| Almost done, and it's only Wednesday |
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So, we've been working like MAD to get ready for the race this weekend. Came in last night at 10PM, after I finished fabricating a driveshaft for the Rocketbird. I had to use the front section of the BMW shaft, the center section with a carrier bearing and slip yoke from the '61 Cadillac, and the rear section from the Thunderbird. Of course, all 3 shafts were different diameters, and it isn't balanced, but it looks functional. We finally heard it run yesterday, briefly. It still has no exhaust, and the distributors aren't mounted (I was holding one in place while Ron cranked it), and we only had plug wires for one bank, so it was running on six cylinders, but it sounded pretty good! Perhaps there'e hope yet... The Mark VIII just got new front shocks and wheel bearings, thanks to our super-low residual value ($100). In LeMons, your spending limit (on non-safety stuff) is $500, including the cost of the car. After a race, you can request a residual value for your heap. Then, you can spend the difference between the $500 limit and the residual value fixing your clunker back up. This means we could spend $400 on it, and as we desperately needed said repairs, spend it we did. We may have to eke one more race out of our SWAT theme, as we simply don't have time to re-theme it again before the race. I also welded a 3.08 open differential I had from a parts car, to replace the worn-out limited slip unit with the 3.73's. Summit Point has a straight that's over 1/2 a mile, so we might need the taller gears. All that's left to do? Make four exhaust pipes for the V12 Mount the driveshaft and make a carrier bearing mount Change the oil in both cars Add gear oil to the Mark VIII diff Make a remote shifter for the Lincoln, as we can't really reach the T45 5 speed's handle once strapped in Install the front sway bar links on the Lincoln Install a radiator, trans cooler, lines, and electric fan on the Tbird Mount and wire up both custom distributors (NOT EASY) Wire alternator, cap off PS pump (BMW's 2500 psi is a bit much for the 57 year-old car's gearbox) Install seat/belts Fix exhaust on the Lincoln Add a tach/water temp gauge/etc. to the Tbird Brace the intake manifold Paint the engine bay to match the body Paint the whitewalls, adjust the brakes, remount the wheels Oh, and about a million other things... |
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Please make cache directory writable.