident this was going to be a very testing weekend indeed.  We stripped the dry sump pump cleaned up the internals and put it all together again and started up.  It all seemed OK and we duly refitted the radiator, front scoop and under tray.  A retest again saw the pump seized up and again broke the belt.  Again we stripped the lot and removed the pump this time finding a piece of metal which proved puzzling . In desperation we called upon a fellow racer who also uses the same type pump on the oval and the internals were all replaced.which proved to solve the problem. We refitted everything.  This time we removed the tappet cover.  We soon found that the timing chain although still in one piece was slack and that something was wrong with the timing chain tensioner.  This required that we had to take the car to the workshop and strip the engine, which we did.  The ugly situation soon revealed itself when it was diagnosed that the tensioner rubber had broken off and the metal part upon which the rubber is mounted had been extended beyond its norm and had rubbed up against the timing chain which then broke a half link at the circlip and resulted in the tiny piece LUCKILY falling down into the scavenge side of the dry sump pump and  got somehow logged in the pump.  A further test of patience was then put to us as nowhere could we find another half link to repair the damaged timing chain and no spare chain was available.  Plan 2 was to now tow the SSS from the track to the workshop and remove the half link from there and repair the chain in the 140Z.  Finally we were ready and only got back to the track at 18h15 that evening.

In between all of this earlier on in the day I was ready with the Datti but the heat was rapidly climbing and our first and only race of the day was at 12h15 in the scorching heat.  Heat 1 was as per usual a rolling start with some 39 cars on the grid and having put the Datti on 19th on the grid it was going to be a hard task to perform under these testing circumstances.  At lights out the Datti was as nimble as ever and squeezed past the Zakspeed Escort of Jeptha albeit briefly until the back straight. With not much to write home about other than a rather unusually higher engine temperature of 90 degrees I somehow gained 7 positions and finished in 12th place overall.  We called it a day and once again tanned a bit of meat with some welcomed liquid refreshments that evening.

Sunday, normally a day of rest but this time it was a day of test we dragged our already sore bodies back to he track and used the early warm up session to test the 140Z.  Everything seemed OK although the A/F ratio was still way too rich.  A quick consult with one or two fuel boffs and a further decision was made to go leaner and make further changes to the timing.  At last we were now both ready for round 2 of the races which was first off at 09h45.  Unfortunately the 140Z had to start from the back of the grid.  Again a rolling start was done and the Datti was off the mark like a robbers dog.  In the interim I picked up a huge dice between myself and the 2 litre class A Sirocco of Sandro Biccari and managed to hold him off until the flag this time with the temperature now at 95 degrees.  The 140Z still had more plans for us as on lap 3 after charging through the field like a hot knife through butter the head gasket cried ENOUGH.  So we again removed the cylinder head, prepared the block and the head surface and replaced the head gasket.  We went back to our last known working jetting, re-adjusted the timing and now awaited the last and final race of the weekend. 

It all finally came to a head with the last race being red flagged on the first lap which meant we had to reform back on the starting grid in our original positions and HEAT SOAK was about to come into play.  Sitting in an outside temperature of 37 degrees is no fun and the internal heat must have been close to 50 if not more.  After what seemed like an eternity sitting on the grid with the Datti now in 9th grid position and the 140Z again last on the grid we were finally underway.  The 140Z cut a scathing path through the field like a demon possessed and within no time found himself up in 2nd place hunting down the top dog.  The Datti was by now taking serious strain as the temp gauge started heading towards the 105 degree mark. On lap 4 down the  back straight I could feel her tightening up and I simply pulled off into parc ferme inevitably overheating the engine and running bearings.  The 140Z still soldiered on eventually posting the fastest time of the race at 1:23.8 but alas could not close down the leader within time who too suffered overheating as plumes of  smoke were now also evident towards the final laps.   A great comeback but an even taller price was to have been paid when in parce ferme the 140Z simply stood there and cooked itself to destruction.  The final tally was 2 A15 engines and 1 L20 engine toasted.  We finally packed up, headed for home and before the sun had gone down we were both in dreamland.

Thanks 'Boet'

Time is Tight

With January already fast approaching the end, the same cannot be said about the amount of work 'Mr Datsun' has been doing throughout this entire month. As I alluded to in the previous months blog post, the modifications done to the old SSS to now resemble the 2-door 1970 BRE Datsun is something remarkable.  A lot of work was done in order to finish it in time so as to be part of a car display and also as a form of promotion for the upcoming February Cape South Easter event to be held on 4 & 5 February 2012.

2-Door 1970 BRE Datsun P510  (Click to enlarge)

The car will not be taking part in the February event as some mechanical desperately need refurbishing and suspension changes also need to be implemented for competition use.  The head which was damaged during early 2011 was miraculously salvaged but needs some more work for serious racing.  Also there are still some race parts awaited for the engine refresh and should be fitted during the 2012 season which will also make a difference. As such, the Datsun 140Z will have to step up to the grid and do duty for the Cape South Easter event.


As also alluded to in last months blog post re the Datti, I afforded it some TLC in November while much of December was spent redoing the power plant in preparation for the 2012 season.  I never ever realized how much effort goes into building a race engine.  Dummy setup, measure, strip, modify, assemble, measure, strip. It was not all a walk in the park as we always seem to somehow expect with parts, settings and adjustments testing 'Mr Datsun' to the 10th degree including his patience and sleep.  The final adjustments are to be completed by this coming weekend of the 28th and should be race ready and awaiting his rather backward 'GITS' owner who arrives closer to the time of the event.

1971 Datsun GX B110  (Click to enlarge)

Now sporting a set of Mini-Lights for the new 2012 season with a fresh set of 'boots' should help to get off to a good start to the season but as with any form of racing, one can never be too self assured.  The proof will be in the following.

The little GX will now sport the A-series A15 engine, twin Dellortto's and a modified race clutch kit which should perform well according to those in the know.

As always, THANKS 'Boet'