2022 Challenge parking lot build, AW11 edition. Challenge virgin, total hack mechanic. Anyone in?

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

(Edit: Not all of the pics made it into the quote.  it If you want to see all of them go back a page )

​​​​​​​Quoted to get the pics on this page.

The one motor mount I can see looks ooooold. I would at least aim for a factory replacement of all of them. Not sure if the people who race those want to chime in with better options.

Questions to get me started:

1) Do you have pics or more details of the shock spring setup?

2) Is it running the stock fuel tank?

If so:

A) what fuel pump is it using?

B) how long has the fuel been in there? 

C) Is it currently missing the fuel filter? ( there are two lines disconnected against the picture towards the front of the engine bay from below)

3) Edit: LOL-this was shock setup again.

4) Is there a muffler that comes with it? It looks like the stock manifold is there but I don't see any pipe under the engine in the lower shots or anything from the rear shot of the whole car. 

5) any vids of it on track to see its general behavior? Any descriptions from people who spent time driving it? 

6) Tell me about the brakes.

7) build date and miles/sessions/hours on those tires?

I don't know if it's a problem with AW11s, but AE92s (which have the same powertrain) have floppy and fragile engine mounts that would do well to be replaced with solid material.

I got mine modified with solid rubber pucks in place of the original material. Vibrates quite a bit near idle, but they'd be on the luxurious side for a dedicated race car.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

So, 2 important questions.

1. Is this build happening at the hotel parking lot or the newly minted camping area at the track?
2. Since this build is for endurance racing, are you also planning to do the grm track day at the firm on the following Monday?

Track day???  Didn't know anything about it.  Interested.  I'd like to get one track day shake down too before Road Atlanta.

MrJoshua said:

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

(Edit: Not all of the pics made it into the quote.  it If you want to see all of them go back a page )

Quoted to get the pics on this page.

The one motor mount I can see looks ooooold. I would at least aim for a factory replacement of all of them. Not sure if the people who race those want to chime in with better options.

Questions to get me started:

1) Do you have pics or more details of the shock spring setup?

2) Is it running the stock fuel tank?

If so:

A) what fuel pump is it using?

B) how long has the fuel been in there? 

C) Is it currently missing the fuel filter? ( there are two lines disconnected against the picture towards the front of the engine bay from below)

3) Edit: LOL-this was shock setup again.

4) Is there a muffler that comes with it? It looks like the stock manifold is there but I don't see any pipe under the engine in the lower shots or anything from the rear shot of the whole car. 

5) any vids of it on track to see its general behavior? Any descriptions from people who spent time driving it? 

6) Tell me about the brakes.

7) build date and miles/sessions/hours on those tires?

I will get more pictures of the shocks and springs.  I'm also going to ask the PO

Fuel system is stock.  Pretty sure the pump is OEM.  I believe fuel to be 7 months old, but will confirm.  Will also ask about the fuel filter

There are so many bins and boxes of parts.  I haven't had time to even look at them and inventory them.  Will do so within the next week or two

I will ask about any videos.  I'm sure I can get descriptions from PO, he raced it for 5 years

Brakes are stock rotors and calipers, I forget the pad compound he is using

The car was built in 2017 and has been running since.  Appears to have roughly 10-12 races under its' belt.  I will ask about tires, but they all have mid-late 2020 date codes and look to have good tread on them.  I haven't taken a hard and close look, but will soon.

Hope these pictures help some.  I'll inventory parts and then we can start putting together a plan for what parts I need to buy in advance of bringing it there.

Steve, check with Pagel on that seat, I'm pretty sure those are not kosher as the headrest is really flimsy and can be bent back with your bare hand.  Fitting a new seat is not quick to get right. 

Good catch Sonic!  In the tech inspections I've done with Dale, if the headrest is flimsy you need a brace behind it.  I'd rather not do that, as the seat needs to slide back and forth fairly easily.  I'll start looking into that, as the seat is rather important....

I texted with the PO last night.  He read through this thread and here are some more answers.

Brakes are purely stock, with Hawk pads.  Will check those to see if anything needs replacing.  Our team runs Porterfield pads typically.

