The Plymford

In reply to nocones :

Supposedly, aluminum.  And I can, in fact, attest to the fact that they are not magnetic.  

We've had fairly good luck with these spacers.  The only two failures I can recall, one was due to using the incorrect mounting nuts to attach it to the axle.  We used smaller nuts, which concentrated the force on the spacer, causing it to eventually crack and the wheel to fall off.  Once we identified the issue, we use the correct, larger nuts now.

The second failure, this one, was probably due to using old lug nus and/or hurriedly jamming them on and off with an impact, thus stripping the threads and breaking the stud.  I replaced all lug nuts this time with brand new- and made sure they were intended for use with the new aluminum wheels.  

I sent you a PM the other day about Volvo parts. Did you receive it? If not PM me, I need some 122/1800S parts that I suspect you have.

In reply to TurnerX19 :  Got it, reply sent.

Exciting stuff, new race tires!  On the right, the old rollers, on 16" wheels.  On the left, the new rubber, sitting on 17's.  The larger diameter will help slightly with our gearing, which ended up being a little bit short (3.50 ratio).  The poor 460 runs out of steam much over 110mph. 

The tiniest Tunachuckers, like all children, LOVE stickers!  They love looking at them, they love sticking them on stuff, they love taking them off things, they love licking them...they were more than happy to help by removing them from the BF Goodriches.  I don't know where they ended up, but I'm sure I'll eventually find out...

In reply to volvoclearinghouse : Cute kid!  
  Ummm you're willing to trade off acceleration for more top speed?  

I'm pretty sure the 460 makes the plymford traction limited so a little less torque to the rear wheels isn't a bad thing. But also, spinning a few less RPM each lap would be great on the engine, especially when races are 14.5 hours long.

In reply to buzzboy :

Exactly. On a test drive recently, I gave part throttle in the middle of a turn and broke the rear end loose, easily. It will do a burnout from rest- and the chunk is equipped with limited slip. This ain't no high-revving Yur-up-een engine. This is a big block Murican mill. 

One week till the race!  Getting exciting!  It's been 2-1/2 years since the first (and only, so far) outing of the Plymford.  Pretty excited, and nervous.  Since that time, LeMons mandated a fire suppression system, so I knocked that off the list the other day.  Mounted the bottle, the nozzles, plumbed the lines and routed the pull cables.  Job...done.

And discovered a problem with the front right rotor:

Luckily, the NAPA got me a new rotor, seals, and bearings in that same day.  We'd already replaced the driver's side rotor a few races back for similar cracking.  It still looked good, no heat checking even.  I believe at the point when we replaced that rotor was right around the time we upgraded the rear brakes from drum to disc.  We noted exceptionally better stopping after doing so, so I suspect that took some of the "load" off the front brakes.  Hopefully we won't have any more disc problems.

Count Crackula:

I got cracking on this around the crack of dust the other night, and now we have new, crack-less rotors.  Will need to get some heat cycles on these before the race.

The last time we raced Plymford, it was the 10 year anniversary of our first LeMons race at CMP.  It was also the the 10 year anniversary of Judge Phil's first race at CMP, as judge.  One of the other teams, I believe it was Duff Beer, made these cool stencils, which we proudly displayed on the C pillars.

Unfortunately, as you can see, the rest of the paint on the car was...abysmal.  As some have pointed out, it sure is a "look", and that look is "I bashed this together just in time to make the race, with the singular goal being just getting it done."  Some have "suggested", "recommended", or even "encouraged" that I do something about the aesthetics of Plymford.  I was hesitant.  The bodged-together appearance gave the car presence, and once covered up, it would be gone forever.  The crackling roof.  The flappy wheel gouges where metal was cleaned off for welding.  The flaking bondo, and crusty oxidation.  Everything just so perfectly imperfect...

Oh, what the hell.

Lower your expectations...

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

Rule of thumb, if you want to show off all the body work flaws paint it a dark color. ( Black shows the worst but is easiest to retouch ).  
 Light shows the least but  is hardest to match. 

I have seen the result. Many have questioned my esthetics over the years. More may do so soon, but I like it.

Taking care of a few niggling issues on Plymford now...nothing super critical, thank goodness.  Those last-hour wrench-a-thons to replace a transmission, fix a leaking engine block, or whatnot, are a lot of fun...in memory. 

New brake pads were needed in back.  Huzzah for rear disc brakes that actually...brake!

The livery transformation process is fascinating.  And maddening.  The entire roof had to be stripped, the paint was so cracked and flaking.  I believe that was factory original 1950 paint on there. 

Primer the Plymford prodigiously.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

While you're losing the shabby chic look you are gaining an appreciation for the great lines you created. 

I love this car. That is all. 

frenchyd said:

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

While you're losing the shabby chic look you are gaining an appreciation for the great lines you created. 

Thank you, and yes, you're right, the car is really "popping" now with some uniform color on it.  Somewhere in this thread a couple of years back one insightful soul recommended I at least touch up the existing paint scheme, for that exact reason.  It sometimes takes me a while to come around. 

And on your earlier point about dark & light colors, there's also a third factor to consider: the color that Mrs. VCH and the little VCHs want the car painted. 

My vote is the previous black body and white roof.

Or metal flake lime green 

volvoclearinghouse said:

Thank you, and yes, you're right, the car is really "popping" now with some uniform color on it.  Somewhere in this thread a couple of years back one insightful soul recommended I at least touch up the existing paint scheme, for that exact reason.  It sometimes takes me a while to come around. 

And on your earlier point about dark & light colors, there's also a third factor to consider: the color that Mrs. VCH and the little VCHs want the car painted. 

man, now I feel kinda ashamed about the muppetsmobile reference I made recently

still looking forward to how this turned out

What is that little green-ish coupe with no doors?

Watching to see where you take this car's paint.

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

What is that little green-ish coupe with no doors?

The one in the garage?  That's a Volvo 122.  I have...further plans for it...

Might want to adjust your monitor, however.  It's primer gray. 

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

"man, now I feel kinda ashamed about the muppetsmobile reference I made recently"

Naw, it's all good.  We're just having fun here, clearly.  All suggestions are good ones. 

Well, _most_ suggestions.  Except the ones that suck. 

Priming for greatness!

Man, there sure was a lot of crappy paint/ rust/ old bondo on this pile.

Some may question the sanity of a man who actually de-trims, rather than masks, for a LeMons car.  Frankly, I find masking irritating and try to do it only when removal of said trim is going to be _more_ irritating. Fortunately, most of that stuff on Plymford is bolted on pretty simply.  As for the trunk handle, the bolts were rusted in place, so I punted on there and called in the Blue Tape.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

Now you have me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what color MRS VCH and the little VCH's selected. 

Since we haven't raced this fine mo-sheen in a couple of years, the 5 point harness was out of date.  New harness: Acquired.

And the priming continues...

My son is really excited...because he knows what color it is to become!

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

Psssst.  Jr VCH  tell your old buddy what color dad bought.  
Anything to do with the color of the new seatbelt?  

If my kid got to choose, the whole car would be the color of the new harness.

I hope that is where this is going.