Life With Two B13s - SE-R Stage Rally Build & More!

sethmeister4 wrote: Man I love this thread! It got even better when you said Nova Scotia... I grew up there and can't wait to see some pics if/when you get up there!

I love Nova Scotia! Took a week-long motorcycle trip there last summer and absolutely love everything about it! I would love to travel over there for some of the event's I've heard about in the area.

Amazing thread. Keep it coming

Thanks!

Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, excellent things continue to happen.

You sir are doing things right.

Some pictures disappeared. Will fix soon!

Since there's a bit of a blank-period right now while Raven's getting the roll cage welded, I may as well use this same thread to highlight other projects of mine.

A while back, I finally picked up a bike I've wanted for years. I've been actively / passively searching Craigslist for a long time waiting to find one, but they always get snapped up by people that want to flip them for quick profit. When I sold Jade, the green 200SX SE-R for $750 earlier this year, two days later this CT70 popped up for exactly $750 - the money didn't even have time to leave my wallet! It was meant to be.

I got it running and quasi-legal to ride around for the summer. Thankfully in my state, since it's a 1972 I don't need to install turn signals.

To get it road-legal, I needed to install a 6V taillight assembly, install a speedometer and get the front brakes working. It was the P-O's around-the-yard toy so he never bothered with any of that.

I threw the license plate on the CT70, half-assed the old mirror off my Speed Triple, crossed my fingers and went on the maiden voyage. It handled a 35-mile loop like a champ! It was pretty slow, of course, and I had some more bugs to work out but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a massive smile on my face the ENTIRE time. This is definitely not a bike for those who shun attention - countless people took photos or recorded video with their smartphones, thumbs-ups, cheers and general good vibes all around. This is one fun little bike for buzzing around town.

I even did some light trail-riding with it, which it handled like a champ!

Video: A friend of mine, brand new to bikes, tries taking it for a spin and then I take it around! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InnS2OlMYfA

I installed a new rear sprocket to get more top-speed which made it much more usable for day-to-day riding. Took it down to Laconia Motorcycle Week (I live right in town there) several times and it was a huge hit with people of all ages.

I continued to enjoy the bike until the previous owner's awful wiring gave out and left the engine without spark. I created a game plan for what I wanted to do with the bike, but I left it parked for a couple months as I tackled more important projects.

As of right now, I have pulled the motor and have the bike stripped down and ready for upgrading. I removed all the horribly-done wiring as well, as a much better 12V electrical system is on the to-do list.

Winter checklist - -140cc CDI engine with 12V wiring (Honda, Lifan or Piranha)

-Some semi-slick scooter tires as I see it becoming more of a mini Supermoto than an off-road bike. Not enough trails to legally ride around here anyway.

Cool little bike.

We had a CT70 when I was a kid. My brother and I rode the piss out of it.

They are tough little buggers. Our's was red.

Bitchin projects all around. Thanks for sharing. I,m smiling just looking at the 70.

Two RallyCross events for The Bastard, THREE trophies for The Bastard! I'll explain.

I set off for Ludlow, Vermont on Saturday afternoon to head to one of my favorite RallyCross sites of the year. It's right up the road from Okemo, or what I've come to call the Okemo Hillclimb course. The site we use is an uphill gravel lot, which means lots of high-speed slalom action on loose gravel. It's a ton of fun, short runs but lots of them!

I ran Modified RWD again, a class which continues to grow larger and more well-represented with each passing event. I was really excited when a Toyota AE86 rally car, full roll-cage and all, arrived. As I told the driver, I was happily prepared to get my ass handed to me by that car.

However, things did not go to plan in that regard as the AE86 developed issues with the hydraulic clutch lines after just one run - I guess it sprung a leak somewhere. I finished a run and was heading back to grid when I noticed the car on jack-stands. When it was apparent it could not be fixed to complete the event, I offered him to use my car for the day.

Like most people, I love AE86s!

RWD continually proves to be an absolute riot! I was not expecting to win here, I won at Cummington in the loose stuff but lightweight and horsepower are much more important at Okemo - two things my 318ti is seriously lacking. But, it's such an amazing little car and it's a genuine blast to drive. I believe I had the lowest horsepower in the class, but the welded differential and excellent handling more than makes up for it!

