tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45979712031633967442023-11-15T22:02:52.665-08:00The saga of Killer Bee Racing - 24 Hours of LeMonsAn Obsessive Compulsive quest to enter and finish the greatest screwball racing series in motorsports, The 24 Hours of LeMons! And some other boring stuff...Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-32848425206332331722010-09-08T20:45:00.000-07:002010-09-08T22:14:55.350-07:00What next?Well, I actually wrote this post late last summer, nearly a year ago. But as some of you know, a LOT has happened since then (heh-heh!). It took a while to let things settle down. In short, we had a string of bad luck that tested the Killer Bees to the very core as a team, twice. <br /><br />They say if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. And THIS is why it has been so quiet here. This is a fun blog and a goofy quest. I had to wait till we could all laugh about it again...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.wg.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/laughing-dog.jpg"><img style="float:center; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 337px;" src="http://cdn.wg.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/laughing-dog.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I've received multiple requests to get back on that blogging horse (Hi Matt!) and quite honestly I've missed it. The hardest part was figuring out what to say next. I decided to just type, and let the story tell itself... So without further adoo... Lets get this party started! We pick the story up right where we left off, and just before our luck changed... <br /><br />Exactly 2 weeks before in fact. Enjoy! <br /><br />Pete<br /><br />August 15 (2009!)<br /><br />This summer (edit: THAT summer) was the most busy I have been in years, and was some of the most fun I've had too.<br /><br />(Great photo courtesy Judy Kiel of Stick Figure Racing)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs192.snc1/6480_1197762868777_1369652107_549552_267006_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 201px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs192.snc1/6480_1197762868777_1369652107_549552_267006_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Shortly after the Fernley race and still stunned that we actually finished, I received an Email from the head-cheese Jay Lamm announcing the inaugural <a href="http://www.concoursdlemons.com/">Concours De Lemons</a> car show during car week in Monterey. So, I decided to enter the Killer Bee! Why not!? Could be fun. And there might be a BUNCH of these lemons racers there!<br /><br />I also signed up for the next 24 Hours of Lemons Sweat-Arse-Palooza race in Buttonwillow. And, because we were all worried about running around in the severe heat all weekend with a convertible, I researched the internets on how to make a cheap homemade "Cool-Suit", which keeps you cool with ice water in rubber tubes from an ice chest. And then I promptly bought a <a href="http://www.fastraceproducts.com/page/fastraceproducts/CTGY/coolsuit">real one</a>. <br /><br />What I did not realize however was that the Lemons SHOW in was on the same weekend as the Lemons RACE in Buttonwillow CA. WHAT?!?! Why the #$%& would they do THAT? I became quite confused with it all. <br /><br />When faced with the dilemma of being entered into TWO separate events in very different parts of California on the same day, my beautiful "don't-you-dare-forget-spouse" made sure I did not forget it was ALSO my nieces 1st birthday. Oh crap. (Glad I didn't forget!)<br /><br />None of my other teammates were interested in racing down in the Buttonwillow heat (dang wimps) so everything worked out. I blamed them and quietly withdrew from the race. Although now I have an unused, beautiful, expensive ice chest with holes in it, and a funny rubber tubed t-shirt.<br /><br />Seeings how the race was off, I decided to enter a second car in the Concours show, my '67 Datsun RL411 SSS, the very same car that got me tangled up in this Lemons fiasco <a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">in the first place</a>.<br /><br />Super-Spouse was uncomfortable driving either one of these crap-heaps all the way to Monterey by herself, so we dropped the Bee off at the park the night before and we drove the Datsun down together early the next morning.<br /><br />And what a show it was...<br /><br />Pintos, and Gremlins, and Citroens, oh my!Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-77816110259774195302009-11-27T14:00:00.000-08:002010-01-28T14:41:52.509-08:00Brownie gets new pipes!!July, 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR0eadlqpR5tsQoWq8eRczL8OqkvKV07QOPsfNYr4hIkYRBZFPcpl333tKx9cXhbG0Klng3vAR1kAaWFSh2cJiZ_rNZw3Z97msxOGn04K31oaebM3jHKXfrgStueEr56-ZDgk49Fk8t3l/s1600/Brownie+27NOV09b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR0eadlqpR5tsQoWq8eRczL8OqkvKV07QOPsfNYr4hIkYRBZFPcpl333tKx9cXhbG0Klng3vAR1kAaWFSh2cJiZ_rNZw3Z97msxOGn04K31oaebM3jHKXfrgStueEr56-ZDgk49Fk8t3l/s200/Brownie+27NOV09b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408869820750743586" border="0" /></a>After returning home from the Reno/Fernley race and loosing yet ANOTHER section of completely rotten and rusted out exhaust system on Brownie, "The World's Greatest Crappy Old RV" (tm) I decided enough was enough, really this time. Knowing I was finally going to get a good exhaust, I set about deciding what I wanted to do with the old beast.<br /><br />I've never been a fan of the "rocks-in-a-coffee-can" sound of Flowmasters. They are out of place on anything short of an all out race car. I always thought it was mostly a classic case of everybody likes them, because everybody ELSE likes them. In rare circumstances they can sound decent both inside and outside the car, but that's the exception not the rule. They usually sound like valves barfing out the vehicles ass. Maybe I'm getting older, but I have peculiar tastes and prefer the vintage sounds. The exhaust note is like music, why ruin it with a soulless fad?<br /><br />My first thought was a nice set of duals with Smitty's or Cherry-Bomb Glasspacks, but the real inspiration came from the unlikely source of my Stepfather who suggested Brownie "would look bitchin in a set of lake pipes."<br /><br />Huh... Yeah, he sure would.<br /><br />This set the way-too-creative hamster in my noggin whirling away, and I had a flash in my mind's eye of the mid 1970's van craze.<br /><br />"AHA!" I nearly screamed at my "why-the-hell-are-you-screaming-and-interrupting-Survivor-spouse".<br /><br />"What this time?" she said as she paused her TV show on the DVR and gave me the usual one eyebrow raised look.<br /><br />"I know what I'm gonna do with Brownie!" I explained proudly.<br /><br />"Sell him?" came the dry reply.<br /><br />"No no, I have to fix something on him first. No seriously, I'm gonna turn him into a '70s Shaggin Waggin! Ha-ha-ha! What do you think?"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl1NHS_S68RMRiCtRj6Edq8U-ZdK4QLRUsm4gj8MutPxHvG36gDPfUpUP-EyNHULueYAZq-BoPg_jd-7K4py6shfLZTlIbkFdkOIL3gKdWgNECQzn5m6dPc6NzFQv7eXDN1rbLuJ8BOuI/s1600/zodiak.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl1NHS_S68RMRiCtRj6Edq8U-ZdK4QLRUsm4gj8MutPxHvG36gDPfUpUP-EyNHULueYAZq-BoPg_jd-7K4py6shfLZTlIbkFdkOIL3gKdWgNECQzn5m6dPc6NzFQv7eXDN1rbLuJ8BOuI/s200/zodiak.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408870370295624002" border="0" /></a>"I'd have to see it first." she said back with no hint of emotion. <br /><br />Arg. I forget, she was but a glint in her parent's eyes in the whirlwind of polyester that was the 70's, whereas I still have the entire debacle burned into my mind's eye. <br /><br />The '70s were actually pretty cool right up until John Travolta screwed it all up with that funny dance. Side pipes, feathered hair, slotted mags and spaced out fantasy murals all fell hand in hand with wide lapels, bell bottoms and trucker convoys on the CB radio. <br /><br />EVERYONE had a CB handle, and The Starland Vocal Band was gonna grab some Afternoon Delight.. Those were the good old days...<br /><br />But the little lady wanted more reassurance than just my enthusiasm and promises that "everything would be fine".<br /><br />"Oh sure, easy. I'll just go dig up some photos off the interwebs and show you what I'm talking about, be right back."<br /><br />And so I spent the rest of the night, and then the next few weeks trying to find photos of the old van craze. Searching revealed nothing. I was stunned to find that photos and mentions of the entire movement have all been erased off the face of the earth, as the first victim of the infamous sex-wax Disco revolt of the early 80's.<br /><br />Huh. I must be the only person on the face of the earth who secretly thought the van craze was cool. I always wanted a van, and got slightly more than I bargained for with "Brownie". Turns out there are exactly <a href="http://www.rockinvan.com/sightings.html">2 websites</a> in the world dedicated to the old cruisin vans. And they both lack photos, which was the same problem I was having. <br /><br />Well dammit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBpuiOL0Eg3ryRedcFuMAB9hSr0mghRc-In57nDqipfesouw_KyEL3B4YPsLPIleVoyoY8Z1cSiTRRxhJgeEZ1MQXQnu6WQijYfEaM0kxeFqAmuNEEtiOVflH3unK4oEgx-1sa_3pwNao/s1600/Truckin+YBR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBpuiOL0Eg3ryRedcFuMAB9hSr0mghRc-In57nDqipfesouw_KyEL3B4YPsLPIleVoyoY8Z1cSiTRRxhJgeEZ1MQXQnu6WQijYfEaM0kxeFqAmuNEEtiOVflH3unK4oEgx-1sa_3pwNao/s200/Truckin+YBR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408874878100792306" border="0" /></a>Then I remembered the old "Truckin" magazines I used to read and a couple clicks later I was back on Evilbay, thus breaking an unspoken truce between myself and miss-don't-spend-anymore-damn-money-on-evilbay-spouse.<br /><br />I found a couple issues in a lot from the mid '70s ending in a few hours and placed my bid. Lo and behold I won! Again. Sigh. I buy the weirdest crap.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sie09XMpQgcFuiWUIWoNWZs34SoPeJ0TEbASrWdmCEjGxfD0pqImg2xwx57TrQklEsvuhLUXgve8mFToQWMGbX8ucVcirZdM6mAdnEzR8xRoEw4blQldU8Aki9-cWyyxImojbE6JfLgA/s1600/Rodco+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sie09XMpQgcFuiWUIWoNWZs34SoPeJ0TEbASrWdmCEjGxfD0pqImg2xwx57TrQklEsvuhLUXgve8mFToQWMGbX8ucVcirZdM6mAdnEzR8xRoEw4blQldU8Aki9-cWyyxImojbE6JfLgA/s200/Rodco+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408885232356744322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPL6Jk4DKFaJ0RoLVePOD29kyABsNxQ-lq_sKZZILptFHFEkShRtebOv2pdAhd5Qe0X1EEBYmvsC79IjgNN00o-_qx5yGHUBRsmmOtShgEkFXPXIBKWxpCSVdFTsTR5dIsD0YUfEH8xIr/s1600/Rodco+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPL6Jk4DKFaJ0RoLVePOD29kyABsNxQ-lq_sKZZILptFHFEkShRtebOv2pdAhd5Qe0X1EEBYmvsC79IjgNN00o-_qx5yGHUBRsmmOtShgEkFXPXIBKWxpCSVdFTsTR5dIsD0YUfEH8xIr/s200/Rodco+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408885134960053474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZL7dgX1LtevTgoXg0nf6HNOrt-s5PfnpY0Q-zyrgLKHcb5kHcQugCFZJQgh6UdhdeZbjhUy43B_8W8pNMIrhaq0rVTIrclqVsKEFNYi0h9jCQ1zSP5HhZDsxQuT0ogMa_z4Zk3nolTVc/s1600/Sportsmobile+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZL7dgX1LtevTgoXg0nf6HNOrt-s5PfnpY0Q-zyrgLKHcb5kHcQugCFZJQgh6UdhdeZbjhUy43B_8W8pNMIrhaq0rVTIrclqVsKEFNYi0h9jCQ1zSP5HhZDsxQuT0ogMa_z4Zk3nolTVc/s200/Sportsmobile+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408885322861253970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK48oUgRQbQq15327s4QIVvaJD8gCLwm9hr248xyfzyCh0N8xLs-D7CRNI9HUQ73Cd4qtY02QgxSyCmwxwjcII1-PYD5Agdv9yw76eNqOaHR0PAKp1GoBuvWE4wrAIqQ3pQRrrMjhk0ifo/s1600/Sportsmobile+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK48oUgRQbQq15327s4QIVvaJD8gCLwm9hr248xyfzyCh0N8xLs-D7CRNI9HUQ73Cd4qtY02QgxSyCmwxwjcII1-PYD5Agdv9yw76eNqOaHR0PAKp1GoBuvWE4wrAIqQ3pQRrrMjhk0ifo/s200/Sportsmobile+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408885417524439618" border="0" /></a><br />While there, I also found and bought several brochures and catalogs for Swing Machine vans by Rodco and Sportsmobile from several years. It was funny to see the progression of style.<br />I also picked up a dozen Easy Riders from 1976 full of ads for tube tops, iron-ons, leather wallets, automatic BB guns and smoking accessories. The best part was and is still the kick ass <a href="http://www.davidmannart.com/">artwork by David Mann</a>.<br /><br />I also ended up with a 12" disco ball! yeay! All I need is some more shag carpet to match the shag carpet already on the walls. Throw in some velvet and velour, and I finally have a use for all my 12 volt mood lighting and rope lights! Brownie, Club 51 - mobile edition.<br /><br />When my Truckin Magazines showed up I was pretty excited to see back into the past, but I stopped in my tracks when I pulled out the May '77 issue. It was as if I was staring into the face of the devil himself.<br /><br />My wife said I was as pale as if I saw a ghost...<br /><br />When I was in elementary school I had recurring nightmares as a result of a bitter divorce and several other changes in the family tree. At the same time evil stepfather came on to the scene, whom I was deathly afraid of.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhayIZLGUXTF7C4KWKYxgLgzH1Qj1TDQyuVonMRPpl3capJfMdcLB15_zjYuzkFoNsoylMgJbZd5dQyrcuP7xXDAJMpYL10FhVrilKjnXIZZv4Qe1ARHzPK1HtGhpq3Tz0FLD80T8FqwX/s1600/dont_choke.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhayIZLGUXTF7C4KWKYxgLgzH1Qj1TDQyuVonMRPpl3capJfMdcLB15_zjYuzkFoNsoylMgJbZd5dQyrcuP7xXDAJMpYL10FhVrilKjnXIZZv4Qe1ARHzPK1HtGhpq3Tz0FLD80T8FqwX/s200/dont_choke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408903719899332018" border="0" /></a> These two issues combined to create great stress, and triggered odd results such as nightmares and sleepwalking trying to escape "bad people".<br /><br />As a backdrop, everyone in the family drove Ford trucks at the time - Broncos, Econoline vans, F-series pickups and Couriers, and Evil Stepfather had a Bronco that was bright orange. <br /><br />My nightmare involved "Bad men" attacking our family, led by Evil Stepfather crashing through the house walls in an army of Ford vehicles with identical paint jobs - orange with yellow and black stripes- and trying to kill us by running us all over. They were followed by uncles on silver dirt bikes, a plane and a helicopter.<br /><br />F@#$%^ Terrifying.<br /><br />The nightmares eventually subsided, but this one is one of 3 or 4 vivid bad dreams I have never forgotten.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13a-e8ikoCaOMXUZqcxf85uBkhPdrDaVnnoraKBOSDyRrEh90GFWzrA2GrA6zzN72qirzLD_DAoqi80nNCEJKHg3iiPYREnPCPBjzKflOEJqxDssdwODlsryl166eZmPppBsemTq9nMye/s1600/Truckin+Nightmare+Fords.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13a-e8ikoCaOMXUZqcxf85uBkhPdrDaVnnoraKBOSDyRrEh90GFWzrA2GrA6zzN72qirzLD_DAoqi80nNCEJKHg3iiPYREnPCPBjzKflOEJqxDssdwODlsryl166eZmPppBsemTq9nMye/s200/Truckin+Nightmare+Fords.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408876541780499138" border="0" /></a>So imagine my shock when I pulled this magazine out of the package. There is now no doubt where the images in my dream came from, but first seeing this was like being transported through time in some sort of evil space warp. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13a-e8ikoCaOMXUZqcxf85uBkhPdrDaVnnoraKBOSDyRrEh90GFWzrA2GrA6zzN72qirzLD_DAoqi80nNCEJKHg3iiPYREnPCPBjzKflOEJqxDssdwODlsryl166eZmPppBsemTq9nMye/s1600/Truckin+Nightmare+Fords.jpg">(Click me --->)</a><br /><br />Other than the midnight-scream inducing visual on this front cover the rest of the magazines were full of neat old advertisements just like I remembered. How to customize vans by Barris, old CB radios, the movie SuperVan etc. Refreshed with the flavors of how it was done way back when, I had a clear picture of Brownie's future as a loooove machine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XAiBPuKdFdSdDBegY72ILTy8zhyphenhyphen6CMK24LmC7wDV4FjCdH6CoAwoojGGN7McrbB6JRxTaf_aMwL913j4hXhIfSyXSTpPZNr6Iv5RAXySJmA8WLpsL4gAxA89jg9eg5Tyt7PHD5XGhHxM/s1600/pipes1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XAiBPuKdFdSdDBegY72ILTy8zhyphenhyphen6CMK24LmC7wDV4FjCdH6CoAwoojGGN7McrbB6JRxTaf_aMwL913j4hXhIfSyXSTpPZNr6Iv5RAXySJmA8WLpsL4gAxA89jg9eg5Tyt7PHD5XGhHxM/s200/pipes1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408894987333622562" border="0" /></a>I spent weeks looking for just the right side-pipes, but nothing was quite right, until...<br />BAMM! A vintage set of unused pipes from an show van showed up on Evilbay! Perfect. Click-click-click and they were on the way.<br /><br />Arg! But when they arrived and I saw the inlet pipes were TINY dinky little things which would never let the mighty 440 breathe. Damn. So back to square 1.<br /><br />Compounding the issue was the extra width of the camper and the propane tank on the passenger side so normal straight pipes just wouldn't work. I thought of having custom 6" chrome pipes done up by the speed shop or a big-rig company, but decided that would have to be a project for the future once more important things had been taken care of.<br /><br />I ended up having dual 2 1/2" exhaust with 32" Glasspacks and side exits in front of the tires welded up by none other than Babe's Muffler at their new location.<br /><br />Dang. Those things sound GOOOOOD.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwhV2M3CIpDL1vC79NyyDkF5slVViNekVjTG-ZnNlDZRtQ-3RkjK9jC5KUq-Wf3ed98yAy_ARRqSTt7Ya0HZJA38KWG_cACSiPHCyi4snxah34sBL14qjB54iJl0FwANSaDO91LRKQDqI/s1600-h/Babe-lrg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwhV2M3CIpDL1vC79NyyDkF5slVViNekVjTG-ZnNlDZRtQ-3RkjK9jC5KUq-Wf3ed98yAy_ARRqSTt7Ya0HZJA38KWG_cACSiPHCyi4snxah34sBL14qjB54iJl0FwANSaDO91LRKQDqI/s200/Babe-lrg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401991095117970162" border="0" /></a>I have more ideas and visions for brownie. But first I have to get the race car ready for the next race, then get brownie road worthy and winter ready. The generator is not working, the fuel lines all leak, I have half a dozen cans of "Stop leaking damnit" for the roof, I need to rebuild the camper door which was destroyed by vandals and rotted out, a new generator door, bad TV antenna, starter wire gremlins, exhaust manifold, etc etc...<br /><br />Ok, the Shaggin Waggon can wait, but I DID put the disco ball inside. Oh yeah... now we're talking...<br /><br />Groovy.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/07/fernley-day-two.html">Previous: Fernley, we finished!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the Beginning of this Mess: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-21071995982780873622009-11-08T22:30:00.000-08:002009-12-09T20:16:35.204-08:00Fernley, we finished!Sunday Morning, 24 May 09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXmQq6cdEQ9Npy6l00hFuFDChNfl02F3-mkA6ptZJEikw-FvKrP4P9ygVffe-vwqOAbz48ecRN0Yw3-BCgtsJW_J1k2rrqWUlgmuOGI4iTAgZ2RUxX3im7xlfIjhg9ESe-0SJSXIdwtkf/s1600-h/sleepy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXmQq6cdEQ9Npy6l00hFuFDChNfl02F3-mkA6ptZJEikw-FvKrP4P9ygVffe-vwqOAbz48ecRN0Yw3-BCgtsJW_J1k2rrqWUlgmuOGI4iTAgZ2RUxX3im7xlfIjhg9ESe-0SJSXIdwtkf/s200/sleepy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402027529523046498" /></a><br /><br />After a fitful night of sleep, we awoke early and attempted to make ourselves as presentable as possible for our masses of fans.<br /><br />I got online real quick and saw that Murilee Martin had posted our team - the Killer Bees, as being <a href="http://jalopnik.com/5267734/day-one-done-at-the-24-hours-of-lemons-reno+farnley">in contention for the prestigious Index Of Effluency</a> (IOE) win, which as any followers of 24 Hours of Lemons will tell you is the REAL winner of the race.<br /><br />They showed us dukeing it out for the IOE with those pesky kids in the Scooby-doo van. DRATS! <br /><br />My eyes narrowed... and I felt like Old Man Withers from the <br /><a href="http://jalopnik.com/5267734/day-one-done-at-the-24-hours-of-lemons-reno+farnley#c13046504">haunted amusement park. </a><br /><br />"I see I have acquired a new set of nemesis-es..." I called out to my "I'm waiting on you, mister internet, let's go - spouse".<br /><br />After Scooby's "Block and tackle" tactics on me the day before, I was even more convinced they should get the People's Curse. Voting for them would be a hard sell to my teamates, but the idea gave me pleasure just thinking about it.<br /><br />We stopped off for our now obligatory breakfast burritos and picked up a few odds and ends from the local "Flakgens" autoparts store. While there we spied an awesome black Dodge Challenger out front with a big block. We spoke to the driver for a few then turned to head to the track.<br /><br />Someone else heading to the track took pity on Kevin "Hey WOW man" Chong shoehorned into the back of the smart car, and offered him a ride. More pleasant sure, and potentially more legal. But it spoiled what could have been the greatest entrance at the track... chuckle.<br /><br />More last minute thrashing before the morning drivers meeting, and then Kevin was next on the rotation. The cars filed back out onto the track, the green flag dropped and the race picked up where it had left off the prior evening. Quite a few cars that had dropped out early were now back in the race after long nights of thrashing on their race cars. <br /><br />However many of them soon came back off the track with more mechanical woes.<br /><br />"Hey WOW man" unexpectedly came back into the pits as well. Oh noooo.... what's wrong?<br /><br />We ran over to the car and Kevin showed me the temp gauge, which was pegged at the HOT mark. I cooled off the radiator with some cool water and went to check the water level in the tank. Kevin shouted that the temp came back down quickly, and I saw the tank was still full. This radiator just wasn't shedding enough heat at wide open throttle. I cold only imagine what kind of debris was hiding inside the cooling tubes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0pB__Wd-uHv2o4PwUlF0bQ9oSfokjEOWcojXO2ut9IUIZglo0LKGHyURPHR6GVZhswXD7kS7BGhuq0nxqQsJdwUQ1JI0j21x3DwIOEfgu-LJN0G9-cG-DEwdckPvFrG5OJ23gHnuH4sr/s1600-h/nuclear_fireball.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0pB__Wd-uHv2o4PwUlF0bQ9oSfokjEOWcojXO2ut9IUIZglo0LKGHyURPHR6GVZhswXD7kS7BGhuq0nxqQsJdwUQ1JI0j21x3DwIOEfgu-LJN0G9-cG-DEwdckPvFrG5OJ23gHnuH4sr/s200/nuclear_fireball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401979369224566770" /></a>"Run it till it blows!" I yelled to Kevin through his helmet. "There is nothing we can do, so let's see how far it goes!"<br /><br />The temperature wavered between HOT and NUCLEAR for the rest of the day, but somehow the silly thing kept going. And Going. And Going. I thought about putting a big drum and rabbit ears on the car for the next race.<br /><br />Lurch and Gargamel both took their turns behind the wheel, and the superheated motor kept on ticking. Then my turn came up again. I went out and had a pretty good session, and suddenly I had Black flag. <br /><br />I was all by myself, had no contact, and my wheels stayed on the track so I was a little surprised. Rather than whining or arguing, I made a bee-line (puny me) straight to the penalty box to find out what I did wrong. I was genuinely curious, because there was a STRONG possibility I screwed up somehow. I actually looked forward to learning something so I would not do it again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://poligiontoday.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/angry-judge.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 250px;" src="http://poligiontoday.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/angry-judge.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>"What did you do?" asked Ed, Supreme Justice and one of the contributors to my present delinquency. Yeah, it was partly his fault for encouraging me at the lunches and at the last Thunderhill race.