Topic: Do you always bring spares?

I have acquired some spares in preparation for our first event including an engine and transmission. I live an hour from the track and we are actively testing the car at said track to work out bugs before race day.

Do y'all always bring your major spare parts to events?

Re: Do you always bring spares?

I don't, but then I have a Fox body car, so spares are just a parts store away.

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Re: Do you always bring spares?

Many people bring spare engines/trans to the race. We used too until we switch to a SBC car and it wasn't realistic to haul a spare drivetrain.

I currently bring enough spares to rebuild any one suspension corner, replace brakes, and any chassis parts that might fail.

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Re: Do you always bring spares?

We bring what spares we can carry, which is limited to how much sh*t we can fit inside the car for transport.  For instance we have two spare transmissions, but don't bring them due to space limitations.   We do have bins that contain spare rotors, calipers, pads, fluids, ignition components, etc

We typically race 3.5 to 8 hours from our home base, so being able to bring a bunch of stuff would be nice.  In your case, being just an hour away, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Captain
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Re: Do you always bring spares?

We always bring spares of all consumables and fluids, things like oil, water, brake fluid/rotors/pads and some spare wheels with passable tires. Any small spares that fit in a plastic tote box ow two get brought as well. Even if parts stores are close they are usually a lot more expensive than RockAuto.

Anything else depends on how much we feel like packing, but for us dragging a spare transmission to the track isn't worth it. If we need to replace the trans with our spare, the few hours round trip to grab it is the least time consuming part of our problems.

Re: Do you always bring spares?

We Always bring a spare alternator, starter, axle shaft (ours are Same right/left), water pump, a couple of brake calipers, and a fuel pump. Pulling a Benz DOHC V8 is too much work to realistically do during a race, so haven't ever brought a spare. Last time we needed one, it was Sunday afternoon around 2 pm. Not gonna happen before the checker!

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7 (edited by OnkelUdo 2019-04-03 12:59 PM)

Re: Do you always bring spares?

Sticky question:

Dusbuster minivan, we bring a whole spare front subframe...that means whole front suspension, engine, trans, axles, hubs, etc.  It is actually tidy way to make sure you have everything

1947 Plymouth, we bring a spare trans if traveling more than hour from our home base, coils, CPS, hubs, and not much else.  L67 engines litter PnP's.  We will likely bring the spare engine with supercharger to High Plains but that is because it is more than an hour to fresh water let alone a junk yard.

1999 Esteem, this is a one and done car for us but we want to win the IoE with it so it has to run all weekend.  No one stocks anything anywhere but regional distribution centers for 1.6L Esteem.  We have bearings, hub, CPS, Coil, wires, MAF, spare from pads and we other things that would sideline us if they go bad.  IT was $153 shipped from rockauto so cheap insurance.

Without old Saturn...spare subframe again because we could swap the subframe in about an hour in track conditions.  That is faster than most teams (including ours) could swap an alternator on one of those when it is hot.

Re: Do you always bring spares?

OnkelUdo wrote:

1999 Esteem, this is a one and done car for us but we want to win the IoE with it so it has to run all weekend.  No one stocks anything anywhere but regional distribution centers for 1.6L Esteem.  We have bearings, hub, CPS, Coil, wires, MAF, spare from pads and we other things that would sideline us if they go bad.  IT was $153 shipped from rockauto so cheap insurance.

Cheaper insurance: Order a bunch of spare parts for you car a week ahead of time and have them delivered to the store closest to the track. When you don't go and pick them up, they refund your $.

Re: Do you always bring spares?

Spank wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

1999 Esteem, this is a one and done car for us but we want to win the IoE with it so it has to run all weekend.  No one stocks anything anywhere but regional distribution centers for 1.6L Esteem.  We have bearings, hub, CPS, Coil, wires, MAF, spare from pads and we other things that would sideline us if they go bad.  IT was $153 shipped from rockauto so cheap insurance.

Cheaper insurance: Order a bunch of spare parts for you car a week ahead of time and have them delivered to the store closest to the track. When you don't go and pick them up, they refund your $.

Totally considered this but even with return shipping on Rockauto, if we use one item, money ahead.  We used a version of that process when we raced the Saturn but did pick up the parts.  Know why...75% of the passenger axles were driver side axles.

Re: Do you always bring spares?

Max wrote:

I have acquired some spares in preparation for our first event including an engine and transmission. I live an hour from the track and we are actively testing the car at said track to work out bugs before race day.

Do y'all always bring your major spare parts to events?

If you're an hour away, why bother?  You can have somebody go and fetch them and they'll be back with them before you have the broken part out.

If you're further away, then sure, bring 'em!

bs

Re: Do you always bring spares?

OnkelUdo wrote:

Totally considered this but even with return shipping on Rockauto, if we use one item, money ahead.  We used a version of that process when we raced the Saturn but did pick up the parts.  Know why...75% of the passenger axles were driver side axles.

For clarity: I ordered from Autozone online and had them shipped free to the Autozone store near the track for pickup. When the store called me to pick them up / they were in stock, I just never went for them as they weren't needed.

To be even more clear-- the guy behind the counter told me to do this the year before when I explained what I needed and why.