Now that most of the fab work is done, it's time to get ready for paint. Unfortunately that means stripping off all the suspension, steering, and brakes again. The good thing is that it makes you fix all the little problems discovered during the chassis fabrication phase of the project. Things like welding up cracks, replacing stripped out captives, and fixing broken hinges. … [Read more...] about STRIP IT BACK DOWN
MAVERICKS 2010
Do you think building your own race car and then trusting your life with it is kind of crazy? Then these guys are really crazy, they are the real extreme sport atheletes, the big wave surfers of Mavericks. Yesterday was the annual surf contest at Mavericks, a wave that takes special oceanic conditions to break about a half mile off shore of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, … [Read more...] about MAVERICKS 2010
VARA-U 2010
VARA had its annual Driver's School and Test & Tune at Buttonwillow Raceway this weekend. Attendance was particularly good considering the weather and the economy. We had almost 100 attendees, and dozens of club members attended as volunteers to help out. I spent the weekend as a "Wall Monkey" (aka driving instructor) and "Cone Boy" (aka track layout technician). The … [Read more...] about VARA-U 2010
GARAGE REALITY
For the past six months I have been in car guy's heaven. I have been able to use my good friend Paul Moore's fabrication shop to work on my Datsun Wagon race car project. I have had access to his lift, his welders, his tools, but most importantly, access to his talent and his tutelage. For this I am forever thankful. His shop is getting full with customer cars, so it was … [Read more...] about GARAGE REALITY
DRIVER’S DOOR BARS
I've had the last few days off and have completed a couple more projects. We finally finished off the rollcage with the driver's side door bars and the fuel cell cradle. The door bars were done "NASCAR" style, meaning they are bent into the door cavity. This increases driver comfort by creating more elbow room, and improves safety by enlarging the crush-zone envelope. We were … [Read more...] about DRIVER’S DOOR BARS
IT’S A TEAM SPORT
I could not even get close to building my own race car without a lot of help from my friends. My buddies Paul Moore and John Teaby are shown here working on my CV joint conversion project. … [Read more...] about IT’S A TEAM SPORT