<br /><br />"I'm not sure" I responded, trying not to sound like every other innocent victim. I was suddenly not sure if the flag was even for me. But if I screwed up, I need to know what I did... <br /><br />Ed looked at me and said "You guys have been the cleanest drivers out there all weekend." He looked around with a scowl on his face, and I looked over at our pit, where I saw my team had finally noticed what was going on and starting to get off their asses.<br /><br />Expecting at least a driver change, Ed said "Go on" and waved me through just as my teammates came huffing and puffing up to the penalty box. "Later dudes!" I yelled and back out on the track I went. <br /><br />A short while later there were a few spin-outs and cars facing the wrong direction within a a few laps of each other on top of the hill. The last of these incidents resulted in a cluster of cars at the turn, dirt all over the track and the yellow flag came out. All the drivers raised their hands in acknowledgment and slowed except for one, the Jalopnik/Evil Genius Racing V8 Volvo. <br /><br />It came screaming by me, then hit the brakes hard as the driver noticed the yellow.<br /><br />The car slid completely sideways then snapped to the other direction at least 5 times right in front of the Bee, giving me a great view of a 4-wheeled "tank-slapper". Once he got it under control I gave him the thumbs up, and he returned it to me. It was a spectacular show of driving.<br /><br />I later learned it was my <a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/02/sinker-part-3.html">old nemesis</a> <a href="http://whatwouldjessedo.com/wp/">Jesse</a>, and he had hit a patch of oil when he tried keep from passing me under yellow. The oil was allegedly causing all the spins (and not over eager drivers, sure) and resulted in a red flag for the track.<br /><br />I pulled over just after the flagging station along with a half dozen other cars and we waited, baking in the sun. OMFG it was hot. We eventually lined up our cars Lemans style and shut off our engines to try and cool off while talking back and forth.<br /><br />When the track went back to yellow a month later I pulled into the pits for a drive change and a drink of water, not to mention a badly needed potty break. <br /><br />The day dragged on and the sun's shadows grew longer. For the final session of the day we sent out "Hey WOW Man" for the last hour of madness. "Tear it up, drive the tires off, just don't wreck it." was all I said.<br /><br />The most exciting part of the day was upon us, and all the cars still running were in a frenzy out on the track. Several crippled cars were able to get out and do a few last laps just for pride's sake, and the checkered flag dropped at long last.<br /><br />Finished! And our crappy little $500 MBG was still running! Not only that, but we placed 39th overall out of of 100+ cars, 12th in the "Not expected to finish class". Not bad for the car's inaugural race with a bunch of rookies!<br /><br />The FrankenMiatallac won the overall race, and a front wheel drive Cadillac with antlers won the IOE award.<br /><br />After the ceremony we packed up, the team went out for dinner then ice cream, and started the long drive home.<br /><br />At 9:30pm we crossed the California state line and started the painfully slow trek back up the Donner Summit at 28mph, the dragging brakes on our rental trailer dragging our speed down to a blistering 28mph and 3.5mpg.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1K5T8d_QFWF-SoR6S5Ju3b559oQcVUoYviGTg6WdsVJhI6UPq5cJ_G8r6dY0MrVnOuzpDiuYBQEX79HrLqRhtuHx1m3rMnl124J8nkU_pGvXY0z9l3G6sHhE-gGlnfsenQj_mwYG7FIz/s1600-h/hwy+20.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1K5T8d_QFWF-SoR6S5Ju3b559oQcVUoYviGTg6WdsVJhI6UPq5cJ_G8r6dY0MrVnOuzpDiuYBQEX79HrLqRhtuHx1m3rMnl124J8nkU_pGvXY0z9l3G6sHhE-gGlnfsenQj_mwYG7FIz/s200/hwy+20.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401985692843344546" /></a>10:30 we passed grouse ridge and the Hwy 20 cutoff... and I yearned for a camping trip in the forest of my childhood home.<br /><br />At midnight we were cruising along on the freeway and I heard something funny...<br /><br />"What's that noise?" I asked "Hey-WOW-man", who had finally calmed down, quit talking a thousand miles an hour and was taking a nap.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNX9M-64azotmacCfWA-dxnOrldWCR8lh2lhVUmvn6MFd9579Kk5qNTqOeU54ITm-PGwL-eTRPxS5Wr3g-mP0D_pDtbUD62j1HHSBaUd4ljiZ1ADww5DGYWfS6xYCJSSYYvVCXjEQTSZO/s1600-h/sparks.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNX9M-64azotmacCfWA-dxnOrldWCR8lh2lhVUmvn6MFd9579Kk5qNTqOeU54ITm-PGwL-eTRPxS5Wr3g-mP0D_pDtbUD62j1HHSBaUd4ljiZ1ADww5DGYWfS6xYCJSSYYvVCXjEQTSZO/s200/sparks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401985764697237426" /></a>Just then one of our mufflers divorced itself from the rig and left out the back. I saw a shower of sparks in my mirrors and watched in horror as it slid spinning behind us directly at my wife's smart car. <br /><br />Without missing a beat she zipped around it, missing it by at least a foot. Last time I saw the muffler it was rolling off the road and into a dark ditch... we never saw it again.<br /><br />We arrived home at 2:30am in a screaming cloud of thunder yet again (sorry neighbors, this is becoming it's own joke) and slept until 1:15pm the next day. <br /> <br />While unloading the trailer I checked the odometer on the Killer bee.<br /><br />506 miles.<br /><br />Daaaang! :-) Now THAT'S something.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/11/brownie-gets-new-pipes.html">Next: Brownie gets new pipes!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/10/fernley-end-of-day-1.html">Previous: Fernley, End of day 1</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the VERY begining... The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-17387867319246999692009-10-04T22:15:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:17:18.777-08:00Fernley, End of day 1Back out on the track again, I started to find my groove.<br /><br />I realized 2 things however. 1. my mirrors sucked. 2. I still had not learned the track. Ug.<br /><br />Soon however an even bigger obstacle presented itself. In the form of a mini-van painted up into the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4-7esbCGbtdTgVoX0fYVRhGV87d835tZ6VTmKjvAgNbE0ETt2OtEJ4mQits8P9l9NNSxqxGVkaECN7SMvjrwnsrIHXkxpL7YPYtpqvU_c9EsaRMCdDFwvJ41Zl6aXwCqDj4uZB4J59H6/s1600-h/IMG_1454.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4-7esbCGbtdTgVoX0fYVRhGV87d835tZ6VTmKjvAgNbE0ETt2OtEJ4mQits8P9l9NNSxqxGVkaECN7SMvjrwnsrIHXkxpL7YPYtpqvU_c9EsaRMCdDFwvJ41Zl6aXwCqDj4uZB4J59H6/s200/IMG_1454.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392315702795824146" /></a>The MGB was still not revving like it should, which meant we ended up stuck in 3rd gear exiting the corners and lugging the motor, because in second gear the car fell flat on it's face. The result was not having enough umph to pass the slower cars if I got stuck behind them, and this is how I got introduced to "Mystery Machine", a Chrysler mini-van painted up as Scooby Doo's wagon. <br /><br />I could have passed them by getting my speed up and trying to out-corner them, if only they were not driving <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">all over the road</span>.</span> Several times I tried to get by, only to be run over each time I came along side. I found myself getting more and more frustrated. There was no line I could take that this thing would not cross. It was not long before a big pack of cars were backed up behind them and I decided to drop back to get out of harm's way and see how others handled getting around the waggy-wagon. They all had the same trouble, and it was amusing to watch the others dart left and right trying to get around. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9tzbmJTo3X82QqVAZavD98KOvC-Z-5-v4rEL4BjWn5MMxKKvoGrKRYCnb8ui46h9zuy7j71kpIQKQUx58YvTUIvYBLYLu1QzElTrccGSjq6i5j4NTtFmffZgzYUt6PPt2vl1mLzNOL19/s1600-h/DSCF3162.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9tzbmJTo3X82QqVAZavD98KOvC-Z-5-v4rEL4BjWn5MMxKKvoGrKRYCnb8ui46h9zuy7j71kpIQKQUx58YvTUIvYBLYLu1QzElTrccGSjq6i5j4NTtFmffZgzYUt6PPt2vl1mLzNOL19/s200/DSCF3162.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392316728858091906" /></a>Then the fast cars caught up, and all hell broke loose. I did not see what happened, but there was suddenly a bunch of tire smoke and cars bunched together in real close quarters. Whatever the outcome, the minivan finally moved over and stayed to the side letting everyone pass...<br /><br />...Except me. <br /><br />#$%^@!!<br /><br />#$%&^$*^&$^$%#@$ why you sonofa #^%^$&@@$%$#@4!!!!! Round and round we went together, and every time I got a run on Scooby he cut me off. <br /><br />This was starting to get personal, and I was out for blood. Next thing I knew it was the end of day 1 and the cars filed off the track and back into the pits, and we were still running! Not only that, but the day's standings were posted, and we were in 49th position! FAR OUT!! Exactly half pack, half were ahead of us, and half were behind. Damned good for our first day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiExH9ej1pFpN0GZ4w3Igp7sf3yzm7HF-XL8PIpaggeg4h5xa5RORYdV-pr4vfzwjg6RofME_1lVoy2lHcJYBEy0p0HwFJee-q8tHOcaey5rekauia9zQfquMCO694TAKpjEFmVP1OG3Ig/s1600-h/IMG_1545.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiExH9ej1pFpN0GZ4w3Igp7sf3yzm7HF-XL8PIpaggeg4h5xa5RORYdV-pr4vfzwjg6RofME_1lVoy2lHcJYBEy0p0HwFJee-q8tHOcaey5rekauia9zQfquMCO694TAKpjEFmVP1OG3Ig/s200/IMG_1545.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392320514312534690" /></a>After the race we began to BBQ and rotate the tires while I bitched about Scooby and a wild driver from the Chevy pickup, and set around making a game plan for day two. The front tires were nearly bald on the outer edges, which surprised me. As we were munching on burgers and deliberating if we should mess with the car or leave it alone, someone said "Hey look, the car is drooling". <br /><br />What?<br /><br />Sure enough, the big tongue on the front of the car was drooling and a little puddle of water was starting to collect underneath.<br /><br />On closer inspection there was a pinhole in one of the radiator tubes spewing a tiny but steady stream onto the backside of the tongue, making it drool. I pulled an old mountain engineering fix out of my bag of tricks and pinched the tube closed with a pair of pliers, but the leak tripled in size. Oops. I found the tube was completely rotten and so were all the others! I touched them with my fingertips and within minutes the entire bottom of the radiator had crumbled apart!<br /><br />"Well gang, it looks like I get to change out the radiator". <br /><br />"Where are you going to find another radiator?" Gargamel asked. I disappeared into "Brownie, the World's Greatest Crappy Old RV" and came out with a magic spare radiator.<br /><br />"Where did you get that!?!?" asked my wife-who-has-her-own-MG-spouse.<br /><br />Uh... I borrowed it? :)<br /><br />MY wife slapped her forehead as everyone laughed, and I got down to swapping parts. Then I disconnected the rear sway-bar hoping to eliminate some of our under-steer. MGBs do not like rear sway bars. They were only introduced in the last few years of production in an attempt to correct some of the evils of being jacked up by the then-new government mandated ride height laws. Our car was lowered back to normal so it had to come off, and I hoped this would help with our heavy push condition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-KBqicWez2TEpDCvJp8PAMjdN19KG1RzamD8nh1ZGg-0nuQtBVGTFkfydZyrp5MqGMwd7r2m594WztBYMo2JPuuea6YaelkK1NkIcgQH-p5Vg2YEAxbg3MxAYJ2HfyKYnu3OJ3FnDu3D/s1600-h/DSCF3167.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-KBqicWez2TEpDCvJp8PAMjdN19KG1RzamD8nh1ZGg-0nuQtBVGTFkfydZyrp5MqGMwd7r2m594WztBYMo2JPuuea6YaelkK1NkIcgQH-p5Vg2YEAxbg3MxAYJ2HfyKYnu3OJ3FnDu3D/s200/DSCF3167.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392319035129228498" /></a>We left Brownie at the track and loaded up the wife's smart car for the trip to the hotel.<br />BUT, it turns out Gargamel's Miata had no passenger seat, and the seating area was full of gear, so we had to find another way to get "Hey-WOW-man" Chong back to the hotel. We stuffed him in the back of the smart car, curled up like a circus bear with our travel bags piled on top of him. <br /><br />By the time we got to the hotel we nearly had to use a crowbar to get him back out. People stopped and stared, jaws dropped in disbelief.<br /><br />That night I had recurring dreams, and woke up in the middle of the night screaming "AAAHH!! PANDA!!"<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/07/fernley-day-two.html">Next: Fernley, we finished!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/07/goin-for-broken-2-saturday-afternoon.html">Previous: Goin for Broken #2, Saturday afternoon.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the VERY beginning of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-33966671012385359632009-07-17T00:12:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:18:00.561-08:00Goin for Broken #2, Saturday afternoon.It has been several months since the last post, and a LOT of interesting things have happened. But FIRST, we have to finish the race.<br /><br />Saturday afternoon, 23 May 09, Fernley Raceway <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKBL0ntK_Ja2G9fhKU3Pc5rxXCEu5diKo2L5n25koWSd7VmYRrW4HwVXAMEhJVmSCqMF5wVAgztmq3bVCUCebddlPXxoAEgUZUNsr-PB1G-s2cV8Bi8W9vc-fRwSt_L3Q3Gsje5T3KBpB/s1600-h/IMG_1486.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKBL0ntK_Ja2G9fhKU3Pc5rxXCEu5diKo2L5n25koWSd7VmYRrW4HwVXAMEhJVmSCqMF5wVAgztmq3bVCUCebddlPXxoAEgUZUNsr-PB1G-s2cV8Bi8W9vc-fRwSt_L3Q3Gsje5T3KBpB/s200/IMG_1486.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388995079700870034" /></a>One hour of track time after the green flag dropped at "Going for Broken", and 16 minutes of actual racing I came in for our first pit stop and driver change. I was hot, thirsty and could no longer feel my arms.<br /><br />But I had survived. And better yet, so had the car.<br /><br />A few moments of shaking my arms and clenching my fists brought the blood and sensations back into my upper extremities and I helped the team prepare for the next round of roundy-round.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLp9eVLJQ-Jr36UwkuoXwoU9t6fXqfQXVmGBSQ-kCeB3A5UMA9rGa5kBnhzDpr-TmfnzU3ze5YYgDb6_BuaYkgBe6TEuUC-vTlsS3zNi5M1cF_LLZmJB0TQD4akH20FRn2htE4yFIxF4j/s1600-h/DSCF3151.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLp9eVLJQ-Jr36UwkuoXwoU9t6fXqfQXVmGBSQ-kCeB3A5UMA9rGa5kBnhzDpr-TmfnzU3ze5YYgDb6_BuaYkgBe6TEuUC-vTlsS3zNi5M1cF_LLZmJB0TQD4akH20FRn2htE4yFIxF4j/s200/DSCF3151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997756281651234" /></a>After strapping in our new driver and performing basic system checks, I swapped video recorders and gave Kevin some last second tips and cautions. Then we slapped his helmet, guided him backwards out of our pit and sent him on his way with one last instruction... "Don't wad the car into a ball".<br /><br />He went out and fought with glory, holding his own against some much faster machinery and some very talented drivers. More importantly he stayed away from the lousy drivers and crappy cars, giving us a good hour of consistent lap times and no black flags.<br /><br />While he was out on the track, I set about transferring our flip video to an external hard drive in order to save space on my company owned laptop. This was to become my undoing, as we did not have electrical power, nor enough DC power outlets in "Brownie, the World's Greatest Crappy RV" (tm) to run the hard drive, laptop and video cameras at the same time, and my laptop battery was starting to run low. Ug.<br /><br />I ended up having to to babysit the video equipment and make sure I swapped power adapters before each piece of equipment died. It was a juggling act that really killed my weekend and kept me from relaxing, enjoying myself or rubbing elbows with my new race friends. <br /><br />At one point I got frustrated because the stupid Sony would not stay on, and we lost all but 5 minutes of footage from 2 of our drivers. Our Pit-mates from Free-Range-Racing clued me in to a setting on the camera that overrides the automatic sleep function which saved the day, but I had enough and swore to come up with a better solution for the next race. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKGJX8x5vAqTXtNhvpRrJTGUsxmMlRtyykCREvxcf8pFZ_NSUJ7qX34xPWQAsGZsVISNIvcFNdjeJdQnTGZaH2Z5G9UIJSLuW3P2GAbvRUpItAA0KpO_ohVVtJJOqyA8X0kP_wqhBBqQB/s1600-h/DSCF3202.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKGJX8x5vAqTXtNhvpRrJTGUsxmMlRtyykCREvxcf8pFZ_NSUJ7qX34xPWQAsGZsVISNIvcFNdjeJdQnTGZaH2Z5G9UIJSLuW3P2GAbvRUpItAA0KpO_ohVVtJJOqyA8X0kP_wqhBBqQB/s200/DSCF3202.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388998279893397746" /></a>Lurch was up next, and after refueling we spent much time adjusting the seat harness for his gargantuan 6 and a half foot, 1/8th Ton frame. Again the Bee went out and racked up lap after lap on a somewhat slower but steady pace. No black flags, no contact, no penalties. He came back into the pits and got out of the car whooping and hollering with a BIG ass grin on his bright red face.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ6pyrY3UKsr5jE4NXJNh_rHAnJPGsxmX8Rb9Rlbeb4tFabw7JLEmIOqtHg50HPBI_geJ7ogc8UtxZg01CYwOcz51aDmbWNIv3Mbpx6mFlpl2VS3_GS7iw-9Z0qf2Ic97gN3lvYnLbmtX/s1600-h/DSCF3201.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ6pyrY3UKsr5jE4NXJNh_rHAnJPGsxmX8Rb9Rlbeb4tFabw7JLEmIOqtHg50HPBI_geJ7ogc8UtxZg01CYwOcz51aDmbWNIv3Mbpx6mFlpl2VS3_GS7iw-9Z0qf2Ic97gN3lvYnLbmtX/s200/DSCF3201.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388999102214537426" /></a>Gargamel drove cleanup and kept up the good work. Round and round the bee went, stupid bouncing antenna balls announcing track position long before the car itself was visible from the pits. It would disappear behind the retaining wall on to of the hill, while the antennas hovered above giving away his position like the 2P opponent markings in a head to head video game. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEov_tY0FkxnqVW276QKB-8jah12S2GWA6V4YD04XqHfHNtRHZKvfu8PxEUnv7NY6jiXdm6q1MyU1Pw1NiW7o_idaguIbhlb50eUWtdUNYllKT08Ef6BaKWNBkaq1L5Z7Lkx7l9UtJ4eJa/s1600-h/DSCF3149.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEov_tY0FkxnqVW276QKB-8jah12S2GWA6V4YD04XqHfHNtRHZKvfu8PxEUnv7NY6jiXdm6q1MyU1Pw1NiW7o_idaguIbhlb50eUWtdUNYllKT08Ef6BaKWNBkaq1L5Z7Lkx7l9UtJ4eJa/s200/DSCF3149.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388998515711525458" /></a>A cold front came through and a micro-burst spurned a mini Tornado that swept through the pits, sending several shade tents sailing nearby while the rest of us hung on to ours for dear life while trying to remove the canvas. <br /><br />And still the race went on.<br /><br />No one wrecked the car, coolant stayed in the radiator, and I stayed continually busy until suddenly my second stint arrived. While I had NO idea what to expect the first time around, the second felt more like I was going back into battle. <br /><br />Be brave. Show no weakness. Do not cry. "YU can DOOWIT!" I heard in my head from the movie "Waterboy" as I fetched my helmet and gloves from the RV. <br /><br />"YUUU can DOOWIT!!" I heard again, this time louder and behind me. I spun around to find sweet-supportive-but-mind-reading-spouse smiling at me with big round happy eyes.<br /><br />Whoah... I was just thinking... ha-ha, never mind, weird. I gave her a kiss and SWORE I heard her think "You look like a big blue panda", then I trotted off to strap into our little bucket of bolts with a big red tongue. <br /><br />The sun was moving on and the shadows were getting longer. <br /><br />I got off lucky the first round. Now the cars that were left were mooooving along and settled into a rhythm, and I had to find my own rhythm... somehow.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/10/fernley-end-of-day-1.html"><br />Next: Fernley, End of day 1</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/just-saturday-drive-in-country.html">Previous: Just a Saturday drive in the country</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The begining of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-5564595511595354132009-06-20T09:16:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:18:40.178-08:00Just a Saturday drive in the countrySaturday Morning, Day 1 of race... continued;<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FRCsF5NsMOMVpN-89sDkfSxmqYx4uMhCxINVtFa8EL3dkRzjsYD40vqzxqC5I8koTIT3mv4RI7jJ79WWympi4iKW3wfNUpKr0VrPEd6mMPPELrse7wPzXRv1fp3z8nSV2AiW4lakXFwx/s1600-h/Killer+bunny+still+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FRCsF5NsMOMVpN-89sDkfSxmqYx4uMhCxINVtFa8EL3dkRzjsYD40vqzxqC5I8koTIT3mv4RI7jJ79WWympi4iKW3wfNUpKr0VrPEd6mMPPELrse7wPzXRv1fp3z8nSV2AiW4lakXFwx/s400/Killer+bunny+still+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351099209765374034" /></a>Having just avoided becoming public enemy #1 by evading and not squishing the previously mentioned Hare from Hell in front of dozens of kids and spouses that lined the fence, I continued onto the track and accelerated down onto the front straight.<br /><br />The exhaust rang off of the retaining walls and was music to my ears, that Siamesed exhaust providing the distinct MGB engine song I have always loved.<br /><br />I snicked the transmission through the gears and cruised through the set of downhill esses, listening to the car and checking my mirrors.<br /><br />And I was frigging scared.<br /><br />There are <a href="http://www.skipbarber.com/default.aspx">whole programs</a> and <a href="http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/index.html/">established processes</a> to help you become a race car driver. You join a <a href="http://www.scca.org/home.aspx">club</a>, they teach, you learn and practice, then eventually earn a license to do this crazy crap, AFTER demonstrating some brains and an understanding of the basic rules.<br /><br />Me, I had never been through any of that. Online research aside, the only thing I knew for sure, was that there was a WHOLE lot of things I still did not know.<br /><br />And yet here I was merging into a crowd of 100+ cars, one of the largest fields of automobiles stuffed onto a racetrack in motorsports.<br /><br />HOLY CARP...<br /><br />It wasn't the going fast that worried me. Hell, any bonehead can drive fast right up until they go off in the dirt. It was the possibility of DOING IT WRONG. Of innocently doing something stupid that everyone BUT me knows about, of being punished, humiliated or banished from the island that worried me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIT5r9uL0DN3PZgFwAlTpLCuby7-9Zd_KA-O798EeGjbrpFMq5n-T4uXF7ugW_dfqM-8FLNsftaPmUgDCOqBnnXP3nDixxKfsvCgne1kz9HxnGZOsK_SaFic7S6lf8O-1KKfXx9wnuO1rD/s1600-h/wrong15.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIT5r9uL0DN3PZgFwAlTpLCuby7-9Zd_KA-O798EeGjbrpFMq5n-T4uXF7ugW_dfqM-8FLNsftaPmUgDCOqBnnXP3nDixxKfsvCgne1kz9HxnGZOsK_SaFic7S6lf8O-1KKfXx9wnuO1rD/s400/wrong15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351100594844093042" /></a><br /><br />There are always unwritten laws in every group that newbies violate and veterans get to yell at them about. And there are really only 2 ways to learn these laws. A) Screw up and get yelled at, or B) Pay attention when OTHER newbies get yelled at.<br /><br />What sets LeMons racers apart from other competition series is that they welcome newbies right into the mix. "Come on in, have a drink from the firehose, Ha-ha!" Sure, they do their fair share of teasing, but they also embrace and help the new guys in ways I have not seen elsewhere.<br /><br />The secret here seems to be that this race is all about having fun. No one cares who wins. Much. So they say.