Challenge Boxster?

In reply to AAZCD :

Yikes!

I'm wondering what terrible bad luck will befall me on my way to Florida now 

In reply to AAZCD :

Oh crap! I’m not sure what your route is, but if you find yourself on I-10 and run into any problems, I’m heading out tomorrow morning around 6-7am from Biloxi.

In reply to AAZCD :

I did that once, fortunately it was a beater truck.  I’d try buffing it out. 

AAZCD said:

I rushed to get the trailer from the back yard. Set the ramps. Drove the car on the trailer, then E36 M3. The trailer tipped down at the back and rolled forward. I hadn't locked the hitch. E36 M3.

 

Not going to buff out. In fact, I'm sure it's over $1,000 damage. On the plus side the only effect is that the hatch won't open and I can still get to the Challenge just as well.

We only got a few hours down the road this evening, but we are on the way. No keys lost, no broken collar bones, or inoperable cars. This year, just getting to Gainsville will be a win.

 

I have done the EXACT same thing with similar damage. Fortunately for me, it was on a POS Mercury Mountaineer that I paid $3200 for and then sold for $3500 even with the extra damage. Glad you are on the way. 

In reply to AAZCD :

I too did that.  Only it was because I had the wrong size ball for my new-to-me trailer (guess that's what I get for listening to the previous owner).  Somehow made it 2 hours home, loaded my car, drove another hour to a race, unloaded, and only on loading again did the trailer come up.  Not so luckily, my wife (then girlfriend) was standing over the tongue to guide me and got lifted with the trailer, but nothing more serious (damage to my truck was very much at the bottom of my list of priorities).  She doesn't go to races with me anymore for some reason.

I still think of trailering as one of the most dangerous things we do on a race weekend.

Hope the rest of your trip is less problematic!!

Have a safe trip 

In reply to Billy_Bottle_Caps :

Thanks, travels are going well. We will be passing Gainesville soon, heading to Inverness to visit family for the day.

I'm having a great time, but worn out. Both drag lanes are shut down and I'm waiting for my second run. First run, floored the whole way was a 16 I think.

If the lanes open up soon, I'll probably do a 50 shot, then call it a night. It's purging coolant into an overflow bottle when it runs hard, but still not overheating. I'm really looking forward to getting another engine in this, its a fun car to drive.

Edit: 14.6 with a 50 shot. Coolant running low... Looks like I'm going home with a driveable car.

AAZCD said:

Edit: 14.6 with a 50 shot. Coolant running low... Looks like I'm going home with a driveable car.

Top off the coolant, swap in the 100 jet, and wait for last call.  Please?!?!

AngryCorvair said:

Top off the coolant, swap in the 100 jet, and wait for last call.  Please?!?!

If only you had been there in person to convince me. Just one "What's wrong, McFly? Chicken?" Would have been enough.

The engine needed about 20 minutes to cool and depressurize between runs. What I realized later, was that with a 100 or 150 shot, the cool down wouldn't have mattered. The engine would likely be slag at the end of the strip either way.

In reply to AAZCD :

Nice meeting you guys! I’m so glad you made it to the event, did well, AND were able to the car back onto the trailer.

We are about 1/2 way home now, going up I-65. almost to I-22. About 8 hours left and its all been smooth.

Here's a couple shots of the car when pro driver, Danny was taking it thru the course...

I think he might have some parts CARS

A short video featuring the eXboX  journey, 2019 $2000 Challenge.

In reply to tremm :

I started the insurance claim for the tailgate (and bumper) before I got on the road to the Challenge. The estimate came back a little over $2,800! Mrs AAZCD and I are thinking of updating to an '08 to '10 model Cayenne now. I'll probably fix this (cheaply) myself and sell it or give it to my daughter. I have VW and Boxster parts cars, but not a Cayenne anymore. Carparts dot com is a good option.

Nice little video. What are you thoughts on the central radiator now and what would you do differently for full efficiency for street/track? I want to cut into the frunk for aero/downforce. Would you still put the radiator there?

Glad you had a good time ! Top and stickers look great on car, can't wait to see what you do with it now, Audi V8?

