Originally from September 12, 2010
Has it been too long since the last Tinyvette video?
This one provides a comparison of four different drivers in the same car, at Arse-Sweat/Thunderhill.
“One car, one track, four different drivers with very different levels of experience. Brian knows this track well and has raced in LeMons a number of times. This video shows him turning his best lap of the weekend. Bernhard has decades of experience in the Renault Cup series, but this is his first time at Thunderhill, first time in this car, and his lap is from his first practice session in the car. Alan and Zep have driven Thunderhill, and this car, a couple of times, but their laps are from their first time racing.”
The interesting thing about this video is not the different laps times each driver turns in, but how the half second here, half second there, difference between each driver adds up.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Germany -vs- Italy
Originally from September 9, 2010
Not a wreck (sorry), but an impassioned chase.
About 19 minutes into the race Brian pits to tell us that the car is great, then heads back out. Just as he is rolling out of the pits, "it" speeds by. "It", the green/white/red Alpha from the team California Mille, manages to keep Brian at bay for 4 and a half laps. It's a great chase, with lots of exasperated hand waving, but in the German car (1969 Opel GT), and a driver that seems to be possessed. After that Brian turns some of the fastest laps of our weekend, but then comes in early with a broken transmission. And, Brian, didn't we agree to something about shifting at 5,000 rpm? That is a 41 year old motor after all, and it's coming out of 25 years of abandonment, save for an oil change and the new spark plugs it got for the race.
Not a wreck (sorry), but an impassioned chase.
About 19 minutes into the race Brian pits to tell us that the car is great, then heads back out. Just as he is rolling out of the pits, "it" speeds by. "It", the green/white/red Alpha from the team California Mille, manages to keep Brian at bay for 4 and a half laps. It's a great chase, with lots of exasperated hand waving, but in the German car (1969 Opel GT), and a driver that seems to be possessed. After that Brian turns some of the fastest laps of our weekend, but then comes in early with a broken transmission. And, Brian, didn't we agree to something about shifting at 5,000 rpm? That is a 41 year old motor after all, and it's coming out of 25 years of abandonment, save for an oil change and the new spark plugs it got for the race.
Finally, Video
Originally from August 25, 2010
It took a while to finish up all the loose ends with other travel and projects and then be able to set aside a day or so for my first pass at editing the video from the race, but finally I got one done.
What I did was collect clips from the weekend that show each driver's driving, some racing, both of Zeps's spins, and other stuff that depicted how our weekend went.
I am planning on doing a video for the whole build, plus race, with narration, real-soon-now.
It took a while to finish up all the loose ends with other travel and projects and then be able to set aside a day or so for my first pass at editing the video from the race, but finally I got one done.
What I did was collect clips from the weekend that show each driver's driving, some racing, both of Zeps's spins, and other stuff that depicted how our weekend went.
I am planning on doing a video for the whole build, plus race, with narration, real-soon-now.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Race Aftermath
August 15, 2010
Alan and I will be getting together tomorrow to draw up short term plans for fixing what needs to be fixed on the car now, due to last week's race, and what we want to do to make it better for Buttonwillow. Here are a few points we'll discuss:
Alan and I will be getting together tomorrow to draw up short term plans for fixing what needs to be fixed on the car now, due to last week's race, and what we want to do to make it better for Buttonwillow. Here are a few points we'll discuss:
- Brake Rotors - It looks like the LF rotor is the only one warped, and we have parts car rotors we can use, but over the weekend we found a source for two slightly used rotors.
- Brakes - bleed and inspect
- Transmission - We'll be rebuilding the original tranny and fixing/rebuilding the one that is in the car now. The original tranny has 3-4 synchro issues due to the broken synchro shoe. The one from the parts car grinds getting from 2-3 unless, as I found out those weekend, you take your time and shift in the H-pattern, instead of trying to get from 2nd to 3rd in a near straight line. 4-3 down-shifts still grind, a bit. Also, we may have a source for a recently rebuilt 4-speed. Like new! Cost is so far undetermined, but we may be able to cover it in our residual.
