Build Thread: Reynard

It took me two swings at it but I have a nice back rest from foam and white gaffers tape I picked up at guitar center. After the season has switched (and my hours increased to normally over 53 a week) I have had not much time to work on the car as I would need. Thats why I was in such a hurry to get the car ready. But all well. The seat is pretty thick since my arms are very short, and I could not reach the shifter and steering wheel with me laying all the way back. I really want a nice seat from speed seat cause they know what they are doing and I saw a huge driving ability increase when I got rid of some stupid sparco seat I had from when I was a kid and replaced it with a custom seat from ultra-shield in my last car. My back no longer hurt and I stopped missing shifts. That alone in trans rebuild parts paid the way for it.

BUT... with a couple of unexpected dog surgerys and the crippling dog fence (vinyl) bill every month I am a bit slower to pick up parts. I do plan on getting the back top body piece for the car from Averill along with a new starter gear/rod thingy (the starter parts I got with the car are pretty chewed up). Also a new clutch and speed seat. My competitive race days are behind me and the love of owning a nice formula car that looks good and runs good are here and now. I am crushing down the C.C. balance as fast as I can as I want to have the car up and ready for the first HPDE day at the end of may. I did shorten the clutch master cylinder rod and that did nothing to help. I am still going to try and un-sitck the clutch in a large parking lot at work. Even one of my neighbors said he did the same thing after rebuilding a old Corvette to get the clutch to disengage. I have a feeling its thick with rust and slime. A quick clutch burnout should polish everything back to normal (I hope). If not then will see if I can afford a new clutch and have enough time to install it before the first HPDE/race.

Tomorrow while you nice folks will be enjoying the love and company of friends and family I will be making race ramps for my trailer as there is no Fing way I will be paying $377 for two pieces of molded plastic. I much would rather have transport wheels but for some stupid reason (I know the reason) they are extremely overpriced as well. I would love to use adult trike wheels, but even the very best wheels from my industry are much short of the weight capacity of the rear end of the car. And for $17 wood ramps cant be beat. I will try and take some pics of me building them.

Sorry for not posting up more, but the car is almost done. I am literally just waiting on some last decals and I will take some nice photos of the car and new foam seat with some belts that where on hella clearance.

Mine are wood 2x10's ~8' long (length to match the approach angle with the end of the trailer). That's what I've always used. The ones I have now are as old as my trailer - 28 years.

They are plenty strong for a formula car. The only special thing I did to them is to bolt some metal angles on the ends to keep them from eventually splitting.

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

...I will be making race ramps for my trailer as there is no Fing way I will be paying $377 for two pieces of molded plastic.

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http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...amp-94057.html
Just unbolt the hinge and you have two perfect aluminum ramps with side rails.

aprox $9 a ramp and two hours to make.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qf...w=w640-h480-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/56...Q=w470-h626-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QC...w=w470-h626-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Rp...w=w470-h626-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_s...A=w470-h626-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GX...Q=w470-h626-no

only needs purple paint. :thumbsup:

Did you glue them as well?

Nice and probably light too but a ton of work!!!!!

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Originally Posted by OneWayOut

http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...amp-94057.html
Just unbolt the hinge and you have two perfect aluminum ramps with side rails.

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I removed the hinge and chain hardware too. Because I use them with an open trailer I added a channel at the top that hooks into the ramp channel on the back of the trailer....

$120 after a coupon. No brainer...

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Originally Posted by Steve Demeter

...probably light too...

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I would be interested to hear what they weigh. I tried making wood ramps, but they were really, really heavy.

Very pretty, and I'm not trying to be overly critical, but... The drawback with ramps like these is that they are optimized for one particular ground condition. If it's for a low or beavertail trailer you are good but if it's a high trailer those need to be very long or the car will high center going in.

On my toy hauler, after I replaced the cantilevered stabilizer jacks with scissor jacks, I took a set of the cantilever jacks and mounted across the top of the door. Then I just used regular old timber planks for the transition to the ground. That setup worked remarkably well - adjusted for all kinds of unlevel and took no skill or time whatsoever to make - other than tapering the end and slapping a piece of angle iron on it.

Nice ramps. Perhaps some roll on Bed liner to protect them ?

Attachment 70907

wow Froggie - just wow. Are the planks also part of a scale setup?

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Originally Posted by HayesCages

Did you glue them as well?

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Oh yeah. I normally use screws with everything, but I just wanted to see if they work first. So liquid nails and nails.

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Originally Posted by Steve Demeter

Nice and probably light too but a ton of work!!!!!

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No, this is a ton of work...
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/atta...7&d=1464957190
Solid walnut and maple everything. Only screws where the bottom shelfs and for the draws. Everything else was mortise and tendon.

