Well, I have had my first ever drive of the Rochdale so I thought I would share the experience with you guys, and start a long overdue Readers Ride thread. Up to now, the car hasn't really felt mine as it has shamefully been a cheque book build, so I have felt a bit of a fraud doing a build thread.
I bought the car in April 2003 as a basket case. I will put build pics up later, but I thought I would start with the day I got the keys.
I've not taken half as many photos as I should have done as usual, too excited to think rationally.
4.30am start on Saturday, 220 mile drive in the daily to get to the Rochdale for the test drive.
The car was rolled out of the workshop and I strapped myself in for the 1st time.
Twist of the key and a slightly lumpy idle and burbly exhaust make it clear that this is no standard Rochdale.
1900K VHPD engine on throttle bodies and Emerald ECU -
Horrible screaching noise from the clutch as I move off (the thrust bearing we reckon). The car also has a racing clutch, so it's basically on or off, quite tricky to get used to.
The gear lever is located very far back, and I have to recline back in the seat to get comfortable. The pedals also feel too high off the floor and a few inches too near me.
So, I make my way down the half mile farm track, which is very rough. The first thing that hits me is the lack of bumps and crashiness that I was expecting. I am bumped around more driving up here in the Clio, this is surprising! I guess the high profile tyres are doing their bit to soften the ride, and the basic monocoque structure is proving very rattle free.
So, I head out on to the public road, nervous and excited about what I will discover. The driving position is low but comfortable, visibility good, but I struggle with the gearchange.
The car feels eager but not as quick as I had anticipated. I am treating it gently though, especially as the ECU is running a generic base map, we could be 50bhp off the potential.
10 miles later, and a quick blat up the road I am feeling happy. It's loud but I always knew it would be, no issues with that.
To say that I am relieved is an understatement, 7 years and a lot of money on an unknown quantity! Thank God I like it!
I am starting to wonder how the Rochdale wasn't more of a success - the ride is lovely and the road holding seems excellent. Chuffed!
So, happy with the initial drive, I shake ***** the Makers hand, and set off for the weekend - he looks nervous.
1st stop, I have to pick up my wife from shopping - I hit the 1st snag! The steering circle is woeful and I have to take a turn in the car park in 3 steps, oops. Combined with the noisy clutch, I am not being discreet. I also struggle with the biting point so am moving slowly in a queue in a multi-storey car park with a loud roar echoing around the walls every foot that I move ;D. I am attracting a lot of attention and it is a bit embarrassing.
The car is not discreet!
Anyway, after meeting Cara, I make it the 20 miles to my parents -
Cara wasn't appalled by the ride home so that's a good start I think.
And there start the passenger rides...... My dad doesn't trust the car, or me, so I am told to take it slow. My sister doesn't like the noise, so I take it slow. My niece is 3 so....you get the idea.
Mum likes it but thinks the lack of any interior trim is a bit rough -
The thing is, the car doesn't actually feel that quick, bit disappointing
I don't want to be premature before it gets properly mapped on the rolling road though, so I don't worry about it. We have no idea which state of tune the base map is for, so we could be running 50bhp down for all we know.
Then I take my brother in law out, he tells me to stop driving like a p***y. I hang on to the gears for longer and OOOOOHHHHH FF****KKKK!!!!!!! I suddenly realise the engine is on cam at 4000rpm and will spin to 75000rpm pushing the car very quickly down the road. That's better
The gearing is very long legged, as a result of the 3.64 BMW diff and the large diameter wheels. I can hit 60mph in 1st no problem
After a few miles, I am thinking it is quite a nice combination, relaxed cruising but the car goes mad if you want it to.
Next day a trip to Oulton Park Gold Cup seems a cool idea. It's only about 25 miles away and we can see some nice retro racing too!
The drive there is nice, the sun is shining and the car feels like an old friend now. The last few miles of the journey are stop start in traffic and it's hot outside. The temp gauge is rising, and rising, and rising. The car is too loud to hear if the electric fan has kicked in or not, but the temp keeps going up as I near the circuit. Now I'm getting concerned. As soon as I get in to the grounds I park up, rather than queue for a proper space, sod this.
Straight away I check the fan. The electric motor is turning, but the fan isn't, mmm - the fan has come off the spindle, ah curse word, that explains it. Oh dear....click it back on to the spindle - hope it will stay on for the journey home!
I also hope I haven't done any long term damage with the engine getting hot - the K series is not exactly a stranger to HGF!
You can see my Hotrod inspired dash through the screen here ^
I got some gauges made up a few years ago to my own design - seems like ages ago now but I still love them. The speedo and tacho are the only places you will find the make and model anywhere on the whole car (old photo during build with temp steering wheel)
Well, time to watch some racing anyway.
Oulton Park really is a stunning setting for a track -
The Rally track is excellent and we enjoy watching a lot of classic rally driving, especially the Chevy V8 powered Firenza, that thing is epic!
