Shakedown Event

Completed so far:

  • Gauge backlights installed
  • CKP sensor signal wire repaired
  • Unnecessary wiring removed from engine harness
  • Unnecessary wiring removed from dash harness
  • Fan switch and relay installed
  • 6-wire bundle installed from center console to engine compartment

To shake the car down a bit before the first WOR points event, Tim and I took the car up to  the Indy region’s PE#2.  First in MF and fourth overall on a dry track with no serious tire advantage.

In no uncertain terms, this car is a weapon to which you strap yourself and try to hang on and it is a broad sword, not a scalpel.  The course was designed with a very tight right-hand turn out of the start which fed immediately into a left-hand sweeper.  First gear and a very light throttle touch got the car off the start and around the first bend, but once I entered the left-hand sweeper, I put it into second gear and the car basically exploded down the track, and I think it was basically spinning the wheels the whole time I was on the throttle.  As I mentioned to someone else, you can’t think of that as a car — it’s more like a boat that cuts through dirt instead of water.

The day left me with only one problem with the car:  The clutch cable came disconnected from the clutch pedal and required a quick fix.  I have an allen wrench jammed in there now, held steady with some duct tape.  I need to find a new cotter pin, and perhaps a washer, to make that a more permanent fix.

According to Tim, I’m getting thrown all over the inside of the car, so instead of trying to run down some coilovers, my next purchase will be a harness.  More details as they become available.  I also need to drain the oil so that I can install the oil filter sandwich adapter with the oil pressure sender attached.