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TeamW116 - motorsports in Victoria, Aus - who's up for it?

Started by 13B, 27 May 2007, 12:44 AM

Grant V

Ian,

Does the wife know what you are doing with her shopping car? ("Now I wonder where Ian could be? He said that he was only popping out to get a loaf, and that was four hours ago...")

My initiative with the Finnie has inspired a few people to get thier Benz's on the track. A friend of mine is currently building a 280E W114 for the "Historic Cars" series, and someone I met at the track recently is racing his concourse 500SEC W126 in the "Marque and Fine Cars" Series, while he builds an AMG 500SEC replica. And another friend is doing the final touches to his race prepared 190E 2.3-16. I've bought a 300SEL 6.3, which I'm planning to turn into a AMG 6.8 replica, but having bought into an underwear business recently, those plans are going to be somewhat delayed.

The finnie has been largely prepared by my father, who turns 75 this year. He's been involved in motor racing for the last 50 odd years and has raced anything from Ferraris and Maseratis, to Minis (in which he won the national championship in 1970) to his current steed - a 1948 MG Special single seater, which belongs to friend of his. The development of the Finnie has been a pleasure for him over the last two years, as he's never had the opportunity to develop a car in his way. Previously he was either met with budget constraints, or the car belonged to someone else who was unwilling to do the mods.

The Finnie is not that heavily modified. We've skimmed the head and profiled the cam, but otherwise the block is still stock. The front and rear suspension are also stock, but the springs are harder and shorter with Billsteins all round. The front lower control arms have been slotted to give maximum negative camber and we're running two standard anti-roll bars in tandem at the front. The car is also running on semi-slick tyres.

Recently we removed the petrol tank and protection plate and replaced it with a plastic tank in the boot. The battery was also removed from the engine compartment into where the passenger seat was, for better weight distribution. The side windows have all been replaced with polycarbonate, and the end result is that the car weighs about 1200kg - I think that's a 250kg saving on a standard 230S.





We had the car on a dyno recently and it was giving 80bhp on the back wheels, which the clever chaps in the know recon is an engine output of 115bhp. I understand that some of the well prepared Alfa's are giving about 88bhp on the back wheels. So she's no fire breather, but what the car lacks in power, it makes up in handling. The car handles incredibly well and is so well balanced that I'm able to do all my overtaking under braking. I can brake significanlty later than a lot of cars, even the far lighter cars. The downside is that they pull away out of the corners far more easily, which is where their lightness shows. My father has pointed out that while other guys spend a lot of time and effort replacing their rubber bushes on their suspensions, the Finnie has a full steel suspension, except for the rubber subframe mountings.

When the car was out on the track for the first time, is caused a lot of laughs, but through developement over the last year, it's starting to raise some eyebrows!

These bottom two pics were taken when I was reassembling the car after it's respray, so the loose wires have subsequently all been properly tied up:





"You've bought another bloody car?!? We should have you committed!" he shrieked, storming out of the room

Bandolero

BUGGA!!!!
Pity you're not in South Australia, there are a few of us here that want to do just this.....BUGGA!!!!
Russell Bond - (Adelaide, South Australia)
1978 450SEL 6.9 .... #5166 .... 12/78 (Sold.) [url="//www.ezycoat.com.au"]www.ezycoat.com.au[/url]

Grant V

No worries, Bandolero. Why don't you organise some sponsorship to ship me and the car over to OZ, and then you can share it with me in a local race or two?
"You've bought another bloody car?!? We should have you committed!" he shrieked, storming out of the room

Bandolero

Russell Bond - (Adelaide, South Australia)
1978 450SEL 6.9 .... #5166 .... 12/78 (Sold.) [url="//www.ezycoat.com.au"]www.ezycoat.com.au[/url]

oscar

Quote from: Bandolero on 30 May 2007, 07:58 AM
:o :o :o :o

:D :D

I think that's a resounding yes.




