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I went to a PCA event at Roebling last month in my Cayman. Since it was my first time at the track I put myself in Novice group and worked with an instructor all weekend. Holy cow, my driving improved by leaps and bounds. In my quest to move towards racing I realized I would like a lot more time with instructors in the car. The SM didn’t have a passenger seat, so this weekend I set about my least favorite job and installed the seat and harness.
Another nice development- I joined an auto storage facility that has a nice work area and two post lift. Will be much easier doing big drivetrain stuff this winter. Doing tires and brakes on the Cayman:
Wanted a secure way to put my wheels/tires on the trailer for weekend trips. Fabbed up these handy stripper pole/wheel mounts for the trailer.
Last weekend I crewed for my buddy’s 1963 Morgan at a VDCA race. It was awesome, exactly the type of racing I want to do. I decided the best playbook is to get my SCCA comp license because it will let me race anywhere. I got my physical and applied for the novice permit; plan to go to SCCA race school in Feb. Because I need to complete a few SCCA races to get my full license, I’m keeping the car as a Spec Miata. Apparently the SE region has a SM-SE class that is specifically for 1.6 cars.
Last weekend I crewed for my buddy’s 1963 Morgan at a VDCA race. It was awesome, exactly the type of racing I want to do. I decided the best playbook is to get my SCCA comp license because it will let me race anywhere. I got my physical and applied for the novice permit; plan to go to SCCA race school in Feb. Because I need to complete a few SCCA races to get my full license, I’m keeping the car as a Spec Miata. Apparently the SE region has a SM-SE class that is specifically for 1.6 cars.
SVRA also has a class for 1.6 as well. I'd love to get into some VDCA/SVRA/VARA races, I'd love to pick up a Spitfire or a sprite
No two ways about it, this car looked pretty ghetto. The race numbers were peeling off and the paint was a nice chalky pink color. I finally broke down and worked on the appearance a bit. It may not be faster but it looks faster.
Trying to get the car ready to tech in the spring. I needed to install a fire extinguisher within reach of the driver on a metal bracket. The trans tunnel seemed like the most convenient location. The extinguisher doubles as a handy arm rest, plus now I won’t burn my hand on the tunnel after a summer session. The bracket was $25 on Amazon and is actually really well made.
Yeah, the plan is to keep it SM for the foreseeable future. I want to race it in SCCA SM-SE (1.6L class) and the SVRA 1.6L class, which gives me some pretty firm constraints for the build. The work I'm putting into it and getting a logbook with some races in it should help build the value. In a year or two I can decide whether I want to stay where I'm at, move to an open class like ITA or ST6, or sell it and get a really well developed NB SM. I'm pretty new to racing so I think the only way I can learn is to start racing more.
Next big decision I need to make is what to do about the rear end. It has the stock 1.6L VLSD which doesn't LSD at all, I'm picking up the inside wheel in tight turns and it's costing me time. I need to decide between dropping a Cusco into the 1.6L diff, which is theoretically faster but less durable, or just swapping in a 4.3 Torsen, which is theoretically more durable but less fast.
Nice looking interior, and great job on revitalizing the paint
I need to get some of those clamping collars to keep the straps from sliding around on the cage bars.
Not sure if it will look up to snuff for the nice interior you have built up, but I just use exhaust clamps on either side of the belts to keep them in place.
Nice looking interior, and great job on revitalizing the paint
Not sure if it will look up to snuff for the nice interior you have built up, but I just use exhaust clamps on either side of the belts to keep them in place.
This is a really good idea that I'm going to have to use. The upper bar had enough room for the nice aluminum clamp, but the lower bar is too close to the bulkhead so I'm going to have to use an exhaust clamp.
The open trailer was a step in the right direction but I was tired of loading and unloading wheels, tools etc. every track day. Since I store the car outside I also wanted something a little more weather tight than a cover. So today I sold the open trailer and stepped up my game.
8.5x20 with V nose. So much room for activities.
The F-150 tows it great, although it’s a little thirsty. I got 10mpg @70mph coming home with it empty. The previous owner bought it to move two years ago and it’s been sitting ever since. I had to fix a broken wire for a tail light but otherwise It’s literally brand new, just like off the dealers lot. Many projects to come- paint and floor, a rack for extra wheels, tool storage, etc.
The front hub/bearing that I replaced with el cheapo hub six months ago is already making noise after only 4 track days. I tracked down the TurboKitteh approved Centric Premium hubs, and repacked them with Redline CV-2 high temp grease with the good instructions I found here. This is the kind of job that takes two hours the first time and 15 minutes the 2nd.
Are you using a weight distributing hitch with the new trailer? If not, I’d highly recommend it...even the one Harbor Freight sells is well worth the money.
11-09-2020, 09:26 PM
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