Page 1: Vehicle History
Page 2: Modifications
Page 3: Modifications Continued
Page 4: More Pictures
Page 5: Autocross Pictures
Page 6: Meets, Greets, and Shows

My Autocross Pictures

I've started autocrossing my car. I haven't won, but I haven't been last. I'm fairly happy considering I'm new.

May 22, 2005
Group: Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team Location: Bristol, CT

It was a miserable day for racing and it was my fortune to be my first event. It rained off and on all day. At the very least, I know when my tries will break traction in the wet better now.

My Fellow Competitors

I kicked up a lot of crud during my runs. The car came back pretty dirty.

June 11, 2005
Group: Southern New England Jaguar Club Location: Berlin, CT

Before the race and between each run, adjustments and set up must be performed to extract the last ounce of performance.

I had traction problems all day. The track was short enough for me to lock the car out in 1st, keeping the RPMs higher and also increasing my available torque. With my lead foot, I had a lot of wheel spin coming out of the corners. This was not one of my better runs, but it made for an awesome photo.

With ambient temperatures in the 90s and the sustained high RPMs, the engine started to run warm. There was a noticeable power loss during one run. After that, I kept the hood open between runs. The cooling system upgrades done at a later time helped, but I think a higher flow pump should have been installed. I'll have to replace it at some point.

When will I ever get a chance to have my car in a photo with a Viper again? The Viper also competed that day. Thankfully, it was not in my class. Although, I didn't have much hope with two LT4 Corvettes as my only competitors in my class. I wasn't last overall, but I was last in class by a good margin.

June 26, 2005
Group: Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team Location: Bristol, CT

After tech inspection, I noticed a bit of a fluid leak.

I later found out it was the high pressure line for my power steering. I'm glad I bought a small jack for racing a couple of days before. I ended up spending the day attempting to patch the line for the hour drive home. As expected, the patch never held up under the pressure of the pump. After trying to limp home, I had to call a tow truck. Later, the power steering pump and rack were replaced with rebuilt units. I am not happy with the quality of either. The pump has already been replaced again. The first replacement leaked. The rack was rebuilt incorrectly and the wrong torsion bar was used. My steering is lighter than my '85 Continental. Combine that with the faster steering response and increased ackerman steering gained from poly bushings and a modified steering rack and you have a twitchy car on the highway. The crap is coming off and I'm going with Motorcraft parts. I've had it with rebuilt parts. They're absolute junk and they look it when you take them out of the box. A power steering cooler was added behind the lower grille. Like the transmission cooler, it too got a custom bracket and was installed with no new holes drilled.

It was a nice day for an autocross, but it wasn't in the cards for me. I'd like to try autocrossing with the New England Region of the SCCA in Ayer, MA. It's on the To Do List for this summer.

September 25, 2005
Group: Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team Location: Bristol, CT

Here is my car on the track. I'm surprised how much body roll I stll have even with my upgraded anti-roll bars. The adjustable rear bar should help a good bit, but I really need better tires, a larger contact patch, and those elusive Koni struts with more negative camber. A rebuilt limited slip differential would help putting the power down too. So much to do...

The car is fairly well balanced, even with the evident excess suspension movements. On a tight, autocross course, there's no fighting physics and the relentless march of technology, though. Newer cars are just faster and more refined. On a real road course, the car's overall power and better handling through fast sweepers make it much more competitive.

I might not win, but I don't come in last and it's a blast to throg the car.

The rear axle definitely needs a lateral locating link. It moves enough on me during autocrossing that there are rub marks from the tires on my tail pipes. The easiest thing to do is to get a panhard bar, but it bumps me out of the stock class. I'll try changing the soft stock rubber control arm bushings for a higher durometer set from Ford Racing for a Mustang. I'm not sure if I want a really stiff bushings as I still want to preserve some civility around town and on the highway.

Another Regular Day with CARTCT

Page 1: Vehicle History
Page 2: Modifications
Page 3: Modifications Continued
Page 4: More Pictures
Page 5: Autocross Pictures
Page 6: Meets, Greets, and Shows