Diary Archive

04/26/2008:    Rob came back over and, using his vast welding talents, we mounted the valence and pedal box to the chassis.  Modeling the valence mount after the Red Rocket (or Envy to her new owner), we welded tubing to the valence and the chassis so we could quickly mount and dismount the valence using pip pins.  As for the pedal box, this was a custom designed and fabricated piece that would seal the pedal box to the footwell cover.  A marvelous design.  See photos here.

03/30/2008:    Rob showed up on 3/23 and it was decided to seal the trunk by placing a panel that would connect the one behind the driver to the trunk floor.  To do this, I would need to remove the fuel pumps and filter off the cross member that anchors the shocks.  I fabricated a perch for the fuel pumps and filter which would attach to the fuel cell cage itself.  Moving all of this hardware meant that the fuel lines had to be re-worked.  Some lines had to be cut shorter and the ends moved around to connect the system together.  With that out of the way, I would have to attach a piece of angle aluminum to the first panel, mock up and cut out the second panel, attach it with dzus fasteners and then anchor the other end to the trunk floor. See photos here. 

03/22/2008:    After a month of being out of town, I finally got a chance to work on the car today.  In an effort to keep the engine bay neat and tidy, I decided to make the three brake and clutch lines connect to bulkhead fittings and pass though the firewall.  The lines could then continue behind the dash and head off to their final destination.  I also built and installed the final small braided hose line.  This would connect the engine to the oil pressure gauge.  Half way down the line is a low pressure sensor that would be connected to a red light on the dash.  See photos here.

01/19/2008:    After a week or two of just grinding and cleaning surfaces after all the welding, today I got to actually fabricate something and move forward on this project.  I didn't do a whole lot since its 5F outside and the garage was tough to keep warm.  Anyway, I created the tray that in which the radiator stands.  Rob and I had made up the two pieces it consisted of when he was last over here.  Today I got to assemble and mount it.  See photos here.

12/29/2007:    Rob came over yesterday and today to help out on the project.  I had done almost all of what I could without his help and he can weld.  Welding was required for the next steps to take place.  First we got the front sway bar anchors mounted.  Next we installed the radiator uprights.  After that it was welding the lower control arm washers in place.  Next, it was time to mount the pedal box.  To do this we had to take the panel I had cut and fabricated and adjust it so the pedal box would mount properly.  When the it was all said and done, we gotten a lot accomplished.  I was now able to move forward on my own on several fronts (mounting the brake and clutch lines, mounting the radiator and oil cooler, etc.).  See photos here.

12/15/2007:    After doing some serious leg work in terms of what fittings to buy and how it was all laid out, I finally got the water and fuel system lines completed.  I didn't want to start punching holes in the chassis willy-nilly so I took a lot of time in deciding how all the pieces were going to fit together.  And I must say it looks pretty good.  Slowly but surely, she's coming along.  See photos here.

12/01/2007:    Bryan Floyd came up today and we spent the day on more chassis prep.  Its starting to look like a race car.  See photos here.

11/24/2007:    In preparation for the "Big Build" next weekend, Rich Sheldon (PDX entrant and now Club Racing geek) came down from Reed City and helped out with getting the footwell panels prepped.  While he was cutting and hacking, I cut the fuel line to the correct length, put the proper fitting on the end and  installed the firewall bulkhead for the fuel line.  I also go the surge tank for the cooling system mounted on the firewall.  See photos here.

11/09/2007:    I finished the trunk portion of the fuel system by anchoring the fuel filter, installing the bulkhead into the firewall and making the necessary fuel lines to connect everything (cell, pumps, filter and bulkhead).  See photos here.

10/27/2007:    The Runoffs were over and now it was time for me to start working on my car again.  I started in the trunk area by installing ther fuel cell,  pumps, filter and lines.  See photos here.

05/19/2007:    This time, Rob and I went over to Phil's to work on the sheet metal on the trunk.  With most of the heavy lifting done (welding, etc.) she is now ready to come home for a while.  Now its my turn to do some work on her.  See photos here.

03/31/2007:    Rob and I went over to Phil's and worked on the sheet metal on the engine bay area.  What a blast.  Cutting, grinding and welding.  What else do you need?  See photos here.

02/19/2007:    Rob and I went over to Phil's and mounted the front suspension.  With the suspension in place, we can work around it and fabricate the radiator, sway bar and brake ducts mounts.  See photos here.

02/10/2007:    Today Phil and I finished anchoring the new rear suspension to the chassis.  Last week we had attached the lower control arms.  Next we did the third link, the Watts link cross member and, finally, the shock cross member.  It was a long but very successful day.  Phil's engineering and welding prowess shows in everything he does.  Today's work is stellar and will work great.  See photos here.

02/03/2007:    Well we had wanted to have a weekend of building going on but Mother Nature (in the form of a blizzard) inhibited us from getting a lot done.  Jon, Phil and I met at Phil's place and we worked on the car but the weather stopped Rob from making it.  With three of us we made some good progress.  Jon and I did a lot of chassis cleanup (cutting crap off, smoothing rough surfaces, etc.) while Phil welded some new brackets into place to support the rear lower control arms.  This allowed us to position the rear axle housing and the associated support bars for the shocks, Watts link, etc.  See photos here.

01/14/2007:    Today the rebuilding process began.  Oddly enough, it started by hacking away some more car.  Melinda and I had loaded the chassis into the truck the last night and I drove it over to Phil's today.  Phil, Rob and I unloaded it and we got started on the work.  See photos here.

12/06/2006:    Today I went over to the Cleveland area to peter Baumgartner's home.  I bought the suspension from his car and will be putting it on mine.  But first Peter and I had to remove it from his car.  It was an all day trip and kind of exciting.  Now the rubber hits the road, as it were.  See photos here.

11/30/2006:    Yesterday I went back to the blast shop and picked up the car.  This morning I got her out of the truck and on the ground.  As it rained all night, I got out the portable propane heater and blasted the car with some heat to dry it off.  See photos here.

11/20/2006:    I took the chassis to the shop today so it could get sandblasted and primed.  See photos here.

11/19/2006:    I finished removing all the components from the chassis today so it could be cleaned up.  See photos here.

11/13/2006:    I power washed the chassis today.  Boy was it filthy.  It left quite a pile of debris in the driveway.  Now its ready to get media blasted and primed.  See photos here.

11/10/2006:    Today I removed the rest of the chassis mounted hardware (motor, dash, steering column, drive shaft, exhaust system, brake and clutch lines).  See photos here.

11/03/2006:    I spent the last few days starting the removal of all the components off the car (fuel system, cooling system, oiling system, valence, battery, fire suppression system, seat, seat belts, radio and video camera systems).

10/27/2006:    I uploaded the in car footage from Johannes Krauss' video of my incident on Wednesday.  And, yes, it looks just as dopey.  See the video here.

10/25/2006:    I started the off season prep by removing all the fiberglass (most of it needs work anyway) and taking over the trailer for storage.  I can now begin the dis-assembly of the car for the re-build.

10/15/06:    The rest of the drive home from Collinsville was uneventful to the point of boring.  We were all so tired that we couldn't even work up a descent conversation.  We still ran at a pretty good clip and arrived home about 5PM....not bad....500 miles and two stops for food and fuel all in 7.5 hours.  We'll unpack later this week when Bear arrives and we have an extra pair of hands to work with.  Now the prep begins for next year....woohoo!

10/14/06:    We had three items to accomplish today.  One, start packing up the joint.  Two, get Fob into impound (the good way) and three, get a good start on the run home.  Hob and I knew we we had the power to cook along at 80+ MPH getting home so if we got a few hours down the road today it would make the portion needed to finish tomorrow that much easier.  When removing the wheels from the car, I noticed that the LF had some green paint on it.  I guess I was hit by Dwight yesterday.  Fob had it all together today.  The car was ready to rock and he was gridded seventh.  After dropping back a spot or two on the first lap, he held station for the rest of the race.  With some attrition in front of him, he managed a sixth and was, indeed, off to impound.  It appeared that things were OK there so Hob, Doris, Jon, Margie and I headed off down the road.  We booked along and got as far as Collinsville, IL by 10:30 local time.  We'll finish the trip tomorrow.  See photos here.

10/13/06:    Today we would watch some races for a couple of reasons.  One, we could relax a bit before it was our turn in the blender.  Two, we watched from the hillside on the outside of T1 and T2.  From there we could see almost all of the south end of the track.  This was critical because I wanted to see what others were doing there during the start and gather some intelligence about the situation.  By 3:15 it was time to leave and get ready.  The last details were finished (needles, tire pressures, etc.) and we were off to the false grid.  No pre race jitters as I was ready to go.  There were several of us in the 2:04 to 2:06 range and, if the start was clean and nobody did anything stupid, we would have a good time amongst ourselves.  Because of my incident on Wednesday, I was cautious on the first lap....too cautious.  I was passed by a bunch of folks and by T10 I was pissed at myself.  I was already been hit (by Dwight Aldred) and I stoked the coals to get going.  With in the next lap or two I passed Drew Aldred, Dwight Aldred, Mark Weber and Gregg Ten Eyk.  Bax got ahead of him and set sail.  Gregg wouldn't let go and he was all over me for several laps.  He then passed me back a few laps later.  I pressed him hard for a lap or two and he spun in T10.  Bax had spun earlier and was working his way back to catch me.  I didn't want to block him but I wouldn't make it easy for him either.  He caught me five or six laps from the end and was all over me until the end.  I held him off as I had a little extra power....I drank a bigger glass of Cool-Aid.  Each lap by I was hoping for the '1' sign to tell us there was one lap left but nooooo.  Jeez he was pressing me but I didn't make any huge mistakes (or at least anything he could capitalize on) and the crossed the line in 11th place.  He was 12th just 0.6 seconds behind.  What a race.  I had somebody in my sights or on my tail the entire race.  THAT WAS FUN!  Good clean racing just as I had predicted.  I was exhausted and sore as I have never had to work that hard in the car before.  After the usual post-race schmoozing we all went out for pizza and beer.  I had downloaded the in-car video to the laptop so we watched that while having dinner.  See the in car video clips here.

10/12/06:    Goodyear said the wheel was OK.  They mounted another 250 on the wheel (the old one didn't even have the sticker off of it yet) and I was good to go. Fob, Jon and I strung up the car (aligned the front end and set the toe in) and the car was now ready.  With the car fixed and the sticky tires on it I was ready to slowly work up to a descent lap time.  I thought I could get down to a 2:04 or maybe even a 2:03 if the conditions were right.  But after the out lap and three laps at speed, we were given the 'black flag all' signal and the session was over.  What a drag.  I was just getting to the point where the tires were getting heat in them and I was getting more aggressive.  But that's the breaks.  I learned a lot about the track and would utilize that tomorrow during the race.  See photos here.

10/11/06:    This was supposed to be the big day.  HP was on track by itself (no GP cars with us) and I had some brand new Goodyear tires that were stickier than the normal ones I run since it was so cold.  I was using 250's and not the 430's that I usually do.  But along the way I forgot to turn on my brain and I did something so stupid, that even I couldn't believe I did it.  I got to aggressive on the out lap and spun in T8.  This allowed Gregg Ten Eyk to smack into me as I lay across the track (see video here).  Geez, what a dope.  The car wouldn't turn right and it was too easy to turn left.  My day was over before I finished half a lap.  When I got back to the pits Fob and Jon peeled off the RF fender and Fob noticed the damage.  The shock arm was bent and the spring pan (lower A arm) was warped.  I was so pissed at myself for doing something that stupid.  It happens to all of us once in a while (thats what I was told by some wily veterans, but that didn't make it any easier.  Jon and I set about to dis-assembled the RF suspension.  I had to find a shock as I didn't have a spare.  Hob (who had backed his car into the T3 wall and was way more damaged than mine) told me John  Salisbury had one.  I went off to his camp to see if that was true.  It was and he was nice enough to let me borrow one for the rest of the week.  Jon and I re-assembled the corner.  By now it was late and we called it a day.  All that was left to do was make sure the wheel was OK.  I'll take it to Goodyear in the morning and they can spin it to see if its true.  See photos here.

10/10/06:    Today it rained all day and with the forecast for race day as clear there was no sense in going out.  As Melinda put it...the upside was minimal and the downside was HUGE.  We got to watch a bunch of wet sessions and see others slide around a lot.  See photos here.

10/09/06:    Our session was early so we got the car ready and off we went.  Learning a new track can be a trick but it was obvious from the track drive last night that this track was really different.  There were a lot of late turn in corners and this was not typical.  I worked my way down to a 2:07.  This was OK for the first day but I knew I could do a lot better.

10/08/06:    Today we finished setting up shop by getting the cars teched and watched a few sessions of practice so we could learn the track a bit.  After the track was cold, we had dinner.  Melinda and I bought a box of GFS rib eye steaks so we could have a big group meal before the fracas started.  We had bought enough for the entire crew and, with support from the rest of the gang, we a all the trimmings.  After the meal we went out on the track walk...only we used our golf cart so we could get more of a feel of what it looked like.

10/07/06:    We finished the drive to HPT on time but Hob was 45 minutes ahead of us.  The assigned paddock spaces were not what we lead to believe.  Hob called me and we decided to have him go find some others.  He did and by the time we arrived, he had it all sorted out.  We looked around and decided how to set things up.  We then moved into action.  In a couple of hours we had our entire setup completed and were waiting for the Brannons so we could finish the full

10/06/06:    Well we got started on our way out to HPT this afternoon.  We left Jon's place at 3:15 or so and got on down the road.  Futcher got an hour head start as he thought he would be going at a slower pace.  We were aiming to get to Springfield, IL.  That would leave us an hour from the I-55/I-70 intersection.  The Bax's would also be that far from that point if they stayed in Effingham.  If all of that held true, then the three of us could caravan into HPT about 3PM on Saturday.  We got to the hotel at 9PM or so and hooked up with Fob for a beer.

09/27/06:    Today I built and installed the work bench in the trailer.  I've waited all summer to do this and just never got around to it....some might call that procrastination....I can see their point.  See photos here.

09/25/06:    Today I installed the rebuilt tire racks.  Phil welded extra pieces on them so they would mount to the trailer and be much sturdier.  See photos here.

09/24/06:    Yesterday I went over to Phil's place so he could weld one of the rear tire racks back together.  It broke apart because I had failed to mount them properly to the trailer and one of them shattered when the tires bounced around within the confines of the rack.  With any luck I can get them mounted to the chassis next week.  See photos here.

09/18/06:    Tonight I went over to Duane's to work on a few things as the clock is ticking towards the big dance.  I re-anchored the canopy pole holders as one of them had broken from the bottom portion wagging perpendicular to the wall.  The others were looking iffy as well so I re-enforced them all with an extra bolt on the lowest space.  I removed and cleaned the oil cooler.  It was covered in greasy crud and was clearly not as efficient as it could be.  Also, I re-aimed the camera.  The footage from the Grattan event showed a black halo around the screen.  The camera was not as far into the holder as it needed to be.  I re-positioned it and checked the alignment by recording some footage and dumping it to the laptop.  As it turns out, the camcorder screen does not show the entire video that is collected.  This means the recorded video is bigger than the camcorder screen.  Who woulda thunk?  Well, now we know......

09/14/06:    Tonight Duane and I started building the fourth motor.  Its a rebuild of the one we built in the spring of 2002.  This will be a significant upgrade as we are installing a 'George' cam and pistons.  This will allow us to have two short blocks that are identical.  Since we've been down this road before, it went pretty smoothly.  We got the block prepped, the crank laid in place, the main bearings installed, the lifters put in place, the cam installed, the oil pump installed and the front and back plated attached.  However, when it came time to install the pistons, we discovered that we had four that were the same (as opposed to two mirror imaged pairs).  A call to George got this straightened out but it will cost us a week or so to recover.  Not what we need at this time of the year.  See photos here.

08/19/06:    I dragged the car and trailer over to Duane's so we could start to diagnose what was going on with the engine.   I chatted with several folks this week and found little consensus as to what the issue could be.  We got the car on the lift, warmed it up and did a leak down check.  Futcher was over there as well and he crowed heartily when we saw EXACTLY what he predicted.  Ah, there's going to be no living with him now.  Anyway, the good news is this:  The overheating from that caused the brass water journal plugs to move allowing water go where it shouldn't and this caused the head gasket to let go.  No real damage to the head, rings, pistons, block, etc.  And we were going to freshen the head before the Runoffs anyway (see photos here).  After that we completed the disassembly of the old motor so it could be taken to the machine shop.  I will be picking up the new cam and pistons from George this week. The old block will be the basis for the motor we take to the Runoffs and the current block will be the backup. 

08/13/06:    Emergency practice went fine.  I tried to force the car to over heat (by running it in lower gears) but it didn't.  I was confident that we had licked the problem and we prepared for the race.  With all the trouble in the qualifying sessions, we were way back in the field (see grid sheet here).  I made a pretty good start and had passed several cars before T1. But the over heating reared it ugly head a few laps in and I was forced to pull into the pits.  The race turned out to be a humdinger as Don Cameron, Matt Brannon and John Stanford all lead for some period.  In the end it was Stanford, Brannon, Jones, Cameron and DeRonne in that order (see results sheet here).  We'll have a few weeks before the Runoffs to get everything back to normal.  I'll be at Duane's soon to work on the motor to find out what's what here.  We were planning on getting the head freshened for the dance anyway.

08/12/06:    Saturday morning at a national means checking over the car and making sure all is rigfht in the universe.  This morning I wanted to check the ignition timing.  I spoke with George earlier in the week and he suggested setting it at 36^o.  I thought it was at 34^o but I could have been mistaken.  It was measured (by two different timing lights) at 26^o.  This seemed peculiar at the time but I didn't worry about. it.  We went out for our first qualifying sessions and the motor overheated a few laps into the session.  I came in and we let the motor cool off a little.  We checked the compression (looked OK) and the spark plugs looked alright too (no burned green crud on them.  We re-torqued the head studs and they were OK as well.  The thermostat that we had just put into the car we removed and examined.  It looked OK but Rob decided we had to check it in a pan of hot water to see if it opened.  This is where Jill Feller comes into the equation.  She let me borrow her motor home's stove, sauce pan and tongs so we could boil three thermostats to see if they were any good.  Two of the 180^oF ones opened just fine.  The new 195^oF one did not.  So it was out with the new and in with the old.  We also backed off the timing to 30^o so the motor would run cooler.  After changing needles for the afternoon heat we were ready for the next session.  Well we may have been ready but the car was not.  Same story different verse.  Now we were scratching our heads.  Kendall Jones inquired as to whether our timing mark was accurate.  As it turns out....No it wasn't.  So we decided to back it off to the original 26^o where it was earlier in the morning.  I would run it that way in the emergency practice and see what happened.

08/05/06:    Today we got to bring home the car for a weeks worth of prep before the Grattan race.  While it was still at Duane's, I ground down the portion of the axle tube that was rubbing against the right rear tire.  It wasn't rubbing much...but any is too much (see photos here).  In addition, I mounted the video camera and changed the thermostat.  George told me that I would make better power at 195^oF as opposed to the 180^oF we had been running.  We'll see how all of this works.

07/23/06:    Today Jon and I went over to Duane's to work on the car.  After the abuse she took at IRP, I wanted to make sure that the chassis was in one piece and that there were no loose, cracked or damaged bolts or fittings on the car.  In addition, I wanted to re-work the clutch setup.  The line had failed in the last two races and I wanted to replace the quick connect fitting on the slave cylinder as well as install a remote bleed line on the system (see photos here).

07/09/06:    We awoke on race day to dark threatening skies and rain in our future.  I looked at the Weather Channel and they showed a thin line of light rain.  This would squash the warm up session as I would NOT go out on the track if it was wet.  The drag strip portion of the track is extremely slippery when it gets wet.  So we watched a couple of races, prepped the car for the race and ate lunch.  Finally it was our turn.  With Salisbury in front of me and Bax behind me, I knew I had my work cut out for me.  Both are better drivers than I am so I had to make the best of my opportunities.  I started well but could see Bax coming on.  I wanted to keep focused on Salisbury.  After a few laps I was right on him.  Bax passed me and it was the three of us all together nose to tail.  Rob got past John and I was still third (in this group, fifth in the class).  A lap later I got around John in T12.  I continued to be right with Rob for several laps.  I had more power than he did and the one place I could get past him would be on the front straight.  I got along side him once but thought better of it.  We then encountered some traffic and both of us got hung up a bit.  He held pace and I slipped back.  At this point I was worried about the car holding together (this is a VERY rough track) and realized I wasn't going to get past him.  A few laps later Melinda saw that John Stanford was not running anymore and I was now in third.  Now I had to make sure I brought the car home in one piece.  With two laps to go, a car spun out in front of me and I almost went straight into the wall to avoid him.  I re-fired the motor and drove off hoping that I had enough cushion in front of Salisbury to not get passed by him.  Fortunately I did and we ended the race Chima, Bax, Frame, Salisbury and Vickerman (see results sheet here).  There were some down moments though.  Bryan broke a trailing link on lap three at top speed in T1.  That video was scary.  Duane Bailey broke some axle bolts was wasn't able to complete a lap.  Getting his car into his trailer with a broken axle took two jacks, six men, two women, four sheets of plywood, one dog and 20 minutes.....what an ordeal.  But it was the very least we could do for a guy who has done so much for us.  We picked up the trophy (see image here), final results and started on our drive home.  The drive was uneventful and we left the trailer at Duane's so we could decompress for a week or so before thinking about working on the car again.  I now have 27 points and am in fourth place in CenDiv and should have no problems qualifying for the Runoffs.