Quote from: Grant V on 30 May 2007, 12:44 AM

Sorry to bore you guys who've seen these already:


We've never seen it in this much detail have we?  Very nice setup Grant.  I think the problem I'd have is to know how much trim to take off a w116 to keep it looking like a w116.  It'd be sacreligious to go racing with the bumpers on board.  Yet when I see your pic of the finnie, the front without bumper reminds me so much of the Waxenberger 6.3.  I'd really like to strip a 116 back to have the bare essentials though and have it strictly for racing and not have it road registered.

On the other hand, 13B, I don't know how you can race hard without worrying your going to damage all that trim.  I could trust myself to not hit anything stationary, (probably because I'd be driving to slow) :D , but you can't control other competitors.  The Mazda looks very straight, do you do much damage on raceday?  How about you Grant?  Much bodywork after raceday?
1973 350SE, my first & fave

Grant V

Oscar,

Removing the bumpers was more a weight saving tactic than anything else. The front and rear bumpers on a Finnie weigh 50kg alone! I also think that it gives the car a nice aggressive stance and it looks more like a racing car.

I have still tried to keep the car looking as stock as possible. I have retained the chrome beadings around the windows, as well as the dashboard and the original inner door panels. I have also kept the glass quater lites on the front and rear doors. If I was really into weight saving, then the side windows should be complete one piece polycarbonate and the inner door panels would be aluminium sheets. But then the car wouldn't look quite the same.

Most of the competitors in our local historic racing are well over 40 years of age and many of them are real old grey haired buggers, so the testosterone levels are somewhat lower. These guys are all enthusiasts out to have fun and are not that competitive. They have all put a lot of work into their cars and understand the value of their cars, so in a tight situation, guys would rather back off and loose a place or two than run the risk of damaging theirs, or others cars. Besides that, the organisers usually have a very low tolerance of reckless driving, and anyone who does so will hauled over the coals after the race.
"You've bought another bloody car?!? We should have you committed!" he shrieked, storming out of the room

13B

QuoteThe Mazda looks very straight, do you do much damage on raceday?

Never any.  I've never had a big stack or even hit someone elses car... there have been a few close calls, but if you are regularly damaging the car then its either really badly set up or you are just trying too hard and probably need to do a racing driving course to understand racing lines, braking markers, evasive manouvers etc.  The Mazda is very straight, it was bought off the proverbial 'old bloke' and had no rust and perfectly straight chassis rails - important things when building a predictable handling racer.

QuoteI don't know how you can race hard without worrying your going to damage all that trim.

It would apear Grant and I are very similarly minded.  I don't see the point in competing in an RX4 station wagon if i still didn't look like one, so as many of the chrome and stainless steel fittings remain.  Lucky for me the bumpers are on 15kg each.  Under the bonnet and inside and under the car however its all business.  My numbers stack up as follows: stock RX4 weighs 1200kg but I've managed to ditch about 100kg due to the gutted interior, alloy door trims, etc., the engine produces 232HP at the back wheels at 8500rpm but its been built to rev to 10500, so maybe 250HP is closer to its output (our dyno guy won't put it past 8500 for legal reasons) but here is a vid of it on the dyno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJB6tFzmjac

Just like your finnie, I've kept the stock speedo which reads to 130mph and regularly goes past that so maybe a 140 or 150mph speedo is something I need.  Likewise, the stock 8000rpm mazda tacho is still in place and so for many straights (like at Phillip Island GP circuit and Sandown) the needle just points at 'Made in Japan'.  Here is another short crappy vid of me going thru the esses at Winton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piVjrLxe8SI

If I were building a W116 I'd built it along the same lines as your finnie or my mazda... keep the 'look' as much as possible but shed as much weight and got the HP into the workable range (250-300HP for a 1500kg car).  I think he bumpers would stay, as well as the bumperettes... bugger the weight penalty.

