GB is back at "the shop" and Scott is burning the midnight (and beyond) oil to get her ready for the "fat car" event. She's pretty much mechanically ready to run as she is, but we want to enter the show, too. So he's got a bunch of cabin details to finish up.

She needs an alignment, since Scott had to replace the steering rack (again). Either Robinson Racing or Grand Tourismo will probably get the call on that.

We can run her with the present upper pulley and tune, but the plan is to drop the upper pulley size from 3.1" to 2.8" and if there are no belt-slip issues, re-tune her.

Mike, I appreciate your offer of the DRs, but since I need a set of tires down here anyway, we're gonna try to get her to hook with these:




Ryan is ordering a pair of MT ET Streets. At 27" X 10.5" with 8.9" wide tread, they're about and inch bigger all-around than the Hoosier QTPs I was running N/A .

So barring unforeseen circumstances, GB will make her debut appearance in Commerce.



-mike

This post was last modified: 10-10-2007 09:58 AM by 96 GoldBird.

GB is back at "the shop" and Scott is burning the midnight (and beyond) oil to get her ready for the "fat car" event. She's pretty much mechanically ready to run as she is, but we want to enter the show, too. So he's got a bunch of cabin details to finish up.

She needs an alignment, since Scott had to replace the steering rack (again). Either Robinson Racing or Grand Tourismo will probably get the call on that.

We can run her with the present upper pulley and tune, but the plan is to drop the upper pulley size from 3.1" to 2.8" and if there are no belt-slip issues, re-tune her.

Mike, I appreciate your offer of the DRs, but since I need a set of tires down here anyway, we're gonna try to get her to hook with these:




Ryan is ordering a pair of MT ET Streets. At 27" X 10.5" with 8.9" wide tread, they're about and inch bigger all-around than the Hoosier QTPs I was running N/A .

So barring unforeseen circumstances, GB will make her debut appearance in Commerce.



-mike

Cool Mike. Your welcome, anytime... I think the car show portion of SSHS7 was replaced by a "best smokeshow burnout" contest this year.


Due to time constraints, we are eliminating the car show and setting up a burn-out contest


EVENT:

Saturday November 3, 2007

8:00 am Doors Open

8:00 - 11:00 Registration and Tech Inspection

09:00 - 12:00 Test and Tune - use all staging lanes 1-8 All racers must develop dial-in and declare Class by 12:00 noon

Class D (The Area51 Performance Big Dog Class) - must make at least 1 qualifying run before 12:00 noon

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch Break - Raffle Winners, Door Prizes, and track prep for the afternoon

1:00 - 4:00 Bracket Racing - 0.5 second tree - must have dial-in and Classes on car One $25.00 buy back will be allowed in First Round Only

4:00 - 4:30 King of the Hill Bracket Finals The winners of each class plus a wildcard (based on the best reaction time) will advance to a final round for King of the Hill. No buy back's in the finals!

4:30-5:00 Burn out contest at the track

8:00 Trophy Presentations

Hey Mike, I have a question for you - Are you going to bring GB to the Friday night test and tune on the 2nd at Atl Dragway? If you are, you are invited to join in with me on a little grudge match action with Glenn Packard. He has a SC Trilogy Marauder, and is looking for some good match racing. He ran a best of 12.3 last year at SSHS6, and I think I might be able to hang with him in the cooler air. We both are way down on power compaired to GB, but you might see us in your side window for the first 60' anyway...

A bunch of us Mark VIII guys are going to meet at the Sonic Drive-in around 4pm Friday, and will caravan to the track around 5-5:30. We do this every year, and we have a great time! Hope you can join in... BTW, This invite also goes out to Aric, Ryan, Big Scott, etc., and anyone else that is going to attend the event for that matter...

There is nothing I'd like better than to join you guys Friday nite. I have been begging for some track time with GB before the race, for months - actually I'd take some street time, anything at all would be welcome. Additionally, Bill (White99GT) wants to meet up for dinner, or lunch or something while I'm up there, and my TCCoA buddy Timb surely want in on whatever is going on, too.

But,

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, depending upon how you look at it , most of what is happening to GB over the next two weeks is totally out of my control.

Scott has told me that he has certian things he has to do, but he hasn't really given me a punch list of what they are, how long they will take, or when he plans to do them. He's got a bronchitis thing going on right now and feels like caca, and is busy at work, he's been house and pet sitting for friends, etc., so I don't know how much quality time he's spent with GB since she left Aric's two weeks ago.

