Zundapp 50cc motor bike on display at Killarney Race Circuit

There were five makes in all and it was impossible to choose one as being better than another but the Zundap did make me smile.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Why the smile, read below:

Nice !

A comment just in from the USA.

I love the story attached to the Zundapp. Priceless.

Regards,

Roy

Boat building epoxy, mix and use

A shipment of WBP plys and epoxy suitable for building a boat has just been received buy our customer is Reunion Isle, the customer asked on some advice on the mix and use of the epoxy we supplied him, red the reply below.

The data sheets on the 816 epoxy and 205 cure agent were sent with the shipment.

Use wise the mix is 100 grams of the 816 epoxy to 65grams of the 205 cure agent.

In temperatures to about 25c you have some hours to work when its mixed, as the temperature goes up to 30c

there will be less time, if its very warm mix smaller amounts such as 85 grams.

Pour into a painters tray to allow the mix to spread out, this slows the mix from warming up.

Work out of direct sunlight if possible to slow down the effects of the sun.

You can use the epoxy when mixed as a glue and also a coating, do not change the mix to try and slow down or speed

up the cure rate, epoxy does not work like that.

Roy

Killarney Circuit, day at the races

Killarney race circuit is just outside of Cape Town City and on the Potsdam road.

Not just any day but the International Invitation Event, now named Passion for Speed, which brings back memories of the Springbok Series in the mid sixties and seventies when I was racing a Hillman Imp some forty three years ago and at the same circuit.

The entry fee was R90 each, the program cost R15 so for R115 you were set to go for an entire day, this includes free access to the pits on both sides of the circuit, so very good value.

I was very keen to see Jody Sheckters race winning Tyrrell F1 car with its Ford Costworth 3 ltr V8 engine.

It was recently restored by Dickon Daggit of Hout Bay and to a very high standard. 

On the day Ian Shecketer drove five demonstration laps so that we could see and hear this car running.

These cars are smaller than I had imagined!

Tyrrell in 1974 gave him his first full-time drive in F1. Jody rewarded them with a third-place finish in the drivers' championship and a pair of wins in Sweden and Britain. During the year, he scored points in eight consecutive races, one of the longer scoring streaks of the time. A slight off-year followed, although he did become the only South African to win the South African Grand Prix, but his third year with the team in 1976 gave him another third place finish in the drivers' championship. In that season, Tyrrell introduced the most radical car in F1 history, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Scheckter gave the six-wheeler its only win on Sweden's Anderstorp circuit and in his twelve races with the car, he scored points ten times. This included a thrilling race-long battle for the lead in the American Grand Prix between himself and his great friend James Hunt

My thanks to Wikipedia for the info above.

Roy

All in a days work at the HBYC Marina gate

What can I say!

Roy

Figaro V pulls at her stern mooring

The trade winds were really giving it a go yesterday, I saw 37 knots on the meter myself, out in the bay you can add another 10 knots?

The HBYC put the stern moorings in some years back to allow the 2012 ARC World Rally boats to use the marina.

Bill Snaith ordered the building of this oecean racing classic and with the intention of winning The Fastnet Race, he never did the race, you can read why by finding the story in one of my blogs on Figero V.

Figaro V, thats her with the white hull,  is a very fast classic ocean racer with lots of history is for sale please contact me for details and pricing.

She would suit the annual Antigua Classic racing week exactly, we have a delivery skipper.

Roy

Where in the world is this, Cape Town?

Thats what it looks like but your wrong.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

All the bags say Cape Town but this is really Hout Bay Harbour and in winter.

Its a nice splash of colour though.

Roy

Hillman Imp 998cc cylinder head gaskets and shims

With the recent assembly and building of a new 998cc engine, a  cylinder head shim was required to sort out pistons that were proud of the block.

This was done in alloy but we can have them made in steel and copper, or a mix of materials and a composite using some quite exotic fibres.

Postage world wide is easy.

Roy

Dix Design Jig Saw Joints

Dudley Dix has now introduced a jig saw joint into his cut files, this enables the larger panels to be joined without scarph joints.

