Klasik-69

I don't want to hear any crap about rain. Don't even say that four letter word. Ok, are allowed to drive in our bathing suits ? I hate friggin rain, that's all we've been getting here in Florida, every day huge downpours with lightning. The thought of driving 1200 miles to an event to experience the same thing is depressing. I'll bring vodka, it makes problems go away.

I ran into this with my Zetec 2.0L. Running ITB's and using a Pectel T2 ECM. Once I got into the nuts & bolts of this, it all made sense. Two important aspects of tuning are the fuel maps and ignition maps. I used a local dyno shop. We ran for about 2 1/2 hours on the dyno. I was on the laptop, the dyno shop owner was on the dyno computer and his helper ran the car. We did run after run looking at AFR, adjusting for each rpm grouping for the fuel maps. Following that, we did the ignition. He charged me about $260 for the dyno & his time. Now I know how to tune it so I can make changes as I need, and I didn't lose my shirt doing it. A lot of this has to do with how accessible your ECM is

Pain killers ? Croc, are you OK ? Are they giving you pain killers in anticipation of our arrival? If so, I would think Vodka would handle the task. All kidding aside, you OK ?

The email was sent around June 6th and had three attachments, one was a Word doc giving a three or four page rundown with driving directions, the second was a two page PDF file of the track maps, and the third was an Excel file with the day's schedule of track activity. If anyone can't retrieve that email, send me a PM and I'll forward it to you. Mike

Did you check the input on the transmission to make sure nothing popped out ? Power to the gauge doesn't mean the gauge is getting any signal.

While watching the F1 race just held in Montreal, I saw the Renault powered Caterham spin out & heard the commentary of how dismal that team had performed this year. That made me wonder about the joint Alpine venture. Now I know. I don't think Caterham has the funds to do these kind of projects.

Most tracks have 24 hour security so leaving cars at the track paddock area is never an issue. If weather is a concern, bring a tarp to cover the areas of concern using rope or bungie cords. I don't have any concerns leaving my car & trailer there. As usual, everyone in this group is gracious to help wherever and whenever needed.

EvilRomeo, I have a VIP suite at the track I was going to use just to relax in since we have a room at the Fairfield. I only have it for Thurs thru Sat. If you like that I'll let you have it. It runs about $109/night.

Thanks for the explanation. I find the fees very reasonable and this whole thing sounds like one giant bunch of fun. Credit goes to Tom & Mike who have spent countless hours organizing this event. It appears to be very well organized down to the smallest detail & will be remembered as one great event. I hope that Shane's daughter has a complete recovery but if he can't make it, it is certainly understandable. A better resolution would be to see him and the entire family with great big smiles on their faces at our event.

Got the email & related attachments. I see 4 run groups. Prior discussion left me to think we would all be out together at one time. Apparently this has changed unless we are all in all 4 run groups which doesn't seem likely since the track is live at 9 am and there is novice drivers meeting at 9 am. I like the idea of spreading out the track with smaller run groups but was wondering if this is really what us happening. Are we paying for two or three track days? Karting on day 3 is separate but are we required to pay for track day on Sunday in addition ? Also I assume the $25 guest fee applies for both track days but does it apply for Sunday as well? Yeah, I know, lots of questions. Sorry.

I've been away for a short while and just read of your ordeal. Yes, your family is in our thoughts and prayers. I would go bonkers if I had such a situation with one of my kids or grandkids. I can see how important it is for you to remain strong and in control to prevail in this ordeal. I would not be thinking of the NJMP event while dealing with this but if you can make the trip, it means your 8 year old daughter is well and progressing out of this dilemna and all is happy and well. So I sincerely hope to see you there with your entire family smiling and happy, and we'll be happy with you. Best of luck to you in dealing with this. I know luck won't enter the equation but it can't hurt either.

I'm seriously thinking of adding a Stalker to my little collection so please post some more pictures. The back of this one looks radical, diabolical and just plain no-nonsense "get the hell out of my way" attitude. I'm liking the white too.

Can't thank you enough for everything you're doing to bring this event to fruition. I know how much work this can be and it is overwhelming.

"Owner said he put $30K in the motor"........Really ? A Cosworth 295 HP engine is available for about $18K but the owner opted to spend $12k more for 25 HP less. Maybe I'm overlooking something here, like the $30K included the transmission, a ECU . Jon @ Caterham USA is very capable but I'd want to see the dyno sheet which is claimed to be included on the listing but I couldn't find it. At first it looks like he is selling the car then he claims he's selling it for a friend for health reasons........too much baggage here.

For any of you traveling from the south, I was able to confirm that the Cape May Lewes Ferry does allow truck and trailer combos. This takes you from the northern end of Delaware to the southern tip of NJ and is a fantastic ride. Also, the ride through Delaware coming up from Norfolk is very picturesque, not to mention the awesome bay bridge/tunnel linking Norfolk to Maryland and Delaware. AND, the best part of this you avoid all the traffic mess of DC, Baltimore and Philly. Cost on the Ferry one way with a truck and trailer combo 35 feet to 45 feet in combined length is $58. My truck and open car trailer measures 43 feet. If you have an enclosed trailer which is longer, the price for the next size of 45 feet to 60 feet jumps to $71 each way.:driving: I'm getting excited just thinking about this event.

