1990 Troyer Modified Hillclimber

Sumdog said:

Did you have to adjust anything due to it being offset, if so what.

How much was the original vehicle.

I may have to start a Frequently Asked Questions section.       The chassis still has all the offset.   Taking that out would would require too many changes to the chassis. I'd be better off starting with a different car.  But it turns out that once you move as much weight as you can to the right side and get the cross weight even, it doesn't matter very much.  It turns both ways just fine. 

So basically take the circle track car, Get rid of any stagger in the tires. Get rid of any weird alignment settings that help it turn left,  Move what weight you can and get the cross weight to 50/50 when you weigh the car.  For hillclimbing on bumpy roads it is also a good idea to replace the stiff circle track springs with much softer springs.  The springs can be done later I raced on the circle track springs for a season while I was still sorting the car out.

I bought the car as a roller back in 2005. There is a picture of bringing it home on page two of this thread. It was $2300.  

Another item crossed off the list. With Kelly's help I moved the heavy air compressor upstairs then I drilled a hole to run the air line down through the floor.  Mounted the air hose reel on the wall and I'm all set.  Not only does it free up floor space but most importantly I don't have to listen to the noise!  

Last night I swapped in the new 5.55 rear end gears for Philo. I also did nuts and bolts tightness checks on all the suspension.  After Ascutney that is always a good idea.   Good news is I didn't find anything loose.  The new washers and fine thread bolts with nylocs on the torque arm seems to have fixed the problem where Ascutney always loosened it.

Found a way to hang the gear pan above the trash to let the last few drips of gear oil drip out.

KevinGale said:

In reply to frenchyd :

If I'm confusing E85 with methanol I'm certainly not the only one. :-)   I've been told and I've read that the E85 absorbs too much water sitting in the car for a month between races.  Is that wrong?

I think you are both correct.  In a street car, with a fully closed evap canister system, the amount of water absorbed overnight, or in a week would be negligible.  In a race car with an open air breather, stored in a damp campground overnight, you may run into more problems.  Ill ask Superchicken what his experience has been.  He ran E85 this year, and has run Meth in the past.

In reply to Challenger392 :

methanol is capable over overnight damage, it doesn’t need water to corrode.  

Ethanol on the other hand is not capable of quick damage. It needs to attract water and the water needs to do its damage. Now some types of aluminum react quickly to water while others are totally impervious.  

 They are both alcohol one if you drink it  makes you happy. Methanol on the other will make you blind and then dead. 

Finished the prep for Philo last night.  Just need to load up for the last race of the year.  

KevinGale said:

Finished the prep for Philo last night.  Just need to load up for the last race of the year.  

You taking orders for posters of this shot???? GOOD LUCK FAST TIME o'da day y'hear?

Philo was sort of a mixed bag.    Saturday was nice weather and the road was fast.   I started with a 1:07 and immediately got down to a 1:06.  My best is a 1:05 so it was a fast start.  I'm sure I could have done a 1:05 or maybe even better if I had really wanted to try.  But it was Saturday practice and so not a time to try for new records.   The 5.55 gears which I was trying at Philo for the first time were great.  On my last run I did touch the rev limiter on the short straight from check 6 to finish. That was in 3rd gear.  I think that is going to be OK.  We will see next year.

Sunday was a problem.  The day started at 35 degrees never warmed up much beyond that. The clouds spat out a combination of slow and sleet all day. Not enough to accumulate but enough to keep the road damp.  I really wasn't liking the idea of driving Philo on a cold and damp road.  The top part of the road is about as wide as the car so there is no room for the car to slide without leaving the road.  I knew I wasn't going to catch Sherman who always beats me at Philo so I elected not run at all.   It wasn't going to be fun or fast and even if I didn't run I was still going to be second in class points.  Not running did push me way down in the king of the hill standings.  But Sherm was going to win anyway and if I am not first in those points everything else is last to me anyway.

Overall I am pretty happy. The car felt really fast on Saturday. Compared to previous years the softer rubber on the rear and the lower gears seem to have made a difference.  My guess is a 1:04 is possible on the right day.

No in car video because I figured I'd wait until race day then I didn't run.  I did remember to charge the go-pro this time!   No one seems to have posted any pictures of my car this time either.  But  here is a nice photo of other cars waiting at staging on the down road.  In the lead is Bill Hudson.

I'm excited I just got home with one of these on the trailer.   

Atlas® 9KOH Overhead 9,000 lbs. Capacity 2 Post Lift

Just noticed the lift has a big sticker on it that says I may not be able to reproduce if I use it. Probably because I will die from cancer.

Good thing I already had kids.  The sales guy didn't say anything about this. 

Nah, that's only if you eat the whole lift. ;)

Post installation pics and thoughts - I considered that lift but it's just a little too tall for my shop. Curious how you like it.

In reply to Mezzanine :

It supports two heights 11' 6" or 11' 10"  but ceiling height is usually the problem.    The lifts are actually pretty cheap in the overall scheme of things. Raising the ceiling height of a shop however can get beyond expensive  

I'm not in a huge rush to get it installed but I will post picts.  I was mostly just happy to get the 1500 lb package off the trailer and into the garage without killing myself or breaking anything.  I'm fortunate to have a tractor that is big enough to lift it. 

I wanna be you when I grow up..... 

In reply to KevinGale :

Its great having equipment around to lift heavy things.  I just put an engine and tranny in my garage, that I pulled in the yard this week, with a backhoe.  I like living on a farm.

Challenger392 said:

In reply to KevinGale :

Its great having equipment around to lift heavy things.  I just put an engine and tranny in my garage, that I pulled in the yard this week, with a backhoe.  I like living on a farm.

It certainly has it's advantages.  You also grew up not being afraid of machinery and every farmer I've known is also a mechanic and fabricator just out of necessity.

759NRNG said:

I wanna be you when I grow up..... 

Lol, I was wearing my "Still plays with cars" t-shirt the other day so how much I've grown up is subject to debate. 

KevinGale said:

759NRNG said:

I wanna be you when I grow up..... 

Lol, I was wearing my "Still plays with cars" t-shirt the other day so how much I've grown up is subject to debate. 

Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. 

Challenger392 said:

KevinGale said:

759NRNG said:

I wanna be you when I grow up..... 

Lol, I was wearing my "Still plays with cars" t-shirt the other day so how much I've grown up is subject to debate. 

Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. 

Amen to the both of you rascals......may the mountains quiver and shake knowing that y'alls presence is not far off........and that goes for 'superchicken' too... Til next year eh....season openr' in March?

 KG...does my 'PLAYS WITH TRACTORS' tshrt count?

759NRNG said:

 KG...does my 'PLAYS WITH TRACTORS' tshrt count?

  Oh Yeah!

In reply to 759NRNG :

First event of the year has always been in May.  

It's been a quiet winter on the car so far but things are starting to happen. 

The first thing to happen is this.  The lift works!

In reply to KevinGale :

So.Jealous.

KevinGale said:

It's been a quiet winter on the car so far but things are starting to happen. 

The first thing to happen is this.  The lift works!

And KG ...C392 has the 'superchicken' at his house NOW....go to 'BUILDS'  and check it.....he's gunnin' fer ya

In reply to 759NRNG :

He doenst need to worry just yet, im sure there will be some teething to overcome.