Topic: What did you do to your non-motorcycle vehicle today?

[Don R]

 I'm waiting for a truck to drop off my firebird's new full 1/4 panels from AMD. I bought from summit racing after checking prices on the same parts elsewhere.
  The left quarter panel arrived mostly flat, we put it back on the truck.

[Kelly E]

I'm waiting for a truck to drop off my firebird's new full 1/4 panels from AMD. I bought from summit racing after checking prices on the same parts elsewhere.
  The left quarter panel arrived mostly flat, we put it back on the truck.

That sucks. It is not that hard to properly secure cargo to prevent damage. Other drivers used to give me crap about using too many ropes and straps. Of course I wasn't the one bringing back damaged goods for return.

[Don R]

I'm waiting for a truck to drop off my firebird's new full 1/4 panels from AMD. I bought from summit racing after checking prices on the same parts elsewhere.
  The left quarter panel arrived mostly flat, we put it back on the truck.

That sucks. It is not that hard to properly secure cargo to prevent damage. Other drivers used to give me crap about using too many ropes and straps. Of course I wasn't the one bringing back damaged goods for return.

The driver told me to look at it before accepting it, he wondered why they even loaded it on his truck. The entire door jamb area was facing the side of the panel, not the front.

[BenelliSEI]

Installed the freshly rebuilt JRZ front shocks in race car this evening. Went to start it and no spark. The ancient MOTEC dash was showing hot oil and coolant temps as soon as we turned it on. Some weird electrical gremlins seem to appeared over the past few months of total inactivity. Tim and I both had a long week, so we agreed to pack it in early and start fresh next time. All the electronics in the LEXUS are almost 20 years old. Mmmm.

Photo is from when it was a factory built Grand Am car. We’ve put a lot of miles on it since then.

[Don R]

 I always suspect a bad ground when something like that happens.
  My dragster is likely hauling 10 lbs of extra ground wire from when I had a shortage of amps a couple seasons ago. I'm taking the EFI back out and will lessen the electrical load a lot.
  We suspected a vacuum leak, when I removed the stack of carburetor accessories the bolts weren't as tight as I like them. It has a single 4-barrel dominator intake, a super sucker spacer, a 4-blade throttle stop, a scoop mount and finally the carb/throttle body on top. That's about 6 gaskets to compress.
  I made a gasket for our lift plate and bolted it to the intake. It's drilled and tapped for 1/8" pipe threads and I made up a manifold. I then put 4 psi on the entire top end of the engine. It tested good. That is hondabond oozing through the extra holes in the plate.
  All of the valves are closed, I hate doing that because it's 16 chances to make a mistake while re-adjusting the valve lash. Things like not getting the pushrod back in place or trying to torque a rocker stand while under lift. My friend that builds pro-stock NHRA cars said the same thing. He rotates the motor every two weeks so he doesn't have to take the pressure off of the springs. This car is in the trailer in storage, I can't do that.

[BenelliSEI]

“I always suspect a bad ground when something like that happens.”

Thanks Don. Good advice and I’ll start there.


We spent two days tracing and testing all the wiring in the factory built 2003 LEXUS race car. Every result pointed to a “dead” EUC. We determined the unit is a “Pectel 2000” built in the UK and specifically designed to work in tandem with the MOTEC an electronic dash and info centre in the car. First used in a host of single seat race cars powered by Cosworth FORD engine, it made its way into multiple race sedans, sports cars and rally cars. 25 years ago…..
    Not so easy to find these days and information is scarce. Tim and I opened the box and had no idea what we were looking at. Fortunately he “knows a guy”. I took it down to Custone Electronic in Whitby, Ontario. “Chris” spent an hour testing the boards and discovered two (related) problems. Did the repairs and last night the car fired up instantly and ran perfectly! Lots still to do, but we’re off to the races, next Thursday!!!  Yahoo.

