New Beginnings
In some ways, now is the best part of the racing season. The first race is the coming weekend, so hard cold reality hasn't made its presence yet. The car is prepped and soon to be loaded for the trip to Pocono Raceway. The off-season is over, ahead lies only future victories and glories. And I'm not the only one who thinks that. Racers, as viewed by outside observers, aren't rational people. We spend huge amounts of time, money and human capital to drive vehicles burning ancient dinosaurs on an insane journey, only to end up in the same place 1 or 2 minutes later. And we keep doing it, for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 90 minutes at a shot. So we Racers are dreamers, full of hope, looking for that next podium and $5 cheap plastic trophy. But now, before everything starts, ahead lies only possibilities. The night before I leave for the track, I'm going to pause, have a beer, and savor the moment.
So enough philosophy, I'll leave that for Harry Hall. Lets see what's been done since my last update. We'll start with the 944.
So, in the last couple of months the 44 has gotten a turbo front end, replaced a tie rod, front engine reseal, strut hats replaced with camber plates, balance shaft seals replaced, pilot bearing and rear main seal replaced, corner balanced and aligned, most of the paint has been refreshed with new decals, new hood pins rewelded, new front pads, new rear rotors, rear banana control arm bearing replaced, new windshield (with 2 layer tearoffs - hope to reduce the yearly replacement due to track rocks) and I'm sure I'm missing stuff.
Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything important. I'll be rolling it into the trailer shortly.
Next to receive some off-season love, is my tow vehicle, a 2002 Ford F250. It has about 75K on it (mostly track towing miles), but being a diesel, it's only being broken in. It got a nice fresh oil change and then I installed a couple of electronic gadgets to make the tow more enjoyable.
First I installed a license plate camera so I can see the trailer when I'm backing up and trying to connect. After many years I'm pretty good, but there are times when I'm hopping in and out of the cab, moving 6 inches to the left, to only be 3inches off to the right. Rinse and repeat... And it has infra-red leds, so I can see in the dark. And what's even cooler, is I bought a 2 camera system. The 2nd camera will go on the back of the trailer. This will allow me to see what's behind me, like when I'm backing up into a blind area, or even more useful, to see if any civilian idiots or highway patrolmen are parked 5 feet behind me when I'm at speed. I got a cool little trailer wiggle trick I can do to see back there using my mirrors, but sometimes that's just not appropriate.
Here's the dash with all the gizmos in place.
On the left is the 4 inch LCD monitor for the rear cameras. On the right is the Pressure Pro Tire Pressure Monitor for the Trailer (not new, but which I love, highly recommended). And in the middle, a new head unit.
My truck is a 2002 Ford F250 which came out just about the same time the iPod was born. It has a nice sound system and holds 5 CDs. But time, and technology, moves on. Now all my tunes and audio books are all digital and stored on an iPod. For many years, my solution was an HK Drive+Play which connected my iPod and broadcast it over a FM channel. While not great, it worked okay. But now, 10 years later it was time for something better. Better turned out to be a Kenwood KIV-701 media receiver. Integrated iPod connectivity, able to display my playlists on the nice screen, easy to control while driving, just a nice unit. I had one in my WRX for the last several months - 2002 WRX, same year, same old CD player, etc - and loved it enough to buy one for the truck. I'm ready for those long tows now. Me happy.
So enough of whats in front of me while driving, how about what's behind me?
While I'm not done yet, it's functional and ready for hauling.
So the interior is 95% done, still a little tweaks to go, but that will work out over the season. Have more outside work to go: replace damaged trim, a busted fender skirt, power wash the roof and install that rear view camera on the back.
But the pressure is off, the off-season tasks are done, right now, as the song goes, "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades". Here's to a successful 2013 season.
So enough philosophy, I'll leave that for Harry Hall. Lets see what's been done since my last update. We'll start with the 944.
 |
| #88 ready to rumble |
So, in the last couple of months the 44 has gotten a turbo front end, replaced a tie rod, front engine reseal, strut hats replaced with camber plates, balance shaft seals replaced, pilot bearing and rear main seal replaced, corner balanced and aligned, most of the paint has been refreshed with new decals, new hood pins rewelded, new front pads, new rear rotors, rear banana control arm bearing replaced, new windshield (with 2 layer tearoffs - hope to reduce the yearly replacement due to track rocks) and I'm sure I'm missing stuff.
Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything important. I'll be rolling it into the trailer shortly.
Next to receive some off-season love, is my tow vehicle, a 2002 Ford F250. It has about 75K on it (mostly track towing miles), but being a diesel, it's only being broken in. It got a nice fresh oil change and then I installed a couple of electronic gadgets to make the tow more enjoyable.
First I installed a license plate camera so I can see the trailer when I'm backing up and trying to connect. After many years I'm pretty good, but there are times when I'm hopping in and out of the cab, moving 6 inches to the left, to only be 3inches off to the right. Rinse and repeat... And it has infra-red leds, so I can see in the dark. And what's even cooler, is I bought a 2 camera system. The 2nd camera will go on the back of the trailer. This will allow me to see what's behind me, like when I'm backing up into a blind area, or even more useful, to see if any civilian idiots or highway patrolmen are parked 5 feet behind me when I'm at speed. I got a cool little trailer wiggle trick I can do to see back there using my mirrors, but sometimes that's just not appropriate.
Here's the dash with all the gizmos in place.
 |
| Not quite an airliner cockpit, but getting there. not seen are the Electronic Counter Measures aka V-1 |
On the left is the 4 inch LCD monitor for the rear cameras. On the right is the Pressure Pro Tire Pressure Monitor for the Trailer (not new, but which I love, highly recommended). And in the middle, a new head unit.
My truck is a 2002 Ford F250 which came out just about the same time the iPod was born. It has a nice sound system and holds 5 CDs. But time, and technology, moves on. Now all my tunes and audio books are all digital and stored on an iPod. For many years, my solution was an HK Drive+Play which connected my iPod and broadcast it over a FM channel. While not great, it worked okay. But now, 10 years later it was time for something better. Better turned out to be a Kenwood KIV-701 media receiver. Integrated iPod connectivity, able to display my playlists on the nice screen, easy to control while driving, just a nice unit. I had one in my WRX for the last several months - 2002 WRX, same year, same old CD player, etc - and loved it enough to buy one for the truck. I'm ready for those long tows now. Me happy.
So enough of whats in front of me while driving, how about what's behind me?
While I'm not done yet, it's functional and ready for hauling.
 |
| View from the rear |
 |
| chairs, sleeping cot, table, jack, helmet and suit holder and electric cords tire rack to the rear |
 |
| Nitrogen bottle and hose, tie down racks |
 |
| Important Driver Aid: Coffee Pot in corner misc bins for just stuff |
So the interior is 95% done, still a little tweaks to go, but that will work out over the season. Have more outside work to go: replace damaged trim, a busted fender skirt, power wash the roof and install that rear view camera on the back.
But the pressure is off, the off-season tasks are done, right now, as the song goes, "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades". Here's to a successful 2013 season.
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