rbm

the Junior is a one off Canadian race car built in the late 50's early 60s. The rear drive and suspension is unique to the car and is chapman strut with a lower wishbone. The cross carries the inboard drums and is welded to the prop yoke, the thread on the shaft is for the lock nut that retains the shaft into the diff assembly. I guess the question is what had a diff that looks like a Herald but had a live axle? based on the fact that the shaft looks to have been made form a cut down halfshaft.

so bit of a random question, the Formula Junior has a Triumph Diff. the axle is a live axle casing that has been cut down and modified to give independent rear suspension using a Chapman strut set up i.e. lower wish bone and uses the drive shaft as the upper suspension link. okay at Nurburgring at the weekend we broke a quill/half shaft. the diff looks like a herald diff the quill / half shaft has 18 splines and is about 20mm 0.8" major diameter and look like they are half shafts from a live axle that have been cut down and welded into a prop shaft yoke anyone got any ideas?

the original Formula Junior rules were that the engine needed to be from an approved (FIA) touring car and be maximum 1000cc 360kg minimum or 1100cc 400kg minimum. the early car were all FIAT or Lancia, then the Brits got involved with BMC or Ford, a very small number used Triumph - ours is a Canadian car and is the only Triumph powered car running, it has always been Triumph powered and whilst this is a handicap we have not got the power of the other engines the car is very good through the corners and we have a heck of a lot of fun. as for diff ratios for the Herald you can fit a 4.55:1 or 4.875:1 the crown wheels and pinions are available, though you will have either make some shouldered bolts or make spacer sleeves - the crown wheel fixing bolts on the 4.875 are a narrower diameter than those on the 4.11.

2016 is the start of the Formula Junior Diamond Jubilee and as part of the celebration we were incredibly fortunate to take the Triumph   powered Autosport Formula Junior on leg one of the world tour to South Africa. We got to spend three weeks on holiday in South Africa with three historic race meeting at Zwartskop near Pretoria, Killaney at Cape Town and finally the time warp and mostly untouched East London GP circuit. unfortunately at Zwatkops in the first race we were collected by another car which damaged the rear suspension (we still finished and I did beat him but the car was a handfull to drive!) which in time honored fashion we bodged back together with some steel tube and lock wire. At the second meeting at Kilarney we were fortunate enough to get a class win (if anyone is interested I posted the first lap of race 2 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStu3bU8T3o ). In the final race at East London on a fast part of the circuit I became the latest victim of the 'Chapman Strut' design of suspension, the drive shaft broke up at at UJ yoke and as the drive shaft is a suspension member the rear suspension collapsed - a wee bit of a moment to say the least. now this maybe be related the the bang we got in the first race but maybe not. we had to temporarily rebuild the suspension to get the car back into the container to come home and found the read differential was solid and the shafts would only turn opposite directions - so as the car is in a container in the Indian Ocean or maybe back in the Atlantic the question is: knowing originally the diff was 4.11 (to which I fitted a 4.875 CW&P) are all the (planetary) gears the same splines? (and if so has anyone got a handy spare diff they don't want?)

the reduced bore means we need to take 2.2 mm off the head to get to up to 10:1. the cam is a one off made by Autosport Equipment in the 60s and said to be MG TC race profile. does anyone have a spare 1147 6 port head they are happy to part with?

the bottom end is not a problem, but we might need a better cam. I think as the other post suggest it is the top end that needs work. we can only use 100RON leaded or 102RON un-leaded fuel. At a guess we are around the 60bhp (just over 8:1), the Nick Swift BMC formula junior engine is around 115bhp and 8500 rpm - so we have a long way to go! anyway the pistons 67.8mm race pistons to give 1099cc I had made and modified con rods on top of the sleeved bottom end on the kitchen table (best not tell the wife!) the 1099cc Triumph race engine in all her glory - just could do with a tad more go.

John that is Rich Elligworth in an embarrassingly quick Gemini The Autosport mk2 is a one off Canadian car, using the Triumph engine, front wishbones and diff  a Lotus 11 gearbox and one off chapman strut rear suspension. as for the engine it is 1147 that is sleeved down to 1099cc (get get under the FIA max for Juniors) and has to have a 2 inlet port head. it has to keep the crank throw, the original block casting with a wet sump and steel rockers an that is about it. Richard

so last weekend we made it to the Donington Historic Festival with the Formula Junior and even made it to the chequered flag ... ...well in one race and for what turned out to be the first finish by a Triumph powered Formula Junior since period in the early 1960s. what is apparent is we need more horses! may be this is why we are the only triumph powered junior so can anyone recommend a race engine builder who they have used? Richard

so the next question is: can anyone tell me the casting number for the head and block off 948 Richard

I'm fighting my way through the wonderful world of the FIA appendix K, and trying to fit a car that was originally built as a Canada Class/Formula Junior in to the current class structure and rules. Anyway the first question is, is the 1147cc engine a derivative of the the 948cc engine, if so does it share basic component (block/head casting etc.) cheers Richard

we are trying to source a pair of type 12 (spitfire mk1 or2) brake calipers for use on our one off 1965 GT prototype race car the Wilson , the first design by Jo Marquart who went on to be the McLaren F1 team designer. unfortunately as the car was stripped in the late 1970s the calipers have gone awol so we have nothing to use against exchange units. any leads would help cheers Richard