- Cooling - Sunday morning the water temperature was steady at 190F, but it climbed a bit in the afternoon. We had solved most of this problem on Saturday. Repeat, most of it. A too long a fan belt might have been the main cause of the problem in Saturday and Sunday. We've got a shorter one in the car now. We'll be looking into getting an oil cooler, and in this several other Opel GT owners have offered great advice, such as getting the oil cooler out of a Volvo.
- Engine Stuttering - It got pretty bad by the end of the race to the point that it even backfired a bit, and as I've noted it seemed to happen in hard cornering situations. We may have solved this one. Before leaving for Monterey I did a quick check of the engine and other stuff, and this included pulling the spark plugs to see how they fared. All four looked great! Dry, lightly tanned, clean white ceramic, and only one needed its gap tweaked. But in the process of doing this I found that nearly all of the screw-tabs were loose, and on cylinder #2, it was off and up inside the spark plug cable. Basically, that cylinder was almost unplugged, and in high-G turns it probably was unplugged. The problem had gotten progressively worse during the last session on track so the wire must have been working its way off. I screwed the little tabs back on tight, plugged the rat-chewed cables back in, and never once did the engine sputter all this weekend (to and from Monterey). Granted, there were no high-G turns on I-80 and 680, and no runs into the 5000+ rpm range, but also - never once did the engine bog during hard acceleration, another problem we had at the track. Cross fingers, maybe that problem has been solved, too.
- Gauge panel - We need to replace the "Main" switch. It broke during the race.
- Oil - Change the oil and send a sample to Blackstone for analysis.
- Oil Leaks - The leaks seem to be at the front and rear mains, plus we've developed another minor leak at the front of the valve cover. We need to take care of these things before Arse-Freeze.
- Secure the Car - While we can drive the car on public roads, we can't really park it safely. We can take the wheel to prevent someone driving off with the car, but we have to do something to prevent anyone flicking a few switches and starting the car. We'll either install a hidden kill switch or something similar, or maybe making a bracket that will let us lock the existing cutoff switch in the off position. Also, should we find a way to lock the car in gear?
- Having time in the car in non-race-like conditions was very useful. You got to really listen to it and monitor the sounds and gauges under steady driving conditions.
- The water temps hovered around 150F most of the time and got to 160F during the drive home in the hot part of the day. (The thermostat has been removed.) The car was running at 3000-3500 rpm most of the way, with a few short runs up to 4000 rpm. Meanwhile, the oil pressure was steady at 40 psi at those engine speeds and 25 psi at idle. The Opel folks I talked to over the weekend said we should see pressures in the 30-50 psi range. I think we're doing OK. I did add about ½ qt on the way down but Alan and I checked the oil when we left, and I just checked it again, and we lost almost nothing. Maybe 1/8 quart. Probably less. The leaks seem to be coming from the front and rear-main seals.
- The car makes a lot of weird noises and some seem to come and go, or maybe it is my noticing them that comes and goes. You get paranoid after a while, but all the way there and back the gauges said everything was fine. When I finally got off the freeway and either stopped or was driving slow, the engine sounded fine. Great, actually.
- The drive down was fracking cold! 6:30 AM is cool enough, then you add freeway speeds and no windows, then you get on 680 south going through the 40 mph lateral gusts, then the chilly fog from Benicia to Monterey.... I was hugging the tunnel for warmth. On the way back I had my jacket and windbreaker on, and it was hot. No fog. August afternoon temperatures. The tunnel was hot and when there was a slowdown on 101 just north of Salinas it got pretty uncomfortable in the car. Things to remember for the December race.
- Noise - other than the sweet sound of a race engine, and ignoring the rattles and clunks, after 3+ hours in the car you start to realize it is a pretty noisy ride.
- Fuel - We used a bit more than ½ tank getting there, and I just checked, slightly over ½ tank getting back. That works out to be roughly 26-27 mpg during normal freeway driving.
Arse-Sweat Apalooza Race Report
Originally from August 9, 2010
OK, short recap of a very fun and very successful weekend, then I really must sleep.