[Don R]

  I got a good fender from Texas on an Estes truck this morning, it's the passenger side quarter panel. It's still a single layer box and the corners were hanging out. The replacement drivers side is still on the way from Ohio.
  We got a Fed Ex of pet food from the Quad Cities and have the 750 seat coming on another Fed Ex from Peoria. 

[Kelly E]

My friend used to say if you received a undented replacement body panel go buy a lottery ticket.

[Don R]

  I got a scratch off ticket, I guess I used up all of my luck on the fender. Another one due today. I'm not impressed with the weight of the metal but it is what it is. Edit: two good fenders in a row.
  I put the Dragster on jack stands in the trailer and removed the body, then began unwiring the EFI harness. The trick is remembering what everything did.
  It will need the old pressure regulator and fuel pump, The plumbing will be a mish mash of what I had on it and what's there now. I'll keep everything that's newer and will fit. The pump relay will stay as will the fan relay. Everything will still be manual on and off.

[Kelly E]

Today I finished up the 01' Honda TRX 350 Rancher and rode it around. I need to order some new tires now. The original tires date coded in 99' hold air for at least 5 minutes.

[grcamna2]

Today I finished up the 01' Honda TRX 350 Rancher and rode it around. I need to order some new tires now. The original tires date coded in 99' hold air for at least 5 minutes.

Did you run it around a bunch;how's everything feel to you ?

[Stev-o]

After much research on the front suspension of the '69 Mustang [the vintage Mustang forum is excellent] I decided against an upgrade of a Borgeson steering box, and had OEM components rebuilt by an expert in IL. I bought them used and shipped them, within a week they were rebuilt to show quality and headed to me.
Here is the steering box, control valve and ram...



So, now that I have the parts, I had the car transported to my buddy's shop, [roadside assist, no charge] he has a lift and all the tools necessary to make the exchange...



Once on the lift, we confirmed that the steering box was the most likely culprit on the steering slop, and 1 missing bolt didnt help! [I have newly restored bolts too]

A close inspection showed cracks on the power steering hoses, so those were ordered and will be replaced as part of the job. 



So nice to have the car up a lift to inspect everything. The undercarriage is rock solid, no rust to speak of, these cars were prone to rust.  I do have a minor oil leak, seems all classic cars at least "weep", I took a little time to wipe down some of the parts under there.

[Kelly E]

Today I finished up the 01' Honda TRX 350 Rancher and rode it around. I need to order some new tires now. The original tires date coded in 99' hold air for at least 5 minutes.

Did you run it around a bunch;how's everything feel to you ?

I rode it around a bit. It's really mushy since the tires start going flat right after I stop putting air in. I am ordering tires today. The front brakes need to be bled again but it runs great.

[dave500]

always nice up on a hoist Stevo,my neighbour has one,we swapped an auto leyland p76 to a 4 speed,he also bought a good transmission jack it was a joy to do!!

[BenelliSEI]

We spent two days tracing and testing all the wiring in the factory built 2003 LEXUS race car. Every result pointed to a “dead” EUC. We determined the unit is a “Pectel  T6 2000” built in the UK and specifically designed to work in tandem with the MOTEC electronic dash and info centre in the car. First used in a host of single seat race cars powered by Cosworth FORD engines, it made its way into multiple race sedans, sports cars and rally cars. 25 years ago…..
    Not so easy to find these days and information is scarce. Tim and I opened the box and had no idea what we were looking at. Fortunately he “knows a guy”. I took it down to Custone Electronic in Whitby, Ontario. “Chris” spent an hour testing the boards and discovered two (related) problems. Did the repairs and last night the car fired up instantly and ran perfectly! The guy is a wizard. Lots still to do, but we’re off to the races, next Thursday!!!  Yahoo.

[lash]

Maybe you should be looking for a backup unit just in case!

[BenelliSEI]

Maybe you should be looking for a backup unit just in case!

