• Registered: 2009-10-27
  • Posts: 22

Re: Thanks Giving

When your team consists of 3 full time MR2 mechanics and you still can't lap consistently in an MR2, there may a problem.
It is odd that somehow MR2's do just fine in SCCA racing, but suffer so badly at Lemons. Perhaps they can only handle the shorter <1hour races that they see in that venue and not the grueling multi-hour sessions of Lemons.
In your face everyone who says Lemons ain't real racing! It is more brutal than SCCA! (which we all already knew)

Fear the posing monkey!
  • Registered: 2009-10-27
  • Posts: 22

Re: Thanks Giving

Pat forgot to mention that while his race car was eating its own self, his tow vehicle was also giving him fits. Not only did he make a 500+ mile overnight run to pick up my car in Fort Worth, he did it in a vehicle that was randomly dieing on him at speed!
That man has courage or stupidity. In Lemons is there a difference?

Fear the posing monkey!
  • Marc
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
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  • From: Fort Wayne, IN
  • Registered: 2009-10-06
  • Posts: 1,378

Re: Thanks Giving

mr2by4 wrote:

When your team consists of 3 full time MR2 mechanics and you still can't lap consistently in an MR2, there may a problem.
It is odd that somehow MR2's do just fine in SCCA racing, but suffer so badly at Lemons. Perhaps they can only handle the shorter <1hour races that they see in that venue and not the grueling multi-hour sessions of Lemons.
In your face everyone who says Lemons ain't real racing! It is more brutal than SCCA! (which we all already knew)

i suspect the answer here is the same reason we did not have any issues during the Friday practice.

just stopping at our pits and the time it takes for the next guy to put on his firesuit was enough to keep everything happy.

that 92 looks very interesting, but i'm not sure if the heavier 2nd generation is the way to go on something like this. perhaps using it's motor in a 1st gen would be a good idea.

  • From: Piney River, Virginia
  • Registered: 2009-09-07
  • Posts: 192

Re: Thanks Giving

hmmm.
Staying really quiet.
under the radar.
not saying a word.
walking away now...

Bill Strong
Racing Strong Motorsports
Like us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/RacingStrong

30 Reply by Jer (edited by Jer 2009-10-28 06:06 AM)

  • Jer
  • Jer
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
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  • From: West Chester, PA
  • Registered: 2009-05-04
  • Posts: 1,316

Re: Thanks Giving

Our coROLLa's 4AGE motor lasted many races before giving up in CMP.  But we will replace the head and go again!  I thought about putting a stronger motor in it, but I'm opting to spend some of the $499.99 Jay allowed us on rebuilding a junker head.  Surely the bottom end will croak as a result at the next race.  tongue

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)

Jer's Website

  • From: Automation Alley
  • Registered: 2009-07-14
  • Posts: 206

Re: Thanks Giving

Every time I think we VW people have it bad, I read threads like this one.

MR2 guys - weld a baffle into the oil pan and weld a tube onto the pickup. Get it down into the sump. I would also consider relocating the radiator to the top of the engine 'bay' and putting a sucker fan on top of it. Rumor has it that you can get a MkI VW radiator and shroud, and then machine the shroud out to fit a MB sucker fan. You'll get two-stage cooling - air cooling from the draw through the bay, and proper radiator air flow. In addition, the stock water pump won't have to work as hard.

I hope to see at least one car set up like this at GingerMan so I can verify that I am such a goddess of engineering. tongue

Captainess: #88 Scirocket Racing - Did someone say Pikachu?

atomicalex's Website

32 Reply by Bill Strong (edited by Bill Strong 2009-10-28 09:10 AM)

  • From: Piney River, Virginia
  • Registered: 2009-09-07
  • Posts: 192

Re: Thanks Giving

"MR2 guys - weld a baffle into the oil pan and weld a tube onto the pickup. Get it down into the sump. I would also consider relocating the radiator to the top of the engine 'bay' and putting a sucker fan on top of it."

I can assure you that this does not work. Tried at Las Vegas Motor speedway, 2003. Very bad results. Kaboom.
Air does not flow through the MR2 engine bay like you would think. This is confirmed with air flow studies using flow control programs. At speed, air flow through the engine bay basically stops. It can be made to work, though would require very expensive wind tunnel time to get the flow matrix correct, so basically I gave up and went back to a conventional setup.
Bottom line is that this setup works great for autoX or sprints. But anything longer you will end up popping a block.

But you never know. It just may work.

VW rad does fit fine up front though it is a bit too tall.


walking away again

Bill Strong
Racing Strong Motorsports
Like us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/RacingStrong
  • From: Automation Alley
  • Registered: 2009-07-14
  • Posts: 206

Re: Thanks Giving

Did you shroud out around the side flow paths? That is the biggest mistake in radiator placement - not guaranteeing a "fresh" air source.

Our VWs are not so easy to cool if we lose our shrouding - basically the stock pusher fan just sets up a loop inside of the front end and no new air is introduced. Very bad. Good shrouding relieves this and insures air flow from the bottom of the bay - "fresh" air.

There has to be a way to cool that engine bay! Dammit! smile

Captainess: #88 Scirocket Racing - Did someone say Pikachu?

atomicalex's Website

  • From: Portland
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 568

Re: Thanks Giving

We've never had the temp over 1/3 on the gauge... granted we have holes all over the back of the car for airflow and a MASSIVE air dam in the front to gather air.  We also rigged our radiator fans to spin anytime the kill switch is on.

Now if we can just stop getting black flags..

Matt
Free Range Racing
  • Troy
  • Troy
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  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,634

Re: Thanks Giving

FreeRange wrote:

Now if we can just stop getting black flags..

Uh ya, what he said.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z
  • Mulry
  • Mulry
  • Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah
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  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 4,607

Re: Thanks Giving

Troy wrote:

Nothing like a little encouragement. 

It even looks decent in the pics.

92 mr2 - $325 (corpus christi)

http://corpuschristi.craigslist.org/cto/1438450393.html

Troy, what are you waiting upon? That's a MK2 MR2 at a great price. Surely the 5S motor won't suffer the same fate as the 4AG? Especially if you resist the call to run a turbo...

mr2by4 wrote:

Pat forgot to mention that while his race car was eating its own self, his tow vehicle was also giving him fits. Not only did he make a 500+ mile overnight run to pick up my car in Fort Worth, he did it in a vehicle that was randomly dieing on him at speed!

That man has courage or stupidity. In Lemons is there a difference?

It was the fuel pump in the Suburban. It was dying a slow death and the first symptoms were that it would fail to supply enough fuel when the engine was under a heavier load, like climbing hills while pulling a donor car. Strickland Chevrolet in Pearland got me fixed first thing on Monday morning. I promised the mechanic 2 cases of beer if he could get me out by early afternoon and, lo and behold, the job was done before 3:00 that afternoon smile Plus he races mini-sprint cars, so we talked racing for awhile too.

And the answer is clearly stupidity. Pure, uncompromised stupidity.

Cheers guys.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.