This speeds up the panel assembly process by some margin, it also means the skill required to plane the scarph joint is no longer required.

Saving you time, its nice and easy!

Roy

Jaguar 3.8 S type

This was a longer project than I expected, we owned it for thirty two years!

The car was sold last May and last we heard had done a rally across South Africa and was for sale in Johannesburg?

The car was sold with an engine that had been fitted with new pistons, plus a crank regrind and new bearings.

The licence number was kept!

Roy

British Seagull 5 hp restoration

This was started last March, it was a bit of a wreck back then.

This is a 1974 model and has a clutch.

The main parts were there but the tank filler had been cut off and thats not a replacement part, so a new neck was turned up from solid brass, looking at the work then involved a complete yet dented tank was imported from the UK, postal strikes in the RSA saw it arrive months later.

Today it was started for the first time, possibly for decades?

Its running in this picture.

All parts are imported, stripped into its main parts the unit is then inspected and rebuilt as it requires.

The pictures will enlarge if you click on them.

Even the tank, which was rather battered has been epoxy faired, painted and had a transfer applied, then we apply coats of clear gloss lacquer to seal it off.

Allow a decent sum of moey for this kind of detailed restoration, thats as long as you have a British Seagull for the work to be done on, more if the engine required a rebuild.

Two British Seagulls are in stock, we can offer a world wide service by arrangement.

How easy was this, try it yourself and see!

Roy

The Goat Island Skiff

This is a popular design by Mike Storer, we can supply you the plans and the kit.

Simple to Build Modern Performance - Sails rings around most "character boats"
Light enough to handle on land by yourself Easy to follow plans - step by step instructions.  96 page manual.
Length - 15'6" (4.73m) 
Beam - 5ft (1.52m) 
Hull Weight - 128lbs (57kg) - Gaboon (Okoume) Ply 
Sail Area - Lug 105 sq ft (9.75 sq metres)

For purchasers of the plan there is a new birdsmouth mast option

They look complicated but in fact are very easy to assemble yourself, we even supply the assembly jigs!

G.I.S PDF Plans by email - $100

Roy

Freds Cape Henry 21 kit build

This is where Fred is at right now.

Hi Roy:
Moving right along. :)

Cheers!
Fred

Superform (tm) bending ply arrives

I was busy adding lables to the various packs of Superform bending plywoods for our retailers yesterday, this is still the best such product as far as I am aware.

Superform bending plywood can now be supplied in a fire proof grade to special order.

Contact me for the specification sheets.

Roy

This is just what keeps the likes of people like me going.

I think I have mentioned 'Bad Obsessions Motor Sport' before but with the Binky program now having reached stage eight its well worth another look.

Project Binky

It was a dark and stormy night…
Safely ensconced in a shed in deepest, darkest Shropshire, two men with their faculties dulled by liberal dosing’s of Jack Daniel’s finest No.7 brand embarked upon a journey that would change their world.
Project Binky was born.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Take one rotten 1980 Mini 1000 and one Toyota Celica GT-Four and use all their guile, cunning and skill to graft them together to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a car.
Not content with just the trifling matter of shoe-horning the entire running gear from the Celica and grafting it into the little Mini, they also decided it might be fun to film the entire journey and post it on YouTube for all and sundry to see.
The goal is to create one of the fastest Mini’s on the planet but also one that looks just like a fast Mini. The brief is simple; we can’t lengthen it or widen it – save for the arches – but the 2.0l turbo-charged engine, 4WD transmission and all the suspension from the Celica must go inside the Mini. We never said it was going to be easy, it was always going to be a difficult project, but Bad Obsession Motorsport has never shied away from a challenge.
So far it’s taken hundreds of hours, thousands of cups of tea and not an inconsiderable amount of grey hairs, but it’s coming.
Track the progress on this page and check back for irregular updates.

 http://www.badobsessionmotorsport.co.uk/category/projects/project-binky/

Now on part eight, its worth starting from part one.

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian

Now in red!

The sticker advises you to leave a 1" (25mm) slack in the fan belt, this is so as not to stress the bearings in the water pump and dynamo.

The details like badges and related stickers can really make the car.

Roy