Thursday
We left Davis 6 hours late after working through the night, me until 6:30 AM, the others also very late but not as crazy as me. Bernhard and I met at the track and we lined up outside the gate at 11 PM, along with 40-50 more motor homes, trucks, trailers, etc., so we could get in early to get a good spot in the paddock, or at least one that had electricity. Bernhard and I slept in his truck, got up at 5:30-6 AM, and we got both a great spot and electricity. Great start!
Friday testing
Brian and Bernhard had never driven the car and I had only driven it for two 20 minute sessions, and that was before the new clutch and tuning, so we each paid $100 to get test-day track time. We quickly discovered an engine temperature problem and eventually solved it by tightening the fan belt and putting the fan back in. The electric pusher fan wasn't quite doing the job. It took several tries to get that worked out. We also discovered a serious transmission leak, on a tranny that had all new seals put in. ???!!! It looks like we'd be adding lots of oil to it during the race, until the inspectors discovered the oily mess under the car. Fortunately and unfortunately, Saturday would solve that problem for us in another way. We also had a clutch cable problem, but Alan got under the car, found the root cause, and we were good to go, again. In the end Bernhard got some track time, and Brian a bit more, and just before the end of the day I got a few laps. We were happy and felt guardedly optimistic about the race.
Friday Tech
Two minor problems, easily fixed on the spot, and we passed tech. That's a great confidence builder. Remember, Alan and I had never done this sort of thing before.
Friday BS Inspection
This is where we "explain" our build and defend our budget, but Jay, event organizer and boss of everything, took one look at our car and said, "It's an Opel, you can't do anything for these, so just tell me what your costs were." He also asked to see under the hood. He was pleased to see a crusty old Opel engine in there, instead of a V6 like the other LeMons GTs were running. I said we were $100 over budget mostly due to sway bars, and while he was mulling that over I signaled to Bernhard, who was sitting in the car, to pull the lever, and the headlights pods flipped open to reveal an excellent Scotch in one, and a "racer" brand beer in the other. He loved it, told us to close it up, called the other judges over, and told us to do it again, then again for a guy with the video camera. Result, great laughs and no penalty laps for our budget excesses.
Saturday Race
With Brian at the wheel we took the green flag!!! I doubt I can describe how big a moment this was for Alan and I, and Geoff and Bernhard who had also put a lot of time into the car. It was big grin hour, historic, one for the autobiography.
Forty-five minutes into the race Brian was back in with the tranny stuck in 3rd gear. It wasn't the clutch this time. And hour and a half later Geoff and Zep had swapped in the tranny from the parts car. But here's the really cool part. Mr. Bob and another guy, sorry I forget names easily, but anyway, two Opel guys, came to the race to see us run the car. Even paid $20 for the privilege. Awesome! Then they joined in to help with the tranny swap. I've already used the word "awesome" here, so what can I say? What word captures this? Family?
After the tranny swap Bernhard took the car back out. The tranny was working and it did not leak oil. How lucky can you get? But soon Bernhard was in for a penalty, "passing under caution". They had us park the car with some others, probably because they wanted to put together a parade of shame, but forgot about us, then just told that "It's an Opel, that's punishment enough, go back out and race." Bernhard went back out and ran some great laps, then it was Zep's turn. Zep was doing great, knocked off a great 2:36 lap, then had an off that had something to do with avoiding another car's dive-bomb-gone-bad, but an off is an off is a penalty, so we all met in the judgment area again. The judges talked to Zep to assess things and before long they let us go again without having to do anything humiliating. I think they liked our car. But then Zep went out on track and spun in T6 of his first lap, so back in "penalty" they explained that we now had three and that got us a 3 hour penalty, which left us with one hour of driving in the day, but if we got a fourth penalty in that hour we'd be sent home. We elected to take the rest of the day off.
We used our "free time" to inspect and work on the car, and visit other teams. Zep's spin had loosened the exhaust hanger, so we fixed it. We also installed a timer for the driver, rotated the tires and did other minor things, then we discovered a problem with the right-side tie rod end. Bernhard was concerned about a catastrophic failure while Geoff thought it would be OK but we'd monitor it.
