Amici:
After nearly forty-five years as a race car, OLE BLUE may have suffered a
terminal injury at BLACKHAWK FARMS on Saturday.
While still fast on the straights, the car has never turned properly since
its double roll over at Grattan in the early 1990s. We suspected frame
twists or cracks, but could not isolate them. The symptoms got progressively
worse. To describe the car as spongy, is being kind. This season in
particular, the car had a disconcerting shimmy under hard breaking. The
brakes worked fine, but there was this chatter shimmy and mild shaking.
In the second session last Saturday morning, screaming into Turn ONE (and
trying to out brake M. L. Hilliard's MGB, I might add), there was a
tremendous thud, and the right front collapsed. Fortunately I had not
reached the turn yet, I was going in a straight line and while there was no
opportunity for steering (gone), the collapsed right dragged the car to the
right and into the grass. Somebody up there likes me, as I scrubbed off
speed naturally, with the car actually negotiating the corner on it own, to a
safe stop just past Turn One.
Bodywise, the car suffered minor damage to the front apron (lower).
As for the suspension, initial examination indicated I had sheared the
Vertical Link at the bottom, just above the threaded stud. This was a part
we had on the shelf, so we made plans to get it to the track, and we were
expecting to be back in business for the race on Sunday.
During the installation process, we were experiencing an extraordinary amount
of effort in lining things up. It was then we noticed three or four (maybe
even five or six) MAJOR cracks in the frame.
We finally got the replacement vertical link installed so we could roll the
car. The Good News is we have never been successful in getting camber into
the front wheels. Hard to do in a TR3. We now have camber. The Bad News is
that it is Positive Camber...about 21%.
While our enthusiasm for racing has not been diminished, and I will be back
in the Thunder Bolt next season, I have not decided what to do about Old
Blue. The two obvious options are a cosmetic repair and retirement, or a
total frame off restoration.
More later.
Bill Dentinger
PS
Thank God I had not reached Turn One, or I would have bought a violent roll
that might have collected poor M. L. as well. Had that happened, I would not
have my current dilemma. To solve my dilemma, I need to find a suitable
frame to start with. OLE BLUE deserves to race again.
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