85 Days to go

I don't get to visit very often now. New position.. more hours. Blah, blah, blah.... Could not help noticing the lack of chatter among my beloved Challenged brethren. So I thought I would kick the pile and see how everyone is doing.

We are into day 9 of our new build. We have a Z together and I am not happy with it. Fun to drive, but when it launches, there are funky things happening with the IRS. We have run 1.56 second 60 foot times with street tires, a trans with 1.76 first gear and a 3.54 final gear. What is scaring me is the 9 degrees of toe change during the launch. It will be seen in the future. But....for now....my oldest expressed an interest in building a car. We can't build "his" desired 32 Ford Roadster..so we talked about what he would like to do. Guess what... the apple didn't roll far from the tree.... the boy has a sick appreciation for ridiculous V8 transplants like the old man. It will be a challenge to get everything done, but WOW!! has it been great having the whole family out in the garage beating and banging on our Challenge Mutant.

So...

Tap, tap tap....attention Challengers.....let's make some noise.

BTW, Not as Angry as I used to be P (NAAAIUTBP), your mutant looks awesome Dude.

There are reasons IRS cars are not great drag cars but stellar handling machines Andrew, those are still pretty impressive numbers for an OLD IRS design.

I can't wait to see what you two do.

My challenge progress is more pitiful than a pitiful thing that is very pitiful... ...but i am making progress. I've been fighting electrical gremlins since the last challenge. overcharging, undercharging, blowing fuses, eating regulators, killing batteries, making stupid mistakes,etc. I think i've pretty much got that stuff licked. Currently, I'm worried about the unkown custom ECU calibration that came w/ the car. However, Chryco @ Carlisle is this weekend and hopefully i can get the vendor to ID this ecu or buy a stocker to replace it.

Now all i need is some tuning time. the car isn't street legal, so quick blasts around the block w/ one eye on the boost gauge, egt, volt meter, etc and one eye looking out for cops is what i'm dealing with.

I've finally got another tow vehicle, so the GLH should be making at least one trip to the strip and one autocross (hopefully more!) between now and the Challenge. With any luck i'll get some of the kinks out. Oh, and i've got a line on 4 DOT-R tires for $60 to replace the set i destroyed during my towing debacle last year.

And in regards to Andy's post, having recently paid a visit to casa-del-wheels777, i've got a couple of guesses as to what might show up. Guess #1 is very old and of German origin. Guess #2 is very old and of Detroit origin. Both were nothing more than shells when i was there 1 month ago....

-Mike K

Three of the four corners on the AWD Tracer are finished, for all intents and purposes. As soon as I get the axle issue fixed on the front right, it'll be time for a quick test drive. I'm still missing a drive shaft too. As soon as that all checks out, it'll be time for the turbo and paint. Sounds simple enough.....right.

You have got to remove the "T" from the logos on that car.

Last weekend I had four days off in a row. My brick sidewalk is now finished, all 85 feet of it. I stripped, pointed up and repainted a two story chimney, planted frikkin tomatoes, pulled weeds, halfass stained the deck and then got to stack some firewood.

As I head to the garage for a beer because I'm sweating like a whore in church, Honey says "I'm glad you don't have any car projects this year".

#%$motherfatherchinesedentist&^#^%(())@Berkeley &%*)%%

John Brown wrote: There are reasons IRS cars are not great drag cars but stellar handling machines Andrew, those are still pretty impressive numbers for an OLD IRS design. I can't wait to see what you two do.

John, John, John Quasi NoShow...you're alive and picking. If you only knew the half of it on the IRS. Had to split and reweld the mustache bar and raise the back up 1 1/8". Cut and replaced the spring lower mount. Replaced the upper isolator with a front isolator. Limited the total travel so that the axle and matching flanges would not travel past 8 degrees. Intergrated 4 (count them....4) safety loops. Changed the pinion angle 4 degrees. Need I continue.... I hate this thing. With the right first gear it should go into the 1.4's with the street tires. But that will have to wait....the boy wanted to do something special.

