Cossie Update Part ?
Richard Nathan

What with the approach of National Day, and the fact that a track pass had fallen into my hands – cheers bruv – I had to get on the case and get the car sorted sharpish! I wasn’t prepared to do any track day, let alone my first one, on standard brakes, so a mad panic was on to get both them, and other bits ready in time.

At the Ten of The Best day, I had managed to purchase a set of AP 5200 4pot callipers from Sean Bicknell. Sean now runs the old engine out of Martin Hadland’s Escort Cosworth, and was moving to six pots, so sold me the four pots at very very good money. The only problem was that I had no discs, no bells, and no spacer brackets…. And time was running out.

A few phone calls here, there, and everywhere, saw me coming up with untold amounts of loose ends. Some people were recommending one thing, some another etc etc….. A quick call to Mike confirmed what I’d known all along – the size to go for was 335mm x 32mm discs on bells. Expert persuasive techniques saw Mike get Hi-Spec to make the discs and bells up for me, and saw me driving round the M25 to Dartford to pick them up at 5 p.m. on Thursdsay night!

So I had discs, bells, and calipers, but no spacer bracket for the calliper, and no pads. Things were not looking good for National Day, but I was determined to get them sorted out, so Friday saw me driving up the A1 to see Steve Scott at A1 Rally Sport. Some of you will recognise the name, as it’s Steve who owns the RWD Cossie powered Focus, that has impressed all at every outing. Anyway, Steve had told me that he had the correct spacer bracket for my caliper, and I turned up at 4 p.m., all prepared to pick up the brackets, and do an all nighter fitting the lot. After trying the whole set up on a 2wd hub assembly in a vice, and after a few minor adjustments, we got the right combination, and I somehow managed to persuade Steve it would be a good idea to fit it all for me!

So by 7 p.m. I was on my way home, with the whole front braking set up ready to go, since Steve had chucked some secondhand Pagit carbon race pads my way from his rally car to see me through the track day. He charged me absolutely next to nothing for the brackets, the pads, and the fitting, and I could not have been more grateful. Steve will certainly be seeing more of me for upcoming suspension mods, so friendly and helpful was the service!

A far as road pads are concerned, Mike sorted me out with a set of Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads, which are of a lower compound rating than the race spec jobs – this should hopefully give my discs a bit more life, whilst allowing me more than incredible braking efficiency. So the brake mods that I’ve been harping on about doing have finally come to fruition, which has left me with a set of cossie 4 pots, and 285mm discs. These have been provisionally sold, which gives me back a bit of money towards the huge cost of the complete package. Having said that, it’s set me back nowhere near as much as buying a complete AP kit, which is due largely to Mike for helping out once again. National Day next year, and the car will probably be badged up as an R&B motorsport demo car!

The other thing that I wanted ready for track was a set of full harness belts. Mike offered to lend me his, since he’s not using them now he’s turned into a concours bufty, so all I needed were the correct mountings. A seat belt manufacturer near my parents’ house in London came up with the goods, and I took the car to SCC for them to be fitted. We replaced two of the original seat belt mountings each side with these harness bolts, and then drilled out a big enough hole in the inner section of the seat to take the belt clasps. All it needed was Mike to turn up with all the harnesses on Saturday before National Day (almost 100% correct Mike), and the job was a good ‘un!

That about rounds it up for this month. The car seems to be smoking a lot, and using a lot of oil, so it’s time to check that out, and after the 15th September at Santa Pod, the car comes off the road for a front end rebuild to match the work done on the rear. Over the winter, I’ll be going for an engine out job, so I can put in a new engine loom, and sort some of the electrical problems that aren’t terminal, but just bug me in my quest for the perfect cossie! Stereo plans can wait till the depths of winter, cos I want to get some money together and come back with something a little wild! Somebody once said to me it’s only worth spending money on it if it makes it go faster, stop better, or corner more quickly, and after the track day at National Day, this has rapidly become my ambition….. still, might be able to get a few speakers and tv screens in there somewhere !