<br /><br />It is also much more accessible than the more famous clubs, where getting mired down in thick confusing rulebooks serves as a deterrent for many who otherwise would be interested. Here it is simple and easy to follow. And as a result, you end up with engineers, soccer moms and accountants mixing it up with veterans, professionals and mad men on the track.<br /><br />My game plan was to play it safe, stay on the outside and out of trouble until I got in a groove. Perhaps find a car of similar performance on a good line, and follow them as I figure it out. <br /><br />We did a bunch of caution laps under yellow/no passing conditions as they sorted out the transponder checks and such. It was pretty hot in the car but not unbearable as we played follow the leader around and around the track. We even had moments of spirited driving to make sure the cars were running ok. <br /><br />Then my first mistake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlrX9F1bpOgKQcKQqzLePueaNYDmWq5jfPSaU6mX_E2aBX7kKS78snsoW4f1FCJUhC6MH6N9rtXA2-ggYz1Csm-Zp3gyB-dteiawm6RCTmuU1fnZ2eevr_E7CLACBX6dYhuC6gbN4uU4L/s1600-h/Demolition.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlrX9F1bpOgKQcKQqzLePueaNYDmWq5jfPSaU6mX_E2aBX7kKS78snsoW4f1FCJUhC6MH6N9rtXA2-ggYz1Csm-Zp3gyB-dteiawm6RCTmuU1fnZ2eevr_E7CLACBX6dYhuC6gbN4uU4L/s200/Demolition.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351104970676349570" /></a>As I passed the start/finish flag station, the Honda from team LeMons Demolition merged onto the track, and I, being Mr. Polite and Conservative slowed down to give him space to merge in front of me. Besides, it was one of my favorites from the Altamont 08 race. How could you not love those caterpillar exhaust stacks?<br /><br />STOOPID MOVE.<br /><br />I retrospect I wish I had goosed it and let him fall in behind me. The damn thing smoked and had a horrible stench every time he mashed on the gas. I'm kinda fond of old engine smells including smoke, especially the worn-rings blue-tinge perfumed variety, but THIS was the acrid engine of death kind of smoke. Awful. I soon found myself with a headache and watery eyes, trying to keep my distance for the remaining yellow caution laps. It slowly seemed to clear as the car warmed up, but then would come belching out again, and again for the next 15 minutes.<br /><br />My tongue thickened and I wished I had some water.<br /><br />Suddenly, a black and white panda screamed past! <a href="http://pandamoniumracing.blogspot.com/">WHOAH! PANDA!!</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVppLMKdszM8ap0jzGtyK_jMnuD3aGqgLBqe55LgKv38TkoYGoe-UjZ8R21_fRyW_EEfgdXSvjDBvltZq9XnTi0qRBVC_Y6eZA_frP3ImEH_S2FLiU80DRVdLVXsC7e0IEvZSlVGqMy3BK/s1600-h/PANDA+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVppLMKdszM8ap0jzGtyK_jMnuD3aGqgLBqe55LgKv38TkoYGoe-UjZ8R21_fRyW_EEfgdXSvjDBvltZq9XnTi0qRBVC_Y6eZA_frP3ImEH_S2FLiU80DRVdLVXsC7e0IEvZSlVGqMy3BK/s400/PANDA+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351107719182278850" /></a><br /><br />I looked around and no one else was passing. I could not see any flag stations where I was so I resisted the temptation to floor it and held my position instead. It's a long race, I'll be dammed if I was gonna get a black flag at the very beginning, lol!<br /><br />As we came around the final turns before the Start/Finish flag station, I finally saw the green, and of course so did everyone else. The smoking yellow Honda took off and got a few positions on us, allowing me to breathe some diluted oxygen at long last.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikO0ZHaAkO6kJeGCFAhdBsfkbCaldFrn1muPQXG_Pm2ah0Ocq_Yr84HsoMW4NXzMBgSrvNoJNse-15LxTg2hy-rw2YIm58vFyo1jc7lXLmjzxJaUcuoeX0tY-QtddW05ZdZkTvtz8uIxl6/s1600-h/cowboy+hill.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikO0ZHaAkO6kJeGCFAhdBsfkbCaldFrn1muPQXG_Pm2ah0Ocq_Yr84HsoMW4NXzMBgSrvNoJNse-15LxTg2hy-rw2YIm58vFyo1jc7lXLmjzxJaUcuoeX0tY-QtddW05ZdZkTvtz8uIxl6/s200/cowboy+hill.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351108706836173794" /></a>We filed into the long sweeping corner keeping our distances, then through the bends and hard to the right up the steep hill. This is the slow car killer. Not only is it steep, but it has a bump at the bottom that lifts your inside rear wheel causing it to loose grip and power when you need it the most. As a result, a bunch of us 4-banger cars got stuck in a clump behind the Pony Express unable to pass as we putt-putted up the hill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-CwlWHam1RAJTKygRMkRZmnRkNDBKSw_DwDvjljK3l1VjLTqSkdD-ODHklEEgJYGSuXv23di8CIL1_IIqhg7gciyYNqjsPZBkLRy9mwEz1A-kTUdPs8K7rPQxm7UjrQJ2nz9wZ1Kd4bg/s1600-h/cowboy+horse+race.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-CwlWHam1RAJTKygRMkRZmnRkNDBKSw_DwDvjljK3l1VjLTqSkdD-ODHklEEgJYGSuXv23di8CIL1_IIqhg7gciyYNqjsPZBkLRy9mwEz1A-kTUdPs8K7rPQxm7UjrQJ2nz9wZ1Kd4bg/s200/cowboy+horse+race.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351111554633772034" /></a>After cresting the top of the hill the herd started to make it's way around the cowboy one at a time until there were just two of us left, team Delta Force (#.357) and the Killer Bee, which I thought was strangely ironic.<br /><br />I figured it was now OUR turn to get by, but unfortunately we were now going downhill and the cowboy had gravity assisting him, just as the Bee started sputtering again. DAMNIT!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOb1fAz_b8ykCUEQiOuvK8B6or515ChnoMPrMUlg5M9oThwJJ4fHQCVPEGLIVTUBQwHdkRy1n2CtTBTMlDMp_Drj8c_0Q1UiGDNEsXl_tAqjqd8yNLIOZc9l_1UbK_fktPTk8TSOC6N4o2/s1600-h/cowboy+whoah.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOb1fAz_b8ykCUEQiOuvK8B6or515ChnoMPrMUlg5M9oThwJJ4fHQCVPEGLIVTUBQwHdkRy1n2CtTBTMlDMp_Drj8c_0Q1UiGDNEsXl_tAqjqd8yNLIOZc9l_1UbK_fktPTk8TSOC6N4o2/s200/cowboy+whoah.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351111560168277682" /></a><br /><br />On the back straight team Delta Force out-dragged the cowboy and got by, while I floored the Killer Bee. But the damn horse was just as fast as I was. It killed me not being able to use 2nd gear, which had a super low and useless gear ratio. By the time the motor started making power in 3rd gear it was time to brake again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVG00f4mQ11SyjqyIza7_vM2BWA5BzLZb3BqvkAc3GFGTOLRdHEifw0rXE7LZorTFGTpYYxloWW4Y3uAm-baPzYa6Dedfqza2JKabrx6wLv7Zd8OxG3IqF_VJaY1xVjk1NizpBvBjrnxjw/s1600-h/cowboy+smokem.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVG00f4mQ11SyjqyIza7_vM2BWA5BzLZb3BqvkAc3GFGTOLRdHEifw0rXE7LZorTFGTpYYxloWW4Y3uAm-baPzYa6Dedfqza2JKabrx6wLv7Zd8OxG3IqF_VJaY1xVjk1NizpBvBjrnxjw/s200/cowboy+smokem.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351111562423993250" /></a><br />Then it happened...<br /><br />The horse went in a little too hot and started burning it's hooves trying to slow down. And as the contraption went around the corner, the cowboy on top looked like he was hanging on for dear life and trying not to fall over.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDn-66tYlPuHaiu1Oqj0Hg59SzokVi_OzPTqnwV7V4JcZFwDOkibC6Jm4Q1fSJTVNywN723yNlBgABfiGpAjbyrtuo7oQSBfCRyFH66N-NtgfvORVCJwoBC3Awa5odgCb1diQwyMO_xY3I/s1600-h/cowboy+out+to+pasture.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDn-66tYlPuHaiu1Oqj0Hg59SzokVi_OzPTqnwV7V4JcZFwDOkibC6Jm4Q1fSJTVNywN723yNlBgABfiGpAjbyrtuo7oQSBfCRyFH66N-NtgfvORVCJwoBC3Awa5odgCb1diQwyMO_xY3I/s200/cowboy+out+to+pasture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351111566439673234" /></a><br />That was my chance. As he slid wide, I hung on the inside and out-cornered him punching it halfway through and emerged victorious! MY FIRST PASS!!<br /><br />(The crowd goes wild)<br /><br />On the video, after the pass I can be heard hooting and hollering once I realize I did not die. My heart was racing and I was full of adrenaline. (Also on the video, you can see that we weren't actually going very fast. How embarrassing.)<br /><br />Next I set my eyes on that .357 car, and nearly got around him on the next straight... untill I realized I did not know which way the track went. "Uhhh.... you go ahead" and I fell back in line. Crap. <br /><br />I stayed there for the rest of the lap until we came back to the right-hander up the hill. Somehow I hit the corner just right and got along side him with my momentum. Then it became a drag race of the pathetic as our heaps clawed their way to the top - mine with just a touch more momentum was victorious! Second pass!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuH7UzX-4tvtRcrFMY5jdkqmGTmekVHyn6OMR6BR5JtRYtusZtZBwdnn6_NplJB5-t8rp4ACISowb3n72-ky10hejU2bq9i2PY7jBb1JEpA5tg0Olw0cvWtuJszl3HsgUOjcWty6q0S4l/s1600-h/Oolong+pass1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuH7UzX-4tvtRcrFMY5jdkqmGTmekVHyn6OMR6BR5JtRYtusZtZBwdnn6_NplJB5-t8rp4ACISowb3n72-ky10hejU2bq9i2PY7jBb1JEpA5tg0Olw0cvWtuJszl3HsgUOjcWty6q0S4l/s200/Oolong+pass1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351115470344697874" /></a><br /><br />Now feeling brave and cocky the track ahead of me was clear so I wound it out all the way down the backstretch, using the cone markers to gauge my braking and turn in points. This is cool! I can do this! I said to myself.<br /><br />Then on the next corner I was passed by a brown and white Rabbit on 3 wheels like I was standing still. (AAHHH! A BUNNY!!) I was just pwned by Oolong, the <a href="http://bunnywithapancakeonitshead.blogspot.com/">bunny with a pancake on it's head</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbncq2tunIVM01ypF6zYImZLT7kpe6wblmt5qJFJgH3YJBvmiLGp6JTe1ZgPLj6iB_FiFoS-tVR3RzKmhQx8hd5sYbi_RgnyiRsICAre_oUXtwdfCGreG8Dd25kCZrCRSbA47B89U9xBUY/s1600-h/Oolong+pass2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbncq2tunIVM01ypF6zYImZLT7kpe6wblmt5qJFJgH3YJBvmiLGp6JTe1ZgPLj6iB_FiFoS-tVR3RzKmhQx8hd5sYbi_RgnyiRsICAre_oUXtwdfCGreG8Dd25kCZrCRSbA47B89U9xBUY/s200/Oolong+pass2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351115477550613826" /></a><br /><br />I was awestruck. I had never seen anything like that before. I thought "Hey, I should follow HIS line!" Then immediately came to my senses "Am I STUPID? I can't follow THAT line!! He's on THREE WHEELS"<br /><br />I barely had time to blink when I noticed we had somehow caught up to the pack. Huh! <br /><br />Then I got caught behind a <a href="http://www.bitingmonkey.com/index.html">Biting Monkey</a> and said goodbye to the rabbit as he bounded off in the distance. The Monkey tried to wave me by, but I was already wide open and had no more umph. Instead I held position and was blown off the road by the Swine Flu Pig and a <a href="http://www.peasantracing.com/news.asp">turbocharged Shark</a>.<br /><br />(What the hell kind of race is this?)<br /><br />The remnants of an Alpha Romeo (<a href="http://www.jagpromotions.com/bill/ectest4.html">aka team Ecurie Ecrappe Autodenta</a>) blew by Monkey boy and I just in time for another yellow, which would last for the next 25 minutes.<br /><br />We slowly circled around and around, and I thought I was going to overheat at first. But eventually my heart rate slowed and I cooled off just enough to keep from frying.<br /><br />Then at high noon - the horse was back! <br /><br />SOMEHOW he managed to come out of the pits and slip RIGHT BACK IN FRONT OF ME!! AAAAHHHHGGG!! Are you serious? Ha-ha.. Ooohhh nooooo.... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D5lhBUJ1qiHeZFHbqF3moYwylBlmhOygRHv-a-ZwqmRr63-cE0GZEmkjA-jBvEEtEKSWIcaQlIZjrDo3TWO7RR5bJklH0NKyYrdyGVFpyk5oQAD0tRFvQ2Pk1s4C65kaHSHu-KGezYU6/s1600-h/cowboy+ghostrider.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D5lhBUJ1qiHeZFHbqF3moYwylBlmhOygRHv-a-ZwqmRr63-cE0GZEmkjA-jBvEEtEKSWIcaQlIZjrDo3TWO7RR5bJklH0NKyYrdyGVFpyk5oQAD0tRFvQ2Pk1s4C65kaHSHu-KGezYU6/s200/cowboy+ghostrider.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351118305899876370" /></a>But wait, where was the cowboy? Oh that's funny! We have a Ghostrider! Runaway horse!<br /><br />FWOOSH!!<br /><br />I got blown off the road by a pig wearing lipstick and the <a href="http://jalopnik.com/5119390/squirrels-of-fury-scirocco-ventilates-engine-block-goes-out-in-blaze-of-glory">flaming Squirrel of Furry</a>, who's claim to fame was it's meteorite impersonation at Thunderhill last year.<br /><br />Oh, we're green! Go Go go!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnwqKRzuhhd8geOULB1bBZkpCe7IVPHu8W2sd_LGc4Z7Xkn8Il38I-7zTSfrmxwe4ycSVyH3LsRn6jdguPxEo9oW2HilXWfIokLUENHTsSb3oMOkOW1mPma2-XfvlfmqHnO6m90Y-nWTz/s1600-h/Elvis+and+Star+Wars.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnwqKRzuhhd8geOULB1bBZkpCe7IVPHu8W2sd_LGc4Z7Xkn8Il38I-7zTSfrmxwe4ycSVyH3LsRn6jdguPxEo9oW2HilXWfIokLUENHTsSb3oMOkOW1mPma2-XfvlfmqHnO6m90Y-nWTz/s200/Elvis+and+Star+Wars.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351119866631724370" /></a>I blasted past the horse and a black Corvair (Hey! Which way is that thing pointed? They should put an orange stripe on one end of it for easy identification!) and in turn was passed by a Star Wars Snowspeeder and Elvis' in a pink Caddi-Miata-lac, whom I followed for a while getting one of my best laps for the session.<br /><br />When I got passed by a Windmill, a Bowling Ball and the LeMons Fire Department I decided it was time to pit, which fortuitously coincided with another yellow. Excellent...<br /><br />One hour from pit to pit, a total of 16 minutes of green flag racing and nearly 45 minutes of yellow laps, where at least I was not loosing any positions, nyuck-nyuck.<br /><br />I shut off the car and we swapped drivers; "Hey WOW man" Chong was up next, our supposed ace in the hole.<br /><br />I approached smiling-bundle-of-cuteness-in-a-yellow-shirt-spouse and showed her my hands, which were shaking visibly from 10 feet away. I realized my arms were aching from the death grip I held on the wheel and tried to shake some blood back into them.<br /><br />I asked how it looked and she said "Pretty good".<br /><br />Did I look fast?<br /><br />No, not so much, giggle<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/07/goin-for-broken-2-saturday-afternoon.html">Next: Goin for Broken #2, Saturday afternoon.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/killer-rabbit-news-at-11.html">Previous: Killer Rabbit™, News at 11</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the VERY begining... The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-77006169918051737382009-06-13T21:49:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:19:28.259-08:00Killer Rabbit™, News at 11We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you the following breaking update:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvIJPw0qHX01Imx4bLnN0G3TPJNdI3wuGk083f5m1OTHsRkXnwkrA3TQFroqaULvE7x7YPqRxEfENCzCoiFKDTRp92FiCKqe8XXRDc2TcI7jmledUuN4562TZZnNHom7L8K4Xt1KTmsYd/s1600-h/bunny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvIJPw0qHX01Imx4bLnN0G3TPJNdI3wuGk083f5m1OTHsRkXnwkrA3TQFroqaULvE7x7YPqRxEfENCzCoiFKDTRp92FiCKqe8XXRDc2TcI7jmledUuN4562TZZnNHom7L8K4Xt1KTmsYd/s200/bunny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345478114142744226" border="0"></a>The Killer Rabbit™ from team "Knights of the round track" (<a href="http://stickfigureracing.blogspot.com/">aka Stick Figure racing</a>) has escaped! It was last seen at 11:06am, 22 May 09 in Fernley Nevada, trying to take out "Sparky, El Delusional Capitan" of team Killer Bees as he first entered the race track. <br /><br />Bender and jkiel of Stick Figure Racing - were reportedly readying the Holy Hand Grenade with incantations from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkiel/3558385262/in/set-72157618443428409/">"The Book of Armaments"</a><br /><br />Children and small animals are advised to wear garlic.<br /><br />Details at 11.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzZrciJOnaJbp6vJwlI0znrRdGHDEgfsI-RKgXXjO0gXMeRYO-DK7XcQhX4o7HnoOw-bFvOhQVXtwjNjQ-66g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><object id="BLOG_video-FAILED" class="BLOG_video_class" contentid="FAILED" height="266" width="320"></object><br /><br />(Notice the bouncy critter running from the left as I pass the flag station...)<br /><br />**************<br /><br />Ok, I got stumped. I literally spent the ENTIRE week trying to edit our stupid 24 Hours of LeMons video from Reno Fernley Raceway last month, to get this 15 second video of the dastardly Bunny as it tried to kill me.<br /><br />Turns out I did not read the directions on Flip Video camera (not that there were any real directions to read ayways) and I screwed myself.<br /><br />Seems that once you download the video to your computer you can do some simple editing, chop it up and even put it to music. Yeah great.<br /><br />BUT, once you export it out of the library, oh say like <span style="font-style: italic;">copy it to an external hard drive</span> like I did to save 4 gig of SPACE, it's GAME OVER. You can't re-import it. <br /><br />EVER!<br /><br />WTF?!?!?<br /><br />So I have been stuck with boring 2 hour videos that I could not do anything with.<br /><br />Now don't get me wrong, it is an awesome little device, takes great video and is dirt cheap, but the software is TOO simple - to the point of being <span style="font-style: italic;">retarded</span>. <br /><br />The format is in MP4 which I don't care to know anything about, and it seems neither does Windows Movie Maker. MP4s won't load into the software. Online forums have a million different solutions and cheats to import codecs & masage the Divexs and xviDs blah-blah-blah... but the root of the problem is these two things just don't play nice and are really beyond my realm of interest.<br /><br />So option 2 was to convert the MP4 into something like an AVI. Ok, GREAT!<br /><br />2 days of searching for and monkeying with freeware later, I had it converted to AVI.<br /><br />Except when you do that, you loose all the resolution and cant see the stupid BUNNY anymore! It's a white square block that flashes twice and disappears.<br /><br />Ug.<br /><br />3 more days of research later and downloads later I had semi-workable solution from <a href="http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/">Avidemux</a>, 15 corrupt test files, and finally the juicy little snippet above. <br /><br />I was going to put music and arrow pointers in the video, but screw it. I'm done ha-ha. I'll play with my new software toys and if I don't screw things up, maybe I'll post more videos as I complete them.<br /><br />**************<br /><br />We now return you to your regularly scheduled programing.<br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/just-saturday-drive-in-country.html"><br />Next: Just a Saturday drive in the country</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/and-theyre-off.html"><br />Previous: And they're off!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The begining of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-87489854954686897912009-06-09T11:45:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:20:17.842-08:00And they're off!Day 1...<br /><br />Reno-Fernley-Raceway, Nevada Desert, 8am<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1UyDcQLq0nPGAar_fvvGCRqWhI8GOIPEzIKfDeqzCVQ5Js1JL4XZNmm1Ge7AHBgI42FMl801JgVJfMuSWMuAEvNDB_iFZABjPhnB2fy78wXirRvY8zikjHgqxHnYl7Z2kEibG_dpFxGK/s1600-h/wacky1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1UyDcQLq0nPGAar_fvvGCRqWhI8GOIPEzIKfDeqzCVQ5Js1JL4XZNmm1Ge7AHBgI42FMl801JgVJfMuSWMuAEvNDB_iFZABjPhnB2fy78wXirRvY8zikjHgqxHnYl7Z2kEibG_dpFxGK/s200/wacky1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345472862998941906" /></a>Kevin Hey-WOW-man Chong and I stopped off at a local generic auto-parts store to grab a few last minute items for our wanna-bee race car like hose clamps, a fuel filter and a vacuum t-fitting. I wanted to try and solve our high speed miss before the race (which started in 2 hours!) but first needed to eliminate any obvious possible causes. I figured changing the fuel filter and hooking up the carb float vents to the stock system would not hurt.<br /><br />After paying for our grab bag of goodies, we again wandered next door to choke-in-the-box for yet another breakfast burrito, then went to fire up Brownie, the world's-greatest-crappy-old-RV and head back to the track in time for the morning driver's meeting.<br /><br />But Brownie would not start. Again. A turn of the key got me a nice loud "CLICK" and nothing more.<br /><br />I have gotten pretty used to this recently. In fact, this is why I got the dang RV in the first place. My stepfather got tired of trying to fix it and dropped it off at my house one unexpected day.<br /><br />The temporary cure is easy... turn on electric fuel pump, stomp on pedal 3 times, pop hood, remove wire from starter relay and touch it to the hot post on the battery. a few cranks and Vrooom!! Works every time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7qTD1T__T1xCnY0GTv2in6bGrQ6-wL55zioBEE-rGidL_9XXwijiEiqWOZOsakUcTpXYirhCl0MqceImfwdAMWZfzMepVY8Hwr5J5yJlFDP8ZtNuNTqG00CcPO0hsgfNXWiHt-6G4P4b/s1600-h/afrique.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7qTD1T__T1xCnY0GTv2in6bGrQ6-wL55zioBEE-rGidL_9XXwijiEiqWOZOsakUcTpXYirhCl0MqceImfwdAMWZfzMepVY8Hwr5J5yJlFDP8ZtNuNTqG00CcPO0hsgfNXWiHt-6G4P4b/s200/afrique.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345474243635876658" /></a>The actual problem is kinda murky though, as everything in the starter system checks out fine and has been replaced at LEAST twice. Starter, solenoid, relay, key stitch, wiring, grounds, connectors, nothing has cured it. There is a HIGH probability that a bad part was replaced with another bad part, but I'm tired of messing with it and got good at hot wiring the starter.<br /><br />It gets cantankerous on me at random and that's the way it is. Hot, cold, sunny, rain. It does not matter. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. <br /><br />Which is fine unless you are at 4500 feet in the Nevada desert and the engine wants to stall at every intersection because it's running too rich. Thus I have also gotten good at 2 footed driving. One foot on the gas to keep it from stalling, one on the brake to keep us out of traffic, and the right hand shifting us in and out of gear whenever traffic clears enough for us to cross.<br /><br />And this is how we made our way back to the paddocks at Reno-Fernley-Raceway just in the nick of time. People were bustling all over the pits and we had just enough time to do a quick tune up after the filter change and vent modification.<br /><br />Everyone got busy with their assigned tasks and the car got poked, prodded, checked, filled and rechecked high and low. The radiator water was a little low but much better than the day before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXOe4qWMCiGd8TypCIglwMncFqU7oPYDLtajfuXmvUtuni1yIAT0KTqJhyphenhyphenIDz-yDREWzNP8e7aBJWzekuzr5813ZUm_sT6qRttW5xS1xT-uv08axaQedcIzInnx1I6q9VXN3x7HUH740r/s1600-h/IMG_1528.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXOe4qWMCiGd8TypCIglwMncFqU7oPYDLtajfuXmvUtuni1yIAT0KTqJhyphenhyphenIDz-yDREWzNP8e7aBJWzekuzr5813ZUm_sT6qRttW5xS1xT-uv08axaQedcIzInnx1I6q9VXN3x7HUH740r/s200/IMG_1528.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345469860470137042" /></a>I threw on a new distributor cap, rotor and plug wires then went to change the plugs for good measure. I had brought lots of new spares I stole from my MGBGT restoration, and my thinking was that I would just swap things until I found the miss-fire culprit, then put the rest of the crap back the way it was.<br /><br />As I went to install the first plug however, disaster struck.<br /><br />The old plug looked fine with a nice light tan tint so I set it aside and started to install a new one. It went in fine and seated by hand, but when I went to torque it down it just started to spin.<br /><br />"OH CRAP!" %^*&@#$ I yelled at the Lucas/Leyland gods.<br /><br />I had turned it barely a quarter turn when the threads on the aluminum head galled up and let loose.