Sunday Racing
Alan drove first. Race starts are interesting, but this being his first time in a race, I thought the pre-green lapping would make for a good warm-up and chance to relax before things got hectic. Alan drove great for about 1.5 hours. A bit slow, but that was never the point. He cranked out some laps, got no penalties, the car wasn't hit or anything, the tranny was holding, temperatures were good, so that was a great start on the day.
Next up, me. I think I drove well, got passed a lot, did a fair bit of passing myself, had no problems, but figured out that the tie rod problem probably did lead to Zep's second off on Saturday. When Zep had entered T6 on Saturday he said the car pushed bad and would not turn. Normally you straighten the wheel a bit and stay on the brakes to slow the car enough that it would turn again, but this just made it worse and Zep drove off in T6 trying to get it under control. The first time this happened to me I just lifted on the brakes and the car turned fine. So that was what I did in my session. Still, it made things interesting, like when I entered T2 inside another car, and my front wheels were squealing as I got closer and closer to his door, and I know he knew I was there and heard it, but once I was off the brakes things were fine again. Other than that, it was a good session. I turned some mid-to-high 2:30 laps. Zep had been doing about the same lap times. Bernhard and Brian were in the mid-to-low 2:30 range and Brian even broke into the upper 2:20's a few times. Not bad for 85 whp on a 41 year old car that had been left out in a field for the past 25 years and whose engine we had never even looked inside.
Brian drove next but came in after about an hour after he started noticing tranny problems (crunch 3rd gear) and a new engine noise. He didn't want to break someone else's car. We added oil to the engine (it was low), checked the oil in the tranny (it was fine), checked the tie rod problem (no change, not getting worse), then Bernhard took it out again.
We were entering the closing phase of the race now and the guys did this while I was off doing something else - they decided that I should take the last stint and the checkered flag. Alan would pass on his stint, and Zep, who felt he was in the dog house anyway, passed on his. I encouraged Alan to take his stint, and told Zep he was not in the dog house, and I think I had Zep ready to drive again. We'd split whatever time was left after Bernhard came back in. Then Clint, from Evil Genius Racing, the guy who built the cage and did other work on the car, asked for a short stint in the car. So that's what we would do. Clint would drive for 20-30 minutes once Bernhard was back in, Zep declined his stint, and I'd take the last hour and a half.
I am driving now. When Bernhard brought the car in the tranny problem had gotten worse. It was a bit crunchy getting into 3rd on up-shifts and down-shifts, plus the rotors were warped or acted like they were warped, and now an engine problem had been developing and was now pretty bad and had the engine was missing in high-G turns. Fueling? Electrical? No time to fix it, just drive and monitor it. So that was the car I finished the day with, except now it was also using a lot more fuel. An hour later the gauge was hitting "E" (Actually it was hitting "F" on our 0-90 ohm gauge/90-0 ohm sender combo.) so I pitted for fuel.
Normally after a stint that long you'd change drivers. Not this time. They wanted me back in the car. Repeat - they wanted ME back in the car. That's the kind of team you want to be at the track with. People who will back you.
With 20 or so minutes left on the clock I took the car back out, drove as well as one could with power cutting out in T2 and T11 and a few other turns, mostly left-handers, if I recall correctly, and with a shaking front end during braking, and some grind in 2-3 and 4-3 shifts. Even so, I found some cars to chase, and cars to avoid.
Damn if the last few minutes of this kind of race doesn't get nutty! The cars in the lead positions were racing each other hard and slow cars like mine were not going to be an obstacle. If I left 6 inches between me and the edge of the track, one of these cars would get in there and make a pass. It was great to watch, though. They looked like they were really having fun, and I considered every pass made on me as a successful pass I played a part in. Does that sound weird? Anyway, I had a great chase going with an MR2 that it turns out had 50% more power at the wheels than our little Opel, so I guess I was doing pretty good. I'd reel him in in the turns and he'd inch away in the straights. Give me another lap or two and I'd get him! Then the checkered flag came out.
