Update on Formula Ford restoration

Yesterday was my first blog, but I found some more photos and thought I'd add them today.

This is the car as we retrieved it from South Carolina.  The paint was a 1970's metalflake blue, and not very attractive.  We removed the nose so that it wouldn't extend beyond the trailer.

When I talked about not being happy with the way things were set up, this is a perfect example.  The previous person had run the water lines all the way across the back of the rad so that the line running down the RH side of the car was the one coming out of the LH side of the rad.  I built a new radiator mount and replaced the old, corroded radiator.  Here you can see the rather crude bracketry and shrouding.  The upper aluminum piece was used to mount the body.  This was replaced with a better mounting system.

This is the chassis after disassembly and before commencing the repairs.  It was pretty dirty and messy, but that's what happens to race cars, and it's one reason they require so much constant attention.  I estimate that each race weekend requires about 10 hours of preparation work (assuming there is no crash damage to repair).  Each race weekend you check and adjust the car set-up, do a complete nut & bolt check, and definitely clean everything.  If the car arrives at the track dirty, you have no way of determining what may be leaking or broken. 
A 10-race season is a busy season, and after 10 races, most formula cars are ready for a complete tear-down and inspection.  This is the reason God invented winter--it's the perfect season for race car overhaul.  Some guys spend their free time in bars or watching football.  Most racers spend their time getting grease under their finger nails.