<br /><br />"Noooooooo!!!!"<br /><br />I started cursing the previous owner of this piece of crap, lord only knows what kind of damage he inflicted on it. <br /><br />Still, the previous plug came out without any indication of trouble so I was pretty stunned by the situation. I thought for a second if I got it threaded in just right the plug may hold for a while. But then I realized the situation was hopeless... It would just pop out eventually. And the only real solution was for it to be taken apart and fixed correctly.<br /><br />"Hey Pete, we gotta get going on down to the driver's meeting" Gargamel said.<br /><br />"We are not going to make it to the starting grid!" I snapped. "We got a bunged up spark plug thread!"<br /><br />Visions of yet another aborted LeMons race filled my head. "Sonofa..." I was pretty mad and disappointed...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVoiA9FsR0vYSGiYe-NJI3Q6-ZMDdF9_26g0RwqIXBVEBi1ocWX25CjHjUubfuOwoS6MXO9Kf90o4I3yxIYx342TA_a0fbLWrN6ppnZXEhXLpQbV50HrZViIgukcJR-U4trmWgh8_xT8v/s1600-h/IMG_1552.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVoiA9FsR0vYSGiYe-NJI3Q6-ZMDdF9_26g0RwqIXBVEBi1ocWX25CjHjUubfuOwoS6MXO9Kf90o4I3yxIYx342TA_a0fbLWrN6ppnZXEhXLpQbV50HrZViIgukcJR-U4trmWgh8_xT8v/s200/IMG_1552.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345474851394556114" /></a>Then as I looked around, I noticed I was surrounded by 106 really crappy cars that may or may not be running on all cylinders, and some did not run at all. This was the essence of LeMons. This is what it was all about.<br /><br />"SCREW IT!" I laughed, "Lets go on what's left and run it till it blows, see how far we get!"<br /><br />I took out the new plug and went to smash in the old one best I could, but lo-and-behold, it seated and torqued down correctly!!<br /><br />Huh. What the hell?<br /><br />I looked at the new plugs in the boxes, looked at the old plugs in the motor, then back at the new plugs and wondered if it was the right part number. "BAH! WHO CARES!" I shrugged and threw them into the parts box just in time for the drivers meeting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnxZDSiCL6OjIjQlHnBx65wKmAM8cFVaPuz0ixHRrYwUISRX9ubxdJ_40GrqcqbD5CnXKSd-rgqA98KVAxXKGH-i90nK1CqquPrHIxXX55sl7H9vmK-cUlZ2mblrWb1ZhivP0nU09g0Ee/s1600-h/IMG_1525.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnxZDSiCL6OjIjQlHnBx65wKmAM8cFVaPuz0ixHRrYwUISRX9ubxdJ_40GrqcqbD5CnXKSd-rgqA98KVAxXKGH-i90nK1CqquPrHIxXX55sl7H9vmK-cUlZ2mblrWb1ZhivP0nU09g0Ee/s200/IMG_1525.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345475336720018018" /></a>Jay Lamm gave us the spiel about how crappy the drivers were, no contact etc etc etc. When he asked "How many first timers do we have?" I rolled my eyes and lifted my hand. Really depends on how you define first timer I guess. With any luck, this may finally be the last time I raise my hand.<br /><br />After the meeting I suited up and chugged 2 more bottles of water. Many of the other cars were lining up for the start, but we decided to hang back and enjoy the shade of our tents for a while longer. The temp was already beginning to rise, although it seemed less evil than the day before. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAqyQNa8RR6AePjhwj95VWMfE8BI0XHkk5U5cbfBDp6zavEgTf87bB4rNzQkbm_8WaPbo48hiLJ4Ff2ouw4ncObnsgUsHD7jiF0VkarTm4yW_kLdz-ChKD-BAOZKTqDrqEp7xG2DI4akY/s1600-h/DSCF3238.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAqyQNa8RR6AePjhwj95VWMfE8BI0XHkk5U5cbfBDp6zavEgTf87bB4rNzQkbm_8WaPbo48hiLJ4Ff2ouw4ncObnsgUsHD7jiF0VkarTm4yW_kLdz-ChKD-BAOZKTqDrqEp7xG2DI4akY/s200/DSCF3238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345475967247842674" /></a>Funny-cute-but-sleepy-spouse came up from behind and threw her arms around me, scaring the living bejeezus outta me. "Hey Squeeky! You made it!" I hugged her back. She had driven all night to get here after staying behind to take care of our gaggle of animals. Turtles, fish and a crazy dog. She also brought a handful of things I had forgotten, like toothpaste and Tigger's favorite toy, leaving the house at zero dark thirty to get here in time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9U6YJQLXbtExIua7aimH8LjX7ZFNEwnwnXJz4ultPlFc99dj85VdVR0EDSEULAUfK9cthNrga8lOueI9-Typ5XPRfO_CpOheJvgMckGGZriNZc54tMZVCZahqT247Lkc0mubT9UelrSk/s1600-h/IMG_1520.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9U6YJQLXbtExIua7aimH8LjX7ZFNEwnwnXJz4ultPlFc99dj85VdVR0EDSEULAUfK9cthNrga8lOueI9-Typ5XPRfO_CpOheJvgMckGGZriNZc54tMZVCZahqT247Lkc0mubT9UelrSk/s200/IMG_1520.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345475771149222770" /></a>I strapped Tigger's toy onto the camera mount and stared at it for a moment. This was to be our mascot as Tigger-cat had passed away the week Before. It was also the second toy we mounted on the car, the first being a tiny toy horse that we mounted on the hood, given to us by fellow competitors from team Pony Express for good luck.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6T95t7V-z3PVcFuhJGe36UaVxHrqDnqNpj_f1lf0Q7DwAWwcrY730s7mYpFIi4aUJvcNs-Vj3iCAB4voYto0pK-k7tDcGpeAo5xV6TW8hBFYcxNUxEGLZBgqDaJ20Wz5TKW9Dr8bdsKR/s1600-h/IMG_1563.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6T95t7V-z3PVcFuhJGe36UaVxHrqDnqNpj_f1lf0Q7DwAWwcrY730s7mYpFIi4aUJvcNs-Vj3iCAB4voYto0pK-k7tDcGpeAo5xV6TW8hBFYcxNUxEGLZBgqDaJ20Wz5TKW9Dr8bdsKR/s200/IMG_1563.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345477315820480882" /></a>When Matt our pit neighbor from Free Range Racing pulled out we decided it was time to go. There were a steady stream of bubbles floating up from the back of his car which helped him stand out in case you missed the windmill.<br /><br />The camera was on, I was strapped into the car and the motor started up. 4 cylinders, yeay! My team guided and backed me out of our pit and into line. As we waited and made our way to the track entrance I noticed another yellow car that appeared to be a Honda with the same bumblebee stripe livery slip in front of me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QRz9foiiTysjMTUo0n68Djx_2xg4EBnhGYGCZ1i0lYtz1sUQjFc00Mmd8ErhSzHPT4NbfFGFGx23POQzkGOEAqu1CwwX2QUR2voeY1xn9cVr3TEEzGbF9yn7T2muo2nwpYwk0cSPHMGk/s1600-h/IMG_1466.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QRz9foiiTysjMTUo0n68Djx_2xg4EBnhGYGCZ1i0lYtz1sUQjFc00Mmd8ErhSzHPT4NbfFGFGx23POQzkGOEAqu1CwwX2QUR2voeY1xn9cVr3TEEzGbF9yn7T2muo2nwpYwk0cSPHMGk/s200/IMG_1466.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345477697265527922" /></a>Well whadayaknow... Traffic cone stinger and everything.<br /><br />Guess I'm not as clever as I thought I was...<br /><br />I made my way to the safety equipment checkpoint and showed him my stickers and shoes, and he waved me onto the track. I floored it and suddenly noticed a fluffy little bunny sitting in the grass below the flag tower.<br /><br />Sure enough, as I approached him he darted out in front of me zigging and zagging for his life down the ramp, as little kids pointed at him from behind the fence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvIJPw0qHX01Imx4bLnN0G3TPJNdI3wuGk083f5m1OTHsRkXnwkrA3TQFroqaULvE7x7YPqRxEfENCzCoiFKDTRp92FiCKqe8XXRDc2TcI7jmledUuN4562TZZnNHom7L8K4Xt1KTmsYd/s1600-h/bunny.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 172px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvIJPw0qHX01Imx4bLnN0G3TPJNdI3wuGk083f5m1OTHsRkXnwkrA3TQFroqaULvE7x7YPqRxEfENCzCoiFKDTRp92FiCKqe8XXRDc2TcI7jmledUuN4562TZZnNHom7L8K4Xt1KTmsYd/s200/bunny.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345478114142744226" /></a>I hit the brakes hard and swerved to avoid him, and watched him scamper off behind me.<br /><br />Yes, I know. Shut up.<br /><br />Some killer Bee we turned out to be. "Oh a fluffy bunny! AHHHH!"<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/killer-rabbit-news-at-11.html">Next Post: Killer Rabbit™, News at 11</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/testing-testing-this-thing-on.html"><br />Previous post: Testing, Testing, Is this thing on?</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The beginning of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-49903580248443267062009-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:20:53.448-08:00Testing, Testing, this thing on?I have been taking a short vacation from racing, LeMons and cars in general. The last 6 months of thrashing and planning left me completely exhausted, but boy was it worth it. It has been nice to just sit back and relax for a while, and collect my thoughts.<br /><br />The killer bee sits out proudly in front of the house on the sidewalk, attracting lots of stares from the morning and evening commutes. Still has the antennas attached too.<br /><br />Then, unfortunately I got word that my contract at work is being canceled this week. Hard to be creative when your livelihood gets yanked. <br /><br />We also picked up the ashes for Tigger-cat last weekend.<br /><br />So, not the greatest week I've had, but I figure keeping busy will keep the downer thoughts away.<br /><br />So sit on down and let me tell you a story, about the very first time I drove on a <a href="http://www.reno-fernleyraceway.com/">race track...</a><br /><br />*****************<br /><br />Friday afternoon, 22 May 09, Fernley Raceway <br /><br />A team full of newbies has just passed the 24 Hrs of LeMons tech inspection, and sailed through the B.S. inspection.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCPd7rOMM_2m41v47azDJ-Fu23Wphumc9-OYmIe2MDIANJ-I1cA3c-kPROZxF82Ph5pJ_JXT0YACyci9x3cFvGfsIErPAqglsAlJntPBwlZAx9ju7HoT707N3fJtUaPHrZEfu9qfPRYmv/s1600-h/DSCF3124.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCPd7rOMM_2m41v47azDJ-Fu23Wphumc9-OYmIe2MDIANJ-I1cA3c-kPROZxF82Ph5pJ_JXT0YACyci9x3cFvGfsIErPAqglsAlJntPBwlZAx9ju7HoT707N3fJtUaPHrZEfu9qfPRYmv/s200/DSCF3124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343350404232332578" /></a>We circled the car back around and into our pits and looked back and forth at each other.<br /><br />The only thing separating us from certain doom in the form of driving a clapped-out 1977 Rubber Bumper MGB - decorated like a giant bee - out on a racetrack, was a simple turn of the ignition key.<br /><br />Holy crap.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACoUVFoVayfLAGOh1Wj8xDUhEnZotj0u03-doXU5gdepYe_oVWjg-3IDe1p3y06BosjEzw0HsQS7dT-h8m0o1rOvgC7WEWgpoFxDW707NHdC5bBYz16WObykoVCHJLegXKdfuy4HwPe4D/s1600-h/DSCF3182.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACoUVFoVayfLAGOh1Wj8xDUhEnZotj0u03-doXU5gdepYe_oVWjg-3IDe1p3y06BosjEzw0HsQS7dT-h8m0o1rOvgC7WEWgpoFxDW707NHdC5bBYz16WObykoVCHJLegXKdfuy4HwPe4D/s200/DSCF3182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343357660683144562" /></a>"We" decided I would be the first one out because, A) I am the mechanic and need to shake it down and check for problems, B) I built it by myself, C) I paid for it myself, and D) because I fricken said so.<br /><br />I suited up and fidgeted with all the safety devices, got strapped in and realized I had to pee. I also realized that it was hotter than blazes in that suit.<br /><br />So back out I came, made use of the facilities in Brownie - the worlds hottest and greatest crappy old RV, chugged another bottle of water and strapped back in. The second time around I came to the conclusion that it was MUCH easier to strap in if you left your helmet and gloves for last. Getting in and out of the car with the helmet on made for some amusing bobble-head moments as we clanked against the roll cage. Putting it on last solved at least half a dozen difficulties.<br /><br />Later in the weekend we would get a system figured out, using every available hand on the team for faster driver changes, but for now caution was the order of the day.<br /><br />The car started right up when I asked it to and settled nicely into a loping idle with good oil pressure. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiZE7KjuuKUpXWKTJc6PQb6S2kM2dDjeWIiRSluxciT6aa06Szz9YQ5V7wJdkPE3_rWXBtcylTKqWSA0HrEIdHv8iTQTExXgUmenTy2lKppk8925VbnHwFXja0wuEfH6Xw6cGysnvLECJ/s1600-h/DSCF3123.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiZE7KjuuKUpXWKTJc6PQb6S2kM2dDjeWIiRSluxciT6aa06Szz9YQ5V7wJdkPE3_rWXBtcylTKqWSA0HrEIdHv8iTQTExXgUmenTy2lKppk8925VbnHwFXja0wuEfH6Xw6cGysnvLECJ/s200/DSCF3123.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343350720716271970" /></a>"Here we go!" I exclaimed.<br /><br />My teammates waved and hooted, then guided me backwards out of our pit.<br /><br />I slipped the tranny into first, blipped the throttle and heard Lurch say "That sounds GOOOOOD!"<br /><br />I slowly guided the Killer Bee through the paddock and into the staging area behind another car, where they appeared to be checking for wristbands saying you paid for track time.<br /><br />And I became aware of a huge surge of adrenaline.<br /><br />I took several deep breaths and relaxed, then focused. Now it was my turn. Cars were flying by off to my left and I could see the front straightway directly ahead.<br /><br />The man checked my wristband, and said "Have fun!"<br /><br />I eased the MGB past the station, then floored it...<br /><br />The exhaust sang off of the retaining walls as I shot out onto the track. It was a beautiful English wail as I revved it up towards 5 grand. Power shifts into second and third gave me that familiar MG growl and bark I've known for years, only this time with more balls. <br /><br />I started to wonder just what was in that motor I swapped into the car. Almost immediately though I heard something that would plague us for the rest of the weekend; we had a high speed miss I had not caught driving it on the streets.<br /><br />I let up on the throttle and it cleared up, continuing to rev towards 6 grand before stuttering again.<br /><br />It sounded like a weak or erratic spark, or possibly running too rich. I thought it was most likely the latter, as we were at elevation and the S.U. carbs do have a tendency to leak around the throttle shafts at idle.<br /><br />I approached the first corner and found out it was a sweeping left-handed fish-hook. OH SHIT! I resisted the urge to let off the throttle (Never let up suddenly in an MG while cornering, unless you want to go backwards) and drifted through the corner. I stayed on the track but noticed it had a heavy push in the front. For the rest of the lap I tried to take it easy and get a better feel for the track. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyPzaRW-6ZLvndfB16qZa8E8piKBqHGbkBnHVycetpzvgITn-ovaw0BxzV78NsF0TCLgJcoyhkboyBGgoUCvcDVtlvdIEkoEEs9ztLT1SyaAqTrzfLvvDKyV7wPxRzkLKS1FnM1fxZsx_/s1600-h/killer+bee.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyPzaRW-6ZLvndfB16qZa8E8piKBqHGbkBnHVycetpzvgITn-ovaw0BxzV78NsF0TCLgJcoyhkboyBGgoUCvcDVtlvdIEkoEEs9ztLT1SyaAqTrzfLvvDKyV7wPxRzkLKS1FnM1fxZsx_/s200/killer+bee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343352336914653474" /></a>There were off camber corners. blind corners, odd rises and falls. It was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be after watching the youtube videos. What does not translate into video is the elevation changes and camber tricks. It was great, but I really wished I had gotten a chance to walk the track like John Condren had suggested. Each consecutive lap I was getting a little more confident, but still could not figure out my visual reference points. <br /><br />Some corners had cones, others did not, and I was having difficulty gauging where the apex were. When I followed other cars it was great, but as soon as I was solo I sputtered and hesitated.<br /><br />Walking the track would have definitely helped. I also overheard one of the track folks say the cones were not all apex and braking markers. Some were just to let you know where the pavement ended.<br /><br />Huh. (Scratches head) Ok. <br /><br />The rest of my time on the track I payed attention to the motor and handling. The car would run great for a lap or two, then start to sputter at about 4 grand. Then it would be fine again. The handling was pretty heavy as the car did not want to rotate around the corners. I got the rear of the car a little loose once, but mostly it was the push-push-push of understeer. Not the light and neutral handling it should have been. I could see us going through a whole set of tires by Sunday afternoon if that continued.<br /><br />I pulled back into the pits and was met by a bunch of smiling faces. It looked good. It sounded good. And it almost drove good.<br /><br />We checked the tire pressures and adjusted the fronts down a bit. I wanted to use my new fancy tire pyrometer but by the time I got out of the car it was too late. They had already cooled down. I adjusted the carbs and the idle smoothed out, but was now a bit high so I lowered it and re-checked the sync using the rubber hose method.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQKmGhOeK1yoZYZtISFA13Yqlp3P4gnNF2z_EdPNYKKsOLbRxAbnMNSqtSuJH5n5GJnSm7kMTiZbWqZn0f7wz84o3ZlvG1PvqbgqCmFeBk17JDptoGqRk4t6pcN2ssP5bmn3woiSdqRhg/s1600-h/DSCF3174.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQKmGhOeK1yoZYZtISFA13Yqlp3P4gnNF2z_EdPNYKKsOLbRxAbnMNSqtSuJH5n5GJnSm7kMTiZbWqZn0f7wz84o3ZlvG1PvqbgqCmFeBk17JDptoGqRk4t6pcN2ssP5bmn3woiSdqRhg/s200/DSCF3174.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343354199377544818" /></a>We cooled the motor down and rechecked the coolant, which had dropped significantly. Uh-oh. I topped it off and checked the oil, and sent the next guy Lurch out on the track telling him to keep an eye on the temp and oil pressure and bring it in if either show problems.<br /><br />45 minutes later he pulled back in with a HUGE shit-eating grin on his face. His face was red and he was yelling something underneath his helmet, which turned out to be "YEEEHAAA!!<br /><br />He told me it had the same miss, and that he had spun it 180 on the back side of the track. I gave him a suggestion to watch liftoff of the throttle as it upsets the chassis and he debriefed me on what he felt. Good cornering but more push, great breaks, big jump between 2nd and 3rd gear.<br /><br />Yup. it's gonna be a 3rd gear track.<br /><br />We checked the water and it was low again. This could be a long weekend if that continues. I could not see any obvious leaks and there was no steam out the exhaust.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtV6E7gWOS7iQBKB0Hysca_u5m-mEBpfePSmVkondpQ1dxuy0lTaMkYRMMhGF7uhsV6NZXH5fsm-YOYVAs9oIpX4IjoPWyjwibxYg9WwmtjI739hZp2RuPVhrnt4e2porIQOIOce7Bkz7/s1600-h/DSCF3181.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtV6E7gWOS7iQBKB0Hysca_u5m-mEBpfePSmVkondpQ1dxuy0lTaMkYRMMhGF7uhsV6NZXH5fsm-YOYVAs9oIpX4IjoPWyjwibxYg9WwmtjI739hZp2RuPVhrnt4e2porIQOIOce7Bkz7/s200/DSCF3181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343356071818037922" /></a>Now we sent "Hey-WOW-man" Chong out in the car. This was our team ringer, as he was an ex cart racer who had worked up to the national level. BUT, he had never raced in anything with doors.<br /><br />He went out and we all lined the fence to watch.<br /><br />He came by the first time at a good clip but not too fast. The second lap he was flying. <br /><br />"Wow!" we said. "Look at Kevin go!" He was already passing people and weaving through traffic. Must be something wrong with the first 2 drivers, lol!<br /><br />I had him go last because he is the most aggressive driver, and just in case he wads the car up in a ball.<br /><br />When he came back into the pits an hour later he had the same grin the rest of us did. Only this monkey spun it twice, the second being a complete 360. Easy Kevin, it's a long weekend...<br /><br />The temp was now steady at 2/3rds up the dial, a little warm for comfort. We checked the water again, and this time it was dangerously low. I figured it had a bad head gasket or warped head as we could find no obvious signs of leakage. This was the first aluminum head I had ever run, so it was a complete wild-card to me.<br /><br />The track closed for the day and we had a team meeting.<br /><br />We could A) replace the head gasket, or B) risk running it and pit every half hour to fill the radiator.<br /><br />I told them I could have the head gasket replaced in a few hours so we decided to do it and be on the safe side. But first I wanted to check the torque on the head bolts. <br /><br />Lo-and-behold, the front one was WAY loose, and we found evidence of steam leakage around it. A few clicks of the torque wrench later and I now had a new call to make. We decided we would run it as-is the next day, and if it still used water we could change the gasket after the 1st session.<br /><br />That night we went out to dinner at a place in Reno called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/louis-basque-corner-reno">Louis' Basque Corner</a>, an interesting place where the food is served family style, and the tables are long benches you share with other guests. The fare was AWESOME, and our new found friends were entertaining, and they were fascinated by our crazy LeMons race.<br /><br />I looked over, and guess who I saw at the next bench?<br /><br />Crazy old Lou Brero, and our friendly Judge Ed!<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/and-theyre-off.html"><br />Next Post: And they're off!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/inspector-detector-or-here-come-da.html">Previous: Inspector Detector, or here come da Judge!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The Beginning of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-70504673477835503012009-05-27T18:42:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:23:05.918-08:00Inspector Detector, or here come da Judge!Fernley Nevada, somewhere out in the Nevada Desert...<br /><br />Friday morning, 22 May 09, open track day prior to the "Goin for Broken" 24 Hours of Lemons.<br /><br />We unloaded our LeMons "racecar", one worn out Rubber Bumper '77 MGB and took our trailer down to the lower parking area to save space for the trifecta of crazy MR2 teams we suddenly found ourselves smack-dab in the middle of.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyx4gEVrFu78J4B0PrinifrwcjE6G7kGTEQiXdiafrSZIZhE6TEKqR76csD8nDDF4fLXtlLu48HTSCQLbMcAjeei0HEnpzQTq1I3YKg2huhuQhjvBfplzZck3NS5SL6F_AGRienFaujBL/s1600-h/IMG_1462.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyx4gEVrFu78J4B0PrinifrwcjE6G7kGTEQiXdiafrSZIZhE6TEKqR76csD8nDDF4fLXtlLu48HTSCQLbMcAjeei0HEnpzQTq1I3YKg2huhuQhjvBfplzZck3NS5SL6F_AGRienFaujBL/s200/IMG_1462.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341132328058295522" /></a>As the remaining members of our team trickled in, we slowly got busy finishing up a bazillion loose ends we had not yet completed; removal of remaining side marker lights, zip tying rollcage padding, bolting or zip tying down anything that moved or clunked. It seemed to be a game of "Whack-a-mole". Everytime I thought we were finished, something else popped up. And it was HOT.<br /><br />The day rolled on, the temperature went up and the sun began to bake our brains. <br /><br />Many of the other teams already went through tech and were out on the track testing their rolling rust buckets, but we were stuck in limbo wondering how to get out on the track. Do we tech first? Do we just go pay for track time and go driving? It seemed a bit too easy just go out and start driving. Newbies we most definitely were. <br /><br />3 of us had decided to pony up and get some track practice time and flog the car for the afternoon to flush out any gremlins. Not knowing what exactly to do, we took a walk down to the track HQ several times and got conflicting info from the man in the trailer. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4CqHYml1Uxv27I3hq2iHd_M3arXw_X90LJyEWJ8aDhXOsihTHEpJxgKKRg5V7sKmkg05VfiXgjyBjioesIcV9DqP_g2QNfCAI6H5Ds1UGlt09d69bGaK-WHcwZ4QmBMMTj0bG_u08iVa/s1600-h/IMG_1474.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4CqHYml1Uxv27I3hq2iHd_M3arXw_X90LJyEWJ8aDhXOsihTHEpJxgKKRg5V7sKmkg05VfiXgjyBjioesIcV9DqP_g2QNfCAI6H5Ds1UGlt09d69bGaK-WHcwZ4QmBMMTj0bG_u08iVa/s200/IMG_1474.