Anyone ever run the B.A.B.E. Rally?
 

www.baberally.com

Its a 5 day road rally from New York to New Orleans in $500 cars.


BigApple2BigEasy is a unique motoring experience.

After all, what's not to get about buying a $500 car, making it safe and road legal, cramming it full of (hopefully, for your sake) like-minded friends or family, then chugging across -- at least -- 1,500 miles of pure American highways and byways?

It's very easy to join in. Just get yourself the worst looking vehicle you can for $500 or less and enter the Rally.


Well I proposed this to my race team in addition to the 24 hour ChumpCar race we will be in this August at VIR and there was some bitching that we would not go in a cramped Miata. Some thought and ideas were tossed around and the king of the drunks on out team chimed in and asked if you could drink in a limo.....decision made.

Found a $500 limo in South NJ about 300 miles from me. Road trip.

Here she is in all here 6,000 lb glory!

Talked the guy down to $500, ya know its for a good cause and we promised to send him pictures on from the rally.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271
Last on the road in 2001
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271
Fit on trailer real good! Got an inch to spare or two.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271
Came with a phone and intercom, no extra charge.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271

Like?

So the surprises start!

Guy told me on phone it ran two years ago......when I get there he said it moved two years ago (on a tow truck) but it had not moved under its own power since 2001. :shock:
So I got it started on either, but it getting no fuel. Dropped the tank and to find this fuel pump. :evil:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271
And this sending unit:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271

So I replaced the pump with one I had laying around from a 97 Miata. Miata.....Limo.....close enough. Should work. I powerwashed out the inside of the tank, it was all rusted up....what a stench of bad gas. My house has smelled like it for days. Got fuel pump in and tested.....to find out it worked by it spraying out where the fuel filter SHOULD be! Replaced that. Now has gas to motor but it will no fire the injectors.......I tested them and they work so has to be the computer or a wire some where that got eaten by the mob of mice I exterminated from the car. :twisted:
This is starting to be a fun project!
Sometimes the car will not roll forwards but it will roll backwards....after 4 hours getting drum off I found the problem, I think the drum brake setup is made of rust.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372271

Well I figured out the fuel problem and it came to life :bounce: I flushed coolant (for an hour) and changed oil plugs and wires and put tires back on and hit the road. To find out we still have little to no brakes. That did not stop us from a cruise to the gas station. 6,000lb limo has a 16 gal tank WTF? Who idea was this? Anyway it was running so good we decided to hit the car wash 2 miles away and on the way we were reminded we did not tighten up the lugs on one wheel buy a thumping. A short walk home for a ratchet and we were off to car wash. After the $10 was I was unimpressed the shinny paint i envisioned under the 10 years of crap was not there. :oops: Oh well its a turd and it will stay a turd. The rood is the worst part.....any votes on what color fur we should put up there?

Good news is I priced out front calipers, rear wheel cyc, brake pads and shoes, and front brake lines on rock auto for under $100 NICE!

We drove the limo (brakeless) and it found a friend.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560

Limo now had brakes! Makes it a lot less scary driving or not.
New
MC
Calipers
Lines
Wheel cyc
and flushed out the gunk that was 27 year old fluid.

Took it out for a drive (on our 20 year old dry rot tires) and landed on the brakes from 40, all tires locked up and we screeched to a stop! Hell ya we have brakes! Than hit the gas and the thing was all over the road the rest of the drive home. We after getting it back to the house we looked at the tires and the front right dry rot had given up and a belt broke leaving a 1" raised bump around the tire and the tread had a separated reviling the steel belts in the tire.

So I guess that means the brakes work.

I tried to find out why the Limo has no heat (on the gauge or in the vents)....not that I'll need it in June but I will for the winter. Yes I will be putting miles on it soon! After a lot of mapp gas and Kano Kroil (the BEST penetrating oil ever, more on that later) The thermostat was out....this is what a 27 year old stuck thermostat looks like. Yep its factory, like the belts and hoses. :shock:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560

It went back together much easier than it came apart. Now we have heat so it smells like hot mold in the car now! :bounce: Dash gauge still dead :?: :?:

As I did this I noticed many of the wires under the hood seem to have had there insulation cracked or melted off of them. Strange, I'll be spending the day tmw replacing random under hood wires. There should be a prize for the car most likely to catch fire...we would win for sure. I'll snap some pics tmw.

Now to help all the people working on rusted piles of crap. Kano Kroil is your friend! You all should check this stuff out. Its simply the best penetrating oil there is.
http://www.kanolabs.com/
I buy it buy the gallon ($46.95)and put it in squirt bottles and its makes PB blaster look like grease. This stuff breaks free bolts you never thought would come free.

