The Lola T160 CAN-AM car came to us having been previously converted to road use after its active racing life had drawn to a close. Its owner, Tom Walker, was very keen to race the car so no detail could to be left to chance. As it turned out, a great many modifications had been made previously, many severely compromising the competitiveness of the whole package. The gear change mechanism for example had been altered to such a degree that finding any gears was difficult and fifth was impossible to engage. Remedying this problem was far from simple as the original linkage runs through the exhaust headers, necessitating the fabrication of a new system.
Other items that caused concern were the flywheel which protruded several inches below the car and items such as dampers and springs which were badly matched. In the case of the rear springs which been attacked with a hacksaw, only a complete set-up analysis would put us in the ballpark and allow us to set the car up competitively. Over time we worked at the problems one at a time and were very pleased with the results. Gratifyingly Tom was extremely pleased and fast in testing which are the most important things!
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Projects | Lotus 98T | Leyton House | Lola T160 | Penske PC26 | Penske PC19
