The Clock's Ticking...
"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes." H.D.Thoreau
Work done 7/12:
Welded on the shift lever (YES, reverse clears the steering wheel).
Reinstalled the gas tank (MINUS the flappy gizmo to prevent putting in diesel / leaded / whale oil / etc.) (ALSO MINUS any kind of support for the filler which would be a Good Thing to ADD).
Installed the trunk lid (MINUS a latch, hold downs, duct tape, bungee cords, zip ties, gravity enhancers, or anything to hold it closed)
Added "ZOOMIES" to the hood (It's a good thing that hole saws do not count toward the $500 limit for the car).
Ate low fat cookies.
Installed the hood - which fits amazingly well on the driver's side (<1/4" gap) and amazingly poorly on the non-driver's side (> 2" gap). (YES, the hood latch (and safety catch) worked the first time the hood was closed, and NO, there is no way to open the freaking thing after it latches.)
Installed radiator guards (guaranteed to keep dogs out).
Cleaned up the barn (YES I know there's medication for this, but you have to admit that a chuck key works better for some things than channel locks and vise grips.)
Moved 2 UPS boxes from the front porch to the kitchen table.
Sat in car and made racing engine noises after everyone else left (Wait, Wait, take that last part out).
Note: For those that didn't think this was possible, no zip ties or duct tape were used today.
Special Note: After this insanity is over. we (the team members) need to do something for our wives, girl friends, fiancés or significant others (assuming there is only one of the above per team member). Perhaps a cook out or dinner party where we do NOT talk about cars. They truly are our better halves.
7/23:
Today the silent silent partner flew in from Syracuse, NY to join the rest of the team. I am talking, of course, about Matt. To celebrate our team finally together at last, an Official LeMons dinner was held:
Matthew, since no one knows what he looks like, is the rather scruffy looking fellow on the right holding the red cup. He had been working, pre dinner. Rob, as you can probably tell, had not. And Jamie's wife, Penny, had brought Allison to eat with us. Allison had met us all before, but was still slightly frightened of us, especially me, since I smell a bit and like to curse.
From right to left: Brian's arm, Matt, Allison (though since she can't see us we can't see her), Jamie, Rob, and Penny. I am taking the picture. Food was supplied by Little Caesar's and was both Hot and Ready. There were also salad, veggies, chips and dip for the health conscious.
And, of course, tuna.
After satiating our mightly appetites, we headed barn-side to work on a few* last minute projects (*somewhere around 31 things still needing to be done). We made some progress- finished mounting the seatbelts and windshield, repaired the loose driveshaft, secured the seat permanently, replaced the plug wires, etc etc etc. So here's some pictures:
The blue stuff in the trunk is roll cage padding. So we don't bump our heads and hurt the helmet. Anthony, who arrived late, is reduced to eating pizza and beer in the barn instead of inside on the fine styrofoam plates.
We only gave Anthony one slice of pizza, but he really milked it for a long while. Since he is the most productive member of the team, we let it slide. In the roughly 38 minutes of work he put in that night, he accomplished more than the rest of us did in 3 hours. Oh, also in this picture, you can see the nice rubber strap trunklid hold-downs. Now the corpses in the trunk will be secure and hidden from view. Phew.
The hood doesn't latch quite right, but a few quick blows from a sledgehammer should solve that. We really like the black dog-cage grate across the grill, so much so that I think more of it is scheduled to go across the old headlamp openings. This will prevent large objects from entering and possibly damaging a precious $68 tire. You can also see the zoomies that Brian added, though you can see them BETTER in the picture below:
These are not only decorative and look mean, but also functional, in that they should allow the engine to cool somewhat through the hood.
So that's it for now. We leave for the race Friday morning. Between now and then there's only the following to do:
1) Put the shine in the freezer in my kitchen ASAP.
2) Grind welds
3) Paint any bare metal on roll cage, including mounting pads (rustoleum in metal cabinet in workshop)
4) Make sure the driveshaft bushings are dealt with
5) Check fitment of seatbelts, tighten fasteners.
6) Fit up seat cover(s)
7) Install nut on steering wheel (I probably have several, or just steal the one from the wagon)
8) Remove tach and bracket from wagon and install in racer.
9) Attach temp gauge (that loose gauge flopping around in the race car) to something metal, for ground. Make sure its visible to the driver
10) Add exhaust clamps
11) Make sure we have 20 lug nuts.
12) Finish grilles on headlights.
13) Install padding, zippie tie (make sure we have EXTRA padding for Jamie
14) Cover all exposed sharp metal edges AT LEAST with duct tape.
15) Add rubber bumpers to trunk lid
16) Work on mounting for cell phone/ radio – possibly use cross bar that runs under front lip of seat?
17) IF there is time- might be a good idea to put 1 or 2 sheets of that rubber under the seat- between the seat and the rails it is bolted to. For vibration damping AND to raise the seat slightly.
18) Wrap center of steering wheel and spokes with rubber/ foam/ something soft and taped.
19) Apply posters/ demotivators with glue. WAIT for glue to dry before sealing with clear spray.
20) Apply racing product (summit, Wesco, IPD) stickers. They make us faster.
21) Bed in pads.
22) Break in tires
23) Install bung for O2 sensor.
24) Eat tuna
25) Sacrifice VCH to the god of LeMons
26) Say incantation
27) Drink beer
28) install ignition switch
29) FLush radiator
30) Battery hold down
31) Wire from generator to battery
Tech inspection is Friday, and the race commences Saturday around noon. Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw, SC is ground zero.
See you all on race day!
--VCH, over and out
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