Vintage Race Prep

Finish up the race preparations for the Fairlady for this weekend's Manila Sports Car Club Vintage Racing Series 2nd Leg

1. Changed the engine oil - Ultron Rallye 10W-40 semi-synthetic oil
2. Changed transmission and differential oil - Spirax S2 90 GL4
3. Greased suspension and steering fittings
4. New Achilles Platinum tires (fronts only)
5. New rear brake pads (riveted for extra safety)
6. Flushed and bled entire brake system - Wurth DOT4 brake fluid
7. Cleaned air and fuel filters
8. Cleaned spark plugs, rotor, and distributor cap contacts
9. Replaced steelies with light alloy AME mesh wheels and had them balanced
10. Checked tire pressures
11. Adjusted pilot jets, carburetor balance, and idle

When I was parking the Fairlady after a drive, I noticed that the brakes had engaged during reverse...this was the culprit.

The pads had gotten loose from the metal shoe holding it...probably due to water entering the brake drums and its age (must have been five-year-old pads). This happened just a few days before the next vintage race...lucky I was still at home and not on the road...or worse...on the track!

Left side brake drums...pads also dislodged from the shoe.

 Disassembled right drum brake...brake cylinder seals were still good so I didn't overhaul them anymore.

 The mechanic had the new brake pads riveted for extra safety during racing conditions. Helps a lot in keeping the pads in place especially with the extended heat cycles whenever I race the Fairlady.

 Had the gear oil changed in the diff...feels much better after all the oils had been changed.

 I also inspected the underchassis for loose bolts or cracks...didn't find any upon visual inspection. There's a minor oil leak coming from the steering box.

 "X" cross-member looks good and the welds are intact.

 Even with the 6.5" wide AME meshies, there's still ample clearance inside the rear wheel wells even on hard cornering. Clearance is about an inch on either side of the wheels...offset is pretty much perfect for the roadster.

 Spirax S2 GL4 90W for the diff and transmission...nice clean dino oil for an almost 50 year old car.

I got to clean the spark plugs as well a few days before the race just to make sure everything's ready. Burn is pretty much spot on...a bit rich on idle, but at full throttle power delivery is pretty smooth and responsive. Ceramic isolators were free of soot which indicated good burn for all cylinders.

 New brake pads...same ones used on the Toyota Lite Ace. The mechanic recommended that I use Type R or Bendix for the next set...especially that I'm racing regularly. I got to use these set on the recent race and their not really that bad...although I could use better ones for extra safety.

 New drum brake locks as well.

 The mechanic installing the new brake pads.

 New holes had to be made to correctly align the pads to the backing plate for better brake pad movement...a more even spread on the drum when braking.

New brake pads ready for action - four rivets per pad. 

Done!

Sushi Midnight Run

I had a great time driving the Fairlady for the Sushi Factory midnight meet and run. I was able to test the new AME mesh wheels I recently got. It seems to be stable and I didn't feel any vibrations coming from the steering wheel. Tracking on a straight line at speed was good as well. Steering felt solid and inspires confidence. All in all, it was a great run with fellow enthusiasts. Driving the Fairlady was just awesome.

Testing the AME Meshies

I've been testing the AME wheels over the past few days. It's definitely a big improvement in terms of steering response. I can feel the front tires "bite" more on the fast corners and there's better feel in the steering wheel. Steering effort is lighter than with the steelies, which is good especially during vintage races.

 The gold meshies are good accents for the Fairlady's smooth and curved body lines.

 

 I haven't seen any rubbing on the rear tires (with the rear fenders) even on hard turns. So far so good!

Front wheels are nicely tucked-in inside the front fender flares. The +23 offset is perfect for the Fairlady with these 6.5" wide wheels.