• From: Emeryville CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 572

Topic: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

We're pretty sure this is going to be the deal, but it is subject to change.

As with most races, you will bring your own fuel containers (purpose-built spill-resistant ones--don't need to be fancy but please no hillbilly buckets, etc).

We will do in-paddock-spot fueling with no hot pits (like Reno), with the fueler and extinguisher man in full drivers gear (suit, helmet, shoes, gloves)--pretty sure most teams have at least two sets of gear, but this is a heads up if you don't. You can recruit someone else from another team if you only have one suit, but that's obviously not the best arrangement.

One thing we've added is no persons are allowed inside the car during fueling.

BW is VERY serious about fuel spills, so you also need to bring a big drip pan/drop cloth, etc to throw on the ground during fueling.

The pits are part asphalt and part dirt--there is a possibility that you will be required to fuel on the dirt WITH a drip pan. Each paddock space should have a suitable dirt area.

Also, this from BW staff:

We have Sunoco fuel in the pumps.  91 unleaded $3.75/gallon, 100 unleaded $7.90/gallon, 110 leaded $7.50/gallon.  The prices could change slightly before then. We have several VP drum fuels ranging from $9.00 to $12.75 per gallon.

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  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Nick_LeMonsHQ wrote:

We have Sunoco fuel in the pumps.  91 unleaded $3.75/gallon, 100 unleaded $7.90/gallon, 110 leaded $7.50/gallon.  The prices could change slightly before then. We have several VP drum fuels ranging from $9.00 to $12.75 per gallon.

And if we see any of you Chevy guys putting 110 octane in your "smog 305"-powered "$500 Camaro," we're gonna make you pull the pistons and show them to us.

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  • ecniv
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  • Registered: 2009-05-22
  • Posts: 76

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

But Ms. Martin, it's supposed to look like the Sunoco Trans-Am Camaro! We're just trying to stick with our theme!!! wink

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f95/vstroud66/Lemons/img_0038.jpg

http://gtcarlot.com/news_pictures/photo.php?id=147844

  • Registered: 2009-05-27
  • Posts: 322

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

ecniv wrote:

But Ms. Martin,

http://jalopnik.com/cars/announcements/ … 305947.php

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  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

ecniv wrote:

But Ms. Martin, it's supposed to look like the Sunoco Trans-Am Camaro! We're just trying to stick with our theme!!! wink

Oh, we're pretty well convinced that your car is indeed a legit crapcan. Carry on!

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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,640

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Fuel gauges are overrated.

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.
  • From: ny
  • Registered: 2009-05-15
  • Posts: 525

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

LTDScott wrote:

Fuel gauges are overrated.

people have fuel gauges?

our philosophy was keep going until you or the car dried up.  the car almost hit empty, but the drivers certainly did

  • From: san gabriel
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 325

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

that way saves weight too

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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,640

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

eljefe17 wrote:
LTDScott wrote:

Fuel gauges are overrated.

people have fuel gauges?

our philosophy was keep going until you or the car dried up.  the car almost hit empty, but the drivers certainly did

I joke because ecniv's car does not have a functioning fuel gauge. In fact his car had no gauges whatsoever in his first outing at Lemons, which is probably why he wasn't able to get the car off the track before the engine roasted itself and started shooting water out of the exhaust manifolds (as seen on Good Morning America!).

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.

10 Reply by Judge Phil (edited by MurileeMartin 2009-07-22 03:28 PM)

  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

LTDScott wrote:

Fuel gauges are overrated.

I used to think that way, too... but I've seen many, many yellow flags caused by fuel-gauge-free cars that ran out of gas when teams decided to skip refueling because their calculations showed that they had enough fuel to last until their next scheduled driver change. Fuel-injected cars tend to crap out pretty suddenly when they run out, unlike the carbureted ones that might be able to sputter off the track before becoming completely immobilized.

With the junkyards chock full of gauges and senders, you should be able to rig something up pretty easily. If nothing else, tear open an instrument cluster at the junkyard, bust off the part with the gas gauge, and pocket it. Wait, I meant buy the entire cluster! Then you just ziptie the thing into place somewhere in the driver's field of vision.

Or you can be a big spender and get a nice used VDO fuel gauge for 10 bucks on eBay.

