Total Build/Modification/Design Time to end of 2011: 1929Hrs
January...
Bit of a change to the page layout after the 'unfortunate Plusnet/website crash' incident, changed the way the images are presented so you have to click the link at the bottom of each entry to get to them, they will appear in a new window. To return to this page just close the window... Probably go back through each of the previous years and do the same at some point.
Went for a blatt/photo opportunity to Beachy Head on the 2nd... Given last year we did the same and there was still frozen puddles/snow on the road, even given that, this year was just as sunny but waaaay colder! Received the superduper vortex generators in the post and stuck them on to the diffuser just before the 'up-slope'. Having now had a good look (and given this was pretty much 'a bit of a giggle anyway) the conclusion is: I'm not going to bother making bespoke ali ones. There are so many bolt tails in the floor it looks like the car has hundreds of 'vortex generators' already! The only way to give the damn things even a slight chance of working needs for the floor to be flush for it's whole length, which would entail quite a bit of work/re-design and effort - so pretty much a non-starter. I'm now taking bets as to how long the nasty placcy ones last before a speed bump takes 'em straight off...
Popped round to Michael K's to get the dump valve Tee/temp sensor boss welded up... And what a neat job he did to - excellent! Just got to shorten the airbox inlet and mount the sensor and the jobs done.
Decided to change all the 'non-headlight' bulbs to LED ones, it really is amazing the amount of amps an indicator bulb gets through! So the brake/tail lights, rear and side indicator lamps, the front side lights and the front indicators are all being done, just got to sort something out with the headlamps now (bulbs that actually work - unlike the nasty LED jobs I tried last year)...
On the lookout for some 4x4 twill carbon cloth as the side pods and diffuser are starting to look a tad 'old'... "I love the sound of a vacuum pump in the morning". I may even alter the diffuser slightly to give deeper/longer tunnels as looking at it again there is plenty of room to do so, should be fun.
Autosport International 2012: The first time we went to this show was in 2002 I think, it was jolly exciting with lots of stands selling 'stuff' from carbon fibre cloth to twin bike engine power units, lots of club level type cars with interesting engineering solutions to suspension, engines, chassis you name it and it was there (or so it seems now). This year we decided to visit the show again and boy was it rubbish! Most of the stands fell into one of three categories: (1) Stands selling toy cars or radio control helicopters, (2) stands that sold car engines in various states of tune but (and this was the interesting bit) didn't seem to know much about what was on their stands and (3) Large corporations exhibiting, well not a lot actually. It also seemed much smaller than was remembered much, much smaller in fact. What was particularly galling was that I had a bag of pocket money coins ready to spend.... and ended up not buying a thing!
Westfield where there but may as well not bothered, three cars on a stand that was too small, no goodies on display and some fed up chaps manning it. There were other kit manufacturers there (that seemed to be doing a better job it has to be said) but even these lacked a certain something. The spare parts area was very disappointing with a couple of stands selling silicone pipe, two or three engine builders and the usual stands selling weird cleaning products cum magical drills (or toy cars and helicopters).
Then we come to the Arena Event (didn't go to this the first time so we have nothing to compare against)... A whole hour of Jason Plato, Louise Goodman, a fat chap with a mic, some toyboy band fella (who we'd never heard of) and a girl with a bad foot (who seemed to get 'very' excited about a couple of dirt bikes doing those very odd jumps that involve the riders trying to get off but failing - a success would at least have been a bit amusing) spouting toe curlingly embarrassing 'banter', and I'm using that word in a sense so loose you could park a Jumbo jet in the gaps. I lost the plot very quickly with the cars zooming around, had no idea what they were supposed to be doing and once you've seen one car get slightly sideways in a corner, really, you've seem them all. The bit where six Catherhams came out looked to be good until they parked straight away and some other youth trotted out to explain he'd won some competition that will have him in F1 within the decade - it turned out the poor chaps in the Caterhams were the loosers, wasn't that nice of the organisers, just rubbing their noses in it for the amusement of a couple of hundred strangers in the crowd - very well thought through.
There were in fact only three good bits to the whole 'show'... (1) we got to sit down on reasonably comfy chairs for an hour, (2) The Dakar rally injured Soldiers presentation was very uplifting, you have got to admire them... and (3) it ended.
All this for the cheap price of £37 each! Don't think we'll be going back to the Autosport show for many years... if at all.
To compare and contrast... We'd gone to the London Boat Show the day before, cost £12 to get in I actually bought some stuff and there were many interesting stands populated by people that knew what they were supposed to be selling, so it goes.
Made a 'splash guard' for the water injection temperature controller. Clamped a sheet of 4mm Perspex between two lengths of ali angle, carefully heated it with a blowtorch and sllllllowly bent it down to the required angle. Chopped it off, drilled and riveted it to the scuttle - pretty simple and will do the job.
Total Build/Modification/Design Time: 1934Hrs
February...
Not a lot going on this month, the weather was a 'bit iffy' so no blatting and the only thing I did to the car was to (finally) sort out the bonnet graphics - so as I say, a tad on the quiet side I'm afraid. Next month should be good though...
Total Build/Modification/Design Time: 1936Hrs
(c) John B Cobb 2012