It was bit emotional. Really. Not because it was a big race, or that we had won, because we certainly didn't, or almost won, because we certainly didn't, but because for something that intense to end so abruptly does trigger some emotions. Plus, the guys had sent me out to that the checkered flag, plus at each corner workers station they were waving all of their pretty flags, giving thumbs up and waves, all that stuff, celebrating the successful completion of this 2-day crapcan race, plus this project that Alan and I took on back on May 23 was a grand success. We had rescued that car, got it ready to race, started the race, and finished the race. And people like Geoff and Brian jumped in to wrench and drive with us, Zep (Alan's son) joined to wrench and drive, Alan drove in his first race, Zep in his first, me in my second, and Gill at OGTS had supported us, and folks on the OpelGT.com forum had supported and encouraged us... it was all a bit much.
Back in the paddock we all reflected on this, and how great the weekend had been, took pictures standing next to the car, and I put on my sun glasses to hide the tears that kept showing up if I thought about it all too much.
Not a bad weekend.
Credits for the photos below go to Head-on Photos, Judge Phil, and me.
OK, short recap of a very fun and very successful weekend, then I really must sleep.
Thursday
We left Davis 6 hours late after working through the night, me until 6:30 AM, the others also very late but not as crazy as me. Bernhard and I met at the track and we lined up outside the gate at 11 PM, along with 40-50 more motor homes, trucks, trailers, etc., so we could get in early to get a good spot in the paddock, or at least one that had electricity. Bernhard and I slept in his truck, got up at 5:30-6 AM, and we got both a great spot and electricity. Great start!
Friday testing
Brian and Bernhard had never driven the car and I had only driven it for two 20 minute sessions, and that was before the new clutch and tuning, so we each paid $100 to get test-day track time. We quickly discovered an engine temperature problem and eventually solved it by tightening the fan belt and putting the fan back in. The electric pusher fan wasn't quite doing the job. It took several tries to get that worked out. We also discovered a serious transmission leak, on a tranny that had all new seals put in. ???!!! It looks like we'd be adding lots of oil to it during the race, until the inspectors discovered the oily mess under the car. Fortunately and unfortunately, Saturday would solve that problem for us in another way. We also had a clutch cable problem, but Alan got under the car, found the root cause, and we were good to go, again. In the end Bernhard got some track time, and Brian a bit more, and just before the end of the day I got a few laps. We were happy and felt guardedly optimistic about the race.
Friday Tech
Two minor problems, easily fixed on the spot, and we passed tech. That's a great confidence builder. Remember, Alan and I had never done this sort of thing before.
Friday BS Inspection
This is where we "explain" our build and defend our budget, but Jay, event organizer and boss of everything, took one look at our car and said, "It's an Opel, you can't do anything for these, so just tell me what your costs were." He also asked to see under the hood. He was pleased to see a crusty old Opel engine in there, instead of a V6 like the other LeMons GTs were running. I said we were $100 over budget mostly due to sway bars, and while he was mulling that over I signaled to Bernhard, who was sitting in the car, to pull the lever, and the headlights pods flipped open to reveal an excellent Scotch in one, and a "racer" brand beer in the other. He loved it, told us to close it up, called the other judges over, and told us to do it again, then again for a guy with the video camera. Result, great laughs and no penalty laps for our budget excesses.
Saturday Race
With Brian at the wheel we took the green flag!!! I doubt I can describe how big a moment this was for Alan and I, and Geoff and Bernhard who had also put a lot of time into the car. It was big grin hour, historic, one for the autobiography.
Forty-five minutes into the race Brian was back in with the tranny stuck in 3rd gear. It wasn't the clutch this time. And hour and a half later Geoff and Zep had swapped in the tranny from the parts car. But here's the really cool part. Mr. Bob and another guy, sorry I forget names easily, but anyway, two Opel guys, came to the race to see us run the car. Even paid $20 for the privilege. Awesome! Then they joined in to help with the tranny swap. I've already used the word "awesome" here, so what can I say? What word captures this? Family?
