tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13599117701764622512024-03-05T08:02:25.251-08:00Pandamonium Racinga panda never forgetslazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-10302796100307607322012-06-24T20:45:00.002-07:002012-06-24T22:35:41.943-07:00time to spin things up againI posted some pics of the new car over at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pandamonium-Racing/250270025028465">the Pandamonium Racing FB page</a>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-82518936388634551962011-10-17T23:11:00.000-07:002011-10-17T23:24:39.762-07:00So long, and thanks for all the black flagsIt was bound to happen sooner or later.<br /><br />Ling Ling is sold.<div><br /></div><div>On Saturday, I did one last minute fix to remove the thread chaser that was stuck in the rear hub (leftover from the ridiculous rear wheel bearing job in the Reno paddock):<br /><center><table style="text-align: left;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L1OaPjauRHOeyuY5ZG4WLcXTVzgSFcRH-SyawsWQn3U?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs1lBS5t5GAVWSgfeXlscWZkyAY9-IaPt4qWrQ26z6d1ETEMjK-uVYSYL3NY1T2-JP1RRyF00-OQaLCnbhvtlMbyATqkUSXdjKfbT6KNo03-CvUGrHRrLosNSC_oduY1cH9zKZayWEyja/s144/Skitched-image0.png" height="84" width="144" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="text-align: left;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iha74DtfAaqB3_mw0zhT5sXTVzgSFcRH-SyawsWQn3U?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCA9NRAltMpn8Bkl2EU_eRz25S40h6-7GDlsnjozpkeWWnpyLaimTFbg1HcIUrgpBAbx-NShXIrZAEN2Lc37o7X2G0UyIvhRFFlO2n3pWU6djFbp-cpuSAn95AFfepL5IYRYG6r4ziMEm/s144/Skitched-image1.png" height="86" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/raulmazda/PandamoniumRacing?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKfIjcPrpbyA1wE&feat=embedwebsite">Pandamonium Racing</a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>then I put Ling Ling on the new owners' trailer:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc7Qrpz2m06WYDEt6mj26NJCBUqYM5rTTqc1_mm_q_073g5XZIGOJRQgkvEKGWRGNxOi43XLrhQvTycwkEw-dhK6tRvrdnCgSYLSX87B_gqNY5jpU6lzBObztea6Od2CovxB-an3uBwbi/s1600/331047_10150413920484066_676339065_10060533_1064880796_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc7Qrpz2m06WYDEt6mj26NJCBUqYM5rTTqc1_mm_q_073g5XZIGOJRQgkvEKGWRGNxOi43XLrhQvTycwkEw-dhK6tRvrdnCgSYLSX87B_gqNY5jpU6lzBObztea6Od2CovxB-an3uBwbi/s320/331047_10150413920484066_676339065_10060533_1064880796_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664712388918670338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 191px; " /></a></div><div><div>(I kept the license plate)<br /><br />And they took her away. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad to see her go.<br /><br />But on the bright side, she's destined for more LeMons glory with a different team and theme. You can follow her new escapades at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/clowntownroadshow">https://www.facebook.com/clowntownroadshow</a>, I know I will :)</div></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-72190591859258111192011-05-14T20:21:00.001-07:002011-05-15T03:28:19.175-07:00Work continues into the night<div><p>Two separate parts runs later, new halfshafts and wheel bearings. The passenger side one proves recalcitrant.</p>
<p>The sun's going down. While we've been beating on the halfshafts, a second alternator replacement appears to have fixed the charge issues - once again 14v to the battery, rather than the 7-11v we were seeing earlier. If we're lucky, and if we ever get the bearing out, the lights might work.</p>
<p>Update:<br>
With a hell of a lot of help - including borrowed tools, slide hammer, bearing press, and the manager of the local autozone - they got the old bearing out and a new one in. Now we're left extracting the random taps, etc stuck in the hub. (There's a thread tap stuck in one of the lug stud holes.) And wrestling the second halfshaft in. Etc. One thing after another at this point. We'll see.</p>
<p>Update #2 - 3:23am:<br>
Car back on track as of 1:30am. Ryan driving. It's down to Doug and me awake on the crew as of now, though I did just wake up Andy (next driver) to get him used to hardship.</p>
<p>Ryan got black flagged for passing under a yellow flag (huge tow truck parade just now) and got off with us bringing coffee to the judges, but just got flagged again. Damn.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5HWxG5npSBMfEO5rfH97ZmLQ7tAK8YpUO9YNxz94SrLFCVp9jpwZBg5x3rbVHncxACCICgitkgNMeyCaWfa6gP8xkLdYLYHMUhYe3NnqaDn-5QgkmJf2rajlFah6UPSn7S1OFiEHHh7U/' /></div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-35786712535003594512011-05-14T15:46:00.001-07:002011-05-14T15:46:15.009-07:00Losses to date<div><p>- charging system, despite a rockstar quick alternator replacement<br>
- possibly the clutch<br>
- super busted rear halfshaft (now replaced)<br>
- two batteries (courtesy of the busted charging system)</p>
<p>Also the CO alarm in the RV came on? Just one of those races.</p>
<p>It's hazy and windy out here and the action is set to go all night. We need to sort out the charging issues, though.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUThpvrETWzlA86nUesJrvxPIJtFScZrm_Yi-3gNVGMxrFdzr3VYsCJofz-PNBHEY11bBJU5g_RRmQzuGgJS8mM8k0O6cipzn5upSM-ww6ykB5r2lxNn7LrpCrW6qEdZFZH_5a5iklxIR/' /></div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-91022774147530975572011-05-14T11:44:00.001-07:002011-05-14T11:44:27.555-07:00Midmorning<div><p>Hour and a half, and half a tank of gas into the race. We only nearly lost one wheel. Car is running well.</p>
<p>The Porsche crew beside us have been in three times so far with a fuel leak, out of a damaged filler vent line.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52S1g9ovjbvYUyPAAy9TVUQQ2grUYj0LlEi6HZxN3YJePKRandhA3LFG_yFzlCCI9VPG029n5kV1DVM8FhAVswRBJc90LwsD1LbjJ8A5Pjm-Asre3UzJqB8JX4tgK4EioRYCgkXC9GS9w/' /></div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-26859825316356003182011-05-14T10:50:00.001-07:002011-05-14T10:50:43.779-07:0024 hours of reno fernley<div><p>At the end of the test night we got in some track time with the lights, and immediately discovered that something about the bright hella lights made ling ling's electrical system sad. The lights went dim and she eventually stalled.</p>
<p>The radiator fan motor cooked nice and toasty, and the battery had drained stone dead. We poked around and picked up parts, but didn't find a root cause.</p>
<p>The race is on now. We're totally fine until it gets dark....</p>
</div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0Reno-Fernley Raceway, 1855 Highway 95A # A, Fernley, NV, United States39.542722 -119.232087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-71194283732940861232011-05-13T11:41:00.001-07:002011-05-13T11:41:21.546-07:00Reno!<div><p>This weekend's racing takes place in scenic reno-fernley, which is a track east of Reno in the high Nevada desert. We've brought just the one car, Ling Ling, and six drivers, plus crew, pandas, and kids.</p>
<p>This race is a true 24 hr, starting 10am Saturday and ending 10am Sunday. We're totally excited for the opportunity to play "truth in 24", and will take turns impersonating Steve McQueen.</p>
<p>(We watched McQueen's LeMans movie at the infineon race. It is perhaps the most laconic movie ever made, but provides important spiritual guidance: "Protect the machine. Drive fast. Try to win." This is almost all the dialog in the movie.)</p>
<p>Jinnah rented a big-ass RV, familiar to us from such previous movies as "GWS goes to Pittsburgh" gws-team RV trip. So we are travelling in extra style, ambulance+trailer+giant RV. This is nice, because the environment is a lot like burning man - desert, dust, no power, no running water. Upgrade, though - there's cellphone signal nowdays. </p>
<p>This race is going to be Ling Ling's last outing - she's running with a For Sale sign, since we're moving on after this to another car. </p>
<p>Today is a late start day - soon we go through tech inspection, then the test session starts at 2 and goes til 9, so we get a chance to play with our giant light rig.</p>
