A look at my venture into motorsports. Laughing is not only encouraged, it's inevitable!
The Roadster Gallery - The full pictorial documentation of the roadster saga...
Latest Happenings...
- Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Sept 8-11, 2011
well I was there and things were cooking. Made my personal best lap time of 2:57. Also my first time under 3:00 at RA. But then in Saturday morning qualifying, the camshaft broke, ending the weekend. But once again met a lot of great people, neat cars and had a lot of fun. Had supper with John Morton who was the grand marshal for the weekend, helped replace a Lotus Elite rear end, and so much more. Now to decide what to do for next year.
Pictures and some short video clips at ELVF-2011.
- Blackhawk Vintage festival is OFF
'Nuff said. May visit or work it Saturday though.
- Spring Vintage wrap-up - May 13-15, 2011
Another less than satisfying outing. Weather was the worst I have raced in. Cold, fog, rain, wind; everything short of hail; and we almost had that. Car was running fast, but little foibles plagued every session. From a bad fuel pressure regulator setting left over from testing to a thrown fan belt, missed shifts, bent pushrods, to blown rad hose. But when it was going, it was going strong. So at least I have some optimism for the next event. Some pics and vids in The Roadster Gallery and my YouTube Channel.
Everything is progressing fine. I plan to arrive in Elkhart Lake Thursday May 13th to get set up. Mostly early morning sessions. I plan to paddock along the main road into the paddock at the bottom of the hill. Come out and check it out. Lots of great cars and people.
My tentative schedule is as follows:
Fri
8:00 Qualifying 1
11:20 Qualifying 2
maybe some track touring after 12:15 driver's meeting.
Sat
9:40 Qualifying 3
12:00-1:00 Touring
2:00 Qualifying Race
6:00 Off-track party, perhaps some time in Elkhart too
Sun
10:30 Feature Race
12:00-1:00 Touring
- My Updated 2011 Schedule is here!
- 2010 VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Update
Another grueling race weekend. Engine hot, low oil pressures. Bottom end apart a couple times. Eventually drops valve guides in cyls 1 & 2. Back to the ranch Sat night to replace head. Back up on Sun early AM and make the races. Full gory details at The Roadster Racing Site. Some pics and vids on JakeNet.
- NEXT EVENT! - Sept 9-12 2010 @ Road America
It's the always fun VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival at Road America. Lots of extra events and goings-on this year. One interesting twist is a Le Mans style start for the group 1 race. ya know, run across the track, hop into the car, start it and take off!
- Vintage GP of Mid-Ohio - June 24-27, 2010
The official detailed write-up can be found at The Roadster Racing Site. My pictures and short vids in my Roadster Gallery A grueling and semi-successful weekend. Many issues were overcome,but many more still to sort out. I guess you just can't throw an unknown engine into a car and think it's going to work. I knew I'd have issues, just not the kind and number I did. More work to do to get ready for VSCDA Fall Vintage at Road America.
- June 23, 2010
Get it in, but with a 'jerry rigged' pilot bearing. Find one on Wednesday, take out engine replace pilot bearing, put engine back in and hook it up. All done and running by 9:00pm. Leave for Ohio at 11:45pm
- June 20, 2010
Found a "fresh rebuild" race engine in Portage. Make the drive and retrieve it. Fire drill to get it in, and car ready to go.
- June 2010
The Test n Tune was a flop. Engine suffered the same fate as build #1. Must be something in the block. Back to square one. Debating what I should do for the Mid-Ohio Vintage race. Skip it or put in the stock engine a limp in....
- May 2010
The rebuild is complete and ready to go in. Hope to get it in this week (17-22). I have changed the engine color to black as that is what JK said Sharp used. Lookin' nice. Plan is to run it for a while, then change oil; a couple rounds of that. I'm looking to do a test 'n tune June 11 @ BFR. Here's to it! Hopefully some pics later.