I ended up pulling past the turbocharged Merkur on the final run of the day and won my second RWD event, two-for-two wins so far! The AE86 Rallyist continued to use my car for the day and took third place. I've now had experience in loose-surface racing in FWD, AWD and RWD and they're all incredibly fun in their own way. Hanging it all out in a RWD has to be some of the biggest grin-inducing driving I've had in a while, especially for lower-speed motorsports like SCCA RallyCross.

I have my bus tickets ready for next weekend to head down and pick up Raven. She's just about done!

Meanwhile, from all parts of the country, numerous boxes containing great things are en-route to a waiting CT70.

One of those boxes came in today, this one rivaling the size of the bike itself! It's the new Piranha 140cc engine - although only a part of the project at hand, I couldn't resist doing a test-fit of the new engine. "Like a glove!"

Got this message from my friend doing the roll cage. This time next week, I'll have her back!

I also just put brand new front suspension on the CT70 with a disc-brake conversion, along with new rear shocks. With the 140cc, this thing will be a riot!

I've enjoyed reading about your success. When I saw this in the latest issue I thought of you.

f6sk wrote: I've enjoyed reading about your success. When I saw this in the latest issue I thought of you.

Man, that looks REALLY COOL! I genuinely need to get involved with this!

Also, some better photos of the current stage of the CT70 140cc Supermoto build!

I am running those same forks on my CT70. I upgraded to the CHP 1 piece 12in rim so I could run tubeless tires. I posted a build in the sprocket section if you want to check it out.

Raven is back and better than ever!

I now understand the excitement people have when getting their finished car back on shows like Pimp My Ride and Overhaulin', but even better because Rallycar. This is fantastic! Another huge thanks to David for a job well done! He was also in contact with a man that does Rally America logbooking to make sure the cage is in compliance. I'll have all winter to do any other mechanical preparations, and if I play my cards right I'll have a season of Hillclimb next year along with Empire State Performance Rally (tarmac Stage Rally) if I succeed in getting the car prepared and logbooked in time, and / or a gravel Stage Rally at another point in the year.

Some on-ramp carving shows the massive improvement in chassis strength. It'll improve performance if I'm driving well, and it will thoroughly protect me if I'm not. Another step closer to Stage Rally and Hillclimb!

Roll-cage is painted!

Raven's going in the garage this weekend. I have a prep checklist along with printouts for Rally America Logbook requirements and NASA RallySport rules and regulations. Empire State Performance Rally is April 25-26, 2015; Let's make this happen.

Raven's officially inside! Now it's time to get to work. Mechanically, there actually isn't too much to do for the time being. Probably just new struts, if not just new springs and strut-tops. I'm considering converting the car to the better NX2000 brakes, which is reportedly a pretty simple swap since the rotors and calipers are compatible. Other than that, it's just safety-related stuff. FIA racing seats, harnesses, etc.

I'm going to try to find some second-hand seats first, but will just go new otherwise as Sparco Sprint 5 racing seats are pretty reasonably priced. I was pretty excited to find this complete set of brand new seats with 6-point harnesses and mounts for $1000, an amazing deal until I noticed the posting was from 2009!

Have you had the car logbooked yet

I haven't seen a car built without an X doorbar in a while for rally.

BTW - I read your list. You have to disable the steering lock so that it doesn't lock on stage. There have been situations where the rough roads on rallies have caused the steering to lock up on cars.

NGTD wrote: Have you had the car logbooked yet I haven't seen a car built without an X doorbar in a while for rally. BTW - I read your list. You have to disable the steering lock so that it doesn't lock on stage. There have been situations where the rough roads on rallies have caused the steering to lock up on cars.

The car will not be logbooked until spring, but my friend that built the rollcage was in contact with a man that does Rally America Logbooking during the build, who approved this design on his previous cars. The design in my car improves on his previous work, so all the better!

Sorry about the misunderstanding regarding my list - I am actually fully aware of why the steering lock needs to be disabled along with all other rules / regulations, but as you can see the list isn't written in too serious of tone.

Also, I reckon fresh suspension is in order. I love these cars, 5:25 and all four struts were out - the car was still on the ground at 4:40.