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341133348669698722" /></a>Turns out it WAS as simple as paying the cash and wheeling out of the paddock. The LeMons race and the track day were separate events and not connected. Passing tech was not needed to test the track. And it only took us half a day to figure that out, ha-ha!<br /><br />We were about to take a few practice laps, but then realized that the warnings on the P.A. about getting our cars through tech and judging before they closed for the day applied to US. Once they closed for the day, tech was done. There would not be any Saturday Tech inspections.<br /><br />We came to the conclusion that it would REALLY suck if we went out and practiced now, and then ran into a tech snag later with no time to recover.<br /><br />So we decided to go ahead and do a test run through tech first and see what we needed to fix, while we still had time thrash on the car.<br /><br />We began to head over to the lineup, and I realized I had NO IDEA where our tech sheet was.<br /><br />CRAPPAGES!<br /><br />Luckily my super-astute-and-knows-I-forget-random-things-spouse had printed out extra copies. So I hastily filled out the new form and initialed the line items, double checking to make sure we did not forget something obvious and embarrassing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdxPENgML6VYJ2b_mIwW9E6ixIEYnNVfm_jm9dnPBq8lpZuzWLGMMHCQgjqyJGWuoaRArGuOKzACNSFDnvEmWv8t0YepV4tJ5kH2JGscF-dzI_vZrK7oly_roR5B8DSuhjyKAIvdQewZo/s1600-h/IMG_1472.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdxPENgML6VYJ2b_mIwW9E6ixIEYnNVfm_jm9dnPBq8lpZuzWLGMMHCQgjqyJGWuoaRArGuOKzACNSFDnvEmWv8t0YepV4tJ5kH2JGscF-dzI_vZrK7oly_roR5B8DSuhjyKAIvdQewZo/s200/IMG_1472.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341131724803127314" /></a>I lined up our car behind the HQ tent and waited, trying to keep calm. I felt like I was waiting for test results, Pink or Blue, Plus or Minus, one line or two. Ug.<br /><br />Then it was our turn. Arnand checked our paperwork, looked over the car for basic items and sent us into the tech area. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6psTKMuNKo7v4mrVzzVVfeGNudc2LwaupMTse_KNzZai5L0oeyqHAfgvxVDbVbW2lniQLZvSymrMcch1hsTNLt-Cx6_kXjBagw_eCdzv-34f_QX_xW_wO8qWoVb65MKtrQn1fhsr5xavF/s1600-h/IMG_1475.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6psTKMuNKo7v4mrVzzVVfeGNudc2LwaupMTse_KNzZai5L0oeyqHAfgvxVDbVbW2lniQLZvSymrMcch1hsTNLt-Cx6_kXjBagw_eCdzv-34f_QX_xW_wO8qWoVb65MKtrQn1fhsr5xavF/s200/IMG_1475.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341133704695247058" /></a>The inspector detector looked us over, poked and prodded first the car then my fire suit and gave us a few items he wanted us to adjust - which included cutting a hole in our front seat so the 5th strap or "anti-submarine" strap did not castrate us in case of an accident. But other wise it all went well. The "Kill-switch" killed the car, and the fire extinguisher was easy to reach. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JwaTI2_Br_Fpqr3ZCBvWRCa1vx-M1siOwLrwYoCw3hl6fIdnculq_L4uKVIxareohUU45KBbABsbxiHwmXPYxnEuBc52rUM3jfIIv5iBhT-G0HaI0liY8tQt5FHt1vbjq-xqeY9VKZd3/s1600-h/IMG_1476.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JwaTI2_Br_Fpqr3ZCBvWRCa1vx-M1siOwLrwYoCw3hl6fIdnculq_L4uKVIxareohUU45KBbABsbxiHwmXPYxnEuBc52rUM3jfIIv5iBhT-G0HaI0liY8tQt5FHt1vbjq-xqeY9VKZd3/s200/IMG_1476.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341134034371537250" /></a>Then he had me sit in the car all suited up, helmet and everything, and made me adjust all the straps nice and snug.<br /><br />"FIRE-FIRE-FIRE!!!" he yelled at me, "GET OUT OF THE CAR!!!"<br /><br />Now, in the back of my mind I KNEW this was coming. I had heard it all day going on next to us. But this is not something you ever want to say to an English car owner, especially if he is tightly strapped into his car!<br /><br />FWOOSH! I was out of that thing in a flash.<br /><br />"Good job" said the inspector detector.<br /><br />"Wow!" said lurch. "You were out of there FAST."<br /><br />I looked back and did not see any flames. And then regained my composure. <br /><br />He signed us off, and suddenly we were headed towards the "B.S. judging" area. (And I was still secretly looking for any smoke.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKJJvl_MkRZh2lXHzCSK6S1bd7CLFTP_FxvOP8apTjS_SOA5Aheg-14c8jqGb1Rrsuzee4h3-BNy79xeYk6hKilqyhwlSllZT9jREYujViq_80eDkO1Z2vYF2leLwtDSGpchB9_WkNlzY/s1600-h/IMG_1470.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKJJvl_MkRZh2lXHzCSK6S1bd7CLFTP_FxvOP8apTjS_SOA5Aheg-14c8jqGb1Rrsuzee4h3-BNy79xeYk6hKilqyhwlSllZT9jREYujViq_80eDkO1Z2vYF2leLwtDSGpchB9_WkNlzY/s200/IMG_1470.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341134434975370450" /></a>Now previously, my wife went through MUCH time and effort getting our papers in order. While this bucket of bolts is a legit $480 car and very little went into it performance wise, we were still uneasy about the whole judging process. They assign 1 penalty lap for every $10 of perceived value above 500 bucks. It is real easy to start off in the negative, and you could spend all day trying to get back to lap # 1.<br /><br />I tried to build and enter this car in the spirit of the event, knowing that if I cheated I would only be cheating myself of the satisfaction of finishing a 500 dollar car race in an actual 500 dollar car.<br /><br />That being said, it has been said there are two types of racers, cheaters and losers.<br /><br />A stock '77 MGB has no chance in hell against modern Miatas, BMWs or MR2s. But with just a few tweaks we could at least make it somewhat mid-pack competitive.<br /><br />I threw in a slightly less horrible motor and slapped on every handling trick I could think of. I sold anything that was left over. Luckily the stuff I got was dirt cheap, but even used it looked a little too nice for my comfort. Lots of sandblasting, dragging parts beneath cars, and leaving things under the sprinklers for a few weeks ensured that the replacement parts looked just as bad as the rest of the car. <br /><br />Plan A, Better to not be noticed than raise an eyebrow. Legit as I was, I was still going in prepared for the worst!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFMCUeQ8FqzBDenqGURpM-KyME8a6KY28Nv8mfyoIvmW3d3ZQmfRvG5Qo6hp8CNonhLrFGunPd0LTNee96jPvgeish1tRV0zyla6uWTOQvUdp7aty08FytuPfFWD42llgpEgjrhIK86En/s1600-h/IMG_1478.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFMCUeQ8FqzBDenqGURpM-KyME8a6KY28Nv8mfyoIvmW3d3ZQmfRvG5Qo6hp8CNonhLrFGunPd0LTNee96jPvgeish1tRV0zyla6uWTOQvUdp7aty08FytuPfFWD42llgpEgjrhIK86En/s200/IMG_1478.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341135257105672386" /></a>For plan B, we had paperwork to prove every penny we spent, and every penny we made by selling extras.<br /><br />And for plan C, we had bribes. A local Meadery produces some KICK-ASS honey based booze, which fit in perfectly with our Killer Bee theme.<br /><br /><br />We rolled up into the B.S. judging area, Johny and Murilee approached me and said "Hey, nice facial hair!" They looked at the car for a quick second, then turned to each other and said "There's really not much to talk about here. Zero laps".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvYKLlt1iQIclyH-d6AAMxNbVjiSroMt0-E4UTHBeGxBV_wtivOln1dHeCUAA_NkP0qQ9cgBWjf0iNGjWnliV9XO0GCiUsQSiVskQSbNVzOIDPa2xFOOU8e53ngzaEmZvVknon6u0xtXA/s1600-h/IMG_1479.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvYKLlt1iQIclyH-d6AAMxNbVjiSroMt0-E4UTHBeGxBV_wtivOln1dHeCUAA_NkP0qQ9cgBWjf0iNGjWnliV9XO0GCiUsQSiVskQSbNVzOIDPa2xFOOU8e53ngzaEmZvVknon6u0xtXA/s200/IMG_1479.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341135146294802114" /></a>"WHAT?!? Wait a minute! We have Bribes!" I cried...<br /><br />My team members tried to shut me up.<br /><br />"No, you don't understand, I'm going to get the full wrath of "squeeky-kick-my-ass-spouse" if you don't look at her paperwork! I spent rent on honey-booze! And we got T-shirts!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4t4zYMHGj9uklRpWFh3gr-BCg-Q9roz6_alOAbZ_KXpbuDgbxOv2K_YBu7weGYadxUcZTBlS7lr6EPxlx4QhzP8Oxjwoo47SZvaJKofPe1ZPjfmPKz5zYT7o5kZy56IvW2A7uBipSSLc/s1600-h/IMG_1483.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4t4zYMHGj9uklRpWFh3gr-BCg-Q9roz6_alOAbZ_KXpbuDgbxOv2K_YBu7weGYadxUcZTBlS7lr6EPxlx4QhzP8Oxjwoo47SZvaJKofPe1ZPjfmPKz5zYT7o5kZy56IvW2A7uBipSSLc/s200/IMG_1483.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341136840639301986" /></a><br /><br /><br />Slightly confused, the judges said "Well, alright" and took our bribes, then painted a couple big red "Bribed" stencils on the car.<br /><br />Murilee looked at his T-shirt and noticed the name Arraiac on the front.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3h8cFASN5obOo3ot7mvI87XusV_gzOEo19rS7DyEDIX9jxPFdanM91HRrd7212IKfjzlO6pwB7-27fsn8HXQ7BZLOjQJ2PMFh0NBNVbUzxWE3LMKlf4MT0e7P0SPTpK6SuHpC0LoGoHO/s1600-h/IMG_1480.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3h8cFASN5obOo3ot7mvI87XusV_gzOEo19rS7DyEDIX9jxPFdanM91HRrd7212IKfjzlO6pwB7-27fsn8HXQ7BZLOjQJ2PMFh0NBNVbUzxWE3LMKlf4MT0e7P0SPTpK6SuHpC0LoGoHO/s200/IMG_1480.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341135040650092226" /></a>"WHOAH! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT NAME FROM?!?" he demanded.<br /><br />"Uh, it's just something got off the web" I joked.<br /><br />He did not know that I did my research. Arriac Murilee is the name of his old garage band, and is where he got his pen name from. He changed it to Murilee Martin because no one could pronounce Arriac. I thought it was a nice obscure touch.<br /><br />He thought it was surreal. Like, totally weird. And looked at me like I had just appeared from the gates of hell.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BuIHdyg1UGQdFSXZmKPnq-t160-1zqH_hozR_-mJHfDuaB5pnNCZUA0U92iKJueg8Ql0LC1DuRt1tkg59LAW1G59rxhY841FczRn_Mqfnhg0CuPRE91jbnzUBjjvgTxqO35r09FvWIYZ/s1600-h/IMG_1485.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BuIHdyg1UGQdFSXZmKPnq-t160-1zqH_hozR_-mJHfDuaB5pnNCZUA0U92iKJueg8Ql0LC1DuRt1tkg59LAW1G59rxhY841FczRn_Mqfnhg0CuPRE91jbnzUBjjvgTxqO35r09FvWIYZ/s200/IMG_1485.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341137628965486530" /></a>"Weird. Totally weird".<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/06/testing-testing-this-thing-on.html">Next: Testing, Testing, this thing on?</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/wow-just-freaking-wow.html"><br />Previous: Wow. Just freaking wow. </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The beginning of this mess</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-3163383103498082372009-05-25T17:35:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:23:43.441-08:00Wow. Just freaking wow.So, We FINISHED!<br /><br />Yeay! (The crowd goes wild; roses and kisses from hot chicks... um, cocked-eyebrow-spouse is not amused, scratch that, kisses from super-cute-jubliant-spouse just fine with me)<br /><br />We surpassed every single one of our goals, and beat all my previous team's records.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWEG1dELZHyvHWUpLKMGqdWzOqphCzY4k8iBciVjcK2f3G9Ss_LtaDOsk3lzJ1P2FQutfzlfBggzNw_X2ksYq_7IbP8fUn9TbYDypbRygrSK1CTS9UJnh4R3FzjsD-MYOGT6_ONtvuxUV/s1600-h/Killer+Be+at+Start.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWEG1dELZHyvHWUpLKMGqdWzOqphCzY4k8iBciVjcK2f3G9Ss_LtaDOsk3lzJ1P2FQutfzlfBggzNw_X2ksYq_7IbP8fUn9TbYDypbRygrSK1CTS9UJnh4R3FzjsD-MYOGT6_ONtvuxUV/s200/Killer+Be+at+Start.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340364890548700994" /></a>A) We got to the track before the race started,<br />B) We passed Tech without grave warnings of death and mutilation,<br />C) We stayed out on the track for more than 2 1/2 laps!<br /><br />Not only that, but we actually FINISHED THE RACE!! HOLY CRAP!<br /><br />THAT part is what surprised all of us.<br /><br />I checked the trip odometer which I had reset at the beginning of the race, and assuming it is correct (Not likely, it's is an MG after all) we completed a hair over 506 miles. Not too shabby for a rusty and forgotten project car we found at a closed MG garage. <br /><br />Friday morning we woke up and stopped off at an auto parts store on the way to the track. Since it was next to Choke in the Box I decided to get myself a breakfast burrito, which apparently is becoming another running gag for me in this whole 24 Hours of LeMons thing.<br /><br />While waiting for my food I noticed Matt and his <a href="http://freerangeracing.blogspot.com/">Free Range Racing "Stack-o-cars"</a> fueling up at the gas station next door. I recognized his 24 feet of race cars on 20 feet of trailer setup from his <a href="http://freerangeracing.blogspot.com/">blog.</a> That and the Spotted Owl on a stick mounted above the cockpit.<br /><br />"Hey, it's the Free range Guys" I said to my Groggy teamate, Hey-WOW-man Chong.<br /><br />"What?" He mumbled back, not really caring what I was talking about. "Hey man, we still need gas." <br /><br />"RIGHT!" I said.<br /><br />The events that followed are a little fuzzy in my mind, but we watched Matt pull out onto the highway in one direction, which I had assumed was the another direction, but hey-WOW-man assured me was the right direction. <br /><br />But then after we fueled up, we got turned around and completely went the wrong direction.<br /><br />Which, just happened to be the RIGHT direction. I noticed this as we tried to turn around in a tiny used car lot on main street in wonderful Fernley NV. Thinking that the round-a-bout intersection we crossed was a bad sign, we were trying to head back to the freeway. As I finally got our rig turned around, I saw Matt and the free-range-stack-o-cars go zipping by from the other another direction and turn down the road we were facing.<br /><br />"Huh. That must be the way to the track".<br /><br />It was a scant 5 minutes earlier that we had realized we knew how to get to Fernley, but had overlooked getting "directions" to the actual race track.<br /><br />"FOLLOW THAT OWL!" I decreed.<br /><br />"Hey wait a minute man, those people are waving at us to follow them instead." said Mr. Chong. Several cars going the other way were honking at us and waving.<br /><br />"WHAT? But those dudes are going the wrong <span style="font-style:italic;">direction</span>!" I said flabbergasted.<br /><br />"I dunno, but they doo seem pretty insistent, all waving at us and stuff..."<br /><br />So I pulled over again, and thought to myself... "Self, they did not even have a race car". Hmmm...<br /><br />Then I decided SCREW them, I'm following the owl. And as I puled back out in front of traffic, I noticed in my mirror what appeared to be a camper door swinging open in the wind.<br /><br />"Oh... I think I know why they were waving at us..." I said as I pulled over yet AGAIN. <br /><br />By the time Kevin got back from shutting the rear door on Brownie "The Worlds Greatest Crappy RV", Matt and the Free range racers, the Owl, windmill and stack-o-cars were long gone. <br /><br />So guessing at which way to go, we headed down the road, on the road to somewhere. <br /><br />Just as I said to hey-WOW-man that we should just go a few miles further before turning around, we saw what looked like a racetrack up in the hills. Not only that, I saw an OWL perched above a red stack-o-cars going up the driveway. <br /><br />"YES!" we high fived each other.<br /><br />Once we got to the gate we checked our names on the list. "Who is driving?" asked the tired lady with the list. "We both are" I replied. But Kevin was not listed. We tried his first name. Nope. We tried his last name. Nope. "Who is driving?" the lady asked again. "We BOTH are" I said in frustration. <br /><br />"You forgot to pay for him" she said.<br /><br />"No, I'm broke because I DID pay for him!"<br /><br />After conferring with the other gate checker for a moment, we were told that we would have to report to LeMons HQ to straighten it out.<br /><br />So I got my wrist band, and a dirty look from hey-WOW-man, and we proceeded through the paddock looking for a space to set up camp. <br /><br />But there WERE no spaces. Everything was either occupied or taped off with caution tape. When we got to the end of the pits I realized we were in a bit of a bind. The Last thing I wanted to do was to piss of my pit neighbors, but we REALLY needed a place to park.<br /><br />Just then I saw a teammate from my previous LeMons race at Thunderhill, who was wearing a "Staff" T-shirt this time around. "Hey Armand! Hows it going?"<br /><br />We decided to go chit chat, figure out the parking and also the "list thing" when Free-range-Matt came storming up from the other side "THERE'S NO PLACE TO PARK!! *&^% everybody is being a #$^% and #$%^ #^$% #$%^..." <br /><br />I stood next to him and nodded my head in agreement. "We" were on a roll. <br /><br />I had not met Matt yet, but had conversed with him through our blogs. We were supposed to wander over and say "Hi" to each other sometime during the race. But this was even better.<br /><br />The LeMons folk ponderded the problem for a few minutes, then told us we could have the spaces closest to the penalty box. EXCELLENT! They even gave us space for the <a href="http://beater-car.blogspot.com/">Snowspeeders</a> and <a href="http://stickfigureracing.blogspot.com/">Knights of the Round Table/Stick-figure racing</a> teams who had not arrived yet.<br /><br />Then we moved on to Kevin's issue of not being on the list.<br /><br />We found him under Kevin "Hey WOW man". <br /><br />Ahem. Kevin shot me a look of YOU IDIOT.<br /><br />Organizer Nick said "I remember you..."<br /><br />And everyone said "oooOOoooo".<br /><br />Perhaps not the BEST way to start a LeMons me thinks. Funny, I changed our entry forms right after they sent out the threatening email about nicknames in quotations. Must have been just a moment too late with the last one...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihynr6ZnPOP8bLT6yHQcuycTLMA01QM4yMxTTtTUdFT0kEjFwczR0bqUjtHaMYfc4LxAi5LkRaAAvjJTyWuWOS1Gb2X-OtVIvfPur8Wo0tmdNbJIB6eeIaxPAc2J9Xclmv7x_y5DCtVuUO/s1600-h/DSCF3189.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihynr6ZnPOP8bLT6yHQcuycTLMA01QM4yMxTTtTUdFT0kEjFwczR0bqUjtHaMYfc4LxAi5LkRaAAvjJTyWuWOS1Gb2X-OtVIvfPur8Wo0tmdNbJIB6eeIaxPAc2J9Xclmv7x_y5DCtVuUO/s200/DSCF3189.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340369288973644418" /></a>After getting Hey-WOW-man free on bail, we set up camp and I found out that all the MR2 teams were especially cool. We pooled our canopies and made one big common area, which would come into play later in the weekend.<br /><br />Then we looked at our race car and thought "Holy Shit". <br /><br />We are Here.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/we-made-it.html"><br />Previous: We made it!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The Beginning of this Mess:</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-41129379318374797952009-05-22T07:34:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:24:13.262-08:00We made it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0wAPa9hDGAd58kEP10l_HWb5HVySI0hv0fNh2cxn0IMv0tvEgJAe5Wgrr8-9qAZS_Z5p0f6vyseZj7MLgE_RKheuSTGZ9S88H-errHniSxqBz1DxdGzh3X75LhqbHZenIHTKUZ6gXGRH/s1600-h/DSC00427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0wAPa9hDGAd58kEP10l_HWb5HVySI0hv0fNh2cxn0IMv0tvEgJAe5Wgrr8-9qAZS_Z5p0f6vyseZj7MLgE_RKheuSTGZ9S88H-errHniSxqBz1DxdGzh3X75LhqbHZenIHTKUZ6gXGRH/s200/DSC00427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338660472139668962" border="0"></a><br /><br />Arrived at the hotel around midnight. Was immediately approached by the judges Murilee Martin and Johnny Lieberman who were apparently wandering the parking lots terrorizing the E30 teams. They liked the Bee and spoke of it's racing lineage. They also were stunned/impressed/snickering that I retained the complete Lucas electrical system for an endurance race. Hey, Time for breakfast!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeUOypvdsvqDll3BVHBMYzZdeRyRCicBsRZRA8Rs2mq8jt8UwHmHrf-8PThaLgB5RWR35T8OKezxHe4uIAaaFoiMq2xUOr7a3upfiy2fu8AI3mKR2yEsGO_WmScPrZcehAy2ixvFIPr_X/s1600-h/DSC00431.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeUOypvdsvqDll3BVHBMYzZdeRyRCicBsRZRA8Rs2mq8jt8UwHmHrf-8PThaLgB5RWR35T8OKezxHe4uIAaaFoiMq2xUOr7a3upfiy2fu8AI3mKR2yEsGO_WmScPrZcehAy2ixvFIPr_X/s200/DSC00431.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338660938752381970" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaGPsRmLrXq3W8GfyqPGJhL80WgAEUfVGRLCSykW-TVSzJveM7KoP45kjBJn1VciYszoZz_O6DX3Pt0c054OBGuFmpwQBqQME7-w1nGl38wnLhr-AX9JkyzkpZZAat9j3gDmA4ZtbqcoH/s1600-h/DSC00430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaGPsRmLrXq3W8GfyqPGJhL80WgAEUfVGRLCSykW-TVSzJveM7KoP45kjBJn1VciYszoZz_O6DX3Pt0c054OBGuFmpwQBqQME7-w1nGl38wnLhr-AX9JkyzkpZZAat9j3gDmA4ZtbqcoH/s200/DSC00430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338660670496312962" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZVNsrvok1_x-WDzQzJjT6IZnDwE0XnU7wjvwOEVUtUfD_pSGUOcDAhg5mJz6XHQaQDLJXk5SfaiJ8MvAf' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwMN_ZpG-pqI1GHp7T0jJvgWrwM__Jx4M6u8jHCq1zR0yf6USIhYeN31Y4QujrnEe1qgLfXVqIH8rkcP6naXg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/wow-just-freaking-wow.html">Next: Wow. Just freaking wow</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-80-west-sack-o-tomatoes-was-just.html">Previous: I-80 west @ Sack-O-Tomatoes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the beginning of this mess</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-9680016561116565682009-05-21T20:27:00.001-07:002009-05-21T20:27:59.671-07:00I-80 west @ Sack-O-Tomatoes, was just passed by Lou Brero of Exoskeleton Jag fame heading towards Reno. Gave me the thumbs-up for the car! Brownie humming alongPete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-36869214470080180672009-05-21T17:56:00.001-07:002009-11-28T10:10:29.570-08:00Our First Mobile Update!Our first remote update. We are mobile! Only 6 hours late lol! Had our first Electrical gremlin loading the Bee on the trailer. <a name='more'></a>Had a bad fuel pump ground.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-80-west-sack-o-tomatoes-was-just.html">Next: I-80 west @ Sack-O-Tomatoes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/tick-tock-tick-tock.html"><br />Previous: Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the beginning of this mess</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-1930977370141826872009-05-21T01:36:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:25:04.378-08:00Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM3fAv2TAjZzMy9VFelqDCXn5lulR86WImr9aP95GWwFEHKPD_iiJImldECK003CoaIwYJAlBfTexGW24k-yPJgmSkiAnCoVeRpWxAhffm-E8hYGj1joRR4P3rthbu84BxQe5f8mNQREV/s1600-h/time-flies-clock-10-11-2006.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM3fAv2TAjZzMy9VFelqDCXn5lulR86WImr9aP95GWwFEHKPD_iiJImldECK003CoaIwYJAlBfTexGW24k-yPJgmSkiAnCoVeRpWxAhffm-E8hYGj1joRR4P3rthbu84BxQe5f8mNQREV/s200/time-flies-clock-10-11-2006.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338211960187532594" /></a><br />"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Albert Einstein</span><br /><br />It's 2am, Wednesday night, or Thursday morning depending on if you are a late owl or early bird. Personally I don't understand early-birds. They say early-birds get the worm, but I prefer late night steaks and keggers. That's just me.<br /><br />My stepfather happens to be one of them weird ass early-birds. And I happen to think he is insane. Coincidence? I think not. But I digress...