“Cumulative Fatigue Failure for Dummies†I broke a crankshaft while racing my 100S and that experience always haunted me because original 100S engine blocks are extremely rare and I knew that I had been very lucky not to have destroyed mine with that “blow upâ€. Over the years I had encountered many cases of 100… Continue reading Austin Healey 100 Crank Failures.
Category: Classic Rallying
Targa Newfoundland 2008 : A Lesson in Rod Ends
Targa is over for another year. It takes a while to come back to earth after the event and this year was no exception. 2008 was my 5th year of Targa competition and certainly one of the better ones. With AHX12 now in its 4th year in the event I believe we have sorted out… Continue reading Targa Newfoundland 2008 : A Lesson in Rod Ends
Targa Newfoundland 2007 Quest for Gold
For those who aren’t members of The Austin Healey Club U.S.A. and therefore don’t get the Austin Healey Magazine I have posted this article that I wrote at the request of Gary Anderson the editor. Targa Newfoundland is a highly addictive event. Billed as “The Ultimate Motorsports Adventure“ the event is rapidly gaining a reputation… Continue reading Targa Newfoundland 2007 Quest for Gold
Crownwheel Bolts: Solution Found
Thanks to the very welcome advice of Jim Hockert, Mike Gladwin, Bob Haskell, Richard Ewald, Dallas Congleton and Ken Freese, all of whom made very worthwhile suggestions, I think we have the problem solved. My idea of the tab washers became a non starter when I realized that I would be unable to get a… Continue reading Crownwheel Bolts: Solution Found
Locking Crownwheel Bolts
As noted in my previous post one of the problems we had with AHX12 in the 2007 Targa Newfoundland was caused by the stretching of BSF bolts which hold the crownwheel to the differential carrier. These 50 year old bolts, made at a time when the quality of fasteners available in Britain was not that… Continue reading Locking Crownwheel Bolts
Report on AHX12’s Revised Rear Suspension
The Targa Newfoundland 2007 is over and it proved to be a very revealing test of my revisions to AHX12’s rear suspension. By reading my previous posts on the subject you will get an appreciation of why I decided to make this fairly radical change to the suspension and how I did it. All in… Continue reading Report on AHX12’s Revised Rear Suspension
Off to Newfoundland for Targa 2007
At last we are ready to leave for the 2007 Targa Newfoundland. With Michael Oritt as my co-driver we have been lucky enough to join a “marque” team called “Brick and Brute Racing” The other team members are cars #301, a 1963 Mini Cooper “S” crewed by Dyrk Bolger and Terry Milnes and #307 the… Continue reading Off to Newfoundland for Targa 2007
Building a 100R Race Engine
BUILDING A “100R†ENGINE When I bought AHS3903 it was always my intention to race it for at least a couple of seasons and, some 6 years after the purchase, I managed to get the car finished just in time for the 1990 Austin Healey Challenge. Some years earlier I had had the opportunity to… Continue reading Building a 100R Race Engine
New Zealand “Homebuilt’s
Judy and I are up in N’Zed ( Kiwis believe that south should be on the top of the globe) for our annual winter get away. While I’m here I’m managing to take in a couple of events of the Southern Festival of Speed which has been held here for the last few years. The… Continue reading New Zealand “Homebuilt’s
Angled Springs
As the work on the conversion of AHX12’s rear suspension to coilovers proceeds I have been looking at other rear suspension systems for inspiration. One of the most interesting drawings that I have come across is that of the rear suspension used in the Lotus 33 F1 car of 1963.   This state of… Continue reading Angled Springs