Winter 2, Ambition 1

The weather hasn't eased off up here. On the other hand, there has been a little bit of progress, such as it is.

The replacement transmission arrived last Thursday. We took it to Lindstrand Motorsports for a once-over. Everything is in great shape, as advertised, and some internal parts even appear to be brand new! A big thank-you to Larry Oliver, who sold me the gearbox as well as a set of rear wheel hubs at a great price.

The engine block and crankshaft have been checked. The crank is bent. Boo hiss. But the block is not cracked -- big relief. The center main bearing bore did get moved out of alignment by the bent crank hammering against it, but the machine shop is confident that the alignment can be fixed.

Winter 1, Ambition 0

I really wanted to work in the garage this week, I promise. But it is cold in Wisconsin right now. No, it isn't as cold as it will be soon, but it has once again dropped from "unseasonably warm" to "unseasonably cold" in record time. As in, last week was 50s with 10mph breezes; last night was 10 with 50mph winds. I'm just not ready for it.

I stayed inside and did paperwork instead. Thrilling, isn't it. But I'm very proud of my recordkeeping paperwork and organization. So proud, in fact, that I have to brag. Prepare to be bored.

For the past few seasons, I have kept a 3-ring binder of information about the car and the season. The binder is separated into sections for the Engine, Gearbox, Chassis / Suspension, Race Results, and Checklists. Each section has sheets of reference information, such as gear charts in the Gearbox section, and torque specs in the Engine section. Any new information is added to the appropriate section.

Each section also has a maintenance record sheet for each area. For example, there is a maintenance log for each engine; one for the gearbox, clutch, and drive axles; and one for the chassis and brakes. Any major maintenance or repair gets logged: date, what was done, and why.

Yes, you're right, that's crazy. But it makes it very easy to see when the oil was last changed, whether the CV joints are due for a rebuild, and how many races are on the rod end that just failed. And yes, I have had to know each of those things during the course of a season. But keeping these records will also help me learn the "service life" of each part. I should be better able to prevent failures without replacing healthy parts. And if nothing else, I'll be able to say without fear of contradiction, "That hub failed after only three races!" Yikes.

I've spent the last few evenings making a new binder for the 2006 season, consolidating and translating notes from the 2004 and 2005 binders, and making a new "Permanent Records" binder. This binder will keep a copy of all reference information (part numbers, chassis history, gear charts) as well as the consolidated setup notes, maintenance logs, and race results from past seasons.

A friend who also races made a new binder for me last year. He prefers to keep his records sorted by track. In his book, each track has its own section with track maps, local hotel information (very handy), car setup records, and driver notes. I do like the idea of being able to visit a track and see at a glance if I'm faster or slower than the last time I visited, how my time compares to the track record, and if I'm close to my best-ever time there. On the other hand, I don't change the setup from track to track, so organizing the car information this way didn't seem to make sense for me.

So I have kept the binder, but I've modified it a bit. Now each section has a track map, driver's notes, hotel information, and directions to the track, but the setup information has been replaced with a single sheet for track records and personal best times. Any changes to the setup are noted on the sheet next to the lap time they produced.

If you're still having trouble sleeping next week, I'll describe my famous racing checklists.

Crack check

The crank and the block are at the machine shop for a full checkup. My father has convinced me that the garage method of checking crank straightness (described a few days ago) is just a rough check, and that the machine shop may find a very different measurement than I did when they use the proper set-up and measuring tools. The worst case scenario is that the crank is really bent, in which case we will know that we're not wasting money getting a new crank.

The suspense, once again, is killing me! My fingers are crossed.

Tonight is another garage straightening / chassis stripping / parts organizing night. The temperature is dropping, so I need to get as much of it done now as I can before I go into hibernation for the winter.

Caribou Coffee

Brace yourself for a post that has nothing to do with racing.

I'm not a big coffee drinker. I don't just mean that I can go a day without drinking ten cups. I can go ten days without one cup. I usually skip it completely during the racing season and indulge in a cup every once in a while during the winter. The thought of spending $5 a cup for coffee always struck me as a bit excessive. That some people drink one (or more) $5 cups of coffee every day just floors me.

A few weeks ago I was out and about with a friend who took me to a coffee shop called Caribou Coffee. Since I don't drink coffee for the flavor, I wanted something that wouldn't taste quite like coffee. The words "Turtle Mocha" stood out on the menu. I am a huge fan of Turtle (not the hard-shelled reptile, but that perfect marriage of chocolate, caramel, and nuts). Turtle is the ultimate flavor, the closest thing to heaven that your tongue will ever know. Yes, I like Turtle.

Yes, I ordered the Turtle Mocha. It was everything I expected. But that coffee shop was really something else. The employees were friendly without going overboard and hardworking without showboating. The entire atmosphere was warm and inviting. I was so impressed that I wished I drank more coffee than I do.

Last weekend, this same friend and I were out and about again, but not in the Caribou Coffee neighborhood. Instead we found ourselves entering the Caribou Competitor. You know the place I mean. There are at least two of them in your hometown. There are two in Kenosha for crying out loud, and there are only 95,000 people there!