</div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0Reno-Fernley Raceway, 1855 Highway 95A # A, Fernley, NV, United States39.542722 -119.232087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-26968552599838526042011-05-04T23:06:00.000-07:002011-05-04T23:13:38.807-07:00post Infineon body workThe leaderboard looks like this now:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4S5BxiDrx3sO7U1JBGw6lgX4gJNYXx-qTAQpwrQPdSPdE7p-ciZHUKHtBtUIz0VcgndLC7Ub43vnSpkqpBKOByzugnGMGZcEUqRJzP_X6tsSU8GKqOTnUVdIR0gDaUJ0OpHGk0tktnye/s288/IMAG0032.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4S5BxiDrx3sO7U1JBGw6lgX4gJNYXx-qTAQpwrQPdSPdE7p-ciZHUKHtBtUIz0VcgndLC7Ub43vnSpkqpBKOByzugnGMGZcEUqRJzP_X6tsSU8GKqOTnUVdIR0gDaUJ0OpHGk0tktnye/s288/IMAG0032.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4S5BxiDrx3sO7U1JBGw6lgX4gJNYXx-qTAQpwrQPdSPdE7p-ciZHUKHtBtUIz0VcgndLC7Ub43vnSpkqpBKOByzugnGMGZcEUqRJzP_X6tsSU8GKqOTnUVdIR0gDaUJ0OpHGk0tktnye/s640/IMAG0032.jpg"><br /></a><br />Go watch the video of some body work we did at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T1Xfhpy9OE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T1Xfhpy9OE</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4S5BxiDrx3sO7U1JBGw6lgX4gJNYXx-qTAQpwrQPdSPdE7p-ciZHUKHtBtUIz0VcgndLC7Ub43vnSpkqpBKOByzugnGMGZcEUqRJzP_X6tsSU8GKqOTnUVdIR0gDaUJ0OpHGk0tktnye/s640/IMAG0032.jpg"><br /></a>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-81616276679946516162011-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:002011-03-29T23:47:57.197-07:00Sears PointlessnessInfineon is an awesome track. <br /><br />So we totally didn't win. We came in around 40th, after some massive shenanigans with overheating at the end of the day on Saturday (threw the accessory belt, suspected that the water pump had jammed or failed; discovered, eventually, that the thermostat had disintegrated and jammed shut), and a collision on track on sunday resulting in some downstream panel beating, prying, wiring stuff shut, etc. <br /><br />This is not the thermostat you want in your car:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5wvLCOTmk1NJFHAKotwqFA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4cFOrcwHhIH8lu8etcrL2P4beZ2vlBcJZIJ-c6TM8z_T4mzbZMnUoWuHwUvDPBa0n0-viCz1Zi8ubCBejxJ2i_IHcI8wRwHGO-EG0fi5O3YbVnPNd-8fK4gKgdp-PN-dO1_aWjHnR-Wx/s400/P1020221.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />The damage happened while Jinnah was driving, and he noticed the overheating problem very quickly, so the brief period of running extremely hot didn't do any noticeable damage. Happily, we did <i>not</i> replicate the Kill Bill team's experience of blowing a thermostat, swiftly followed by toasting the head gasket due to overheating. Sadly, we <i>did</i> lose the last half hour of Saturday. (Plus, Jinnah had to give up the dream of staying ahead of the other cars he was dicing with when he started to overheat. A tragedy.)<br /><br />Working to fix:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KkgIwPbDG1KdwxNX4w-ZSA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_bt7W8WzKf7M/TZIiukjhwCI/AAAAAAAAJrs/FxdH81_ujKM/s400/P1020204.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Laz glamour shot:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iwflm4ezpHH2cobpr7cTeg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbp2I-UCuWEaohMUVj2dVYLYdcph4SFA8K0ZIVmMOElEUeGbO1sWpRg5_u6WuprIaXJzpNf1sFHlBW5nTbPfYGdvAdpSPo7A_CKwKUvqcnt1E04p3bU8FjrpG_pZZbCYThJy0znIiMqLe/s400/P1020209.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Adding the Mystery Machine drivers to Ling Ling's lineup resulted in some hilarious confusion on the part of the other drivers, since with Jinnah at the wheel she is rendered merely mortal, and with me at the wheel, slightly less than that. For a while there the other cars were so excited about passing Ling Ling that they'd spin with happiness before or after the attempt -- "Whoa, I'm badass, I passed Ling Ling! *spiiiiiin*" At the end of the day Sunday, though, Laz put in 2 hours followed by Rob, and tore like hell through the pack to end us somewhere around 40th place (up from a low of ~79th following a few repair pitstops). <br /><br />Ling Ling on track with Jinnah at the wheel:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Wq0Sely_1R1d52KLqotT0g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYsoAlrr6OWqtZJhqoHbpqXbFleTpFlNwkXAMw2Z2vblZ-xJvCtmqhPGpTONcZIUXKq9hrO4GDycuNyc-ocPUMUPTHEqft_6XcSkCmISEy1psMTY9Vho5uO-DZfSbxiAh9ZGmCWeRSkZU/s400/DSC_6478.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We made it as high as 5th place early on Saturday, while Rob was driving, which meant that we got to see our number up on the Infineon leaderboard. Since Infineon is a real track which hosts real races, they have a lot of exciting signage, and seeing our number up there, however briefly, was incredibly satisfying.<br /><br />Really hard-to-read proof:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BlyOIaYE-D8-sc19gHkTOA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvlLXH7-cXPTYCgUOJ-6KVm6W9TwIofRlfHqeMoh5JvG-fam6l1KAjY5M-8L5iWh8ubo2EOX9OLrW50nCb708mucA_e0ZADNEYRGjXywVdBgtlvVNQ-fGpdHKBO1I9jBuifl9cu01964W/s400/IMG_20110326_133255.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Sunday morning with me (Astrid) driving, I took a huge hit in the rear. I was tearing around turn 7 in a pack 3 wide, when the inside car ahead of me got crossed up. The car directly on my inside (the Mazdarachis rx-7) checked up trying to avoid him, and while I was trying to get wide and get around, the ripple effect caught up the cars behind me, and the next car back clocked my inside rear quarter panel hard enough to spin me all the way around (I never saw who it was, but I heard it was car 500). I ended up stalled facing backward on the track for the couple of seconds it took to get my shit together, and then limped her back to the pit with the fender dug into the rear tire.<br /><br />My experience goes something like this:<br />Hey, Mazdarachi is all checked up, go wide! (Screeeeeeech) I hope whatever's behind me doesn't--WHAM! (I get a nice 180 view of the track, watch the other cars scatter like cockroaches to avoid hitting me - Thanks, other drivers! That was awesome!) Hmm, I'm just sitting here. Damn, I should probably... get out of the way. Right.<br /><br />I fire the car back up and drive her over to the side, which is hard because the seat got knocked loose on the slider in the impact, and has slid back into 6'5" Laz position (I am 5'5").<br />I sit on the shoulder for a second and think about life. Then I remember, hey, I can still drive! I should probably drive back to the pit! So I do that, with the fender digging so hard into the tire that it's blowing black smoke the whole way. The track worker at pit exit flagged me down to be like, "Hey, do you know you're blowing smoke?" Me: "I'm telling myself it's from the tire." (It was.)<br /><br />Then the guys pounded the shit out of the fender, made sure the battery and fuel tank were still ok, and I went back out. I got black-flagged for the incident, which seemed entirely reasonable, but the judges were kind enough to let me go back out, so I got a couple more hours of driving in. This was my first time at Infineon, and I had a total blast.<br /><br />Some gratuitous pandas (taken during tech inspection):<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DVvTLqfSVI0mzVyJF91vaA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDy5fPS0xJa7SfREklcT8lef_xSCqXsqqnT-EJmC56woN8tmXCGBLcaD0zj84BCqX4IPidN4n3GozhR2mWLNEVS1lYq1KPJZ5JyUTGqVh2wSQ6gYcvI5xPzQDMopHFCVffAbnEucexY-1/s400/DSC_6386.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We discovered a bit later that the impact had kinked the fuel filler hose, leading to a leak when the tank was full, and after fixing that, forgot to put the rear spring back in place, which ate the rear cv boot before we got it fixed. (The rear springs are from a different car, and they're too short for the e30 - when the spring is unloaded, it falls out.)<br /><br />But we went back out and Rob and Laz had a good time pwning the rest of the track (like they do) and we survived to come through the checkered flag, and it's all good. In fact, it's really kind of awesome.<br /><br />And Ling Ling's rear end is a little... sideways. Yeah, I did that.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Aqpl4XilVH9olT-fWjA7CA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LtD6SlTr3xTYGHk5xC-774dhid4Z4wZbs68_16GWZRoHCOynbYQPT1VpC10qHYHgpwb9qkRl6Ipt57SJ6FfRnhzQoc6fAU3lcvSNaY863Sz4VbhK1Uh98xnMTVymZcKzvyC8bCzjjSqj/s400/193619_10150170223499066_676339065_8194981_5995651_o.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/astrid/24HrsOfLemonsSearsPointless2011?feat=embedwebsite">24Hrs of Lemons - Sears Pointless 2011</a></td></tr></table>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-49551509929717780052011-03-25T09:39:00.001-07:002011-03-25T09:40:39.830-07:00Infineon friday!<div><p>It is bright and wet and early at Infineon raceway. Pandamonium is here with a minimal Panda/Mysteries Inc combined team - Laz, Rob, Jinnah, and me (Astrid).</p>
