David Vizard.

[austinisuseless]

Last I heard he was teaching engineering practice in a technical college in the Carolinas, in the US. Any know this is true?

[mk1]

Probably,

Vizard has lived out there for the thick end of 30 years now.

He still writes a bit for US mags occasionally & usually publishes a book a year, usually on big V8's and other stuff that's of no interest to me.

http://www.allbookstores.com/author/Dav ... rd_p1.html

His early book How To Modify Your Mini is still in my opinion the best starter resource for anyone embarking on their first sortie into A series engine tuning.

[austinisuseless]

Believe this or not, he got ill in the late seventies, chronic lung problem or something, and his doctor said to him, you've been to american a couple of times, get yourself over to dry air California, that will sort your lungs out. And he did and it did. Think it might have been the mountains of California, rather than that smog bucket better known as LA.

[Austin Costin]

He was in NZ this year, he takes a tutorial and awnsers questions etc, he was asking a decent sum.
I used to work with a fantastic engeneer Malcolm Beckham who was from Swaymar eng who did all or most of the work for him, he still gets at least 1 phone call a week about an article on reverse swirl porting which claimed big horse power in ford units, it was total bollocks apparently

[austinisuseless]

He was, as every man and his dog was, paid by Ford to muck about with their engines. Got sick to death in the 1970s, with pinto this, pinto that, pinto the other.

Don't know how Yank Ford got away with corrupting things like that. I have had great satisfaction that they are next to nothing now, even if they did destroy the British car industry. Christ, I hate Ford, and the things they got up to then was a disgrace. They should have been kicked right out on their arse, if I had my way. Yank bigmoney total shites.

[mab01uk]

Dave Vizard wrote a couple of articles for Mini Magazine only last year...........they brought back memories of flow benches and in depth technical articles once published by the old mags like Triple C.

Did anyone also subscribe to his 'Mini Tech News' technical newsletter/magazine in the 1980's? I met Dave on a visit to Swaymar eng & Chris Tyrrels workshop in Leatherhead around that time and then ended up being his 'roving editor' for MTN until it ended a few years later, still have a full set of issues in my loft somewhere. At that time DV spent 6 months of spring/summer in Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham and 6 months of autumn/winter in California for work and health reasons.

[PatM]

Here's something I found from another message board. Seems David Vizard does the tech writing for them.

http://www.gofastnews.com/technical.php

[graham in aus]

Did anyone also subscribe to his 'Mini Tech News' technical newsletter/magazine in the 1980's?

Mab, I used to get that newsletter! posted out from the states by VIzard! I also raced against his Daughter Samantha at Long Marston drag strip. He built up a 1400cc motor for CCC and also wrote in 'Auto Performance" long since gone out of print! He did some work with a bloke? Nolan Pitts? Portsmouth or something (CRS disease!)

His daughters car was always quicker than mine, I eventually got my 1400cc (74mm bore) road going (read heavy) GT down to 14.5 second quarters and about 95mph throught he traps! It put out 92 at the wheels on Aldons dyno in Brierly Hill after Don Loughlin re-curved the Dizzy!

Oh and Chris Tyrell, there's a name from the past, his scruffy 850 Mini Se7en, bits dropping off it, but almost unbeatable!!

Bit like the Jackson brothers a bit later!

Happy Days!

[mab01uk]

They were indeed happy days.
Dave Vizard tried to get Chris Tyrell to put his race winning heads on a flow bench test but Chris did not believe in that kind of 'technology' and refused to give away his tuning secrets to any magazine article. Chris's tatty championship winning 850 Mini Se7en (white with green roof) was written off several times over the years but he just used to weld in a new section from any old scrap shell in his yard to repair the damage. It was not until Leyland started sponsoring the Mini Challenge that presentation was improved and after a brief spell with sponsorship in the new Metro challenge Chris returned to M7 with my younger brother as his mechanic. He later retired to Spain and died around 2002.

[mickmini]

When I saw Graham Russell in Australia last (2.5 years ago) he was still regularly talking to Vizard about his ongoing development of cams and heads for A-series. As far as I know this continues today.

It is good to learn from your own mistakes, but to learn from someone elses mistakes is even better.

cheers
michael