1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

[carbuff]

Day two is all wrapped up now. We managed to avoid rain all day, until 6:00 when I was at dinner at least, so the auto-x went off without a hitch.

It was MUCH cooler today, and most cars reflected that with slower times. I got in 4 runs again today, and none were faster than my 70.8 with the blown stop yesterday, but my last run of the day was a 71.6, which was good enough for 6th place out of the group of 45 or so (that's what the announcer said) in the Street Machine class.

Again, TOW did great, but I do have a small problem. It looks like I may have lost a seal in the steering rack, although that's not confirmed yet. I think that the boots on each end of the rack are not supposed to have fluid in there, but for some reason, there is a crossover tube that came out which has some kind of oil (which must be PS fluid) coming out of it. It looks like that tube just connects the 2 boots, and my guess would be that it is there to equalize the air in the boots side to side so that as one compresses and the other expands, the air just moves side to side. Anyway, my pump is losing fluid, so this must be the issue. I'm glad I threw the extra quart I had into the trunk before I left on the trip!

I've had a blast driving this weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more. I need to spend some time driving the car to get used to it and then I can start experimenting with the setup. I have a lot to learn, but based on my results, I have a good base from which to start!

The Fort Worth GG was a great show. The turnout today was great given the weather projection. I was able to check out several of the cars which made the Road Trip from California to Austin as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

[Flash68]

Great weekend! Only minor issues... always a good thing... will be anxious to see how your steering deal plays out.

Originally Posted by carbuff

as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

As much work as on your shaker project?

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by Flash68

As much work as on your shaker project?

There was no vehicle there with that much work on it!

Funny enough, someone with a T/A project actually commented to me that he liked how I did the shaker, with the 'retro' look from the drilled holes that we then closed back off. I hated to admit that was an experiment that didn't work out...

[GrabberGT]

Originally Posted by carbuff

Day two is all wrapped up now. We managed to avoid rain all day, until 6:00 when I was at dinner at least, so the auto-x went off without a hitch.

It was MUCH cooler today, and most cars reflected that with slower times. I got in 4 runs again today, and none were faster than my 70.8 with the blown stop yesterday, but my last run of the day was a 71.6, which was good enough for 6th place out of the group of 45 or so (that's what the announcer said) in the Street Machine class.

Again, TOW did great, but I do have a small problem. It looks like I may have lost a seal in the steering rack, although that's not confirmed yet. I think that the boots on each end of the rack are not supposed to have fluid in there, but for some reason, there is a crossover tube that came out which has some kind of oil (which must be PS fluid) coming out of it. It looks like that tube just connects the 2 boots, and my guess would be that it is there to equalize the air in the boots side to side so that as one compresses and the other expands, the air just moves side to side. Anyway, my pump is losing fluid, so this must be the issue. I'm glad I threw the extra quart I had into the trunk before I left on the trip!

I've had a blast driving this weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more. I need to spend some time driving the car to get used to it and then I can start experimenting with the setup. I have a lot to learn, but based on my results, I have a good base from which to start!

The Fort Worth GG was a great show. The turnout today was great given the weather projection. I was able to check out several of the cars which made the Road Trip from California to Austin as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

I didnt realize that was you over there. I did take note of the serious machinery you brought to the event. Very nice car. Your last run had me sweating. I had been in 5th place for most of the event and you almost knocked me off the board at the end of the day. In the spring, get there by 8 and come park up with the rest of us.

Hope you come out in the morning. You'll get more runs in.

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by GrabberGT

I didnt realize that was you over there. I did take note of the serious machinery you brought to the event. Very nice car. Your last run had me sweating. I had been in 5th place for most of the event and you almost knocked me off the board at the end of the day. In the spring, get there by 8 and come park up with the rest of us.

Hope you come out in the morning. You'll get more runs in.

