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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.
Nice trailer!
But is the car inside the trailer dead or alive?
Which slit did the electron pass through?
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.
Nice trailer!
Yes I will definitely add one, I'm all about the safety gear. Need to research the best one for my needs.
I listed it for a couple hundred $ more than I bought it for and I had like 50 offers in 24 hours. Must be a shortage on cheap open trailers right now. Oddly I bought my new enclosed trailer from a private seller for about 60% of retail, it is 2 years old and had only been used once for a 500 mile house move. It's literally like brand new. That was definitely the exception though, I've spent a few months looking at overpriced trailers that were rode hard and put up wet.
I ordered the Huskey Center Line TS weight distribution/anti-sway hitch for 600-800 lb tongue weight. Wasn't cheap but I'm guessing it will be well worth the investment.
Last edited by Schroedinger; 02-06-2021 at 08:22 PM.
I think for now my plan is just to sleep on an air mattress on the floor.
Installed the Husky Centerline TS weight distributing hitch today. Took a few hours to install but it really is a night/day difference in how the trailer tows. Rock solid at 70mph even in gusty wind, and better braking,
Trailer is totally level, and the rear of the truck doesn’t squat any more.
Race school and my first race are in 2 1/2 weeks. I’m trying to get my annual inspection and logbook done before then, so I’m mostly chasing a bunch of little details to make sure I pass inspection. First problem was the kill switch not working- the battery was always on no matter what position the switch was in. I replaced the switch and it fixed the problem. While I was at it I made sure all the terminals were taped or heat shrinked, and put a plastic cover on the positive battery terminal. I’m not sure why these switches aren’t more durable, we went through three of them on our Lemons car too.
Next item was to deal with the door releases. The car came to me with the factory door handles dangling from the release mechanism by the steel rod, hardly ideal. I replaced this mess with vinyl coated braided steel cable.
Last project for the night was to install the very GCR-compliant R Package front lip. Not required to pass tech but it may buy me 0.1 seconds off my lap times, plus it looks cool.
Last few details before SCCA race school and my first race this weekend. Replaced the stock radiator with a Koyo as well as all the coolant hoses.
Installed Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator. Set to stock pressure for now.
Adjustable end links:
Had to mount transponder. Eventually I’ll do a hardwired install but for now I’ll run it on the battery. This spot in the wheel well looks as good as any.
Since I have to pass the annual inspection and get a logbook, I took it to Atlanta Speedwerks for a full inspection and setup. They patched a few openings in the bulkhead, put on some SFI rollcage padding, and did a full corner weight and setup. Got everything packed up, headed to Roebling tomorrow.
I went through the SCCA Hyler Craft Race School this past weekend at Roebling. Recap:
My first step was to get the annual inspection and logbook for my car. My inspection went flawlessly until the very last thing- the kill switch wiring was incorrect, and it wouldn't shut off the car while it was running. Whoever installed it set up to interrupt the battery and two red wires from the harness that I assumed to be the fuel pump. Whatever they did didn't work. I spent two hours rounding up supplies in the paddock and trying to fix it, but I couldn't figure it out under the time pressure of trying to get to class on time. Fortunately the guys from Panic Motorsports were onsite, and they got it fixed for me in 30 minutes. I owe those guys big time. Logbook- check.
The school had a pretty packed schedule between classroom, car prep and track sessions. It would have been helpful to have someone with me to focus on the car, but I got through the weekend OK on my own. The school did a good job getting us all acclimated to racing conditions and rolling starts, and I was feeling pretty comfortable in traffic by the student race on Saturday afternoon. Upon completion of the Saturday school I was permitted to compete in the real SCCA race on Sunday. I approached this race with the primary goals of not crashing and not finishing DFL.
