I know it's not Porsche content, but I figured some of you guys would be interested in seeing the car as it undergoes a down to frame rebuild.

A week ago my dad and I went ahead and purchased a Formula Ford, something we both had talked about doing for getting myself involved in racing. My dad got his start in Formula Fords, so we thought it would be fitting I do the same. We stumbled on this car locally, so it was convenient for us to get it instead of trying to go out of state. It is a 1974 Elden MK.10, one of the last Mk.10's imported from England by Carl Haas. (like pretty much every english racecar it seems)

Overall the car is in pretty good shape, but being me, I didn't trust the preparation of the car, and we noticed some cracked brazing, so down to bare frame it comes to fix things that need to be fixed, and do things our way.

Here's the starting pictures, the morning after we picked it up:

Today's project has been removing the suspension and bodywork all around the car To prepare for removing the aluminum skin and other parts. I must say, there is an odd vibe with this car, where there's so much to do, you don't know what to do first. I've come to the conclusion that since everything needs to come apart, a list will help keep things sane. So far, all but the front left corner have been removed, bagged, and tagged.



More to come tomorrow, which hopefully will involve engine/gearbox removal.

cool ethan....that things badass. where are you gonna race it?

The car is VARA legal, so i know for a fact we'll run it at big Willow at their VARA events. Then track days for seat time/practice. The eventual plan is to run it at the Coronado speed fest next year after the car is finished. To be perfectly honest though, its first shake down will be at Adams motorsport park on a time attacktuesday, so i'll let you know when that is if youd like to be there for it, haha

ack, double post

Click to view attachment

Hey Ethan,

Great News! I just bought a 1983 Royale Formula Ford last week! If you haven't driven an FF before, I can promise you the BEST handling you have ever experienced. This is where I started racing years ago.

My 1st FF was a Lotus 61 and I can remember tiimes where I couldn't tell where my "human" input ended and the FF started. The impression was that the car would just go where I THOUGHT.

Like you, I need some time to clean up, restore and prepare for track outings. Thus, I'm looking at Spring 2013. I've contacted XtremeSpeedTrackEvents.com and SpeedVentures.com and have been given the "thumbs-up" to run with them.

I like open track days (rather than wheel-to-wheel racing) for the fun of driving, so if that is your goal OR you want some track-time to shake out the car and work on you skills, these track-days and a great opportunity.

I hope to see you at a 2013 event,

Terry

nice project.
that is an awesome starting point

are you going to be out at coronado this year looking over the competition?

please come by and say hi
we will be there with a teener

brant

yes, please let me know when you go to adams. we will go for sure.

@stewteral, that Royale is an awesome starting point. I've never driven an FF, but from what my dad's told me, it's like nothing else. He used to run a Lola 342 back in the mid 80's, and he can't wait to see ow the Elden compares. Just for the sake of seat time, a track event seems like a great idea.

@brant, I go every year to the speedfest, and it's always a great time. The hope is to see what other FF guys are running, and how they've done certain things on the cars. I'll definetly stop by and say hi this year. Hopefully I can get a corral pass to park with the SD region PCA.

Ethan,

cool
orange #914

Well, I woke up this morning with the sole intention of removing the engine, and I'm happy say it came out nice and easy, only with the errant spill of gear oil and motor oil out of the dry sump pump.

For about 30 years, my dad has had an engine/gearbox assembly stand in the attic, and we assumed it would work for the Cortina block.. It originally didn't fit the Pinto block that is used in his BDA on the atlantic, because of the dry sump pump, and now it won't fit mine because the engine mount boss is rotated 90 degrees... time to fabricate one I guess.

Well, here's the damage after this morning:

What trani does that use? Its quite interesting. Is the inboard brakes setup part of the trani setup like the jag or is that an add on?

All formula fords use a Hewland mk.9 built on a vw transmission case flipped upside down. The vw case ismachined to accept the hewland internals.

The side covers are hewland parts as well, and are cast with bosses for inboard brakes and for transmission mounts to the chassis. Most of the older formula ford run inboard brakes from what i can gather.

You guys are having way to much fun!

So what all is involved now that you have the car apart? What are you going to rebuild, etc.

Today was a pretty wasted day I'm afraid. School shopping and gun cleaning meant that the Elden was on the back burner today.

The list is really quite long.. and I guess it's time to make a check list for everything.

-Strip down the car, removal of all suspension and associated compnents
-Re-align shift forks in gearbox.
-New front radiator
-Grit Blast the chassis, and repair the one obvious crack, and re-braze the rear shock mounts.
-Paint the chassis satin black, and nickel coat all suspension pieces.
-re-pipe the engine oiling system with -AN fittings and Stainless braided lines instead of the rubber lines it had on it
-Install Fuel Safe bladder instead of the fiberglass fuel tank/seat
-Run new wiring including battery cables
-relocate Battery to underneath drivers knees
-Retrofit car with an under-knee fire bottle
-Route new brake hard lines and clutch slave line
-Mount Oil cooler on top of gearbox.
-Mount water hardlines to allow for expansion from the chassis.