Trust me, I'm not worried. How fast can you go with four plug wires cut while dragging my F-150 around the track ? I'm more worried about Kitcat and Yellowss7 running me over while trying to set a new track record, and having Croc video taping the tragedy. Trust me, with a brand new paint job, I WILL YIELD.

No, why have to change. Delete the battery, add cable, deal is done. I use the Tweco connectors on the cable, work great and since my truck is running while I'm doing this, I don't have to worry about the battery running out of juice before the job is finished. The 12 VDC tongue jacks or so cheap that it really isn't worth doing the hand crank unless you need additional excercise. As to July, you will get your revenge with that overpowered storker once on the track to humiliate me into a fit of tears. Don't you hate to see a grown man cry ?:willy_nilly:

Please forgive me, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but having a battery in the trailer is just another headache as to cost, maintenance, charging, etc. With that in mind, I ran a welding cable to the back of my truck from the truck's battery and used a quick connect connector to hook up to the trailer(s). My big enclosed trailer has a 5000 lb built in winch and the tongue is equipped with a power lift jack. The Jack uses a separate winch type two wire connector which I have the truck also wired in. So nobody can easily steal the trailer since they can operate the electric tongue jack. My open car trailer has a 3750 lb Warn winch which also uses the same connector on a welding cable. And since I have a lot of current power at the back of my truck with the welding cable, I installed a 2000 Watt power inverter in the back so I can run a/c tools like drills, impacts, etc. For a compressor, I have a commercial duty high volume 12 VDC compressor back there as well to air up whatever I need, including truck tires. No solar panel, no extra battery, no worry about maintaining, charging or cleaning the battery, and built-in security that once the tongue of the big trailer is up, nobody can easily lower it onto their hitch. The open car trailer has a manual tongue jack so I have to use a case hardened hitch lock but I will eventually put an electric tongue jack there as well. If your truck runs, so does your battery.

My setup on my Zetec has a hose that runs to a transducer mounted to the back of the alternator which is equipped with the sending unit for the gauge. I checked this with a mechanical gauge and it s quite accurate and very consistent, although it shows in bar readings vs psi. 1 bar = 14.7 psi. Mine is about 10 years old and works quite well.

I've been running 0W-40 Mobil 1 race oil which is a little different than regular Mobil 1. The "0" rating is ideal for cold start up which is when you encounter the most wear and tear. I spoke with Neil Harvey of Formula 1 legend (he built my 800 hp Porsche 962 race engine) on oil & he told me the greatest wear point is in the valve train upon start up. He said use a low W oil for that reason, reduces wear & increases engine life. He also advises cranking the engine w/o ignition first to build up oil pressure, the flipping on the ignition & fuel ignition. My Porsche is set up that way from his setup so I made the Caterham do likewise.

Well I'm keeping the on track suite as a convenient cooling off place and even maybe a good place for a little nap. The fact that it's on the other track makes little difference to me. I think you're right about the wives going to the stores vs the track, at least mine will. At this stage of the game, what's another $400.

I just decided to give John @ Quantum Mechanics a call to see if he got my email and he had not. He says he can build the transmission I need and get the right gears from the UK to get me my ratios. I would rather deal with a USA source than shop overseas if it's possible. I know most of you guys speak very highly of him so we'll see if it works out.

My original tranny expert ended up fixing his mistake and got it back together so it appears to shift into all gears properly. However, today will be the first test drive if I finish hooking everything back up. Right now I'm in the process of buying a spare tranny. John @ Quantum Mechanics didn't respond on supplying one so I'm dealing with Paul @ First Motion in jolly ole England. For a beefed up and modified gear ratio T9, price will be about $2750 delivered to my door plus and import duty fees. I think that's a great idea and have kept my VIP suite at the track after reading your suggestion. I know my wife doesn't much care for public restrooms. Years ago, we were traveling from Ft. Myers to Miami thru the everglades and stopped at every bathroom we could find at every gas station along the way and NONE were acceptable. Well traveling thru the everglades doesn't exactly open up opportunities like the Ritz Carlton, more like John's Fish Camp. She'd walk in one and right back out, so we had our first real big marriage stress test that day. She forgave me for some of the things I had said under duress, like "you're lucky there's not an alligator in there so be thankful, or if you really have to take a P%$#, don't look at the seat". Occasionally, she reminds me how cruel I was that day.:ack:

You guys have saved my marriage. I just booked the Fairfield Marriott tonight. I'm glad you guys chimed in on the VIP Suites or I would have been in a bind. Put the engine and tranny back in the car tonight & should be able to test drive it tomorrow after chasing one or more coolant hose leaks. I put silicon hoses on the car & the thin wall nature of these hoses make clamping a challenge. Ok, I give up, what is that 12 hole contraption above. It looks like a flux capacitor or the main drive in my wife's mixer. Whatever it is, I know it's illegal, possibly evil too.

Are you talking about the VIP suites ? If so, that is what I rented. You say "bare bones".......can you elaborate on that ? If it's a dump, I need to know before getting there or my wife and I may not celebrate a 46th anniversary, if you know what I mean. It's bad enough I drag my wife to the track, but if I stick her in a dump, my life will quickly change as I know it.