Chris,

I actually walked over to your car a couple of times, I recognized it from here. One time I didn't see you, and the other you were talking to someone, so I never got to catch you. I did actually put down a better time yesterday, but I blew the stop so the time didn't count. Never was able to match it again, but that last run was a definite improvement for me today! Next time...

I've heard mixed accounts of what tomorrow morning will be like since it's an open day. At this point I'm thinking I may not push my luck on the steering rack, but I may stop by for a little while anyway before leaving town. If so, I'll make sure to say Hi.

I also heard mixed stories on the 'parking' situation. I was there early enough today that there were several empty slots closer to you, but it was my understanding that we were supposed to set back up where we were on Friday so I did. I guess some people didn't come back today, as there were a number of different cars in front of me. Next time I'll know better...

[Ron in SoCal]

Hey Bry...glad you had fun and hope the rack holds up! Did you get a chance to make any adjustments to your set up and if so how'd that work out?

Cheers,

[glassman]

Hey Bryan, it was nice meeting you on Friday, i never got a chance to make it back saturday as my car got trailered home. On the seals, when you do the pinion shaft seals (cause thats most likely what it is) use radiator clamps instead of the zip ties on the boots, the only thing that will help do is keep it cleaner under The car.......mike

[carbuff]

Mike,

I agree, I'll use a better clamp than the zip-tie to lock the boots on.

I've never replaced anything on a rack before. Is it possible to just replace the seals, or do I need to replace the whole rack?

Good to meet you as well, hope the trip home goes well!

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Hey Bry...glad you had fun and hope the rack holds up! Did you get a chance to make any adjustments to your set up and if so how'd that work out?

Cheers,

Ron,

The only things I tried were air pressure and shock adjustment. I can honestly say that I have no ide if either made any real difference. The weather was changing through the 2 days, and since I'm so new to the car and autocrossing, I wasn't consistent enough to know if the changes helped or hurt.

The overall standings were posted up this afternoon, and I'm pretty stoked to finish where I did. I'm still steaming a little over my blown stop zone which killed my best run, but 6th out of that group is pretty darned good! Especially given the cars and drivers in front of me.

[GregWeld]

An unofficial "quote" --- "I ate at The Salt Lick last night... and man am I smokin' fast today!"

Originally Posted by Ed.Capen

Class Name Year Make Model Best Time Points
PRO Roger Burman 70 Chevy Camaro 65.268 11
PRO Rob McGregor 69 Chevy C-10 65.576 10
PRO Josh Leisinger 70 Chevy Camaro 66.54 9
PRO Brett Cambell 67 Chevy Camaro 67.555 8
PRO Kevin Miller 69 Chevy Camaro 67.71 7
PRO Bret Voelkel 33 Ford 67.719 6
PRO Josh Leisinger 70 Chevy C-10 67.89 0
PRO Jason Brady 67 Chevy Camaro 67.918 5
PRO Greg Schneider 67 Chevy Camaro 68.511 4
PRO Chris Smith 67 Chevy C-10 68.952 3
PRO James Crosby 33 Ford 69.107 2
PRO Jimi Day 67 Chevy Camaro 70.165 1
PRO Cheryl Herrick 63 Chevy Corvette 73.546 1