After the tranny swap Bernhard took the car back out. The tranny was working and it did not leak oil. How lucky can you get? But soon Bernhard was in for a penalty, "passing under caution". They had us park the car with some others, probably because they wanted to put together a parade of shame, but forgot about us, then just told that "It's an Opel, that's punishment enough, go back out and race." Bernhard went back out and ran some great laps, then it was Zep's turn. Zep was doing great, knocked off a great 2:36 lap, then had an off that had something to do with avoiding another car's dive-bomb-gone-bad, but an off is an off is a penalty, so we all met in the judgment area again. The judges talked to Zep to assess things and before long they let us go again without having to do anything humiliating. I think they liked our car. But then Zep went out on track and spun in T6 of his first lap, so back in "penalty" they explained that we now had three and that got us a 3 hour penalty, which left us with one hour of driving in the day, but if we got a fourth penalty in that hour we'd be sent home. We elected to take the rest of the day off.
We used our "free time" to inspect and work on the car, and visit other teams. Zep's spin had loosened the exhaust hanger, so we fixed it. We also installed a timer for the driver, rotated the tires and did other minor things, then we discovered a problem with the right-side tie rod end. Bernhard was concerned about a catastrophic failure while Geoff thought it would be OK but we'd monitor it.
Sunday Racing
Alan drove first. Race starts are interesting, but this being his first time in a race, I thought the pre-green lapping would make for a good warm-up and chance to relax before things got hectic. Alan drove great for about 1.5 hours. A bit slow, but that was never the point. He cranked out some laps, got no penalties, the car wasn't hit or anything, the tranny was holding, temperatures were good, so that was a great start on the day.
Next up, me. I think I drove well, got passed a lot, did a fair bit of passing myself, had no problems, but figured out that the tie rod problem probably did lead to Zep's second off on Saturday. When Zep had entered T6 on Saturday he said the car pushed bad and would not turn. Normally you straighten the wheel a bit and stay on the brakes to slow the car enough that it would turn again, but this just made it worse and Zep drove off in T6 trying to get it under control. The first time this happened to me I just lifted on the brakes and the car turned fine. So that was what I did in my session. Still, it made things interesting, like when I entered T2 inside another car, and my front wheels were squealing as I got closer and closer to his door, and I know he knew I was there and heard it, but once I was off the brakes things were fine again. Other than that, it was a good session. I turned some mid-to-high 2:30 laps. Zep had been doing about the same lap times. Bernhard and Brian were in the mid-to-low 2:30 range and Brian even broke into the upper 2:20's a few times. Not bad for 85 whp on a 41 year old car that had been left out in a field for the past 25 years and whose engine we had never even looked inside.
Brian drove next but came in after about an hour after he started noticing tranny problems (crunch 3rd gear) and a new engine noise. He didn't want to break someone else's car. We added oil to the engine (it was low), checked the oil in the tranny (it was fine), checked the tie rod problem (no change, not getting worse), then Bernhard took it out again.
We were entering the closing phase of the race now and the guys did this while I was off doing something else - they decided that I should take the last stint and the checkered flag. Alan would pass on his stint, and Zep, who felt he was in the dog house anyway, passed on his. I encouraged Alan to take his stint, and told Zep he was not in the dog house, and I think I had Zep ready to drive again. We'd split whatever time was left after Bernhard came back in. Then Clint, from Evil Genius Racing, the guy who built the cage and did other work on the car, asked for a short stint in the car. So that's what we would do. Clint would drive for 20-30 minutes once Bernhard was back in, Zep declined his stint, and I'd take the last hour and a half.
I am driving now. When Bernhard brought the car in the tranny problem had gotten worse. It was a bit crunchy getting into 3rd on up-shifts and down-shifts, plus the rotors were warped or acted like they were warped, and now an engine problem had been developing and was now pretty bad and had the engine was missing in high-G turns. Fueling? Electrical? No time to fix it, just drive and monitor it. So that was the car I finished the day with, except now it was also using a lot more fuel. An hour later the gauge was hitting "E" (Actually it was hitting "F" on our 0-90 ohm gauge/90-0 ohm sender combo.) so I pitted for fuel.
Normally after a stint that long you'd change drivers. Not this time. They wanted me back in the car. Repeat - they wanted ME back in the car. That's the kind of team you want to be at the track with. People who will back you.
