WOW! Thanks for taking and sharing those pics, that was fun. I am especially impressed by them using a drill to spin the transmission and test shipping. Pretty neat stuff.
WOW! Thanks for taking and sharing those pics, that was fun. I am especially impressed by them using a drill to spin the transmission and test shipping. Pretty neat stuff.
dculberson said:WOW! Thanks for taking and sharing those pics, that was fun. I am especially impressed by them using a drill to spin the transmission and test shipping. Pretty neat stuff.
Glad you enjoyed 'em! I've been known to geek out on factory/production tours (Triumph plant in the UK, Harley plant in York, PA), so to be able to watch them build the whole thing from start to finish was pretty damn cool.
Four-speeds with the right gearing are where it's at for V8s on roadcourses. You're not trying to loaf it at 1700 RPM on track like you do on the street to save fuel.
After picking up the transmission at AutoGear and the motor at Engine Assembly, I now had two of the big components for the drivetrain sitting in the bed of my truck, along with a bunch of other parts that had either arrived from Summit, or were left over from disassembly. I made plans to bring the chassis, engine, and transmission down to Tom's shop in Horseheads, as he'd have everything at hand to get this track ready.
I dropped my 18' open trailer off at a new trailer shop to get it inspected and (of course) there were issues with the wiring that necessitated rewiring before it would pass inspection. Get the call the trailer is done, pick it up, make a sharp right hand turn out of the driveway....trailer brake flashes a fault. Jump out at the next stop light, brand new 7-pin whip is laying on the ground. Plug it back in, sharp left turn, and start heading to Jim Fitzy's shop to pick up the chassis. Right hand turn off the expressway exit....trailer brake fault. I find a large empty parking lot and quickly come to the realization that yes, the knuckleheads at the trailer shop cut the damn whip too short. 
Trailer shop monkeys called while driving back, choice words spoken, they "fix" it by cutting off the 7-pin and and splicing in wire. Note to self...just suck it up and start working on your own trailers, as this type of hackery makes me twitch. Unfortunately, Jim had an appointment later in the day so I wasn't going to be able to get the car that night, but kindly offered to come in at 6AM on Saturday to get the car loaded up.
So, bright and early, I meet up with Jim and we get the car on the trailer and strapped down with minimal drama. A quick pitstop at a Home Depot parking lot to double-check everything (conveniently next to a Chevy dealer backdrop 
) and we're rolling south to Horseheads.
GCrites80s said:Four-speeds with the right gearing are where it's at for V8s on roadcourses. You're not trying to loaf it at 1700 RPM on track like you do on the street to save fuel.
Preach on, brother! 
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