<p>note: Laz and Rob want you to know that if Ling Ling is being passed, it's me or Jinnah driving. Not them.</p>
<p>Today is also a Ferrari challenge test day, so the paddock this morning is half full of ratty lemons cars, and half full of Ferrari 18-wheeler car carriers. The Ferrari challenge experience comes with hordes of attendants in matching black jackets to push and wax and prep, and a support 18-wheeler full of tires. The Lemons experience comes with a spare radiator and a slide hammer to pull out last race's body damage, and cold pizza.</p>
<p>Though I was looking forward to barreling into a challenge Ferrari on my first ever lap at Infineon, it turns out we're in different run groups. Sad!</p>
</div>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-82578047554718942992010-11-27T15:09:00.000-08:002010-11-27T15:33:06.413-08:00arse freezing, again<div>Our black flag collection is not yet complete, so we're heading to <a href="http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/">Buttonwillow Raceway</a> to pick up some more.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRjiDZXGGH7P63Fia9nau70h7K5x5BHTdaDuRgS0ggmsOIJnh0wvkDOcjHTy3ds9BJZ7GdwbDVKNaXof-nsEW7KA6nvfWBO4eRlZy0LJUJyOzBcz7waHOWIRJD090zVqBQ8fNtaCnObZC/s1600/193173039.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRjiDZXGGH7P63Fia9nau70h7K5x5BHTdaDuRgS0ggmsOIJnh0wvkDOcjHTy3ds9BJZ7GdwbDVKNaXof-nsEW7KA6nvfWBO4eRlZy0LJUJyOzBcz7waHOWIRJD090zVqBQ8fNtaCnObZC/s200/193173039.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544370961598127634" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>The above is a pic of the car getting hood pins. Since hitting another car at the last race, the hood didn't exactly close.</div><div><br /></div><div>We took the car for a shake down day in the rain at Infineon. There are electrical problems. It also doesn't rev past 5k RPMs. It feels a lot like fuel starvation. We swapped in a new pump, and it didn't fix it. In fact, it didn't work at all. Brand new fuel pump DOA? WTF. At least we didn't find this out track side.</div><div><br /></div><div>So in the next week, we'll:</div><div><ul><li>fix the fuel pump</li><li>replace the windshield</li><li>replace broken kill switch</li><li>re-tape the stupid side mirrors</li><li>figure out what's clunking in the front suspension (loose sway bar endlink?)</li></ul></div><div>Oh, and then there's <a href="http://mysteriesincracing.blogspot.com/">the other car</a>.</div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-47439644046140258002010-05-30T23:00:00.000-07:002010-05-31T18:00:24.149-07:00going for broken 2010: resultsWe decided we'd be Very Serious this time out. The practice day would include pit stop practice. Fast pits. Teamwork. Clean driving.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>We were gonna win, again.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Results</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>This got really long, so I won't make you skip all the way to the bottom just to find out that <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1494145">we finished somewhere around 27th</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why? It all started on Thursday night when we got to the race track...</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Arrival and Test Day</span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>We rolled up to the ThunderHill paddock gates around 11pm in 2 RVs and 2 ambulances. The Mystery Machine team and Ling Ling have a siamese twin driver roster, so we caravan to the track and pit together.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLXTwQmOEDrOa254FXsGBwT2MAJgCYufqR-Hu52cqS1XGqfKknJ2ZoGse3sflTQulFpjkUMUatD2qFVLRgo3QgYEIsx2CwFohAmOCrKwybc7nUOsS9K292MGabzyrSR29jUVlF5b6klkl/s640/2010-05-05%2016.44.06.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLXTwQmOEDrOa254FXsGBwT2MAJgCYufqR-Hu52cqS1XGqfKknJ2ZoGse3sflTQulFpjkUMUatD2qFVLRgo3QgYEIsx2CwFohAmOCrKwybc7nUOsS9K292MGabzyrSR29jUVlF5b6klkl/s640/2010-05-05%2016.44.06.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><br /><div>Instead of going to sleep immediately so we could get up early and have a great practice day, we decided it would be much more fun to drink some beer in the paddock. One thing led to another. Shortly before we should have gone to sleep, it was discovered that some of our less wise teammates brought the equivalent of an atomic bomb with them. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_(drink)">Four Loko</a>. It was only a matter of time until someone consumed it and did something insane. At that point, Weaver made a strategic call that consuming the beverages immediately was the best call. What the hell, Friday was only a test day, right? We agreed.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wztEb4WOCnfeSs2nSXMFVThyphenhyphen-fc29CYOI4ZRbEXH3423ILlyvT6kp18N2XwimL0ia16tu3el8GmyC3rwJGfVRmEzAugrvLc40N-qMGDaAX6ZlDd5z9PS9z6nNQ9d9DHRASb7F8f8ydhD/s1600/4loco"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wztEb4WOCnfeSs2nSXMFVThyphenhyphen-fc29CYOI4ZRbEXH3423ILlyvT6kp18N2XwimL0ia16tu3el8GmyC3rwJGfVRmEzAugrvLc40N-qMGDaAX6ZlDd5z9PS9z6nNQ9d9DHRASb7F8f8ydhD/s1600/4loco" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 123px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It seemed like a good idea at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>At 3am, some of our party retired due to inability to speak coherently. This is the point where the alcohol in your system overwhelms the high levels of caffeine, taurine, and guarana. It makes for a very sound sleep that is not restful in the slightest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doug and I stayed upright and stumbled through tall grass and into the paddock with cones and orange string. We partitioned off a very nice paddock space between pit exit and entry. It had shore power for the RVs, was next to trees for shade, and was easily the best paddock space my drunk eyes have ever seen.</div><div><br /></div><div>We woke up 3 hours later and groggily laid claim to our chosen paddock space. In one vehicle, the intensity of the move was so high that the Four Loko from mere hours earlier made an encore appearance.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm getting a mild headache just remembering this part of the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>The test day was generally uneventful.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got a slow start, and things didn't really pick up. Everyone was hung over, some more than others. Ling Ling proved to be mechanically ok. Moving from a 195 width tire to a 205 width tire provided a small but noticeable increase in grip. Oh, and one driver, still feeling the effects of the night before, vomited in his helmet before coming in.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went through the dreaded BS inspection, and were assigned 3 penalty laps. Fair. The logic is that we would get penalized by how many laps we won the previous race by.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Driver order was determined in a hungover team meeting. Weaver, Doug, and me on Saturday. Rob, Andy, and a 2nd bonus stint for someone on Sunday. 3 drivers per day. Full tanks of gas. Fast pits. We're gonna win. No sleep 'til Brooklyn.