Topic: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

Just wondering how well other teams prepare for their races. We have a bad habit of putting everything off to the last minute and then rushing like mad to get it together in time. For the Houston race last year, we didn't even know where we would get our rollcage until a week before the race. And we didn't book our RV until the day before. Now, with two weeks to Reno, we've got our engine apart in the middle of an open heart forced induction upgrade.

The junk yard turbo is totally untested. Cooling and oil lines are not connected. And we've only just worked out how to connect everything together. Miles of exhaust plumbing needs to be welded and mounted. Crucial engine management bits have been yanked from the car with little regard for their function. More detail about our ambitious plans and their complete state of undoneness here: http://www.peasantracing.com/car.asp

Someone make us feel better about being total slackers.

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

For last year's CMP race, we finally got the car to stop shorting ECU fuses on thursday night. Drove to SC friday, and stopped by the summit store in atlanta to get a harness and some other safety bits. Tested the car for the first time friday night in a UPS depot airport parking lot in Columbia, SC. Got to the track saturday morning and installed the harness, went through tech 4 times until we got it right, and didnt get a chance to BS juge before the driver's meeting. After the driver's meeting while all of the other teams were suiting-up, we were being berated by Johnny and MM about "how the hell do you get an SVX for $500? Bullshit!", etc. Then we suit-up only to break the front subframe 7 laps in (previously botched repair broke). We never got it driving again, but we had a blast and won the "I got screwed award"

Basically, your experience shouldn't be worse than ours, provided you can show up to the track.

3 (edited by Ottobon 2009-05-06 08:38 PM)

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

lolerwagons, ECUs big_smile


In all honesty i like both those cars, the SVX is the only car thats ever made me think about crying when i realized i couldn't afford one, ummm..

Anyways if your worried about your frame/structure/unibody then use LOTS of gussets and learn how to stick weld.  You probably already knew that, but just so you'd have something to do the night before the race starts (always the best night to learn how to stick weld.)

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

We try to get the work done over the winter because there's nothing else to do in PA during the winter anyway!

Jer / Schumacher Taxi Service
2010 Spring CMP I.O.E. winner
2010 Sebring overall winner
1996 Miata, 1991 BMW E30, 1987 coROLLa (retired), 1984 Citation (retired), 1993 Miata (retired)

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

Let's put it this way, we are still waiting for our roll cage to be delivered...

Stuntman Mike
I Wanna Roc

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

After Thunderhill 08, our team vowed to leave the car untouched until it showed up to Reno.  Yeah right... smile

99% of the work we have done in the last few months has been theme based, the car seems to run really well.  Although we did get kicked off of a Porsche Club track day at PIR because the welds on our hood pins gave way.  Something about a flying scrap of metal getting to close to a GT3?  Shrug...

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

SharkBait wrote:

The junk yard turbo is totally untested. Cooling and oil lines are not connected.

You're junkyard turbo-izing your E28? Excellent! Just, you know, bring some spare head gaskets. And pistons.

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

The Lemons Fire Department entry has been in the trailer for 2 weeks... just waiting.  I may have to go out and charge the battery!

"Age only matters if you're a cheese."  Helen Hayes

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

I will have a posting up soon about all the work that was done on the Corvair. We won't be spinning around the track like the 65 Corvair did in that infamous video, and it was all done with junkyard parts that were (practically) free. I also had the good fortune of recruiting a corvair expert for the team, and found out that Datsun Z Alloys fit perfectly within the fenders, with a proper tire, so no racing around in 13" rubber!

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

MurileeMartin wrote:

You're junkyard turbo-izing your E28? Excellent! Just, you know, bring some spare head gaskets. And pistons.

We think that a 360,000 mile engine that has been poorly maintained and is designed for fuel economy should easily be able to take an additional 75HP in the desert heat! What could possibly go wrong?

But as a backup plan, we are praying to the Greek Gods of Good Compression And Bearings every day. That and running at 7psi with a crappy intercooler and 110 race gas. A spare head gasket is on its way as well as a leak down test this weekend.

There is also talk of fabbing up a water injection system from the windshield spray nozzles so the engine can get bogged down and blow the gasket or bend a rod from too much water in the cylinder! Again, what could possibly go wrong?

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

SharkBait wrote:

We think that a 360,000 mile engine that has been poorly maintained and is designed for fuel economy should easily be able to take an additional 75HP in the desert heat! What could possibly go wrong?

Perhaps the thin air at 4,000 feet will save you. We should make you run on four space-saver spares, just to make things more entertaining for everyone.

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

SharkBait wrote:

We think that a 360,000 mile engine that has been poorly maintained and is designed for fuel economy should easily be able to take an additional 75HP in the desert heat! What could possibly go wrong?

You know....you've probably lost enough compression that a 7psi turbo will probably bring it back up to just about stock specs!  Good thinking!

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

SharkBait wrote:

Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Nothing! Nothing at all! The only thing wrong with the Sharkmobile was its lack of power!

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/01/LTH08UG-BMW-804px.jpg

14 (edited by SharkBait 2009-05-08 11:44 AM)

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

MurileeMartin wrote:

The only thing wrong with the Sharkmobile was its lack of power!

I couldn't have put it better myself! Here's another good example of the lack of power:

http://www.ianwood.com/images/db/medium/2008thill118.jpg

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

that has to be the most fun car ever

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

SharkBait wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:

The only thing wrong with the Sharkmobile was its lack of power!

I couldn't have put it better myself! Here's another good example of the lack of power:

http://www.ianwood.com/images/db/medium … ill118.jpg

This Picture made me laugh out LOUD!

1980 Chevy Malibu Classic

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

What's wrong with full right hand steering lock in a left hand turn??

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

OverStimulated wrote:

What's wrong with full right hand steering lock in a left hand turn??

Nothing at all, provided you've first used the tire barrier as a ramp to launch a Hollywood-stuntman-style two-wheelin' adventure. Here's a video that includes that Great Moment In Lemons Racing History (the Shark Jump is at the end).

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

MurileeMartin wrote:
SharkBait wrote:

Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Nothing! Nothing at all! The only thing wrong with the Sharkmobile was its lack of power!

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/j … -804px.jpg

Just look at that picture..... too many BMW's... blech!

20 (edited by Ottobon 2009-05-08 08:10 PM)

Re: The Dangerously Not Ready For Reno Report

UDMan wrote:

I will have a posting up soon about all the work that was done on the Corvair. We won't be spinning around the track like the 65 Corvair did in that infamous video, and it was all done with junkyard parts that were (practically) free. I also had the good fortune of recruiting a corvair expert for the team, and found out that Datsun Z Alloys fit perfectly within the fenders, with a proper tire, so no racing around in 13" rubber!

I eagerly await seeing what marvelous things you must have done to that car.  Especially if its trail-brake friendly that would really be something. Hope you took advantage of the new exhaust rules, and would love to know what you guys did to seal the exhausts.

SharkBait wrote:

There is also talk of fabbing up a water injection system from the windshield spray nozzles so the engine can get bogged down and blow the gasket or bend a rod from too much water in the cylinder! Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Look into used volvo fuel pumps