I had some problems in my world of cars and had decided to wait to update on here until I got everything sorted out. It was sorted out quickly but I forgot to update!

The BMW's gone. In early December I noticed two major coolant spots underneath the car, and determined that the two remaining plastic coolant connectors had sprung leaks - just as I had been warned about on this thread! My B13 Rally Car was already fully disassembled and on jack-stands and that's my one spot in the garage, so I had to tackle my repair attempt outside in arctic-cold conditions.

The repair took quite some time due to having to remove the upper and lower intake manifolds, which also involves removing the fuel injectors and disconnecting several hard-to-reach connections on the "Wiring Squid" which routes through the lower intake manifold. I tackled it over the course of a few days, a few hours here and there when there was daylight left after getting home from work. Installed the new fittings, put everything back together. Refilled the coolant, and started the car to start bleeding the cooling system. BOOM! The new Block Cooling Connector explodes in a cloud of steam and the engine dies. Suddenly there's an oil slick underneath the car as well.

I realize that I don't have time for this right now. If it had been the beginning of summer, I could simply work on replacing the engine and ride my motorcycle to work, or drive the B13. My decision to sell the BMW seems to have been a good choice, as we've been experiencing the most brutal Northeast winter in years.

I'll own another RWD car someday, but it will more than likely be a Nissan. The BMW was fun while it lasted!

As I was sorting out the logistics nightmare the BMW created, suddenly I was contacted by one of my racing idols. I had met him a few years ago and we became friends through our love of old-school Nissans, particularly older Sentras and SE-Rs. He had a very interesting offer for me, the most prized SE-R he owned. Apparently he had been debating offering it to me for a long time, but couldn't bring himself to because it's his best one. He wouldn't sell it to anyone else, he said, "You're the guy for the car. If you want it, it's yours!"

Needless to say, that didn't take much thought. When one of your idols offers you an exquisitely-maintained example of your favorite car, you don't refuse.

I took a bus out to New York, bought my new B13 and made the five-hour trip back home with no problems at all.

The car's absolutely gorgeous. 94k original miles, rust-free and the cleanest SE-R I've ever seen in person. It's currently proven itself as the reliable, practical and fun car that is exactly why I love B13s so much. I immediately detailed the car and applied a liberal amount of Fluid Film to start its winter duty. I'm so excited to get it all detailed and cleaned up again in the spring! My intention is to stay on top of any developing rust and use the car for year-round enjoyment for the foreseeable future alongside my B13 rally car.

I don't intend to RallyCross this new SE-R year-round, it's just too clean and tidy to thrash around in the gravel. This one will enjoy Autocross, and perhaps Track Days and Hilclimb, alongside AMEC Ice Racing (The car won two AMEC Championships with its previous owner), IceCross and snow RallyCross events.

For that purpose, the car has proven itself to be every bit as good as Raven!

I went down to Stafford Springs Connecticut with only the intention of helping to run the event, but a healthy influx of snow just before the event began convinced me to run! What an absolute blast, and I also put in some of the fastest times for the event! Won both competition days and the cumulative Snowdown Champion prize as well!

I also did a second RallyCross at Canaan NH where I set the fastest overall time for the event!

My current plan is to head out to Lake George this coming weekend for another AMEC Ice Race, my first one since 2013! My new '93 SE-R has won two Championships in the SL class with its previous owner, so I don't have any excuse to not do well! At least I already know how these wonderful little cars behave on the ice.

Life with two B13s is excellent! Great work in progress with Raven (my original '91 becoming a Stage Rally / Hillclimb car), will update with that progress soon!

I had an awesome time ice racing this past Saturday and Sunday at the Lake George Winter Carnival!

I have two videos, a full compilation and a quick clip.