07/08/06:    Today was a day for practice and qualifying.  We had a bit of a scare when the car wouldn't start before our session.  I usually warm up the motor to make sure everything is ready 45 minutes or so before a session.  I tried to start the car and it wouldn't.  ARRRGH!  After some checking around Bryan found an ignition wire that wasn't making contact.  Duane came over and repaired the fitting and she lit just fine.  No more of that thank you.  The car ran great in the morning practice session.  I ran a couple of 1:52's (9 seconds faster than the last time we were here in 2004).  I encountered the clutch issue from RA once but dismissed it (in error) and made no changes except carb needles and tire pressures for the qualifying session.  During the qualifying session, the clutch issue reared its head in full and compromised every lap.  This allowed me to only turn a 1:55.  This would relegate me to 20th (fourth in class) of 27 cars see grid sheet here).  I could live with that.  John Salisbury was two spots ahead of me with Duane in between.  He was reachable but the next fastest HP qualifier was John Stanford at a 1:50.  I wasn't going to go that fast so grid position wasn't critical.  After the worker party we headed back to the camp and fixed the clutch issue.  Rob Bax on the other hand broke his differential in qualifying and spent a couple of hours repairing it before the party.  Without a time he would be last on the grid.  I would run the warm up session on Sunday and make sure it worked and then wait around for 4.5 hours until it was our turn to race.

07/07/06:    And did that open few days fly by.  The good news is that we only had to swap differentials to be ready for the IRP event.  Of course, the usual housekeeping and cosmetic stuff was in order as well.  I finished the diff swap last night and packed the trailer so we could be off by late morning on Friday.  Which we were.  We got to IRP at 5PM or so, got registered and found a spot for the lot of us (Bax, Floyd, Futcher, Bailey).  We set up camp and enjoyed the camaraderie.  This can be the best part of the weekend.  Just like spring training in baseball, all of us have a shot at glory.  The weekend would provide the answers. 

06/25/06:    Again, we got to the track early so we could work on the car.  There were a couple of things to do (re-mount the shift knob, re-connect the right tail light, charge the battery, etc.) and we also started to break camp.  We put everything away so we could get out quickly.  The car was ready and so was I.  I figured that Rich and I would battle for third place and that if he got his car right, I would end up fourth.  On the first race lap a HUGE crash occurred in the kink and I saw several cars were knocked out.  Two of them were Crisenbery and Meller (both in HP).  I was now in second in the HP race.  But wait....there was a full course yellow and 'black flag all' which means we all come off course to the pits while things get sorted out.  While there we find out that we will be gridded in our original order (I'll be ahead of Rich again), we'll have a single file pace lap and a full 13 lap race (good thing I put extra fuel in).  It takes 35 or 40 minutes to clear up the mess and get us re-gridded.  Off we go for another pace lap.  I decide I have to stay glued to the bumper of the car in front of me so I can keep Rich at bay.  It didn't work.  He passed me on the front stretch and I passed him back going into T3.  I never saw him again.  I found out later he had some engine problems and pulled in.  That's too bad because we could have had a great race.  So now the only thing I had to worry about was Crisenbery.  Melinda told me he came back on track after we went by for the start.  Immediately I started to think about if he could catch me if his car was OK.  All I saw was his car up against the wall.  Maybe he was OK.  I drove HARD to make sure he couldn't catch me.  After a couple of laps Melinda told me I had 40s on him.  He would be no threat today.  Dave Kittleson (gridded fifth in his Fiesta) came on track a couple of laps down and, while I never saw him, he wouldn't threaten me either.  Now all I had to do was be smooth and clean and I would collect my first national win.  One more obstacle came on the last racing lap (we were checkered on lap 10 due to a stuck car in the gravel trap at T8), Lawrence Loshak came by me in the kink and was smoking so badly that I couldn't see the track (neither could he for that matter....his cockpit was filled with smoke).  I slowed dramatically and moved over to the edge of the track so I could see my way around to the finish line.  Once I saw the line I relaxed a bit and then it sunk in....I just won the June Sprints (see results sheet here).  While on the cool down lap I savored the whole thing as I waved to the crowds and workers.  Once I got back to the pits I made Melinda hop in for the checkered flag lap.  She resisted....but I insisted.  But while all the time delays, they wouldn't let us out for the checkered flag lap.  Too bad.  She's the one that puts up with all of this and she deserved some recognition.  The winner's circle was unreal.  I practiced in my mind what I would say when it was my turn to be interviewed.  I thanked Dad, Melinda and Goodyear.  Just when I was getting to the part about Phil, Duane, Rob and all the others along the way, the mike went dead as I was being stepped on by the PA announcer.  Kind of a drag.  After all the interviews, photos and pseudo-champagne spritzing, we went to impound so we could get weighed and check our fuel.  Next, we had to wait for the results to be official.  By now it was 1:30 and we were waaaay behind schedule.  We went back to the trailer, broke camp, picked up our trophy, got a program, a winner's hat, etc. and went home.  It was a long weekend (as any trip to RA is) but this one was fun.....really fun.  Now its on to IRP in two weeks.

06/24/06:    We got to the track early (7AM) and set about working on the clutch.  Futcher had called and we discussed several things to check before I started disassembling things.  The first was to check the dry-break quick release fitting on the slave cylinder.  I disconnected that.  With it disconnect there should be no movement of the clutch pedal at all....and there wasn't.  So I cleaned out both fittings with some brake kleen.  In doing so, a large amount of dirt, grit, etc. came out of the female end.  I reconnected the fitting and had Melinda pump on the pedal.  Now, all of a sudden, it freely moves up and down without any change feel of the pedal.  We did this dozens of times and it now seemed like it was working fine.  I was dubious.  I went to the stewards and asked for a hardship lap and was granted permission to do so.  It felt fine and I was back in the hunt.  So we waited for our second qualifying session to come along.  Again the car went well.  I was a little slower than in practice as this was late in the day but I would take a 2:54 (see grid sheet here).  However, during the session my shift know came apart.  The threaded end stayed on the shift lever but the walnut handle popped off and was rolling around in the passenger footwell.  Now it was a matter of prepping the car for the race the next day.  I was third in the HP field with Rich Root right behind me on the grid.  I would have to be very aggressive if I wanted to keep him behind me as his car was much faster than mine but I could corner better.  Of course what's a race weekend with Dayle without rain?  After the sessions were over, some VERY dark clouds came along and it rained like crazy for 20 minutes or so.  Melinda and I stayed under our canopy (I wanted to see how it faired in the wind and rain) and nibbled on some muchies and watched the world go by....it was nice and relaxing after a long day.  One aside:  Our neighbor from Maryland had a very strange thing happen to him while on track.  I had asked Pat how he did during the session.  He replied 'didin't you see it?'.  And I asked quizzically 'see what?'.  Apparently just after I had passed him his windshield fractured into a thousand pieces.  It didn't land in his lap thank God but he would have to replace it before he could go out on track again.  He had followed a car that had just come out of a gravel trap and his windshield had been peppered with gravel.  Evidently, when I went past him, something came off my car (tire turd, etc.) and that minute amount of force sent his windshield into catastrophic failure.  None of us had ever seen that before.

06/23/06:    I had told Melinda on the way over that we had never broken a 3:00 lap time here and I would be happy getting down to a 2:55or so.  When she told me on the radio that I had a 2:54...and then a 2:53....and then a 2:52....I about crapped.  I didn't believe it.  There was one small glitch.  As the session wore on it became more difficult to up shift.  The clutch pedal had become very erratic.  I chalked this up to the system needing a bleeding.  So we did that and went off the the first qualifying session.  Well that didn't fix the situation.  In fact it got worse during the few laps I was out and I came in after just three laps.  All of the progress made earlier in the day was now in question.  By now it was late in the day so we prepared for the next mornings repairs and headed to the motel.  Along the way I chatted with Bax and Futcher about the issue and they offered some sage advice.

06/22/06:    Melinda and I left the house about 8Am as I had built in a couple of stops along the way for work.  We got to the track about 3PM local time and set up shop.  We paddocked in the south paddock near the tunnel at turn two.  It was prod central as a vast majority of the cars up there were prod cars (Jesk, Kennard, Sargis, Gauper, Root, Czimas among others).  It was a nice location away from the maddening hoards.  We were next to some folks (Pat and Pat Simpson) who cam all the way from Maryland for this event.

06/18/06:    Over the course of the last few days, we've been finishing the front air dam, brake ducts, reinforcing the hood, etc. (see images here) to get ready for the June Sprints.  I got the trailer back from the dealer (after the fixed a couple of things) and re-loaded all of the tools, parts, etc.  Melinda and I dropped it off at the decal place so the graphics could be put on the trailer before we head to RA.  Its gonna look real coooool.

06/15/06:    And those things included getting the car clean, swapping differentials (4.22 out, 3.7 in), reinforcing the hood and mounting the air dam.  Margie and I washed the car a few nights ago.  The driveway shows a ring of oily gravel and filth.  Yuk!  I swapped the differentials and adjusted the position of the panhard rod.  And Rob was nice enough to come over and design a mount for the air dam (see images here).

06/04/06:    Everything was going smoothly....and then it started raining during the race....and only our race.  All other sessions were dry.  Are The Racing Gods trying to tell me (us) something?  Anyway, the first few laps were fast and I was driving well.  Then the sprinkles started.  I slowed a bit and was able to pass a couple of folks and then it started raining heavier.  After catching Bryan Floyd (GTL Datsun 1200) I made a mistake and slid into the gravel trap (see video here).  After coming back on track the car felt awful and I decided to park it a couple of laps from the end.  I probably could have kept going but I was afraid of injuring the car (or worse, somebody else's car) as, by now, it was raining pretty hard and it was difficult to keep it pointed in a straight line.  I got credit for seventh and a finish (see results here) and was able to walk away unscathed.  On to RA for the Sprints.  But before that we need to do some things to get ready for that track.

06/03/06:    Man did the car feel great today.  All the changes we (OK...its was all Futcher) did over the winter allowed the car to be more stable.  This, in turn, allowed the driver to be more stable.  I turned a 1:47.1 in the morning session and a 1:47.8 (see grid sheet here) in a much warmer slicker track.  On to race day.....

06/01/06:    Well I finally got the car together and now I can breathe a sigh of relief and head on down to the track

05/26/06:    Take a little camber out of the front end they said....it'll corner better and be more stable they said....geez, if I knew it was going to be this hard to do....OY!  Like layers of an onion, the further I got in, the worse it stunk.  After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the front end is back together and we're ready for a chassis setup and then off to M-O.

05/21/06:    Well a decision has been made....I am headed to Mid-Ohio for the OVR National.  After making all the changes in the car over the winter, running on a cold, wet track did not allow us to collect any valuable data about how the car was working.  Also, some serious goading came from the Bax/Floyd camp, so I had to defend her honor.  So its off to M-O.  To that end, Melinda and I went to Duane's today and schlepped the trailer home so we could start to get her ready for the race.  A few minor adjustments to the front suspension and some more light housekeeping and she'll be ready to rock.  As Melinda will be in Germany on business, Bear is coming up from North Carolina to be the crew.

05/14/06:    Awful weather again...only not as windy.  We arrived at the track with the car basically ready to go.  All we needed to do was torque the lugs (after we figured out which tires to use) and check the fluids (oil, fuel and coolant). I got a good start and fell into fifth place when the previous occupant spun and I passed him.  I hung with the crowd for several laps but soon it was obvious I wasn't going to catch fourth place and I was not going to be caught by sixth place so I settled into a cautious pace.  On about lap 17 or so I spun at T1....and proceeded to do it again on the next lap.  The second time I got stuck in a gravel trap (just barely) and needed a wrecker to get me out.  The car was OK and I soldiered on but the oomph was lost and I coasted around for the remaining four or five laps.  I finished in fifth place in class and 17th overall and was a couple of laps down (see race results here).  I had all the power I could eat but the track was so greasy that I had a tough time putting it down.  The really good news is that my fast lap was only five seconds off the pace of the race leaders.  This was very encouraging.  We've got some work to do before the next race (June Sprints) but for now we're going to take a few days off as its been pretty hectic around here lately.  Overall, despite the horrible weather, we had a good time hanging with the usual suspects (Rob and Heather Futcher, Duane and Sue Bailey, Chuck, Jill and Tom Feller, Matt, Marnie and Bradon Brannon) and look forward to doing it again. 

05/13/06:    Today the weather was for crap.  Overcast, rainy, cold, windy....you name it we had it.  The track was wet enough to use the full rains I purchased yesterday.  We have a VERY strong field in HP this weekend.  Four of the top five from last years Runoffs are here.  I did much better than I expected but am still in sixth place on our grid (and 13th overall).

05/12/06:    I finish packing and I'm off to Duane's to get my annual and pick up a few things.  I get to the track about 2:30 or so and its raining pretty hard....and cold too.  The usual place we paddock is spoken for and I find a different place.  Once I get acclimated, I decide I have to buy new rain tire.  Goodyear only has two.  Hoosier has four....and only four in my size (do these people not watch the Weather Channel?).  Rob Futcher arrives next and we decide to put both of our cars under on canopy.  We set up shop, get registered, get teched and discuss the weekend over a couple of beers and dinner.  On to home and getting ready for the rest of the weekend.

05/11/06:    Melinda and I set the front end alignment and continue to finish packing the trailer with all of our crap.  Off to Duane's tomorrow so I can get my annual and then on to the track.

05/01/06:    Slowly but surely we've gotten things back together.  The car is now ready for the suspension to be adjusted.  The motor is connected, fluids in it and it runs.  The front end (valence, radiator, oil cooler, etc.) is all back together as well as the cockpit (belts, seat, dash).  The trailer is also coming together and soon we'll have a complete system.

04/12/06:    Over the course of the last couple of weeks we've gotten the fenders done so next it was on to the new trailer.  Phil and I spent most of the day on 4/8 creating some of the box racks I had designed (see photos).  At our regular monthly general membership meeting on 4/8, I received an award from SCCA HQ.  This was for third place in divisional website.  It was pretty cool (see photos).  On 4/10 we mounted the new tool cabinets and one of the box racks into the trailer (see photos).

03/26/06:    Next Rob and I shaped, fitted and hung the fenders (see photos).

03/19/06:    Over the course of the last month we've been slowly, but surely, re-assembling the rear suspension of the car.  The new upper link brackets, the new panhard rob mount and axle housing assembly have been created, adjusted, painted and installed in the car (see photos).

02/12/06:    Today was a blast as Jon Craig, Rob Futcher and I cruised over to Phil's place so we could start creating all the replacement brackets, spacers, etc. for the rear end.  I had purchased a bunch of aluminum tubing and flat stock as well a some steel plate so we could fabricate all of these brackets.  Soon after we arrived the four of us were a well oiled machine with separate tasks being performed by all.  We used many of Phil's instruments (band saws, end mill, drill press, welders, sanders, air tools, etc.) and had a great time doing it.  We got much further along on the project than I had anticipated (see photos).

02/04/06:    David Hesse drove over from Madison, WI to pick up his new (my old) trailer.  We met at Duane's, signed some paperwork, transferred all the crap from the old trailer to the new one and off he went.  Good luck with her, David.

02/03/06:    Today Duane and I installed the gooseneck hitch on the new truck (see photos).  After that ordeal was completed, we drove to the trailer dealer and towed it back to Duane's.  It was a long day but, man is she nice.

02/01/06:    On the way to Chicago for business, I stopped by the trailer dealer and took these pictures of the new rig.

01/21/06:    Rob came over today and we laid out a plan for reconfiguring the rear end of the car (see photos).

10/09/05:    The past few days I've been disassembling the car as I begin the prep for next year.  The focus for next season will be on the suspension.  Step one was to expose it (see photo) and measure it so I could see how we needed to adjust it.  Rob F. has volunteered (sucker!) to lend a hand in development during the off season.

09/25/05:    Today we packed up and drove home.  First we helped Rob F. during his race.  He had some slight contact that tore off part of his LF fender (wing) and Rob B., Brian and I got to be mechanics twice during the race when Rob came into the pits.  His car slowly lost the entire fender and hood but he was running at the finish.  I'm sure its not what he had in mind but he'll be back again.  All in all we had a fine week.  Only Brian had a great race (he finished 11th) but there was lots of good times during the week and I know I look forward to it for next year in Kansas.  Now the prep for the 2006 season begins.....

09/23/05:    Today I had all the power I could handle....only one problem....it was very wet.  It didn't rain during our race but the track was wet at the start and slowly dried out during the event.  I decided to go to intermediate tires and still spun three times (I'll post video clips of the spins when I can).  I started 17th and finished 19th.  Not very good but I'll take it when I spin that many times and don't injure myself, the car or anybody else (see photos).

09/22/05:    Today the motor was almost perfect as I was getting closer on the carb settings.  We ran a 1:46.6 with a lot of room for improvement.

09/21/05:    Today I deliberately set the carbs waaaay rich to see if the EGT probe is lying to me.  It was.  The car ran awful (we ran a 1:47.2) but now we know that the carbs are behaving correctly according to the air density chart.  We'll be ready for tomorrow.  The downer was that Rob B. was having trouble with his car.  We tried all sorts of things (head, carbs, ignition box, coil, etc.) to correct a high rev miss he was having (see photos).  Nothing changed the situation.

09/20/05:    More high EGT readings today but good power again so this is baffling.

09/19/05:    Cool and overcast for our session.  I was slowed by high EGT readings.  Thank God Rob F. and Brian were able to crew for us and help out during the session (see photos).  I thought I was running way too hot and that my carbs were mis-tuned.

09/18/05:    Today was a light day opf schmoozing, car prep, tech inspections and generally getting ready as HP was on track first Monday morning (see photos).

09/17/05:    The drive down to the RunOffs was uneventful (for a change).  When we (Rob Futcher caravanned along so we would get there at the same time) got there Brian and Rob B. had mowed the area and put up five canopies (see photos).

09/07/05:    Tonight I put the last touches on the in-car camera mount (see photo).  The tire damage was limited to the tire alone.  But it was pretty well shredded (see photos).  I rolled the car out of the trailer and \began the prep for the RunOffs.  We'll need to do a lot of cleaning and organizing before we leave.

09/06/05:    Tonight I went to Duane's and got ready for the test night at GingerMan.  I needed to warm up the motor, re-torque the head studs and set the valve lash.  Once I completed that I could load up and drive down to the track.  Phil was nice enough to volunteer to meet me there and would help out.  All I wanted to do was run the car hard for eight or ten laps to see if it could not over heat.  I ran two session of about 10 laps each and both went fine.  No over heating at all.  The only glitch of the day was as I drove home, I had a blow out on one of the trailer tires.   I could break the lugs loose and AAA was no help so I limped it home.  It was a mess.

09/02/05:    Today I installed the repaired radiator and filled the cooling system.  The radiator had a crack in it near the drain petcock.  This was repaired by the folks that put in the hose barb last week (see photos).

08/27/05:    With all the fittings and tubing in hand, I went to Duane's and assembled the new cooling system (see photo).  This will allow the cooling system to be filled from the bottom up (thus forcing all the air out of the system) without any air pockets.  We'll have to test it on track later but the brain trust thinks this will work.  Rob helped me this morning and we discovered a small leak in the radiator (created when the hose barb was installed).  This will get repaired while I'm out of town on business so I can re-install everything later.

08/19/05:    I went over to Duane's to show him the radiator modifications.  By the time I got there UPS had delivered the new surge tank.  I then set about figuring out which fitting I needed to put where in order to create the air bleed line from the thermostat housing to the back of the head and then on to the surge tank.  I went over the Grand Rapids Valve and ordered all the pieces to create the system.  Some were on hand and some will be delivered later.  After all of this is installed we will have to run the car on track to insure we are stressing it hard enough to see if the overheating issue has been conquered.

08/18/05:    To get the diagnosis of the overheating problem started, I drained the cooling system and removed the thermostat and radiator.  Duane and I analyzed the situation.  We know we wanted a new surge tank.  We picked one out and he ordered it for me.  After that I took the radiator to Lansing Radiator to get checked out.  It had a small amount of crud in it but nothing serious.  Also it was leak tight.  He suggested that we put a fitting in the lower corner that would connect to the surge tank (just as Rob Futcher proposed) so the radiator would fill from the bottom and force the air out the top.  He added the fitting and I called it a day. 

08/14/05:    Melinda and got to the track at 7AM so we could install the water pump and new thermostat.  After that we went out for emergency practice.  It behaved the same.  At that point Rob Futcher suggested that it can't bleed an air pocket from the system as it was presently configured.  He offered parts and I built a line from the thermostat housing to the rear of the head and then on to the surge tank..  We (Margie too....see photo) then warmed up the car to operating temperatures (210^oF or so) without any problems.  No leaks, no spikes in temperatures, etc.  We went through this procedure twice.  At this point the die was cast and we had to wait until the race to see if it worked.  Well it did not.  After two laps of hard racing she heated up again.  I pulled her in and called it a day.  We dropped off the trailer at Duane's and drove home.  We'll look at it later.

08/13/05:    We were group five so we had plenty of time to get ready for the day's sessions.  During the first qualifying session the water temperature was high (230^oF) and jumping around (+/-30^oF).  I came in after only three laps and checked out the situation.  We thought there was an air pocket in the system.  There was no heat in the radiator.  We let it cool, added water to the surge tank and tried it again.  During the afternoon session it did the same thing.,  We theorized that the water pump wasn't strong enough to push the water (this one had three blades cut off of it) and that we should put in the one that was on the motor when it got dynoed.  I removed all the necessary parts so we could install the others the next morning.  The good news was that I broke my personal best there by a second while running very conservatively as I was breaking in the new motor.

08/12/05:    Today I replaced the timing chain cover, got the car running (Duane set the timing) and loaded up and headed off to the track.  See photos here.

08/11/05:    The powers that be decided that the bulkhead fitting for breather would not attached properly to the timing chain cover.  In addition, it was in a bad spot.  The belt had enough slack in it that it may hit the fitting and knock it off.  This would allow oil to spew out the breathe vent onto the header and cause all sorts of issues.  The decision was made to remove the timing chain cover and replace it with the old one.  We could do this tomorrow.

08/10/05:    Tonight I installed the clutch spacer.  In order to do this I needed to grind the input shaft down just a little so the spacer could slide all the way back to the correct position.  Once we did that we could put the motor/tranny in the chassis.

