Bernard Bradpiece's 1969 Merlyn 11A Formula Ford Racecar
Owner: Bernard BradpieceCity: Annapolis Maryland
Model: 1969 Merlyn MkVII
Engine: 1600cc Ford Kent four cylinder
Restored and race prepared by: Lee Chapman Racing
Bernard Bradpiece's Experiences With His Merlyn 11A
Bernard Bradpiece acquired this Merlyn 11A in 1986 from a previous owner in Northern Ireland who racad it
in hillclimb competitions. Living in England at that time, Bradpiece arranged to have the car rebuilt by
Mark Dunham Race Engineering in the UK, and he had the engine rebuilt by Scholar. Then, he raced it with
increasing success in pre-1974 Formula Ford. He also campaigned it in the first year of the Historic
Sports Car Club's (HSCC's) Vintage Formula Ford program, where he won the pre-1970 class.
Bradpiece brought his Merlyn 11A to the United States in 1995, and ran two race meetings before putting
it up on blocks and storing it for nine years. In 2005 Bradpiece hired Lee Chapman Racing to coordinate a
second extensive restoration. Pat Prince (Prince Racecar Engineering) restored the chassis and MWE
(Marcovicci-Wenz Engineering) rebuilt the engine.
Since the second rebuild, Bradpiece has competed in sixteen race weekends. This vintage Formula Ford has proven
to be one of the quickest in the mid-Atlantic region with two wins at V.I.R.'s Gold Cup, wins at Watkins
Glen, and at the Jefferson 500 at Summit Point (where we photographed it). When it hasn't won, the car has
always placed and usually gets fastest lap for its class.
Features and Specifications
| Engine: | 1.6L Ford four-cylinder engine, fully prepped for 2010 with a $5000 refresh by Ted Wenz
(including a replacement 711M6015BA engine block).
Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor.
Original period SchoLar air inlet.
Bosch distributor.
Hotwires 8mm silicone high performance suppressed spark plug wires.
Bosch blue ignition coil.
Dry sump lubrication system.
Race Parts oil pump cover.
Fram Racing oil filter. |
| Cooling: | copper/brass radiator.
Engine coolant is plumbed through the frame.
Custom fabricated aluminum swirl pot.
Setrab 13-row oil cooler (part# 50 613 7612). |
| Exhaust: | four into one stainless steel header. |
| Transaxle: | Mk8 Hewland with doughnuts, rebuilt in 2010 by Lee Chapman within a new Rhino gearbox case.
F3 clutch. |
| Front Susp.: | unequal length wide-based wishbones (new at restoration).
Triumph (Alford & Alder, forged) uprights.
New Leda shocks (Armstrong replicas).
Hyperco springs.
Adjustable anti-sway bar. |
| Rear Susp.: | inverted lower wishbones, single top links, and twin adjustable trailing links.
Proprietary Merlyn magnesium uprights.
New Leda shocks (Armstrong replicas).
Adjustable anti-sway bar. |
| Brakes: | (master) dual Girling master cylinders with remotely adjustable bias bar, (front) Girling 14LF calipers. Brembo rotors. Hawk "blue" pads, (rear) Girling 12SP calipers. Brembo rotors. Hawk "blue" pads. |
| Wheels/Tires: | early Weller type steel wheels. Dunlop Racing "Formula Ford" tires (135/545-13 CR82 front, 165/580-13 CR82 rear). |
| Electrical: | Enersys Powersafe SBS sealed battery.
Gear reduction starter. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Racetech oil temperature (40-140C) gauge.
Racetech oil pressure (0-160psi) gauge.
original Smiths chronometric tach (0-10,000rpm) freshly rebuilt by Nisonger.
Racetech coolant temperature (30-110C) gauge. |
| Fuel System: | ATL fuel cell with new foam in mid 2009. |
| Safety Eqmt: | Willans six point Cam-loc safety harness (expires end of 2014).
S.P.A. Fire Fighter centralized fire suppression system. |
| Body: | still presented in the original gelcoat!
Wingard mirrors. |
| Weight: | 1088 pounds with driver: 214# left and right front, 325# left rear, 332# right rear. |
| Performance: | 2m 12.4s at VIR, 2m 12.3s at Watkins Glen, and 1m 22.7s lap times at Summit Point. |
| Racing Class: | vintage Formula Ford |
Engine Installation
1.6L Ford four-cylinder engine, fully refreshed for 2010.
The engine was race prepared by Marcovicci-Wenz Engineering.
Swirling of coolant within this custom fabricated aluminum tank helps seperate out air bubbles.
Custom fabricated aluminum oil reservoir.
Four into one stainless steel header.
Replacement 711M6015BA engine block; this is a 1600cc "tall" block with big bearing caps.