<br /><br />So, it's 2 am and I have just quit thrashing on the Killer Bee, our 24 Hours of LeMons MGB race car. It's a giant bee looking thing. And it is sitting on the sidewalk in front of my house as we frantically try to finish the long ass list of tasks before leaving for Fernley Nevada later this morning. And by we I mean me, with major support from she's-so-tired-she's-sleeping-on-the-couch-spouse. <br /><br />Kevin "Hey-WOW-man" Chong did come over this afternoon and help me thrash on some last minute details which may end up being the push that gets us to the track on time. He brought our revised door numbers over which came out awesome! Seems he happens to have a vinyl plotter at his disposal, which just saved our butts.<br /><br />I had a cool door number/team logo planned out, but it was "ixnayed" by the powers that be for being slightly unreadable. Yeah, after seeing it on the car I figured as much which is why I submitted a graphic sample for them to check out. So now I am on to plan B, which means we put the Logo on the hood instead and run simpler numbers as per the rules on the door.<br /><br />Other than that, building and prepping this stupid thing has been a one man show. And it was a LOT more work than I realized. But, it has turned out pretty cool so far if I do say so myself. Er, cool in a LeMons kinda way. Don't get your hopes up.<br /><br />Unfortunately photos pics and video at this juncture are under the strictest of controls. They have been taken and recorded, but are under tight secrecy. Our plan for world domination is not to be taken lightly. Under penalty of flubbery.<br /><br />Which brings me back to the fact that the secret weapon (aka one Killer Bee) is sitting on the sidewalk in front of my house. For the world to see. On a busy street. <br /><br />While I was working on the race car last weekend, one Sweet ass Datsun 510 drove by and yelled "Yeah! Killer Bee!!" Dog walkers and passerby's stop to chat, and hispanic elderly ladies tell me they like my funny car. And, as the final secret touches fall into place, I now have entire families stopping by with their kids just to see the "Bee-Car". <br /><br />Kabloey... So much for a secret weapon.<br /><br />So why is the car sitting on the sidewalk? Well, it seems that's just where they ended up.<br /><br />You remember that little toy puzzle game you played with as a kid, the one where you have 8 or 11 pieces that slide around one piece at a time until you solve the puzzle?<br /><br />Well, heh-heh-heh, that's my driveway.<br /><br />And it was more hassle than it was worth to move things around again after our EPIC trip up to Oakland last Friday. Instead I went ahead and finished the build out in the open, much like "Overhaulin" did that build at the SEMA show in Vegas. Only without any of the professional quality or know-how. Perhaps I'm more like the guy in the Mitsubishi commercial... with cars on jack-stands in the front yard...<br /><br />"I'm a fixing on them!"<br /><br />So it's 2 am, and I have nearly finished with the list. The blasted list from hell that keeps growing every time I remember things I forgot to put on the last list. Brownie, The worlds greatest Crappy RV is not ready, and I still need supplies. we are in good shape.<br /><br />I pick up our rental trailer in the morning, and come hell or high water we will be on the road to Reno by 10am. Translated, that means by noon I will be frantically throwing stuff on the floor of the RV, trying to get out of town by 2pm.<br /><br />That's the plan anyways.<br /><br />Good god it's here. It's REALLY here. <br /><br />At this moment, I had second thoughts. Do I really want to do this? I mean, I met the teams of a lot of the other entries. These are not wholly sane people. Hmmm.. ok, in that case, yes. Yes I DO want to do this. These my peeps.<br /><br />Besides, "sweet-but-make-me-fat-spouse" bought me some new Mother's cookies for the trip. Gotta take a trip to eat trip goodies. Seems my favorite cookies are now back on the market after being saved by Kellogg's. Yeay!<br /><br />But, I still have a huge stash of expired cookies from when I cleaned out the supermarket when I heard they went bankrupt.<br /><br />Wanna buy some Halloween edition circus animal cookies?<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />(Missing Kitty)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/our-first-remote-update.html">Next: Our first remote update</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/fly-bee-fly.html">Previous: FLY BEE FLY!!! </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The Beginning of this mess: The Hoo</a>kPete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-678783820894680112009-05-17T23:12:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:25:38.089-08:00FLY BEE FLY!!!Friday, 15 MAY 09<br /><br />4:30 PM.<br /><br />I am heading north on I-880 towards Oakland in the Killer Bee. Lots of looks. Lots of stares.<br /><br />Yes. I am driving a giant bee.<br /><br />And yes, I know it looks stupid. Quit honking. Yes, it's duct tape. Go away damn you rubberneckers!<br /><br />I had just left the office where I stopped in to get a drink of water and check out the mechanicals before continuing on up to Oakland. Earlier in the day I had waited in line at the DMV to get a one day moving permit for the trip. The plan was to drive up to Gargamel's shop and tweak the roll cage, and continue prep for race day.<br /><br />What? Only 5 days left?<br /><br />Ok, it is officially time to panic. (AAAAHHHH!!!!! Ok. I'm better)<br /><br />A week ago I finally got Brownie, the world's greatest crappy RV, a new set of shoes and resolved his flooding issue. Then I was ready to figure out what was causing the Killer Bee to crap out on the road. It would run great sitting in the driveway, and when I decided to take it for a spin around the block it took of like a bat out of hell. (Or, a Bee FROM hell, ha-ha!) <br /><br />But a block and a half later, it would cut out and start sputtering. This kept going on over and over, and I was getting a little crazy trying to figure it out. At one point the car stalled next to a local park, where there just happened to be a bunch of little league games being played. I got a LOT of looks and fingers pointed at me. <br /><br />(Yah. Come-on car, lets GO!)<br /><br />Then it started sputtering and flooding again in the driveway. Turns out I had several issues all going on at the same time. So, you mean I spent 480 bucks, and ended up with a frigging LEMON?!?!?!<br /><br />Oh wait, Right.<br /><br />Anywho, it turns out I had a flaky distributor that liked to jump timing back and forth about 20 degrees at random. Ok, swap it with leftovers from another old engine. <br /><br />Then the rear carb had a new float which turned out to be more of a "sink". I pulled it out and found it was full of fuel. ARG! So, back in went the better of the two old floats. Who cares what the float height is. There is no time for this crap. In it went. Good enough.<br /><br />Now the car was idling nicely again, but steadily missed above 2000 rpm. Huh.<br /><br />While adjusting the front carb, which seemed to be needing a LOT of enrichment, I noticed something shiny in the carb throat. Upon closer inspection, I realized the jet needle had left it's captive holder and was sitting in the jet!! DOUGH! Well blow me down! Nyuck-nyuck-nyuck. You piece of crap.<br /><br />I removed the offending pieces and stuck them back together, then gave it a good squeeze with some vice-grips for good measure. Back in it went and...<br /><br /><br />WHOOO-HOOOO!!!<br /><br />It suddenly ran like a scaled ape. Or a grape cat.. uh whatever, it was good!<br /><br />As the sun faded for the evening I was finally able to take off down the street and got chirps on every shift. YEEEHAAA!! Down the road I went until I realized I was near Lurch's house, so I stopped by to show it off.<br /><br />Against his better judgment, he decided to take it for a spin around the block too. The two of us shoehorned him into the car and off he went, giddy and looking like a gorilla stuffed into a yellow Barbie car.<br /><br />When he got back we exchanged High-Fives... and realized we were in WAY over our heads. <br /><br />Not to be deterred the next step was to bring it up to Gargamel's shop for the roll-cage tweaking. <br /><br />Which brings us back to last Friday, as I was driving the stupid thing up to Oakland.<br /><br />It ran great, and included a Friday evening bout of commute traffic. Lurch had mentioned "You picked a hell of a time and place to test the car!"<br /><br />"Pish-posh! It's perfect! Friday evening stop and go on northbound 880? If that does not kill it nothing will!"<br /><br />The car performed well, stopped well, occasionally cruised at 75, and when traffic permitted even sprinted faster. Half tank, good temp, the gauges seem to work. (Either that or I was about to experience MAJOR surprise.)<br /><br />The Oakland Coliseum was a triumphant sight. Jack Murphy square, how you doin? The car and I continued on to our destination. We made it. Yes! I even parked at a Subway and got a sandwich to see what the car would do after sitting for 10 minutes. It started right back up. <br /><br />I was visiting Gargamel's shop when I received the phone call...<br /><br />... from my super-sad-spouse...<br /><br />"It's kitty... she's..."<br /><br />The day before she had stopped eating and drinking. Her condition had worsened suddenly, and we were looking for signs that could mean we should take her to the vet one-last-time. Friday afternoon it was not looking real good. I had the day off, and my always-a-big-heart-spouse came home for lunch to check on her. We knew it was close.<br /><br />I wanted to wait till Saturday so that I could play guitar for her that evening one last time, but my super-in-tune-spouse suggested I should play for kitty before leaving for Oakland.<br /><br />So after she left back to work I grabbed my trusty 6-string and played Tigger a song that did not really have a name. It started off as a mish-mash of experimental sounds that kitty had guided me on, and evolved into something beautiful, based mostly on her quirky inputs.<br /><br />As I played she stopped twitching, which had started the previous evening. Her front paw stretched out as if beckoning, or trying to catch the notes. She seemed peaceful.<br /><br />At that moment I finally knew what to name the song. It's called, "The Song that My Cat Wrote." There are no words. Just her favorite sounds. And I had never played it so softly or with as much purpose.<br /><br />As the final notes of the song got nearer, I began to plead that the end would never come. But the tears which were now streaming down my face and dripping onto the guitar failed to stop time... and the song gently came to a soft end... and as the last notes hung in the air I kissed her head and whispered "Thank you Tigger for all the years of being there, and for all the laughs, and for being my best friend."<br /><br />She died shortly thereafter...<br /><br />Godspeed little buddy. You are missed.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty gone...)</span><br /><br /><br />To my wife: Thank you sweetie, for giving me that gift of playing for her one last song. I love you. <br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/tick-tock-tick-tock.html"><br />Next: Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-passed-that-lambo-like-he-was-standin.html">Previous: Lambo</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From the beginning of this mess: The Hook</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-63289234515600571832009-05-08T00:27:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:26:06.474-08:00I passed that Lambo like he was standin STILL!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JlYX_SqXJTHl-BMDMubbOe9zzBkOj4n0zWj3BUDPdbhZNrnVepnAbzoN1enDJ4XjgOrOUwLMfdzgG9JU3ZF1TlReu7rS_dgr2BHnOx1yVTZruSWnnizCSKIwzTUsqWqYX2Ct683CLEB9/s1600-h/lamborghini_gallardo_superleggera.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JlYX_SqXJTHl-BMDMubbOe9zzBkOj4n0zWj3BUDPdbhZNrnVepnAbzoN1enDJ4XjgOrOUwLMfdzgG9JU3ZF1TlReu7rS_dgr2BHnOx1yVTZruSWnnizCSKIwzTUsqWqYX2Ct683CLEB9/s200/lamborghini_gallardo_superleggera.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336121730088711346" /></a>Last week I was on the way to work in my old 1967 Datsun SSS, and I passed a yellow Lambo Gallardo like he was standing still.<br /><br />It felt GOOOOD.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOlUXmFYmHMQS53Vaiog7xdk7T51-XHw7OLQQZv1XPHMJAXgX9D4FwXREfigTAwSNZYb28iAV3aWKBLNEJD_U0KyoxHDja6182uy-pL8y_TW9dwa8cCqLPIsVUGrlWFl5VPtSjCReeFpM/s1600-h/DSCF2109.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOlUXmFYmHMQS53Vaiog7xdk7T51-XHw7OLQQZv1XPHMJAXgX9D4FwXREfigTAwSNZYb28iAV3aWKBLNEJD_U0KyoxHDja6182uy-pL8y_TW9dwa8cCqLPIsVUGrlWFl5VPtSjCReeFpM/s200/DSCF2109.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336122317779602834" /></a><br /><br />The fact that I was floored and doing a top speed not much better than a downhill mountain biker, while he was apparently texting that evening's date really do not spoil the moment for me. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGzIwXTcmqxH2-VEATzXDCvIlZmOyYttze5OR-Gzx5APVkVLGwe6nxUYFaH7U_X0r_T8i5OI4KP76FCmc3m5CZIKumXHsck9CB-EPq5bErRB82PVd1yJDe4fXm35bFqIVGGB78GbKkoQF/s1600-h/DSCF2116.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGzIwXTcmqxH2-VEATzXDCvIlZmOyYttze5OR-Gzx5APVkVLGwe6nxUYFaH7U_X0r_T8i5OI4KP76FCmc3m5CZIKumXHsck9CB-EPq5bErRB82PVd1yJDe4fXm35bFqIVGGB78GbKkoQF/s200/DSCF2116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336122958399755570" /></a>I blew by a Lambo in my Datsun.<br /><br />Mostly because I was late for work.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />********<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmphX_JlH495kwWoQRZIAxkd3LG-ugkP1Q2aGi2mjm4TvwLY5WOKWoT2W-DdlCIFh7EHzgBJaKwttnY-GwApnUtuH0ZFLd2w_FPxgAdG1z42kmbbVFczBdKQPXh8FE3oXSS5wSalukE1SW/s1600-h/72grem.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmphX_JlH495kwWoQRZIAxkd3LG-ugkP1Q2aGi2mjm4TvwLY5WOKWoT2W-DdlCIFh7EHzgBJaKwttnY-GwApnUtuH0ZFLd2w_FPxgAdG1z42kmbbVFczBdKQPXh8FE3oXSS5wSalukE1SW/s200/72grem.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336120886836282738" /></a>I found a Gremlin road test on youtube! It gives an idea what trying to canyon race a Gremlin up in the mountains was like as a kid... Boy was I young and stupid. <br /><br />This car looks a LOT like mine did before I got a hold of it. Fast forward to the 1:35 minute mark for all the tire squealing action. The panic braking portion is exactly what I remember. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EiTMss4xOk">Gremlin Road test</a><br /><br />I love the handling comments too, like the rear end has "a light squirrely feel while cornering.."<br /><br />No kidding. Ya think?!?!<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty Fading)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/fly-bee-fly.html">Next: FLY BEE FLY!!! </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-i-picked-up-my-rv-from-speed-shop.html">Previous: So I picked up my RV from a speed shop... </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From the Beginning of this mess: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-63633717812938871812009-05-08T00:13:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:26:36.151-08:00So, I picked up my RV from the speed shop...Just before Arse-Freeze-Apalooza 08, I pulled Brownie the worlds greatest crappy old RV out of cryogenic storage in a town about an hour away from us. <br /><br />I had shuffled him around the county for several years prior, parking it wherever I saw old RVs congregating and then checking on him on a semi-regular basis until parking tickets or "PLEASE REMOVE YOUR VEHICLE" stickers started to plaster the windows. Then I would clean him up, move him to the next location and the waiting game began again.<br /><br />I hadn't actually intended to keep the thing actually. I was gonna fix it up and sell it for some extra cash, but as things turned out, after the last dot-com bust Tigger-cat and I ended up taking a sabbatical and traveling in it for about a year, writing music and traveling wherever the steering wandered. And I kinda grew attached to the vagabond thing.<br /><br />Then when my melt-your-heart-girlfriend-not-yet-spouse finally convinced me it was time to get a real doorbell and a set of matching towels, I decided to hang on to it "just in case". Maybe even put a sign over the door that says "The Dog-House".<br /><br />And so it ended up at first dominating our driveway, and then went to the RV-kennel for the last few years.<br /><br />The time it spent sitting was not kind to it. When we picked it up to take to Thunderhill, it seemed to have flat spots in a few of it's tires. I checked them over for any signs of dry rot or cracking and found none, so I drove him. The adventure that followed prompted an email to my father one evening:<br /><br />Hey Pops,<br /><br />Thanks to the current economic crisis and meltdown, gas sank to 1.63 a gal last week down from a high of 4.59 just a few months ago.<br /><br />That means it was finally time to dig the RV out of storage and fill the tank while I can afford it, and might as well take it in for a smog check too. I even drove it to work a few days just because I could. My co-workers loved it. Driving home from storage after I picked it up there was a steady bounce from the flat spots in the tires, which I figured would eventually either subside or destroy something.<br /><br />On the way to work that first Monday the oldest tire (right rear outer, grey rim) decided it was past the "Use By Date" and elected to take the second path mentioned above of "Destroy something". Half the tread separated from the tire, which caused enough NEW noise for me to pull over at the freeway interchange.<br /><br />Crap, I'm late for work... hey someone stole the tire iron... hmmm... it's a dually.... fuckit, this thing is old... I got back on the freeway in the slow lane and drove carefully on the shoulder another mile. That's when things got REALLY noisy.<br /><br />I could hear the remaining pieces slapping the coach as they came loose, and quieting when they departed out the rear as seen by my mirrors... roar to a crescendo, and sudden quiet... roar to a crescendo, sudden quiet. Then finally a steady wire wheel (pun intended) whizzing.<br /><br />I pulled over a second time and marveled at the inner construction of 6 ply light truck tires, and also how neatly the passenger side exhaust tip was sliced off, then continued on my happy way, taking the next exit and slowly making my way to work. The tire held amazingly, and looked like a used Brillo-pad by the time I arrived.<br /><br />Interestingly I saved enough money on gas to afford the new tire I ordered from Discount tires. They even put the spare on for me, forgetting to check the tire pressure. This became apparent when I got it back to work and noticed that tire was just along for the ride. By the time I went to pick up the new tire the spare had separated it's bead from the rim. I mentioned this to the rocket scientist/tire salesman, and they nodded in understanding. They then put it back on the spare mount for me... still flat and loose... and still said nothing.<br /><br />Say Hi to Ma.<br /><br />***<br /><br />After Thunderhill I got the surprise suggestion from changed-her-mind-spouse that we should keep Brownie. That set us off on a mission to find replacement parts at salvage yards, and on our way up to a breaker near Sac-O-tomatoes, the second tire gave up the ghost. <br /><br />This blowout however was MUCH less amusing, as I had a lovely little "are-we-gonna-die-spouse" riding with me. Worse yet, as I shopped around they seem to have obsoleted the 8-16.5 tire size, and very few choices remain. I lucked out at a random Big-O tire store and picked up two more tires that only cost me a leg.<br /><br />I decided to bite the bullet and order the last 4 online via tire-rack while I still could, and they had a list of recommended installers, including Goodie's Speed Shop. I chose the speed shop!<br /><br />You should have seen their faces when I showed up with a 27 foot camper...<br /><br />They hemmed and hawed, said they had never tried to do an RV before but they would try. And sure enough, they got-er-done. While I was there I asked about the zoomies on their awesome Dodge A-100 shop van, which they said it was done in house.<br /><br />Excellent. I will be back with the RV/shaggin-waggin after the race, lol!<br /><br />On the way home that evening the truck ran horribly. It sounded like it both had a vacuum leak and was flooding. <br /><br />Again with the flooding? Sheesh!<br /><br />Usually that combo indicates a cracked thermoquad. The thing had not run correctly since last smog check, but now it was getting bad.<br /><br />Rather than mess with worn out Thermoquad any more, I ordered a Holley manufactured unit from Summit racing, and put it on last Wednesday night. There I found the basis of my vacuum leak which was a cooked and crumbling base gasket. <br /><br />"Well there's your problem."<br /><br />I was still tired from staying up late working on the Killer Bee the night before, so I decided to decided to call it a night, get some rest and test it out the next morning.<br /><br />The next morning I went to fire it up and FLOODING! MORE FLOODING!?!?!? This must be my week.<br /><br />I removed the carb and inspected it carefully. Turns out the plastic fuel bowl has a corner piece missing, that looks like it was sawed off. <br /><br />Nice. I assumed they would have tested it before shipping...<br /><br />So back on went my old carb, along with a new base gasket. Lo and behold, it actually runs pretty good, though it still tends to flood when you shut it off. I've got a rebuild kit on the way from Mancinni Racing and will just epoxy the plastic body.<br /><br />But this will have to wait till AFTER the Reno race.<br /><br />Holy crap... HOW many days are left??? <br /><br />The Killer Bee is still not running correctly. It still has "FLOODING ISSUES."<br /><br />[Slaps forehead]<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kittty Still Here)</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-passed-that-lambo-like-he-was-standin.html"> Next: Lambo </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/oh-duh.html"><br />Previous: Oh... DUH. </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the Beginning of this mess: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-33029787351379510972009-05-06T00:24:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:27:06.952-08:00Oh... DUH.<BR>So like, I found the flooding problem. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTe5mOASSzpLDw3aZKb7AoIJrrUpoIIVvP6wsH4NAQCYirsa52AIGPBs7lhMp7hfKLWWe2fm36Z0m2V-jDcOqoY0DBwI26alhm08SaicDXGg-4zkjj2g6zciDjsB2XyTLRsPaalJ-eAqh/s1600-h/duh.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTe5mOASSzpLDw3aZKb7AoIJrrUpoIIVvP6wsH4NAQCYirsa52AIGPBs7lhMp7hfKLWWe2fm36Z0m2V-jDcOqoY0DBwI26alhm08SaicDXGg-4zkjj2g6zciDjsB2XyTLRsPaalJ-eAqh/s200/duh.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333285704721449858" /></a>And all I can say is "DUH".<br /><br />Earlier on Wednesday I stopped off and picked up a half dozen "shims" from the MG supplier to try and fix this persistent flooding issue on my EvilBay sourced S.U. carbs. He didn't actually have any shims in stock, but he found some float needle gaskets we thought might work that he gave me for gratis, free.<br /><br />When I got home I took the front float chamber lid off to do some tweaking and noticed the fuel level in the float chamber was a little low. Heck, with all that geyser action on Tuesday I expected it to be completely full of gas! This also struck me as odd... which usually means I am overlooking something.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0T0pssZkNew-NHDAPG8Oj47t73Mk_HyZbdYgGSe37-kam4H8AgECXA_sh663TPGxJkmxkk6eNkLE2P24DabFSvo7c-UmBbCImOyZGeqAbnf-LWg6NLS0S8GryqYpPRy7cJl6CVLiwaQ4/s1600-h/DSC00359_DUH.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0T0pssZkNew-NHDAPG8Oj47t73Mk_HyZbdYgGSe37-kam4H8AgECXA_sh663TPGxJkmxkk6eNkLE2P24DabFSvo7c-UmBbCImOyZGeqAbnf-LWg6NLS0S8GryqYpPRy7cJl6CVLiwaQ4/s200/DSC00359_DUH.