Friday, September 13, 2019

Hennepin Restomods Open House

Not directly racing related, but close enough; see the part about the RX7.  The shop owner has also competed in some Chump Car races, so there is my justification!  I love old cars, I love them even more when they can start, stop more like modern cars.  A lot of people are nay-sayers when it comes to retro-mods (a classic car with some modern components swapped in).  I get it, somethings should be kept original for better or worse for the sake of being historically accurate.  However, once one drives a car with leaf springs and drum brakes on all four corners, requires a rain dance of pulling the choke cable, pumping the gas pedal 4 times (not three, not six) to get the thing to start, or the fact it can't do the legal posted highway speed limit, the novelty of a classic wears off. 

Hennepin Restomods had an open house so I swung in to see what projects where in the shop.
 This Cheverolet is going to be a mobile bar. 

Originally a Dodge van with an ABC (Aluminum Bodies Company) shell; now sitting on shortened '02 Silverado 35000 chassis with a 6.0l LS LQ4 power plant. It's new life will be a food truck.

Dodge 
The original frame for the Dodge.  Independent rear end?!?  

Body on frame swap


GrassRoots MotorSports Challenge 2004 contender and 2005 winner.  Mazda RX7 w/ a Ford 302 swap.


Extended cab Ford? 

LS Swap

I am a big fan of these retro-fit fuel injection systems.  Restomods is a FiTech installer.

Trabant



Friday, August 30, 2019

Jack Pine Sprints; Brainerd Intl. Raceway w/ SCCA-LOL 8/24 & 8/25

My Spec Miata returns!!!  After a two year hiatus, the car returns to the track!  SCCA-LOL's Jack Pine Sprints at Brainerd International Raceway.  A big thank you to Mark Kaufman of Maaco Burnsville, Nate Gundlach, Geoff YoungdahlSRG Autosport,and The Alignment Guy.
New fire bottle, nerve racking to install, and less than easy access!  :)

Spec Miata Central, well most of us.

Over 50lbs of ballast was needed to be installed to make my 2400lbs race weight.

Turns out my choice of blue numbers on the grey car didn't contrast enough.  Black duct tape also wasn't good enough, borrowed some orange tape.  Then later to mess with some of my corner worker friends, I made the "1"'s with white tape.  :) I really like my new Jongbloed Racing Wheels from Phill's Tire Service.
My 2nd race, the radar was giving hints of possible rain.  The question was when was it going to come and how much?  Conventional wisdom is the Hoosier SM7's are faster that Hoosier wet tires up until standing water shows up.  At the very last second I made the switch to my 6 year old rain tires.  While in grid the rain starts....the first few laps were very sketchy, as the race went on the tires got better; I assume grinding off the outside layer and getting to fresh rubber helped.  The rain got heavier, I went off the track not once but twice!  I ended up getting 3rd this race!



I will add in car video and more pictures later!.



Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Dodge Ram 2nd Generation Transmission coolers

My first 1/2 ton Dodge with a 318ci v-8 didn't come with a transmission cooler.  I had an aftermarket one installed.  Nothing to it; simply attaches to the truck in front of the AC condenser with some funny zip tie things.  The g/f also has a very similar truck and hauls a  horse trailer with it, so I convinced her that she needed a transmission cooler as well.  I knew that the diesels came with a cooler, so why not just go with an OEM option?!?  Well here is some stuff I learned, I couldn't find it documented, so I made a few trips to the local junkyard to find answers.

-Diesels have a cooler that mounts on the driver side of the radiator. The ATF does not run in series with the radiator, just the cooler.

-SOME gassers also have a transmission cooler.  The cooler attaches to the radiator core support, and sits between the radiator and AC condenser.  The ATF does seem flow in series with the passages in the radiator; although I found several routing methods in the junkyard.
OEM gas transmission cooler. 
OEM diesel transmission cooler
Diesel cooler..(picture taken from Mishimoto)

Random street car upgrades

A few mods I did to my street cars....a while ago....but never got around to blogging about them so.....