Billy_Bottle_Caps said:

Glad you had a good time ! Top and stickers look great on car, can't wait to see what you do with it now, Audi V8?

Thanks. Yes, I think I have enough time now to get the V8 in and work thru the issues that will come with it. Seeing and experiencing this year's Challenge I learned a lot and know how to make some simple improvements. Concours can be a lot better than the 14.16 I got. With about 300 Hp instead of what was probably less than 170 hp on the worn out 2.5L, this car should move a lot quicker. The 50 shot of nitrous oxide felt really good, but it was relative to how weak it had been. My Boxster S and probably even my wife's base 2001 actually pull harder.

Hasbro said:

Nice little video. What are you thoughts on the central radiator now and what would you do differently for full efficiency for street/track? I want to cut into the frunk for aero/downforce. Would you still put the radiator there?

In the last days before the Challenge, I pulled out the Toyota radiator and put in a single Boxster radiator. With my over-pressure cooling system problem, the radiator cap was the weak point and it was leaking. The Boxster radiator is a closed system (the small purge line routes back to the tank). Running with the single radiator and a manual fan switch, the temp gauge never went above the '8' in 180. Cooling was good, it just kept running low on coolant. With my setup, the airflow thru the radiator is much better than stock which bends and restricts air a lot more.

For a 'street' car with AC, I'd leave it all alone. For track the stock set-up works fine, but could be improved - duct the radiator air to the brake rotors rather than dumping it straight down. IMHO, the 2.5 & 2.7 won't benefit significantly from adding the Boxster S center radiator and it adds weight forward of the wheels.

Today I unloaded the car from the trailer. I decided to do a walk-around video and take it for 'one last drive' as a 2019 Challenge car. I took it easy driving away from home, then floored it from a (highway) stop light on the way home. It blew a 3" tear in a coolant hose almost immediately and dumped most of the coolant on the road. ...I drove it a mile home anyway. 

Sounds like an ideal time for the V8 swap! I'm curious to see the teardown results of the 2.5L. I wonder if a cylinder head failed which might explain the coolant loss and excessive pressure. I guess it could potentially just be a head gasket failure as well. 

Please please keep intricate notes on teh v8 swap.

I'm probably going to drive mine until the 3.2 finally dies. Then decide what to do.  (cracked head)

Seeing people check in for the 2020 Challenge got me motivated... I'm starting back in on this as a 2021 Challenge car if I keep it on budget, or a Rallycross car if I go too far. Today I pulled the engine and transmission out of the 2000 Boxster S project  that I never completed. This is a 40 Valve Audi 4.2L  V8 from a 2003 A8. Will the Tiptronic transmission work with this swap? I'm not sure, but I'm gonna find out.

Next I'm going to check over the engine, which has been sitting undisturbed for a couple years. If all looks good, I'll switch over to the Tiptronic transmission from the 5-speed manual that it currently has mounted. From there, start working on the actual swap. This is one of many projects, so no daily updates and it's not happening quickly. I figure that October 2021 is a reasonable target.

So, here I am a couple years later and not much done on the car. Suddenly I have time available to go to HooptieX Oklahoma and this may be the best car to do it in. Yes, the engine probably has a cracked head. A small crack that just puts pressure in the cooling system. I'm about to go buy some Bar's Leaks Block Seal Head Gasket Sealant and see if it fixes the problem - at least for a few laps around a dirt track. This is an engine that I have written off as dead already, so nothing to lose.

I would run the Dung Beetle except it is a convertible and will need a 4 or 6 point cage welded in (still a possibility if the head sealant doesn't work). The factory hard top that I have for this car meets the requirements, so no need for the cage. I do have a nice pre-cut weld-in cage and may still put that in if I have time. If I do, that will bust budget for this to ever return to the Challenge. That's still okay, plenty more Porsches around that I could return to the Challenge with.

In reply to AAZCD (Forum Supporter) :

Hooptie X is at the same place as NTX rallycross.  If you go, I may show up to say hi.  Bring high grip tires.  You can go way faster on that dirt than you think.  The fastest times are always on 200 TW rubber.  I'm running 260 TW.  
 

If your car still has cooling issues.  Wait out a few rounds.  No matter the course it always gets faster as people knock the loose surface dirt off the line.