Team Stinking Turd

[JeffYoung]

Well, after a couple of good race weekends, Team Stinking Turd's TR8 finally showed up at Roebling for the Jim Stark double.

Car loaded ready to race and ran flawlessly the test day, of course. Personal best, finally into the 23s. SLIGHT miss in the very last session but I just thought it was bad gas.....wrong-o!

TST swung into action on Saturday. We had a huge field, 23 ITS cars. Qual was ok, spun lap 3, qualled 9th of 23. Miss gets a little worse but still nothing awful.

About 2 hours before race time, DOWNPOUR. I run into the trailer to get out of teh rain. Literally. WHAM...hit head square on tire rack. blood everywhere. Spend rain storm stopping bleeding. Feel ok, so put towels in helmet and off to race.

Start 9th, get up to 8th, just cruising. Drop two tires off in 2 about 4 laps in, spin. Get back on, pass a bunch of cars, do the same thing 5 laps later. Yee-haw! Then, miss comes back terrible, car nearly quits on in lap. Finish 14 of 23! Woohoo!

Start dealing with miss in the paddock. Conclude that Pertronix gee whizbanger ignition module was loose and/or bad. Replace. Car starts runs fin.

Go out for qual Sunday morning. Car runs good on out lap. Get ready for flying lap...on front straight at 110 mph or so WHAM...car shuts off. Thanks Chuck Baader and Russ Boatwright for missing me......

Coast back in. Scratch head.

Decide to check timing. Get light hooked up. Timing is a bit off, reach for distributor and POW! Nearly knocked me on my ass! Huh????

Crew man Roussel takes insulated screwdriver and runs it over top of distributor...arc from top of coil wire!

MSD wire boot had split, arcing to hood! Nice!

Replace coil wire, start at back --36th! 19th in class!

Decide to treat race like test day. Go out, car runs great, pass 22 cars in 10 laps or so, get up to 7th in class, 6th in site......wham! Loose 3rd gear...ok...use torque and just 4th/ 5th.....wham! lose 4th gear.........

Ride in 5th, maintain 7th place..wham! car cuts off......pull off to the side. Towed in....rotor button broken!

Now THAT is a Team Stinking Turd racing. Many thanks to crewman Jeff Roussel (soon to be ITS 260z) for the help in nearly pulling an ok finish out of the hat on Sunday.

[Z3_GoCar]

Now that's a hard luck race. I hope you've got a good replacement for your transmission.

James

[JeffYoung]

Funny thing...it wasn't the transmission.....clutch slave cylinder bolts backed out.....

Crazy weekend.

[Z3_GoCar]

Funny thing...it wasn't the transmission.....clutch slave cylinder bolts backed out.....

Crazy weekend.

Nuts and Bolts! Jeff.

Repeat after me, "Locktite Is My Friend!"

Sounds like lots of little things, with nothing too big to fix. Hope you get the Bear next time, instead of the Bear getting you.

James

[JeffYoung]

Not that I am good about this a lot, but it was loctited. The bellhousing is aluminum and it literally destroyed the threads. Too much flex I guess.

[Z3_GoCar]

Sounds like it's heli-coil time. I've seen that sort of thing when I worked on ancient fork-lift trucks at a mushroom plant. The rear axle was held in by four 3/4" bolts into a solid iron casting. They'd be driven, bang-bang-bang, down a broken concrete road 10hrs a day six days a week, untill the threads would litterally fatigue out of the casting. When I think of how I would get under those things, even with it on jack stands, it makes me :eek: In the end it was a loosing battle, after I quit that job they got all new fork trucks and trashed the franken-trucks I'd kept going. I'm glad I no longer wrench for a living, just for fun when I want to.

You might want to make sure the bolts are not bottoming out, if the bolts have stretched or the washers weren't in place it might explain the flexing. If there's flex it will fatigue, especially aluminum which hasn't a finite fatigue life.

James

[mdoyle]

Jeff,
I think we can fix the car, really feel bad about hammering Dad's car, any other just re-tub but not this one i'll spend what it takes to fix the 'Old 8"

Morey C

[JeffYoung]

Man that is good to hear. That car had some history behind it...hope it is fixable.

Driver(s) ok as well?

[mdoyle]

yea i'm fine, thank God for the 'HANS' otherwise i would not be in so good of shape

normaly i'd say build a new car, but not only does it have history its really a part of our family, so id rather spend the extra money to keep 'her' around, better for may Dad as well, even if he dosnt act like it matters. My brother is really pissed at me:mad:, so i'd rather fix the car, i told him anything can be done with $$$$$$

[JeffYoung]

Was it solo or did you have help?

[mdoyle]

little help, but really my own fault:eek: