Loving my beast...again!

Bryce wrote:Mirrors are for looking back - I'm too busy going forward!

Is that why it's a Holden mirror, not a Valiant one.

The old MOPAR not quick or fast enough that you need to look back??

Carps wrote:

The old MOPAR not quick or fast enough that you need to look back??

Don't worry Carps - this ol' MoPar is soooo fast that she has a bit of trouble pulling up at the end of the straight...

Been working on rectifying that this week and am hoping that these puppies will do the trick - they certainly look pretty racy!

They should do the trick.
You putting braided steel brake hoses on her while you're at it?

zenrat wrote:
You putting braided steel brake hoses on her while you're at it?

Yeah got some of those to go on too - provided I can get the old ones off! 35 years of grime is making life difficult...

Should pull up a hell of a lot better with those!

Maybe you should put some pads in first

Bear wrote:Maybe you should put some pads in first

Nah mate - these are very high-tech brakes - they use a set of extra strong electro magnets to stop the car.

That i just GOTTA see

Just back from a full on weekend down the Island. What an amazing race track - so fast and yet so right. It really rewards big horsepower cars and with the new tyres and brakes I finally felt confident cornering at 140km/h plus.

Car ran great, the event was really well run and I did more laps than my aching neck could handle. My best time for the meet was 2:04 - quicker than an FPV GT, a WRX and an Evo 6.5 in the same class - not bad for a 35 year old Valiant. Looks like I need to get some taller diff gears though as I am in top gear pretty much all the way around the track and running out of legs by about the middle of the straight.

Needless to say, the old truck motor doesn't really like sitting at 6000rpm plus for extended periods and I now have no clutch left and I think the flywheel has come loose - will need to inspect further tomorrow.

Also went through about a dozen fan belts - due to pulley alignment issues and high rpm - worked out to about $5 per lap! And went through a shitload of fuel - but flat out in top gear for eight minutes at a time will do that I guess!

All in all it was a very expensive and rewarding weekend and I'll be getting back down there again ASAP.

Sounds like you had a blast, and your lap times nothing to be sneezed at!! cause if you compare it to the HQ record of 2:01 you ain't far behind. Could there be a 5 speed conversion in your future??

Thanks mate. I was pretty pleased with the results. Definitely better than I expected for my first time out in a short geared car.

Would love another gear, but I think it will be cheaper and easier to change the diff to a taller ratio. I'm thinking something along the lines of a 3.08:1 or 3.23:1 should do the trick.

I just want to hit max. revs at the end of the straight rather than the middle and be able to use second gear at the tight corners. The way the car is set up at the moment I could pretty much stay in 4th gear all the way around the track!

Wow, sounds like you had a ball. . well done on beating some ricers..

If you stayed in fourth gear all the way you wouldn't have to fix the clutch and save some $$
Nice day out by the way,i'm a little jealous, good on you

Thanks guys - it was seriously awesome fun. Close to the best thing I've ever done. Can't wait to get back there. A nice guy from the day sent me some cool pics - here's one of the old girl straightening up after coming down off Lukey Heights.

Here's another one taken after throwing a fanbelt:



And getting pushed back to the pits...

Way to go Bryce! Sounds like alot of fun,(except pushing it back to the pits). Something I really want to do before my times up.
Hats off to you.

You're teetering on the brink of a slippery and expensive slope there Bryce. In fact doing the brakes might have pushed you over the edge.
But hey, it's only money and you can't take it with you. Enjoy the ride!

Clutch wrote:Way to go Bryce! Sounds like alot of fun,(except pushing it back to the pits). Something I really want to do before my times up.
Hats off to you.

Hey guys, if you're interested there's a VERY cheap oportunity to get out on track at Winton on July 4th. They are holding one of their family fun days, and they will let roadworthy cars on the track with no special requirements, you only need a helmet and the will to have some fun! $30 for drivers and passengers.

Check out their website:

Calendar:
http://www.wintonmotorraceway.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=218&year=2009&month=07&day=04&Itemid=41

FAQ:
http://www.wintonmotorraceway.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=3&id=55&Itemid=25