Also this week spent some time on the air bag suspension and I got pump to work by jumping some wires. Have to figure out the control box there and the million wires going to it but we have seen the shocks pump up and that was encouraging.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560


So after much deliberation I bought a set of new to us tires for the Limo. These used tire shops want stupid $$$ for old tires but after visiting many places I got a set installed for $100.

On to the story....My girl went to Toronto CA for work all week and was arriving home at the airport last night at about 11 pm. Just so happens I had the tires put on yesterday so now the Limo is mobile. I know how much she had been hating that we have a 24' long pile of crap in the driveway so......guess what I took to pick her up at the airport... :blah:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560

Think she was horrified in front of her boss when I rolled up. The laughter was a cover. The airport police did not know what to make of it, but they did tell me to get it out of there. Put her in the back and rolled off the I hear her "oh my god it smells in here" prepared for this contingency I rolled down the divider window and sprayed febreze I had brought with me. :lol:


So its running and kinda road worthy. Got a few issues but this one got me stumped. The car was sitting in the woods for the last 11 years with a window open...as you can imagine its a little wet and moldy in the thing. I have had the doors open every day it has not been raining here for a month and I think the funk inside is getting worse. Another thing that I connected today was that I have been getting shortness of breath and a cough every few days......today I was in the car for almost 2 hours and my cough and breathing was the worst ever. I think the car is poisoning me.

I read up online about the green and black mold that growing everywhere inside the thing and it can kill you. Not good. So as experienced junk car racers, have you run into this before? Should I just strip the interior and trash it? Think the seats are ok but the carpet and headliner is done!

This is a picture from a month or so ago the day we got the limo, look on the roof :blah:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560

So today I got prepared to clean out the interior of the Limo. Man it smells bad! Tyler suite, gloves and a nice new respirator. Look good don't I :bounce:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

What I found in the car was much worse than I had ever thought, sure there was the moldy carpet from the window being open and it sitting in the woods for 11 years....that I expected. What I did not expect was to find so may dead bodies!


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

Found many in this condition. What I thought was the headliner sagging as 27 year old cars will do was actually foam isolation that the mice had torn out of the seat and carried up to the headliner and built homes. Some built apartment complexes. There was millions of rat and mice ---- pelets everywhere. It was Bubonic plague central.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

Here is a condo I found over the driver seat, in the headliner.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689


The rust under the carpet was bad but no spots had it made it through, yet. Time for some paint to stop it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689



https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689


So think we need performance seats?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

Old stinky uncomfortable seat are a thing of the past. I just put my EPIC welding skillz to use and mounted these bad boys! Lumbar support finally! Something that us old people with bad backs need. Next we need to build a center console with arm rests.....any ideas?


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

AIR RIDE WOES :oops:

Trying to replace a bad relay on the air ride of my 1985 Lincoln town car. Ford does not make it any longer, so I figured a relay is a relay....not.

What is a diode doing in a relay? Below is the diagram with the relay on it and a pic of the relay where I cut it open and you can see the diode.

Why is that diode in there? Why is there a ground that is not used? So replacing this with a standard relay is not going to work. Where can I get a relay like this Ford does not make it any longer.

Tried some things...

Seems that the side of the relay that the (solid state) control unit grounds to trips the relay on. No problem. But why is there a relay between the ground trip and the power? I put a diode on this power wire and a standard 30amp relay and it burned up (see pic) the 1.5amp diode so I put three 3amp diodes in parallel and its working. Whats the operating tempature of a diode? Its 60* here and the diodes got to 140* before motor shut off because it was pumped up. That ok? Heat sink? Lots of amperage on these little pumps. Whats the downside of three 3amp diodes run like it did?

Diagram
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689
old relay,see diode
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689
1st attempt where magic smoke came out
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

Latest triple diode solution.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372689

Seems to still be working....

are those seats from an aw11? they look so familiar lol

Sub'd.

That thing screams Hantavirus!!! In high school, a friend of mine bought a 1986 Limo...I think it was? He also bought an old lincoln something with a 460 big block in it. His plans were to stuff the 460 in the limo, tub it out, and drag race it. Dumbest idea ever, cause a limo weighs most likely more than a fully loaded cummins turbo diesel quad cab dodge ram. He ended up scrapping it, cause it sat in his old chicken coupe and it became the biggest field mouse breeding factory I ever saw.
For some reason, and this must be a common limo thing...the brakes on the back of it ended up looking exactly like yours.

+1

Epic thread!