On Sunday I qualified towards the middle of the pack, which pleased me. I was very nervous about the race, particularly the start which I screwed up pretty badly. Once the brakes and tires were hot and I got my wits about me I felt pretty good and even picked up a couple positions. Unfortunately I had made a critical planning error and didn't have enough fuel for a 30 minute race, so I lost power on every left turn for the last four laps and gave back a bunch of spots. Nonetheless I finished the race with the shiny side up, and a few spots ahead of DFL. The licensing admin signed off on my full competition license, which opens the door to race almost anywhere I want to.
Overall it was an absolute blast. Major props to the SCCA Buccaneer Region who put the event on, and the race teams that helped me get my car ready. I fear that I may be addicted to racing now, it is approximately 200% more fun than a track day even though I still suck at it. Much to be learned.
One thing that was clear is that my car is underpowered, even compared to the other 1.6's. The motor is fine so tuning is needed. Next steps are to install an AFR gauge, get a little more aggressive with timing (currently at 12 degrees), and adjust the fuel pressure regulator to see if I can squeeze more power out of this lump. I never though I would say that Megasquirt is easy compared to anything, but it sure would help compared to the caveman tuning that I'm limited to.
Last edited by Schroedinger; 03-02-2021 at 12:50 PM.
Congratulations!
It sounds like a very successful and exciting weekend.
You have had some of the usual race weekend problems of one kind or another cropping up, some of your own making, some not.
I am sure your car can be tuned to give a little more power. But even if you do nothing to it, you will find that at the end of this season you have cut seconds of your lap times, by learning from your competitors where and how to carry more speed around the corners. After you learn that, any extra power you can gain will help you, before that, it probably will be nearly unnoticeable, since it can't be really big gains in an SM class.
PS, amazing that you are out dry track racing this weekend already, compared to our climate!
We were out racing on a frozen lake.
Here is a sequence of the vertical pirouette performed by one of our Chevette racers. He stuck the landing and continued on in the race, no worries! https://www.flickr.com/photos/lsansp...ELzjEBbYPbtlg4
Congratulations!
I am sure your car can be tuned to give a little more power. But even if you do nothing to it, you will find that at the end of this season you have cut seconds of your lap times, by learning from your competitors where and how to carry more speed around the corners. After you learn that, any extra power you can gain will help you, before that, it probably will be nearly unnoticeable, since it can't be really big gains in an SM class.
Yeah, at my level I'm really just racing the guys around me and not the front of the pack. It was pretty consistent in the sessions and the races that compared to the guys around me I was driving better lines, braking later and better, and generally faster for most of the track. I would come onto the straights faster than them and set up for a pass but they were 1-2 seconds faster down the straight and I could never establish the pass. I found out that I was managing 2 extra shifts compared to most of them because of the lack of torque coming out of fast turns in 4th gear. I also have the VLSD which is basically an open diff at this point, so it was hard to put down the power that I did have. My clean laps were generally 2+ seconds faster than my laps trailing my closest competitors. The main culprit is my lack of any real racecraft, but a few more HP and a LSD might give me just enough to make some passes that I couldn't make this weekend.
PS, amazing that you are out dry track racing this weekend already, compared to our climate!
We were out racing on a frozen lake.
Here is a sequence of the vertical pirouette performed by one of our Chevette racers. He stuck the landing and continued on in the race, no worries! https://www.flickr.com/photos/lsansp...ELzjEBbYPbtlg4
Not sure in this case.
But it usually happens from hitting a snow bank the wrong way: avoiding traffic, clipping a car stuffed in a bank and heading in yourself, sliding too far out and hitting a bank, having more traction than expected and hitting the bank at the apex, .... or the most common reason; ran out of talent at the wrong moment.
I fear that I may be addicted to racing now, it is approximately 200% more fun than a track day even though I still suck at it.
You've made a grave mistake...for your financial health and future. You’d probably be better off being addicted to hookers and blow.
My SCCA school experience was similar in that the schedule is really built around the idea that the student/driver has a crew guy or two. I didn’t have any crew for my school either and it was stressful AF trying to get the car “Prepped” between sessions with all of 10 minutes to spare throughout the whole day.
02-01-2021, 12:43 PM
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