Ontario 1500 - Days 3 & 4

Day 3 started bright and early, with a trip back to Grimsby for a day of repairs in the shop. It was clear that Tuesday was going to be a long day. We knew the flywheel had to be replaced and just getting to it represented a lot of work. This included removing the torque link and driveshaft, as well as disconnecting the exhaust to provide enough room to drop the transmission.

Once the flywheel was out, we had to decide what to re-install. Do we wait for another day for the new flywheel to arrive? Installing the loaner would get us back on the road quicker, but would also require many more hours in the shop to take everything apart again. Luckily, a third option was found hanging on the wall of the garage. A 10,000 RPM aluminum flexplate from the late model race car donated its 153 tool steel ring gear. After some persuasion with a grinder and cut-off wheel, and a few taps with the hammer, the damaged ring gear was removed and the replacement was ready for a few spot welds on the original flywheel. However, there was no point to putting the car back together until starter drive engagement was addressed.

After some careful measuring, it was determined that the 0.060 had to be removed from the starter’s mounting block for the starter drive to properly mesh with the flywheel. After a few passes under the mill at B&J Machining in Smithville, the car was ready to go back together. With the car up on the hoist, we also took advantage of the opportunity to change the steering rack to address a tight spot.

After a long day in the shop and 95% of the work complete, we decided to finish the repairs in the morning, rather than continue wrenching and drive through the night to join the tour for the second day in Calabogie. This afforded us the time to ensure that nothing was missed and provide a few hours of downtime prior to Shannonville.

After a complete nut and bolt check and resetting the toe in the morning, we were back on the road. We arrived in Pictor without incident and enjoyed a free evening to get recharged prior to resuming the tour the next day.