Lets try again
Now that then engine is installed, it’s time to try this new suspension again. I had made one other modification to the suspension after the engine blew. On these cars, the rear wheels toe in from the factory quite a bit. The only way to fix it is to bend the rear beam. Along with a few other guys, I had a fellow, Steve Foltz, fly in from Colorado. Steve has a rig that will bend the beam so it’s straight.
I signed up for the SCCA PDX at Summit’s Shenandoah circuit. I took Friday off to get some last minute things done to the car. The alternator had been found to be not working after the engine installation, so I swapped it out with the extra I had that came with the used engine. I went over the car again to make sure all the little details had been covered, and to make sure nothing would fall off.
As I headed out for the track Saturday morning, the weather forcast didn’t look good. A tropical storm (former hurrican Hanna) was coming up the coast, and it looked like it would be a rain event. I wasn’t too worried as tracking a car in the rain was kind of fun, you really get to see if you are smooth. I had some street tires with plenty of tread, so I was okay.
I got there and switched the race tires for the street tires. When I was checking the suspension as I always do, I noticed a wiggle in the front end. It seems the nut that holds the shocks in place was loose. This has become a reoccuring problem, and I have to check it before each session.
We get through the classroom “chalk” talk, I step outside and it’s raining pretty good now. My turn comes up and I take to the track. With the exception of the last session the day goes like this, car won’t turn, windows fog, and I am for the first time scared on the track. The tires weren’t up to the task, and the handling stunk. At least I wasn’t the only one with problems, a civic spun in front of me on the first lap of the first session, and several cars ended up off track, one even hit a barrier.
I kept the car on the pavement, and the last session was pretty good as the rain had let up a bunch, but I learned nothing about the suspension AGAIN!
I am signed up for the NASA event in 2 weeks, hope it doesn’t rain.