BTW, problemaddict, 9 days ago it was still a shell.

Did Sean talk to you about what I talked to him about?

John Brown wrote: Did Sean talk to you about what I talked to him about?

What... NoShow...nahhh....that is just assumed.

I know what the Nelsons are building! Prepare to have the bar raised yet again!

wheels777 wrote:

John Brown wrote: Did Sean talk to you about what I talked to him about?

What... NoShow...nahhh....that is just assumed.

Better chance of me going to 09 than 08 ;) you know how it is.

Hey all first off let me say that I have seen the new Nelson Ride and well, we are all screwed! This car will be awesome!!!

AngryCorvair wrote: I know what the Nelsons are building! Prepare to have the bar raised yet again!

I've seen a bit or two of it myself....it should be fun ;)

I'm coming to this challenge for two reason.

1.) I'm determined to do something hella cool with the car that I planned on doing since I bought it.

2.) This one's important. I'm coming to see what kind of demons all y'all will release on the citizens of the state of Florida.

I'm not bringing anything super-competitive, but I'm bringing something. Just the Miata. It's been done since, well, a month after LAST year's challenge. I'll put a new top on it with a bit of the budget I have left over, gut the heck out of her, and blast down there. I'm super-duper excited.

I'll see you guys then.

Now that a few people have their registrations in, we've updated the challenge page with an entrant list, and you should start seeing a new feature -- build diaries on their profile pages.

Thanks for reminding me.

My car is no where near ready. The engine is still in pieces, the body work isn't finished, the car still has to be wired, and the suspension work done.

That looks bad doesn't it.

Tim Baxter wrote: Now that a few people have their registrations in, we've updated the challenge page with an entrant list, and you should start seeing a new feature -- build diaries on their profile pages.

Challenge page? Do tell Great Baxter type Dude. Link us to all things challenged.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2008-challenge/

Wheels, what kind of street tires do you have that turn 1.5 second short times? I need me a pair of them.

hrdlydangerous wrote: Wheels, what kind of street tires do you have that turn 1.5 second short times? I need me a pair of them.

Mickey Thompson. They are ET Streets or Drag Radials. I have to check. I do remember that they are MTs and they are steel belted.

We ran the ghia at its first autocross two weeks ago and are going to our first show this Saturday.

Hey Ratghia, did you get the word you've got a build diary for that Ghia now? Check your profile.

Hey Andy! How's the family? I was thinking about your eldest the other day. Everything good? I can't wait to see you down there this year. I'm just bringing my daily driver this year to compete in. It won't be competitive by a long shot but I'm looking forward to it, nonetheless. As far as project all I've managed to do is add some oil and replace some burnt out headlights. =P Waiting for the funds to be able to get to the you pull it and get some parts. LOL I know, sad isn't it?

chknhwk wrote: Hey Andy! How's the family? I was thinking about your eldest the other day. Everything good? I can't wait to see you down there this year. I'm just bringing my daily driver this year to compete in. It won't be competitive by a long shot but I'm looking forward to it, nonetheless. As far as project all I've managed to do is add some oil and replace some burnt out headlights. =P Waiting for the funds to be able to get to the you pull it and get some parts. LOL I know, sad isn't it?

Hey John, great to hear from you. I am really pumped to hear you are going to join in the mayhem this year. You won't be disappointed. How is your new home? The boy is good. No hospitals in 86 days (yes, I still count each day), but we did have a scare this weekend. Everything passed without incident. When will we see you in PA again?

I'll be there for sure! Not sure what I'm bringing yet, whether it be the '91 325i or a reconditioned Challenge veteran Rabbit. With all the work I've been doing to the house and other people's cars, I don't think the Scirocco is going to make it.

I can't wait to see the new Nelson ride, and I also can't help but feel somewhat responsible. I seem to turn people to the dark side on a regular basis. Oh yeah, I think I have something for you Andy.