The motor is in very good shape since it was rebuilt. the logbook has a recorded 6 hours on the rebuild, and compression/leakdown test all say it's in great shape. Plus it burns ZERO oil.

Other than the little things, that's about it, minus bodywork. Luckily most of the bodywork is free of cracks and free of repairs, which is odd for all this original fiberglass, and the two rather severe crashes it sustained back in the early 80's.

You reminded me I need to clean my 20 guage after bird shooting on Sunday.

You have a ton of work to do, but I'll bet that car will be beautiful and functional. Nothing bettter.

Come up and run a hill climb with us next year. FF's do really well at Cascade!

Or better yet bring the teener and join me chasing down the Z06's.

Hey '73-914kid,

Dang, I wish you hadn't mentioned your DAD, as my first SCCA racing was in a Lotus 61 in 1971.....yup, I'm THAT old. However, there is still no joy greater than THROWING a great chassis into a corner than with a FF!

So, I'm looking forward to that WONDERFULL integration of "man" and machine in this "new" Formula Ford.

If you have been paying attention to my posting, over the last 10 years I've been developing the chassis of my 914-V8, but I still lust for the feel of a Formula Ford.
It's pretty good, now, however, I'm looking to sell the 914-V8 to follow my years-long addiction the Formula Car handling.

As I mentioned, I'll be out in early 2013 with the Royale and would love to run some laps with you on Streets of Willow Springs. I will not longer run Big Willow as they have made the T-8 to T-9 complex so dangerous. I'll leave that track to the YOUNG and "immortal", as I once was. Funny how 6-weeks in hospital after a FF crash can change one's view of life.

Best,
Terry
Camarillo, CA

Hey ''73-914kid',

GOOD ON YOU for doing the full engine/drive-train removla and restoration!! I believe I must do the same with my Royale. It really looks like "Rode hard & put away Wet!" Since we own Historic cars, they deserve to have someone care enough the bring them back to what they were. I suggest thinking about Workmanship rather than expediency. On my car I've already found so many
"short-cut" back-yard work done on the car. The P.O. owner was an Engineer, but while he was great on ideas, he was WEAK on workmanship. This is not unusual.

All the best to you & your great project,
Terry

Having just been through this with a smallish CanAm type car locally, are you planning on getting all the drilled out rivet heads out of the frame tubes and welding up all the rivet holes, squaring up the frame and then re-drilling it for the tin ware? Grit blasting after the rivet holes are welded up saves a lot of messing around getting the grit out of the frame tubes.

Dude...are you going to have time for my ride .That is some sweet Project man.

I think we can find some free time to work on your 914 Jaime...haha


As of today, I've removed all the rivets, and drilled out the rivet body. The plan right now for the rivet holes is to weld the rivet holes on the floor pan, and the holes forward of steering box.

Eldens never originally came with aluminum side paneling, so this stuff was all an afterthought, and just a lot of weight. I think for safety reasons, we're going to re-fit new aluminum skin on the side from the bulkhead forward to the steering box, right along sides of the driver's torso as an anti-intrusion panel. Honestly though, there's fiberglass on the side of the car, and the triangulation seems small enough to prevent much from entering the car as it is. It's something for my dad and I to discuss I suppose.

The other problem we face is somehow removing the rivet bodies from inside the tubes. The skin has been installed and removed twice as of now, so theres a TON of rivet bodies stuck in the chassis. I'm thinking of just cutting a square out of a part of the chassis on both sides and emptying everything the best I can. Then I'll just TIG a cover back on. This is the one really nice advantage to having square tubing.

Well, I think I'm done for today as it stands. Maybe this evening I'll start welding up the floor tubes.

Figured id give an update on how things were going. All of the holes have been welded, and ive started grinding them flush. I must say, trying to grind the highspots on the welds down flush to the square tubes seemlessly and without divits is quite the challenge. Pictures tomorrow of where the chassis stands. Then comes some brazing repair, and sandlbasting. Hoping to have it off to the sandblasters next friday afternoon.

So what are the rules on where to tig and where to braze?

The VARA rule book doesnt explicitely state what can be welded versus what can be brazed on a pre-1981 FF. Simply because all the tube seams are already brazed, any repairs are going to be re-brazed. All the holes and cracks directly in the tubes are going to be welded.

Very cool project.

Are the frames mild steel or chromoy? If you're welding holes/cracks in 4130 (or like), you'll want to anneal the HAZ or it'll crack again in short order.

Have you read Carroll Smith's books (Prepare to Win, Tune to Win, Engineer to Win)? If you haven't he has a bunch of interesting racecar prep tips including some FF-specific information. In any case, they are definitely worth a read.

The frame is just mild steel, nothing fancy about it.

My dad purchased the set of three back in the late 70's. I'm currently going through Prepare to Win in my free time in between classes. I must say, for technical as some of it is, Carroll writes things somewhat amusingly. Certainly keeps you entertained

Mild steel is much easier...and encouraged by Carroll Smith.

He definitely does have an interesting writing style; I think it makes the drier parts of his books easier to get through.

