Ready and Waiting!

[avgjoe]

Front End Upgrade .... Check
Trick FLow H/C/I: ..... Check
Dyno: ..................... Check
Logbook: ................ Check
Comp School: .......... Check
First Race: ............. Check

[FFRSpec72]

Dyno results?

Good luck !

[avgjoe]

Thanks.

288/282. Not good, but something to work on. Right now my focus is on Comp School and getting used to the car. Inch by inch.

Joe

[mhoward1]

Good luck and have fun on Friday. Comp school is serious but it can also be a lot of fun. Especially the first mock races.

[FFRSpec72]

How did things go over the weekend?

[avgjoe]

Overall, it went pretty well for me. Passed Comp School and got 1 race signed off in my provisional book.

Near the end of the first session on Friday (WIND, sleet/rain all day but at least it was cloudy) the car dies like some one hit the kill switch. Jumped it for the second session and ran fine all day long. Missed a shift a few times; 1st instead of 3rd .

Saturday: warm up was fine, for qualifying it popped out if second a few times for the race it wouldn't stay in second so just kept it in 3rd hoping to finish. Well it popped out of third and had a floppy shifter. #%*^@! I thought that I had made it half way for credit for the race but afterward found out I was one lap short of half. #%*^@! Saturday evening the FFR family lent me a trans and helped me put it in.

Sunday: warm up went fine, qualifying was fine, race was fine until it wasn't. Sputtered coming out of a turn and wouldn't re-fire. Hmmm. I put 5 gal in before the race so I knew I was good on fuel. Only missed the checkers by 2 laps. Looked at it for a little last night and I get no fuel pressure when I turn Ign on.

The racing is WAYYYYYY more intense than HPDE or TT. Did I say WAYYYYYY? I started out about 16 seconds behind the fastest FFR on Saturday morning and got to within just over 7 by the race on Sunday. In due time.

All the trials and tribulations to get it to the track quickly faded away. A huge thank you to Brian, the Wellinghoffs, the Riggens and the rest of the Challenge Series family and the NASA Midwest & Great Lakes family for helping to get me to this point! I could not have done this without the help of Lyle and Julie and of course my wife.

Joe

[FFRSpec72]

Did you find out what was what with the T5? Also if you have a new style rectangular Fuel Safe cell make sure you pull the pump and check the connection line between the pump and the fittings at the top of the cell as they use a non submersible quality line that rots after about 2 years and will give you fuel issues.

Glad to hear you got at least 1 race in.

[avgjoe]

Re-certed the bladder last year and made sure to get the correct submersible type hose and put in a new pump. No click or fuel pump wirrrr when I turn on the ign. I hope it's just a relay. Trying to sort out wiring; it's a painless harness I believe and I'm drawing my own diagram as I go. FUN. T5 is to be determined and probably the typical 3rd gear broke syndrome; the input and output shaft like to point to the sky at the same time.

[mhoward1]

At one time last year I thought I had lost my T5 WC as well. But it turns out that a bad clutch and a worn out throwout bearing can cause the same symptoms. It will especially pop out badly in third gear.

[David Hodgkins]

Great Thread!

I'm pulling for you Joe. Sounds like you're still having a TON of fun, even with the "teething" issues.

[avgjoe]

Marty: Sitting on the ground the trans won't go into 3rd.

David: Ya, that's why they call it an addiction . Yep, .......

[EBarnes]

Right behind you Joe!

I picked up my car end of March. 2,400 mi round trip to a very wet Plymouth MA, in 57.5 hours. Then I had a family emergency that took a couple weeks away... Car is all upgraded except for the engine, and proper rear brake pads. New clutch too! Jim Schenk helped Bob (Kay) with the set up before I got it. It has a new fuel cell too, with the pickup hose replaced. ;-)

Now attempting to plan my first HPDE, and I need to install a separate seat and harness (borrowing one from my coupe). Hoping to attend the May CMP NASA event, but we'll see.



Eric

[mhoward1]

I plan to debute the "new" car at CMP as well. Let's make sure to hook up and hang out while we are there.

[avgjoe]

Eric: have a blast doing HPDE! Remember to focus on having fun, it's easy to focus on other stuff.

In other news, dead fuel pump.

[mhoward1]

Bummer on the fuel pump.