08/07/05:    We had wanted to get the motor/tranny assembly in the chassis today.  Step one was to mate the tranny to the motor, slide it in the chassis and check the clutch movement.  It didn't align properly.  Duane and I figured out that we need a spacer to make the clutch bearing mate with the clutch.  So we pulled the motor/tranny out.  I pulled the old clutch plate off the old motor and we inspected it.  The pressure plate had some serious heat cracks in it and the clutch disc itself was fractured on one side and was very close to failing.  All was not lost as we were able to install the new ignition system.  We also repositioned the starter.  It was rubbing against the motor.  We disassembled the starter and rotated the end plate so that the starter was clear of the motor.  We thought we were done for the day when I noticed the right front wheel was cocked at a much larger angle than usual.  Inspection showed that a shock mounting bolt had sheared off flush with the chassis.  We had to back the remaining portion of the bolt out, put in a new bolt and re-install the shock.  I guess its better to find that out now as opposed to race day.  See photos of the days events here.

08/05/05:    Today we continued the new motor prep as we put a timing mark on the new timing chain cover and installed a thermostat and thermostat housing.  In addition, we got the flywheel and clutch put on.  At this point we are ready to install the motor in the chassis.  See photos of the days events here.

08/03/05:    Today I take the trailer over to Duane's and drop it off on the way to a job site in Holland.  Both motors and the chassis are in there as we need to put the last remaining parts on the new motor.  Today we took off the crank pulley, removed the old timing chain cover, prepped and installed the new cover and put on the new water pump (with three fewer impeller blades).  See photos of the days events here.

07/17/05:    Oh Geez....what a day.  For a while I thought the whole motor program was toast for the year.  Then we got things straightened out and it looks like we've got a real winner here.  I'll start at the beginning:  Duane and I drove down on Saturday evening so we could get an early start Sunday.  Right out of the chute there was an issue we had to deal with.  My truck's A/C compressor was failing and making some horrible noises.  Duane volunteered to tow with his van.  One problem....his van has a six pin electrical socket to connect to his trailer and mine has a seven pin connector.  So off to Meijer's to buy and adapter and re-wire my trailer plug in the parking lot (see photo here).  It looked like it was going to shit storm any minute but we got the job done and off to Toledo we went.  We arrived at 8:00 like George wanted us too.  I took quite a while to bolt everything together.  We fired it up to warm up the engine and motor oil started pouring out of it.  After finding a leaking block plug we thought we had it figured out.  But this was not the case.  Each time we found a leak we had to unbolt the motor from the dyno.  On the third try we found that the oil pump gasket was in backwards (who woulda thunk?).  Once we corrected that we had no oil leaks.  By now we had been at it for six hours.  Now the ignition had crapped out.  George connected an old Mallory dual point distributor and we started the system up again.  Now that we got the motor to start and run fine, we could actually make a few pulls to see how the motor ran under a load.  We actually made only four runs and gathered some very valuable data along the way.  We ended up with some very strong power numbers (and a few tips to improve on those as well).  See images from the entire day by clicking here.

07/15/05:    I found out Tuesday that we would be dynoing the motor on Sunday at George's. The good news is that's sooner than I expected.  The bad news is that there is a lot of pre-dyno work that needs to be done and not much time to do it.  I started today by preparing the car for pulling the old engine (draining the fluids, disconnecting the fuel, oil and water lines, uncoupling the driveshaft, etc.).  I'll take several fittings off the old motor, take them to Duane's and we'll put them on the new motor.  Then we'll drag the new motor back here, pack it in the trailer with everything else and head on down to Toledo tonight.  That way we can be ready for the 8AM start time on Sunday.

07/09/05:    Today Duane, Jon and I worked on several facets of the car.  We got a few things done to the new motor (attached the oil pick up and oil pan, put on the head, push rods and valve train assembly and put on the timing chain cover).  We also repaired the 4.22 differential (it had been leaking fluid), took out the 3.90 diff and put in the 4.22 diff.  Last but not least, we tried to solve the brake issues we've been having.  Ever since we installed the rear disc brakes we have had a soft pedal on the first pump of the brakes.  Duane used a dial indicator (see photo here) and discovered that the brake rotor was ever so slightly out of true (0.005").  This kicked out the brake pads and made the pedal soft.  How we get the rotors machined properly will be the next question....stay tuned.

06/25/05:    As it was much cooler today (and the track was cleaned off by the rain), we all went faster.  Some more than others.  I went 1.8 seconds faster but that wasn't enough as I slipped from 46^th on the grid to 48^th.  We had put the new tires back on the car, cleaned her up, made a carb adjustment (George gave me a tip for more power) and were ready to go.  Since I was 8.5 seconds slower than the HP car in front of me and 4.5 seconds faster than the HP car behind me (see grid sheet here), I would probably not have any HP cars to race with.  This meant I would be running with cars in other classes.  But with 60 cars on track there would be somebody to race with.  The race was very exciting (good and bad).  The bad was right at the start as several cars got together before the start finish line.  I tip-toed through the maelstrom and was off.  There was a full course yellow situation for several laps as the cleaned up the debris.  The motor felt really strong and the new tires were really sticky.  I was in a pack of six cars (three EP and two GP....all allegedly faster than I was).  We swapped position several times.  I was much faster in the corners but they had me on the straights.  We battled the entire race and had a very good time.  Unfortunately the video system let us down and there was no video of the race.  Apparently there was a lot of passes under yellow infractions during the race.  They held the entire field in the winners circle for almost an hour after the race.  This meant everybody got to watch the post-race festivities.  I started fifth, moved to fourth after an HP car was taken out by the crash and remained there for the finish (see final race results and trophy).  Not too bad.  We're learning all the time about the new fancy carbs and I can't wait to get the finished motor into the car for the next event at Grattan in August.  Colette (Andy's girlfriend) was team photographer for the weekend and took some very nice photos.  See them by clicking here.  It was nice meeting her....too bad she had to meet us.

06/24/05:    We mounted the new tires on the car for the practice session.  We would remove them after the session so they could cure for the race tomorrow.  I set a personal best during the session (3:00.998, see sheet here) and thought things would get better because the same rich fuel issue cropped up again.  We could make adjustments for the later sessions.  Afternoon qualifying was miserable for a few reasons. It was VERY hot (98^oF) which made the engine run poorly and the driver uncomfortable.  In addition, the track was slippery and the attrition rate was very high.  It rained like crazy later in the evening which helped cool things off.

06/23/05:    We got to the track at 11AM or so and quickly got set up in our paddock spot.  We set up shop in the south paddock close to the back stretch between T3 and T5.  We would have everything ready so we could get the car teched and be ready for the early morning session on Friday.  We had plenty of time for schmoozing and hanging out with those paddocked around us (Davidson, Salisbury, Futcher).

06/18/05:    Today I mounted the new camera on the car using Duane's mount that Phil made for him.  Very cool.

06/11/05:    Well it was back to working on the new motor today.  Duane and I got the last piston in and set the cam timing.  The cam timing took quite a while and is a tricky task.  But Duane certainly knows what he is doing and it turned out just right (see photos here).

06/05/05:    We had put 3 needles in the carbs and went out for emergency practice.  The car felt great and I was really looking forward to the race.  Sadly the race would be let down....but a fun time nonetheless.  I was gridded ahead of a couple of HP cars and was thinking that I'd be able to catch a couple of HP cars in front of me.  I got a good start and after the field strung out I was running with Greg Feller (Spridget) and Greg Plush (Datsun 510).  The three of us ran nose to tail for three laps. I had passed Feller and was working on Plush (in the esses) when the motor went flat.  It happened so suddenly and felt so awful that I assumed that I broke something in the valve train.  I shut it down immediately.  I got to watch the rest of the race from T9.  And an exciting race it was (see comments here).  After we got back to the paddock, we (Bear, Rob Futcher and I) examined the situation.  We took the valve cover off and looked at the valve train.  All appeared to be OK.  Nothing was loose, bent or out of place.  Rob observed that the part of the throttle shaft was not engaged with the carb's butterfly shaft....Tab A was not in Slot B (see photo here).  This made the front carb not run at all.  I made the repair to the linkage so I could drive the car into the trailer.  Bear and I packed up and drove home.  So in the end, it was depressing as I was really running strong and felt I could have chased down another few cars and (with attrition) ended up fifth.  But the upside is we've learned a little about how to handle these carbs.  And those three laps were the most fun I've ever had on track (except for seeing the checker at the RunOffs last year).

06/04/05:    The morning practice session was a bummer as we were still chasing carb issues like we were at Grattan.  On some sage advice from George, we went from a 5 needle to a 2.  In the afternoon session we went much faster but were still held back by using the wrong differential.  I had the 3.90 in and I should have had the 4.22.  Bear and I swap the diffs and leave for the evening.

05/30/05:    Today I swapped the axle housings.  The good news is that the new axle for the right side slid in perfectly just like its supposed to (see photos here).

05/21/05:    After some examination on Friday at Duane's and this morning here, its apparent that the issue with the rear end is that the axle housing is bent near the right hub (see photos here).  I'll have to take all the parts (hubs, calipers, springs, panhard rod, etc.) off the housing, remove the axle housing and install another one and then re-attach those parts before the next race.  This will be a lot of work.  While I was there I replaced the front brake rotors (see photo here).

05/15/05:    Melinda and I arrive at the track and prepare to attach the fender.  While doing that we noticed that the RR axle did not mate with the hub.  After a lot of conversation with folks who should know (Salisbury, Morton, Savage, Futcher) we decided to put it together and see what happens.  I was already gridded sixth of seven so falling back a position wouldn't hurt too much.  I also changed needles to account for the lean condition the carbs exhibited during the qualifying session the previous day.  I ran strong for the first 15 laps (of a 23 lap race).  After a few laps it was apparent that I wouldn't be able to pass Aaron Feller but with Tom Feller, John Salisbury and Greg Feller dropping out, I had advanced from seventh to fourth.  Thats where I would finish.  All things considered it wasn't a bad result.  The carbs need to be tuned and once they get 'right' then this car will really run.  As it was I set a personal best (1:37.297) and am really looking forward to getting the carbs set up properly.  (see race results here)

05/14/05:    I went out for the practice session on rain tires as it rained steadily all morning until just before we went out.  The qualifying session was in the dry and a first for the team.  I had contact with another car.  A car spun and collected me.  I told Melinda about over the radio, got back to the pits and had her and Phil look at it.  Phil said it looked OK except for a missing right rear fender.  I went back out and turned some low 1:38's (a personal best) and called it a day.  We retrieved the fender and took it home so we could repair it.  Melinda and I pop riveted some aluminum sheet to the back of the fender so it would have better support.

05/12/05:    I finished prepping for the Grattan race by swapping differentials, mounting the throttle return springs and cleaning the car thoroughly.

05/08/05:    The new rods ends were installed into the control arms and those were re-attached to the chassis (see photo here).  At least I can roll the car around on all four wheels.

05/07/05:    Yesterday and today I spent some time taking care of some little details before the next race.  I mounted the new carbs on the motor (see photo here), cut the new brake bias cable to the correct length, cleaned the car thoroughly, re-attached the sway bar (it was disconnected while at GingerMan), re-installed the radio system (one of the cables was faulty and was replaced so I had to re-install all the cables), adjust the mechanical stop for the clutch and greased the front end.  Tonight I'll pick up the new rod ends and assemble the control arms.  After that its a matter of installing the arms, swapping differentials (4.55 out, 4.22 in) and we're ready to go to Grattan.

04/25/05:    Upon further inspection, the bumping from the rear end was caused by a broken control arm.  This allowed the axle housing to pivot backwards and caused the driveshaft to bump against the chassis.  Ouch!  Although it could have been much worse if it had occurred a few minutes earlier while I was on track.  See photo here.

04/24/05:    Race day started out with a bang.  I looked out the window and saw a lot of snow....and it was still coming down.  And sideways at that since there were 30 to 40 MPH winds.  I got to the track and saw that our car cover had blown off so the car was covered with a layer of snow.  The canopy was intact but was weighed down with a lot of snow.  I could see that the track was mostly covered with drifted snow.  I roamed around and took some pictures (see photos here).  We had heard over the PA that the schedule was on a two hour hold.  There was a drivers meeting at 9AM.  The brass told us they had come up with a plan so that qualifiers would get credit for their efforts (showing up) and that we could have a 'race' to get points for the finishers.  They said they would 'reschedule' the races to 30 minutes (instead of 24 laps) because of the weather.  Once that was done, they could shorten the rescheduled races to 15 minutes, combine race groups to cut the number of races from eight to four and run them under full course yellow behind a pace car in single file qualifying order.  This plan made the best of a bad situation.  The workers wouldn't be exposed to the elements for too long, the drivers would get starts, finishes and points for their efforts and the race would go on and not have to be cancelled or postponed.  As I qualified fourth in my class, I finished fourth in class.  Although I did set the fastest lap during the race.  Probably the last time that will happen.  On the way back to our paddock spot, something came loose in the rear end (driveshaft, differential) and I needed a flat tow the last 100 yards.  I'll start working on that when I get the car out of the trailer tomorrow.

04/23/05:    Cold, wet and very windy.  The temperatures dropped during the day so the snow that was falling began to stick later in the day.  The track was very wet and so went out for practice on rain tires.  They never got any heat in them so the best we could do is a 2:10 or so.  Jon Craig showed up and was a big help.  The brakes felt OK but a little soft so we had to bleed them.  That was not fun in the cold and wind.  When qualifying came around it was snowing pretty hard.  The track was drying out but was still very cold.  I decided top stay on rain tires as I didn't think that slicks would warm up enough to be sticky.  Bad choice.  The rains weren't any good and I clocked a 1:54.  At least we got a time.  The radios weren't working so Melinda gave me a hand signal when I had recorded five laps.  I came in immediately.  It had been a very long day so we packed things up and left for the hotel.  We went out to dinner with the Baxs again and headed straight for bed.  The weather took it out of us and we were both exhausted.

04/22/05:    Melinda and I took a leisurely pace as we knew I wasn't getting on track today.  The weather (rain and high winds) precluded gathering any valuable data.  We arrived at 1:30 or so, setup our paddock space, schmoozed a bit and then went to the hotel to check in and get lunch.  After a lunch and nap break, I came back to the track to schmooze some more.  We met up with the usual folks.  As it was Melinda's birthday (and coincidentally Matt Brannon's as well), we made dinner plans with the Rob and Doris Bax and Matt and Marnie Brannon.  A good time was had by all and we went back to the hotel at 10:30.

04/21/05:    Today we tied up the loose ends before race weekend.  I swapped differentials (took out the 4.22 and put in a 4.55), installed a new brake bias cable as well as the new rear wheel spacers.

04/18/05:    We fabricated the rear brake lines today and then filled and bled the system.

04/16/05:    Today we got the car's annual technical inspection.  WMR sponsored a tech day so local drivers could get their cars inspected before they went to the track for the first race.

04/10/25:    At last something positive.  I install the new rear disc brakes.  After that was finished we rolled the car into the trailer and lugged it over to Duane's.  Once it was there we prepped and installed the head and carbs and got the motor running.  I trailered her home so I could work on some minutia during the week.  See photos here.

03/25/05:    We restarted the motor build after getting the block honed.  We had another setback as we broken a piston ring while trying to install it into the cylinder.  Oh well....we continued with other portions of the assembly (cam, oil pump, front plate, rear plate).  We'll order some more rings and get to it later.  See photos here.

02/27/05:    So we got the crank issue solved and so now we needed to install the pistons and complete the assembly.  We got two of the pistons in the block and discovered that the block was too tall.  Arrrgh!  Duane will take it to the machine shop and get it honed down to the proper height and then we'll go from there. See photos here. 

02/21/05:    Today Duane and I started to build the new motor.  Over the course of the last week or so we have collected all the parts we need and start assembling the pieces this morning.  We ran into a minor issue right out of the shoot.  The crank main bearing caps are just a touch out of round (0.001 inches or so) and we need to have them homed ever so slightly.  This requires a trip to the machine shop to correct and sets us back a few hours while we figured out what was going on.  Eventually we got the problem solved and were able to set the crank in place.  See photos here.

02/04/05:    I head to George's to pick up the carbs (see photos here front / side).  And boy do they look nice!

01/30/05:    Phil drags my trailer over to his place so we can do some chassis work on it.  We need Phil's truck since mine does not have 4WD.  Now we could work on the car at the same time as the motor gets assembled.

01/21/05:    At last!  The motor parts are coming together.  George has finished prepping the head.  Rick Haynes has delivered the crank to George's.  And the cam shows up (see photo here).  Just a week ago George had been told by the cam manufacturer that there was no billet stock available to use to grind our cam.  Now magically one appears.  And on my birthday no less!  I drop off the carbs for him to prep, grab up all the parts (so I can take them to Duane's) and head to the airport in Detroit to pick up Margie.  Pretty soon Duane and I ought to be building a motor.

12/11/04:    I picked up the spare heads and pistons from George.  I'll return the heads to their rightful owners.  I'll give the pistons to the machine shop so they can bore the block to accept them.  Meanwhile Duane and I are working on the carbs while we wait for the crank and cam to show up and for the rods to be prepped.

11/23/04:    I went to the machine shop and picked up the cylinder heads and crankshaft.  The heads had been prepped for George.  The crank was a core that I would give to Rick Haynes in exchange for a prepped crank for the new motor.  I also went to University Motors and picked out an intake manifold per George's specs.

11/11/04:    I took the four 'good' heads to Duane's so he could take them to the machine shop for cleaning.  Once they are cleaned they'll be taken to George's so he can flow test them and find the best one.

10/27/02:    While on a business trip to Cincinnati, I went over to Rob Bax's home.  Before we went to dinner, we inspected his cylinder heads and found two that were good.  I took those so George could flow them as well as the two I brought him.  We now had four heads to work with to find a suitable candidate (see photo here).

10/24/04:    Tonight I dropped off the cylinder heads that I got from Peter at George Bauchman's.  He inspected them and found two of the five to be worthy of consideration.  The other three weren't and I took them with me.

10/22/04:    Tonight I drove over to Peter's.  He was nice enough to let me raid his stash of cylinder heads so we could find a one good one to start the engine prep with.

10/21/04:    I went over to Duane's this evening and tore apart the motor.  If nothing else, it was filthy.  I disassembled it so we could take certain parts (cylinder head, crankshaft, connecting rods, block) to the machine shop.  They will thoroughly clean the parts and prepare them for being used as the new race motor (and all the stresses that includes).

10/08/04:    Well, the off season program has begun. I picked up a bone stock motor today. If it checks out to be in good shape, it will be the core for the new race motor for next season. And so the spending begins....

09/26/04:    Duane's race was today and I stayed until his event was over.  He ran a fine race and had a good battle with an MGB for several laps.  After the race was over I headed out.  I had packed up everything before the race and all I needed to do was hop in and drive off.  I took it easy on the way home (under 65MPH) so I would stress the trailer too much.  I'll unpack tomorrow.  What a week.  I NEED to do this every year.

09/25/04:    Today was a day to relax and take it easy.  Jeff and I fixed the right side bearings in the morning and we all watched a few races during the day.  Melinda left for home at about 10:30 or so.  She was leaving on a business trip on 9/26 and needed to be home for a while.

09/24/04:    I went out for the warm up session to check the clutch adjustment we had made.  After a lap of checking that out and warming things up, I caught up to a group of cars (Canfield, Cummings, Krauss and Bax) that I wanted to test myself against.  I was hanging with them until I spun in some oil at T7.  I skated across the gravel trap known as China Beach (since its so huge), came to a stop, got it pointed in the right direction with a doughnut in the wet grass and got back on track.  I left behind a fender stuck in the sand like a shark fin.  Bear and I went back to the corner to collect it later.  Melinda, Bear and I put the fender back on, check the car out for loose connections, fittings, etc. and declared her ready for the race.  Now we waited....and waited....and waited.  It seemed like forever.  When it was time I went down to the grid and schmoozed with my fellow competitors.  I was a little nervous but things calmed down once I was in the car and on track.  I allowed myself to get snookered on the start.  I did not want to be on the outside of T7 (like I was earlier in the morning) so a few cars got past me before I could slide over to the right.  I made it through the first few corners just fine and was on my way.  I was pissed at myself for getting a bad start and allowing those cars by.  I ran as hard as I could for all 19 laps (I was lapped by once) and got past several of those cars.  Phil was on the radio in the esses and told me about a couple of caution flags.  I used one of them to my advantage as a Datsun 510 was reeling me in after I had just passed him in the keyhole.  We got to the yellow flag area and he had to back off.  I kept going and by the time we were past the caution zone he was way to far behind to catch up.  I passed another 510 a few laps later, again, in the keyhole.  I also got past a couple of ailing cars that were still running.  Attrition had claimed a few more cars and I ended up 11th.  Not too bad for our first RunOffs.  After the race was over it was neat to chat with the other drivers and schmooze some more.  But now the business at hand was to fix the trailer bearings.  Between Jeff, Jill (bearing engineer in a former job) and their friend Roger, we were able to check out the situation.  The spindle was OK and all we needed to do was knock off the remains of the old bearing and install a new one.  I had four sets just in case.  We disassembled one good wheel to see how it all went together.  Armed with that blue print, we fixed the left side wheels and would get to the right side ones tomorrow.  See the results from the race by clicking here.

09/23/04:    We had a good session but it was lack flagged early and I came off track without a good time.  Again, I was learning the track and becoming more comfortable.  The clutch was acting a little sluggish so I adjusted the mechanical stop under the pedal.  See the results from this session by clicking here.

09/22/04:    A new low lap time and I'm feeling pretty good about the whole situation.  Lots of fellow drivers are complimenting me on my line and things feel pretty good.  The car is better without the the rear sway bar.  I may have to make an off season adjustment to the front one.  See the results from this session by clicking here.

09/21/04:    The car was more stable and I could accelerate faster coming off the corners without fear of spinning.  Mt best time was a 1:48.  Of course, he new tires helped also.  I decided to disconnect the rear sway bar entirely to see if that would help.  I was feeling more comfortable with each lap.  This track doesn't give up time too easily and I am slowly learning the subtleties of this course.  On the trailer repair side of things, I ordered some replacement bearings and will be able to pick them up tomorrow.  See the results from this session by clicking here.

