This colossal 1948 Ford Coupe had been entered into the prestigious 2024 Peking to Paris rally, the car itself having previously competed in the event in 2019.
The current owners had used the car on the 2022 Sahara challenge. They did well, achieving 2nd place, but were never truly satisfied with the engine’s performance or the vehicle’s handling.
When the vehicle was initially delivered to us at OCR Rally the engines sump had already been removed as the engine had been suffering with severe oil pressure issues. Prior to commencing the strip down, we recorded the vehicles four-wheel alignment settings to give us a base line for geometry, the likely cause of their handling complaints. With the engine removed for investigation, we set about completely rebuilding the suspension, brakes and steering systems to get to the level expected for a Peking to Paris vehicle. The gearbox and rear axles were stripped and inspected; all the wheel bearings were replaced along with new suitable tyres.
With the engine fully rebuilt and the oil pressure issue identified and rectified it was installed immediately as we were yet to experience the steering issues described by the client. We had stripped and inspected the steering box and had reset the suspension and steering geometry back to exactly where it was when the vehicle arrived. After a very short road test it was evident that the geometry was incorrect. Using our Hunter Hawk Eye Elite four-wheel alignment system we made the necessary adjustments. Next, utilising years of experience and extensive knowledge of vehicle set up we fine-tuned the geometry, constantly road testing and adjusting until we were happy.
The client road testing day arrived. Their previous drive in the vehicle had been a ‘white-knuckle ride’ (even at slow speeds) accompanied by an underperforming engine that was starved of oil. As they took the vehicle out, we waited, quietly confident. Their first road test lasted the entire day, which is generally a good sign. When they rumbled back into OCR Rally that evening their relief was evident. The steering previously had caused them considerable worry, now they felt they could be confident and could push on rather than tip toe round each corner.
With several months left until shipping and the Ford now running and driving better than ever, our focus shifted to making the improvements that make these vintage vehicles a little more comfortable on the longer events. Additional storage pockets were added, a brand new bespoke lighter headlining was installed. This was made from modern materials as the original cloth type seemed to hold half of the Sahara within its material. An air compressor was installed in the boot for pumping up tyres should they have an issue, a potential rally saver. We also removed the wiper system which was an American kit and didn’t seem to work consistently, this was replaced by a reliable tried and tested system using Austin Mini components.
By the time the vehicle finally left we had completely updated and catalogued it’s spares as well as adding items like fuse legends and service schedules all of which help to reassure the competitor, as well as structuring the vehicle maintenance all with the aim of getting to that finish line.