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  • From: ny
  • Registered: 2009-05-15
  • Posts: 525

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

LTDScott wrote:

I joke because ecniv's car does not have a functioning fuel gauge. In fact his car had no gauges whatsoever in his first outing at Lemons, which is probably why he wasn't able to get the car off the track before the engine roasted itself and started shooting water out of the exhaust manifolds (as seen on Good Morning America!).

we had tach and temp.  that should be enough.  no fuel gauge and the speedo pegged at a buck 20 as soon as you started rolling.  we tried to run 2-2.5 hr stints and figured the car was good for 3 hours or so before refuel so we were ok

  • From: san gabriel
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 325

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

MurileeMartin wrote:

..bust off the part with the gas gauge, and pocket it. Wait, I meant buy the entire cluster! ...

mrs martin, surly you are not advocating criminal activities.

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  • From: Olympia, WA
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 210

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

A fuel gauge is just more wiring that can go wrong on the car.  The kill switch made our wiring 3x more complicated than what we had.  Even all of our gauges are mechanical (which only consist of a temp gauge and an oil pressure gauge).  Was thinking about trying to put one in from a 68 Chrysler, they just had a red light on the dash that came on when the car was too hot.

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  • ecniv
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  • Registered: 2009-05-22
  • Posts: 76

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

I sold off all the fuel injection stuff, going with a basic carb and distributor this time. When she starts sputtering through the big sweepers, it's time to pit for fuel!

It does have a temp and oil pressure gauges now (cheap Chinese knock-off Sun lookalikes. They'll be accurate enough, I guess)

  • Fish
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 306

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Oil pressure gauge is pretty useless because by the time you notice its at 0 its to late lol a oil dummy LIGHT on the other hand MIGHT help....

16 Reply by Judge Phil (edited by MurileeMartin 2009-07-22 07:52 PM)

  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Fish wrote:

Oil pressure gauge is pretty useless because by the time you notice its at 0 its to late lol a oil dummy LIGHT on the other hand MIGHT help....

Yes, lots of teams install a great big red oil idiot light somewhere near the middle of the driver's field of vision. Side marker lights from the junkyard work well. Even better would be 19 Cadillac horns that go off when the engine loses oil pressure... though turning the ignition on without the engine running might be unpleasant.

Another idiot light that works pretty well is the cooling system pressure light. Rig up an oil pressure idiot light sender in a tee with the water temp sender. The oil idiot sender will ground at <5 psi, and a non-leaky cooling system will have way more pressure than that at operating temperature. This way you'll have an indicator when you get a leak in the cooling system, which is handy when the lack of hot water on the temp gauge sender makes it indicate a happy low temperature... when in fact the engine is really as hot as the surface of Mercury at high noon.

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  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

jerjozwik wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:

..bust off the part with the gas gauge, and pocket it. Wait, I meant buy the entire cluster! ...

mrs martin, surly you are not advocating criminal activities.

No, I was just testing you.

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  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

http://jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2008/04/Tach_Panel_Front.jpg

Here's the junkyard tach/idiot light panel I built for the Black Metal V8olvo. Lights are 70s Nissan side markers; one is an oil idiot light and the other is a cooling system pressure idiot light. Tach comes from a Fox Mustang cluster.

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  • ecniv
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  • Posts: 76

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

MurileeMartin wrote:

Here's the junkyard tach/idiot light panel I built for the Black Metal V8olvo. Lights are 70s Nissan side markers; one is an oil idiot light and the other is a cooling system pressure idiot light. Tach comes from a Fox Mustang cluster.

That is pretty damn brilliant.

  • ibcj
  • ibcj
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  • From: D310
  • Registered: 2009-07-30
  • Posts: 29

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

MurileeMartin wrote:

when in fact the engine is really as hot as the surface of Mercury at high noon.

Mercury is actually quite pleasent in the morning - not unlike what Buttonwillow will feel like in a couple weeks....  I do recommend a decent SPF around noon-time though - on Mercury that is.

No really, I am.

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  • From: Saratoga, ca
  • Registered: 2009-06-29
  • Posts: 182

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Any updates to fueling requirements?

  • Registered: 2009-05-22
  • Posts: 30

Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

Keep da gas in da tank.

;^)

  • Riktor
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Re: Prelim Buttonwillow Fueling rules

MurileeMartin wrote:

And if we see any of you Chevy guys putting 110 octane in your "smog 305"-powered "$500 Camaro," we're gonna make you pull the pistons and show them to us.

So taking a 305 with a Chevy 400 crank($75), as well as shaving the block by .030" will raise questions? This will effectively bump the compression to 12:1 if the rings aren't in horrible shape.

On a shitty iron-block 305... you'd need the higher octane unless you like the deisel the beast when it's no supposed to. I love a good back fire... but not at 5500-6000 RPM.

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