09/20/04:    Practice went well as we lowered our times to a 1:50 or so.  We were the first group out and the rising sun was no fun to look into as we approached T9 and T11.  T11 is hard enough without driving from bright sunlight into very dark shade.  My eyes couldn't adjust too quickly and I was very tentative through that corner.  The car was very loose so we decided to soften the rear sway bar to the softest setting possible.  We would see the change (if any) tomorrow.  I also took my second set of rims to Goodyear and had them mount a set of new tires for me.  See the results from this session by clicking here.

09/19/04:    The drive down was interrupted by a wheel bearing failure on the trailer about 20 miles from the track.  Fortunately Melinda was driving her own car (as she was leaving early) and she spotted some smoke coming from the effected wheel.  She got my attention and I pulled over just in time.  We removed the wheel from the trailer and drove the rest of the way on three tires.  When we got there we unloaded the car, set up our paddock space and analyzed the situation.  We had a week to solve the issue and I would find the proper bearings tomorrow.

09/09/04:    In preparation for the big dance, I rolled the car out of the trailer so I could change the oil, replace the front brake pads, lower the rear end a little and a few other routine maintenance items.  Over the course of the next few days, I'll get these things done so the car will be ready for action.  I also purchased a golf cart today (see photo here).  No more schlepping around race tracks on foot for this team!

09/05/04:    The car ran great during the warm up session and no oil smoke.  So we waited for the race to begin....and waited....and waited.  We were the first group out after lunch.  We arrived at 1:25 for a 1:40 start but things ran late and were had to wait until 2:00.  This meant that the drivers huddled in the shade under the grid personnel tent.  We had a great time joking around and keeping things loose.  Finally it was time to go.  I was gridded just in front of Kendall.  He was late to the grid and the field left without him.  He wasn't able to catch up on the pace lap so my race with him was scuttled.  I was gridded behind Greg Feller and I was able to hang with him for a couple of laps but he eventually drove away from me.  I was able to race with a couple of cars and had a good time.  Chris Crisenbery and Feller ran off and hid while I soldiered around in third place.  My best time dropped to a 1:38.3 so more improvement was made.  After the race I was exhausted.  The heat and humidity had taken their toll. Packing up was no fun even with a third place finish as it was really hot and nasty.  The car is basically ready for the RunOffs with a couple of minor changes.  See results of the event by clicking here.  See photos of the event by clicking here.

09/04/04:    I went out for qualifying and the car handled great.  I could apply power earlier on the exit and could carry more speed.  Unfortunately the motor was off song above 5000 rpm or so.  It just didn't have the punch.  I was still able to run a 1:43 so it meant we could go a lot faster.  After the session we discovered that the timing was off due to a loose distributor.  Duane adjusted that and we were ready for the afternoon session.  The motor now ran great.  I had power across the entire rev range and was much faster.  Unfortunately a valve cover gasket had expired so I was losing oil at a prodigious pace and had to go in early as I was fogging up the joint pretty good.  I replaced the gasket and we would be ready for the warm up session on Sunday morning.  I was at a 1:40.5 and Kendall was at a 1:41.5 so we might have a fun race.

08/30/04:    Tonight I finished the sway bar install (see photo) and put back all the front end crap that I had to take out in order to get the sway bar swapped (radiator, valence, oil cooler).  What a chore.  I also finished installing a PCV valve on my fuel cell overflow line so I won't spill fuel anymore.

08/29/04:    The three of us meet at Duane's again to work on our cars.  Duane has a new camshaft to put in.  I need to mount the new front sway bar.  I got it mostly finished, loaded the car in the trailer and came home.  The remaining work before the Grattan race can be done at home in the evening.  

08/27/04:    We me at Duane's again to re-install the head and install the new rear springs.

08/23/04:    I ordered some suspension parts from Winner's Circle to try to cure the roll in the corners.  Several Spridget experts all suggested that this would go a long way towards eliminating the problem.  With any luck we can get them installed before Grattan and use that race as a test of the new package.

08/22/04:    Well I met Phil at Duane's and the three of us diagnosed the motor a little.  Duane wanted to check a few things before we went to Grattan.  It had horrible compression, failed the leak down test and was generally juuuuust about to lose a head gasket.  Perfect timing on his part to check this thing out.  Further inspection of the head, head gasket and block showed minor damage to a couple of valves (one wouldn't seat at all) and that the block and head were planar.  Duane would take the head to the machine shop on 8/23 so it could get cleaned up and ready for installation next weekend.

08/15/04:    YeeHaa....what a blast.  On the pace lap Melinda told me when the green was waved and I stood on it.  I was in the correct gear and accelerating when she yelled and the timing was perfect.  I passed several cars before turn one.  I checked my mirror before turn 2 and they were battling amongst themselves.  Because of this, none of them got a clean line through turn one and I could get some distance on the pack.  Melinda told me that I was catching Greg Feller. He is a lot faster than I am and I did see him ahead of me for a while.  I guess his crew told him that I was catching him and he picked up the pace.  During the race I lowered my best lap time to 1:54.5 (another 1.5 seconds).  I got to play with several cars and eventually finished third of five cars.  I even got a nice looking trophy.  Lots of fun and now we are qualified for the RunOffs.  There is some work to be done before then and I am looking forward to returning to Mid-O.  Click here for links to the qualifying and race results.  See the photos Bear took of the event here.

08/14/04:    The morning session was marred by three events.  One; my fuel cell was too full and I was black flagged for dumping fuel on track.  Two; as I was sitting in the pits getting looked at by a steward, the session was checkered a few minutes early as Dean Patterson's GP Chevetee blew its motor in a HUGE way.  Parts were everywhere and this caused a major cleanup.  Three; with 62 cars on track the congestion was extreme.  Waaaaay too many cars and it was dangerous.  My time was 1:57:6.  This time wasn't great but my previous best was 2:06ish.  Still a lot of room for improvement.  The afternoon session was calmer.  No blow-ups and 16 fewer cars.  I lowered my time to a 1:56.1.  I was feeling more confident in my line with each lap.  I am still under powered but there isn't anything I can do about that right now.  We'll make a carb adjustment in the morning and go from there.

08/13/04:    Melinda and I had an uneventful drive down.  We met Bear at the hotel, unpacked the shelves that he was to take home and drove over to the track.  Once there we registered and waited for the gates to open.  We found a nice spot and roped off an area for ourselves and the Bailey's.  Bear and I set up our paddock spot and called it an evening.

08/11/04:    Tonight Phil met me and I drove roughly 65 laps at a test night at GingerMan Raceway.  I was so sore driving home.  My upper body and arms were wrung out from all the turning.  Phil was a slave driver as he had me stay in the car while he performed temperature and pressure checks on the tires.  I am much more comfortable with the whole understeer / oversteer concept as a result of his efforts.  its also obvious that we need a much stiffer sway bar on the rear and perhaps on the front as well.

08/01/04:    Today I wired the second fuel pump.

07/29/04:    After fussing with a different rear spring setup (to no avail), I returned the original competition spring to the chassis.  This car leans too much and we will have to make sway bar adjustments (or replacements) to cure the issue.

07/23/04:    Tonight I got with it and assembled the Aeroquip lines for the reconfigured fuel supply system (see photo).

07/04/04:    Chasing this miss would prove elusive.  I torqued the head and checked the valve lash.  Most were fine.  Melinda and I had to correct a couple of them.  Duane suggested I check the resistance of the plug and coil wires.  They were all OK.  The plugs themselves looked like the carbs were rich.  I backed off the jets and put everything back together.  It would have to do.  The race went fine.  The miss seemed to be gone.  The front carb read 1250F or so on the straights (still a little rich).  I was gridded fourth of six but Chris Crisenbery was behind me with not time so I knew he would get past me.  And he did several laps in.  Bob Bax and I dueled for a few laps but he was under powered and did a good job with what he had to work with.  He never got past me.  Mike Everage broke on lap 13 and that promoted me to back fourth again.  And that is the way it finished (see results here).  No trophy for fourth place (cheap bastards).  The drive home was fine as we stopped in Fort Wayne (about half way) and had a nice meal at Outback.  Dick Powell was nice enough to take some shots of us during the weekend.  See those images here.

07/03/04:    As this was my first trip to this track, the learning curve would be steep.  I was warned about a few things (slippery surface on the drag strip if it gets wet, the track isn't very smooth, etc.) but I would have to experience this place for myself.  The practice session was fun because it was neat to learn a new track.  The EGT values were off so I pulled in early.  We made some changes in the carbs and went out for the afternoon qualifying session.  Again the motor seemed to be missing a little and the EGT's weren't any better.  I ran a little faster but would have to settle for fourth on the grid of six HP cars (see qualifying results here).  Then the rain came!  We could see it coming for a while so we put the car in the trailer and put everything away.  It came down for 25 or 30 minutes and washed out the qualifying of group6 and 7.  They would get to qualify on Sunday morning.  This would eliminate our emergency practice session.  It cleared up just fine and we went to the track party and had a good time.

07/02/04:    As I got home late last night from a business trip, we had to finish packing the trailer, load the car in there and a few other minor details before we could leave.  The drive down was uneventful.  We registered, found a spot close to some other prod folks (Bob Bax, Matt Brannon, Greg Feller and Mike Everage) and set up camp.  I bicycled the circuit so I could see the layout.  It would be fast but the track surface was uneven.  We are in group 5 so we have plenty of time tomorrow to get the car ready.  Just before we left Steve Nagel called and there on their way down.  I had saved a spot for them and told him where we were.

06/22/04:    This morning I had to take the trailer to the shop for repairs from the drive home.

06/21/04:    We waited until today to drive home because yesterday had been a long day and we didn't want to hassle with the Chicago traffic on the way home.  Dad, Melinda and I left Fond du Lac at 7:45CST and made our way home.  We thought it had been uneventful until I noticed that right rear wheel on the trailer was coated in grease.  This meant we lost a bearing.  It was only when I backed the trailer into the driveway from the left (loading the right side) that I heard some crunching noises.  Knowing that we needed to remove the wheel from the trailer to tow it to be repaired, I jacked up the corner of the trailer.  As I took the weight off the right side, the wheel fell off.  I thought 'Oh, my God....what if that happened a few miles ago when we were traveling at 70 MPH'.  I suddenly realized we were very lucky.  Click here to see the remainder of the hub assembly.

06/20/04:    With older tires on for the second qualifying session, we were a little slower.  We collected tire data and made a pressure adjustment for the race.  Everything seemed to be pointing to a good run during the race.  The race was pretty fun for the first couple of laps.  I was dueling with an GT-4 Toyota Corolla.  It was very slow in the corners and a rocket on the straights.  This made for a frustrating first couple of laps as I could leave him in the dust through the back stretch of the course and he would catch me on the front straight.  After 2 laps I didn't see him again so I guess he pulled off.  Cruising down the front straight, the car wheezed and died.  I was on lap five.  One more and I get a finish but I knew she wouldn't make it around this track so I parked it at T3.  Back in the paddock she started and ran for a few seconds but the died again.  I'll figure out what happened later but its either a fuel pump or my fuel cell foam disintegrating.  Kind of a bummer but we a lot of fun with Phil and Kendra, all the family as well as the other drivers and workers.  We'll be back next year.  Click here to view the photos by Andy and Dad from the weekend.

06/19/04:    The new tires were great and with some coaching from Phil (I could hear him now) I shaved off 4s from my time and I was down in the 3:03's.  I was really looking forward to the race tomorrow.

06/18/04:    My first practice session went OK.  We had many new things on the plate, not the least of which was learning a track I hadn't spent much time on (in a race car anyway).  We had radios and a Hot Lap timer to get used to as well.  The radios worked fine until I got on track.  I had forgotten to turn up the volume so I could hear.  Melinda and Phil could hear me just fine though.  The Hot Lap worked great too.  I whittled my lap time down to a 3:07 but I knew I could do better.  I had purchased new tires and we would try those tomorrow.

06/17/04:    Today the clan took off for the track.  Bear and Andy drove over via Milwaukee's airport to pick up Dad.  Melinda dna I drove straight to the trtack.  We met Phil and Kendra along the way so we could arrive at the same time.  By the time we arrived at the track, it was cloudy and cool.  We set up our compound pretty quickly.  We left the track at about 6:30 or so and went out for dinner.  Tomorrow was going to be a long day, especially for Phil who had two sessions.

06/06/04:    I picked up Jon Craig and we went over to Duane's so we could gather up the trailer and take it to Phil's for some more work on the car.  Today we put in the radio (see photo) and the Hot Lap systems, put on some more stickers (to replace the ones I 'lost' when I went off track at GingerMan and Phil had to repaint the fender) and scraped the GingerMan goo off the tires (see photo).  All in all it was a successful day.  Only some minor house keeping in the trailer and car and we're off to RA.

06/04/04:    I picked up a Hot Lap Timing system from Jeff Brueckheimer.  Its used but it'll work just fine for us.

05/27/04:    Tonight I did a few errands in order to get ready for the June Sprints.  I attached the throttle cable, removed some stickers, attached a wire that was dangling from behind the dash (from the low oil pressure light....oops), cleaned up the trailer, etc.

05/09/04:    I installed the newly refurbished carbs with their new bells on them, connected the fuel lines.

05/04/04:    I purchased new carb bells and had to machine a little of them off to make them fit onto the carbs (see photo).

04/25/04:    Race day was loooooong.  First, it rained like crazy the night before so the  races were taking longer.  Second, we were the last race group so the day dragged on as we waited for our turn.  Third, I'd never been gridded in the middle of the pack before and the start may be something new to me.  Fourth, I had reviewed the grid sheet and found several cars were very close in lap times.  I may actually get to race somebody.  What would that be like?  And last but not least, we got three different five minute warnings on the grid (due to T&S problems) which made things even more anxious.  Finally the race begins and the first couple of corners were really tight.  I was right in the thick of things and that was really fun.  It shook out that a few of us would be in a pack.  The first half of the race was really fun as we battled back and forth.  I made a mistake and slid out too far at turn three and an HP guy (Bob Bax) got past me.  I tried to catch him but a slower car (coming out of the pits) got between us and Bob got away.  I ran the remaining laps and found out I finished third (out of six) in my class.  Lots of fun.  I can't wait for the June Sprints at Road America.  It makes me doubly disappointed that we will not be able to race at Grattan on 5/16 because of a stupid work meeting.  See results and photos.

04/24/04:    We were in last group so our practice was just before lunch.  With the extra power it was much faster.  I shaved a couple seconds off my best time and things looked pretty good.  Phil adjusted tire pressure after taking some temperature readings so that we could get faster for the afternoon qualifying session.  And faster we were.  Another 0.6 seconds.  I would be gridded 26th out of 38 cars.  It was nice to be racing with somebody instead of being forced to watch the mirrors and pointing guys by all the time.

04/22/04:    Duane and I took our cars to a new chassis dyno shop in Holland, MI (Aya Racing) and get some tuning done.  Duane and Kaz find 6 more horsepower at the rear wheel by making some timing adjustments.  See photos from the day here.

04/18/04:    Today I went over to Phil's to work on the car.  We get one fender put back on and the other one gets its last few coats of paint (see photo).

04/03/04:    Off to GingerMan for the test day.  It was a mixed bag.  I had an off track excursion early in the morning and lost a rear fender.  Its going to need some work but it'll be OK.  The weather was fine (clear and 50 or so) in the morning but by lunch it had gotten VERY windy.  By 2PM it was lightly raining.  The track wasn't slick yet but getting there.  By 4PM it was too nasty and I packed it in.  My fastest laps were in the 1:44 range.  That was OK considering how cold and wet it was.  I was getting more comfortable with the track and car as my fastest laps were later in the day when the conditions poor.  See images from the day by clicking here.

04/02/04:    My brother Andy came to town for a week of vacation.  This means he gets 'volunteered' into help out the team effort.  He and I go to Duane's to finish all the pre-test items.  We pack the trailer and make it ready for the trip to GingerMan.  Phil has re-painted the hood and fenders.  We mounted those on the car.  Phil attached the new tie rod ends so now we had to do an alignment.  Last but not least, we waxed the car as Duane and Phil wouldn't let it on track looking as dirty as it was.  She does look nice.

03/28/04:    Today we (Phil, Duane and I) finished working on some of the items we started yesterday.  We had to cut slots in the seat to properly mount the new seat belts (see photo).  Phil finished the final touch-ups on the control arms.  Duane made some carb adjustments.

03/27/04:    Today Phil, Duane and I spent the day finishing some prep work on the car.  The car needed some serious work as well as some finishing touches before the race season starts.  As I wanted to get out on 4/3 for the opening day of testing at GingerMan, we started on the serious stuff first.  One, the new transmission mount made the tranny to high at the rear.  Removing the new mount and adjusting its height made it work fine.  This involved cutting it off and re-welding it back onto its bracket.  Two, the rear seals had leaked diff fluid onto the brakes.  This has been a chronic problem on this car and today we found out why.  As it turns out, the double bearing hubs weren't deep enough to fit the outer bearing properly.  This allowed the bearing to ride too far out and not allow for a appropriate seal with the axle.  We took the entire system apart and had the hubs machined to the necessary size.  Once that was done we reassembled the hubs and put them back onto the chassis.  At the same time I wanted to swap differentials.  I wanted to take out the 4.22 and put in the 4.55.  This gear is better suited to a tight track like GingerMan.  Once all of this was done I had to fill it with fluid.  Three, Phil and Duane had long complained about my front suspension geometry.  They collaborated  on a suitable fix and Phil executed it.  By doing this he eliminated the bump steer problem.  Four, Duane was concerned that my brake and clutch master cylinders were in bad shape.  We removed them and he rebuilt all three (see photo).  After reinstalling them we had to bleed the brake and clutch lines.  All in all, today was highly successful.  I may actually have rear brakes that work and I may actually have a car that steers correctly.  This cannot hurt the situation.  Some more work needs to be done but the big things are done.

03/14/04:    I have spent the last few weeks working on some minor things on the car.  An hour here and there feels good in the dead of winter.  By now I have used a bunch of riv-nuts to anchor a lot of thing to the chassis.  Boy is that tool a blast.  Anyway, the shocks are back on, the dash is re-assembled (with flexible tubing to the fuel and oil pressure gauges) and the new fire bottle is in.  The new seat belts and mounting hardware is here and ready to go.  I still have a long list of things to do before we hit the track.  The next few steps require Duane's expertise (or his lift) and so I will take the car over to his place soon.  I'm planning on attending the GingerMan test day on 4/3 so I better get moving.  I'm hoping to get some tuning of the carbs done that day and to start some chassis set up.  Duane and Phil both volunteered to drive the car and see what it feels like.  Since I have not driven any other race car (at speed anyway) I have no idea if this car is the most ill handling beast around or the best driving car this side of Joe Huffaker's.  I guess we'll find out.

01/04/04:    I removed the rear shocks and took them over to Duane's so he could check them out for me.

01/03/04:    After getting a Rivet Nut Insertion tool yesterday, I played around with it today.  I fabricated new grille mounts and used the rivet nuts to fasten it to the valence.  New tools are always fun.

01/01/04:    Today I started doing some minor touch-ups on the car now that she is at home.  Installed the new EGT probes into their mounting bungs on the new header.  I removed the oil and fuel pressure lines from their gauges so I could use flexible braided stainless steel hose to connect to them.  This will allow the dash to come out without disconnecting the two gauges.

12/31/03:    I brought the car home from Duane's on 12/30 and returned the trailer today.

12/20/03:    Phil and I met at Duane's shop this morning and set about completing work on the exhaust system modifications.  In addition the transmission mount that replaced the stock one could now be installed.  First on the hit parade was the tranny mount.  A captive nut would need to be welded to the tranny's portion of the bracket. (see photo).  Next the entire bracket assembly would need to be painted so it wouldn't rust.  While the paint was drying, Phil tack welded a nut to the chassis (see photo) so it would be captive.  This would be the chassis end of the ground strap.  The center section of the exhaust pipe would been to be cut off (see photo) so we could attach a tail pipe with a slight bend to it so as to direct the exhaust away from the differential.  We removed the old safety harnesses as they are now too old to be legal.  Some mounting hardware will be needed to attached the new ones.  Next, the tailpipe could be bolted to the chassis so it wouldn't move.  Since we had made such good progress so quickly, we continued on by connecting the various pieces to make the motor run (started, distributor, radiator, etc.) and making all the fluid connections (oil, fuel, water).  As usual, Phil was doing what ever it takes to get the job done (see photo).  The car started after some gentle coaxing.  It sounded a whole lot different with the new exhaust system but that was to be expected.  we called it quits for the day.  There is still a lot of things to be done but we're on the way.

12/08/03:    At Duane's this evening we reattached the transmission side cover (I had to take it off after cutting the hole in the case in order to rinse out the shavings).  After that we dropped the motor put into chassis so we could see how the header and exhaust pipe mated up.  Try as we might the exhaust system wouldn't mate up correctly.  The problem was that the center section of the system (it connects to the header and runs down the drive shaft tunnel and connects to the tailpipe) would not align properly.  Phil suggested that we make a small cut in the exhaust pipe, bend it to close the gap and weld it closed.  This would allow the center section of the exhaust system to run parallel to the drive shaft and be in the correct orientation.  Now that this was in its proper place, I could mount the transmission bracket to the chassis and then figure out how to anchor the rear end of the exhaust pipe.  Next, the tailpipe would need to be fabricated.  Once again the expertise of Phil and Duane save the day.

11/23/03:    Today I brought the car to WMI so we could utilize Duane's shop hoist while working on the exhaust system.

09/29/03:    I mate the header to the motor to see what it looks like (see photo).

09/17/03:    Today the exhaust system came back and boy does it look nice.  I can't wait to mount it onto the engine.

09/11/03:    While in Cincinnati on business, I shipped new system to HP Coatings (the Chandler, AZ facility) for heat treating

09/05/03:    Phil welds EGT bungs onto header and closes gash in tranny case.  Thanks for the help, Phil.

09/04/03:    While cutting away some of the transmission boss (so the new header would fit properly) I cut through the case.  I was warned about this.  I took small passes but still ended up cutting a small hole in the side of the case (see  photo).

08/23/03:    Today I picked up a new exhaust system so I can replace the broken one.  I got it from Rod Hahnemann.  He owns a company called Spridgetech and is nice guy with fine products at a good price.