First on my 2018 VW Golf AllTrack.  The lower rear motor mount.....it connects the sub-frame to the back of the motor.  There is a large void in the OEM mount, several companies make a part to fill that void.  I purchased two of them, not knowing which one I liked better.  The 034 Motorsport aluminum one (bottom) or the Black Forest Industries poly one (top).  I ended up going with the Black Forest one, just because it fills more of the void.  FYI in roughly 2018 VW switched to a slightly newer style of this mount, so if doing this upgrade on your car, be mindful.  The car does have a bit more NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness), not too bad though.


When I got this particular street car Miata had installed some unknown lowering springs and performance Tokico struts.  The car was very harsh, and too low, the front wheels actually were a bit tucked.

I scored a really good deal on some Tokico Ilumina shocks (adjustable rebound/compression) with Flying Miata springs and NB strut hats.  Notice the springs on the FM's are progressive, which make for a more pleasant ride, they also are a stiffer spring.  The NB Miata (2nd generation) had a revised strut/spring top that helps with bump steer.  After the swap, the car is about 3/4" higher, which good and rides so much nicer, and does handle better.  I leave the shocks on the softest settings because of MN roads, and the passengers complain less.  :)



Monday, July 22, 2019

O'Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine Summer Nationals St. Paul

The QA1 Auto-cross hosted by SCCA-LoL.  Sorry some of these pics are screen captures from FaceBook video that I will try to pull down later.  Photo credits to Sondra Loos, and others.

The course was setup and tested for "big car compatibility"! :)

Storms came in Friday night and Saturday morning, the lightning prevented us from starting on time, that and some water logged timing equipment.

Some of "real SUV's"

The power plant of the Viking Suspension car, a "NASCAR SB2" motor running FI.  8500rpm rev. limiter, which sounds glorious!  This car did put the fastest time of the weekend down as a 34.75 seconds.


Best I could do with my Alltrack was a 38.5 seconds; which did beat 60% of the other competitors.  It is pretty much all stock, except for the light weight wheels, 235/50/17 tread-wear 300 tires. My mostly stock 1997 Miata (high flow cat, adjustable shocks and Flying Miata springs) with 195/55/15 four year old all season tires could only do a 40.xx.  I drove a stock 2015 Mazda 3 wagon w/ 205/55/16 all seasons that got a 41.xx.  My old VW GTI showed up!  I got 30 seconds to talk to him, it is very wierd seeing your old "car love" being raced by another person!  At least it is still being used for what I built it for!  
My Miata "looping it" with a guest driver.







One of the many cones that gave their life for this event.  :D  It was brand new cone prior to this weekend. 
Some of the volunteers who put on this event!  Much thanks!

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

World Racing League at Brainerd International Raceway 7/13/19~7/14/19

<draft.....>






Saturday it was SUPER hot.  We got 1st place by a huge margin.  The 2nd place car who had faster lap times had some very long pit stops, no idea if it was mechanical or not.  The Tri-ata (Miata powered Triumph) had several oil leaking issues.   Sunday was much cooler, we ziptied thee-Bay special front lip hoping for a few more MPH on the long part of the track.  We had 1st place most of the day Sunday.  I got in the car for the last 1 hour 45 minutes, lost radio.  The 2nd place car was 3 laps down from us.  Their hot shoe (a very good local Spec Miata driver) went into the car, and averaged 5 seconds a lap faster than me.  On the very last lap, despite my defensive driving, she got past me and finished 2.57 seconds ahead of us!

More pictures by Jerry Winker and here on FaceBook Photo credits to Sondra Loos, Jerry Winker, and others.


O'Reilly Street Machine Nationals 2019


Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Brainerd International Raceway "competition course" Track notes.

Finally got around to publicizing some track notes for Brainerd International Raceway.   It is a 2.5 mile 13 turn circuit.
Turn 1:  Banked, it is wide enough to turn a truck and trailer around.  Normal apex.  Some low HP cars will choose to stay low to avoid climbing the banking.

Turn 2: Roughly the same radius as T#1, but no banking.  Normal apex.  Most will want to brake or slow going into T#2, although many cars can go flat, warm up to it.  If one must brake or lift, do it on the straight before entering T#2, there is an access road on the outside, use that as your "End of Braking" point and return to full throttle at that road so the car is stable through the turn.  Most cars will be doing around 100mph here.