SM Mike DuSold 67 Chevy Camaro 67.533 PRO
SM Terry Neuville 68 Chevy Camaro 68.47
SM Blanton Payne 67 Mini 68.959
SM Karen Leisinger 70 Chevy Camaro 69.426
SM Chris Moore 72 Ford Maverick 71.536
SM Bryan Cope 71 Pontiac Firebird 72.474
SM Sammy Rizotto 65 Ford Cobra 73.072
SM Jeff Peoples 72 Buick GS 73.392
SM Brian Kellison 64 Pontiac GTO 73.705
SM Andy King 71 Chevy Camaro 73.983
SM Kevin Daigle 65 Ford Cobra 74.207
SM Jack Webster 65 Chevy Corvair 74.691
SM Sammy Rizotto 67 Chevy Chevelle 75.671
SM Mark Burrow 70 Chevy Camaro 75.873
SM Mark Major 69 Chevy Camaro 76.617
SM Sid Tracy 69 Pontiac Firebird 76.714
SM Don Montgomery 69 Plymouth Valiant 77.988
SM Reggie Noland 69 Chevy Camaro 78.566
SM Frank Manzare 71 Chevy Camaro 78.71
SM Wayne Walker 65 Ford Mustang 79.185
SM Jerry Coleman 67 Ford Mustang 79.193
SM Patrick Nixon 66 Ford Mustang 79.411
SM Mike Viehe Jr. 69 Chevy Camaro 79.957
SM Josh Banko 65 Chevy Chevelle 80.154
SM Craig Boesch 68 Mercury Cougar 80.727
SM Justin Day 69 Pontiac Firebird 80.735
SM Lance Howlett 68 Ford Mustang 81.125
SM David Roeber 71 Ford Mustang 81.261
SM Rob Wechler 69 Chevy Camaro 82.799
SM Gary Murphy 68 Ford Mustang 82.902
SM Joseph Van Hooser 72 MG Midget 83.181
SM Jonathan Kethley 67 Chevy Camaro 83.534
SM Adam Issa 70 Plymouth Cuda 83.848
SM Keith Brogdon 55 Chevy Bel Air 84.49
SM Jimmy Shaw 67 Chevy Nova 84.208
SM Brent Coleman 68 Chevy Chevelle 85.093
SM Rocky Stephens 65 Oldsmobile F-85 86.093
SM Darrell Balmer 67 Pontiac Firebird 86.845
SM Kevin Smith 69 VW Bug 86.796
SM Brad Morrison 69 Chevy Chevelle 88.248
SM Bob Reddich 70 Pontiac Firebird 89.742
SM Danny Barboza 61 Chevy Corvette 92.678
SM Jim Nungesser 56 Chevy Bel Air 101.398
SM Jody Parker 69 Chevy Camaro
SM Skip Walls 69 Chevy Camaro
SM Francis Nowak 67 Ford Mustang

TRK Andy Halliburton 70 Chevy El Camino 71.784 PRO
TRK Duke Roddy 65 Chevy C-10 72.016
TRK Karen Leisinger 70 Chevy C-10 74.521
TRK Paul Bennett 69 Chevy C-10 77.425
TRK Brandon Carter 72 Dodge D-100 77.622
TRK Jim Nagy 70 Chevy C-10 80.476
TRK Lee Jones 7 Chevy C-10 81.008
TRK Richard Holeman 49 Chevy Suburban 84.995
TRK Eric Anderson 66 Chevy El Camino 85.783
TRK Jesse Renfrow 53 Chevy 3100 86.654
TRK Sammy Rizzotto 72 Chevy C-10 87.309
TRK Chuck Feirchild 57 Chevy P/U 88.837
TRK Thomas Mitchell 36 Ford P/U 92.83

HR Morgan Martin 30 Ford Model A 72.633 PRO
HR Wade Faustman 34 Ford 75.985
HR Stan Martin 30 Ford Model A 77.705
HR Lee Thompson 36 Chevy 82.462
HR Jim Dewberry 31 Ford 82.634
HR Steve Tate 32 Chevy 93.434

