See more at the movies Did I mention I race rally cars? Red Rocket Rally

Charger - Flash - Rally

Thursday, July 5, 2007
	Portland for the Fourth by ccons @ 20:23:44 - [perma-link] Damn, I don't remember the weather ever being this nice when I was a kid.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
movie (click to play)	Not this year, Osama! by brian @ 21:17:00 - [perma-link] On Sunday afternoon Lesley, Josh and I went to summerize the boat. We replaced the drain plugs and hoses, changed the oil and filter, and fired it up. And it overheated. And something sounded ugly when we shut it off. So we pulled spark plugs and found water in the cylinders, then started pulling the motor apart. It turns out we "forgot" to replace the water pump impeller, which apparently is another part that wears out every couple of years. Now that I know, I'll be replacing it annually just to be sure. Yesterday we got the gaskets and ordered some new exhaust manifolds (the most likely piece that would have failed from the heat) from Pacific Powerboats. The cheaper replacements weren't available on such short notice, so I had to get the stock replacement. When the woman at the counter asked me if I still wanted them I said, "Yeah. What choice do I have?. If we're not on the water on the 4th, the terrorists win." She gave me a half-hearted laugh, and a funny look. Josh and I spent most of yesterday and today putting the motor back together (now I can add "supercharged chevy 350" to my list of rebuilds). We fired it up, and it purrs like a pissed kitten. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
	Big Score at the U-Pull-It by brian @ 17:14:36 - [perma-link] I called the U-Pull-It this morning to see if they had any '88 Corolla FX-16s on the lot. They said they had a hatchback, but didn't know which specific model. Turns out it was the right one. Mostly. It was just an FX, not an FX-16 (nor GTS), but it had most of the right suspension parts. It just doesn't have all the extra support bits that the FX-16 GTS has. But I already have those, so no big deal. I snagged every bit of suspension I could off of this car. I have 2 rear strut members, and 3 fronts. I couldn't get the right-front off the FX, so I took both off the Corolla next to it, since they matched what I need. I have the all of the control bars, so I can box one set then swap them with what's on the car and box those for spares. I also grabbed a set of the rear side package trays. I think they'll be useful for holding frequently used tools in the rear. That should make repairs pretty simple. I think the whole suspension can be pulled with a pair of 17mms (one wrench, one socket), a 14 mm socket, and a 12mm socket on the impact. Keeping those handy, instead of buried in a tool box, will make servicing things much more timely. 3 hours of fighting stuck bolts out in the sun is all I have for today. Tomorrow I'll bolt in some rear struts so I can drive the car to get the exhaust repaired. The exhaust pipe is in the picture of the three struts. It should be much more tubular and attached to the car.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
	Almost ready for Olympia by brian @ 15:17:09 - [perma-link] We leave for the Olympus Rally on Friday (I think). Josh and I spent tonight finishing up the roll cage and a few other required items. The Corolla now has a working horn, a license plate light, sill bars, a main-hoop V, and stronger seat brackets located to fit me, rather than the 6'2" previous driver. Tomorrow I'll figure out the gas tank skid plate and bleed the brakes and clutch. And about a dozen other things. It looks like we're going to make it!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
	My First Rallycross! by brian @ 09:03:46 - [perma-link] A few weeks ago I found a rally car for sale on craigslist. I had searched for "go cart" and the description for the rally car said, "handles like a go cart". Good job on the marketing! On Sunday I raced it in my first Rallycross (ever!) at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro. It was so much fun! And the car totally kicks ass. So many people kept coming up and asking, "is that the one that was on craigslist?" Its a 1988 Toyota Corolla FX-16 GTS. It has the good motor. Its front wheel drive. Cold air intake, free-flowing exhaust, fully caged (well, mostly caged... about 3 bars short of Rally-America stage rally standards), racing seats (welded into place for the 6'2" previous driver... gotta move it forward 2", hence the foam pads in the seat), and 3 sets of wheels with one good set of rally tires. I don't know much about Corollas, yet, but I'm learning more each time someone comes up and asks me what it is. Lots of them know way more about it than I do. It turned out to be a great find. I was only 1 second off the 3rd place time on my last run. I have to attribute most of that to the car, since it was my first time racing on dirt. I'm totally hooked now, so I should be competitive once I get more experience.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
	What the Hail? by brian @ 14:22:28 - [perma-link] Flash and I just got back from our walk and were inside maybe 2 minutes before I heard the first shot of thunder, then the tik-tik-tik-tik-tik of hail on the roof. Flash is really confused. Now that it's just raining again, I let him out in the yard to check t out. He's running around like a crazy monkey.
Friday, March 16, 2007
	Looping forwards, revisited by brian @ 16:02:22 - [perma-link] This is even funnier. Because windows mobile sucks (i can't take the blame all to myself!), I forgot to attach the images. On the sidekick, I could select multiple pictures and email them. Windows mobile only lets me start a message with 1 picture. But I digress. Here are the pics...
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
	Looping forwards by brian @ 21:00:18 - [perma-link] This is too funny. I guess it takes 7 bounces before a letter gets too thick and gets booted out of the automatic sorter.
Monday, March 12, 2007
	Bonfire at Pete's wedding by brian @ 14:59:18 - [perma-link] Lesley and I are in Santa Cruz for a wedding. A couple of us just built a big bonfire on the beach. Congrats Pete and Donna!
Monday, March 5, 2007
	A Little Less Sunshine by brian @ 17:16:18 - [perma-link] I watched "Little Miss Sunshine" a couple of weeks ago. It was a little slow for my tastes, but the payoff at the end was worth the wait. I also enjoyed the troubles they had ith their VW Bus, so I had to chuckle (well, maybe not) when the next time I tried to drive my Vanagon the clutch pedal flopped right to the floor, and the shared brake/clutch reservoir was bone dry. It made great story for Oscar night. Today I replaced the slave cylinder for the clutch. It was just in time, as I found a warning from the Police under the wiper blade this morning. It was nice that Officer "V1" didn't peel and stick it. Now the clutch feels nice and firm, it grabs predictably, and the shifts are much smoother. I wonder what's next.
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