If you like those and are into technical IC engine design, his style is very similar to Gordon Blair (of Design and Simulation of 4-stroke Engine fame).

I have worn out several copies of Carrol Smiths various books. They all end up dog eared, highlighted, underlined and disinegrating! The common sense approach will never be out of date.

If you really want to get geeky about things, there is also Carrol Smith's Guide to Nuts, Bolts and Fasteners. More info than you ever wanted on the subject and, somewhat inevitably, quickly became known as "Screw to Win".

Cheers,

Mike

Hey Ethan,

You go to Cal Poly right!? I have seen your car on campus a few times and Kyle Graves had mentioned you one or two times while we were discussing my 914 project. Would love to come check out your car(s) some time, I am right over in walnut working on my 72 914 project, so i will probably be soliciting your advice in the near future since your the only local i "know" with one.

This FF seems like a sweet project with some great rewards when finished. Keep up the good work

David

'73-914kid',

Just a thought, but while you have the car down the the bare frame, Whaddya' think about adding forward bracing from your rollbar forward to the frame tubes supporting your dash hoop.

If you look at the photo I sent of my Royale, it has them. My Lotus 61 didn't have these and it felt MUCH safer in the Royale as I sit with my shoulders BELOW the bracing.

Since you're planning on REAL racing, the more safety the better! That old Lotus gave me a 6-week hospital stay!

Jus' tryin' to be helpful,
Terry

Front and rear hoop braces help stiffen the car a bit too...higher bending moment of inertia.

Hi, my name is Paul Pfanner

I worked for the Importer, Pacific Formula located at 711, 1est 17th Street in Costa Mesa CA, where I worked on FORMULA Magazine at the time. I saw your car when it was brand new and I helped deliver it to its first owner, who if my memory serves me, was named Ron Moreno. I also remember that this was one of the very last Mk 10s built and a special one-off variant that combined the front radiator of the Mk-10B and the side radiators from the Mk10c. This was done to address the overheating issues encountered at Riverside, Willow Springs and Phoenix during hi temp events. From you photos, I can see that this car is very original an unmolested. The frame and suspension is the correct semi-matte black and all the body pieces are correct and in great condition. I own several Mk8 and Mk 10 Eldens that are restored to original condition. You can also still get almost anything you need for the car from original sources. I've raced my Eldens in HSR and VARA and they are very nice cars to drive and maintain. I've attached some images of my cars. All the best, Paul Pfanner

Please e-mail with any questions: paul.pfanner@racer.comClick to view attachment Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Thank you very much for the brief history lesson on my car. I really don't know much about it, other than that it was the last mk10's built, with the modifications.

A few questions.. Would I be shunned for painting the frame a dark grey instead of the satin black? I feel like it would be a lot easier to see oil/fluid leaks on grey, rather than the black. I've never seen an Elden in Grey I suppose though...

Also, the path for the car currently is to completely remove the side pods/ side oil cooler/side radiator. Even if that's a rare thing on these cars, it seems like a hideous band-aid. Will I be looked down upon for not running the car with the side-pods?


So, an update is due I suppose. No pictures, but I'll post some this weekend I guess.

-The chassis has been completely sandblasted, and is currently in mockup with the engine and gearbox.

-10 AN oil lines/fittings have all been cut and fit

- Oil cooler bracket fabricated to sit on top of the rear suspension cross member, directly in the direction of laminar air flow coming back from the engine cover.

-Engine cover has been sanded, and ground down. I've removed probably 4 pounds of filler/glass and resin from It. It cracked with heat from the header, and was band-aided over and over again.

This weekend I'm planning on pulling the motor and gearbox again and taking it to the shop to re-braze some cracks in the rear parallel link mounts. After that, It's back off the sandblasters to get the chassis completely ready for paint.

Then I'm going to reseal the engine, and adjust the shift forks in the gearbox.



You guys will have to excuse the slow process. The 914 is now as done as it can be I believe, (yeah right) and being a full time Aerospace student has taken up almost all of my time to get stuff done on the car.

So I had my brother take some shitty cell phone pics of the car. You'll have to excuse the buffing compound splatter...we cut and buffed my brother truck, and well, it made a mess.

kid do you have time for taco's

Maybe...depends what day

When we both have time....

How about an update? With pictures of course.

Tom

It's been way too long since the last update... School has been nuts, and the 914 has taken up all of my time besides being a full time student with a job. The primary focus in race cars has also been on my dad's Atlantic car, which is finally ready to hit the track.

Anyways, here we are. The motor has been resealed, the gearbox is in the process of being cleaned and refreshed (DAPO painted the case silver, and the paint dissolved with gasoline.)

Front roll hoop was welded on since I didn't pass the broomstick test, and the frame was painted dove grey. Reassembly has started, and I hope to have the car back together by the end of the year. Fingers crossed I can find the time in between school.

Beautiful.

Nicely done!

Ethan I sent you a PM.

Ethan I sent you a PM.

Based solely on your Dad's cars and projects...you have a "cool Dad"! Updates?

Tony