I.
450SEL 6.9 #5440 = V MB 690 , 450SE # 43094 = 02010 H , 190E/turbo # 31548 = AOH 68K

13B

Here's some pictures from back in the day (1998) when I tried to autocross a 450SE:

(finally found the pics so they are scanned - shot with Kodak Max ISO400 shutter speed 1/500th/F1.8 )













Ian.
450SEL 6.9 #5440 = V MB 690 , 450SE # 43094 = 02010 H , 190E/turbo # 31548 = AOH 68K

13B

At around a million km it started using equal quantities of petrol and oil so we put a bullet in its head...

I.
450SEL 6.9 #5440 = V MB 690 , 450SE # 43094 = 02010 H , 190E/turbo # 31548 = AOH 68K

oscar

 ;D Top Stuff 13B.  See, red does make 'em go faster.  Now where's our team

How about this one?  Bloody commodores!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hjMT78sYaz8
1973 350SE, my first & fave

SELfor50

Ok... considering ol' smokey's interior is destined for the trash and i've already begun removing it..

After seeing the above pics of grant's car it's given me inspiration to rip the guts out and prep it for wakefield.
Only thing is i'll then need an engine for it.

The body itself is all sweet except for a bit of a rust hole in the firewall of the engine bay. (which probably isn't the best for the racetrack)...though...considering the engine is getting ripped out and turfed i'm sure there'll be room to fix it before dropping another engine in?!

Any suggestions??  Maybe an RB26 from a GT-R?  ;D


oscar

1973 350SE, my first & fave

SELfor50

Quote from: oscar on 10 September 2007, 05:27 AM
Quote from: SELfor50 on 10 September 2007, 05:12 AM
Any suggestions??  Maybe an RB26 from a GT-R?  ;D

If nissan takes your fancy, go an 8 http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=266156&postid=2886164

That's DOPE!!!  Regardless of how much i'd love to do that, i'm looking for something that will be easier to drop and (definition of 'easy' being no cutting of the body in order to fit it.  RB26 - Twin Turbo i would imagine would fit pretty easy and produce a massive amount of power!!  From what i've heard you can get front cut GT-R's for not that much from an importer...though i haven't looked into it properly of course.


SELfor50

After not being able to sleep for the last 2 nights with this on my mind(i shit you not, i have laid awake till 2am each morning considering it) - i've finally come to this decision.

I'm gonna donate ol' silver to the race-track.   :o

After speaking to a mate at work who races his peugot 405 at the below hill climb event everymonth he's talked me into it.
I'm gonna start with this and then piece by piece work my way to full track racing etc.  After i've seen what the hill-climb is like, i'll then make my decision to take her to full track build..eg. ripping the guts out and putting in a cage etc. 

http://www.sdmahillclimb.com/

Now..... If there's anyone who's willing to offer their assitance with this project, it would be more than appreciated.
The event allows more than 1 driver per car and you each get 1 hot lap that is timed properly / record kept etc - and throughout the day each driver will get between 4-8 hot laps. (per event that is).  If there is more than 1 driver per car the laps aren't minimised, each driver gets the same number of hot-laps.

If you are willing to offer your time / assistance with helping ol' silver round up a few more horsies - then you're welcome to jump on the track with her as well.

I've also got ol' smokey that is still being stripped for as many spare parts that i can get.
On Friday i will be looking at a Blue(silver blue) 450 SE (AUS Spec) that a friend of a friend has.
It's been sittin in his back yard for the last 12months, apparently has immaculate paint / interior and was owned by an elderly couple previously.
Haven't seen it yet but my mate reckons it's the goods, so if it is - that will become my weekend cruiser making it easier to transfer ol' silver to the track.

Cam,
I spoke to your mate at ASV parts and he's quoted me some pretty, pretty, pretty goooood prices on a Re-conditioned gearbox & diff.
I'm sure the ol' girl probably doesn't really need it done but if i'm puttin her on the track, i'd like to have it done.

MForcer - any chance we can look at getting some W116.Org stickers done up for sponsorship / advertising.

Anyone else who has a business, or know's of a business that would wanna write off some tax dollars for advertising / sponsorship purposes - it would be un-real!!  I've already put the word out to a few mates running businesses.

So i guess the final question is - who the hell's with me??   8)