Need4Speed

Which department are you in?

So to clarify; you haven't got a RAS Sport 242 Turbo in your garden:D

It's the RAS cars I remember. I've got the programme from the meeting somewhere. 1985 and the era of the Walkinshaw Rovers? 50K€ is OTT with no motor.

Five laps of the Ring cracked my jspec rears!

I remember those cars from the Silverstone TT. VERY quiet. Wasn't there some story of homologation in the US and Volvo moving cars from east to west so they could be counted twice?

Does the price include the Riley Elf? Where is the car? PM me please.

A lot of EU countries make a jspec car financially unviable. You wouldn't believe what you'd need to do to your car and how much it would cost to register it in France!

And... is it still for sale? I might well buy it if I could view it.

Def not, but I did have a 1993 Supra that once needed a re-gas. Toyota had an offer at the time but they told me the car used the old type of gas and would need converting at a cost of - wait for it... over £1000:shock: I took that as a go away price and went away.

I think there's a problem with the type of refrigerant used in the early cars - cfcs? In order to charge it with the correct modern stuff (R134?) you may need to have the seals replaced! All the stuff about needing it recharging every two years is rubbish. Just make sure you use the system regularly and it won't lose its cool. My Corvette has the original factory gas - 10 years old and as good as new. I also have this on file: "Air conditioning systems are dangerous to the untrained. They are under high pressure and the refrigerants can cause freeze burns to eyes and skin. They can also cause death from asphyxiation and toxic fumes. Air conditioning oils are irritants and cancerous." Take care!

It contains all the relevant information to verify the car as European spec. It makes registration in France straight forward. The car must match the C of C in every respect but as your car is standard there's no problem. Wheel/tyre sizes are a common problem - they need to be original size. You get a C of C from Toyota in France* and they fleece you for 150€ if I remember correctly. They don't need to see the car, the VIN is enough. Edit: *if you are selling it to France.

Is this car still for sale?

With a certificate of conformity this is 20K€ car in France!

Is this car advertised in France? I've seen an almost identical car - same colour, same wheels.

I suspect this car is too modified for France, so it might stay in the UK!

The law changed in France and Belgium last year (check Germany somebody?) and you now have to have a high-vis vest in your car. It has to be in a place where it can be put on without the need to get out of the car. Its use is mandatory in the event of a breakdown or accident. There is (being France) an on-the-spot fine for non compliance of I think 130€ - similar to not wearing your seat belt. Some policemen see foreigners as an easy target. The vest, like the warning triangle needs to carry a CE approval and you can get fined for not having the right sort. Contrary to what they might tell you in Britain, you only need one vest. Other things to note - don't have a laser detector or jammer in your car, you'll be in very serious trouble if you do. The police carry a file with them telling them exactly which are legal and which aren't, so you can't talk your way out of trouble. Oh yes and you can have your car confiscated for serious speeding in France and Belgium - 120mph plus and you might not get it back. Germany's a whole different ballgame so wait till you get there before nailing it. Just found this - http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/compulsory_equipment.pdf

Toyota will be able to supply the correct one if you tell them the chassis number. I ran my TT at Silverstone, Goodwood and the Nurburgring with a standard master cylinder and UK discs/calipers and it was easily up to the job.

Sorry, I missed the bit in the post about the master cylinder leaking You can put new seals in a master cylinder if a) you can get them and b) if the bore of the master cylinder is not scored. If you're not a competent mechanic, replacing the master cylinder would be the easiest solution. There should never be any loss of fluid anywhere in a correctly functioning brake system. Toyota dealer is the best place to get them and if you replace the master cylinder, get the correct one for the car - it's well up to the job.

The suspension

If you've got fluid disappearing from the master cylinder there is ONLY one cause... it's leaking out. Check every brake line, but particulary the pipe joints. The most likely place for the leak to be is at the calipers or bleed nipples. Any sign of any fluid at all will be a leak. The Supra (with ABS) is not a difficult brake system to bleed.

Can you post any photos?

Pm

Chris, you're not going through all this development of the engine just for track days surely? You must do the decent thing and race it!

If the fluid is over 18 months old it needs replacing. I changed it im my Corvette, it looked fine but I knew it was old - big improvement!

Have you checked the measurement under the car from the ground to the chassis/crossmembers at each corner? It's also important to have very level ground. If you're not sure if the ground is absolutely flat and level, measure the ride heights then turn the car round (exactly the same spot) and measure again. If the apparent error moves or changes, the ground isn't level. If the ground is level and you can adjust the the coilovers to get the car to sit where you want it at all four corners that's a start. Completely ignore measurements on the coilovers because your springs might not be a perfectly matched set. That's why coilovers are so good - you can adjust to compenmsate for things like spring mismatch. In an ideal world you should have all your springs checked for free length and rate (kg/cm). If you can get all four corners (under the car) level and then can't get corner weights to match side to side, you may have a slight twist in the car - unlikely! Corner weights only really need to be measured at the front wheels because the back will be right if the front is. If your front wheels lock (or attempt to lock) under heavy braking at the same time left/right, your corner weights are OK. If I didn't live 2000km away I'd offer to help. Many years of setting up race cars taught me to ignore measurements on coilovers other than as a starting reference.