[Healeys] On the subject of oil leaks and racing

[jpaynepbr at cox.net]

Gary,

 

 

It is my understanding that the hole and cotter pin date back to the Model T days, and was put there to keep the road dust/grit from causing the hole to plug up, and to keep the oil from getting trapped.

 

 

From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> On Behalf Of Gary Anderson
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2021 1:35 PM
To: healeys at autox.team.net
Subject: [Healeys] On the subject of oil leaks and racing

 

Many years ago, at a panel during a Healey West Coast Meet in Oregon, I took the opportunity to ask Geoff Healey about the issue of oil dripping out of the hole in the bottom of the bell housing when the car would come to a halt after driving a long distance. 

He gave us the general story that that was actually an intentional design feature, with the reverse archimedes screw typically doing its job and slinging the oil back in the sump at the rear end of the crank shaft. Of course, when the car came to a halt, the oil pressure would reverse and some oil would seep into the bell housing. To deal with that, there is a hole in the bottom of the bellhousing so the oil doesn't pool up. To make sure the hole stays open, a cotter pin is placed in the hole, with the legs projecting out the bottom.

 

But then he chuckled and told the following story. When he and Donald were raising street versions of the first Hundreds at Le Mans -- generally for the international publicity benefits -- they anticipated that the race stewards stationed as observers in each of the pits would notice the pool of oil where the car had been sitting when it came in for a pit stop, which would have been grounds for disqualification. So Roger Menadue fastened small pans, contoured to be fastened under the bell housing hole. During the race, the pans would be stuffed with diapers, and that would take care of catching the oil for several stops. During stops when the steward wasn't looking, a mechanic would pull of a filled pan and fasten on a new empty pan. Worked like a charm: no oil leaks in the pits and, as we know, the street-spec Healeys, complete with bumpers and grilles, finished the race in respectable fashion, garnering good publicity and giving rise to the optional "Le Mans kit" that was available from DMHCO.

 

And that's the rest of the story.

 

Gary Anderson

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