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333286608939405986" /></a>I started to remove the fuel and breather lines to make monkeying with things easier, and it dawned on me that I had not yet installed the "Y" fitting that connects the breather to the charcoal canister. Which meant the breathers for both carbs were tied to each other instead of atmosphere. <br /><br />"AHA!" I yelled to myself. Shortly followed by "You big dumbass."<br /><br />In effect I had created a big fuel system "loop" that gave the air trapped inside the carbs no place to vent and ensured the floats would never close. I cut the line to insert a "Y" fitting and tried it again. <br /><br />The fuel pump clicked and filled the carbs, then settled down and waited. Beautiful. Everything is finally back to normal. Perhaps my fuel flooding issues are behind me now.<br /><br />On a positive note, I think I inadvertently pressure tested the entire fuel system. The only holes in the entire fuel system seem to be the gas cap and the main jets.<br /><br />So for big moment #2, I jimmied the choke on with a pair of vice grips and prepared to start the car again. I held my breath, turned the key, and ZROOM! the car started right up!!! <br /><br />YEE-HAA! WHAA-HOO!! It kept running, and kept running some more!<br /><br />"What's wrong?" I heard my ready-to-dial-911-spouse call out the window.<br /><br />Nothing! It works! It actually works!<br /><br />"Okay, just be careful out there, promise?" she replied.<br /><br />Yeah yeah yeah... "Sorry, can't hear you" I mimed as I pointed at my ears then went right back to playing with the engine. <br /><br />I tried not to get TOO excited though. This is when all the little things you did wrong tend to crop up and make themselves known. I watched that little 1800cc motor like a father watches his kid, looking for signs of distress or impending doom. But there were no leaks, no fire, no mysterious puddles of black dino-juice oozing down the driveway.<br /><br />Holy cow... We have officially crossed the point from where "it ran", to "it runs". <br /><br />Because my neighbors had not gotten home yet, I took advantage of the opportunity and let the car warm up and idle for about a half hour to observe the temp and make sure the oil pressure stays above 0. Low and behold, not only did we have good oil pressure, the car eventually quit smoking! <br /><br />I eventually shut it down and let it cool, then took a few moments to install what I have come to call my "Facesaver".<br /><br />This little contraption is what makes working on a late model MGB just mildly frustrating, instead of outright deadly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu1bfz-OUSWXZscRDWOZu171acxLllxlVtMP8FJuqyoUtBukxzuJ84bpTt9Vln2DJmXvdsaoWAHbpfRjJUKwafYIyvKZAvATGO04mfcjIndLVYCBWf9EQX4vJwfc-BlREblo7reEahsgh/s1600-h/DSC00383.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu1bfz-OUSWXZscRDWOZu171acxLllxlVtMP8FJuqyoUtBukxzuJ84bpTt9Vln2DJmXvdsaoWAHbpfRjJUKwafYIyvKZAvATGO04mfcjIndLVYCBWf9EQX4vJwfc-BlREblo7reEahsgh/s200/DSC00383.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333282896951443090" /></a>These late versions of the MGB have a stupid electric fan switch in the radiator that likes to pop out and scald your face with 180 deg coolant every time you go under the hood, especially if you are on your way to a show like the Palo Alto British Car Meet, and it's several days before your Anniversary cruise to Alaska. <br /><br />It's no fun to be sitting at a formal dinner on some ship in pain with the skin of your nose falling off. People don't say anything, but you know they are wondering...<br /><br />(Sidenote: I went home and took some advil, got a washcloth and a handful of ice cubes to cool the burn and drove the car back to Palo Alto out of spite and determination. We caught the last 45 min of the show as I ran around taking photos and holding a cold rag to my head. Terribly-worried-spouse kept insisting I go to the emergency room, but it really did not seem that bad. That is until she made me look at my face in a Triumph mirror, and I saw the skin was falling off my nose. Ah well, skins gone, too late now. But no WONDER people won't talk to me.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1bHZaHtPZ20cXk9trHHYvJl5_UodJQHhRpI-6ebtI9Ai2T1EL5h5Pn3jPTmR75FOj-w6K0aizkYKkUCP3owkpuzrHebAc96PM4BXuuSXtXzrIHi0maoRmZiHQ2LBvYr1ae4Xq5qGRBdI/s1600-h/DSC00382.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1bHZaHtPZ20cXk9trHHYvJl5_UodJQHhRpI-6ebtI9Ai2T1EL5h5Pn3jPTmR75FOj-w6K0aizkYKkUCP3owkpuzrHebAc96PM4BXuuSXtXzrIHi0maoRmZiHQ2LBvYr1ae4Xq5qGRBdI/s200/DSC00382.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333283389119914482" /></a>As a result of all this I created this "facesaver" safety fix involving some crap I had laying around the shop like some safety wire and a flatwasher, and it works beautifully. Tonight I installed said contraption on our race car so that our pretty mugs will all stay safe come raceday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHdB7dNC5j_j350ZR3SU0d7XRFqtuQ0vgIe1pnIQG7cejs9OM2z591ij1PipMHxgomLg7jqW4_az5jituJ-dAYg3BTIlD4zdv0089OQ5R9QVqrv5dO1K4a_MuyUGZKJW9TQMg8XYgU5QZ/s1600-h/DSC00387.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHdB7dNC5j_j350ZR3SU0d7XRFqtuQ0vgIe1pnIQG7cejs9OM2z591ij1PipMHxgomLg7jqW4_az5jituJ-dAYg3BTIlD4zdv0089OQ5R9QVqrv5dO1K4a_MuyUGZKJW9TQMg8XYgU5QZ/s200/DSC00387.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333283862660224882" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKyPYTTH4Cbx46tcfW4WNcdFmqeaQ7SeJgXqGzKsna0NM0CSXV1bUUXPmjWrtnhyphenhyphenx68XaYsPPEWfdke3uLpi8-UO4_i5HLHc1P6frsIW_DyDs8cixCrjlRfanVMyCsgy4zHKerXsd2K9e/s1600-h/DSC00390.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKyPYTTH4Cbx46tcfW4WNcdFmqeaQ7SeJgXqGzKsna0NM0CSXV1bUUXPmjWrtnhyphenhyphenx68XaYsPPEWfdke3uLpi8-UO4_i5HLHc1P6frsIW_DyDs8cixCrjlRfanVMyCsgy4zHKerXsd2K9e/s200/DSC00390.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333284417773815218" /></a>The large washer goes over the temp switch, and the safety wire runs a loop behind the washer, through the radiator and again looping around the switch before twisting the ends together to tension and secure the mess. Simple. And since then I have seen others who had the same idea.<br /><br />There is a clip available that was supposed to rectify the design flaw, but it does not always fit every car, and was designed by the same people that put that switch there, and also tried to kill us yanks with that Zenith Stromberg "Firepot" sitting right above the catalytic converter...<br /><br />I'll go with the safety wire thank you. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxv1kbXir1dEUPt18BIrv8_4EjR28A10QA0_b1Q-o84qfcyTxRDoEKJI5X8X2gnOmdn6F_bYIQ8LbqmgKLv2iDoHvandFLi9zGuaYlbJTgS2ipryqL4WDIA1r7Lfyka7zlX4C7ljqnzo2/s1600-h/Tracy+Arm+Fjord0551.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxv1kbXir1dEUPt18BIrv8_4EjR28A10QA0_b1Q-o84qfcyTxRDoEKJI5X8X2gnOmdn6F_bYIQ8LbqmgKLv2iDoHvandFLi9zGuaYlbJTgS2ipryqL4WDIA1r7Lfyka7zlX4C7ljqnzo2/s200/Tracy+Arm+Fjord0551.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333304345109186098" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty still here)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-i-picked-up-my-rv-from-speed-shop.html">Next: So, I picked up my RV from the speed shop...</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-flood.html">Previous: The Great Flood...</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the beginning of this mess: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-28715384556846947882009-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:27:35.458-08:00The Great Flood...When we last left our hapless heroes, they were struggling with a pair of flooding S.U. carbs on their 24 Hours of Lemons entry, the "Killer Bee" MBG.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_Oa2fmrTk2ghBiTuPaAEZ-PGAoOFCqcbOkBi_wG_t2QSeIMTJQxEm-CTiDrKC-Ic0k6XoU9B49F6Qv0sCkP6qZ6l21d9bviwzyn9_h2C9pE6TMUld7FBbtBPHPFkc2CVI6ZGPVjbo86j/s1600-h/DSC00379.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_Oa2fmrTk2ghBiTuPaAEZ-PGAoOFCqcbOkBi_wG_t2QSeIMTJQxEm-CTiDrKC-Ic0k6XoU9B49F6Qv0sCkP6qZ6l21d9bviwzyn9_h2C9pE6TMUld7FBbtBPHPFkc2CVI6ZGPVjbo86j/s200/DSC00379.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332595117499138706" /></a>I took the float lids back off to inspect and adjust the float. One look at them and I knew it was futile; The float hinges were worn beyond use. So I threw the lids and metering valves into some solvent to soak overnight.<br /><br />The next day a quick trip to the local MG supplier revealed that the superior floats with an adjustable brass arm were NLA. The only version available anymore are the all plastic versions, that are non adjustable, but they do sell .015 shims to adjust the needle valve instead if needed.<br /><br />I bought the floats and of course I forgot to get shims before I left.<br /><br />Both the floats were a little tight around the float pin, which kept them from falling freely to let gas in. A little magic with a brass wire wheel cleaned up the pins. Working the pins them in and out of the float hinges reamed the floats so they were nice and free to open and close with gravity.<br /><br />The MGB bible (IMHO) is the Haynes MGB repair manual. According to that book, the correct float height is about 1/8th of an inch, or .125. A good starting point.<br /><br />The new floats come with instructions that claim anything between .062 and .187 is <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">fine </span></span>(1/16 to 3/16). Previous experience tells me that is horse puckey. At 1/16ths you'll flood around every corner, and 3/16ths it will sputter.<br /><br />I set up my floats to measure them, and found the front float was at .136, and the rear was at .179. I'd prefer them to be about the same, and slightly high if possible to prevent flooding under hard cornering.<br /><br />Test A) I swapped the float pins, slight improvement.<br /><br />Test B) I returned the float pin and swapped floats, results were worse, further apart.<br /><br />test C) I returned the floats and swapped the needle valves. MUCH worse.<br /><br />Test D) I returned the needle valves, and this time swapped the floats AND float pins.<br /><br />SUCCESS! Now the front was reading .152 and the rear .163. Pretty close, but they are both a bit too high, which will lower the fuel level in the chamber by a bit too much for comfort. I'll have to keep this in mind if it shows any gremlins on the road.<br /><br />For now, back on the car they went, and I turned on the key for testing.<br /><br />All this work resulted in MASSIVE FLOODING. Oh the fun we have.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr31ELMd6lQVpIu-LE5hqp7m-3Kw7_FsgjumGpLQoPBi40Ng-CZzFuzv2ks4XQEdyo5_d4N59g9v1ZYfxZ0ePwQDMivha7c41rYhiY2SiHgeubLuKeGciI4wtstdDpXvDrVbFUaeIENyQ4/s1600-h/wts_geyser.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr31ELMd6lQVpIu-LE5hqp7m-3Kw7_FsgjumGpLQoPBi40Ng-CZzFuzv2ks4XQEdyo5_d4N59g9v1ZYfxZ0ePwQDMivha7c41rYhiY2SiHgeubLuKeGciI4wtstdDpXvDrVbFUaeIENyQ4/s200/wts_geyser.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332597816027586674" /></a>4 year old gas was spurting EVERYWHERE, pouring right out of the carb throats! I lifted the chamber piston and gas began spewing like a geyser!<br /><br />CRAP.<br /><br />I turned off the key and scratched my head...<br /><br />That does not seem right.<br /><br />I troubleshot the fuel system for a while longer until those bloodthirsty mosquitoes drove me indoors. The pressure was good, not too high, not too low, started and stopped ok. The float needles were functioning, and the float level should keep the fuel level below normal if anything... yet it is still flooding. The "Generic" floats were looking MIGHTY suspect as I retired for the night.<br /><br />Back to the store for a whopping $1 worth of adjustment shims I guess. <br /><br />"You smell like gas" my Cute-But-To-The-Point-Spouse said. "Stay off the couch".<br /><br />Well, at least I'm not sleeping on it, har-har! (Considering my antics, as she says...)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty Still Here)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/oh-duh.html">Next: Oh... DUH.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/it-lives-it-lives-bwaa-haa-haa.html">Previous: It lives... IT LIVES, BWAA-HAA-HAA!! </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From the beginning of this mess: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-723536907510663612009-05-03T23:01:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:28:02.900-08:00It lives... IT LIVES, BWAA-HAA-HAA!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ksLgkKcxOg14kuEVrJGfIF6cgKgKSvzhAfef6IOqEVrcngSwSdGjA1FWrqlyTzA5aNnw8IGHxf5QK0cTaZylF8tx2_gK2BMJqn80M0I1McIUXCKXOv-2BHzkZe_9NU27xWbrDhwxlL28/s1600-h/2007_7young-frankenstein-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ksLgkKcxOg14kuEVrJGfIF6cgKgKSvzhAfef6IOqEVrcngSwSdGjA1FWrqlyTzA5aNnw8IGHxf5QK0cTaZylF8tx2_gK2BMJqn80M0I1McIUXCKXOv-2BHzkZe_9NU27xWbrDhwxlL28/s320/2007_7young-frankenstein-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331846088362303554" /></a><br /><br />Igor, throw the switch!! NOW IGOR!! <span style="font-weight:bold;">NOW!!</span><br /><br />Our engine transplant and carb conversion on the Killer Bee racecar was a screaming success, and the patient is recouperating outside my neighbor's bedroom window. And by recuperating I mean the smoke is still clearing after it finally fired up this afternoon. <br /><br />And it sounds gooooooood.<br /><br />We have good oil pressure, and minimal leakage (it's an MGB, and just like an F14 Tomcat, if it's not leaking it's out of fluid!). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW4oFqxqaC42CTonCjSucNXR16piHpNckR50PvbPSTublQ_qtP82ol8cmVF4CwkBjUjAEtXClzta9Z0u6QCuUms756MQJw4AukewjpS8QJsSQEZ48uld1bWC6ia7OSdzGUOgmj6hA_AUY/s1600-h/DSC00376.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW4oFqxqaC42CTonCjSucNXR16piHpNckR50PvbPSTublQ_qtP82ol8cmVF4CwkBjUjAEtXClzta9Z0u6QCuUms756MQJw4AukewjpS8QJsSQEZ48uld1bWC6ia7OSdzGUOgmj6hA_AUY/s200/DSC00376.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332097754487898098" /></a>Earlier this weekend I finally removed what was left of the old rusty exhaust system, still hanging in the rear by a very rusted out U-bolt clamp and heavy duty hanger. The U-bolt was rusted beyond being able to break the nuts loose, even after 3 months of soaking in penetrating fluid. The positioning of the hanger prevented me from just cutting it off with a sawzall as well. The whole thing only vibrated and created a plume of rust dust that screwed up my sinuses for a week. Not a good time to be sneezing with the world afraid of sick pigs.<br /><br />The answer came in the form of a Dremel tool with a cutoff disc. One surgical cut and the whole thing came crashing down and went into the scrap metal bin. Yahoo!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dPAW86yxYL35gxWcPNRrFYcJfx7V4JaaJt6gVChjJLJXP6garMZlgCfwI25BakCvLj7_cICxEJPSSu5qPP4tucGebr3R8XhTZ0xp4BeUiDT4BINm3RA55lA4BcAKFnf2lxvbd7Vj0SB4/s1600-h/DSC00209.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dPAW86yxYL35gxWcPNRrFYcJfx7V4JaaJt6gVChjJLJXP6garMZlgCfwI25BakCvLj7_cICxEJPSSu5qPP4tucGebr3R8XhTZ0xp4BeUiDT4BINm3RA55lA4BcAKFnf2lxvbd7Vj0SB4/s200/DSC00209.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331847459387249234" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hbMdj9xhLMA5I03x9tPaR9ugeyPQA9p4E3CMl7R646woOK6Lw1G0-XN75ppBdLZnvDzVZxpHayCVNPDSmsLr4e95eiWuBFVURmAmc1fiuV04cJFCZ6lsh4LHL775U5hHLm8NSiobxx4Z/s1600-h/DSC00212.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hbMdj9xhLMA5I03x9tPaR9ugeyPQA9p4E3CMl7R646woOK6Lw1G0-XN75ppBdLZnvDzVZxpHayCVNPDSmsLr4e95eiWuBFVURmAmc1fiuV04cJFCZ6lsh4LHL775U5hHLm8NSiobxx4Z/s200/DSC00212.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331848154394326130" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VvWMWf_iPZLHLyifoz0ar1s7GSplskzlc5m4RcMDPKuqkLG-n_MwGYFd9bL6gmCdNrnpj1XWfnfcVpnW53phtjI8TGJgg-nB7PmGRYEqbDyf8cTuotjCAo9TZrNsmv5FHJVK1gmiANBu/s1600-h/DSC00211.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VvWMWf_iPZLHLyifoz0ar1s7GSplskzlc5m4RcMDPKuqkLG-n_MwGYFd9bL6gmCdNrnpj1XWfnfcVpnW53phtjI8TGJgg-nB7PmGRYEqbDyf8cTuotjCAo9TZrNsmv5FHJVK1gmiANBu/s200/DSC00211.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331847736291963522" /></a>While installing the $20 swapmeet header and EvilBay intake, I realized my header was intended for a 72 and later S.U. HIF4, and/or or Webber DGV equipped car, which both have a thicker flange than my early S.U. HS4s. This results in bent studs and vacuum leaks if you try to use them anyways. (Allegedly - No comment). <br /><br />I had measured the flange thickness before, but failed to notice there were spacers made out of what appeared to be flat washers cut in half, and welded to the mounting flange. "Huh. Interesting"<br /><br />Once again the Dremel came to the rescue, making short work of the raised mounting surface. After they were removed and smoothed out the manifolds fit perfect.<br /><br />Next onto the car went a nice new cherrybomb glasspack I had been saving for a special occasion. It has resided on display in my "muffler rack of shame" for about 3 years now. I have a whole wall section of the garage dedicated to exhaust parts and systems that have fallen off MGBs, and of course emergency replacement parts you need in order to get to work the next day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbe0qPsslF7PFUU36rofNkjsELGm2kVeOvWXxccp9uYj_KIWx8xAyDt67T6pK18USvoDOIHI6qoRT9SROkuhdTm8cy226Dk_9RsZjypnCh44PYHDnzEbDMeB9jv9p1FlJXP27gkq5_OOOS/s1600-h/DSC00362.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbe0qPsslF7PFUU36rofNkjsELGm2kVeOvWXxccp9uYj_KIWx8xAyDt67T6pK18USvoDOIHI6qoRT9SROkuhdTm8cy226Dk_9RsZjypnCh44PYHDnzEbDMeB9jv9p1FlJXP27gkq5_OOOS/s200/DSC00362.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332098243934752050" /></a>When I went to put the Cherrybomb on, I realized that the glasspack slightly interfered with the transmission cross member. "WHY YOU SONOFA..." That's the last thing I needed to see, after the same cross member kicked my ass <a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/another-guy-another-motor.html">last week</a>. Putting in a small section of pipe to clear it would place the muffler too far back to get a graceful exit out in front of the rear tire like I envision.<br /><br />Not to be deterred, I set about formfitting the muffler to sit nicely in the stock exhaust route by sticking a jack under the muffler and raising the car off the ground with it. The result was a mirror image dent of the cross member on top of the muffler. Then I removed it and a few whacks with a half-jack later (2 1/2 lb mallet) it fits like OJ's glove.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XmtoqGHrPPgt_RwKf7t60mgXtEQ5i-QWEnA7_x2LYxd7WgHSGhtbchHcpTC9oyoE30x6PM0vqr8SsAEmRx9GizuDekSimQm7GFPFuEZG5YPQALGIxLV8gn1bzeb_BQyCxgiRtYBUt9UZ/s1600-h/DSC00359.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XmtoqGHrPPgt_RwKf7t60mgXtEQ5i-QWEnA7_x2LYxd7WgHSGhtbchHcpTC9oyoE30x6PM0vqr8SsAEmRx9GizuDekSimQm7GFPFuEZG5YPQALGIxLV8gn1bzeb_BQyCxgiRtYBUt9UZ/s200/DSC00359.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332097384383281506" /></a>The rest of the conversion from Zenith Stromberg "Firepot" to dual S.U.s went slowly and tediously, but luckily I had done this once before and still had the previous car sitting around as an example. What took months of scrounging and fabricating last time only took me a few days for this one. As a bonus, I was able to use up a lot of discard-bucket-parts in the process. <br /><br />The gearshift lever went in, the wires got hooked up, and the hoses got hooked back up. The fuel lines were connected, and I turned the key on to test for leaks - amazingly there were none!<br /><br />By this time the mosquitoes were sucking the life fluids out of me so I quit for the night and got an early start the next morning. And by early start I mean sitting in front of the computer eating granola till 10am, while my "Why-you-still-sitting-there" spouse kept asking me "why you still sitting there?"<br /><br />Back out I went armed with unwarranted optimism. I figured that after double checking all my work I might actually get it started before lunch.<br /><br />As usual I was wrong.<br /><br />To make a long story a little shorter, a few weeks ago while having the rollcage installed, John Condren noticed the remaining headlight was on which was weird because the switch was removed and sitting in the back of the car. Figuring I would troubleshoot it later, I removed wires at random until I got to the offending circuit and the light went off, and I forgot all about it. Turns out the light was on because the "flash-to-pass" switch on the turn signal stalk is shorted out. Disconnecting that wire also disconnects the ignition relay, which is <span style="font-weight:bold;">not shown in the schematics for this year car</span>. <br /><br />Freakin Lucas Leyland Limeys!!! This took entirely too long to figure out. <br /><br />The big clue was that I had an ignition relay, and the schematics didn't. I ended up using a combination of 2 different schematics in order to get things going again. I then jammed something I picked up off the driveway concrete into the switch to disable it, hooked the wire back up, and I finally had juice to the ignition.<br /><br />Lunch came at 2pm.<br /><br />After lunch I tried to fire the engine, found Top Dead Center, adjusted the distributor, swapped distributor leads, tried to fire, swapped distributor and ignition module back to the one that came with the car, found TDC again, adjusted the distributor, swapped leads again, and "Rumble-rumble-bleh". (Giggle) I tried it again: "Rumble-rumble-bleh". <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-zDzYBNALZqP3tI341DE_5_74WWg9OTnjJLP0rriTfuwS9HaYGzfoP2BOMm-eacO91Eyvo96P5QUI_tGoupqt0W0WPr-7VrQfc63lCJbw_gi-QIdoh28MpYl_ezn8kQTyaELXmbHhTTI/s1600-h/DSC00379.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-zDzYBNALZqP3tI341DE_5_74WWg9OTnjJLP0rriTfuwS9HaYGzfoP2BOMm-eacO91Eyvo96P5QUI_tGoupqt0W0WPr-7VrQfc63lCJbw_gi-QIdoh28MpYl_ezn8kQTyaELXmbHhTTI/s200/DSC00379.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332098724453101394" /></a>We had a running engine for about 3 seconds at a time. This went on forever as I monkeyed with various bits until I had it narrowed down to the carbs. The front float needle was varnished shut, starving the front carb, and the rear float was worn to the point it could not meter the fuel, flooding the rear.<br /><br />Ah! Just like an MG! Now I was REALLY in my element. I have 4 cars and one motorcycle that run S.U. carbs, and by run I mean catch fire at random or sit on the side of the road with the hood up.<br /><br />After a soak in solvent the front float was freed up and flooding as well. They are both in bad shape, so it looks like another trip to see Brian at the <a href="http://www.oconnorclassics.com/">local MG supplier</a> O'Connor Classics is in order, expecting it to cost another 25 bucks. <br /><br />But the car does run really well above 2000rpm! And it sounds freaking awesome! So good in fact that I got another angry-neighbor-face peek from behind the window next door. So I ran back to my "muffler-rack-of-shame" and grabbed a few lengths of pipe and another muffler to quiet it down while testing outside their bedroom window. I even grabbed a fan to blow the smoke away into our back yards.<br /><br />Ain't I a great neighbor?<br /><br />As a bonus, we got mention in Jalopnik again Sunday. We are the first of a 2 part tiebreaker, in the <a href="http://jalopnik.com/5237636/guess-how-many-bmw-e30s-this-peugeot-will-beat-at-lemons-reno-win-fabulous-prizes">"Guess How Many BMW E30s This Peugeot Will Beat At LeMons Reno, Win Fabulous Prizes!"