Before finally going to bed I did go back out and warm the car up in the carpark by driving very slowly in tight circles with nobody watching or cheering. Even with the fan kicking in the expansion tank was staying calm and levels were consistent so I was able to sleep with some level of confidence.
We forfeited any chance of being competitive in the Hannibal and opted to drive directly to the next hotel. Easier said than done as this was 400kms away, over the Alps in Cuneo. And forecast to be hotter still.
As we drove we nursed the car along, gently building up speed and load with one eye always on the temperature gauge we schemed ways to improve the cooling. This was now a mission to reach the start-line of the 12 in 12. If this could be managed and the car had to be recovered from there we would take it is a success.
We stopped at a fuel station which turned out to be quite well equipped with spares and consumables, presumably due to the remote alpine location. Here we bought some of the dreaded head gasket in a bottle, as well as brake fluid for a fellow competitor. We drained some coolant from the car and added the gunge before carrying on.
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/wDtXi5DC5dBNRy787
The scenery rapidly became more and more impressive as we pushed on south.
Next stop was at a Hyper-U to pick up some additional cooling equipment... Side cutters were used to remove some of the support structure of the fan which looked to be very restrictive for airflow. The fan was a £12 eBay special bought when I was first getting the car built. Hindsight is 20/20 but it really should have been upgraded, the front mount was also pretty sub-optimal for airflow.
The grill was left off and stowed behind the seats for additional cooling. For emergencies we also invested in water pistols...
Lunch was had half way up the climb to Montee de Semnoz
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/MPoLzRSsKa794Lhk8
This pass proved that we still had some serious work to do getting temperatures to a known safe level if we were to get anywhere in the main event so opted to take the motorway into Italy. A good idea in theory but heavy traffic left us still stationary in the midday sun for over an hour, as temperatures hit 40C...
After what felt like an eternity we finally arrived at the hotel, exhausted, very hot but with a hint of confidence.
Event organiser Tony had even managed to source a replacement head gasket which was waiting for us on arrival, along with much needed beer!
The next day was a 'rest' day before the rally. Not fancying messing about in the heat again we were up at sunrise and set to work.
The radiator was pulled and Ben got a lift to a truck wash to thoroughly clean and flush it through with an industrial pressure washer.
I meanwhile removed the thermostat and clamped the heater hose shut to direct all coolant through the rad.
Packaging from the side cutters was then employed as spacer material to life the bonnet to further aid airflow. At speed this was probably counter productive given the high pressure zone in front of the windscreen but at the relatively low speeds we were travelling at on the mountain passes we felt it would probably be beneficial.
Watching the hotel gardener watering the flowerbeds gave me an idea. He declined cash but directed me to the local garden centre. I was given a lift in the lovely BMW and bought a secret weapon...
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/hgZSDrtBfCqzss3L9
The 12 litre plant sprayer and some extra hose was plumbed in to spray a mist of water onto the radiator for extra cooling on long climbs...
Finally all additional holes around the radiator were taped up to direct as much air through it as possible. A test run into the hills showed a pretty drastic improvement in cooling performance with temperatures staying much more consistent. The co-driver pump up spray system also seemed to be operating well, knocking 20F off the temperature in exchange for a minute or so of pumping.
By this time we returned everyone else was starting to wake up and the car park was starting to fill with more and more 12 in 12 cars from across Europe. Everything from relatively modern 911s to a TR5 driven Solo from Norway!
While chatting and admiring the other cars it started to sink in that we may, just, have a chance...
We forfeited any chance of being competitive in the Hannibal and opted to drive directly to the next hotel. Easier said than done as this was 400kms away, over the Alps in Cuneo. And forecast to be hotter still.
As we drove we nursed the car along, gently building up speed and load with one eye always on the temperature gauge we schemed ways to improve the cooling. This was now a mission to reach the start-line of the 12 in 12. If this could be managed and the car had to be recovered from there we would take it is a success.
We stopped at a fuel station which turned out to be quite well equipped with spares and consumables, presumably due to the remote alpine location. Here we bought some of the dreaded head gasket in a bottle, as well as brake fluid for a fellow competitor. We drained some coolant from the car and added the gunge before carrying on.
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/wDtXi5DC5dBNRy787
The scenery rapidly became more and more impressive as we pushed on south.
Next stop was at a Hyper-U to pick up some additional cooling equipment... Side cutters were used to remove some of the support structure of the fan which looked to be very restrictive for airflow. The fan was a £12 eBay special bought when I was first getting the car built. Hindsight is 20/20 but it really should have been upgraded, the front mount was also pretty sub-optimal for airflow.
The grill was left off and stowed behind the seats for additional cooling. For emergencies we also invested in water pistols...
Lunch was had half way up the climb to Montee de Semnoz
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/MPoLzRSsKa794Lhk8
This pass proved that we still had some serious work to do getting temperatures to a known safe level if we were to get anywhere in the main event so opted to take the motorway into Italy. A good idea in theory but heavy traffic left us still stationary in the midday sun for over an hour, as temperatures hit 40C...
After what felt like an eternity we finally arrived at the hotel, exhausted, very hot but with a hint of confidence.
Event organiser Tony had even managed to source a replacement head gasket which was waiting for us on arrival, along with much needed beer!
The next day was a 'rest' day before the rally. Not fancying messing about in the heat again we were up at sunrise and set to work.
The radiator was pulled and Ben got a lift to a truck wash to thoroughly clean and flush it through with an industrial pressure washer.
I meanwhile removed the thermostat and clamped the heater hose shut to direct all coolant through the rad.
Packaging from the side cutters was then employed as spacer material to life the bonnet to further aid airflow. At speed this was probably counter productive given the high pressure zone in front of the windscreen but at the relatively low speeds we were travelling at on the mountain passes we felt it would probably be beneficial.
Watching the hotel gardener watering the flowerbeds gave me an idea. He declined cash but directed me to the local garden centre. I was given a lift in the lovely BMW and bought a secret weapon...
VIDEO:
photos.app.goo.gl/hgZSDrtBfCqzss3L9
The 12 litre plant sprayer and some extra hose was plumbed in to spray a mist of water onto the radiator for extra cooling on long climbs...
Finally all additional holes around the radiator were taped up to direct as much air through it as possible. A test run into the hills showed a pretty drastic improvement in cooling performance with temperatures staying much more consistent. The co-driver pump up spray system also seemed to be operating well, knocking 20F off the temperature in exchange for a minute or so of pumping.
By this time we returned everyone else was starting to wake up and the car park was starting to fill with more and more 12 in 12 cars from across Europe. Everything from relatively modern 911s to a TR5 driven Solo from Norway!
While chatting and admiring the other cars it started to sink in that we may, just, have a chance...