Took some pics of the cars competing in the Guards Trophy as they headed to the start - apologies for their quality!
Nice Lotus Elite - glassfibre monocoque like the Rochdale
Flared body Griffith -
2nd place Elan that very nearly snatched victory -
....from this beauty -
So, early evening, after a nice afternoon we go back to the car. More people approach me asking about the car, no one yet knows what it is - quite surprising at a classic racing met. A couple of quick photos of the car, we head out for the journey home - hoping I won't even need the fan.
There is traffic, and lots of it as soon as leave. 500 yards later and the temp is rising AND the screen starts to steam up, followed by smoke through the air vents
We get out quickly, I have no idea if it is on fire, I am greeted by a puddle of coolant on the road escaping from under the car. In some ways that is a relief, better than a fire! I take a look but can't see what has happened. Where has it leaked from? I can't see any split hoses, rad looks fan.....I am now fearing all sorts of things!!
I call the AA as am all out of coolant and ideas. We push the car off the road and the wife gets nettle stings on her legs and bum as she gets pushed into the hedge trying to help ;D
Anyway, AA man arrives and 5 minutes later, after refilling the system, we see water pouring from one of the hoses - one of the coolant hoses has come loose at the base of the block. So, all he needs to do is to reconnect and re fill the system - happy that it's nothing more serious tbh. He checks the coolant tank for combustion gases and everything seems okay, no HGF A bit embarrassed I didn't find the hose problem myself though.
The car makes it home, phew.
The next day, I decide I want to take it to the weighbridge - the weight of this thing has been a constant target through the build. Suddenly I'm in traffic again and nervous. Why did I come this way :(No need to worry about overheating though, as the thing that stops me in my tracks is the clutch pedal. At the front of a stream of traffic, about to go around a roundabout, the clutch pedal snaps. Oh jolly pain in the backside....again! I quickly get out and push it off the road, oooh, it's nice and light at least ;D
The nylon end connecting the cable to the pedal has snapped in half. Oh well.....
The car gets towed back to the farm by ***** and that is the end of the 1st weekend. We always knew it was about fault finding, I'm not disappointed.
There is a list of jobs I have left with ***** - the only show stoppers are both clutch related!
We've agreed to try some smaller tyres on the fronts, to try and reduce tramlining and allow us to lower the front a little more.
On reflection, I love the car, it has so much potential and is a great drive.
There is real pleasure watching people trying to work out what it is but everyone seems to like it, even though they don't know what they are liking. I hate brand snobbery so am glad the car avoids any of that stuff.
All I know is, this is hopefully the start of a very long love affair!
I bought the car in April 2003 as a basket case. I will put build pics up later, but I thought I would start with the day I got the keys.
I've not taken half as many photos as I should have done as usual, too excited to think rationally.
4.30am start on Saturday, 220 mile drive in the daily to get to the Rochdale for the test drive.
The car was rolled out of the workshop and I strapped myself in for the 1st time.
Twist of the key and a slightly lumpy idle and burbly exhaust make it clear that this is no standard Rochdale.
1900K VHPD engine on throttle bodies and Emerald ECU -
Horrible screaching noise from the clutch as I move off (the thrust bearing we reckon). The car also has a racing clutch, so it's basically on or off, quite tricky to get used to.
The gear lever is located very far back, and I have to recline back in the seat to get comfortable. The pedals also feel too high off the floor and a few inches too near me.
So, I make my way down the half mile farm track, which is very rough. The first thing that hits me is the lack of bumps and crashiness that I was expecting. I am bumped around more driving up here in the Clio, this is surprising! I guess the high profile tyres are doing their bit to soften the ride, and the basic monocoque structure is proving very rattle free.
So, I head out on to the public road, nervous and excited about what I will discover. The driving position is low but comfortable, visibility good, but I struggle with the gearchange.
The car feels eager but not as quick as I had anticipated. I am treating it gently though, especially as the ECU is running a generic base map, we could be 50bhp off the potential.
10 miles later, and a quick blat up the road I am feeling happy. It's loud but I always knew it would be, no issues with that.
To say that I am relieved is an understatement, 7 years and a lot of money on an unknown quantity! Thank God I like it!
I am starting to wonder how the Rochdale wasn't more of a success - the ride is lovely and the road holding seems excellent. Chuffed!
So, happy with the initial drive, I shake ***** the Makers hand, and set off for the weekend - he looks nervous.
1st stop, I have to pick up my wife from shopping - I hit the 1st snag! The steering circle is woeful and I have to take a turn in the car park in 3 steps, oops. Combined with the noisy clutch, I am not being discreet. I also struggle with the biting point so am moving slowly in a queue in a multi-storey car park with a loud roar echoing around the walls every foot that I move ;D. I am attracting a lot of attention and it is a bit embarrassing.
The car is not discreet!
Anyway, after meeting Cara, I make it the 20 miles to my parents -
Cara wasn't appalled by the ride home so that's a good start I think.