</a> contest, referring to team <a href="http://teamlemon.blogspot.com/">Cheese eating Surrender Monkeys</a> <br /><br />In case of a tie, you also have to make a guess at how many Miatas team Killer Bees will beat, and how many MR2s the <a href="http://teamunsafe.blogspot.com/">Unsafe At Any Speed Corvair</a> will beat.<br /><br />Beat? Hell, I'd be happy to get to the track <a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/02/arse-freeze-apalooza-day-2-pt-1.html">for once</a>!<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />(Kitty Still Here)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-flood.html">Next: The Great Flood... </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/another-guy-another-motor.html">Previous: Another guy, Another motor</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html">From The Beginning: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-22131413988704545952009-05-02T21:06:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:28:44.705-08:00Another guy, Another motor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LMWPPhp6BjNQSzC1OJ8FwONIu7EslwTPKtMSWnej99x1YRTytKuJoPJlnCta_Zr1DV9SKHV_C2mkyZvzQUk78vilp8IasirwbCXg4lQo8RRzuQyJIjG4JE1nHPsQ1-Jz-uPTRFWFQWk0/s1600-h/gargamel.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LMWPPhp6BjNQSzC1OJ8FwONIu7EslwTPKtMSWnej99x1YRTytKuJoPJlnCta_Zr1DV9SKHV_C2mkyZvzQUk78vilp8IasirwbCXg4lQo8RRzuQyJIjG4JE1nHPsQ1-Jz-uPTRFWFQWk0/s200/gargamel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331461149266245474" /></a><br />We have a new team member! I'm a little late in announcing this due to a busy schedule both at work and wrenching on the Killer bee, but our newest new team member is Peter S, aka “Gargamel!” <br /><br />Formerly a driver for team “The Dead Smurfs” who ran at the Freezarseapalooza 08, he comes to us in response to our posting on Yahoo groups, due to our umpteenth 4th seat dropout.<br /><br />Our latest "4th team member" drama involved his wife insisting he needed to attend a wedding instead, and so once again we had a vacancy. We are required to have a minimum of 4 drivers, so our line was cast yet again. This time we hooked Gargamel who came to see the car and was crazy enough to join our team anyways. So welcome to the Killer Bees! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjP-q-XTOrzuQdhd7a2AGZ-jclw_I79HCvvOmXLnj2Bj0VdyoX-_7eAuLoRIm9n2gYSexucpjcvlVdMOUT7J2p-mPZWFzp-TobRSsgfOPDVxxXTHH5kcrwfmQGV0ajGCScdXC_kjaMxyh/s1600-h/kb7.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjP-q-XTOrzuQdhd7a2AGZ-jclw_I79HCvvOmXLnj2Bj0VdyoX-_7eAuLoRIm9n2gYSexucpjcvlVdMOUT7J2p-mPZWFzp-TobRSsgfOPDVxxXTHH5kcrwfmQGV0ajGCScdXC_kjaMxyh/s200/kb7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331461526318565362" /></a><br /><br />With any luck this guy will be our last. He also happens to be in danger of the dreaded “Last one to pay up wears the stupid bee mascot costume” clause. Yeay. <br /><br />I tried talking my "Not-on-your-life-spouse" into wearing the bee outfit because she would look REALLY cute. She said "Not on your life buster. Not unless you pay me a hundred dollars."<br /><br />Sheesh.<br /><br />Progress over the last 2 weeks included finally deciding on the best location to mount the safety electrical cutoff switch and then getting it installed.<br /><br />Next I got the engine started again, and the same god awful squeal/scream was still there. Every dog in town was barking when I shut it down. I'm sure I endear myself to my neighbors. Come to think of it, we never get any trick or treaters...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGLVf6bXwDa0znOOfYqqH30SXp91Xsd-8JcflrbBBkIUYG6XrJcHUNuxuqUC0lTMmqgm47pFgwYQIwoqQJybdYutWqC1ifOpSmyFP-E6qXGnMRVI0a3oOXKXi_DX5Fi5m1PUIu-d5UMei/s1600-h/DSC00193.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGLVf6bXwDa0znOOfYqqH30SXp91Xsd-8JcflrbBBkIUYG6XrJcHUNuxuqUC0lTMmqgm47pFgwYQIwoqQJybdYutWqC1ifOpSmyFP-E6qXGnMRVI0a3oOXKXi_DX5Fi5m1PUIu-d5UMei/s200/DSC00193.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331462703281357794" /></a>Anyways, it seemed to originate from the clutch area, pointing towards a bad throwout bushing. But to know for sure the engine and tranny needed to come out. Damn.<br /><br />So, I yanked the motor – and found a totally wasted aftermarket throwout bearing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Ec6MdQciIUv2mKMgw_7Xg4LxU-aPey5Lw_Q62ea6tSK4XxlpCNJvt7Ej4kXSj-2GGuu6a4YhkvjRS8fo5eto8FZ4u695h7GTQlN5T63gb1pqOyLow7w6NJ_MMk-O9VmdQL_0owjSfLm/s1600-h/DSC00179.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Ec6MdQciIUv2mKMgw_7Xg4LxU-aPey5Lw_Q62ea6tSK4XxlpCNJvt7Ej4kXSj-2GGuu6a4YhkvjRS8fo5eto8FZ4u695h7GTQlN5T63gb1pqOyLow7w6NJ_MMk-O9VmdQL_0owjSfLm/s200/DSC00179.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331463282076571634" /></a>Stock MGBs have a solid bushing instead of a roller bearing. It is similar to a mini brake shoe that wears over time. This is why you hear MG folks say “Keep your foot off the @#$% clutch pedal!” because resting your foot on it will prematurely wear out the bushing – and the only way to fix it is to pull the motor and transmission. This design dates back to the beginnings of MG, and was still there with the end of line for MGBs in 1980.<br /><br />There was an aftermarket throwout "bearing" available some years ago, but it got a bad rap because some of them would come apart and grenade themselves. I had never seen that in person, and used one in my MGBGT for over 250k miles without a problem. Still, they seemed to have been quietly pulled from the market a while back. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRCIituOXyFioPcv14CXfWGAkfsjSixDOgv14eGmqWZT4BJgWecgWNK1RFoydjDnXNtKd0B46J42hw8zloGki6yIKJDbA_zhU_xNxABbz2PqobP8ijdnCJm8KY3Jt00ALJdn6utTr52QH/s1600-h/DSC00146.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRCIituOXyFioPcv14CXfWGAkfsjSixDOgv14eGmqWZT4BJgWecgWNK1RFoydjDnXNtKd0B46J42hw8zloGki6yIKJDbA_zhU_xNxABbz2PqobP8ijdnCJm8KY3Jt00ALJdn6utTr52QH/s200/DSC00146.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331463929486467138" /></a>Few things surprise me on an MG anymore, but this was one of them. This appeared to have had what was left of an aftermarket bearing inside, however it REALLY self destructed. Both the mounting ears were snapped off, and the rest of it was hanging off the pilot shaft in a heap of broken silver rings.<br /><br />“Interesting.”<br /><br />I figured the clutch was probably questionable as well, and rather than spend money on a new set, I decided to just throw in another used motor with a decent clutch I picked up for 500 bucks. After I sold the Webber DGV setup that came on it for $215 to some guy in Arcata, the motor only cost me $285.<br /><br />I will try to sell the old motor for 350, which could hopefully leave me with a 65 dollar profit! And I still have the intake/exhaust manifold, smog pump and firepot Zenith Stromberg carb I can pawn on EvilBay. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkOrL4i2Vns6IdKmuwTI9dDo1qk1pJdSH27Qf3CX_aEgXuhshY6UTHUReNgSuVjRqNijKi0QOmmh4SdkTdcbgjzRG35sgWIK7R9dZirN9kTIuBXl83Ere2d7qtZ4UE9hriC_FnrcCO88x/s1600-h/DSC00180.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkOrL4i2Vns6IdKmuwTI9dDo1qk1pJdSH27Qf3CX_aEgXuhshY6UTHUReNgSuVjRqNijKi0QOmmh4SdkTdcbgjzRG35sgWIK7R9dZirN9kTIuBXl83Ere2d7qtZ4UE9hriC_FnrcCO88x/s200/DSC00180.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331464721546487666" /></a>I plan on running a set of early dual S.U.s I scored for $125 that “came off a running car”. Yeah, sure they did. Lets just hope they "kinda work".<br /><br />The new motor went in on Sunday pretty easily, but then I spent an entire week on a whacked rear Transmission mount. I think I pissed off they Leyland gods, because this contraption was not going together without a fight, and I ended up bunging up some threads in the process. Crap.<br /><br />After several hours each night fighting 4 stupid bolts for an entire week, I needed a mental break from wrenching and decided to lay out the bee livery and door number.<br /><br />Man it looks like crap, and it's freaking awesome! (But still top secret)<br /><br />The next day I went back to rear mount – tapped out/cleaned the threads, used a 3 pound mallet to adjust the angle on the upper wing mount, and it FINALLY went together...<br /><br />Damn! Time for a cold one.<br /><br />I was going to bring a spare motor with us just in case, but this excursion changed my mind. If we have any problems, by the time we got the motor changed everyone else would be long gone from the track. <br /><br />So if it blows, we are done...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty still here)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/it-lives-it-lives-bwaa-haa-haa.html">Next: It lives... IT LIVES, BWAA-HAA-HAA!!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/brakes-and-other-things-that-break.html">Previous: Brakes, and other things that break.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From The Beginning of this crazy adventure: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-30271403805680158902009-04-27T21:34:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:29:22.173-08:00Brakes, and other things that break.<span style="font-style:italic;">(Kitty Still Here)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-Jvx79ZjRivC16Yk1hlz2AEBHXAGDsi8f33tnUA4r0-jQvWvBqAXIHlZ0htla5Ki1P3VzHQAm0jBryxw78nMumcDr8kbw3hiolXEMi2CirWvhAUUCyVcsz2VhhDSWONYMZDjaJc5SO02/s1600-h/SS+Lines.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 54px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-Jvx79ZjRivC16Yk1hlz2AEBHXAGDsi8f33tnUA4r0-jQvWvBqAXIHlZ0htla5Ki1P3VzHQAm0jBryxw78nMumcDr8kbw3hiolXEMi2CirWvhAUUCyVcsz2VhhDSWONYMZDjaJc5SO02/s200/SS+Lines.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329602464666145730" /></a>2 weeks ago I got busy taking care of some of the basics on our LeMon MGB. <br /><br />First up was replacement of the 30 year old brake hoses, with an upgrade to braided Stainless Steel brake lines. I have used these lines on several street MGBs now, and am a huge fan of the firmer pedal and positive braking feedback. I also really appreciate the extra safety margin over the original rubber hoses in case we run into debris.<br /><br />All three lines were replaced, and the lines were flushed with new fluid. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcu3xCrt5rCa9cYN3Y-Tf5rVfOPxisKcDRv9jCt1E9D3iHdYg73CKC5vOJKP9OmX_SkVH1-eKAzG9_U5gwiGXQEGaR8TiB4K7_WQYReYsKKuy2dvNLxwNgkjIYOVy7p9Hahq9sjEoNuu_k/s1600-h/V8+Pads+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcu3xCrt5rCa9cYN3Y-Tf5rVfOPxisKcDRv9jCt1E9D3iHdYg73CKC5vOJKP9OmX_SkVH1-eKAzG9_U5gwiGXQEGaR8TiB4K7_WQYReYsKKuy2dvNLxwNgkjIYOVy7p9Hahq9sjEoNuu_k/s200/V8+Pads+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329603115332653714" /></a> Next up were new brake pads. <br /><br />I chose factory style MGBGT-V8 pads, which have a 20 percent larger swept area, yet still fit in to the stock calipers. Again, this should improve brake pedal feel and allow even slightly longer periods between pad changes. <br /><br />The rears will remain stock.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNiGnstPkptKfpnimmlkzXASjZSuxAoYpsBU_LmXKeZJFqAv6FdDpvCkRXqkA6S0XeZWPN0iu9hnYoJKC57JR0wYpruXsZUxbtWCCyECsnOBI9Y2MoKR-xJgu6Jm1ZtrJncSpAOWbMcfZ/s1600-h/DSCF3075.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNiGnstPkptKfpnimmlkzXASjZSuxAoYpsBU_LmXKeZJFqAv6FdDpvCkRXqkA6S0XeZWPN0iu9hnYoJKC57JR0wYpruXsZUxbtWCCyECsnOBI9Y2MoKR-xJgu6Jm1ZtrJncSpAOWbMcfZ/s200/DSCF3075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329605178259884818" /></a>While I had the front end up in the air I heard something make a crunchy sound, and noticed things did not look normal. Upon close inspection I saw the passenger side front coil spring was broken and sitting at an angle. “Ah crap!” I thought. So I pulled the whole thing apart to see what the damage was.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJQxwq_WGRa68LTAA3qnwQloxcBmIKeqzh96Zy42GuDb0IHmrD1leYdE7G_g-Zw8X68gxkncKbtVJ8EELULyStINGDssf1TP99QHlDD5sPC-hi6tFUcv_0mBTi_jqj2LPLByBvCGLeqxt/s1600-h/DSCF3078.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJQxwq_WGRa68LTAA3qnwQloxcBmIKeqzh96Zy42GuDb0IHmrD1leYdE7G_g-Zw8X68gxkncKbtVJ8EELULyStINGDssf1TP99QHlDD5sPC-hi6tFUcv_0mBTi_jqj2LPLByBvCGLeqxt/s200/DSCF3078.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329604679231358690" /></a>Turns out, the spring had snapped off the last 2 coils. “Interesting” I said to no one in particular. What to do? Why, cut the other side to match of course! Old school lowering 101! <br /><br />Rubber bumper MGBs suffered from being raised higher than the earlier cars due to federally mandated bumper height laws in the late 70’s. In addition to giving them a farm truck look, it also had a devastating effect on that handling the earlier cars were known for. A popular modification is to lower them back to chrome bumper levels and restore some dignity.<br /><br />So back in went what was left of the broken coil, while the driver’s side got disassembled then surgically altered with my trusty Dremel tool to level it out. The end result was perfect, and the car finally looked a little less awkward. <br /><br />Except now its butt was still up in the air.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2S54AUOJZcdhv9fTp7DC5Lyy7Lmq9NGcdDa8XQF_zChCVx1p1fT_GhO4FvTaCj9DNzVZ0t0wrcXYVJPFfO39e0hryaWqyIypn6I01YKN0FvP8duCSspVFkPCWMU732i8NjwxsRIhX4Yq/s1600-h/DSCF3076.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2S54AUOJZcdhv9fTp7DC5Lyy7Lmq9NGcdDa8XQF_zChCVx1p1fT_GhO4FvTaCj9DNzVZ0t0wrcXYVJPFfO39e0hryaWqyIypn6I01YKN0FvP8duCSspVFkPCWMU732i8NjwxsRIhX4Yq/s200/DSCF3076.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329607198958344450" /></a>(<span style="font-weight:bold;">Gratuitous shot of Brownie, worlds Greatest crappy RV, skillfully blocking nearly all view of my private backyard Kentucky from the street<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>)<br /><br />So, not wanting the car to handle strangely, I relented on my self-imposed new parts ban (for other than safety) and picked up a set of lowering blocks for the rear. This set me back a hundred bucks that I will hopefully be able to pick back up by selling something else, keeping me under the 500 dollar limit. <br /><br />I installed the lowering blocks and checked the static ride height. I was looking for the car to be ¾ inch higher in the rear as measured at the pinch weld under the rocker panel, and within ½ inch side to side with driver in car and the weight of half a tank of gas mimicked. I figured gas to be about 6.2lb per gal, and half a tank is aprox 5 gal, so I stuck 35 lbs of junk in the trunk and measured. <br /><br />It was nearly perfect which indicates the corner weight loading is at least in the right ballpark. Wow, it almost sounds like I know what I'm doing! Such is not the case however...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ek1W4gRtzjdL3lreaJ2eFy6v0RxeCLgnPCvdRWddqj5bMaJkJyUb0B3KijL9cb43zrwfH5zewAubFvvFv9dr7BVkXxTd075jGsRAfz010meLHX0_UK25UOFnSMoZ2Y1BcJdMS8Ub2V-0/s1600-h/DSC00167.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ek1W4gRtzjdL3lreaJ2eFy6v0RxeCLgnPCvdRWddqj5bMaJkJyUb0B3KijL9cb43zrwfH5zewAubFvvFv9dr7BVkXxTd075jGsRAfz010meLHX0_UK25UOFnSMoZ2Y1BcJdMS8Ub2V-0/s200/DSC00167.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329611672849357986" /></a><br />And as we run over bumps and rusty parts begin to fall off, we may have to re-think our approach.<br /><br />Chowderhead expresses concern...<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/another-guy-another-motor.html">Next: Another guy, Another motor</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/progress-on-race-car.html">Previous: Progress on RACE car.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From The Beginning: The Hook... (Part 1) </a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-50398290611157544992009-04-14T20:37:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:29:57.198-08:00Progress on RACE car.This weekend we hit a major milestone with our race car code-named Lazarus. Shh… you don’t know that. It’s an MGB. Shhhh… You don’t know that either.<br /><br />John Condren graciously agreed to help me weld in the Autopower roll cage I got from Raceport on Saturday. I say help, but I really mean I watch and stay the hell out of the way, and try not to burn myself a SECOND time from hot pipes. “Oh, it’s only a flesh wound!” <br /><br />(Keeping a bucket of cold water handy was one of MANY a good ideas I learned from John, thanks!)<br /><br />My original plan was to finish up bleeding the brakes and fix the clutch on Friday night, and nurse the car onto the trailer for the half hour trip south. However I was delayed by the bad news concerning <a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/ode-to-my-fuzzy-little-companion.html">Tigger-cat</a>, and we spent the evening with her instead.<br /><br />Saturday morning I got the brake job done, which meant we could now STOP the car, but discovered the clutch slave cylinder was shot and leaking like a sieve. The repair kit only costs 5 dollars, but I had no parts and no time. So I stole a battery out of the infamous Datsun – Bluebie, and proceeded to wake the entire neighborhood while I loaded it on the trailer with no clutch. As a bonus I was able to conduct a “Wicked-Hot-Starter-Test”. Result: Pass. Good old Lucas Electrics.<br /><br />After unloading at John’s house we attempted the same thing to get it up his driveway. To my surprise the engine even started. It would sputter, but not really move the car. So, between the intermittent engine, a wicked hot starter and the two of us pushing, we were able get it up his driveway and across 100 feet of soft grass to where his garage and welding equipment were. I was wheezing for breath a long time it seemed. (Gotta quit eating them Mother’s cookies I stocked up on.)<br /><br />I say garage, but what I mean is “Cool-ass-shop/man-cave.<br /><br />It is everything that mine is not. I marveled at the fact that I did not have to step over crap or duck underneath anything. Bright, clean, well lit… and organized. Twice a year I get a vision in my head like that, and spend DAYS cleaning mine up. Best I can manage is “mild catastrophe”. Maybe I should practice on this focus thing I hear so much about.<br /><br />I watched him weld, helping when I could, and taking in as much as possible. It is one thing to read about welding or to see it on film, but is better to see it done up close live. Having several decades of soldering experience and certifications, I know a bit about fusion of metal. However other than that, the two skills are about as dissimilar as you can possibly get. So it was a good class, so to speak. I plan on finally doing it myself soon.<br /><br />Of as much value, was listening to John’s stories and advice. We were pretty busy so I did not get a whole lot of the stories but they were keepers. And his advice was spot on, which I appreciate. Thanks John! The Condrens were very gracious hosts. <br /><br />On a worrisome note, he told me with a chuckle, he admired my gumption and naivety. <br /><br />Hmmm… <br /><br />No time for pondering; On to the next task! Let’s see if we can get this thing to RUN!<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/brakes-and-other-things-that-break.html">Next: Brakes, and other things that break. </a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/progress-being-made-on-support-vehicle.html"><br />Previous: Progress being made, (on support vehicle)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From the Beginning: The Hook... (Part 1)</a><br /><br />Kitty Still here....Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597971203163396744.post-44237249651221137392009-04-13T18:20:00.000-07:002009-12-09T20:30:39.660-08:00Progress being made, (on support vehicle)(Kitty still with us)<br /><br />In addition to safety gear, recently a flood of boxes containing new parts steadily kept arriving. My suspicious-of-the-empty-boxes-spouse asked, “What are all these parts that keep showing up? I thought you had a 500 dollar limit?”<br /><br />Oh yes my little crumpet, tis true I can spend no more than 5 Benjamins on that heaping pile of rust we foolishly decided to call a racecar. <br /><br />However, there is NO spending cap on Brownie, the worlds greatest crappy RV! In fact, since we were gonna keep it after all, I decided to pimp it out! I mean if we are going to use this as race headquarters, I gotta replace the exhaust anyways, and we GOTTA do SOMETHING cool to it!!!<br /><br />My “I-can’t-believe-I-married-you-spouse” slapped herself on the forehead, yet again.<br /><br />“No, no, I have it ALL figured out. I even have a plan this time!” I defended my self.<br /><br />Side-pipes, disco ball, vintage steering wheel, some shag carpet to go with the existing shag carpet, a little velour to compliment the wood paneling, I’m doin this thing up big time, ’70 STYLE! “<br /><br />Ooooh yeaaaaahhhhh!”<br /><br />“Think about it” I added excitedly to my rolling-eyes-spouse. “It could be, like, the ultimate 70’s cruising van, except with a built in shower!!”<br /><br />“Oh dear, REALLY?” she said with a lot of hesitation. “I dunno, I think I would have to actually see it.” While she still doubted my vision if not my ability, I could see she was starting to get infected with my enthusiasm for the project.<br /><br />I forget, she is a product of the ‘80s. And while the passage of much time has allowed me to finally look back on the ‘70’s with rosy-colored goggles, she has no memory of it at all. Bell-bottom cords, feathered hair, velour shirts, CUSTOM VANS, CB radios, Smokey and the Bandit, BJ and the Bear, NONE of this rang any bells. So I went online and looked up as many photos of vintage custom vans as I could find on Yahoo and Google.<br /><br />Turns out, there are about 5.<br /><br />What the HELL? What happened to all the cool shaggin-waggons? (I doubted myself for a moment, then I was sure, no, it really DID happen).<br /><br />I suddenly had a new obsession, researching the millions of vintage custom vans that apparently have all mysteriously vanished off the planet. Were we REALLY so embarrassed about what had transpired, that we spent the entire 1980’s wiping out any trace they even existed? Am I the only one who secretly disagreed every time they were made fun of? I find that hard to believe, even if it is true.<br /><br />In fact, now that I think about it, my favorite TV show “Life on Mars” had not shown ONE example of the “Vannin Craze”.<br /><br />Hmmm… not to be deterred, I got back on Evil-bay and found some vintage customizing brochures from the era, in COLOR! Brochures are my heroin. I have more than I can count, from Ford Couriers, to 1960s Dodge School buses, and nearly every early Datsun sales catalog ever printed. Sometimes I just gotta stare at one for an hour to get my fix.<br /><br />So a few days later a bunch of custom van brochures showed up at the house… and I had a lot of explaining to do.<br /><br />After I made up for it with a night at the movies and some pizza, I showed her the vans in the photos. Some were horrible, some were kinda cool. But I got the all important “That would be neat” from “under-my-spell-spouse”.<br /><br />And then I reminded myself:<br /><br />I am SUPPOSED to be working on the race-car.<br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/progress-on-race-car.html">Next: Progress on RACE car</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/04/ode-to-my-fuzzy-little-companion.html">Previous: An ode to my fuzzy little companion (Sad)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://killerbeeracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/hook.html"><br />From the Beginning: The Hook... (Part 1)</a>Pete Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011660933267640969noreply@blogger.com0