Picking up a Van Diemen RF01

[chittychittybangbang]

I recently won an RF01 H on BaT - chassis 2883 - it is powered by an R1 motor and has an Enterprises SR body on it. The seller was a dealer and has less information than what I'd expect an owner to provide. The car was last raced in 2021.

I've been lurking here for years and have for some time concluded that an SR platform will be the most bang for the buck in terms of performance and fun, and through some conversations feel it will be easier to solo-maintain or at least access components than a tin-top. The downside is that some car platforms are very well supported via forums, while SR type vehicles are more rare.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...omments-anchor

The car will travel to the Boston area, and I intend to use it as an HPDE car along with a cohort of Radical drivers.

This type of platform is completely new to me. Some really basic questions:

- I'd like to get you guys' take on how to check over this vehicle before taking it out for a shakedown
- any thoughts you may have about the vehicle's specifications / and origin - like is the motor type original to this vehicle, is the body? there were many speculations in the auction comments
- Where do you guys source spares? Where do you source consumables?
- Who are the race shops in New England who may help support such a vehicle?
- How would you describe ease to work on / maintain these vehicles?
- I have a few leads on vehicle transporters and any additional suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks,
CCbb

[Rick Kirchner]

Take it completely apart, clean everything, check every fastener for proper engagement, good threaded holes in castings, etc. Clean up the wiring, any odd packaging decisions, odd mechanical work-arounds, etc, put it back together and now you'll understand the car.

[CF56]

For all Van Diemen parts contact Brad Baytos at Primus


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[jrh3]

Take it completely apart, clean everything, check every fastener for proper engagement, good threaded holes in castings, etc. Clean up the wiring, any odd packaging decisions, odd mechanical work-arounds, etc, put it back together and now you'll understand the car.

I never really own a car until I take it apart

[chittychittybangbang]

Well it'll be a steep learning curve it sounds like... I also don't feel bonded to / trust a car unless I've worked on it a lot but to go from receiving to taking the whole thing apart is a different scope of work altogether. I need to dive in...

[John Nesbitt]

I never really own a car until I take it apart

And put it back together again. With no 'spare' parts left over.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Well it'll be a steep learning curve it sounds like... I also don't feel bonded to / trust a car unless I've worked on it a lot but to go from receiving to taking the whole thing apart is a different scope of work altogether. I need to dive in...

My recommendation is to:
1 Check it to make sure it's safe. Take the body off. Clean, inspect, get familiar but don't disassemble.
2 Drive it to get a feel for the car, likes, dislikes and what might need changing for you. Seat, pedals, controls.
3 Make a list of what you want to change, what needs updating, replacing.
4 Then, time the disassembly for when you can do all the changes and put it back together again.

You might get to step 3 and decide - this is too much work or it's not the car for you.
You might get to step 3 and say - this is awesome - exactly what I want - totally jazzed.

If you disassemble first thing, it becomes a project car and may never get done.
If you disassemble after being totally jazzed, it won't be a project, it'll be a priority and you'll enjoy it all and it'll get done.

Too many people buy a car and turn it into a 1-2 year project when it should be a 1-2 month off season refresh.
or even worse it goes for sale in boxes after 3-4 years.

[Rick Kirchner]

My recommendation is to:
1 Check it to make sure it's safe. Take the body off. Clean, inspect, get familiar but don't disassemble.
2 Drive it to get a feel for the car, likes, dislikes and what might need changing for you. Seat, pedals, controls.
3 Make a list of what you want to change, what needs updating, replacing.
4 Then, time the disassembly for when you can do all the changes and put it back together again.

You might get to step 3 and decide - this is too much work or it's not the car for you.
You might get to step 3 and say - this is awesome - exactly what I want - totally jazzed.

If you disassemble first thing, it becomes a project car and may never get done.
If you disassemble after being totally jazzed, it won't be a project, it'll be a priority and you'll enjoy it all and it'll get done.

Too many people buy a car and turn it into a 1-2 year project when it should be a 1-2 month off season refresh.
or even worse it goes for sale in boxes after 3-4 years.

Can't say I disagree with anything here. I just assumed in making the purchase the guy was ready for the challenge. Reading back over the original post, he needs to find someone to go over the car initially. If he's running with some Radical guys, one of them or whatever shop they use should do.

OP - pay attention to brakes, fuel system, and controls. Problems there can get you hurt in a hurry.

You asked about maintenance. It's a formula car with a body. The body and big sidepods makes it a bit harder to access stuff, although they do give you a multitude of places to mount stuff that the original formula car didn't have. If you are alone, usually taking off the nose and tail sections is a bitch. Saw a Sports Toyota a few weeks back where the owner sacrificed some aero to rivet on some hefty handles to make one-man removal much easier - especially in the wind... Under that body is a formula car. Formula cars are an engineering exercise in packaging. Expect to need at least one more joint between your wrist and elbow. A lot of the access on the later model VDs is easier than on the earlier ones, the question will be how much the bike engine mods changed things and how well they were done.