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Race Day 1: Saturday</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Weaver started the race. This was a strategic move. He's not the fastest or most experienced driver on the team, but he's courteous and he'd stay out of trouble. The perfect lead off driver.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weaver was black flagged an hour and 45 minutes into his stint for contact. After reviewing the footage, a distraction of a car cutting to the inside of T7 dropping 2 wheels off caused a distraction that led to a mental error. A car turned into the apex of T7 and Ling Ling's right front bumper hit their left rear quarter panel.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Black flag #1</b> = driver change only.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYWIyGL7mk8RTk_8x93if4ZlPsHmgHYtV0b5AuknPHoaJWKOm1MNSnM4t1Wedf-1-NbKClyb1hXvPocX0v0F0DNbkfy8vaLTwQk8ZfKlvWU85YCk0CYH-KjmIOclmOjWZP23VC6sAEKM0/s720/Thunderhill_May2010-0253.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYWIyGL7mk8RTk_8x93if4ZlPsHmgHYtV0b5AuknPHoaJWKOm1MNSnM4t1Wedf-1-NbKClyb1hXvPocX0v0F0DNbkfy8vaLTwQk8ZfKlvWU85YCk0CYH-KjmIOclmOjWZP23VC6sAEKM0/s720/Thunderhill_May2010-0253.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 482px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We fueled Ling Ling up and threw Doug in the driver's seat. No big deal, we won the last race and had 1 black flag *cough*Andy*cough*. Just need to send Doug out and get back on track.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok Doug, you're good to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just start the car and go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doug, go!</div><div><br /></div><div>What? The car won't start. Fuck.</div><div><br /></div><div>We spent 10 or 15 minutes playing with stuff. Relays? Yep, still zip tied. Kill switch? We had to have toggled that 15 times to see if it would fix it. We finally went to "jump" the car in the trunk. Someone spotted that the battery ground cable moved freely. Hmm, that's not right. We tightened it down and the car started right up. And away Doug went.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doug immediately complained about the instrument cluster. Everything but the speedometer was now dead. Fuel gauge, tach, lights, everything. Drive through it Doug! We can tell how much fuel is in the car because it fuel starves when it is empty.</div><div><br /></div><div>An hour later, we met Doug in the penalty box. <b>Black flag #2</b>: 4 wheels off. Doug took the fast line over T5 and went through the dirt at the exit. It was really only 2 wheels off, confirmed on video and everything.</div><div><br /></div><div>The new, less arbitrary LeMons flagging scheme calls for a mandatory penalty at the second flag. We got the Bob Ross penalty. They gave us a wig, paint, and a book of Bob Ross paintings. Doug and Weaver masterfully recreated one of Bob Ross' best masterpieces on Ling Ling's hood. It maybe half an hour. I wish I had taken a photo of the hood, but can't find one that's just the painting. Envision a blue sky, sno capped mountains in the background, and a snow covered lake in the foreground. Liberally apply snow capped trees to this vision, and your mind's eye is going to be close to what we had.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the painting fun was over, I strapped in and went out for some fun. I came back in after a tank of gas. We sent out Rob out. Uneventful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doug went out for the final stint of the day, since his was cut short earlier. He ended up in a tussle with a car at the entry to turn 5. Ok, not really a tussle. There was a traffic jam going up the hill. Doug didn't see it early enough, and he ended up running into the back of a stopped orange Fiat.</div><div><br /></div><div>The damage to Ling Ling was all on the driver front corner. The hood was tweaked, the fender had seen better days, and the top radiator hose was pinched. The hood came off, and we spent some time beating the frame out so the radiator hose was no longer pinched. Since the motor was no longer going to overheat, we drove it down for our final penalty of the day.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Black flag #3</b>: the cone of shame. Our penalty was to find a cone in the paddock, affix it to the roof of the vehicle, and paint it white (so it would match our theme?). We bought a cone for $1 from some guys lurking around the penalty area, and stuck it to the roof with bailing wire. Doug got the honor of spraying it white.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIgST-gw-8i-OquCptXQIPe8DLrf42j_zqDG0NUmWPtUSIfC61KOuJFvF602Oh18mP9mj5BF2bT-3D9Lvv6uRQDtvfXEEtKW86GW1kt8iMYahRzLO8e7gBR4E19YSjG_yh_2tDp4GcE_o/s720/Thunderhill_May2010-0259.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIgST-gw-8i-OquCptXQIPe8DLrf42j_zqDG0NUmWPtUSIfC61KOuJFvF602Oh18mP9mj5BF2bT-3D9Lvv6uRQDtvfXEEtKW86GW1kt8iMYahRzLO8e7gBR4E19YSjG_yh_2tDp4GcE_o/s720/Thunderhill_May2010-0259.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 482px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and we had to sit out for an hour. Since there was only 45 minutes left in the race, we were done for the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday night, we ate some tasty steak in the paddock courtesy of paddock gourmet Jinnah.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doug and Andy went all "paddock body shop" on the car, banged out the fender and hood damage, and painted them so nobody would know of our propensity for body contact ... unless they saw the cone of shame.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0SQg5diAMU4AqhTG5En9hRdqKjNY7zyInGnIZTZe6UWriDR9-Y07B1CrM17ZtZmHbdKVUQHBKbaC7VH8rs3w_Bfy2i8fC0Me3J7PnSn8UHDVIVZ_Ebwx8u0nKoglIvW1k7tl8r7VK4I5/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.58.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0SQg5diAMU4AqhTG5En9hRdqKjNY7zyInGnIZTZe6UWriDR9-Y07B1CrM17ZtZmHbdKVUQHBKbaC7VH8rs3w_Bfy2i8fC0Me3J7PnSn8UHDVIVZ_Ebwx8u0nKoglIvW1k7tl8r7VK4I5/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.58.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Race Day 2: Sunday</span></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>We sent Andy out Sunday morning. He drove fine for an hour or so, but returned early ... for contact? Honestly, I can't remember the specifics...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Black flag #4</b>: write "I have learned absolutely nothing from the cone of shame" 100 times on the vehicle.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkthyphenhyphenkFlxFiyk2YWh2P_gS0YhILfE-ZQXJrxou9I0mYRMCOayBHsvxCwouWtN9nt67wo6mCwQHiC9_HLhg9W4cmfALi2cjLk6xle9xnZ2Bm_PY2C0lYVBgwfisvLG2EwXU5Yt5X3z7bi8j/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.20.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkthyphenhyphenkFlxFiyk2YWh2P_gS0YhILfE-ZQXJrxou9I0mYRMCOayBHsvxCwouWtN9nt67wo6mCwQHiC9_HLhg9W4cmfALi2cjLk6xle9xnZ2Bm_PY2C0lYVBgwfisvLG2EwXU5Yt5X3z7bi8j/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.20.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; ">minor modification of the punishment phrase was not questioned</div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6cpxMbRjm5mgXTxSviFwPsGTQmc65fm3Cpp1JJKjOjqdFQpYUbeiMeyjIp6pILihqKa51oE39MeYkGDDW8FWIcsWc-naZDq8SLLqHulrwnGdg5GNG1IpkinEFcmmJqH7dhh-PIPde9jR/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.35.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6cpxMbRjm5mgXTxSviFwPsGTQmc65fm3Cpp1JJKjOjqdFQpYUbeiMeyjIp6pILihqKa51oE39MeYkGDDW8FWIcsWc-naZDq8SLLqHulrwnGdg5GNG1IpkinEFcmmJqH7dhh-PIPde9jR/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.35.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So everyone on the roster had a chance to drive Ling Ling. Weaver and Doug both weren't up to driving, so it was between Rob and I to hop in the car. I let Rob go, hoping that it would rain later in the day so I could hop in the car for a rain stint. It never rained.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rob drove without incident, but did complain about a lack of power at the top end of each gear. With just about no instruments, it was a "well, short shift and keep driving" kind of situation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When Rob came in, we convinced Weaver to get back out there. He put in a stint of an hour and a half, and we put Doug in the car to finish the race.