And there start the passenger rides...... My dad doesn't trust the car, or me, so I am told to take it slow. My sister doesn't like the noise, so I take it slow. My niece is 3 so....you get the idea.
Mum likes it but thinks the lack of any interior trim is a bit rough -
The thing is, the car doesn't actually feel that quick, bit disappointing
I don't want to be premature before it gets properly mapped on the rolling road though, so I don't worry about it. We have no idea which state of tune the base map is for, so we could be running 50bhp down for all we know.Then I take my brother in law out, he tells me to stop driving like a p***y. I hang on to the gears for longer and OOOOOHHHHH FF****KKKK!!!!!!! I suddenly realise the engine is on cam at 4000rpm and will spin to 75000rpm pushing the car very quickly down the road. That's better
The gearing is very long legged, as a result of the 3.64 BMW diff and the large diameter wheels. I can hit 60mph in 1st no problem
After a few miles, I am thinking it is quite a nice combination, relaxed cruising but the car goes mad if you want it to.
Next day a trip to Oulton Park Gold Cup seems a cool idea. It's only about 25 miles away and we can see some nice retro racing too!
The drive there is nice, the sun is shining and the car feels like an old friend now. The last few miles of the journey are stop start in traffic and it's hot outside. The temp gauge is rising, and rising, and rising. The car is too loud to hear if the electric fan has kicked in or not, but the temp keeps going up as I near the circuit. Now I'm getting concerned. As soon as I get in to the grounds I park up, rather than queue for a proper space, sod this.
Straight away I check the fan. The electric motor is turning, but the fan isn't, mmm - the fan has come off the spindle, ah curse word, that explains it. Oh dear....click it back on to the spindle - hope it will stay on for the journey home!
I also hope I haven't done any long term damage with the engine getting hot - the K series is not exactly a stranger to HGF!
You can see my Hotrod inspired dash through the screen here ^
I got some gauges made up a few years ago to my own design - seems like ages ago now but I still love them. The speedo and tacho are the only places you will find the make and model anywhere on the whole car (old photo during build with temp steering wheel)
Well, time to watch some racing anyway.
Oulton Park really is a stunning setting for a track -
The Rally track is excellent and we enjoy watching a lot of classic rally driving, especially the Chevy V8 powered Firenza, that thing is epic!
Took some pics of the cars competing in the Guards Trophy as they headed to the start - apologies for their quality!
Nice Lotus Elite - glassfibre monocoque like the Rochdale
Flared body Griffith -
2nd place Elan that very nearly snatched victory -
....from this beauty -
So, early evening, after a nice afternoon we go back to the car. More people approach me asking about the car, no one yet knows what it is - quite surprising at a classic racing met. A couple of quick photos of the car, we head out for the journey home - hoping I won't even need the fan.
There is traffic, and lots of it as soon as leave. 500 yards later and the temp is rising AND the screen starts to steam up, followed by smoke through the air vents
We get out quickly, I have no idea if it is on fire, I am greeted by a puddle of coolant on the road escaping from under the car. In some ways that is a relief, better than a fire! I take a look but can't see what has happened. Where has it leaked from? I can't see any split hoses, rad looks fan.....I am now fearing all sorts of things!!I call the AA as am all out of coolant and ideas. We push the car off the road and the wife gets nettle stings on her legs and bum as she gets pushed into the hedge trying to help ;D
Anyway, AA man arrives and 5 minutes later, after refilling the system, we see water pouring from one of the hoses - one of the coolant hoses has come loose at the base of the block. So, all he needs to do is to reconnect and re fill the system - happy that it's nothing more serious tbh. He checks the coolant tank for combustion gases and everything seems okay, no HGF
A bit embarrassed I didn't find the hose problem myself though.The car makes it home, phew.
The next day, I decide I want to take it to the weighbridge - the weight of this thing has been a constant target through the build. Suddenly I'm in traffic again and nervous. Why did I come this way :(No need to worry about overheating though, as the thing that stops me in my tracks is the clutch pedal. At the front of a stream of traffic, about to go around a roundabout, the clutch pedal snaps. Oh jolly pain in the backside....again! I quickly get out and push it off the road, oooh, it's nice and light at least ;D
The nylon end connecting the cable to the pedal has snapped in half. Oh well.....
The car gets towed back to the farm by ***** and that is the end of the 1st weekend. We always knew it was about fault finding, I'm not disappointed.
There is a list of jobs I have left with ***** - the only show stoppers are both clutch related!
We've agreed to try some smaller tyres on the fronts, to try and reduce tramlining and allow us to lower the front a little more.
On reflection, I love the car, it has so much potential and is a great drive.
There is real pleasure watching people trying to work out what it is but everyone seems to like it, even though they don't know what they are liking. I hate brand snobbery so am glad the car avoids any of that stuff.
All I know is, this is hopefully the start of a very long love affair!
) - She's a stunner!