Yes sir, you have a good eye. 1985 MR2. I had one back in the day and the seats were great so I found some for this project! A little weld here and a bolt there and they fit good.

Yeah...I wanted to replace those seats but they were so comfortable I could never actually bring myself to do it.

Sub'd.

Sub'd for future awesomness

That's obvious. An appropriately sized beer cooler with an appropriately sized chair cushion, fabric of your choice, from the home decor section of Target glued to the lid.

Or, skip the cushion and get one of those coolers with the two cupholder sizded holes in the lid.

Or, or, get a smaller cushion to go behind the cupholder holes you can comfortably rest your arm while having your beverage close at hand.

Guys, this IS a limo. Think elegant, think luxary, think sexy. I say you hire a young attractive woman (preferably with an inclination towards S/M) to stand on all 4 between the seats. Maybe she can wear a leather corset with integrated cup holders?

Props Sir. CL here I come.

First off, more of hotness, please:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331372560



As to the relay with the diode in it. This is actually quite common. Beyond being an electromanget, a relay coil is also an inductor just like an ignition coil. Without boring you to death, whenever you de-energize a relay coil it tends to generate a small high-voltage spike in the reverse direction. The diode is there to sink this voltage back across the coil, thus preventing it from filtering upwards through the cars wiring and causing little electrical glitches.

Many DC relays have this built-in and don't even tell you about it.

Not sure what's up with the "solid-state" terminal on the relay. Maybe it can be ignored, maybe it can't. (I'm no Ford expert. One of the most useful things I learned about a Lincoln/Mercury's airbag suspension from my step-father was how easy it is to remove it and replace it with a standard coilover system.) Can we get a better scan of the large version of the diagram which shows what it connects to?

Worst-case, I do know that you can bypass the controller and install a manual switch to operate the pump.


Oh, and as for the headliner and whatnot? Purple tiger-stripe velour. AbeFM (formerly of MiataTurbo fame, lately dead) had a motorcycle whose seat was so upholstered:

Attachment 240061

Y'all know what this is?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1331530796

@ Gear, I believe that was one of the Cannon ball runs, right?

LOL Thanks ;)

Diodes on relays are put strategically to keep a relay from getting kept ON from the output. Your pic looks more like a capacitor.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK... dude, I seriously need to move back to Virginia. At least the end of it is down here in New Orleans... let me know what kind of support you need at the end.

At the end of the rally in New Orleans I need to fix it to the point that it will make it back to VA.....lol

I'm sure we also need another Keg by the time we get there.

So I replaced the 27 year old 65amp alt with a nice new 3G one from a Mercury Sable.....130A baby. I only did it for the extra power until I say the wiring for the old alt to the voltage reg.......WTF? How did this not catch on fire sooner?:rofl:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1332104750


Now we got the power for the TV and game systems oh yea also dual stereos front and back. Going to be sweet!


All you Virginia people know what this is! Yes it passed the state safety inspection.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1332104750

I'm assuming they didnt see the food can on the melted wires pic? :giggle:

Awesome. I love you

Can is stock, vacuum tank.

Wires........no.

Full WIN

Hahahahaha! Love these Fords. That Sable runs a 3G 160A or 130A? Just make sure to get a big ass MegaFuse on the output side of that beast. I did that upgrade to my truck, best electrical win and awesome evar!

Now you need to find headers to fit a limo ;)

SO subb'd to this now

This is going to fit excellent! Cant wait for the drunk across America trip!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1333399952

You gotta reroute a faucet to the back of the limo.

Anheuser Busch?! Come on now, show some class, its a limo! This AT LEAST deserves a keg of PBR.

This keg was just for measurements. We will vote on brand later.

So are you going to cut down a plastic garbage can for the ice tub or just throw ice in the trunk and let it auto-drain through the floor while mobile? Your car can then urinate on cars that are following. Also, that allows the "relief tube" liquids to become intermingled with the draining water and no one will be the wiser. Funnel and plastic tubing FTW. Get a bit fancy and make a little venturi and it always sucks air out of the vehicle. Keeps smell down. So I have heard.

Just talked to a friend that had a keg cooler he made out of an old fidge. He has a Co2 tank we can hook up so we will not need a tap just run lines to a tap. Yes sir!

Think I should get a gas tank door I can mount on side of car, open door pour a beer. :rofl:

What are the laws on having alcohol in the back half of a limo?

Other than VA and AL you cant have open alcohol in a Limo unless its a commercial vehicle that is in use for paying passengers. But Limo tinted windows are legal.

Can you guys set up a fake LLC rental company with the limo the only asset. Then hire it to drive you the whole way?

I think that is a great idea lars.

