Topic: K car Fall Colors Tour: Leg 1

I arrived in Orlando Tues evening,  Ronman picked me up from the airport and put me up for the night. Thanks Ron.

Wendsday Ron, Doug, and I spent all day working on various issues to get the K buttoned up and ready for the road.  By 1:30am it was ready to go.  Doug had made the very poor decision to ride along with me to NHMS.  He later regretted that decision, but he soldiered on.  From the start K didn’t want to cooperate, It would run fine at low throttle input, but wouldn’t run at all if you pushed too hard…. Good enough.  So we headed north.

For the first 1000 miles or so everything was fine, well fine in K world.  Then the really bad issue began to plague us.  The really bad was refusing all but the most minimum of throttle input and refusing to run at anything other than between 3 and 5000 RPMs.  It would do this for a while, then it would clear up and run goodish again for a while. Very annoying.
Eventually the really bad left us on the side of the highway in D.C.  An hour or so of tinkering later and we had it running again, so we pushed on.
At 4:30am we finally arrived at Rally Baby Mike Carr’s place in Doylestown PA, a mere 27 problem filled  hours on the road.

A couple hours of sleep and a shower and we were on the road again, now joined by Ben, Jason, and Erik from Rally Baby.  Erik stepped up and took a turn at the wheel of the mighty K.   A few small episodes of the really bad eventually left Erik and I on the side of the highway for a few minutes, twice, and then rolling dead into a rest area on the side of the Mass turnpike.  Here we attracted so much attention that the K caused a miles long back up on the Highway… we weren’t even on the road! But, the K is such a spectacle that common folks just can’t help but to stop and stare.
Ben found a loose wire and with a few other tweeks we had in running good enough to carry on.  Luckily we were at the head of the back up, so we didn’t have to set through it….
The rest of the way was fairly uneventful.  While the others stopped at the hotel in Concord and to visit the local liquor store, Ben and I rolled on to the track, rolling in just before 6pm.

Saturday morning tech as usual, had to tie up the exhaust better. Started 1 lap after green.  K was running great, me at the wheel, 45 minutes later it was in P26 overall.  Then it started to sputter a bit, then died coming up out of the bowl. Towed in, played with a few things, another rotor button from the junk pile and it fired right up.  I finished my stint and handed it over to the Rally Babies.  The rest of the day was plagued with contacts, black flags, and various mechanicals…..  Oh K, why do you torture us so??

Sunday was much of the same. I did the 1st 30 minutes and was running alright, a little sputtery but not terrible.  I was running with Punisher GP and pulled the last 3 hours in the #405 Peugeot, which was on the bubble of being parked for the rest of the day with 3 previous black flags for the day.  Luckily I was able to stay out of trouble and bring it home safe and sound.   Because of this I missed most of the K excitement through the last half of the day.  The big issue was the suspension working itself loose and the front tires being ruined.  But it finished, and actually ran more than not.  When it ran, it ran well and was respectfully quick. But was, as always, a myriad of small issues that kept it from dominating …..

The trip back to Doylestown was eventful as well.  Doug jumped ship at the track and headed back to D.C. with Speedycop, best decision he made all week, so I was flying solo.  Most of the trip went well, until I stopped for fuel just after I crossed into New Jersey.
After that it ran like total shit the rest of the way..... then, 20 miles north of Doylestown K finally crossed paths with the 5.0. Not the V8 variety, the impound your hooptie type.....

After a few initial questions. ...

NJ State Trooper: You cannot operate this vehicle in the state of New Jersey. It has no exhaust that I can tell, half your lights don't work, that seat belt is not legal, those fender flares are illegal. .... does this thing even have a speedometer?

Me: no sir

NJST: How do you tell how fast you’re going?

Me: I guesstimate

NJST: You guesstimate?

Me: yes sir

NJST: Excellent

After 20 minutes of running the info on the car and myself and consulting with 2 other car loads of local PD, he came back to the window. ...

NJST: Alright, get this piece of shit out of New Jersey.

Me: Sir yes sir. Thank you sir.

NJST: Drive safely, and try not to make too much noise.

Me: I'll try....

That could have gone very bad for the K.

All and all not a terrible trip so far….. but, its only half done.
Big thanks to everyone involved!!
Stay tuned……

51 time Loser.

Re: K car Fall Colors Tour: Leg 1

Domination in Wisconsin!!

This space for rent.

Re: K car Fall Colors Tour: Leg 1

NSF wrote:

Domination in Wisconsin!!

No fail possible!

Bloomington, IN
We'll bring Beer!  Motorsports
Team Fiery Death! #0 2009 Lamest Day(65th), 2010 American Irony(24th), 2010 Detroit Bull(4th),2012 Capitol Offense (8th) 2012 American Irony (11 th), 2013 Capitol Offense (3rd) 2013 Chubba Chedder (4th, Judge Choice!) Now sadly part of a scrap pile. 
Toothless Racing Deadbeats #110 2011 Summit Point (61st) Currently being rebuilt into the new car!