We ordered our drinks (no Turtle on the menu, so I tearfully ordered a Caramel Mocha, the closest thing I could find) and I tipped generously, because the server almost made me feel like he was doing me a favor by taking my order. My friend's drink was up right away. I waited patiently. I watched two other patrons order, get their drinks, and leave. Finally I asked if I had missed mine. The server apologized and handed me something that looked like a sundae. A frozen drink? It's 40 degrees outside! Who would get an iced coffee in this weather? I was so disgusted I couldn't even argue. I just took it, walked out, and threw it away.

The next day, I decided that I still wanted the Turtle Mocha that I didn't get the day before, so I headed to Caribou Coffee. The server greeted me warmly and seemed genuinely happy to be helping me. The coffeeist prepared the drink quickly without rushing. I got the drink I ordered and was on my way in about a minute and a half. And that Turtle Mocha was delicious.

Yes, I am thankful that this is the biggest issue I have to write about right now. But I am so impressed by Caribou Coffee that I just have to tell everyone. The difference between them and their competition was staggering. I hope they come to Kenosha someday. If they do, there will eventually be two vacant buildings where certain other coffee shops used to be.

I stopped in at Caribou Coffee again this morning and encountered a different crew. They were just as friendly, but they were also so happy and energetic that I couldn't help but be in a great mood for the rest of the morning. And of course my order was ready in about a minute and a half, it was correct, and it was delicious.

Maybe if I drink more coffee, I'll get used to it again and my eyes will stop vibrating.

Fun Gearbox Info

The remains of the layshaft came out of the gearbox last night, and the 2nd and 3rd gears are completely stripped -- no teeth on either one (and their gums are in terrible shape to boot). The pinion shaft is welded to the front bearing, but if I remove the bearing from the case, then I may still be able to salvage the case.

I'm going to try to concentrate on the rest of the car tonight instead. The gearbox won't be going anywhere, and I shouldn't need the case for a long time.

A Second Crank Opinion

Special update!

I told Bruce Lindstrand what I found in the engine. He called his engine builder, Curtis Farley, and before Bruce had finished saying, “Low oil pressure,” Curtis told him that the #3 main bearing was pounded out. A clever deduction indeed, 007, but why? Mr. Farley outlined the three likely scenarios.

#1: Motor Mount Strain. The Ford “Kent” engine has motor mounts on either side of the block. If the frame of the car is crooked (all racecar frames are after a while), the engine will not be perfectly centered in the frame. Forcing the motor mounts into position can put a strain on the engine block, and the strain can be severe enough to actually twist or bend the block. I know we can rule this one out. We’ve pulled and reinstalled the engine about half a dozen times, and by the second time we learned the proper technique. You don’t record how many washers were on which engine mount and then force everything back into the same position. Instead, you loosely assemble the engine mounts, install the gearbox, and gradually and evenly tighten everything down. Eventually, the chassis and engine combination will “tell” you how many washers go where. Everything gets centered as well as possible, and strain is minimized.

#2: Insufficient Oil Supply. The Kent engine has an odd oil gallery design. The oil pump feeds into the right side of the block, but the oil has to pass to the left side of the block before it goes to the main bearings. The gallery which feeds the #3 main is notorious for being too narrow and is easily clogged by debris. You could say the engine has a heart attack. The good thing about this scenario is that it is easily fixed. A threaded plug on each side of the engine block can be removed so that you can look through this passage. Any blockage will be obvious and easy to remove, and the oil passage can be drilled out to allow more oil flow. The oil pump plumbing can also be rearranged to feed the main bearings more directly, but that may be a bit extreme.

#3: The “Mystery of the Collapsing #3 Bearing.” The story goes that every once in a while, despite meticulous assembly, a Formula Ford motor never develops oil pressure (or else the oil pressure quickly drops). Everything checks out, but the #3 main bearing is trash. If this condition is found before the engine is run, it may only need new main bearings to live a long and happy life. Nobody knows what causes the bearing to collapse, or why the replacement rarely fails. Although the fix does not involve any machine work, I don’t like this scenario at all. I’d much rather be able to positively identify the cause of a problem and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

Unfortunately, his professional opinion is that reusing the crank would be a bad gamble. Bending the crank has weakened it. Even if the machine shop could regrind it to compensate instead of bending it back into shape, it is still not likely to stay in one piece.

Chicken and Eggshells

The engine has been torn completely down now, and the bottom end has two big problems. The #3 main bearing is completely wiped out, which explains the low oil pressure. The crankshaft is also bent, which is odd since it was new this spring and we had several strengthening and blueprinting processes performed before it was installed.

So which came first? Did the bearing collapse, allowing the crankshaft to flex too much by taking away its central support? Or did the crankshaft bend (or crack) and then destroy the bearing? A chicken and egg problem, but at least the connecting rod didn’t cross the road this time.

The crank and the engine block will have to be checked for cracks and thoroughly measured first. A crack in either one would answer the question while permanently retiring that part. Accurate measurements should tell us if the crank can be repaired and if the block can be reused. It would be disappointing to say the least to have to scrap the second engine in two seasons.