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Doug came back in with 20 minutes left in the race, for <b>Black Flag #5</b>: 4 wheels off over turn 5 (again!). Somehow Doug sweet talked the judges, because they just sent him back out to finish the race. He stayed on the pavement for the remainder of the race, and Ling Ling took the checkered flag.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Post-Race, Leaderboard</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So that's how the race went. In hindsight, I think we all had a great time, but it was different than our expectations going in :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since her first black flag, Ling Ling has sported a "fighers killed" style scoreboard on the driver door. Here's the current leaderboard:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3XJwcIuPp8DbaDWN0NbjhhS09Mll-Ke7w7xT8mF_rvAEI4KtXBBtoj-nBT3GvzhMTgpBQ2HZcewzWRuin7S76QgnSLdB_Pkj6j0wgzen1iym7MHtA5swUyh58g4QyK4pOpeOW3GZy1ke/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.06.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3XJwcIuPp8DbaDWN0NbjhhS09Mll-Ke7w7xT8mF_rvAEI4KtXBBtoj-nBT3GvzhMTgpBQ2HZcewzWRuin7S76QgnSLdB_Pkj6j0wgzen1iym7MHtA5swUyh58g4QyK4pOpeOW3GZy1ke/s640/2010-05-09%2019.32.06.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px; " /></a></div></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-43071600872431259342010-04-30T08:57:00.001-07:002010-04-30T09:24:56.725-07:00Goin' For BrokenBetween my wife hating LeMons and my son putting everything in the world in his mouth, I didn't write up the last race. Here's a quick summary:<div><br /></div><div>We ran 3 drivers each day to minimize pit time, and just stayed out of trouble. That turned out to be a good strategy. We were 7 laps up at the end of day 1, then got a penalty for contact with the Faustest E30 (they spun in front of us, never our fault!). With the penalty we ended up still in the lead at the end of day 1, but the 2nd and 3rd place cars were on the same lap as us. On Day 2 we started up front, pushed our lead to 5 or 6 laps in the first driver stint (I was sprinting trying to build some buffer), and then had drivers 2 and 3 on a "maintain the lead and conserve fuel" strategy. There was a moderate amount of stress at the end when we were driving to conserve fuel to avoid an additional pit stop (day #2 is 1hr longer than day #1), and Eyesore's frankenmiata was in 2nd place and closing the gap. Luckily, we didn't run out of fuel, and we didn't have any incidents, so we took the checkered flag.</div><div><br />That's a pretty good distillation of what was going to be a masterful dissertation on our secret "fuel conservation and luck" strategy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm so lazy, I didn't even post process the video from the race. But I did cut out 1 quick lap to show the new fish eye camera lens (note: this was a random lap. it is not awesome, for example, the braking for turn 1 is far from exemplary):<br /><br /><object width="601" height="338"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10626585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10626585&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="601" height="338"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10626585">One Lap of LeMons THill 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/laz">Adam Lazur</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><div><br /></div>So, the last race is behind us.<div><br /></div><div>The Pandamonium crew and Mysteries Inc Racing both opted to skip the race at Infineon earlier this year, but we're back for Goin' For Broken (now at ThunderHill).<br /><br />Ling Ling has spent the past few months in underground parking. The only action she's seen is when we show up and scavenge parts (our friends at Team Unsafe needed a kill switch, and she had some loaner spacers from my spec e30 that had to be returned).</div><div><br /></div><div>We've got a week to prepare. There's nothing like procrastination.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good news is that the car is in ok shape from the last race, so we're hopeful that we can get away with not doing too much work. I'm going to email Jay and ask what our budget is. The least he can do is let us fix our once pristine hood:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gLoC2rYMupQ/SxbUeq8FqWI/AAAAAAAAMlI/EPDlJ7wNb2Q/s512/LeMonsTHill_09_11_22-141.jpg"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gLoC2rYMupQ/SxbUeq8FqWI/AAAAAAAAMlI/EPDlJ7wNb2Q/s512/LeMonsTHill_09_11_22-141.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px; " /></a></div></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-38579859627887414522009-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:002009-11-26T12:11:26.511-08:00panda video<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4dMnAPZu70&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4dMnAPZu70&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />She even worked in a plug for the racing team.<br /><br />... oh, did you want to see video from the race?lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-68463055775326652572009-11-23T22:43:00.001-08:002009-11-24T16:13:23.157-08:00Arse Freeze Apalooza 2009: part 1Here's half of the full story, as I remember it. The other half will follow.<div><br /><div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div><b>Travel to the Race (Thursday)</b></div></span></b><br /><div><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The 3 of you who are regular readers of this blog will remember <a href="http://pandamoniumracing.blogspot.com/2009/11/arse-freeze-apalooza.html">a post saying the panda only needed a few things</a>. Well, none of those things were done on Thursday. The minivan was still living in the carport on the side of my house, recovering from the replacement of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cm3hduBTk0&feature=player_embedded">a busted ass motor</a>. Ling Ling was sitting on the trailer, waiting to get some more attention.</span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></b></div><div><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/v/misc_stuff/IMG_9805.JPG.html"><img src="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/4099-2/IMG_9805.JPG" /></a></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></b></div></span></b></div><b></b></span><b></b></b></div><b></b></span><b></b></b></b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">It looked kind of like this, but Ling Ling sat in place of the red and yellow spec e30.</span></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><br /></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; ">Thankfully, by 6pm on Thursday, the van was gone and I could get Ling Ling ready to go. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; ">I was sitting on the ground, next to Ling Ling with all 4 corners on jack stands. The driver front wheel was on. I used the impact to tighten the lug bolts down, and gave it a quick spin. I am somehow preprogrammed to do this every time I put a wheel on. Well, now I know why:</div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; "><br /></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div><div>It didn't spin.</div><div><br /></div><div>I took a closer look. The wheel's spokes were firmly pressed into the brake caliper. I briefly thought about how wise it was to use the impact gun to tighten this together.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was a ridiculous last minute surprise.</div><div><br /></div><div>I picked up this set of wheels as spares for my <a href="http://scienceofslow.com/">spec e30 car</a>. Since it was supposed to rain at ThunderHill, I made the call to bump to 15" wheels and tires so we could run a <a href="http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec">better dual purpose rain/dry tire</a>. It turns out that on these new wheels, the wheel offset and centerbore were not E30 at all (note to self: examine wheels very closely when buying BMW wheels from a Honda Challenge racer).