Fuel has been in car since July 2021.  We will drain and replace.  The disconnected lines at the front of the engine bay are the old heater lines.

Yes, the muffler is with the car, in the parts that came with it.  The tires only have one race on them, in July 2021.

Link to the shocks on it... https://www.amazon.com/Godspeed-MonoMAXX-Coilover-Lowering-Adjustable/dp/B07J2VS5JX

Video of the car racing...vroom vroom

I don't think the year old fuel is a problem, just fill it up with fresh to mix.  
 

we usually run Raybestos ST43, we just buy them from Porterfield.  
 

I would reconnect the heater if possible, defroster is nice for racing in the rain. 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

So, 2 important questions.

1. Is this build happening at the hotel parking lot or the newly minted camping area at the track?
2. Since this build is for endurance racing, are you also planning to do the grm track day at the firm on the following Monday?

Track day???  Didn't know anything about it.  Interested.  I'd like to get one track day shake down too before Road Atlanta.

Thread here:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/2000-challenge/post-challenge-firm-track-day-interested/191644/page1/

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

Good catch Sonic!  In the tech inspections I've done with Dale, if the headrest is flimsy you need a brace behind it.  I'd rather not do that, as the seat needs to slide back and forth fairly easily.  I'll start looking into that, as the seat is rather important....

I texted with the PO last night.  He read through this thread and here are some more answers.

Brakes are purely stock, with Hawk pads.  Will check those to see if anything needs replacing.  Our team runs Porterfield pads typically.

Fuel has been in car since July 2021.  We will drain and replace.  The disconnected lines at the front of the engine bay are the old heater lines.

Yes, the muffler is with the car, in the parts that came with it.  The tires only have one race on them, in July 2021.

Link to the shocks on it... https://www.amazon.com/Godspeed-MonoMAXX-Coilover-Lowering-Adjustable/dp/B07J2VS5JX

Video of the car racing...vroom vroom

How do you like the handling in the video? Is it benign enough for your teammates at the race in December? If so then we are set for suspension. We just have to adjust as needed for the events. I would check to see if the brake compound is too road race biased to be autocross friendly. I know one of the rear calipers is hard to find so it would be nice to source spares from your parts bin or elsewhere for the future. It made me very happy to see it humming along on a race track. I was sad to see it out accelerated by pretty much everything out there. 

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

1. Is this build happening at the hotel parking lot or the newly minted camping area at the track?

Waiting on this as well. Was planning on camping, but getting involved in the parking lot build could change that.

Can't wait for the year we have dueling camping vs. hotel builds.

From what I've seen of the video (I need to sit down and watch it in its' entirety) I was pleased with what I saw.  It seems well balanced.  I don't mind having a different set of pads for autox, or messing with alignment specs, those are very easy to replace and adjust.

Yeah, the lack of power kinda sucks.  Then again, my full time Lemons ride weighs 2800lbs and probably doesn't even have 200hp.  We get walked by so many cars on the straights, yet we consistently finish top 10 over and over.  I'd love to see if we can figure out a way to get moar powar but don't want to do anything drastic.

You guys will have to tell me where to do the build.  I don't have any experience at the Challenge.  I think that's one of the things I need help with...getting the group organized and figuring out who is doing what, etc...  Since I'm not a mechanic AND have never been to the Challenge I truly don't know what I don't know.  The only thing I know is that I want to have fun, meet awesome people, get my hands dirty and come away with a strong running car.  Oh...and I'll tell ya'll now, I'm very much not a late night owl, so hopefully we won't have to go late into the night because I'll be passed out somewhere in the drivers' seat, LOL.  

Probably best to keep the PLB at the hotel - power at the campsite is by generator only, access to running water may be...more distant at best, and camping will be possible on all 3 days while parking lot build day is only 1 day (and 1 morning if things go wrong). If you need to run to a shop for anything, the hotel is also closer.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

I was pleased with what I saw.  It seems well balanced. 

 I'd love to see if we can figure out a way to get moar powar but don't want to do anything drastic.

Oh...and I'll tell ya'll now, I'm very much not a late night owl, so hopefully we won't have to go late into the night because I'll be passed out somewhere in the drivers' seat, LOL.  

1) It looked good to me as well. 

