Login Register Sign up for the GRM e-newsletter

LeGrand Mk 18 : Testing and Teardown Jan 7, 2009

We took our LeGrand to the Ocala Gran Prix track last week to get some much needed seat time. The gearing on this car is still quite short—we were hitting the third gear redline at the end of the straight and shifting between second and third several times per lap. Despite this, we were turning our fastest laps ever at this track. Our runs landed in the low 35-second range, while a Street Modified Evo was in the high 36s.

The car felt great, but we did run into several problems. The timing pickup for the installed Dyna 2000 system came loose from the crankshaft; the car popped and missed to a halt after one session. We tracked down the issue and fixed it simply enough. The engine is a little buzzy, and we need to make sure that our fasteners are properly torqued and threadlocked.

The chain broke toward the end of the day, bringing our outing to a close. Upon inspection we discovered a red flag: The RK 530 chain had been stretching pretty regularly. Once we got the car back to our shop, it became clear that the front sprocket was only hand tight; the clutch cover was just barely keeping everything from spinning off into space. It sounds nasty, but it’s all easy enough to fix. We even had a new spare Tsubaki Sigma chain that came with the car.

Since the car has been back in our shop, we’ve removed the five-piece fiberglass body and scuffed it down for some paint. We’re not really big fans of blue, so we got an estimate of about $300 to paint the entire thing. We’ll wait for it to get back from the paint shop to tell you what color it is. Hint: It’s from a 1970s Porsche Carrera RS.

We also sourced a set of the original LeGrand magnesium wheels, which measure in at 13x7 for the front and 13x9.5 for the rear. These replaced the 13x6 and 13x8-inch wheels that came with the car. We’re aiming to upgrade to 13x8 and 13x10-inch wheels later on, once we get a few other things taken care of. At least we now know that we’ve got the car back to its original rim widths.

Comments

Gonzo_Bmod:
Nice looking wheels! What type of polish is the gold colored liquid in the bottle???
Jan 6, 2009 1:57 p.m.
Per Schroeder:
It's Bud Light with Lime. Not so good for polishing, but makes it less tedious. You'll also notice the baby monitor next to the beer :-)
Jan 7, 2009 12:06 p.m.
Gonzo_Bmod:
Baby Monitor? I thought that was a “grassroots” driver communication system that you were installing. Though the term Baby Monitor could still apply……
Jan 7, 2009 12:31 p.m.
Tom Suddard:
White?
Jan 7, 2009 5:29 p.m.
tombumi:
I, too, have a blue DSR. Can you tell me where you're getting it painted?
Jan 8, 2009 2:20 p.m.
Per Schroeder:
I got it painted at a local “Fact'o'bake' that does really good work for not a lot of money. Although, in this case, it was already in good shape (not a lot of bodywork). The upcoming update shows the color and how the original estimate grew by 50%.
Jan 8, 2009 5:15 p.m.
atlantamx3:
I say its Orange. At least I think those Porsches came in Orange.
Jan 10, 2009 12:10 p.m.
Apexcarver:
its the pea green color, isnt it?
Jan 12, 2009 3:23 a.m.
friedgreencorrado:
Per, is that that Fact'o'bake the same place y'all got that cream colored Volvo done all those years ago? Man, that thing was clean. I saw it an an SCCA autox once here in SEDIV, and I didn't realize it was a budget shop job until the article came out in the magazine.
Jan 14, 2009 8:12 p.m.
Per Schroeder:
Yep, right around the corner from the office. They do really good paint work, so if the underlying body is straight, it turns out really well.
Jan 15, 2009 5:53 a.m.
ansonivan:
I absolutely love those wheels. Great looking project, I can't wait to see where it goes.
Mar 20, 2009 4:54 p.m.
You'll need to log in or register to comment.