Turn 3: Most cars will require two down shifts.  It is very easy over brake into and have too slow of an exit speed, only doing a single down shit forces one to keep momentum up.   Others commonly lock up the brakes off and go shooting straight off the track, or carry too much speed and shoot off between T3 & T4.  Speaking of which, the dirt around BIR is very soft sand.....if one goes off, don't fight to save it, drive straight, if you turn the wheels while in the dirt there is a good chance the wheel will dig in and flip the car!  Going into T3 is a popular spot for late-brake passing...aka dive bombing.  Very late apex, the curbing on the apex and track out are very smooth.  Use all of the track, track out should be very near the end of track out curbing.  Feel free to guard the inside against dive bombers going into T3, because the passing car will undoubtly steal the track out point away from you and compromise your line twice.  If it is an out of class car you are better off lifting early and letting them pass you in the middle of the braking zone vs the end of it.

Turn 4: Most cars that did two downshifts into T3 will run out of gear before entering T4, so a short shift into the next gear and down shifting again for T4.  IMHO the apex curbing is way to early.  This is a sucker corner, late apex, but don't track out fully, come out only 1/2.  If one tracks all the way out it makes T5 too difficult.

Turn 5: Momentum corner.  A Miata can usually be full throttle from the exit of T4 all the way to the braking point for T6 and just a slight lift before turning in.  Normal to late apex.

Turn 6: Scrub some speed before turning in, I commonly over slow for this one.  Normal to late apex.  IMHO the track out curbing stops too soon, the last foot or so is my track out point.

Turn 7:  Just cut it shorten the track and enter the carousel wider.  One can carry a lot of speed in and through T7 but requires dumping some of it before entering T8.  It can get quite harry to dump speed, enter the carousel and down shift all in the exit of T7.  Use a few inches of curbing, as they are smooth and it straightens out the approach to T8.

Turn 8:  The carousel, debatable.....the "school" line is to enter it wide and tighten as one goes around it, touching the curbing one nearly completely around.  Good handling cars can ride the inside all the way around but it does scrub the tires.  No matter what approach is chosen, look for the curbing on the exit and use it.  Holding the inside line tends have cars massively under-steer all the way around others will spin.  Look for the old signage on the walls of the exit.  Make faster cars pass you on the outside, the longer line, but be mindful of wanting to be on the driver side of the track for T9.

Turn 9:  There is a corner that is formed by the track side walls, aim to basically take your driver's mirror off on that wall.  Track out and clip T10.  Get the car to lined up parallel with the wall.

Turn 10:  Cut distance.  The exit of T10 determines the approach to T11 and the pit straight.  Apex normal and track all the way out if one wants the shortest line.  Or apex late and don't track all the way out for a slightly safer line.

Turn 11:  This turn seems to cause the most accidents of any turn, myself included.   People will carry too much speed and fall off the track exit or catch it and shoot off to the inside.  Others will clip the inside curbing getting the chassis upset and end up in a spin.  An all to common mistake is for people to lift or brake in the turn, which obviously ends up poorly.  There are two bumps that can upset the chassis.  One bump is driver's left, there is an only access road there at turn.  The other is near the apex. 

Turn 12:   Common place for dive bombing, protecting the inside is doable but it will be a compromised line.  Many people will attempt to "hero brake" into the turn, and often end up locking up tires and go sliding off.  It is possible to go so far off and hit a wall!  The curbing on the inside is smooth for like the first 12 inches but don't go beyond that.  Down shifting to 2nd gear usually isn't necessary.  I recommend not tracking all the way out....only go 2/3rd's because the straight going to T13 comes all to quickly and there isn't enough time to go all the way track right on exit of T12 to get all the way track left in order to enter T13.  Track entrance is on the exit of T12, so be mindful of cars entering.

Turn 13:  Clip the inside apex curbing and track all the way out.  There is plenty of run out room.  T13 is the most important turn of the entire track.  Your exit speed on T13 compounds all the way into T3.  One can just go straight through T12 to T13 and exit the track, there is an access road behind the corner station.  So....if there is a mechanical/crash issue it is closer to exit the track there vs. limping around the entire track.