08/11/03:    I unloaded the trailer today and lugged it back to Duane's.  The car is in good shape and I am ready to take out the motor and tranny so I can replace the exhaust system.

08/10/03:    Race day started early as I went out for emergency practice.  The EGT's still read low so after the session I adjusted the jets up another three flats.  And then we waited.....and waited....and waited.  As we were in group 6, our race wasn't until 2:30 or so.  So I biked around the paddock and schmoozed with folks for a while.  After lunch we got serious and started the usual pre-race prep (tire pressure, torqued the lugs, checked the oil, water and fuel levels).  The race itself was a blast.  The car gridded in front of me was a GT-4 Honda CRX.  The kid driving was nice and we agreed that we were both out for a finish and weren't racing for position.  We swapped position several times and had a good time racing each other.  After I passed him (on lap 10 or so) I could keep him behind me when I needed to.  Lots of fun.  I ran my fastest ever time at Grattan while still under powered.  All in all a fine weekend.  See the results here.

08/09/03:    Peter and Dave had repaired the header for me (see photo).  I installed it and reinstalled the carbs and reconnected the fuel lines and EGT probes.  We were ready for the first qualifying session.  It was still way too rich.  But we did turn a 1:44 which was only a few seconds slower than last summer.  I leaned it out a bunch and prepared for the second session in the afternoon.  It was still too rich but was getting better.  All we needed to do was get ready for tomorrow.

08/08/03:    Again the EGT's were reading high and nothing we did could change that.  Finally, Chuck (while he was adjusting the carb jets) noticed that the exhaust manifold had a hole in it.  As this was a 'one off' custom piece, there was no way to borrow a header from somebody at the track.  If I was to run this weekend, I would have to get this one fixed.  Peter Morton and Dave Savage volunteered to weld it together for me.  They took it back to Dave's home and wopuld bring it back to the track tomorrow.

08/06/03:    I swapped the EGT probes to check whether the carbs were out of adjustment or the probes were reading incorrectly.  Now the front carb was high.  This told me that perhaps the probe was giving erroneous data.  I will by another probe after the race was over and I had time to install tit.

08/03/03:    Every time I had run the car in the past few weeks the back EGT would read high.  Was it the probe or the carb?

07/18/03:    Duane suggested that we examine the carbs to see if they are in need of adjustment.  After the fire they could use a little TLC.  They appeared to be in good shape but he replaced several pieces and adjusted them.  I returned home to place them abck on the motor.

06/15/03:    The car ran OK but the back EGT was reading too high.  I didn't wanted to injure the engine so I slowed down on the front straight to keep the EGT lower.  I ran at a reduced pace and completed the race.  The strange part was that after a couple of laps I saw Tom and Don Feller off at T6.  This meant I was now in 4th place.  Cool for me.  Don's car was terminal as it had been hosed down by a fire bottle.  Tom was there for a lap or two and was back on track.  A couple of laps later he was off at T2.  Now I'm thinking I might get a trophy.  Woohoo!  When the race was over, I was motioned to go to impound.  OK....what did I do now?  Did I miss a black flag?  No....it turned out that one other HP competitor had dropped out into the pits so I didn't know he was off track.  This meant I was third.  A podium finish in my third national!  What a thrill.  Yes I was six laps down but a finish is a finish, right?

06/14/03:    Well the day got off to a great beginning when I went to fire up the car and she wouldn't start.  Phil and Duane check the leads to the starter and they were fine so the starter itself was not working.  Phil towed me to false grid where I told the workers that IO would need a push start to get moving.  I was ready to see what the car could do.  Not much it turns out as the rotor failed again in T6.  I got to watch the entire session from behind the guardrail at T7.  I got a flat tow back to the paddock after the session.  I replaced the rotor and I pulled out the starter.  Jay Lutz had a spare one that he let me borrow so I could get out for the qualifying session in the afternoon.  The qualifying session was not picnic either.  After a few fast laps, I noticed the motor sputtering out by T7 so I decided to pull into the pits and go to my paddock spot.  When I arrived there I noticed some wisps of white smoke coming out from underneath the hood.  While standing in the seat, I pulled the rear hood pins and saw a fire under there.  I pulled the pin on the fire system.  It started flooding the engine bay with suppressant while I removed the front hood pins and took off the hood.  This is not what I needed.  I was physically spent from hours of working on the car at Phil's and Duane's as well as driving all over the place after the work day was done.  I didn't want to make the repairs and was ready to pack it in.  Nobody else was ready for that though.  Phil, Duane, Chuck and Tom all convinced me to make the repairs and soldier on.  Of course Duane had all the necessary carb parts and he cleaned and fixed the carb set.  I re-installed them and we were ready for tomorrow.

06/13/03:    We did indeed get the motor going at Duane's and she sounded pretty good.  I loaded the car into the trailer and off I went to the track.   When I opened the door I was surprised by the coolant all over the floor.  The tie down strap on the front had ripped the radiator petcock off and allowed all the coolant to spill onto the trailer floor.  I had to remove the radiator and let the track welder reattach the petcock.  The first test session was a loss since the distributor rotor failed and I had to coast into the pits.  Duane cleaned it off and put it back in.  The next session went fine and I ran the entire session with out any problems.  When the sessions were over, I was off to registration and tech to take care of the paperwork.

06/12/03:    We finished the chassis prep at Phil's and I towed the trailer over to Duane's so we could get the motor going on Friday.

06/11/03:    Tonight the chassis prep continued.  Ugh!

06/10/03:    Tonight I lugged the car back to Phil's and we attached the windscreen and a few other minor chassis prep items.

06/09/03:    I finished the motor prep tonight so the car was almost complete.

06/08/03:    I started installing all the extras to make the motor complete.

06/07/03:    Duane and I put the motor in the chassis today.  When we were done we loaded it up and I brought it back home to allow me to install all the extras (carbs, header, starter, etc.) tomorrow.

06/06/03:    Today's agenda was to continue putting the car back together in preparation for installing the motor.  In that vein, I attached the tail lights, oil cooler, battery and fire bottle.  I created access panels for the foot wells.  Phil and I fabricated the dash panel.  I attached the gauges, lights and switches.  Together we installed it and Phil finished the wiring by connecting all the appropriate wires to the back of the dash.  After that we loaded it into the trailer and I lugged it over to Duane's so it would be ready for the engine the next day.

06/04/03:    Today I spent a couple of hours putting the trim pieces (tail lights, door trim, head light bezels. grille, etc.) back on the car.

06/02/03:    Phil finishes the paint job and sends me this photo.

06/01/03:    Phil, Kendra and I started the day by completing the body prep before the paint could be applied.  The day was nice so we rolled the chassis outside and dusted it off with compressed air.  I continued to sand the surfaces of the door, hood, trunk and air dam.  Phil prepped the primer and paint we were going to use.  We rolled the car into the back of the pole barn and began to tape and mask off the unpainted area.  By 2:00 we were ready to start with the primer.  I had always thought that primer was grey.  Wrong.  This one was dark brown and made the car look like a large chocolate bar when it was done (photo). 

05/31/03:    Today Phil, Kendra and I prep the car for the new paint job.  I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.  The secret to a great paint job is all in the preparation of the surface.  I knew we weren't going for a concourse job here but I did want it to look nice (photo).  We spent all day sanding, scraping, polishing,  filling, welding, etc. until the body surface was as smooth as we could get it.  Not the most fun I've ever had but a real learning experience that I hope not to have to use too much in the future.  One new paint job is enough.

05/30/03:    The new Panasport wheels arrived today.  Very nice.

05/29/03:    In the past week Phil has rewired the circuits behind the dash (photo), tig welded the front fender supports and built the dash support.  I just can't turn my back on him.  I make a road trip to MIS so I can buy new tires from the Competition West folks.

05/18/03:    I removed dash panel (photo) which requires disconnecting all the gauges, switches and lights.  This exposes the wiring circuits behind the dash.  I had seen them before and it scared me.  Very chaotic.  Time for rewiring to occur also.  Again, Phil assures me that this will be easy.

05/11/03:    Phil and I spend several hours prepping the chassis to accept the new fenders.  I want them to Dzus to the frame.  Phil assures me that this will be simple enough and will make the removal of them quick and easy.  Each  fender need only be attached with four Dzus fasteners (photo).

01/03/03:    Over time I have cut up the valence to fit the chassis.  Now I have modified the radiator so it will mount on the valence (photo).

11/25/02:    So I need a new radiator and the VW ones I have gotten don't fit very well.  I take my problem to a radiator shop here in town.  He looks at the situation and tells me that a unit from a 1982 Subaru GL will do the job.  With disbelief on my part, we thumb through a HUGE catalog and find the aforementioned part.  Sure as hell, it fits like a glove.  He'll even modify it for me for free.  WOOHOO!

11/11/02:    Duane ordered a new valence for me and I picked it up today.  It looks great compared to the old cut up one.  It is bone stock and will need some adjustment to fit onto the chassis (around the non stock sway bar).

08/13/02:    This afternoon I took a break from household duties and removed the car from the trailer.  I put her on jack stands and carefully removed the broken body pieces.  I was looking to see if it was obvious what caused the motor to crap out on me.  It was the distributor again.  Just like at GingerMan.  It was loose in it collar and had spun around so the spark was all wrong.  I put it back where it needed to be and started her up.  Once again she purred like a kitten.  Good news.  I was afraid that something more serious had been compromised in the collision with the wall.

08/11/02:    So we worked late into the night and got the radiator fixed.  Well in the daylight we found more leaks.  Duane had brought along his radiator pressure testing kit so we could check the viability of the system.  We plugged a couple more holes, filled it with water, tested it, found more leaks, drained it and started the cycle over again.  This went on for a couple of hours.  When we finally had all the leaks plugged, it was time to put it back in the chassis, fill 'er up with coolant and see if she leaks.  She didn't and now all we had to do was anchor the body onto the car.  That was after the tech guys could come look at it to make sure it was fit to drive on track.  I wrangled up Jim Clifton and he came to look at it.  He had a couple of minor suggestions that we executed and then we could attach the body panels to the car.  It took dozens of feet of tape but we finally had everything joined together as it should be.  The biggest problem was that all the bolt holes on the fenders had been ripped out.  This would force us to tape the fenders to the car instead of bolting them.  Once the fenders in place (roughly anyway) we could use the hood to hold everything together.  Of course with all this tape on the hood we couldn't get to the motor if we had to.  Later on this became a problem.  With everything in its place and approval to go on track, I wanted to run the car for a lap of two at lunch so I could see if the steering and brakes worked OK (photo).  I had earlier gotten permission from the Chief Steward (Kent Williamson) to do this test run.  It became very difficult to start the car.  Once it started though it seemed OK and I did my lap with no problems.  Now it was time for the race.  Again it was terribly difficult to start and I was afraid that I would miss the race.  Finally it got going and we went to the grid.  I again failed to start on command and I required a push start from the grid folks.  While on the pace lap the motor coughed a couple of times on the front stretch.  By corner four I figured it was terminal and shut it down.  While coasting to the station at the back entrance of the paddock, I had my hand up and was signaling my intent to enter the paddock.  Just as I was about to leave the track surface and enter the paddock access road, I saw the workers scatter.  I turned hard to the left and made a 270 degree turn.  I had to go on the grass across track (this car doesn't turn very tightly) and coasted to a stop on the track pointed at the paddock road.  I was pushed into the paddock by the corner workers.  After taking my helmet and gloves off I asked what was going on.  I was told that I was almost hit by a car trying to catch the field.  It was probably going 70 or 80 MPH at the time.  If I would have been hit by that car it could have been VERY ugly.  A flat tow back to our paddock space and I was done for the day.  We packed up and headed for home.  It had been a very long weekend and we were both extremely tired.

08/10/02:    The day started fine with our group going out at about 11 for our practice session.  I was a little nervous about not being in the car for a long time.  that quickly went away as I had to concentrate on the task at hand.  The new tachometer was throwing me off my game.  The old one was reading too high.  This meant that I was shifting too early because I was deceived into thinking that I was at 8000RPM when in reality it was closer to 6000RPM.  This forced me to relearn my shift points.  It took some time but I was slowly learning the circuit and being aggressive.  Melinda told me later that I had dropped my times to the 1:39's.  This was 2.5 seconds faster than in June and I was thrilled.  Then came qualifying.  Oh boy what a ride.  On the second lap, I was in the middle of the pack and warming up the tires when I went into T5 and lost control as I downshifted to third.  The back end snapped around a little and by the time I got it under control (not long) I was in the debris.  I couldn't stop and ended up slamming into the guardrail 10 feet from the T5a workers station (photo).  Of course they were on the scene instantly and I was out of the car very quickly.  I was OK but the car took a helluva hit and I was scare shitless that I had killed her.  Further examination showed, in addition to the crunched bodywork, that the radiator was pieced in several places.  While I was waiting for the session to end some folks were gathering to view the situation.  One of the track owners (one of the four brothers) was there with the Chief Steward.  He was trying to explain to me how the incident occurred.  He was guessing wrong.  This will become important later.  Meanwhile, I had to get examined by medical personnel to make sure I was OK.  The safety steward and tech inspectors checked out the car when it was returned to my paddock spot.  After the incident, I was informed that I was the third car to hit that same piece of guardrail this weekend.  This pissed me off something fierce.  Now it was clear why the owner was trying to get me to admit to a different story.  There was a pattern emerging here as to what was happening on the track.  Sand and dry grass was being kicked up by car clipping the corner.  This debris was collecting on the track and I got caught in it.  I left only one set of tire tracks (photo).  Yes, I was out of shape but if the corner is cleaner I have a decent chance of saving it and NOT hitting the wall.  Plenty of culpability to go around.  So the car is back at our paddock spot and its time to figure out if its fixable or not.  Since I was being interviewed by the medical types, several folks were in the paddock already working on it.  Phil Green would not take NO for an answer.  He was bound and determined to get me on track on Sunday.  We had two choices.  One, fix the radiator and how it would hold up under race conditions.  Or two, find another radiator that was the same size and plumb it to fit the car.  We borrowed a radiator from Ron Krantz but it didn't fit quite right.  We would have had to make serious adjustment in the bodywork to make it fit.  So by 7:30 that evening we had our decision made for us.  We had to fix the existing hardware and make it go.  Phil was already working on the fenders.  They needed serious repair.  Kendall and I had gone to town and bought a fiberglass repair kit.  Phil was knee deep in fender pieces, resin and hardener.  We quit working about 9:30 when it was too dark to see properly.  It had already been a long day and now we had to drive an hour home.  Kendall was spending the evening with us so we would have something to chat about on the way home. 

08/09/02:    I drove over to Duane's place and packed the trailer.  It had been there for a couple of weeks and entropy had taken over.  It was a mess.  I had tools to put away, tires to put in their rack, parts boxes to arrange, etc.  By the time I was done it was time to head to the track.  After an uneventful drive there, I found our spot and set up for the weekend.  The usual suspects were at the track already testing and I fully expected plenty more before the day was done.

08/07/02:    I spent a short day at Duane's working on several things-none of which were my car.  Duane had some engine work to do on is car and Tom and I worked on a couple of customer cars.  Lots of fun.

08/06/02:    With the proper pipe fitting found I installed that in the port on the head and finished that project.  The next on was the installation of the new tachometer.  This might be tricky.  It is a very large gauge that wouldn't fit (and wasn't designed to) in the dash.  But mounting it in mid air would be difficult at best.  Besides I knew I was going to rebuild the dash after the season anyway.  I had to fit it somewhere and make it work for one race and then I could fabricate a new design later.  I knew that I wanted to move the ignition control box too.  This was taking up space on the dash that I would utilize later.  I would have to move it first and then fit the tach into the hole left by the old one.

08/05/02:    Duane had ordered two gauges for me (water temperature and a tachometer) and they had arrived.  I needed to put them in this week.  I decided to put in the water temperature gauge first since it would be easiest.  I removed the old one and inserted the gauge body into the dash this was the easy part.  The tough part was the sensor probe that I had to put in the head.  The old one utilized a different type of fitting to hold it in place.  Fortunately there are two ports on the head for this probe.  I decided since we couldn't find the right one for the front port we could slap this probe in the rear port and plug the front one.  Now all I had to do was find the right sized port plug.  On to my friends at Mid Michigan Bolt and Screw.  They had the right part and I was golden.  I would pick it up tomorrow and install it when I got back to Duane's place.

07/24/02:    We took the rig to GingerMan and prepared for an evening of testing.  Melinda and I drove out there and Duane and Phil were supposed to meet us at the track.  We had a lot of fun out there and learned a bunch about driving, the car and the track.  Duane and Phil took tire temperatures and read the spark plugs so we could dial in the car.  By the end of the day I had shaved 8 seconds off my best time there.  That's not saying much since I had only been once and had not done very well.  It was a lot of fun and I'd like to do it again after the season is over next month at the WMR National Grattan.

07/16/02:    Well its finally over.  We solved the oil pressure problem.  It went like this.  First, take a look at this image.  We had drilled an opening in between G and F at the track last month.  That did not solve the problem.  At Duane's today we pulled the insert C out (by drilling and tapping it, threading in a bolt and sliding it out) and it appeared to be fine.  That meant that the outboard oil drain passage G had to be plugged above H.  Sure enough, when we drilled from the bottom of the block up through M, G and H, we met resistance and found epoxy all the way up.  Once that was cleaned out, we drilled and tapped the bottom of G (to make it easier to clean out later), we put the oil pan back on and filled up the motor with oil, connected the external oil lines, cleaned the filter off, installed the distributor and plug wires and got it ready to start. Once it did she gave us 70psi of oil pressure and it works great. Now we have to shim the spring (put a small washer behind it inside the cap) to increase the oil pressure and we'll be in business.  Whew that was a load off our backs.  Now I'm the expert at this crap.  Now we're ready get prepared for some testing at GingerMan next week.  I need to tie up a few loose ends and we'll be ready for action.

06/17/02:    I dropped off the trailer (fully loaded with car, tools, spares, etc.) at Duane's.

06/15/02:    I did some light maintenance on the car (trimmed the windshield corners, charged the battery), trailer (replaced the beavertail door extension hinge, cleaned it out), etc.

06/12/02:    I decided to do nothing but unload the trailer for the next week.  I had enough of racing for the time being and needed to come up for air.  Beside I had other things in my life that needed tending.  It was nice to have the first race behind us but now we had to finally solve the oil pressure issue.  I am, however, waiting for the CenDiv points keeper to post the Grattan results so that the world can see my fourth place finish.  Evidence of a successful weekend.

06/09/02:    Race day starts with an early arrival at the track so we can replace the broken parts we discovered last night (tie rod ends, brake caliper bolts).  After setting the toe in by eye, we push the car out onto the paddock road so Duane can measure and set the toe more accurately.  By the time we were done we had 45 minutes to sit and relax before the preparation for the race.  We went through the usual pre-race setup (torqued the lugs, fuel and oil level, tire pressure, etc.) and off we went.  Sue would help Melinda through the proper pit signaling while I was on track.  The pace lap was awful.  The driver was too slow and the run to the start was at break neck speed.  My strategy was to nurse the motor along and see if anything bad happened.  Sue would signal me when the race was half over (so I could pull in for a finish if I wanted to).  National races are 45 miles (23 laps in Grattan's case) in length which is 50% longer than a regional race.  I wondered if fatigue on a hot sunny day would be a factor.  It seemed like forever that the half way signal was shown.  Erik Skirmants was flying and he lapped me after 7 or 8 laps.  Soon traffic would be on me and I would be spending a lot of time looking in my mirrors for the faster cars coming up on me.  After the half way mark I started going a little faster so that I could see what the car had in it.  About 75% of the way through, John Salisbury, Jr. passed me just past T1.  I told myself that I should try and keep up with him to test myself and the car.  After we got to T7 I decided that it wouldn't be too good to break something now so I backed out a little.  A couple of laps later I was shown the 4 laps to go signal by Sue.  At that point I backed out a little more.  I coasted to the checkered flag and breathed a hug sigh of relief.   Soon I realized that I was HOT and TIRED.  I waved vigorously to all the corner workers since they supported me all this time.  I drove to the paddock spot, hopped out of the car, peeled off my suit and headed up to impound to chat with the other drivers.  I received many congratulations on my first national race finish.  Thanks fellas.  Maybe someday I'll have to go to impound as a top three finisher.  After the schmoozing was over we had to pack up the compound and head home.  I was a spent cartridge but at the same time so wired from the race that I was still flying high.  What a day.  After all we had been through getting this car ready for the track....it was a MAJOR rush to realize that we had done it.  We are now a national racing team.  What a feeling!  The car still has oil pressure that is waaaay too high.  What is causing it is still a mystery.  I will take a few days to come down off the race high and do a little diagnosis later on this week.

06/08/02:    What a mess this day was.  We arrived at the track at 7AM.  We had to drill out the oil relief hole, tap it out and plug it with a short machine screw.  I had to crawl under the car and undo the oil pan before we could start this procedure.  One it was finished there were other things to take care of.  Of course, with all the hassling about the oil pressure, we never had a chance to solve a couple of other issues.  One, the clutch wasn't engaging.  We tried to start the car but she just wouldn't.  After push starting it to get to the false grid, it wouldn't go in time so we weren't allowed to go out on track from there.  I decided to avoid injuring the car and we towed it back to the paddock space (with Phil and Kendra Green's help).  John Salisbury, Jr. came over after practice and solved the problem for us.  The clutch would engage but then, as the pedal was pressed down further, it would disengage.  He suggested installing a clutch pedal brake (a bolt stuck through the foot well) to stop the pedal from going too far down.  We made it out for qualifying and did 3 laps before the oil pressure went up again.  I came in and Duane said to go out and do a couple of soft laps to see if it changes.  It didn't and I called it a session.  My fastest time was a 1:51 which was only a couple of seconds off my fastest time.  The other problem we couldn't focus on was the alignment.  The car was really twitchy.  When we got back into the paddock, Duane noticed that we had toe out again.  Further inspection showed two broken tie rod ends.  We also noticed a brake caliper bolt was missing.  I was really depressed.  All the work we had done in the last few weeks seemed to be going up in smoke.  Every time I turned around, something else was breaking.  UGH!  Duane assured me (he had gotten good at that by now) that he had the parts back at the shop and could bring them in in the morning.  We would install them and be ready for action.

