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Did I mention I race rally cars? Red Rocket Rally

Friday, June 5, 2009
Flash's New Jump Bar
by brian @ 15:16:33 - [perma-link]
Today I built a second agility obstacle for Flash, an adjustable jump
bar. He's jumping over it pretty well. The top bar is at about 17"
right now. It started at 20", which was a little too high for him to
clear consistently (but with practice, I'm sure he'll jump much
higher!). I need to start him out lower, and build him up. It doesn't
take many jumps to wear him out right now.
The bar is made from 3/4" PVC, a handfull of Ts, and endcaps. The
cups that hold the bars are cut from a T. First I cut the back off of
the T, so the long edge will snap onto the pole. Then I cut the
whole thing in half to make 2 cups. They snap onto the pole anywhere,
so I can easily change the height of the bars. The two bars are
wrapped with red electrical tape.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Louvers in the Hood
by brian @ 18:01:22 - [perma-link]
This is the next attempt at reducing underhood temperatures. I cut
some "test" louvers into the hood today. I drilled holes at each
corner, then cut across from hole to hole using a cutoff wheel on a
cordless grinder. Then I grabbed between two holes with needle-nose
pliers and twisted the louver in the hood.
The small ones were the first test. They are about 1/2" wide each. I
think they are too thin.
The larger ones are about an inch wide and go all the way from the
center rib to the inner edge of the shock tower, and end just behind
the valve covers, so rain doesn't drip off the louvers into the spark
plug trough. (Even though the spark plugs are in the engine, which is
on the other side of the car... I had the hood upside down when I cut
them. But if I mirror them, the ones on the other side won't drip on
the spark plugs!)
I also pulled the header out of the car to clean it. I was going to
wrap it with insulating header wrap, to reduce their heat
contribution, but read some SCCA forum postings about header wrap
absorbing oil leaks and catching on fire and decided not to wrap
them. They still needed a good cleaning, as they were pretty packed
with mud from running rallycross without the skid plate.
I'll reinstall the clean header tomorrow, swap in the Celica airbox
from the old rally car, and go do some more test driving and go to a
car wash.
The North Nevada Rally has been postponed, date unknown. That gives
us a little more time to figure things out before Idaho.

Sunday, May 31, 2009
Rallycross mud
by brian @ 13:03:24 - [perma-link]
Modified 2wd was first up in the mud. Had some overheating issues
until I backed off the throttle a bit (which ultimately made me faster).
32 cones for the day. That must be a record.

Cleanup After
by ccons @ 16:20:25 - [perma-link]
Rally Cross

Duckling Floatilla
by ccons @ 17:26:54 - [perma-link]
[I didn't write anything about this picture.]

Sunday, May 24, 2009
What's in here?
by brian @ 13:33:50 - [perma-link]
Not air, that's for sure! I got a flat tire in the Vanagon on the way
back from Hood River last weekend. Our whole rally contingent pulled
over and helped me change it (the vanagon carries a full-sized spare
in a compartment under the front of the van). The lug nuts were
tighter than I could loosen with just the lug wrench so Josh had to
turn around in his service truck and go at them with a 3-foot breaker
bar. I'll have to add one of those to the under-seat tool box.

As bad as the tire looks now, the flat didn't horrible affect
driving. Granted we were in a 35-mph zone, but I just felt the car
start driving a little weird and had to ask my sister to look out the
window and tell me if the rear tire was flat. "No... Um.. yes...
wait, no. Maybe. Uhhhh... Oh yeah, its really flat!"

I just looked at the other tires when I was swapping in a good spare,
and they all still look good, and actually have a whole lot of tread
left. I was thinking that they were kind of old, but now I'll have to
find the tire receipt and see if this one is still under warranty. :)

In any case, I can drive the van around without worry (I've been sort of
avoiding it since I got back home), and take my time finding some nice
15" wheels and new tires for it.

Damn...
by ccons @ 20:36:28 - [perma-link]
That thing's cherry...

Sunday, May 17, 2009
Bay to Breakers
by ccons @ 09:54:35 - [perma-link]
[I didn't write anything about this picture.]

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
New Windshield
by brian @ 13:34:21 - [perma-link]
Yesterday I took the rally car for a test drive/shakedown. When I was
pulling onto McLoughlin Blvd, the hood flipped up and busted the
windshield. I forgot to check the hood pins before I left.
Metro Auto Glass came by today and installed a new one. Its almost
ready to rally.