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Originally Posted by OneWayOut

I would be interested to hear what they weigh. I tried making wood ramps, but they were really, really heavy.

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Just weighed them, 10lbs a ramp. I tend to overbuild everything. So in this next chapter of my life I will be building to suit.

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Originally Posted by racerdad2

Nice ramps. Perhaps some roll on Bed liner to protect them ?

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Yep, if they workout ok I will put a few reinforcement blocks inside them to allow for some screws since they are made from 3/8 plywood and any time you screw into (not through) plywood it splits. Also a nice coat of oil based paint.

I based them from these
https://static.summitracing.com/glob...tr-5_lc_xl.jpgMy trailer door is pretty low as is, I was able to get the car out with a little high centering and a bit of scrap on the crush box (bar) with no extensions. So I think since these raise the door 6" and then the less approach angle it should be fine. But WOW PF that is the ultimate ramp setup!

Yes, black aluminum pieces are part of scale pad. System works on varying terrain. Purple pieces are 1/2" plywood with 1/4" tops. 3/4 x 3/4 reinforcement in corners with subflooring glue.
Travels well. Hangs from ceiling of trailer.
No floor scraping because the rear wheels are about floor level before the front wheels get too far into trailer. Compensates for different levels of pavement.

I'm no Jon Staudacher but I do know plywood as a useful composite. :)

I looked for a set of used transport wheels for a while, but when I couldn't find any, I bit the bullet and bought a new set from Velocity Haus. By the time I had them set up, it was almost a grand out of pocket. I have a very steep driveway and can't get the car over the lip and into the garage without these or setting up a convoluted ramp. They make getting in and out of the trailer a breeze, test drives around the bumpy neighborhood streets are easy, and having several inches of clearance to work on the car when I don't want to put it up on the table is great. Expensive, yes, but in the long run, some of the best money I've spent. And after seeing some of the crazy trailer ramps in use at the track, I'm really glad I went this route.

Attachment 70965

I went to a motorcycle wrecking yard in Ventura and got some early 80s yamaha 5 spokes with the intent of copying the usual designs. Then reality set in when trying to find someone with a big enough lathe. I cobbled together a solution, but it could be better.

Next time I need transport wheels I'm going to look for four front dirt bike rims - 21" - with drum brakes. Remove the guts of the drum, de-spoke, and then turn out the center hole and the four drive pin holes on my lathe.

For just rolling and pushing, dirt tiers and tubes are a LOT cheaper than speed-rated sport bike tires.

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Originally Posted by Rick Kirchner

For just rolling and pushing, dirt tiers and tubes are a LOT cheaper than speed-rated sport bike tires.

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These look pretty reasonable for pit wheels:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...ual-sport-tire

That's exactly what I did, cheap Chinese tubeless street bike tires off the net. I looked into drum braked dirt bike wheels as Rick mentioned, but a couple moto wrecking yards had none. I found an old Honda 5-spoked Comstar wheel that was close, and even machined up a plate to weld to it, but determined the time and effort just wasn't worth it.

Nope. Guess I will be splitting the car a third time. :thumbsdown:

I just wanted to let everyone know that Patrick, aka xmazdatracy helped me out a bunch yesterday going through the Midwestern Council driver's school after a 19 year hiatus. I owe him big time.

So close yet so far away.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7R...Q=w835-h626-no

HD's 86. Very awesome looking car! Always glade to meet dog fosters (it takes great people to do that). And again, thanks for letting me help. I strongly suggest anyone who is looking into purchasing a formula car to help in the paddock first to see all that is involved. Love the way the nose and tail look on these years.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sI...Q=w835-h626-no

that 86 is a really good looking car but, need to get rid of that monster tail and replace it with an Averill ultra wing and mounts. Unless you're running historics.

21 is looking good to. With the 'good' tail :)

rickb99, You're right a new wing would be a good upgrade. I'm running Midwestern Council races so Historic isn't an issue. Bought the car last fall after it had been sitting for 9 years and a 19 year layoff for myself! A new wing and an effective diffuser are on the upgrade list, but were prioritized down from new everything for the brakes - new masters, disks, and calipers along with several other items. Of course at some point one has to question the amount of $ spent on the old girl! As it is the driver needs to improve more than the car!

Hound Dog
Don't be in too big a hurry to replace the old style wings. You can get a lot of experience using them first. Spend the money at this point on seat time instead of wizzy wings.
When it's time to sell, the Cape's are looking for historic bodywork, especially the rear tail assembly.

Frog,

Although we had two of the old tails we never ran the cars with one. I would guess they are so heavy they must induce a considerable amount of over steer..... Yes, No??