The enduring success of Formula Ford over so many years is largely based on how economically
and reliably the Ford "Kent" engine performs. It has helped to provide a level playing field.
Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor.
Original period SchoLar air inlet.
BSP barbed hose ends with high-temperature textile reinforced hose secured by Oetiker clamps.
Race Parts oil pump cover.
Fram Racing oil filter.
Front Suspension
Unequal length wide-based wishbones. (These are new replacements installed during the last restoration).
In two places, street-car style sealed tie rod ends have been installed where we usually expect to see
Heim joints (a.k.a. "Rose joints" or spherical rod ends.)
In such a competitive class, fine tuning of suspension geometry and alignment is important.
With fixed-length control arms as on the Merlyn 11A, fine tuning is at least very difficult
if not impossible. Heim joints that thread in or out would solve the problem. This car isn't
completely original though. The control arms have Nylon bushings instead of rubber bushes.
Triumph (Alford & Alder) forged uprights - just like pretty much every other Formula Ford of its era.
New Leda shocks (Armstrong replicas). Hyperco springs.
Interestingly, the steering rack is mounted on two u-bolts.
As original, engine coolant is plumbed through the frame. Most vintage Formula Ford owners have rerouted
coolant flow through external pipes for a variety of reasons: a cooler and more comforter driver compartment,
reduced corrosion and erosion issues, and the possibly reduced danger in the event of a severe shunt.
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Rear Suspension
Inverted lower wishbones, single top links, and twin adjustable trailing links.
These are Leda single-adjustable shocks. Turn the valve clockwise for hard, counter-clockwise for soft.
Adjustable rear anti-sway bar.
Thick aluminum hub spacers.
Girling 12SP brake caliper.
Girling clutch slave cylinder.
Proprietary Merlyn magnesium uprights.
Bernard reports that his transaxle was rebuilt in 2010 with a Rhino gearbox case in lieu of the original
Volkswagen casting - after this photo was taken! Rhino cases are made in Brazil, not Germany. They have
heavier external ribbing from the differential housing back, and thus are stiffer. However the bellhousing
section is unchanged, and that's where cases usually crack. Rhino cases are recommended when "Mk"
Hewlands are used in higher horsepower applications. They're probably overkill for Formula Ford.
Setrab 13-row oil cooler (part# 50 613 7612).
Hewland Engineering Ltd., Maidenhead: H9-1996
Interior
Willans six point Cam-loc safety harness (expires end of 2014).
Enersys Powersafe SBS sealed battery.
(left to right) Racetech oil temperature gauge (40-140C) and oil pressure (0-160psi) gauge.
Original Smiths chronometric tach (0-10,000rpm). Racetech coolant temperature (30-110C) gauge.
Chassis number XXXXXXX? Evidently the original chassis plate was been lost. Bernard Bradpiece possesses
a signed statement from Clive Hatward of CRD that this is indeed an original Merlyn 11A chassis.
This gear selector mechanism puts the shift knob further forward and higher than most Formula Fords.
An especially interesting chassis detail: steel panels on both sides of the footbox as well as
underneath the driver's heels. The balance of the car's floor is fiberglass.
Any sort of bulkhead between pedal box and master cylinders is missing on this particular Merlyn 11A.
Front to rear brake balance is adjustable by rotating a knob just below the dashboard. In this view we
see the remote control cable, and how it routes to the bias bar between dual Girling master cylinders.
How Merlyn constructed their distinctive steel instrument panel.
S.P.A. Fire Fighter centralized fire suppression system.
Exterior
Merlyn - Colchester Racing Developments Ltd.
The brilliant blue color of this car isn't paint. That's the original tinted gelcoat!
(Gelcoat is a thin layer of resin that's applied to the mold before the fiberglass
fabricator starts laying in layers of resin impregnated fiberglass mat or fabric.)
In the background here you can glimpse Bernard's other racecar: a lovely blue Elva MkVII.
Formula Ford rules have always disallowed wings. Formula Continental, Formula Atlantic, and Super Vee
racecars have used similar chassis, but with downforce producing wings as well as more powerful engines.
In comparison, Formula Ford drivers have to corner especially smoothly to minimize losses of momentum.
One of the reasons Bernard Bradpiece especially loves the Merlyn 11A is it features a
longer wheelbase than some vintage Formula Ford rivals.
Vintage Wingard mirror.
Early Weller type steel wheels.
Dunlop Racing "Formula Ford" tires (135/545-13 CR82 front, 165/580-13 CR82 rear).
All photos shown here are from April 2010 when we viewed the car at VRG's Jefferson 500
at Summit Point Motorsports Park, West Virginia. Photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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