- January 2010
The rebuild begins. Removed head, looks OK, cylinders look OK. From past expooration, rod bearings are bad, but rods should be OK. Removed #2 bearing cap, crank is scratched. So looks like crank and rods refresh, new bearings and a good cleaning and reassembly should do it. I'd really like to get going on it, but the turbo on the Subie just gave up, a week before I was going to sell it. I'll try a bearing rebuild on it as it isn't real far gone. This summer will have a lot of time spent helping the parents move out of their house. But time away from racer... again\, and probably no time to squeeze in the reassembly of the Harley Topper. I REALLY NEED to get racing this year. I fear if I don't it will be too late.
- Later that month...
Sad results. I make only a lap and a half and the engine is having troubles. Worked fiendishly all day, but in the end, it was discovered that I had flipped the oil pump gasket upon assembly, thus blocking a majority of the oil flow. Hindsight IS 20/20, as as I reflect on some of the startup issues we had, it was avoidable had reason prevailed.
But Tim P convinced me to put the old engine back in, then came from Madison and lent some muscle. In the end, the roadster made it to Fall Vintage at RA, just not on the track.
- September 2009
It's together, it drives and it's goin' racin'. Test & Tune day Saturday Sept 5 @ the historic Milwaukee Mile! The weekend following it's on the the Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Thurs Sept 10 thru Sun Sept 13. Woo Hoo!! All thanks go to Bill Wessel for everything he's done for me. I'll never be able to repay him, but I'll keep trying!!
- July 2009
 New engine together and in, most accessories on, just a few more tidbits to go. Aiming to race in the Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival in September. Lots of tuning to go though.
More pictures
Some progress, some fun
- October 2008
Stumbled upon two '66 roadsters, one all there with fresh 2L/5spd (SU), one very parts car, filled with boxes of parts. Needs some hydraulic work, then we'll see how she goes.
More pictures
- September 2008
Made the Midwest RoadTrippers Fall Mississippi run. Joined one guy in Milw, then out to Madison/Belleville to meet some more, then some real fun driving to Dodgeville. Said goodbyes and came home, the rest went on to the Mighty Miss. Great to see and meet some new roadster fanatics. A number of road stories were generated! PS: The engine build is back on (when I get some time!)
More pictures
- September 2008
Got the graphics together and on. See the Roadster Gallery for the latest pics. Names could be a bit bigger, but I am ecstatic about the 33's. I think they are an absolutely fabulously accurate repro of the original. Still no race engine. Will be missing the Fall Vintage race. Looks like no racing at all this year. At least I've been able to drive it on the street a bit.
A New, New Beginning
- January 2008
After last season's frustrations, A fellow roadster racer has convinced me I need to build a real race engine - 12:1, cam, real header, things like aluminum, titanium, lottomoneyum. But what the heck, why not? So the chase begins to about double the power, and hopefully build a chassis that can handle it. Oh, I mean double it to 120hp! Parts are being sourced, and we can hopefully get it up early to mid summer.
Track Time
- Sept. 15-18 - Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival w/VSCDA
I have never had so much fun, and yet been so frustrated as I was this weekend. I met more new people, and had more laughs this weekend than I have in all my previous year's racing combined. I have also never been so frustrated with a car's performance. (OK the Mid-Ohio brake debacle probably). But the car just had no top end power, and though I could keep up / make up ground in the corners, I just waved (literally) as they passed me back on the straight. A couple videos here.
- August 22, 2007 - First Track Outing
After a lot of work, carb rework, ignition troubleshooting and replacement, etc,I get the car out for some serious track time. More troubles with the fuel cell connections, etc, but I get in a lot of track time, and the car holds up very well. Fun and easy to drive. Special thanks to my pit neighbors with the Z's who loaned me one-way valve to stop fuel spilling out of my cell, and generally kept me up and going. More pictures...
The Vintage Venture Begins
- April 2007 - A new race car enters the fold
 While looking around for a vintage Datsun 510 or 240z (missed a good one), I run across an ad for a Datsun 1600 Roadster. It had been raced for the last ten years off and on. Never thought I would go open-top, but here I am. Still streetable, and very fun on the street, it is in good shape, with a bit of mechanical updating required. Let the work begin! More pictures...
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