</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I grabbed a jack and concocted a plan. I pulled wheel studs from my street car (5 lug, so we had 2 spares), and my spec car. The longer studs, coupled with some spacers pulled from the race car, built me a kit that should work. I test fit 1 wheel and it worked, modulo the hub centric bit not being right, but at least they fit. At 7:30 the panda car was finally on the trailer with 1 new wheel. The rest got punted 'til the next day.</div><div><br /></div><div>We waited for the Mystery Machine crew to get it together. After a series of additional delays, we were on the road around 11pm (in hindsight, I should've known this would happen).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Test Day (Friday)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>We woke up early. 6:30 maybe? I was cranky. Getting 4 hours of sleep, then driving on the race track at 100mph+ is not something that I like to do. In addition, I had to put the damn wheels on the car, change the oil, and check the trans fluid at a minimum.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, some of my team mates were around to help out. We put the car on jack stands, and I proceeded to put in the wheel studs and get the wheels on. That went well, and things were starting to look up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then it started to rain.</div><div><br /></div><div>I slid under the car, put a wrench on the oil drain plug, and jokingly said to Doug "righty tighty, lefty loosey, right?". I proceeded to break the plug free. Boy that drain plug was really tightened down, but with some extra force I broke it free. I kept turning the nut, first with the wrench and then with my fingers, but it wasn't backing out. "Doug, this plug nut isn't backing out. Weird eh?" Doug took a look as I was spinning it, then said:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Ummm. I think you're turning it the wrong way."</div><div><br /></div><div>?!</div><div><br /></div><div><div>No fucking way. It can't be. I've been changing oil for a long time. This mistake is not possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>I cocked my head to the side, and goddamn it, he was right.</div></div><div><br />Fuuuuuuuck.</div><div><br /></div><div>I called some team mates who were on their way to the track, and told them to go to a parts place, any parts place, and get me a bigger drain plug. Astrid spent some time on the phone and assured me that nobody in a 60 mile radius of Willows stocks an M12x1.5 oversized drain plug.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got on the horn with NAPA in Willows, and for the first time in a very very long time, I talked to a knowledgeable parts guy. I wish I could remember his name, because he was my new best friend. He hooked me up with an M12x1.75 plug that might work, and a 1/2"-20 magnetic plug that would be even bigger (in case I really screwed up and removed all the thread material). The metric plug was a no go, there wasn't enough material for it to grab onto. So laying on the wet ground, I tapped out the pan for 1/2"-20 Standard threads. A german engineer in my head was screaming obscenities at me, but I ignored him. I gooped up the new plug with some gasket sealer, and tightened it down <i>just</i> enough that it wouldn't back out, but not tight enough to strip out the new, likely thinner than usual, threads.</div><div><br /></div><div>I let the goop set up and moped around in the paddock for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>It stopped raining.</div><div><br /></div><div>I filled up the motor with oil and the new plug didn't leak, even after warming the car up. Success.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then my brother arrived. He drove up from LA that morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite my better judgement, he intended to put a gigantic homemade carbon fiber splitter on the front of the car. In hindsight I should've just told him "no", but instead I told him that I was going to knock it off out on track when I took the car out for a few test laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we put the splitter on the car.</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided my role was to make sure the mounting wouldn't tear the entire front of the car apart when the splitter inevitably hit something. Also, when it broke away, it couldn't have anything pointy that would puncture a tire. When we were done, I was pretty sure we had accomplished these goals.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/4153-2/5N1B3789.JPG" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the splitter, as raced</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The splitter took a while, and daylight was running out. We still needed to <strike>sneak through BS inspection</strike> visit the very nice judges and show them our extensive documentation. Also, we had to get a tech once over to make sure our car was safe. We hopped in line, and made it through tech with a coupla minor issues ("no cotter pins in the harness", I'm dumb. "tape up the battery positive terminal, even though it has a plastic cover", whatever).</div><div><br /></div><div>Next was the BS inspection with the very nice judges who I <strike>fear</strike> respect greatly. Every time the judges see an E30 come through, they greet us with open arms, chat about the car, and try to get one of us to slip up on some minor detail in the story. When they hear the slip up, they pounce, and assign ridiculous amounts of penalty laps. We had done this dance twice before, and made it through without any penalty laps both times. At Reno, we even passed an extra special inspection by ultra cheater Rob Krider.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was still nervous.</div><div><br /></div><div>To my surprise, the judges were pretty happy to see us. They knew who we were, and talked about how we gave up our old number (43) to the <a href="http://jalopnik.com/5409807/ber-bird">Uber Bird car for their theme</a>. We had a nice discussion about our residual value assignment ($450), and what we spent it on (suspension bushings, not installed!). I handed them a bottle of <a href="http://blog.maltadvocate.com/2008/08/01/review-high-west-rendezvous-rye-whiskey/">rye that they were sure to appreciate</a>, and away we went with a big zero in our form's penalty laps box.</div><div><br /></div><div>At that point, it was about 3 o'clock. The track shut down at 4. It was barely worth our time to go out and test. I decided we'd pack it in since I was too tired to think, let alone shake down a car at 100mph.</div><div><br /></div><div>We spent some time working on the splitter mounting a bit more, and in the back of my mind thoughts of surprises from the "new" stuff danced in my head. Would the splitter cause high speed lift, or maybe high speed oversteer? Are the tires going to rub in T14? I dulled all of these concerns with beer, gawked at the competition in the paddock, chatted it up with familiar faces, and eventually went to bed.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is a pretty good stopping point. Tune in for the next installment, where, if you're lucky, I'll actually write about the race.</div></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-81734385596131404572009-11-23T00:36:00.000-08:002009-11-23T01:54:24.150-08:00Arse Freeze Apalooza resultsA more complete write up will come at some point, but I figured I should post tonight with results.<div><br /></div><div>We finished day 1 in 1st place, and held onto 1st place from green to checkered on day 2, winning the race and a fat $1500 in nickels.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/v/lemons/arse-freezing-2009"><img src="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/4145-2/5N1B2590.JPG" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">(click on the pic for more Ling Ling glamour shots)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mad thanks to <a href="http://mysteriesincracing.blogspot.com/">Mysteries Inc Racing</a> for helping us out in the pits, running for fuel, cooking burgers, and generally being a great rolling obstacle.