Definitely on that! It might actually be a complete change out. These units (paired with the dash display screen) are few and far between. They’re being snapped up for accurate restorations of historic racers, at prices that are increasing steadily. It has worked well for almost twenty five years so maybe I’m concerned about nothing. The guy that fixed it was impressed with the build quality.

[grcamna2]

We spent two days tracing and testing all the wiring in the factory built 2003 LEXUS race car. Every result pointed to a “dead” EUC. We determined the unit is a “Pectel  T6 2000” built in the UK and specifically designed to work in tandem with the MOTEC electronic dash and info centre in the car. First used in a host of single seat race cars powered by Cosworth FORD engines, it made its way into multiple race sedans, sports cars and rally cars. 25 years ago…..
    Not so easy to find these days and information is scarce. Tim and I opened the box and had no idea what we were looking at. Fortunately he “knows a guy”. I took it down to Custone Electronic in Whitby, Ontario. “Chris” spent an hour testing the boards and discovered two (related) problems. Did the repairs and last night the car fired up instantly and ran perfectly! The guy is a wizard. Lots still to do, but we’re off to the races, next Thursday!!!  Yahoo.

That is excellent John ! 
You need spark.

[dave500]

that is good work and good luck!i guess can be as easy as a dry solder joint well spotted or more in depth stuff us heathens dont understand?

[simon#42]

pectel have a good reputation over here .  if you find one in the uk and need any help picking up or posting just let me know

[BenelliSEI]

that is good work and good luck!i guess can be as easy as a dry solder joint well spotted or more in depth stuff us heathens dont understand?

Dave….. he found a burned open link on the board and replaced a few tiny components. I’m afraid my eyes glazed over and my mind drifted when he was explaining the problem……

[BenelliSEI]

pectel have a good reputation over here .  if you find one in the uk and need any help picking up or posting just let me know

Simon….. That might be really helpful! Much appreciated. I’m hoping to find a used one and then have it programmed as a spare.

[BenelliSEI]

Spent the day finishing mechanical prep on the LEXUS. New timing belt and fresh fluids through out. Skimmed the discs and new pads. We use a set of pads in one day (8 hour endurance racing) so ordered three more sets for “inventory”. End to end bolt check, corner weights set, caster, camber and alignment.

Threw on Tim’s Dealer Plates and drove it 4 kilometers to the farm. Ran really well. Nothing sounds better than a “Big straight 6 on a 3” straight pipe”. The neighborhood knows the season is about to start!

Next up will be a proper cleaning, and new Series #plates and 2025 sponsor decals. “RainX and fog free” to all the glass and then clean/sort out the trailer for next weekend. Mount and balance two more sets of tires…… The ones stacked there is a new one we will try for “RAIN”. The car is back in the garage attached to our home, so no more trips to the “shop”. Busy, short week ahead. Family is here for Easter weekend and we head out to the track Thursday afternoon.

[grcamna2]

Spent the day finishing mechanical prep on the LEXUS. New timing belt and fresh fluids through out. Skimmed the discs and new pads. We use a set of pads in one day (8 hour endurance racing) so ordered three more sets for “inventory”. End to end bolt check, corner weights set, caster, camber and alignment.

Threw on Tim’s Dealer Plates and drove it 4 kilometers to the farm. Ran really well. Nothing sounds better than a “Big straight 6 on a 3” straight pipe”. The neighborhood knows the season is about to start!

Next up will be a proper cleaning, and new Series #plates and 2025 sponsor decals. “RainX and fog free” to all the glass and then clean/sort out the trailer for next weekend. Mount and balance two more sets of tires…… The ones stacked there is a new one we will try for “RAIN”. The car is back in the garage attached to our home, so no more trips to the “shop”. Busy, short week ahead. Family is here for Easter weekend and we head out to the track Thursday afternoon.

 

[CBJoe]

Put the 76 Chief on stands in preparation for a couple months of work.  Lots of stuff from rust repair, undercoating, steering, rebuild th400, rebuild qtrac transfer case, engine work etc....

Good times

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