06/07/02:    Duane is sure that the oil pressure gauge has been beaten senseless by my overly enthusiastic oil pump so we install a new one.  While he goes to pick one up, I apply the new stickers for this year.  I didn't like the italicized ones from last season so we're making a change.  With the oil pressure issue basically on hold until we get to the track we have only a few things left to do.  The alignment of the front end looks weird so Duane wants to measure the toe in.  As it turns out there was over 2" of toe out!  After making that adjustment we (his wife Sue helps out) load the car into the trailer and we're off to the track.  Once we get there we wait for Melinda to show up so we can register for the event.  A little later Duane and Sue show up.  I knew basically where we were going to paddock but wanted Duane to lead the way.  Once we were in the paddock it was just a matter of setting up the compound and getting started on any oil pressure changes we wanted to make.  We were going to set up camp with a third car.  A kid named Tom Feller (GP Spitfire).  His family showed up a little later and  we were all ready to go.  I had contacted Peter so he could bring the old block.  I picked that up from him and we inspected it to see if we missed anything obvious.  It was decided that we should drill a hole in the block directly beneath the oil pressure relief valve area.  The old block revealed that there was a journal behind there and it should be open.  It was obvious that ours was closed.  Tom's father Chuck (an engineer at GM) lent a hand with the oiling issue as well.  It was the consensus that we should drill a hole and see what we find.  Chuck had an angle drill to reach into the small area and Duane did the drilling.  What a surprise!  The brass shavings gave way to gray epoxy which, in turn, gave way to steel.  Somebody had plugged the hole with a steel plug and sealed it with some JB Weld.  The decision was made to drill out the hole some more, tap it and screw in a small machine screw to seal the hole.  All of this would be done tomorrow since it was 9:30.  Time to go home.  This had been a very long day.

06/06/02:    Over the last several days Duane and I had consulted with the 'powers that be' to try to understand this crazy oil pressure issue.  Nobody had any thoughts.  We tried several springs to adjust the pressure but nothing worked.  It was very frustrating.  This wasn't the only thing we were working on though.  I was taking care of some of the minor issues while Duane was working on customer cars. Things like hooking up the battery, putting the shift lever into place, filling the transmission and differential with fluid, adjusting the clutch, bleeding the brakes, etc. were all taken care of by the end of the week.  Pretty soon this car would be ready to race.

06/02/02:    We undid the motor install enough to insert the exhaust system.  After re-hooking everything up, we were able to put in some fuel, connect the battery and start her up.  Finally she ran.  She was rough at first but Duane adjusted the timing and she was good to go.  A little tweaking of some minor items (bleeding the brakes, adjusting the rear brakes, putting in some differential fluid, etc.) and she is ready for the track.  Only one problem....she has too much oil pressure.  We'll continue working on it tomorrow.

05/31/02:    Today Andy and his girlfriend Alanna came over to the shop to watch Duane and I install the motor.  Andy assured me at breakfast that he would just watch and wasn't interested in helping out.  Before we knew it he was getting dirty with us.  We attached the transmission, lowered the assembly into the chassis (photo) and started completing all the connections (fuel, oil, water, etc.).  Soon Andy realized that we couldn't install the through-tunnel exhaust system with the motor in place.  It appears we were too eager and we'll have to backtrack a little in order to finish carrying out the motor's installation.

05/28/02:    Duane and I finish assembling the motor.  All the fittings are on the block and its ready for installation.  Duane noticed that one of the transmission mounts was broken.  He contacted John Twist to procure one.

05/23/02:    With the arrival of the new piston ring, we were able put in the final piston, connect the rod to the crank and button up the bottom end by putting on the oil pan.  Next the head could go on.  While I was supporting the head in mid-air before putting it in place, I noticed a valve spring was loose.  OK, what else can go wrong here?  We contacted the machine shop (Able Company) and Wayne Snyder said he would come look at it.  Duane and I removed the offending valve springs (as well as a couple others to compare them) and realized that they weren't the same.  Wayne brought a valve spring compression tester and checked them all.  While they appear different, they have the same compression characteristics so it should work fine.

05/22/02:    Today's additions to the motor were the back plate, oil pump, front plate and timing gears.  We didn't get as far as we liked because we found piece of one of the piston compression rings on the work bench.  this meant one of the rings was broken.  Duane analyzed the situation and figured out it was piston #4.  Sure enough, when we removed that one it exposed a shattered ring.  He called Malvern  Racing and ordered another one.  It'll be in tomorrow.

05/21/02:    Duane had picked up the block (with the now properly sized thrust washers in place) and we were ready to continue.  Today we got as far as the oil pump as we did not have a seal for it.  It did mean that we inserted the pistons, connecting rods, lifters and cam.  I'll pick the seal up at University Motors (Austin Healey/MG parts and repair garage) on the way in tomorrow.

05/11/02:    With all of the parts procured (and machined into the proper tolerance), we were ready to start again on the assembly of the motor.  However when we put in the crank it did not rotate as freely as Duane would have liked.  Further investigation showed that the thrust washers we a 0.001" too thick and needed to be honed off to allow proper lateral movement.

05/06/02:    Today I installed the windshield.  Never having worked with Plexiglass before, it didn't turn out very well.  But its in place and we'll move on.

04/13/02:    Today I shimmed the front stub axles.  What a pain!  Lots of trail and error as it has to be juuuuust right.  Ugh!

04/09/02:    I returned the stipped block to Peter and swung by Jeff's to install newly fabricated (by Jeff) air dam mounts.

04/08/02:    I finished the front end prep by adding the brake rotors and calipers to each corner.  There is only one thing left to do up there.  I ordered a shim stock kit from Grainger.  When it arrives I can shim the axles bearings properly.

04/06/02:    Today I did a few thing at home for a change.  I stripped off the block fittings so I could take it back to Peter's.  I created new door latches so the doors could be pinned shut (photo).  I mounted the king pins and front axles too.  Boy what a headache!  The top nut of the king pin must be tightened as much as possible while, at the same time, the axle must be able to freely swivel horizontally and have NO play vertically.  The shim washers from the rebuild kit could not create nearly enough space to do this job.  I had to ream out small washers (with a Dremel tool) from my washer kit and install those.  It took three hours but I finally got both sides shimmed juuuuust right.  In addition, the carbs arrived from Mike Miller's Comptune shop.  Mike did a great job of spiffing up these babies.  They look great (photo).  And he performed a little minor surgery on them too.  They needed a little adjustment here and there as well as a couple of new parts.  They should be ready to rock.

04/05/02:    Toady I went back to Duane's so I could swap blocks.  I brought the new one to Able and took home the old one.  I would have to scavenge the various fittings, etc. off of it, but then it would be ready to take back to Peter.  I also picked up the new battery.  It weighs significantly less than the old one and will have plenty of power.  Back home I installed the new outside mirror (photo).  The old ones were heavy and, because of their age needed constant adjusting.  Not what you need during a race.

04/04/02:    Slowly but surely these dilemmas are being solved.  Kendall brought over his plasma cutter today.  We used it (yes, I fired it up as well-see photo) to cut away some extra sheet metal on the chassis.  It was yet another way to try to reduce the weight of the car (in addition to the lighter wheels and the smaller battery).  Before we started cutting things off the car, we realized that I had redundant door latching systems on both doors.  Big pieces of heavy steel plate (in addition to the stock door latches) held the doors closed.  Too much weight!  I could fabricate something later on that would be just as sturdy at a fraction of the weight.  Kendall brought up a block from Peter, too.  It was covered in spider webs and other debris but it would work fine.

04/03/02:    I was back today to finish the axle prep (I was killing time while my Mother was at a doctor's appointment).  Duane had Able bore out the axle bushes so I could hone them.  It took a while but the honing went well.  Now they are ready to install back on the car.  The other thing we worked on was the whole piston/block issue.  The block was too large for use with 0.040" over pistons.  Could we find 0.045" over pistons or would we have to start with a fresh block?  As the day wore on and contacts we made it appeared that would could not find the correct sized piston and we would have to get a fresh block.  I called Peter and asked if I could swap block with him.  The old block is still good as a street motor but it would not be legal to bore it out over0.047" so I can't use it anymore.  He had one (several actually) and would send it up with Kendall tomorrow.

04/01/02:    Today I solved a couple of the issues.  I went to Detroit Ball Bearing and had them identify a bear from my rear hub for me.  The good news is they could.  The great news is they had two in stock.  Next I went over to Duane's place and took car of a couple of things there.  He had found a pair of axles at an import parts place.  He scavenged them from a 1500 Midget.  Oddly enough the parts are labeled differently from an older spridget (BTA-744 on the older ones and BTA-746 on the 1500's) but the part numbers are not in the official manuals.  They have a noticeably better characteristic (a better radius at the machined edge of the bearing load center) and are much stronger because of this subtle difference.  We took them to Able Company (the shop he has to his machine work for him) and had them magnafluxed.  They turned out to be OK and we could proceed with the parts' prep.  Back at his shop I cleaned them up, we bushed them and tried to hone them to accent the king pins.  They were too tight so Duane would take them to Able to get bored out.  Next we took my new rims and used tires to a tire place to have them mounted.  The owner was super nice and only charged me $20 to mount four tires (which is a bargain since racing tires are a pain to mount since they are so stiff).  Back over to Duane's so we could balance them.  He showed me how to operate the tire balancer and I did that while he worked on paying customers' cars.  After a full day it was time to go home and rest.

03/29/02:    Jeez what a week!  My problems with front axles, rear hubs, brakes and motor have left me very tired, in deed.  It seems that for every issue I solve another lies ready to pounce on me.  First it was the pistons.  OK, we'll buy some new ones that will work great for several years.  Next, it was the crankshaft.  OK, I got a new one from Peter.  After that it was the front axles.  New competition ones cost a bundle and won't be ready for a couple of weeks.  I'll get some stock ones for the time being.  Now its the block.  Its a little reamed out and we need another one.  I also need new bearings for the rear hubs.  Add on to that the fact that my rear seals are shot which ruined my brakes and its been a lot of fun the past couple of weeks.  All tolled we're looking at quite a chunk.  But I guess it comes with the territory.  The good news is that the valves stems arrived and on Monday I'll be taking our new rims down to MIS (where Competition Tire-West operates from) where we'll have them mount some tires left over from last season.

03/25/02:    Well this axles deal is very strange.  I have chatted with several folks who should know and the consensus is that there is no consensus.  Some say that there is a beefier stock part that works quite well.  While others say forget the stock parts and go straight to the competition pieces.  We'll see what happens.

03/22/02:    We discover that the front axles are cracked.  I had them magnafluxed and they were both cracked.  This will be another set back.  But nothing too serious.

03/18/02:    While Melinda and I are out running errands, our new rims arrive.  They look so cool (photo).  I can't wait to see them on the car.  I weigh one of them (7 lbs) and compare it to one of the old rims (16 lbs).  Wow!  The car just lost 35 lbs.

03/15/02:    Today I made a whirlwind tour of southeast Michigan.  I had arranged to pick up a crankshaft from Peter in Royal Oak, drop off some camera parts with Jeff over lunch in Dearborn, drop off a tool I had borrowed for a friend at Bill Davidson's place in Dexter and pick up my hubs in Lansing.  What a trip....but fun. 

03/14/02:    Today I drove over to Duane's as we had arranged to work on my motor this afternoon.  What we found was not pretty.  A timing issue had created a detonation problem that ruined my pistons.  We also found a crack in the crankshaft (photo).  Those items would be about $850 to replace.  Ouch!  But that's the price of admission, I guess.

03/11/02:    I decided to upgrade my wheels studs since I was getting new wheels.  If you remember, we had installed 7/16" studs on the rear but had left the fronts at 3/8" (see 07/14/01 of archived diary).  I had Jeff order the rims with 7/16" so all the wheels would be the same. This necessitated making the wheel studs the same.  I had purchased 3 3/8" studs from Summit Racing and now I needed to have them installed by a machine shop.  First, of course, I had to remove the hubs from the car.  No easy trick though.  After getting them off the car I take them to one of the local NAPA parts joints.  They have an excellent machine shop there and will do a good job at a fair price.

02/27/02:    As I sold one set of my old 5" racing wheels, I needed to replace them with a set of 5.5" rims.  The rules allow me to run a wider rim (not tire) and so I decided to call and order a set of wheels.  I didn't realize that this would be so difficult.  I was told two different stories about Panasport rims so I decided to call Jeff Winter and get the straight dope.  He straightened me out and I placed an order.

02/23/02:    The repositioning of the fuel cell created tension on one of the fuel lines.  This could not be tolerated.  I had to move the fuel pump in order to remove the tension.  Its this kind of thing that is fun.  Solving problems and moving forward.

02/16/02:    Today I put the fuel cell back into the chassis.  It needed to be higher off the ground.  In order to do that I needed to slide its position to port.  This required some cutting of the trunk floor.  Once that was accomplished, I was able to install some square tubing to create a cage in which the cell could sit (photo).  The cell sits on top of the cage that was created.  The cell acts as its own brace when it is anchored in place as it triangulates the other bracing (photo).

02/13/02:    I drove down to Chris Crisenbery's place and picked up a windshield tonight.  He had a reject that will be fine for me.  Now I just have to learn how to trim and install it.

01/16/02:    I put the column into the chassis.  I also mount the oil cooler (the new one given to me by Jeff-see photo).  At last some pieces are going back ON the car.

01/15/02:    I go down to John's place and pick up the steering shaft.  He has welded it back together for me and it is ready for installation.

01/03/02:    Now that I know the position of the steering wheel, I take the components to John so he can weld it back together for me.

01/01/02:    Jon and I spend a couple of hours working on the chassis.  First order of business was to put the seat in so we could position the steering wheel.  The shaft had been cut by John and we could put it where I wanted it so it would be most comfortable.  We set it in place and went onto the battery.  I had bought a new battery case but it was juuuust a little too wide for the spot on the cab floor.  We had a choice, move it to a new place or get a smaller case.  It would be a pain to move it so a smaller case it is.  Next was the fuel cell mounting.  We observed that the cell was mounted very poorly so we decided to take it out of the chassis.  This would allow us to reinforce the trunk floor.

12/22/01:    Linda designs the team's new t-shirts and gives Melinda and I an advanced copy for our Christmas present (photo).  Since the CenDiv schedule is up in the air, the back of the shirt (with the schedule on it) will need to be reworked.  However, they look fabulous.  The '2001 CenDiv Regional Champ in HP' on the sleeve is a particularly nice touch. 

12/18/01:    I go down to John's to pick up the reworked piece.  He had to cut it in order to insert an aluminum dowel in the steering shaft.  I need to put this apparatus in the car and set the position of the hub so he can finish working on it by welding the two pieces to the dowel.

12/17/01:    I take the steering column down to John's place this afternoon.

12/13/01:    Peter comes over this evening to pick a set of my wheels.  These will go on a car he is preparing for sale.  I trade him the wheels (with a nearly new set of Hoosiers) for some cash and a nice set of Goodyears.  While here he helps me get the steering column out of the chassis so I can have John Thon work on attaching the new quick release steering wheel hub.

11/10/01:    Jon and I went to South Bend, IN for the CenDiv Round Table meetings and Award Banquet.  It was a nice time.  The meetings were relatively interesting and the discussions lively.  The banquet was fun with pretty descent food.  The highlight, of course, was when I received my trophy (photo) for being the CenDiv Regional Champion in H Production.

10/19/01:    I removed the head this evening and found no damage anywhere (photo).  The cylinder walls were very smooth and there were no pieces of particulate in any of the journals or in the valve train.  Again, VERY good news.

10/17/01:    Tonight I removed the oil pan and found nothing in the crankcase (photo).  No oil pump debris anywhere.  VERY good news.

10/14/01:    Kendall Jones came over this afternoon and we played cars for a couple of hours.  I had previously uncoupled all of the lines (oil, fuel, water, electrical, etc.) from the motor so we could pull the engine/tranny from the chassis.  Kendall suggested we disassemble the the rear first.  After taking the tranny off the motor, we removed the clutch/flywheel and then oil pump.  The inside of the pump was all ground down (photo).  Apparently something got into the pump and milled the inside.  This was the residue we found on the oil filter screen.  Now the question is did any crud go around the oil filter, into the oil pan and further into the motor.

09/04/01:    After allowing the motor oil to drain from the engine overnight, I opened the Oberg oil filter to view the screen.  I took this picture.  The metals shavings came from somewhere in there but where?  Since I'll be busy for the next couple of weeks, we'll take a look at it next month after the RunOffs.  Peter wants to some forensic analysis on the remains to try to determine what's up with this engine.

09/03/01:    Melinda and I rolled the car out of the trailer and into the garage.  After putting her up on the jack stands, I opened the oil pan drain plug so the oil could percolate down and out of the motor.

09/02/01:    Since I was going to be last on the grid anyway, I decided to skip the morning practice (I had asked permission from Kent Williamson and he said it was OK) and qualifying session.  This would allow Jon and I time to adjust the carbs properly.  He and I adjusted the jets so that the EGT's were roughly the same.  When inspecting the position of the jets (relative to each other) we noticed that they were very different.  Again, something had to be wrong.  Not be able to rely on our own experience, I asked Duane Bailey to give us a hand.  Duane has a wealth of experience with the SU carbs and quickly diagnosed some minor issues.  After he had made the minor adjustments, I was much more confident in the cars ability to run smoothly.  When our turn to race came around, the car sounded fine.  A couple of laps into the race we had a full course yellow situation.  I had noticed that it was slowly slipping down from the normal range of 45 to 50 to near 20psi.  After we went back to green, I had slowed considerably so I could complete the 8 laps necessary for a finish.  When I did I came into the pits I asked Jon if I had indeed gone half distance.  He confirmed that I had and I drove it back to the paddock and shut it down.

09/01/01:    We arrived at the track at 8:30 and started our day.  By now, unpacking the trailer and setting up 'camp' has become fairly routine.  We all know what to do and when to do it.  In no time we had the area set up and were ready to go.  Once again our group was last so we would not be on track until 10:30 or 11:00.  Practice session was uneventful with so-so lap times.  I was running the 4.55 differential (leftover from the swap before GingerMan) so I expected that the times would be slower.  When it came time for the race, I was gridded last and fully expected to be lapped twice by the very fast ITS cars up front.  I just wanted to be running at the end and get a finish.  On my cool down lap I saw all my F&C buddies waving and giving me 'thumbs up' signs.  That made me feel great.  I also got a checkered flag lap.  For one reason or another, I had never gotten to have a checkered flag lap.  I was hoping to take Melinda with me but I passed her in the pits without even noticing her.  I felt awful that I skipped past her.  But the lap was REALLY fun.  I noticed a pro photographer (Nick Devinick) at turn 5 on the cool down lap and posed for him with the flag high in the air as I drove by (see the shot here).  All in all a pretty good day.  One more tomorrow and we'll be set. (see photos)

08/31/01:    Melinda and I packed the car into the trailer and we drove to meet Jon at the track.  We found a good paddock spot right next to Dave Savage's beautiful EP Lotus Europa.  Dave has had his share of crap land on him in the past couple of years. But he couldn't be as big a shit magnet as Steve 'Black Death Racing' Nagel so I figured we had it all together this weekend.  All we needed was two finishes and we could get our national license.

08/30/01:    The one non-routine thing I needed to before the race weekend was to make sure my exhaust gas temperature probes are wired properly.  While testing in the garage, the EGT values were a little high.  The carbs were set so differently that something had to be miss adjusted.  We'll iron out the details at the track.

08/22/01:    I attached the shock to the body and made sure the others were properly secured.  With only some routine maintenance to do before we get to Grattan, I'll work on the car this weekend and next week so we'll be ready.

07/16/01:    I rolled the car out of the trailer tonight and noticed something peculiar.  The nuts that held the right rear shock in place had come loose and allowed the shock to fall off and drag on the ground as it rolled out of the trailer.  Further inspections showed that one bolt/nut pair were long gone.  Its a good thing we didn't race yesterday because if that happened while I was out on the track at speed it could have been disastrous.  As promised, I will work on this later.

07/15/01:    Overnight my sinus problems kept me awake and I did not get much sleep.  I had thought about not competing today and as I was really worn out from yesterday's travails.  The lack of sleep sealed the deal.  I called Jon and told him not to bother showing up.  Melinda and I drove to the track and leisurely packed the car and all the gear into the trailer.  We left the canopy up as long as we could so Steve and Linda could have some shade.  By the time we got home I was completely exhausted.  I vowed not to even look at the car for two weeks.  I needed a vacation from this.  And that was OK since I needed two finishes for my national license and there was a double regional coming up on Labor Day at Grattan.  After that, I'd be press/crew dude at the RunOffs and the season would be done.

07/14/01:    Jon and I drove down in my truck with Linda coming down later. Melinda had some work to do and would come down after lunch.  I met Mike and Kristie Jaeger at the front gate.  It was nice to see some familiar faces at the track.  Steve Nagel showed up with his family around 9AM.  I escorted him to our area so he could paddock next to us again.  The 'Black Death' factor would rear its ugly head again.  The day was warm and very sunny and our problems started early.  Once again a silly mistake on my part caused a problem that was correctable but a real pain to deal with.  While I was on track during the practice/qualifying session, I was smoking up a storm while cornering.  It felt like my rear tires were deflating.  I came into the pits and asked Jon if the tires were going down.  He said no and I went on my way.  Half way through the session I lost all the high RPM power.  I was forced to short shift to keep my momentum.  I got enough laps in and finished the session. After the car cooled down, Jon and I looked at the motor and discovered that a spring broke on the rear carb allowing the jet to fall down.  The result was that the carb became very rich.  This matched the events on the track.  I decided to swap rear wheels.  Since GingerMan has more right hand turns than left, I wanted the tire that we thought was deflating on the right hand side.  When we pulled the tires off the car, we noticed what I had done wrong.  I had removed the wheel spacers on the rear so the shorter studs would have more threads used on the lugs.  This allowed the inside of the rear tires to rub against the upper control arm.  This is the smoke I saw while cornering.  We put the spacers back in place and put the tires back on.  The carb problem would be tougher to solve.  We had to borrow some safety wire so we could tie the jet into the proper location.  Jon and I removed the carbs and manifold, drilled a pair of holes in the return spring holder and wired the jet into place.  It wasn't pretty but it would work.  The race was pretty uneventful.  The carb problem was still there to a lesser degree.  So I just motored around and tried as hard as I could.  Steve lapped me so I finished second.  I came off track to impound and got to relax for the first time in quite a few hours.  Steve and Linda (along with their kids Joe and Jackie) and Melinda and I ate dinner at the track party.  We had a pretty good time.  Tomorrow was another day.  I was starting to have serious sinus problems.  On the way home it got worse.  UGH! (see photos)

07/13/01:    I loaded the car with the help of my neighbor Don.  I drove down to Jon's place and then he and I drove off to GingerMan Raceway.  We found a nice spot overlooking turn 2 and set up shop.  By now of course we have gotten pretty good at getting the paddock space set up.  It was only 15 minutes and we had put up the canopy, rolled out and covered up the car, unpacked the miscellaneous crud and locked it up for the night.  We were once again the last group on track and we had the luxury of showing up later than most tomorrow.  It was back to Jon and Linda's place for the evening.