</div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-60725559742958773552009-11-16T22:47:00.000-08:002009-11-16T23:16:51.743-08:00arse freeze apalooza?aaaaaand we're back.<div><br /><div>We were accepted for the <a href="http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/events/arsefreeze09/">Arse Freeze Apalooza</a> event that takes place this weekend ... but we didn't really get much done til last weekend. This was partially due to panda procrastination, and partially <a href="http://mysteriesincracing.blogspot.com/2009/11/mystery-machine-lives.html">due to this stuff</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the Reno race, Ling Ling went into outdoor storage and sat</div><div><br /></div><div>and sat</div><div><br /></div><div>and sat</div><div><br /></div><div>'til Saturday. Pop the key in the ignition, and she fired right up.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yv8l8DXF4XvYSLlqUNadNg?authkey=Gv1sRgCOSZ3v7qtfDXrwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkqE6aga0TfRxPPx8cGYbTWcdnWZzVCLr-1M577sed6njfOPuQcwMF3VHjr8_CrtNJ4b5eTIaEK5kmW1x2nlrlvUiTDxMhLo7_VL8CCWp8NcKe5beeEdLnS2eyNuWv8P71FTxlUJWVjsZ/s288/2009-11-16%2010.55.07.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, we got her up on jack stands and she passed her check up with flying colors. We originally had planned to replace the bushings in the rear of the car due to a suspension clunk at Reno. The bushings looked ok, and there was no noticeable play, so we looked elsewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hey, why's that front swaybar endlink broken? Think that could make some noise? 1 pick n pull end link later, and we're mostly ready for ThunderHill.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up: some new fluids, a bath, <strike>2</strike> <strike>3</strike> 4 coats of wax, and maybe a front aero element to balance out that big ass wing.</div><div><br /></div></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-88024740043123558252009-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:54:23.582-07:00reno resultsPandamonium finished the first day at 10th overall (of ~100 cars) and somewhere like 5th within class. As Astrid mentioned, we held down fast lap for a good portion of Saturday with a 2:37.something, but a black Saab with way more boost than sense smacked us around and put down a 2:33.<br /><br />Saturday night, after looking at the results, things secretly got more serious. On Sunday our pit stops were quicker and our driver stints were longer. A judgement error on rear tires Sunday morning made for good stock footage for our upcoming documentary film: Reno Fernley Tokyo Drift.<br /><br />Despite no grip, we took the checkered at 7th overall and 3rd within our class.<br /><br />All unofficial of course.lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-67203099101216565762009-05-24T13:02:00.000-07:002009-05-24T13:13:32.973-07:00picsa few photos, real quick. x-posted to both blogs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTYeuoyRpA8D6SoH7fPOG7uHe5nJSPweTmWlPFDsaDZQ7czRgOCgxTZ1vnmwgaki8fklfkNai7mb58RCEPeCyv1gWcZdHlUFhX0VcIzCyFVwohHRgN5zWjjTVOr_LzmTqoFfDpI5vCwkn/s1600-h/DSC_2617.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTYeuoyRpA8D6SoH7fPOG7uHe5nJSPweTmWlPFDsaDZQ7czRgOCgxTZ1vnmwgaki8fklfkNai7mb58RCEPeCyv1gWcZdHlUFhX0VcIzCyFVwohHRgN5zWjjTVOr_LzmTqoFfDpI5vCwkn/s320/DSC_2617.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339485779888964610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxMS2Vb4NygoKrkKipzgqnHMZnpwTIFm5fkM0fMwqPe1tC2oZG4Kg5uKpZlxOKvTb5ceoZ9pO04OeNKsedNDNTRwGGSlvNsa4DplubCbC5CZpqD4Xeu1kig00ye5qCfnvxnXKwbOJMhgt/s1600-h/DSC_2561.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxMS2Vb4NygoKrkKipzgqnHMZnpwTIFm5fkM0fMwqPe1tC2oZG4Kg5uKpZlxOKvTb5ceoZ9pO04OeNKsedNDNTRwGGSlvNsa4DplubCbC5CZpqD4Xeu1kig00ye5qCfnvxnXKwbOJMhgt/s320/DSC_2561.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339485774731985346" /></a>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-55960981938476640762009-05-24T12:54:00.000-07:002009-05-24T12:55:00.190-07:00race day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><div>(x-posting to panda and mystery machine blogs)</div><div><br /></div>Hello from Reno-Fernley. We're on the second day of racing at Goin for Broken, and shockingly, both the Mystery Machine and the Panda car have been running well so far. We had some excitement getting the minivan through tech inspection on Friday - suprisingly enough, the tech inspectors were less than thrilled with the broken wheel stud on the driver's side front wheel. The lug bolt is insanely difficult to replace, so Laz and Jinnah did a hero run to pick n pull in Sparks to get a whole new steering knuckle, which we fitted in gathering dark and howling dust.<div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Laz successfully bribed his way through a very special bullshit inspection - he unwisely laid down some very fast laps in the practice session before going through inspection, so they pulled Ling Ling aside for special inspection as a "real race car". (The special judge they called in is a cheating expert; he took a quick look underneath and proclaimed her an *actual* piece of shit.) Laz smoothed things over with a super smooth bribe:</div><div><br /></div><div>Judges: What, you aren't even going to try to bribe us?</div><div>Laz: We hadn't gotten to the hard sell yet. (Whips out the whiskey from the trunk) </div><div>Judges: Oh, well then. This is good stuff. You guys are good to go, no penalties.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Mystery Machine is a HUGE hit, which is a relief, because we're also the slowest thing on the track (surprisingly, there are actually a couple of cars slower, but we still hold the record for the slowest fastest lap of any team). For a while, Ling Ling and the Mystery Machine held the single fastest best lap and slowest best lap in the race.</div><div><br /></div><div>They started timing the race when the Mystery Machine crossed the starting line, so for a full two seconds, Jinnah was leading the race. (Subsequent, we fell into our role as mobile chicane and had the whole race lap us repeatedly. Driving the minivan is like driving through a swarm of bees, with other cars whipping past constantly. We've taken the tack of being very polite about it, holding a steady outside line, which has garnered us a lot of good will. (Another team came up to thank us for being predictable while being passed, and gave us a hat as a token of gratitude. :-) )</div><div><br /></div><div>Pandamonium has not yet seen a revisit of the electrical issues from last time, and is currently running around tenth overall. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Mystery Machine has done pretty well through simple consistency, and is currently around 46th place, much to our surprise. After the last-minute scramble to get her race prepped, just seeing her running around the track feels a lot like winning.</div></div></span>astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-68352724636910804022009-05-17T14:02:00.000-07:002009-05-17T14:18:19.452-07:00Rod Knock & New Rod BearingsIn our previous post, we determined that the troll hitting the inside of the motor with a hammer lived in cylinder #6. So we pulled the oil pan, got to the bearings, and boy did that troll do a number on the bearings:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/3912-2/DSCN0975.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 350px;" src="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/3912-2/DSCN0975.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>For those of you who are not wise to the ways of rod bearings, the grey bearing on the left is an OK take off bearing. The 2 bearings to the right (cylinder #6) have worn through the grey metal to the tasty copper center. This is bad. Real bad. All the bits of metal that were worn away were found scattered in the oil pan or smeared across the other bearings.