(In case you’re picturing a crankshaft folded in half or twisted like a pretzel: It doesn’t take a very dramatic curve to render a crankshaft unfit for use. It still looks like a good crankshaft to the unaided eye. To check for straightness, you place the crank in the engine so that it is only supported by one main bearing at each end. A very precise measuring tool is put in contact with the center main bearing journal on the crankshaft, and the crank is slowly rotated. In this case, the center main bearing journal is 0.0025” off center. Not exactly a banana, but that’s much worse than the maximum allowed 0.0005” measurement.)

Garage Organization

What was it I said yesterday about only accomplishing some tidying up in the garage? Oh yes, here it is:

On the other hand, I may only accomplish "putting parts in boxes and getting
them out of my way."

How about that, I was right!

This is actually frustrating. Racecar parts are not designed to nest together or fit neatly into boxes. Each attempt to put some parts away ends with a huge box containing two bulky parts and a lot of air. Small parts can usually be crammed together into one box, but the resulting 9 x 6 x 12 inch box that weighs about 50 pounds is going a little too far in the other direction.

My buddy Bob Clark was kind enough to lend me an impact socket for the pinion shaft nut, so I may be able to get the gearbox apart next week. This weekend is an engine weekend. If I'm lucky, I can get it ready for the machine shop before next week.

Scrapbook Photos

There is nothing new to report today because I took last night off at the last minute. But here’s a link to some photos to tide you over until something interesting happens.
The good parts are on pages 13 and 16.

It’s a “pdf” file, which means that if you don’t already have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you’ll need to get it. It’s a free program that will give you access to a huge amount of information on the Internet. In fact, I’d be surprised if you don’t already have it. Click the link and see what happens.

I plan to work on the chassis and suspension tonight. The weather is remarkably mild today, so I may be able to work late and get a lot accomplished. On the other hand, I may only accomplish "putting parts in boxes and getting them out of my way." That's still an accomplishment, though.

More gearbox parts

The input shaft came out in good shape overall, but the splines are suspect. The splined coupler which ties it to the layshaft was damaged by heat and by impact with something else, though who knows with what. The splines on the input shaft show just a little discoloration, almost as if the coupler deposited some material onto them. The rest of the shaft looks like it never even overheated. The color is as it was from the factory – it doesn’t even have any gear lube burned on it, and the Pegasus part number (written in Sharpie marker) is still there! It is too good to demote it to a clutch alignment tool, but I’m not sure it could be trusted to survive a full season or more. Into the spares bin it goes. Now I even feel smart for keeping the original splined coupler that we replaced when the original input shaft broke in August.

I’ll be continuing the engine teardown tonight. I hope to get far enough in to find the cause of the low oil pressure.

Gearbox Teardown

The gearbox is now in several pieces on the garage floor. The rear brake calipers are all cleaned up (only three cans of brake cleaner and half a roll of paper towels) and waiting to be installed on the new transmission. The sideplates came off the gearbox without too much trouble, exposing the differential and the ring & pinion gears. The gears and the diff carrier – originally different shades of silver and grey – are now all an even brownish blue tint, indicating severe overheating and a patina of burned gear lube. All of the teeth show signs of galling. Strike that assembly from the list of potentially salvageable parts.

To take the gearbox apart further will require removal of large castle nuts from the pinion shaft and the layshaft. This is normally very simple: Put the transmission in two gears at the same time, and the two shafts will not turn when you put a wrench on the nut. Unfortunately, the transmission cannot select any gears at the moment. The layshaft nut came off by hand, which was a pleasant surprise, but not pleasant enough to outweigh the discovery that the layshaft was broken from flailing around when the rear support bearing fell apart. Scratch the layshaft from the list.

Since the pinion shaft can’t be locked to the layshaft, there is no convenient way to hold it from turning while the castle nut is loosened. A big pipe wrench on the pinion gear could work. Damage to the pinion gear is not a concern, since the pinion gear was already off the list. The trouble is that the wrench may dig into the main case and take it off the list as well. On the other hand, removing the pinion shaft is the only way to keep the case on the list. Will the cure kill the patient?

Removing the input shaft will require a bit of ingenuity. The input shaft is stuck in the case, retained by the splined coupler which holds it to the layshaft. The coupler is stuck to the input shaft until the broken end of the layshaft drawbolt comes out of the input shaft. That can’t happen until I can get at that end of the input shaft with a drill, which won’t fit into the case – which the input shaft is stuck in. I may have to cut apart the coupler, which would scratch it from the list. Otherwise, scratch the (new) input shaft, too. I have an idea, though. I’ll let you know tomorrow if it works.

The ever-shrinking list of potentially salvageable parts now includes

• the main case
• the side covers
• the stub axles
• the bearing carrier
• the rear cover
• the gearshift selector finger
• and the input shaft.

That looks like a lot until you consider that the gearbox is made up of some 150 parts, not counting all of the shims and spacers that make everything line up properly.