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Originally Posted by Purple Frog

Hound Dog
Don't be in too big a hurry to replace the old style wings. You can get a lot of experience using them first. Spend the money at this point on seat time instead of wizzy wings.
When it's time to sell, the Cape's are looking for historic bodywork, especially the rear tail assembly.

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At this point, the driver needs a lot more work than the car! Once I'm turning laps faster than I used to in my 83 Reynard FF, I can start worrying about more car development. Driver's school just knocked a little of the rust off.

Just a thought. What do you guys think?

https://thmotorsports.com/i-531581.a...FYk8gQodE_AOgA

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/z...rd/model/pinto

Have you pulled the clutch apart yet? Do you know what is wrong with it?

If you're in need I have a stock pile of 5.5" clutch parts and 7.5" clutch parts (all Tilton) as well as a stock flywheel (which I believe was off my old Reynard and would have the correct ring gear).

I will throw this info in, so price comparisons can be made. I had contacted one of the popular engine builders and asked about getting a lightened flywheel and clutch assembly from them. This price was for purchasing everything from them and only having shipping expense one way.

"The flywheel, clutch assy complete and bolts for the clutch and new flywheel bolts would be $895 + shipping"

I purchased a inspection camera on advise from LMI. I was able to look at the actual pressure plate move away from the disc. In fact so much I could almost put another disc in there. So definitely not a travel concern. And yes I tried rolling the car again as my GF slowly pushed down on the clutch pedal to find a point of release. I even opened up the diff housing fill hole to look at the layshaft to make sure it was not being smashed by the input shaft.

As was said before I need to find "the smoking gun" and then fix it. I have one last test to make sure the input shaft is not smashed against the crank. After that there will be no guns left to check. I will have to split the car again, and just replace/resurface the clutch parts. I am happy you guys are trying to help, but with this almost seemingly new clutch (yet 9 years of sitting) I am quite skeptical of getting more used parts.

I was just wondering what you guys thought of a aluminum flywheel and a stock clutch in these cars...

The 2.3 Flywheel will have a different crank bolt pattern then a 2.0

I have an AL flywheel sitting in the garage, but not gotten far enough bolting it on. The throw out bearing - to clutch finger distance is significantly different, and not an easy bolt on....and of course shimming the trans/motor will cause all sorts of changes since we're now talking wheelbase changes....

Also, you'd have to take a look at the weights and see if it is legal in the class you plan to enter.



Jim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

... I will be making race ramps for my trailer as there is no Fing way I will be paying $377 for two pieces of molded plastic....

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slightly off topic, but yeah, regarding "raceramps.com" I thought maybe I was missing something as well; 400 bucks for ramps?? :confused::confused:, but even more amazing to me, $205 for a 2' block of foam to use as a trailer side door step ?!?!

good for them if they're getting that, but would love to hear from a buyer as to why they thought it was a good idea, maybe there's way more to this than we realize?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

Just a thought. What do you guys think?

https://thmotorsports.com/i-531581.a...FYk8gQodE_AOgA

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/z...rd/model/pinto

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If you want a stock clutch and cover we've one you can have for shipping costs.
GCR is pretty specific about what flywheel you can use; Elite or stock. The Elite part is beautifully made.

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Originally Posted by Lotus7

slightly off topic, but yeah, regarding "raceramps.com" I thought maybe I was missing something as well; 400 bucks for ramps?? :confused::confused:, but even more amazing to me, $205 for a 2' block of foam to use as a trailer side door step ?!?!

good for them if they're getting that, but would love to hear from a buyer as to why they thought it was a good idea, maybe there's way more to this than we realize?

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I think they get that kinda money for them cause it has the word "race" next to it. And we all know my opinion on that (well, I guess those who have been following this thread).

The two ramps I made for $18 in two hours have worked out perfectly! Dirt/grass, street, track, doggy parking lot you name it they have performed great! I guess I need to paint them and brace the inside for the long haul. :checkered:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gc...g=w640-h480-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RV...g=w640-h480-no

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

I guess I need to paint them and brace the inside for the long haul. :checkered:

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I've heard that if you paint the ramps purple the Reynard will go faster.;)

No smoking gun found. New pressure plate and disc. And It works now.:confused:

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

No smoking gun found. New pressure plate and disc. And It works now.:confused:

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Happy to hear it works! See you on 5/28.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xmazdatracy

No smoking gun found. New pressure plate and disc. And It works now.:confused:

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Good! Stuff like that frustrates the heck outta me! But, at least it's solved!

I found when reinstalling my clutch that if I did not align the pressure plate marking with the mark on the spring assembly, the pressure plate would bind against the rivets along the circumference on the spring assembly.

Could this have been causing your clutch troubles?

Wayne - '90 Reynard FC