Also your passengers should pay in sexual favors.

I like the way you think. I'm sure insurance would have to change.

Update, after much research on what might leave us on the side of the road I found a common problem with 81-85 5.0 used in Lincolns. Other than is being a 30 year old ford that sat in the woods for 11 years.

They used a PLASTIC cam gear and it tends to explode sometimes with no warning. Nice. Now the gamble here is....in mid 85 they went back to a metal gear. So do I tear into motor that currently works fine to see if it needs to replace the plastic one or let it eat. After pricing the metal gear, chain, water pump, all gaskets for $48 shipped from Rock auto I tore it up.

Yep its plastic.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528

Going back together now...only broke 4 3 bolts and lost a few along the way not so bad.

Replaced the ugly 28 year old water pump with the squeek
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528

Now that we know its good to go I went on with the Limo into Super Wagon Theme project. Found this beauty on CL
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528


Let the Modding begin
Flippy floppies and no safety glasses always the way to go
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528

Need bigger tools
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528

Ready for it
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https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336766528

What ya think?

Where's the pool? Gotta have a pool on the back.

BBQ going in back.

Cooling system is not good. Decided to cut out the heater core and eliminate the lines to un-cramp the under hood area and found this goo in the lines, it has the consistency of gum, it not flowing anywhere any time soon. Hope the block is not filled with this crud. I have removed the t-stat and put a hose in the block and it ran black crap pit for 20 minutes. I cleaned rad as best I could. Radiator store I brought it to to see if they could flush it said if he tried cleaning it it would fall apart. So I hit it with the hose and put it back in and focused on what I could fix.

Added these sweet Home Depot hoof vents:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337397593

Here is the goo...
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337397593
Think this leaks?
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337397593

needs this (its free)

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/zip/2984454708.html

http://images.craigslist.org/5Nf5I25...a5d73c123d.jpg

Dude... I am seriously jones'ing to get back to Virginia. There is so much cool ---- I'm missing out on. Hopefully by the end of the year... or sooner... hopefully.

I will be here in town for your arrival in New Orleans. I can't offer the crew a place to stay, but you're welcome to my pad for working on the car. It's about 20 minutes from downtown, nice house, 2-car standard garage, plus huge-ass driveway and big-enough-for-limo carport with attached workshop. No welding equipment on hand, but there are about 20 shops on the highway the house sits on that do metal-work in case you need something fab'd. And I've got all the tools you'll need.

Wait whats the rusted pipe from? If its the radiator i thought u said u drove it.

you dont need a radiator to drive a car.

Exhaust crossover air pump thingie......not needed!

Excellent....I only hope it makes it that far. We prob need something by time we get there. None of us ever been to NO and our Hotel (listed below) is in the center of things. Will be a DRINKING night. You should plan to come out for a few beers that Friday night. We will be on the third theme for the car by that night.....bet you cant guess this famous wagon it will be by then...

Night 5 - New Orleans, LA
Friday, June 8

Holiday Inn New Orleans French Quarter
124 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 529-7211

I know that place well... have had several friends stay there. That location does not disappoint. I'll PM you my address...it's not "far" away, but still 20 minutes, if you need a place to work.

And yes, I'll be joining the festivities on the 8th!

Yesterday was a productive day:
Fixed idle RPM issue, now idles under 2K
Replaced older used valve cover gaskets with newer used valve cover gaskets.
Fixed detent cable, now trans and gas pedal are on same page.
Than installed the WAGON CONVERSION MOD:
we drilled some holes...
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337694658
Installed some hinges:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337694658
Installed wagon mod.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1337694658

Some say, the roof holes will leak...I say bring an umbrella.

you need flags from some poor, AIDS-infested African country on the fenders.

Rubber undercar sealant?

Well the painting had started!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338235368

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338235368

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338235368

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338235368

Kids love to paint.....anything they are not usually supposed to.

Like?

Why that color instead of black?

Must admit... I did prefer it in black. It had a blues brothers - left from the glory days - old forgotten stars - kind of charm to it. The green is a bit uber-goofy. That being said, I've never ran a b.a.b.e-rally. Maybe it is perfect for the event now.

I'm excited for pics like these :P

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338274900


Also why not add an airplane design to the front end?

http://www.airventure.de/reno2002/reno02_trophyp40.jpg

I got a WOODIE!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338301800
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338301800
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338301800
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338301800

I did not see that coming... was thinking it was going to be a "Cannonball Run" military theme like a General was inside. "Mega Family-Truckster" theme = extreme WiN!

Your neighbors must be getting tired of your shenanigans by now.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338306397

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1338306397

I love the wood paneling.