07/12/01:    Today I completed the final touches on the car and prepared everything for the upcoming race weekend.  I was using the trailer as a garage since we had returned from Mid-Ohio (no sense taking it back to its storage place for a week).  It was really a mess.  I spent several hours putting tools, spare parts, various fluids, etc. away and cleaning out the cabinets and floors.

07/11/01:    My second day off allows me to play in the garage all day and boy did I take advantage.  I reassembled the entire rear end of the car.  I had to do the following in this exact order:  Install differential, reattach the drive shaft, put hubs back on, put on brakes, install axles, put on the brake housing, put on the wheels and torque them so they allow the axles to seal against the hubs (while the Permatex drys).  That may not sound like much but it was a full days work and I was spent. Now all I had to do was drive down to Detroit's airport and collect my mother.  Too bad she wasn't on her flight.  I wouldn't get to be until 1:30 in the morning.  What a day.

07/10/01:    With my job change coming on 7/16, I had arranged for my current employer to give me some time off since I still had work to do after I  would be working at the new job.  I used these two days off as shop time.  As much fun as it is to drive this car, a lot of the satisfaction comes from working on it in the garage.  So I had two days to get the car back together and ready for the GingerMan race.  Today was used for collecting the bits and pieces (axles, parts, differentials, tires) around the area. First was a trip to Pierce to drop off the axles.  Second was a trip to NAPA to get spark plugs and oil.  Third, I was down to Rob Hahnemann's place near Brighton to get my differentials back.  He had taken the LSD out of the 4.55 and reassembled the 4.88 for me.  Next I was off the MIS so I could have the offending wheel/tire combinations swapped.  After that it was back to Pierce to get the machined axles.  Once home I could unload all the goodies and get down to business...except its golf night and I gotta go play golf...crap.

07/09/01:    Now a decision had to be made.  I could try to find a stud to replace the injured one (3/8" wide and 3 1/2" long) or I could replace all the studs on the rear hubs with new ones.  I had heard from other spridget drivers that 7/16" studs were the way to go and now I had the "opportunity" to upgrade my car. Finding studs locally as long as the old ones would prove to be impossible, so I decided to seize the "opportunity" and buy the larger (read: safer, stronger) ones.  Once it was decided to upgrade the studs several other things had to be taken care of as well.  The way spridget rear ends are set up, the axle slides over the studs and into the differential.  With the larger studs, this means that larger holes hade to me machined into the axles.  Also the brake housings needed larger holes as well.  I didn't have the equipment to perform this job so I had to find a machine shop to do the job...overnight.  I had to have a quick turn around since I was expected on the track at GingerMan next weekend.  After making a few calls I took the parts to Pierce Race Engines here in Lansing. 

07/04/01:    Jon comes over (and brings his Dremel tool) so we can cut off the offending lug nut.  Since we had buggered the threads pretty good, getting the nut to spin off would be a trick.  We decided to cut off the shank of the nut (the round part that slides in the wheel) and therefore, minimize the number of turns we had to use to get the head of the off the stud.  First we cut a slot in the end of the stud so we could hold it in place with a screwdriver.  Next we cut a slot around the shank (with the cutting wheel of the Dremel) of the nut all the way through and separated it from the head.  Now we could turn the hex part off the stud so the wheel could come off.  Last, we turned the shank off.  It took us a while (several cutting wheels broke) but it was yet another introduction to prod car racing (make it up as you go).  As it turns out, the reason the stud came undone in the first place is because the thicknesses of my wheels are different.  I shall explain.  It's a little tricky so try to keep up.  Jon and I measured the wheel at the point where the back of the wheel attaches to the hub of the car.  I have four wheels that are 11/16" thick and four that are 15/16" thick.  The 11/16" wheels had rain tires on them.  EXCEPT ONE.  The 15/16" thick wheels had the racing slicks on them.  EXCEPT ONE.  One each wheel had the other type tire on it and caused the problem.  This explained why one wheel had extra threads showing out the front of the lugs when fully tightened down.  This wheel was the one that crapped out on me. I would have to get the offending wheel/tire combination changed at the Goodyear facility at MIS. 

07/01/01:    Sunday arrived much later than Saturday.  Since we had no real fixes to worry about, I decided to slide back breakfast to 0800.  When we arrived at the track, Chris had already been down and changed our needles again.  I thought he was joking but he wasn't.  What a class guy!  We basically did the routine stuff (tire pressures, torque the lugs, check fuel, oil, etc.) and we were ready.  This mornings session was much easier.  I felt a lot more power from the motor.  I was pushing harder and the track felt like it wasn't fighting back.  I was much more at ease.  The lap time showed it, too.  I had shaved 6 seconds off and had done a 2:06.  Considering the conditions (cool, overcast, windy) I knew there was more time to be had.  I was on top of the world.  Again, routine stuff before the race.  We packed up what we could so we could make a quick getaway after the race.  The weather did not cooperate, though.  While were packing things up the wind came up very quickly and flipped our canopy over onto a pickup truck parked next to us.  At that point we decided to change the right front tire to a rain (we couldn't change the right rear) and make it easier to change one way or the other later.  45 minutes before our race the skies lightened and we decided to go with the slicks.  I decide to charge as hard as I could for the first few laps (which would be clear) and then settle into a groove once I started getting lapped.  As it turned out there was a car of approximately my speed gridded next to me.  I actually got to race with a car for a few laps.  THAT WAS FUN!  He could pull away from me on the straights but I was much faster in the corners.  After a lap or so, I noticed that he had something hanging from just behind his left front wheel.  I decided that I HAD to pass him so that he wouldn't dump something on me.  I finally got around him on lap 5 at T12.  What a blast!  I am definitely looking forward to racing against folks instead of tooling around by myself.  He parked it after another lap or two in the chicane.  After impound and getting back to the paddock, we packed up the car and got everything settled.  John Thon came by and we went to get out Novice Permit books from the Chief Steward.  I discovered, much to my delight, that even though I was the only car in my class I did get a trophy after all.  I picked up Saturday's as well as Sunday's trophies, got my Novice Permit book signed and was feeling pretty tall in the saddle.  I chatted with Chris about decisions that had to be made.  How far do I want to go?  What's my budget going to be?  He gave me some valuable information.  We'll see what comes of it.  The drive home was also uneventful.  We arrived home at 2215 and unpacked only what we needed to for the evening.  We could get the rest tomorrow. (see photos)

06/30/01:    Jon, Melinda Dad and I meet for breakfast at 0700 so we can get to the track by 0800.  There is work to do and I am anxious to get started.  Chris comes by and we start with the carbs.  A quick check shows no gas in the front bowl.  The JB Weld had flowed too far down the port and had plugged the gas line.  We had spares so we did fix it but I felt REALLY stupid.  Chris, Jon and I adjusted the jets, changed the needles, set the floats.  It was about all we could do until we got some EGT (exhaust gas temperature) data from the track.  The other issue to solve was the right rear wheel.  I had a stud that was spinning. We tried to removed the lug nut off the spinning stud but it was no use.  We couldn't get enough grip to turn the nut independently from the stud.  The threads were buggered enough that the nut wasn't coming off but that meant we couldn't put on a rain tire if needed.  And it looked like it might be needed.  By 1100 we were needed on the false grid so I suited up ands off we went.  I would try to take it easy the first couple of laps since there were questions about whether the Hoosiers would hold air (two of them had none when we mounted them last night).  As soon as I got the car up to speed I noticed the front end shook a lot more than I was used to.  It also pulled to the right (the side with the low tire) some.  It also started raining.  After 5 laps of intermittent rain (front stretch dry, back area soaked) I cam in.  Dad and Melinda said the tires had good pressure.  I waited for a lap or tow hoping the rain would go away but to no avail.  It was getting harder.  I had some times in the books and when the checkered fell on our session I drove from the pits to the paddock.  Post session results showed I had turned a 2:12.  I wasn't too impressed with a 2:12.  With all the carb troubles 2:12 seemed a good starting point.  Chris came by and we made a few more adjustments.  I was ready for the afternoon race.  The time had come and were off to the grid.  I had by far the slowest time of anybody with a time.  I told myself that I would have a few clear laps and that I should make the most of them.  The sun was out and I had hoped to shave a few seconds off my qualifying time.  The race started out OK.  I was at the end of the pack and doing just fine.  The track was easier to drive and I was getting more confident.  A couple of laps in however the SRF's (Spec Racer Fords) started to play with each other.  I saw several in the wall or in the gravel traps.  Nothing major happened and I finished two laps down.  My novice days were over.  The post race was very interesting.  Our entire field was held in the pits and we were given a strong talking to by some official.  He was pissed that there was so much contact during the race.  Prod cars don't like to try to start when they are hot so a few of us needed push starts once the shouting was over.  No victory laps either.  Melinda is still waiting to hold her checkered flag on a victory lap.  Impound was a weird scene.  With only three SRF's there and nine prod cars the talk was of us vs. them.  Most of 'us' felt we had been painted with a pretty broad brush  for the actions of 'them'.  Final result showed that I had turned a 2:10 but there was no 'T' next to my name.  No trophy if I'm the only car in my class I guess.  After our race the skies darkened and the rain let loose.  I decided that eating at the track was a bad idea and we should go into town and get cleaned up some good Chinese food.  The motion carried and we were off.  Tomorrow was another day. (see photos)

06/29/01:    The trip down was uneventful once we actually got going.  Several things (slow line at McDonald's, I forgot my wallet, etc.) had contributed to our being late.  I'm usually keyed up before driving to race track anyway but this just added to the tumult.  We got to the track at 1630 and had to wait (ironic isn't it?) for the BMW/Audi/Porsche folks to get out of there.  After we get in and settled, we wait for Chris and John so they can give me some advice about our carbs.  Unfortunately, they are backed up as well and only show up at about 2030.  We make plans for them to come down the next morning.  Its off to the motel for the evening.  I was worrying about Jon.  He didn't show at the track and I was beginning to think he was in a ditch someplace.  I was very relieved when he finally showed about 2200. 

06/28/01:    I took the offending part to work so I can get John Thon's opinion.  He suggests putting some JB Weld in the hole.  Dad brings the tools and we do it at work.  It sets up all day and we try it in the evening.  After installing all the pieces, we fire up the motor.  It runs REAL rough and no matter what we did it wasn't getting any better.  I say we should adjourn for the day and try again tomorrow.  Since Chris Crisenbery and John Thon are going to Mid-Ohio as well, we can tap their expertise when we get there.

06/27/01:    Dad gets to town and we work on the carbs.  The front one has three ports (not the usual two) and its this third port that is leaking.  We can't solve the problem so we call it a night.

06/25/01:    I got a call from Goodyear.  They still couldn't get the tire to seat on the bead properly.  They suggested that they could take it to M-O for me and I could let the Hoosier folks have a crack at it.  Fine with me.

06/22/01:    This week I have finalized the preparation of the fuel system.  I needed some minor parts from Peter and H. E. Lennon (Swaglok fittings), both of which I got on 6/18.  I finished the installation of the new carbs (on 6/21) and will tune them over the weekend. Jon is coming down tomorrow and we will prep the car for the Mid-Ohio regionals on 6/30 and 7/1.  I also took my new Hoosier slicks and Bridgestone rains (new to me anyway) to MIS for the folks at Competition Tire West to mount for me.  The had quite a bit of trouble with one of the slicks and asked that I let some other folks try their hand at it on Monday (most of the best tire guys were at the track since it was a Friday afternoon).

06/15/01:    During the past week I have rebuilt the fire suppression system with stainless steel tubing and new stainless steel Swagelok fittings, connected the transponder to the now empty switch (formerly for the Accusump), reworked the Accusump oiling system (see photo), installed a new exhaust system clamp to better anchor the header to the exhaust pipe and moved the battery.  The only thing left to do is install the new carbs and tune them.

06/08/01:    Melinda and I go to Peter's to pick up the new carbs.  While I was complaining about the imbalance of the car, he suggests that I borrow his scales to get some baseline values.  We also picked up the rain tires that he brought back from Mid-Ohio for me.

06/04/01:    With the trailer fixed up and out of the driveway its now time to concentrate on some minor fixes for the car itself.  As noted above, I needed to fix the Accusump.  The electric valve has failed and I want to eliminate the complexity and put in a manual valve.  To do this I need to move the battery and Halon bottle to free up passenger side floor board space.  I decide that if I'm going to move some of these items, then it might be time to try to balance the car a little better.  This will be tough as I haven't much of a clue how to do this.

06/01/01:    Not wanting to be caught without rain tires again, I purchase some used ones from Tony Chiles.  He will bring them to Mid-Ohio for me.  Peter Morton will collect them and transport them back here.

05/28/01:    Because of the conditions that the foul weather caused, I decided to perform some modifications on the trailer.  If folks were going to have to spend time in the trailer because of inclement conditions, then we would need to make some adjustments.  We would need to free up some floor space so guests would be more comfortable in there for extended periods of time.  This included putting back the extra storage box rack and cabinet that we took out last fall.  I would perform these upgrades during the week before we took the trailer back to its storage spot.  I also want to attach the canopy to the trailer.  Exactly how to do this is unclear but before we go the next race I want the canopy anchored properly so in a heavy wind it won't go anywhere.

05/27/01:    The next day was WET.  We drove to the track through some thunderstorms and that was just a small taste of what we were in for during the rest of the day.  The schedule was the same.  We would practice last and race last.  By the time it was our turn to practice, we had changed to the rain tires.  I had made another stupid mistake.  I had the rain tires swapped from race rims to street rims.  I had assumed that the lug nuts were interchangeable.  Not the case.  The street rims had much smaller hole for the stud to fit through and, therefore, the lug nuts didn't anchor the wheel down to the chassis properly.  It made me a little nervous but we went with it anyway.  The session was a real learning experience.  Even in my little underpowered car, the rear would break away at the slightest over exertion of power.  I spun on the warm up lap and almost did it several  more times later in the session.  During the afternoon the skies cleared up a bit and we changed back to the slicks.  Upon taking off the lugs, Jon and I noticed the truth about the wheels.  They were being held onto the car by a dangerously small amount of the lug nut.  He and I decided that I would only race on the slicks and we would have to hope that the track would be dry enough to be effective.  I went to the stewards and asked them if, because of the weather, I only completed 7 of the 15 laps would that count as a finish.  Was there any 'wiggle room' for them to grant me a finish without completing half of the laps.  Their answer was 'No' and I decided to bail from the race.  With all of the turmoil (the fatality the night before, the serious knee injury a corner worker had suffered getting a stuck car moving and me on slicks) it was just better that I didn't go out.  By this time the rain was really coming down.  I would have been a danger to everybody else (driver, workers, etc.) by going out.  I didn't want that on my mind while I was trying to race.  So we watched the race from the protection of the canopy and trailer.  By the end of the day, there was several inches of rain standing on the paddock.  Many trucks and trailers needed to be towed out of their spaces.  The end result of the weekend, for us anyway, was that we had a good time, got a finish (and a win) and are now in the points chase for the CenDiv championship (click here to see our points totals).

05/26/01:    One the way to the track we met Jon and Linda Craig.  They were coming out to see what a race weekend was like.  Boy did they get a real dose.  Jon and I removed the used Halon bottle from the system to see how it went together.  It was a pretty simple set up so we figured it would be easy to install the new bottle.  And it would have been except for one small problem.  We were replacing a 5 lb bottle with a 10 lb one.  The fittings were the same but the steel band clamps were too small as the circumference of the new larger bottle was greater.  We decided to use a bunch of tie wraps to hold it in place.  This probably wouldn't pass inspection but we could try it anyway.  I was right.  When we took the car to get inspected the had a problem with the tie wraps.  They said if I could get one band in place before practice (only a few minutes away) they would give me a tech sticker and I could go out on the track.  I would need to get a second one before the race that afternoon.  I suggested that Jon go to the KME tractor/trailer rig to see if they had what we needed.  A good rule of thumb is that if you need a part, go to the biggest trailer in the paddock first.  It paid off as Jon returned to the trailer with what we needed.  He and Steve installed the bands while Melinda helped me into my suit.  It was pretty crazy but we got the tech sticker on the way to the false grid for the practice session.  The practice session was fairly comfortable.  I did several laps in the 1:48 to 1:50 range.  I was getting more familiar with the car.  It was getting to be fun.  I was much more calm in the cockpit after all the hassles of the morning.  The session ended and I drove back to the trailer.  With all the chaos of the morning behind us, we settled in for a long period of waiting until our race came along.  Our race would be the last of the day.  We made some adjustments to the car during the down time and basically waited until our turn.  I was gridded 19th out of 20.  At this point in my career (and being the only HP car in the field and thus was assured of a win if I finished) I only wanted to get more comfortable and confident with the car and my driving ability.  I told the guy gridded next to me that I was a rookie and that he could have the first corner.  I wanted the track time to practice and drive smooth.  That's exactly how it played out.  I was last going into the first corner and I used the clear track to get some practice.  Going by lap times (mine versus the pole sitter's) I should have been lapped twice in the 15 lap race.  One goal I did have was not to get lapped twice.  Unfortunately he got me between 7 and 8 on the last lap.  So I completed 13 of the 15 laps which qualified me for the finish.  I finished first in my class which got me a win.  Not a bad effort for the second time out.  There was a very long delay before our race as there was a serious crash on the last lap of the preceding race.  We were told that because of the time delay that there would be no victory laps.  Kind of a drag as I wanted Melinda to get to hold the checkered flag as I drove around.  As it turned out the crash resulted in a fatality and that puts a victory lap in perspective.  Anyway, Jon and Linda went home for the evening and the rest of us went to the track party for dinner and a beer. (see photos)

05/25/01:    Melinda and I arrived at Grattan while the mid day break was going on.  I had thought that Jeff and Jill Brueckheimer would be there before us and would pick out a paved paddock space.  Unfortunately this was not the case and, not seeing their name on the sign in sheet, I took a grass paddock space.  This would com back to haunt us later in the weekend.  With the help of Phil Green, Melinda and I set up our space (unloaded the car, put up the canopy, etc.).  We weren't ready for the first session at 2PM but we did get it together for the second one at 3PM.  Things went pretty well.  I got more confident in the car and it seemed to be working fine.  I had noticed that my Accusump pressure had fallen to zero after the first session.  Apparently the valve had failed and had allowed all the oil to drain into the engine.  Not good!  I figured I could fix that situation by disconnecting it from the system.  I borrowed the appropriate fittings from Jeff and made the repairs.  As we got ready for the third session, we had made the necessary checks to the lugs, tire pressure, and fuel level.  What we didn't check was whether the fuel lines to the carbs were tight.  That also came back to haunt us.  During the second lap of the session I came around corner 5 and noticed thick, black smoke coming out form under the steering wheel.  I looked down and noticed that everything below my knees was on fire!  Not having gone through this procedure before, I sort of panicked.  I pulled off the track at station 6, pulled the handle on the fire suppression system.  It didn't release.  I pulled harder.  Finally it let go when I pulled VERY hard on the third try.  In my somewhat panicked state, I had forgotten to turn of the fuel pump.  That probably would have quenched the fire as well.  In any event, the fire was out, I was OK, the suit was OK and we got a flat tow back to the paddock.  How stupid.  Once again a minor oversight cost us big time.  We couldn't race unless we had a Halon bottle to replace the used one.  Melinda (ever the smart one) remembered that my Mother, Aunt Gwynne and Uncle Steve Schoff were coming to help out the next day.  They live in Muskegon.  They could stop by Port City Racing and get the new bottle for us and bring it to the track.  Brilliant idea.  By now the clouds had rolled in and we were hiding under the canopy and in the trailer.  It was coming down in sheets and in fact had the track had cancelled the rest of the afternoons activities.  Melinda called Port City Racing and yes they had replacement bottles.  They opened at 9AM.  Mom, Steve and Gwynne could get the part and drive over by 10:15 or so.  That was important because we needed to get the bottle installed, get inspected and get on track for practice by 11AM. (see photos)

05/23/01:    I reassembled the head (again) making sure not to over torque the small rocker studs.

05/22/01:    I found a machine shop (Brooks Imports) to remove the broken stud.  What a lifesaver.  Nice folks who have a neat place.

05/21/01:    After cleaning the head and block surfaces, I prepared the gasket by spraying some Copper sealant on it and put it on the block.  I put on the head, put the push rods in place and add the rocker assembly.  After putting the nuts on the head bolt studs, I was working my way around the the various studs when one snapped.  UGH!

05/14/01:    Tonight's the night to see what happened.  After talking to Peter and Jeff, I had a plan on what to look for and where.  I removed the valve cover and inspected the head.  While a little wet with water, everything seemed to be OK in the valve train.  I unbolted the vale train and removed it.  I also disconnected all the sensors and water lines from the head.  It was obvious when I removed the head what had happened.  When we had the gasket trouble before the drivers school, it compromised the back portion around the fourth cylinder.  Retorquing the head back then saved the gasket but only temporarily.  It let go in a huge way in two directions, back and sideways towards the manifolds (see photos here).  Everything else seemed OK.  What a relief!  This wasn't going to be that expensive after all.  It looks like we'll be back on the track for the Grattan Memorial Day event.

