Pictures- Duane
Leinninger.com
May 26th, 2008:
First race of the year: podium finishes for everyone.
Chris “Cat Killer” Childs, Glenn “Father-in-law” Gehrke, and I raced at Grattan last weekend. Since both Glenn and I were racing, Gina was the crew chief. She took care of timing, radio communication, setup, fuel and everything in between. Without her help, I’m pretty sure I would have missed at least one of the sessions. We got out there on Friday to get some practice time in. Chris came through with some wheel spacers that allow me to run Hoosiers and I was able to try out the new setup on the last 2 practice sessions. Unfortunately, Chris also realized that his exhaust was beginning to leak and was cooking the steering rack in his Neon. He ordered a new rack and installed it Saturday morning. Later that day, Glenn qualified second and placed first. Chris qualified first and finished first, and I qualified third and finished third. This was my first podium finish ever. The good news was mixed with bad. Even though Chris finished first, he did so without power steering for the last 7 laps. With no other steering racks available in the area, he was forced to retire for the weekend. The next day resulted in a second place finish for Glenn and a second place finish for me as well. (Since Chris was unable to partipate.) The work on my Neon this spring really paid off. I’d also like to think that I’ve improved as a driver. I recorded by fastest time at Grattan to date (1:36.973) but I still have a long way to go. The fastest guys (including Chris) run in the 1:32 range. I think I have a second or two yet to find in my driving, but the car still has a long way to go too. I still need a coilover suspension, wider front tires, a limited slip diff, and an IT-prepped engine.
May 8th, 2008:
Race car progess: engine is almost done.
The engine in my Neon is weak. To better prepare for the upgrade to ITA (from Spec Neon), I decided to shake some of the cobwebs out. A few weeks ago, I disassembled the top end of the engine to install an underdrive accessory pulley, 95 cam, exhaust header, new o2 sensor, new water pump, new water pump inlet o-ring, new thermostat, new seals and gaskets, and new plugs, plug tubes and wires. During the process of disassembling and re-assembling I learned a lot and made a mistake or two. Biggest mistake: don’t wedge a wrench in your cam gear to keep it from spinning while torquing the attaching bolt. Cam pulleys are much more fragile than they appear. Also, order all of the parts you’ll need ahead of time, preferably from the dealer unless you can get a much better price from a parts store. I spent several days trying to get the right o-ring for the water pump inlet tube from Murray’s that I could have gotten for the same price then next day from the dealership. Finally, start earlier in the year. You’ll never have enough time to do everything you hope to complete. Starting as early as possible helps.
- Duane
May 6th, 2008:
Race car prep, Glenn’s first race of the season, Chris sets off on his own…
Two weekends ago, I completed the teardown on my Neon’s engine (top end only), but managed to be short a few fasteners, gaskets, and sealers. I ordered most of the parts and should have a running engine again by this weekend. A few things left on the panic list are: get belts re-webbed, get alignment and setup done, and fix van so I can tow the darn thing!
Glenn raced at ORP in Indianapolis last weekend. We worked through some lost horsepower issues as well as some brutal weather (cold and very windy). Glenn did well, but we still have some work to do to find that lost horsepower.
Chris Childs, a good friend of ours, is an amazing mechanic with more master certifications than anyone else I know. He worked for a race shop in the area for a long time, but has recently decided to do his own thing. He set up the 2007 T3 SCCA National Champ’s RX-8 (cutting seconds from his already stellar lap times). Chris races an ITA Neon himself and is supporting a T2 350Z team this summer. If you need any performance setup, repairs or upgrades, go see Chris… while you can… his schedule is booking up quickly! (Contact me for more info on Chris.)
- Duane
