Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

[jackiewilson]

Found this in a box up in the loft, did have this in my collection of outboards which went long ago. Suppose i ought to save it for someone like Roger H, thats if its any use at all. I know its a pre1939 Johnson parts manual. Were they ever meaningful in those far off days.

[jackiewilson]

Time to play silly buggers once more, this is POWERBOAT from june 1978, just about the heyday of powerboat racing, both circuit and offshore. In this edition there was a shedload of information and personalities. For the next couple of days i shall be bombarding you with forty odd year old events and happenings And personalities.

JAMES BEARD and ROZ KNOTT . Each month Bell Whisky would offer a Magnum of Whisky to the outstanding personality that month.
James was taken long before his time , he should be here with me enjoying his retirement. Friend of the nobility and us peasants.

[jackiewilson]

If you didnt know this man, you will certainly have heard of him. One of the top five raceboat drivers in the world.

[jackiewilson]

Lovely man and a very good friend of mine, he broke a few hearts in the USA and turned out to be a very good driver indeed .

[jackiewilson]

Tony Needell, founding father of the london Motor BOATRACING Club, had an office in half moon street and is the father of Tiff Needell., who you may have heard of, He never quite made it at anything, either cars or boats?
Tony was chief scrutineer at the CTC for many years.

[FUJIMO]

...a beard boat...

[jackiewilson]

...a beard boat...

Think that might have been Ken Cassir.

[FUJIMO]

Think that might have been Ken Cassir.

...yes, you are correct jackie. but a boat that beard designed. its in black & white, in your nice magazine photo...

[jackiewilson]

And Theres more,

something quite close to my heart, i had aspirations of trundling it round the course at tavares just one time, but i guess that ain’t never going to happen!

[FUJIMO]

...been over this before jackie, but can't recall the answer...the little mercruiser alpha sterndrive you used on that boat...that you bolted the speedmaster to the bottom of...which speedmaster did you use...the MC1? oil flow was required from top to bottom through a hole or passage between the two halfs...how was this handled...or do you even remember yourself, lol...? if you can't remember thats o.k. too...no biggy...

[jackiewilson]

...been over this before jackie, but can't recall the answer...the little mercruiser alpha sterndrive you used on that boat...that you bolted the speedmaster to the bottom of...which speedmaster did you use...the MC1? oil flow was required from top to bottom through a hole or passage between the two halfs...how was this handled...or do you even remember yourself, lol...? if you can't remember thats o.k. too...no biggy...

Now, i am fortunate indeed to have the two engineers who made a mercruiser leg and bottom end stay together as friends to this day. Malcolm TYRRELL and Ian “Hawkeye” Hawkins. Both have been retired for a few years now . Malcolm retired from COSWORTHS. Ian had moved to the USA with ILMOR HAVING LEFT COSWORTH ENGINEERING .
Remember we had 400 horsepower going through that leg, so the first thing they did was to replace the splined shaft with a quill shaft , about as thick as your finger.
Next up was to make the gearcase do its job without failures . I had a temperature gauge and a pressure gauge.
Afraid i cant remember where i put my specs in the workshop, but i will ask Hawkeye for you.

[FUJIMO]

...when you say replaced the splined shaft, i take it you mean the vertical driveshaft. this had to be a special length as well. i take it, it was an MC1 gearcase.

[jackiewilson]

...when you say replaced the splined shaft, i take it you mean the vertical driveshaft. this had to be a special length as well. i take it, it was an MC1 gearcase.

No Fuji, I meant the floppy bit that connects the motor to the drive shaft, has a UJ. EVERY CAR IN THE WORLD HAS ONE. OVER HERE WE CALL EM PROP SHAFTS.