On top of that, we've got the rear suspension issue that has to be resolved by Robinson Racing, and an alignment that needs to be done, but I Scott has not told me what Robinson has said about that either. I don't know if he's dropped the car off over there, or not, or if he intends to do so before the race. Grand Tourismo may do the alignment and Robinson will do the rear supension later, then we'll do yet another alignment.

Then of course there is Aric's part, and he won't be back until 10/23. Another pulley/belt swap and tune up is in the mix. With your car and the Marauder for Aric to prepare for the race and the dozens of other miscellaneous projects, he will be a one-armed paper hanger , and usually GB seems to be last on the list. I was told when we switched to the RR pulley that Aric was gonna order two - a 3.1" and a smaller one at the same time so we would be able to go right from bigger to smaller, but that didn't happen. For some reason they waited until the 3.1" was in and done before ordering the smaller pulley, so we had to wait... in the meantime Scott took the car back ... back when the heater hose blew out of the intake while Aric was test driving, it caused the ignition wires to fry, and Scott spent a Saturday up at Aric's diagnosing and putting in new MSD wires .... Oh, yeah, the remote kill switch still has to be installed and wired up, for some reason that couldn't be done before ....

Anyhow the point is that I feel strongly that GB will probably not get to the rollers for the 2.8" pulley thing until the Friday before the race, and Friday nite, Scott will still be burning the midnight oil, finishing up whatever he can, and the car will not be ready until Saturday morning. Hell, we may be somewhere Saturday morning getting the alignment....

Since last January, when GB first actually hit the rollers, and we had the fuel starvation and belt slip issue, but the light was visible at the end of the tunnel, SSHS7 was not a primary goal, but if we could make it, I have been trying to avoid this last minute scramble, by anticipating the need for parts and ordering them, and trying to suggest ways of "multitasking." However, I knew in my heart, that it would be like this, because that's the way this whole build has been. Hurry-up and wait ...

Just way too much going on ... You may read into this that I'm somehow "blaming" some body, or feel that someone has been slacking .. Nothing could be further from the truth... When a guy who has a full time job takes on a side project that involves removing every single nut, bolt, screw, fastener, spring, electrical connection, etc; replace maybe 50% of every OEM part, add countless aftermarket parts, design and fabricate dozens of new parts, and find places to put things where there is no room and they've never been before, it takes time ... lots and lots of time. When Scott started GB 4 years ago, a guy I know in Michigan had started on a Twin Turbo T-Bird project. This guy works full time in the Ford Powertrain division and has a full on fabrication and machine shop built on to his house where he builds engines, machines heads and intakes, and builds full project cars, like the twin turbo bird. He's got way more resources that we do, and let's just say, he's still working on the project.

OK, so I'm "venting" a bit .. but I think it's because the biggest frustration for me has been being down here, and not being able to "hands-on" help out, when Scott's been fried, or had personal stuff going on, or whatever. It's probably a good thing I couldn't... .. 'cause Scott's a big believer in "too many cooks" ...

However when we get down to the wire, if I can get him to ask for it, Scott may need a hand... .. no, not that kind...

Dirty ones....

I'm sure Scott would like to button her up early and let me take her up on Friday nite, he might even bring Cougie, and join in, but I wouldn't count on it ...

We'll let you know...



-mike

ps... Timb, if you're monitoring this board, you're welcome to join me and Scott before, during and after the race ... bring your tools, and expect to get dirty ... You gotta meet Aric, and see his operation .. even if you don't have your SVO Blown Bird anymore...

This post was last modified: 10-16-2007 11:44 AM by 96 GoldBird.

Hope everything works out for all involved, Mike. Regardless if GB is done or not, please feel free to join in the fun Friday nite! It is a great time

Hope everything works out for all involved, Mike. Regardless if GB is done or not, please feel free to join in the fun Friday nite! It is a great time

Actually, the vette probably runs somewhere in the 12's in stock trim...

We can have a little "Ford v Chevy/Heavy v. Not" Shootout of our own. I need to get out of town, for a couple of days, so one way or the other I'll probably see you guys up there...

-mike

Cool Mike! If Friday is in the cards, I have a hook-up for ya besides me... check it out...


http://videos.streetfire.net/video/b9f59...48a9d0.htm



http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1663d...d408a3.htm




This is Glenn's Marauder in action that wanted to race you and I Friday night. Should be fun!

I shouldn't have any trouble beating Glen .... he stages with his front wheels on the line ..

Personally I prefer staging with the rear wheels...



-mike

ATTENTION: There are some updates for the SSHS7 participants.


You can read about them here: http://www.sshs7.com/

You will find the updates under "DETAILS"

I will see yall there in my magnum