05/13/01:    Melinda and I slept in because there was no real rush to get to the track.  When we got there we hooked up said our 'good lucks and good byes' and were off.  The drive home was boring and painful as I thought about how expensive this might be.  We unpacked the trailer, rolled the car into the garage and took the trailer back to its home.

05/12/01:    We got to the track early (8AM).  The weather was great.  Not a cloud in the sky and it was headed to 70 or so this afternoon.  As we were in group 5, I was not expected on the track until at least 11:00.  This gave us plenty of time to get things in order and prepare for the practice/qualifying session.  We ran through the usual routine maintenance (checking the fuel, oil and water levels, checking (and correcting if necessary) the tire pressures and torquing the lug nuts.  Since Steve had never seen the track, we hopped in the truck and motored around the access roads and showed him the corners as best we could.  He got the general feel for the place.  Finally our call came and we mounted up.  What I had forgotten to do after adjusting the position of the seat was to make sure that the seat belts were properly adjusted.  They were not.  So in a flash Melinda and I refitted the shoulder straps.  I made the false grid with a minute or two to spare.  Off we went.  After a lap of subdued pace Steve and I took off as best we could.  As I was late to the grid, he was in front of me-but not for long.  I passed him on the inside of 6 and gradually moved out from him over the next lap.  I was interested in seeing what my EGT's were saying so I was keeping a close eye on them on the straights.  Once I had figured out that I had the air/fuel mixture set OK, I decided to concentrate on the corners and get a feel for the track.  Running down the backside of the track I noticed that my oil temp was 235F.  By all accounts this was too high.  I throttled back and drove into the pits.  Had I spun a bearing?  What was going on here?  After the motor cooled off a bit, I checked the oil filter.  Nothing unusual there.  The oil level looked OK, too.  I consulted a couple of sprite types and they suggested that I might be running to lean and that caused the excess heat.  I richened up the mixture and waited for the race.  When race time came my thought process was this:  If the oil temperature stays at 235F, then I might be OK and could limp around for a finish.  If it continues to creep up, then I'll pull off and end my day.  When we lined up for the start, I was gridded last just 0.4s behind Steve.  This position would allow me to baby the car for a lap or two and see what happens.  We didn't get the chance.  I heard some loud knocking and vapors flowing from under the hood and coasted to a stop on the access road leading past corner 5.  After a flat tow back to the paddock space, I was done for the day.  What a drag.  I thought the noise was so severe that it had to be expensive and internal.  So we packed up the trailer and got ready to leave in the morning.  Steve, his son Joe, Melinda and I decided to attend the worker party and schmooze a while.  We all went to the same Chinese buffet for dinner.  Off to bed-what a downer.

05/11/01:    Melinda and I leave DeWitt at about 10AM and head to Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.  We encounter some traffic along the way but, in general, it a fairly smooth drive.  We arrive at 4PM and, after registering, scout out a paddock space.  We discover that the paved spaces across from the Tower are unspoken for and free for the taking.  I pull into a space and we begin to set up our space.  Its cool and misty so we decide to put up the canopy.  Since we've never done this before, and we have no pictures or diagrams, its a bit of a Chinese puzzle.  We lay out all the pieces and then se how they fit together.  Before you know it we have the thing together-properly no less.  I had noticed on the pre-registration list that there was one other HP car (Steve Nagle/Elmhurst, IL, VW Scirocco).  He drives past our spot while looking for a paddock space.  When he could find none and was driving back our way, I directed him into the empty space next to ours.  We introduced ourselves and helped each other get settled.  Steve had never been to this track before and didn't even have a track map.  After doing the tech thing and getting completely settled in, Melinda and I headed for our motel in Sheboygan (about 15 minutes away).  By now it was 8PM and we were both tired and hungry.  After dinner at a great Chinese buffet (right next door to the motel), we went back to the motel and crashed. (see photos)

05/10/01:    Peter comes over to tune the engine a little.  We have a few issues to finish tonight.  He wants to check the bottom end to see if everything is still tight.  We also adjust the valve lash, fill her up with oil, fire her up and tune the carbs.  He pronounces that all is well and we are ready for the trip to Road America.

05/09/01:    In preparation for Peter coming over tomorrow, I take care of a few things.  I drain the engine oil and remove the pan so he can inspect the crankshaft and connecting rod bolts.

05/08/01:    As Melinda is on a business trip, I pack the trailer with the necessary tools, cleaners, spare parts and consumables (oil, fuel, etc.).

05/07/01:    Melinda and I go get the trailer for the next race trip.  I'm actually getting good at this 'backing the truck in place to hook up to the trailer' thing.

04/26/01:    My Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) kit came today.  When installed this system will help me get the correct air fuel mixture in my carbs so that I will make maximum power with little guess work.  I put the probes into the front and rear exhaust tubes.  This will allow me to read any discrepancy in the temps from the two carbs.  If they are not the same then I have to adjust the fuel mixture.

04/22/01:    After taking Melinda to the airport, I install the seat brace that I ordered (see photo). I also had my first walk in viewers.  My neighbor Don brought his two sons over for a 'look see' at the car.  I gave a brief  tour and we chatted about the sport in general.

04/13/01:    Jeff comes over today for a boy's day in.  We work on the seat positioning (anchoring the design I settled on last night), move my oil cooler (it was blocking the air to my radiator) and generally clean some things up. We reposition an oil line to allow the front bodywork to fit more securely.

04/12/01:    After taking a much need breather, I got back in the game today by taking care of some routine items.  While at drivers school I noticed that I was sitting too high.  I have adjusted my position in the car by sliding the seat forward and pitching the it back.  This will allow me to be lower in the car.  This is good for several reasons:  One, it will get me under the roll cage like I'm supposed to be.  Two, it will get me out of the air stream so I will be more aerodynamic.  And three, it will lower the cars center of gravity which will make it handle better.  The modifications mean I will have to order a seat back brace and install that so the seat will be anchored to the roll cage.

04/01/01:    We said 'good bye' to Steve at the motel and went to the track so we could load the car into the trailer.  We thanked Phil and a bunch of other folks we ran into and proceeded to head home.  Dad left us at the track and headed home himself.  We really appreciated all the help that Dad and Steve gave us.  I hope they had fun.  It had been a long but very exciting weekend but now it was time to get home and rest.  We got home about 7:30PM and I decided to let the car sit in the trailer one more night.  I was too tired to mess with it any more.  It could wait until tomorrow.

03/31/01:    We woke up to severe fog conditions.  You could barely see a car in the parking lot one floor below.  I just hoped we wouldn't have to race in this junk.  When we arrived at the track we noticed that you couldn't see the track from our garage stall.  And it was only 30 yards away!  We were supposed to have another on track session with our instructors.  That was postponed by one hour to allow the fog to lift.  That was fine with me.  I wanted to rest anyway.  Peter Zekert stopped by.  He was the driver who I had contacted to act as a technical advisor.  If we had a serious mechanical problem I needed to have somebody around who could solve it for me.  I needed to concentrate on the learning aspect of things and if I could delegate that kind of thing then fine.  That's one less thing to worry about.  Once the fog, lifted the powers that be decided to try to catch up to the original schedule.  That meant the lunch break was by-passed.  After a couple of the green flag sessions, it was obvious that the car was behaving great.  The motor was strong and it was fairly well balanced.  We could drive the car anywhere we wanted through a corner.  That came in handy as we were one of the slowest cars out there which meant we were being passed all the time.  Once the track cleared and I was by myself I could concentrate on the driving line like I was supposed to do (instead of learning how to point faster cars by).  By 1:30 or so I was really tired.  The lack of sleep and the tension of the track time had taken its toll on me.  I was hoping that we could get in our mandatory time and then it would rain like hell.  After all the weather channel had forecast an 80% chance of rain.  The last sessions were flag recognition, practice starts and a 12 lap race (based on lap time accumulated during the day).  During the practice starts session it started to sprinkle.  Perhaps we could get lucky?  Yes!  The skies opened up at about 3:00 or so and the stewards decided to cancel the rest of the day.  Fine with me!  All that was left was the requisite paperwork and we could pack up and take it easy.  Phil cam by and congratulated me.  He said I did really well.  That meant a lot to me.  I think he is one fine gentleman and a compliment from him carries a lot of weight with me.  Between Phil, Dick and Peter we had plenty of experienced drivers giving us advice.  Once the paperwork was finished we packed everything into the trailer (except the car) and headed for the motel.  I wanted to see the Spartans play in the NCAA Men's Final Four and relax.  I skipped the worker party because I was just too tired.  That's right, I turned down free food and beer (see photos).

03/30/01:    Ah, the big day has arrived.  (Note:  Check the 'Events' page for a link to the schedule so you can see how busy we were over the course of the weekend)  Team Turtle arrives at the track at 9:00AM.  It looks like there will be rain tomorrow so I decide to rent a covered garage stall for $50.  We move the truck/trailer down there and pick out a space.  Since we're off until 10:00AM (when registration opens), I decide to fire up the motor and see what the oil and water look like.  It appears to be just fine.  That's one less thing to worry about.  Frank Axlerod pulls in with his father.  He takes the stall next to us and we begin to help him unpack.  After Frank and I register for the schools and check in, its time for our first class at noon.  We get a one hour lecture session on the basics of cornering, flag rules, etc.  Next its on to the course in some instructor's vehicles.  I notice that most of these cars are really tow vehicles and not really designed for high speed lapping.  But that doesn't seem to stop anybody from pushing the envelope.  I'm in Dick Davis's Ford van and he's letting it hang out pretty good.  After we tour the track eight or ten times, he pulls into the pits so we can view an in-car video from his last national event here.  It was pretty instructive for me but I had seen some in-car video from Phil Chiles.  Out to the track for a few more laps and then into our own cars.  Closed wheel cars are first on the track (that's me!).  Our first track session (in our own cars) was a 15 minute session with full course yellow conditions.  This was basically to get us familiar with the track.  I must admit that I was plenty nervous while suiting up.  With the belts, suit and helmet all so tight on me, it felt a little claustrophobic in the cockpit.  In addition, I was thinking about a myriad of things that could go wrong and now was NOT the time for that.  Once I got on the track I was much more comfortable both physically and mentally.  The cool air rushing over me definitely calmed me down and allowed me to concentrate on the task at hand.  We had two more sessions like that one (only they were 30 minutes in duration) before we were done for the day.  Before we left the track for the day, I wanted to check the water and oil again just for good measure.  This was the first time the car was really hot and I wanted to see the results.  Again they both looked fine.  The head gasket was not going to be an issue (at least for now anyway).  We left the oil pan drain plug out so it could drain all night and we were off to the motel.  I was exhausted from the on track sessions.  They really drained me.  Much more than I would have guessed.  After another fine meal it was time for bed and some well deserved sleep.  Too bad the NCAA Women's Final Four tournament was in town.  From 10:00PM to 2:30AM we were awoken many times by drunken party goers.  Melinda put a stop to it by yelling at the folks in the hallway.  You go girl!  That's what a crew chief is supposed to do, right? (see photos)

03/29/01:    Melinda and I leave for St. Louis at 7:30AM.  An uneventful trip down lands us there at 3:15PM.  Dad is already there and has met Gary Payne (fellow school competitor and local tech chief).  I had arranged for Gary to meet us so we could get our annual technical inspection (see photos).  After that was finished (we passed of course), I fired the car up and drove it around the paddock area to get it warm.  I was still concerned about the head gasket and wanted to check it before the day was over.  The water was a little foamy and the valve cover cap had some milky residue on it but it looked much better than the day before.  We replaced the water and oil and repacked the car for the evening.  We met Steve at the motel and went to dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant (The Cancun in Collinsville-I recommend it) and retired for the evening.

03/28/01:    As it is finally nice weather (50F / sunny), I stay home from work so I can test the car on the street.  I drive it around the block a few times to get it warm.  Melinda notices that water is bubbling out of the engine from under the head at the rear above the bell housing.  I freak out as this is NOT what I needed 16 hours before we are headed to St. Louis.  I call Jeff and he gives me some advice.  Torque the head bolts, run it again and see what happens.  As the head gasket may be compromised, I call Winner's Circle and have two sent to our hotel in Collinsville, IL.  We pack the car and the rest of the gear into the trailer, lock it up and retire for the evening.

03/25/01:    Jon and Linda come over and stay the night.  The four of us get a lot accomplished and the car is nearly ready for the trip to St. Louis.  Margie and Linda take off the old stickers and clean the car so the new ones will attach better (see photo).  Jon and I get the body panels on, flush the radiator and oil system.  Its been a VERY busy week but the rewards are worth it.  The car looks and runs great.  Now all we have to do is pack the trailer and we're off!

03/23/01:    John Thon comes over and helps bleed the newly created and installed clutch line.  We also tune the carbs.

03/21/01:    I make a road trip to Ron Krantz's (pick up high torque starter), Frank Axlerod's (he is also going to the St. Louis school and we chatted about caravanning down together) and Peter's (get the new clutch line).

03/18/01:    Peter (see photo) comes over to tune the motor (its all in place now we need to run it and set the correct distributor timing, etc.).  We're ready to drive it to check everything when the clutch line bursts.  It had rubbed against the chassis frame rail and worn itself down enough that when we tried to bleed the clutch line it popped.  Peter takes the old one and will fabricate one for me.  I will pick it up sometime this week.

03/17/01:    I finished hooking up all the various connections (oil, fuel, water, electrical, sensors, etc.) to the motor this week.  I hit some rough spots but generally it went smoothly.  Melinda and I go to Muskegon this morning to pick up a oil temperature sensor adapter that will fit into the oil filter housing.

03/12/01:    Melinda and I get the motor put into the chassis all by ourselves.  That was easier than I thought.

03/11/01:    Peter came up today and he did bring the correct pressure plate but again I forgot to tell him to bring another part (a throw out bearing) so we could finish the installation.  Duh!  So Melinda and I drove down to Peter and Jen's place, picked up the offending part, lunched at Memphis Smoke and were on our way.  Since I had used up the valuable talent that Jeff and Peter could supply this weekend, this meant that Melinda and I would have to install this motor ourselves.  A daunting task but something I would have to learn someday.

03/10/01:    I pick up the new motor from Peter this morning (see photo).  He stayed up all night to finish the build.  His garage was thick with the smell of the paint freshly sprayed on the motor.  He and I checked the valve lash, loaded up the truck and off I went.  Jon and Jeff were at my place getting the chassis ready for the installation of the new motor.  Unfortunately, I did not have the correct pressure plate for the new flywheel/clutch assembly.  This meant we could only go so far in getting the motor ready.  We would not be able to attach the transmission and put the motor in the chassis.  Bad preparation on my part.  Peter was scheduled to come up tomorrow anyway.  He could bring the proper parts and then he and I could finish the job.

02/28/01:  I got to Bill Davidson's and get some used race slicks from him.  I will have the rain tires taken off the race rims and put on the steel rims.  This will free up a set of rims for the second set of tires I just got from Bill.  The end result will be that I will have two sets of slicks and one set of rain tires all mounted and ready to go.  I'll do this next Monday at Michigan International Speedway.  Goodyear has a facility down there that can handle the goofy type of tire/rim combinations that ordinary tire places cannot deal with.

01/28/01:  Jon and Jeff come over and we pull out the 948 full prep motor (see photo) in preparation for installation of the 1275 motor Peter is building me.  As groundwork for the motor pull, over the past few evenings I have disconnect all the fuel, oil, water, etc. lines from the motor.  It is a great learning experience.  I'm sure that some day I can do all of this myself but it is good to have Jeff here to act as supervisor.

01/21/01:  Peter Morton comes up to discuss an engine swap.  He is willing to trade a limited prep 1275 motor (which he would prepare for me) for the full prep 948 motor (and all the associated parts) that I have.

12/11/00:  The drivers suit comes in today from Simpson.  I now have all the safety gear (helmet, gloves, shoes, etc. all came in earlier) that I ordered from them.  It looks way to cool (see photo).

11/18/00:  Jon Craig and Jeff Brueckheimer come over and we disconnect the drive shaft, extract the differential, replace the axle seals (although one of the seals was the wrong size) and replace the hubs.  I don't have some of the proper tools so we call it a day.  We inspect the rear ends.  I have a 4.22 and 4.88 (both are welded) as well as a 4.55 LSD (limited slip differential) that was in the car.

10/21/00:  Melinda and I host our 'car warming' party.  We invite all of our neighbors, friends, family and racing acquaintances to show off the new car.  A good time is had by all.

10/14/00:  Dad and I start up the car for the first time.  I sounds great.  It burns a little oil but then again its British so I guess its supposed to.   After that we put her up on jack stands so we can take the wheels off and look at the under side of the chassis and the suspension components.  He discovered that there was some oil (differential fluid) on the brake housings.  He suggests that the axle seals are worn and need to be replaced.  I send a picture to Jeff and he notices that the axles were stock. So the process begins.  We now have some parts we need to replace and upgrade.

09/23/00:  We (Melinda, my brother Steve and I) met Scott in Port Huron to off-load the car from his trailer and put it into ours.  What a feeling as we pack everything into the trailer (see photos).  This is what we have been waiting for.  This is the culmination of all the window shopping and research.  When we get it home Steve and I clean out the garage to make room for the car (see photos). We put up some shelves so we can store the spare parts.

09/05/00:  Scott and I have a phone conversation tonight and discuss his racing schedule.  He has purchased two S2000 cars.  One of which he will pick up 9/10 at Mid-Ohio after a race there.  The second he will pick up on 9/23 in Port Huron, MI.  He is very considerate since driving to Port Huron instead of Sharonville, OH saves us about 7 hours or time and probably $75 in gas expenses.  He will drive the Sprite up from his shop and we will load it into our trailer.  We'll help him load the second S2000 into his trailer and we'll be off.

08/10/00:  Scott informs me "...the car is mine if you want it."  The deal has been consummated and we are ready to go ahead with the pick up in a few weeks.

08/01/00:  Scott informs me that he wants to give his crew chief first shot at purchasing the car.  Although he thinks this is a remote possibility at best, he thinks its only fair.  I agree and must wait for him to make his decision.

07/30/00:  Melinda and I visit Scott Kuwatch's race shop in Sharonville, OH (near Cincinnati).  I met him at Grattan a few weeks ago and he told me that his car (see photo) would be for sale.  We're following up on the lead as we are in Oxford for my high school reunion anyway.  The package is nice.  It has a good solid car with all the best safety equipment as well as plenty of spare parts.  The engine has many Huffaker parts and should be pretty strong.  As for the price, he got it on the cheap and has passed his savings on to us.  He wants $6000 for the whole thing.  We'll see how it goes in the next few days.

07/26/00:  The SCCA promulgates new rules for 'limited prep' cars including HP Austin-Healey Sprites (Marks II, III, IV) utilizing 1275cc engines.  The official text is as follows (see it on the SCCA web site here):

                        "AH Sprite (Mk 2,3,4) & MG Midget (All) 1275, Limited Prep: 4 Cyl OHV, Bore/Stroke: 2.78"/3.20", Displ.: 1275cc, Block: Iron, Head P/N: Iron, Valves (I/E): 1.31"/1.16", Carb. No. & Type: 2 SU 1.25" with no modifications, Chokes: N/A, Wheelbase: 80.0", Track (F/R): 49.5"/48.2", Wheels: 13x5.5, Trans. Speeds: 4, Brakes Std.: Factory Spec at all 4 Wheels, Brakes Alt.: None, Weight: 1535, Notes: Comp. Ratio limited to 11.0:1, Valve lift limited to .450", Restricted Suspension. Cylinder head prep per IT specs except that head may be milled to achieve max. comp. ratio. Stock intake manifold only-may be port matched on port mating surface to a depth of no more than 1". Balance tube may be partially or fully blocked. Manifold may not be otherwise altered. Valves, keepers, valve springs, pushrods to be ferrous-no titanium alloys. Valve lift measured at the valve with zero lash or clearance. Stock rocker arms, cam followers, rocker ratios and rocker/follower ratios must be retained.  Roller rockers and roller followers are prohibited. Stock connecting rods required, but may be lightened and balanced. Rod bolts may be replaced. Stock crankshaft required with a max. undersize of .0450". Billet cranks prohibited. Dry sump is prohibited. Transmission must use the original case and bell housing in the original locations, but internal components are free. Competitor must be in possession of factory workshop manual at all competitions."

07/09/00:  While working F&C today at a Grattan double regional, I saw the race car that we would eventually purchase from Scott Kuwatch (see photos).

07/02/00:  We also bought Ron's truck to tow the trailer.  With Jon's Craig's help we brought the pair home today (see photos).  With any luck these two units will last a long time and provide excellent support for us.

06/19/00:  We finalized the purchase of a race trailer from Ron Griffin (former FC, FF and S2 driver) of Sterling Heights, MI.  As we don't have a tow vehicle, yet, we'll leave it at his storage place until we can arrange something.

11/08/99:  The official text from the SCCA (published in the January, 2000 Fastrack section of Sports Car magazine) reads as follows:  

                        "Classify Honda del Sol 1600 DOHC, Carburetion: stock fuel injection, Weight: 2150lbs, Notes: Comp Ratio limited to 12.0:1. Cylinder head prep per IT specifications except that head may be milled to achieve max compression ratio (i.e. no porting, stock valve job, no chamber mods). Restrictions: Alternate (synchro) transmission, add 50lbs, alt. dog-ring transmission, add 100lbs, alt. sequentially shifted transmission, add 175lbs. Restricted suspension preparation only (refer to PCS Section 17.1.1.D.6., Restricted Suspensions for allowable suspension modifications.) May be prepared as a coupe or a "targa top", Petty-bar roll cage allowed in lieu of rearward roll cage braces."

08/17/99:  I have petitioned the SCCA Competition Board (Jim Leithauser) to classify my 1994 Honda del Sol VTEC as a 'limited prep' production car.  I don't plan on racing it soon, but at least we have laid the ground work for future consideration.

Last edited by Dayle Frame on Monday, June 07, 2010