SS Terry Neuville 13 Chevy Camaro 71.803
SS Terry Fair 11 Ford Mustang 71.824
SS Aaron Sockwell 13 Ford Mustang 72.592
SS Lloyd Collins 12 Ford Mustang 73.196
SS Blanton Payne 10 Hyundia Genesis 73.295
SS Gilbert Crouch 96 Chevy Corvette 76.204
SS Mike Mahalik 87 Buick Grand Nat. 77.082
SS David Tedesco 11 Chevy Corvette 78.338
SS Frank Manzare 10 Chevy Camaro 78.927
SS Earl Bingham 05' Ford Mustang 79.569
SS Daavid Moderow 00' Ford Mustang 79.758
SS Paul Welch 78 Pontiac Trans Am 79.802
SS Terri Neuville 13 Chevy Camaro 80.523
SS Rick Sink 12 Ford Mustang 80.581
SS Hunter Mahan 01' Ford Mustang 80.921
SS Greg Scherer 78 Pontiac Trans Am 80.958
SS David Maxwell 89 Ford Mustang 81.376
SS Eddie Hughes 10 Chevy Camaro 81.521
SS Ken Kelley 13 Dodge Challenger 81.522
SS John Patrick 10 Chevy Camaro 81.528
SS Bryan Higgins 05' Cadillac CTS 81.861
SS Jakey Sampson 10 Chevy Camaro 81.999
SS John Lea 08' Ford Mustang 82.163
SS Jason Marascio 05' Chevy Silverado 85.327
SS Matt Waldridge 79 Chevy Camaro 86.629
SS Beth McGrath 13 Ford Mustang 87.726
SS Marshal Womack 90 Chevy Corvette 88.192
SS Joey Tamburin 12 Cadillac CTSV
SS Jim Nagy 11 Chevy Corvette

PRO Name Points Finals
PRO Rob MacGregor 73.5 IN
PRO Roger Burman 65.5 IN
PRO Mike Maier 43
PRO Bret Voelkel-RideTech 42
PRO Josh Leisinger 41
PRO Kyle Tucker-Detroit Speed 38
PRO Stacy Tucker-Detroit Speed 27
PRO Brett Campbell 26
PRO Tim McGilton - JetHot 23
PRO Chris Smith 22
PRO Ryan Mathews - Detroit Speed 21 IN
PRO Brian Hobaugh 19 IN
PRO Kevin Miller 18 OUT
PRO Brian Finch 17 OUT
PRO Jeff Schwartz 15 IN
PRO Larry Woo 15 IN
PRO Jason Brady-Ridetech 15
PRO Deb McGilton - JetHot 13
PRO Jimi Day - Optima 13
PRO Mary Pozzi 11 IN
PRO Dany Popp 11 IN
PRO Britt Marolf-RideTech 9
PRO Cheryl Herrick - Jet-Hot 8
PRO Greg Thrumond 7
PRO James Crosby-RideTech 6
PRO Greg Schneider-RideTech 5
PRO Matt Buts - Detroit Speed 4
PRO Tom McBride 2 IN
PRO Todd Holdren 1
PRO Aaron Leeper 0
PRO Bob Boileau 0
PRO Craig Johnson 0
PRO Dan Ault 0
PRO David Wheeler 0
PRO Don Chemello 0
PRO George Dias 0
PRO Kurt Janish 0
PRO Lee Thompson 0
PRO Mike Hickman 0
PRO Wayne Milelzeik 0
PRO Bob Cross 0
PRO Tom Colby 0
PRO Chris Jacobs 0
PRO Tyler Gibson 0
PRO Justin Dermody 0
PRO JB Granger 0
PRO Bob Bertelson 0
PRO Bruce Wibracht 0
PRO Dale Schwartz 0
PRO Mike DuSold 0 IN
PRO Andy Haliburton 0
PRO Morgan Martin 0

Finals Brian Hobaugh 65 Chevy Corvette S-AZ
Finals Roger Burman 70 Chevy Camaro S-TX
Finals Mary Pozzi 72 Chevy Camaro Del Mar
Finals Tom McBride 68 Chevy Camaro Nashville
Finals Rob MacGregor 69 Chevy C-10 Colorado
Finals Larry Woo 68 Chevy Camaro Mass
Finals Jeff Schwartz 65 Pontiac Tempest Des M.
Finals Danny Popp 72 Chevy Corvette Columbus
Finals Ryan Mathews 70 Chevy Camaro Indy
Finals Mike DuSold 67 Chevy Camaro F-TX