With 20 or so minutes left on the clock I took the car back out, drove as well as one could with power cutting out in T2 and T11 and a few other turns, mostly left-handers, if I recall correctly, and with a shaking front end during braking, and some grind in 2-3 and 4-3 shifts. Even so, I found some cars to chase, and cars to avoid.
Damn if the last few minutes of this kind of race doesn't get nutty! The cars in the lead positions were racing each other hard and slow cars like mine were not going to be an obstacle. If I left 6 inches between me and the edge of the track, one of these cars would get in there and make a pass. It was great to watch, though. They looked like they were really having fun, and I considered every pass made on me as a successful pass I played a part in. Does that sound weird? Anyway, I had a great chase going with an MR2 that it turns out had 50% more power at the wheels than our little Opel, so I guess I was doing pretty good. I'd reel him in in the turns and he'd inch away in the straights. Give me another lap or two and I'd get him! Then the checkered flag came out.
It was bit emotional. Really. Not because it was a big race, or that we had won, because we certainly didn't, or almost won, because we certainly didn't, but because for something that intense to end so abruptly does trigger some emotions. Plus, the guys had sent me out to that the checkered flag, plus at each corner workers station they were waving all of their pretty flags, giving thumbs up and waves, all that stuff, celebrating the successful completion of this 2-day crapcan race, plus this project that Alan and I took on back on May 23 was a grand success. We had rescued that car, got it ready to race, started the race, and finished the race. And people like Geoff and Brian jumped in to wrench and drive with us, Zep (Alan's son) joined to wrench and drive, Alan drove in his first race, Zep in his first, me in my second, and Gill at OGTS had supported us, and folks on the OpelGT.com forum had supported and encouraged us... it was all a bit much.
Back in the paddock we all reflected on this, and how great the weekend had been, took pictures standing next to the car, and I put on my sun glasses to hide the tears that kept showing up if I thought about it all too much.
Not a bad weekend.
Credits for the photos below go to Head-on Photos, Judge Phil, and me.
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| From left to right: Mike Meier, Geoff Straw, Bernhard Wagener, Zep Brattesani, Alan Brattesani, Brian Doty. |
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| We knew exactly what those headlight buckets would be good for at our first race. |
“Wow! What a great story! I am proud of your little Opel, and glad that I could play a tiny roll in it! Good going guys, it sounds like you did great! And, great photos, the Opel looks great!” – Jim (JimVonBaden, OpelGT.com)
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“Hey Mike, What can I say? Yellow Opel with a wing on the rear, can relate to both!!!!!!! This story told from the first post to the completion of the LeMons race was really a treat for me and would say to a lot of others on this forum. You made us feel included, and involved in the rebuild, rolled paint job (Jim), T1 to the checkered flag. Thanks, to you and the team for a job well done.
PS. Your first picture from the above post will be my new screen saver!!!!!!!” – Micah1, OpelGT,com
PS. Your first picture from the above post will be my new screen saver!!!!!!!” – Micah1, OpelGT,com
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AMAZING JOB GUYS!!!! And congratz on the finish. I live in Oklahoma and they are having a ChumpCar race later this month. I would say you have the car to run if you can. The track is Hallett Raceway in Hallett, Oklahoma. I am buying a '75 Manta this weekend if I am able to get off this drilling rig.
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I have to say you have inspired me to live a dream and do just what you all have done. Thank you for all your great pictures and to see a bunch of normal guys like the rest of us, can build and race a car and have a lot of fun!! Thank you very much!! - JOZ1973GT, OpelGT.com
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Thanks a lot. I am also building a Lemons race car out of an Opel and have been using this site for most of my tech info. (I posted on your Lemons forum also)
I have read your whole thread and it was very informative. I will be racing my car in September. It was my intention to put a bunch of pics of my suspension and brakes up on this site after I have proven them to work. Hopefully mine will be as successful as yours. - Team Unter Puff, OpelGT.com
I have read your whole thread and it was very informative. I will be racing my car in September. It was my intention to put a bunch of pics of my suspension and brakes up on this site after I have proven them to work. Hopefully mine will be as successful as yours. - Team Unter Puff, OpelGT.com
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Almost Done!