Saturday, May 2, 2009
Floods in St Louis
by brian @ 15:39:46 - [perma-link]
Seems like old times. The landing is flooded and it's rising.

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Friday, June 5, 2009
	Flash's New Jump Bar by brian @ 15:16:33 - [perma-link] Today I built a second agility obstacle for Flash, an adjustable jump bar. He's jumping over it pretty well. The top bar is at about 17" right now. It started at 20", which was a little too high for him to clear consistently (but with practice, I'm sure he'll jump much higher!). I need to start him out lower, and build him up. It doesn't take many jumps to wear him out right now. The bar is made from 3/4" PVC, a handfull of Ts, and endcaps. The cups that hold the bars are cut from a T. First I cut the back off of the T, so the long edge will snap onto the pole. Then I cut the whole thing in half to make 2 cups. They snap onto the pole anywhere, so I can easily change the height of the bars. The two bars are wrapped with red electrical tape.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
	Louvers in the Hood by brian @ 18:01:22 - [perma-link] This is the next attempt at reducing underhood temperatures. I cut some "test" louvers into the hood today. I drilled holes at each corner, then cut across from hole to hole using a cutoff wheel on a cordless grinder. Then I grabbed between two holes with needle-nose pliers and twisted the louver in the hood. The small ones were the first test. They are about 1/2" wide each. I think they are too thin. The larger ones are about an inch wide and go all the way from the center rib to the inner edge of the shock tower, and end just behind the valve covers, so rain doesn't drip off the louvers into the spark plug trough. (Even though the spark plugs are in the engine, which is on the other side of the car... I had the hood upside down when I cut them. But if I mirror them, the ones on the other side won't drip on the spark plugs!) I also pulled the header out of the car to clean it. I was going to wrap it with insulating header wrap, to reduce their heat contribution, but read some SCCA forum postings about header wrap absorbing oil leaks and catching on fire and decided not to wrap them. They still needed a good cleaning, as they were pretty packed with mud from running rallycross without the skid plate. I'll reinstall the clean header tomorrow, swap in the Celica airbox from the old rally car, and go do some more test driving and go to a car wash. The North Nevada Rally has been postponed, date unknown. That gives us a little more time to figure things out before Idaho.


Sunday, May 31, 2009
	Rallycross mud by brian @ 13:03:24 - [perma-link] Modified 2wd was first up in the mud. Had some overheating issues until I backed off the throttle a bit (which ultimately made me faster). 32 cones for the day. That must be a record.
	Cleanup After by ccons @ 16:20:25 - [perma-link] Rally Cross
	Duckling Floatilla by ccons @ 17:26:54 - [perma-link] [I didn't write anything about this picture.]

Sunday, May 24, 2009
	What's in here? by brian @ 13:33:50 - [perma-link] Not air, that's for sure! I got a flat tire in the Vanagon on the way back from Hood River last weekend. Our whole rally contingent pulled over and helped me change it (the vanagon carries a full-sized spare in a compartment under the front of the van). The lug nuts were tighter than I could loosen with just the lug wrench so Josh had to turn around in his service truck and go at them with a 3-foot breaker bar. I'll have to add one of those to the under-seat tool box. As bad as the tire looks now, the flat didn't horrible affect driving. Granted we were in a 35-mph zone, but I just felt the car start driving a little weird and had to ask my sister to look out the window and tell me if the rear tire was flat. "No... Um.. yes... wait, no. Maybe. Uhhhh... Oh yeah, its really flat!" I just looked at the other tires when I was swapping in a good spare, and they all still look good, and actually have a whole lot of tread left. I was thinking that they were kind of old, but now I'll have to find the tire receipt and see if this one is still under warranty. :) In any case, I can drive the van around without worry (I've been sort of avoiding it since I got back home), and take my time finding some nice 15" wheels and new tires for it.

	Damn... by ccons @ 20:36:28 - [perma-link] That thing's cherry...

Sunday, May 17, 2009
	Bay to Breakers by ccons @ 09:54:35 - [perma-link] [I didn't write anything about this picture.]

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
	New Windshield by brian @ 13:34:21 - [perma-link] Yesterday I took the rally car for a test drive/shakedown. When I was pulling onto McLoughlin Blvd, the hood flipped up and busted the windshield. I forgot to check the hood pins before I left. Metro Auto Glass came by today and installed a new one. Its almost ready to rally.

Saturday, May 2, 2009
	Floods in St Louis by brian @ 15:39:46 - [perma-link] Seems like old times. The landing is flooded and it's rising.
previous