Is anyone auto crossing their Roadster?

[jr02518]

The short story on the rebuilt calipers, I had installed the external hard lines incorrectly. Only had two ways to get it done and yes, they were 180 degrees out of phase. But their is always time to do things again, right? The installation of the EBC Green stuff pads was not an issue.

Next, the belts are now in the car. Driving the car, after it warms up is getting better. The transmission is working as it should and the brakes are better, but..

The last component of this system not yet rebuilt is the master cylinder. Yet.

[Cyclewrks]

At least in my area, SE region, the roadster is still competitive in CSP, though the R16 is a bit of a "bringing a knife to a gun fight, but U20 is still more than competitive. I considered going HCS but want to run in Div and ProSolo so went the CSP route and will be honest, you have a bit more freedom under the CSP rules than HC. Go with as much roll stiffness as you can up front (stiffer springs, comp bar, ect) and keep the back end as soft as possible, you want to try to keep the rear end flat to the ground as much as possible, even with a LSD.

[jr02518]

The never ending list of things that get left to the almost last minute are slowly getting checked off. Last light, the center counsel was fastened down. The two bolts at the top of the shifter trim piece are that long for a reason. Then you have the trim that covers the heater matrix and radio. Why are there are that many fasteners of that many sizes, I am not sure.

The battery hold down will pass tech inspection, but the purest will not approve. The battery and the hold down are from my now donated 1994 Nissan Pathfinder. The battery still held a charge, fit the roadster and repurposed into the roadster they both do the job.

The weather looks clear for the weekend of the 21st, I may actually pull the off. Buttonwillow with VARA doing the school. So close..

[jr02518]

Last night the issue with starting the car was diagnosed as buggered wiring and it has been correctly fixed. Yea, until something else works loose. Installing the Racemark steering wheel has created some issues. Long story that I will document at a later date.

But I am very happy with the now correctly bled brakes. I will admit that I have a few too many things on my plate and I might not have been focused on the correct pedal to pump, but once I was working the correct one the system is as intended. Driving the couple of laps around the hood getting the brakes as hot as I could, they work. The car stops in a straight line. No drama. Yet.

Having to again remove and then reinstall the Mag rims has convinced me that a different set of wheels are going to be sourced for the car. The mag lug nuts are miserable to work with. Yes, being a wee bit embarrassed about the brake bleeding saga had me working with a bit of an thin skin attitude. Getting to drive the car has fixed that.

Then while cleaning out the trunk for the weekend I found these...


and they will be reinstalled, at a latter date. After this weekend!

[jr02518]

The saying about lemons and lemonaid might be appropriate, but lets start with Friday...

My departure happened, three hours later than my original plan, but the traffic gods were favoring my direction of departure North. Only have a speed limit of 65, or less, keep had the truck under 2000 rpm with the promis of some decent MPG.

It's a humbling adventure being the guy everyone dives in from of when you are trying to have some distance in front of your loaded rig.

But I arrived safely, unloaded the car, shared a great meal with friends and called it a night. The picture is of sunrise at the track. The car is cold blooded but with some choke it starts. Filling the tank with VP 91would give me a base line of consumption at speed, yes $6.00 a gallon is pricey but want to be race car right?

The next item is getting through tech and the start of classes before track time. Getting ready for my first track session in the grid includes an introduction to the instructor who is going to ride along with me on the track. He had owned a MGB and understood the car he was willing to get into.

We were waved on to the track from the grid and were off on the formation lap. After our second lap, the car was black flagged. The roll bar was not high enough. I am grateful the car was not making parts or spilling fluid.

Now what?

[jr02518]

I have found that one's reaction to a challenge at a racing event, is a test. People are willing to step up and offer just about anything to get you back on track. That started happening for me as the day unfolded.

I am an autocross driver and have acted as an instructor at these events for years. I understand that if someone lets me drive their car I am going to bring it back in the condition I was offered it. I may make you work at beating my time but it is teaching. Once my car was declared not drivable on the track by the club running the event the wheels to offer a solution started to turn. The picture is of the car that was offered to get me back on track. No it was not free, but the details did work out and I had two sessions on Saturday in the car.

Sunday I was offered a 1997 Miata and that was free. The owner was coming from the "drift" world and was asking for some feedback on his road course setup. His preparation had included having all the fluids changed, running Hawk pads and his car had a fresh set of Falken 615's on the car. The BC coil overs just needed a few clicks and he was good to go.