2) Drastic, off the wall, unreasonable, you name it we can do it. 

3) You might need a nap spot. You have one of those go anywhere hammocks you strap to a tree? Late night is just getting started for a parking lot build.

I would personally say work at the hotel. There is a great spot at the back of the lot that is right in the mix, paved, places to run an extension cord, an exit up the interstate from a parts store, < 2miles from my house, <15 miles from my parts car, etc..

It will go later than planned.  Plan on it. 
 

I can bring the hoist and might be helpful.  I'm not interested in being in charge of all of this though.

I'm always in for helping anyway that I can, even if it isn't too terribly much. Probably owe you one (or two) and I should have plenty of opportunity to be useful. 

My plan was to spectate this year; getting there early and leaving late is my typical routine. Of course, with no budget restrictions I might just enter a Tesla Plaid or something...

Fortunately, all of my years of experience at the challenge means i know where all of the local parts stores are at, where to find decent food to feed the group and I excel at keeping everyone hydrated. I'm a hack mechanic, too, but never hesitate to get my hands dirty.

I'll stay posted on the thread and try to fit in wherever I can contribute.

I posted in the For Sale section, but wanted to bring it up here.  Anyone in the Springfield MO area?  There's a running/driving AW11 up there for cheap.  If it's got a solid 4AGE that we can verify runs well....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2268095540012924/?ref=product_details&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks

Any way we can get a compression test on MrJoshua's motor?  That still seems like the move to me.

I don't disagree, and if a compression test can be done that's awesome.  Just given the scarcity of the 4AGE, if I can get another one that runs well it can't be a bad thing.

Well, my flights are booked so- where are we?  We have an engine?  Do we need a "refresh parts" shopping list?

On the previous PLBMR2, the split into "teams" worked extremely well.  Here's a rough breakdown for what this car should need:

A- Engine drop team: remove old engine from car.  Merge with B.  Move relevant parts over to new engine and put it in the car.

B- New engine team: change timing belt/water pump/plugs/clutch on new engine.  Merge with A.  Move relevant parts over from old engine and put it in the car.

C- Car team: check over everything on the vehicle, change stuff like brake pads and misc items that are found to be questionable.

I was on A last time and would like to be again.  Obviously a good prior shopping list is important.  SKJSS, with your permission I'll turn my first post in this thread into the organization post for this stuff.

Who wants to do what?  Who has the engine hoist?  Who just wants to drink beer and eat pizza while everyone else works?

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

I'm good at beer and pizza but even better with whiskey. 

I was actually just going to bring this thread back up on Monday...I'm travelling to Chicago this weekend for a Lemons race (Autobahn Raceway).  I believe MrJoshua has a 4AGE.  I'm still looking for another good one, but haven't had much luck.  I'd love to put another much more common engine in the car, but my understanding is that takes far too much work.  I like the plug and play idea for now.  

Just give me a shopping list of what I need to buy.  The car is actually still sitting at the shop, but I plan to bring it home next week.  I'll photo and inventory the parts. 

As I've said, my mechanical skills suck but I am ready and anxious to get myself dirty.  I'll do whatever, even if it's the grimy clean up work.  You guys with slick mechanical skills amaze me!  I ran the Lemons race last weekend in CT.  Our car exploded the transmission early Saturday afternoon.  Two of our team members did the work and had the car back on track before before checkered flag at 6pm.  Amazing!!

Tell me what you guys want for food/drink.  I don't drink, so I'll be having caffeine free diet Coke, but will supply whatever we decide.  I'll hang in there as late as I can with ya'll, but if I drift off to sleep, throw a water pump or something at me....

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Yes, absolutely feel free to create an organization post.  This is all uncharted territory for me, so I'm not sure what to expect or how it'll work best.  I'll follow the lead of the experts.

Engine refresh/prep list:

• Oil change
• Timing belt kit
• Plugs/wires/cap/rotor
• Water pump

"While you're in there" list:

• Clutch kit
• Motor mounts
• Fuel filter
• Intake/exhaust gaskets if we need to move those over from engine to engine
• Any hoses/cables that look questionable currently

Deja vu.

Gonna pass this time. Last one burned me up.

Ill be a cheerleader.