Originally from August 5, 2010
Done, almost.
Decals haven't arrived. We'll have our neighbors keep a look out and I'll drive back to pick them up if they arrive before Saturday.
Some photos, done except the decals and racing it.
It looks pretty good in bad lights and from 25 feet away. The roller we used left a lot of lint on the car. Oh well. Maybe after the race I'll clean it up. Lots of little dents too. Character flaws.
The wing actually looks pretty good set off against the yellow and with the black roll cage. I want a big black splitter too but I can't get Alan to go along with me, yet.
Oh, and the newspaper is out with our article. I haven't had time to read it yet, but here's a link: mobile.davisenterprise.com
Done, almost.
Decals haven't arrived. We'll have our neighbors keep a look out and I'll drive back to pick them up if they arrive before Saturday.
Some photos, done except the decals and racing it.
“Looks great! Not bad for a roll paint job!
I even like the painted front bumper. Not so crazy about the wing, though I understand why you have it.
Good luck guys!!!! Jim” – JimVonBadden, OpelGT.com forum
I even like the painted front bumper. Not so crazy about the wing, though I understand why you have it.
Good luck guys!!!! Jim” – JimVonBadden, OpelGT.com forum
“It seems clear to me that whatever the results, you will have the best looking car at the event, though I admit to being somewhat biased......” – CDN Opelnut, OpelGT.com forum
It looks pretty good in bad lights and from 25 feet away. The roller we used left a lot of lint on the car. Oh well. Maybe after the race I'll clean it up. Lots of little dents too. Character flaws.
The wing actually looks pretty good set off against the yellow and with the black roll cage. I want a big black splitter too but I can't get Alan to go along with me, yet.
Oh, and the newspaper is out with our article. I haven't had time to read it yet, but here's a link: mobile.davisenterprise.com
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Finally Yellow
Originally from August 3, 2010
It may shine, but it won't be smooth. We won't have time to do any more dent removal or wet sanding. Yellow paint goes on tonight at 7pm, and a second coat in the morning.
I registered the car with DMV today, so theoretically I can drive it to Monterey for the meet and Concourse d'LeMons. I've wired in the rear lights and I'll need to add front turn signals and a horn. Do I really need a speedo? Anyway, it's looking like I may be able to bring the car to Monterey. Assuming it survives this weekend.
Also, not sure if I mentioned it, but we're getting a write-up in the local paper. The story will be out Thursday or Friday.
Later that evening – Rollering a car just feels weird, but it is fun.
How small is this car? Less than one quart of paint covers it. That makes it smaller than a typical bedroom wall, surface area-wise.
Tip - don't paint under lights at night in the carport. Bugs love yellow.
It may shine, but it won't be smooth. We won't have time to do any more dent removal or wet sanding. Yellow paint goes on tonight at 7pm, and a second coat in the morning.
I registered the car with DMV today, so theoretically I can drive it to Monterey for the meet and Concourse d'LeMons. I've wired in the rear lights and I'll need to add front turn signals and a horn. Do I really need a speedo? Anyway, it's looking like I may be able to bring the car to Monterey. Assuming it survives this weekend.
Also, not sure if I mentioned it, but we're getting a write-up in the local paper. The story will be out Thursday or Friday.
“You guys should definitely be proud of your accomplishment. You certainly had me geared up and rooting for ya', and it sounds like you had community support around you.
As far as the speedometer goes, I don't remember you saying that you changed any gearings, so if I remember right(I'm sure I will get corrected if wrong), the tach in second gear will correspond with the speed,(4000 RPM =40mph), and in 4th it will be doubled roughly(4000 rpm= 80mph). It would be ballpark anyway. Good luck and keep us posted of results.” – Ken2, OpelGT.com forum
Later that evening – Rollering a car just feels weird, but it is fun.
How small is this car? Less than one quart of paint covers it. That makes it smaller than a typical bedroom wall, surface area-wise.
Tip - don't paint under lights at night in the carport. Bugs love yellow.
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