That was a fun car. One of my instructors drives a Miata Cup car and he provided a tutorial for peddling these cars. Well worth the issues to get to that moment. So now I have a street car, that has a roll bar that fits under my soft top. Now what?

[Alvin]

So now I have a street car, that has a roll bar that fits under my soft top. Now what?

Can you provide more details on why they black flagged you for the roll bar "not being high enough"?

-Was this because the driver's seat back is noticeably above the roll bar?

Just by looking at this photo, how did it pass tech if the headrest is above the roll bar?

-DId they do a "broomstick test" to see if your helmet was above windshield to roll bar?

Miata is always the answer Glad to see you still got to drive a roadster on the track!

[jr02518]

No, the broom stick test has to do with the driver with his helmet on. Even if I use a Miata pan to lower the seat I will not be under the roll bar with my helmet on.

Funny thing about your Miata comment, I overheard an instructor talking to his group and he was asked the question about what car to start with.

"Miata".

[Alvin]

No, the broom stick test has to do with the driver with his helmet on. Even if I use a Miata pan to lower the seat I will not be under the roll bar with my helmet on.

Gotcha.

With the understanding that my roll bar was a "street bar" simply for show (like yours) I struggled in my efforts to get my roadster on the track. A roll bar unfortunately was the only way to get it on the track so I mounted it as high as possible, added the crossbar for harnesses, etc.

With the low-windshield (1967.5), higher than standard roll bar hoop position and helmet on I passed broomstick tests by slouching horribly in my already-sagging driver seat cushion. And I'm only 5'10".

What options are you considering aside from a new seat or lower mounting? Maybe a taller roll bar or shims that elevate it temporarily to pass broomstick test?

I'm reminded of this photo I took at Solvang years ago...a street car with racing seats and roll bar next to a real, purpose-built race car:

[jr02518]

I think what ended my day was the instructor in the other seat. I get it, they are on the line and I do not fault them for rules.

When I auto cross the car this will not be an issue. I will not be cutting to floor or doing anything else to get on track. At this time....

[jr02518]

The car is registered for its first autocross, Sunday February 26th in San Bernardino. More information on the event at motorrsportreg.com

The sanctioning body I usually run with is having an issue with the event site that I normally run. Time to adapt. The event site and event format will be new. The car will be the possible oldest and slowest participant. But I will have a great time.

Anybody in Southern California with a Roadster game? Hope to see you at the event!

David, #58

[Gregs672000]

Good luck David, have a fun time!

[notoptoy]

Congratulations on getting it ready in time and best of luck!!

[jr02518]

We are home from the event at Solvang. We had a great time, spectacular drive and the car was spot on. After almost 1000 miles, the front breaks are starting to feel like they are actually working.

Now, planning for a clutch replacement begins.

[jr02518]

June 25th at Lake Elsinore, our local SCCA Cal Club is hosting an event. I am registered, driving my 1995 NA Miata in Historic 2 running a E Street index. But I have a plan, to bring the Datsun. I am willing, but the car is making noises. The rebuild rear end is sounding very unhappy. This weekend I will spend some energy to confirm that if I trailer the car to the event, it will survive a day of beating on it. Four timed runs and an afternoon of practice runs. What could go wrong? I will have a way to get it home. Right?

The Datsun is classed to run in H Street, Historic 1. The new event site is not very large, I will be in second and I do not have to bang the gear change. I will just short shift into second after the start, hopefully before the timing light. I will be running against at least two cars that will give me a very good indication of what my car is capable of. One of the cars is very nice VW Karman Ghia running E Street, The other car is a Morgan, also E Street.

In the world of SCCA auto crossing your car has been assigned a class based on a combination of factors that include engine size and the car it's mounted in. If I had a 2000 it would also be running in E Street. I live by the rule that less is more, I just drive better. With these old cars, none of them are stock as delivered by the factory. If you want too, you can try to fight this nuance. I do not even try. The SCCA has a guide line for both cars that are Street or Race cars, HCS and HCR. The reality of time and driving an older car is addressed in these guidelines. This is not a "National" recognized set of rules, but it works on a local basis. They make for a great read, really, It reminds me of that story about elephants and the eye of a needle.

As an example, my Miata has a brace made of metal that runs behind the seats that improves the stiffness of the body. When you use a piece of ash to improve the stiffness of your Morgan... Yea, its only wood, right? The fact the owner can really drive well makes this a moot point. Again, none of these are stock,