B13 Ice Drift clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo_qSvSmMac

Lake George Weekend full cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YITHnnlQFM

I went out with two of my friends and we had an absolute blast! The greatest part was the final heat of Saturday. Gridded a few cars back, I fought through to the Porsche 924S in first place, and him and I had a flat-out, bumper-to-bumper match for the entire race as we left the rest of the field behind. The crowds were literally going nuts, seems we put on quite a show! I couldn't execute a clean pass on the excellent Porsche driver, but we had the most exhilarating and sporting battle - the most fun I've ever had racing. I feel absolutely amazing! Lots of compliments from the 924 driver, who said our battle brought back memories of racing Mike Kamm. Figures, it's his old car! The same thing happened on the final heat on Sunday, ending up with a side-by-side Photo Finish between me and the 924 driver! Too many different opinions on finish position made it too close to call, but it was the very definition of a perfect weekend.

As it turns out, the previous owner of the car and I have a lot in common far as driving style is concerned!

The Discovery Channel was there filming all weekend and asked to take a ride with me during Sunday's Practice Heat. Can't wait to see if everything makes the cut!

Bit of an incident on Heat 2 on Sunday! The white Mazda MX6 and one of the Saabs were getting a little heated and I let them by. I considered backing off because I anticipated a "moment" happening shortly, but I was having fun and decided to stay with them. Coming through the high speed left-hander after the start/finish, a last-ditch effort to overtake caused them both to collide HARD and go spinning in front of me. I was presented with two choices: T-Bone the Mazda at 50mph or go into the snowbank. I chose wisely, and thankfully my car rode up on top of the snowbank. A few organizers later approached me to mention how impressed they were with my reaction. The other drivers were okay and I was happy to not have my precious car totaled, and after being towed down and clearing the snow out of my front suspension, it was no worse for wear!

AMEC is hands-down the best bang-for-buck racing around, arguably in the country but at very least the best on the East Coast!

Nice update. Was just thinking of this thread, as I just crewed last weekend at the STPR Winter Rally in PA for Ozgur Simsek's stage rally SE-R. Was running fast, but bowed out to engine failure (probably a spun bearing, for the third year in a row at this event).

The SR20 is such a stout little engine, I can't figure out why I hear so much about spun bearings and other catastrophic failures with them in motorsport. I'm wondering if it mainly comes down to the issues with the water pumps at high RPM, since they redline at 7500rpm but the OEM water pump tends to cavitate above 6500rpm. Stock they hit peak power at 6400 and I find everything above that is just noise, so I rarely find myself above that mark. The previous owner of my '93 exercised the same diligence with his various SE-Rs and never had a problem.

I think the best answer with a stock SR20 is to either shift at peak-power, or run underdrive pulleys if regularly topping out in 5th gear.

Bubs wrote: The SR20 is such a stout little engine, I can't figure out why I hear so much about spun bearings and other catastrophic failures with them in motorsport. I'm wondering if it mainly comes down to the issues with the water pumps at high RPM, since they redline at 7500rpm but the OEM water pump tends to cavitate above 6500rpm. Stock they hit peak power at 6400 and I find everything above that is just noise, so I rarely find myself above that mark. The previous owner of my '93 exercised the same diligence with his various SE-Rs and never had a problem. I think the best answer with a stock SR20 is to either shift at peak-power, or run underdrive pulleys if regularly topping out in 5th gear.

Not sure in our case. The engine he is using is a JDM engine, so I assume there are some differences. I know jack about Sentras though...I'm on the crew to deal with the rally e30 they have, lol.

That was fast!

I have a JDM engine in the '91 ex-DD Stage Rally car and have been really happy with it! I wish I were on the West Coast so I could go pick up another one for $500 right now just to have around for both of my B13s. No significant difference on the JDM engines except for lack of EGR on the intake manifold and no o2-sensor bung on the exhaust manifold (if it comes with one).

If it comes up in conversation sometime, ask the driver if they were running it near redline or if they tend to shift at peak-power. I'm just curious because the information I can get from that might save my ass someday if it's more than just a random failure.

Had another RallyCross at the same site in Canaan NH! The site-owner is very accommodating to us and I'm really looking forward to this being a regular venue for us.

I ran in Exhibition this time for a couple of reasons, one of which being a sprained wrist. The site behaved just as it did last time, first runs being the fastest and getting slower over the course of the day as the ice gets polished off. It's an Ice Race with elevation changes! I slowed way down in the afternoon as my wrist started killing me, but it was still a great time! -18F outside at time of arrival in the morning, looking forward to warmer weather!