<br /><br />New bearings are in. We threw some <a href="http://www.valvoline.com/products/consumer-products/motor-oil/high-performance-motor-oil/6">zinc rich oil</a> into the motor, fired it up, and the troll from cylinder #6 is no longer angry. The BMW recommendations for rod bearing break in are something to the tune of "for 1000 miles do not go over 5500 rpm, do not exceed 100mph". Either we're going to put down lap times comparable to a Corvair, or we'll give the rod bearings a proper "racing break in".lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-67355019860417368382009-05-15T21:19:00.000-07:002009-05-15T23:29:05.584-07:00Motor ClunkIf you look closely at <a href="http://pandamoniumracing.blogspot.com/2009/05/keeping-organized.html">the last post</a>, where we listed what was left to do on the car, you'll see at the top of the list it says "motor clunk".<br /><br />Well, that piece of tape is there to address the <span style="font-style: italic;">minor</span> issue that Astrid broke the car at the last track day. Her aggressive driving and constant accelerator abuse was just too much for poor Ling Ling. She's taken all the abuse a panda can, and is now making decidedly not good sounds from the engine compartment.<br /><br />(ok ok. it's probably not Astrid's fault, but don't tell her that)<br /><br />What's it sound like? I'm glad you asked. Here's a video:<br /><br /><object height="225" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4596972&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4596972&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/4596972">E30 Rod Knock?</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/laz">Adam Lazur</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>With the race rapidly approaching, we checked the valves. They looked fine. Hell, after an adjustment, they're the quietest E30 valves on the planet. Unfortunately, quieter valves just made the bad noise sound louder.<br /><br />So we recorded the noise and appealed to <a href="http://www.baye30.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10864">the internets</a>. On the internet everyone has an opinion. 3 main causes were proposed:<br /><ul><li>broken rocker arm / valve train problems</li><li>rod knock</li><li><a href="http://www.pistonslap.com/whatisit.htm">piston slap</a></li></ul>To address the first, off the valve cover came (again). Maybe there was a tiny tiny crack that was missed before? Many minutes of scrutiny on the valve train yielded nothing.<br /><br />The cylinder compression was tested, and it was fine. Further lending credibility to the theory that it was not a valve issue.<br /><br />To differentiate piston slap vs rod knock, we were informed of the "pull a plug" method. The procedure is to pull the wire from a spark plug, and if the tone of the sound changes, that's your bad rod bearing. The theory goes that by removing combustion from the cylinder, the piston will still slap since it's moving, but the rod will knock less since it's under much less pressure.<br /><br />Before trying the plug trick, the car was taken by <a href="http://www.bavarianmotorsport.net/">the shop of an experienced mechanic</a>. After 30 seconds of revving and listening in the lot, said mechanic diagnosed the noise as rod knock and promptly prescribed a new motor. Sad panda.<br /><br />After the car was back home with a diagnosis, we tried the plug pulling for a 2nd opinion. While the motor was running we pulled the wires from the cylinders, one by one. Cylinder 1 is fine. So is 2. Boy this is boring. 3, 4, 5: all fine. Maybe it's actually piston slap after all? Oh oh ... cylinder 6 it is!<br /><br />Woohoo, just like we thought, bad rod bearing in cylinder 6!<br /><br />Oh crap.<br /><br />bad.<br />rod.<br />bearing.<br /><br />This is the last weekend of work. We were planning to do some minor tweaks on the car, throw it on the trailer, and knock back a coupla cases of celebratory beer. Instead we're going to pull the oil pan off the motor and hope that it isn't too screwed up.<br /><br />If all goes well, celebratory beer will be shared with grease under our finger nails and the ever so faint tapping of an E30 valve train in the background. If not, we'll hit something with a hammer and start scheming for a whole new motor.lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-38572159266816969152009-05-13T09:09:00.000-07:002009-05-13T09:48:39.248-07:00keeping organized<div style="text-align: left;">Just 10 days to go. Wow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Procrastination set in right after the race at ThunderHill in December, and we're just now digging out. There's lots to do, <a href="http://mysteriesincracing.blogspot.com/">twice as many cars</a>, and not much time.</div><div><br /></div><div>To keep organized, I picked up a tip from <a href="http://tcdesignfab.com/">TC Design</a> to put blue tape on the windshield when something needs to be done. We got the car back from caging with "fix fuel leak" on the windshield. There was no way to forget about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've adapted that technique, and the todo list is stored on the windshield of our car in blue tape. When you think of something to do, you add some tape. When you get something done, you pull it off. When all the tape is gone, the car is ready to go out on track. If it's not all gone, you're sure going to feel like a jackass, suited up, ready to go, pulling into the hot pits, with tape on your windshield that says "torque lugs" or "fix fuel leak".</div><div><br /></div><div>This system is so stupid simple that it actually works pretty well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a pic of where we were last night:</div><div><a href="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/v/lemons/misc/"><br /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://adam.lazur.org/gallery/d/3880-2/2009-05-12+21_09_57.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 350px; " /></span></div>lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-71230041888367936362009-03-17T23:54:00.000-07:002009-03-18T08:16:54.114-07:00The sky is, clearly, the limitNow that we're gearing up for Reno, it seems like a good time to recap T-Hill. Vital stats:<br /><br />Finished: 78th place (of 114 teams)<br />Total laps: 168 (winner total: 335)<br />Best lap: 1:37.456 (best in race: 1:31.474, by Blues Bros Racing after their backhoe-provided on-site weight reduction.)<br />Total tows: 7<br />Miscellaneous casualties: Laz's ankle, which has not been quite the same since.<br /><br />So, we were fast, and finished more than half the race! (Win!) However, it was only .5 laps more than half. (Lose!)<br /><br />We figure this leaves plenty of room for improvement at Reno. A wide-open field, as it were.<br /><br />We regret to inform that our arch-nemesises, Team Unsafe At Any Speed, finished 54th with 249 laps. Clearly, this is because they cheated.<br /><br />They did, however, swing by to collect their specified stakes, an 18-yr Macallen. And we are happy to report that it was only <span style="font-style: italic;">moderately</span> delicious.<br /><br />When we <span style="font-style: italic;">kick your asses</span> at Reno, we'd like to request a Glenfarclas 15 or better.astridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14255877441875149905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359911770176462251.post-35789205992584996372009-03-17T08:29:00.001-07:002009-03-17T08:43:24.403-07:00Reno here we comeWe've been officially accepted to the Reno event. I'm happy to report that the application process is less stressful the 2nd time around.<br /><br />In between now and then, Ling Ling should get some electrical TLC. She will make a shake down appearance at the April 3rd <a href="http://team-racing.org">TEAM Racing</a> track day at ThunderHill. In addition to the usual "beat on the car to break everything we can before the actual race" strategy, the plan is to find some poor intermediate group driver, stick to their bumper, and do some "simulated yellow" laps to see if we've cured our electrical ailments.<br /><br />In the team gossip category, some of the Pandamonium Racing crew have spun up their own turbo minivan team to go for the glory. See <a href="http://mysteriesincracing.blogspot.com/">Mysteries Inc Racing</a> for some details.lazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04788965673337809219noreply@blogger.com1