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Detroit, 7:15 AM
Thu Nov 12
31 posts in the last 24 hours
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04/19/09
Joe Isuzu would be so proud. And then he'd steal your watch, while slapping you on the back.
04/19/09
See above remarks
04/19/09
Once upon a time, I thought that a rotary was the only transplant answer for any smaller vehicle. I've since moved on to bigger fantasies.
04/19/09
I didn't even know that Mazda sold diesel pickups. Now here's a challenge - HUGE bonus points if anyone a can turn up a mid-'70s DOTS Mazda Rotary Pickup.
04/19/09
04/19/09
Here is the listing:[elpaso.kijiji.com]
04/19/09
04/19/09
Torque.
What do rotary engines have a miserable lack of?
Pumpkin seeds.
Also torque.
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04/19/09
@UDMan: Lest we forget, the "Buick Opel by Isuzu." That tape stripe is fantastic.
12/20/08
I've also talked to some guys done here in Houston that are thinking about putting a Corvair together. Funny thing I saw on a Corvair, 6 spoke Datsun 280ZX wheels.
We're looking forward to February. Hopefully the weather will be good.
12/21/08
Of course, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. If you're angling for the IoE, a Corvair is lighter (a stock XJ-S weighs in at around 4400 lbs), much less complex and has nearly as much of the WTF factor-- just make sure you have six individual exhaust pipes coming out under the bumper. A Corvair has little hope of matching a big Jag in outright speed, but it would almost certainly spend less time in the pits. Whatever you do, just remember that crazy is good.
12/20/08
Pendejo Engineering, Alfa Romeo Alfetta- Will be combined with the California Mille Alfa by lap 35- 35
Cape Coventry, Triumph TR7- Love the car, but I can't truthfully believe that it was chosen for this race in a sober state.- 101
Wedginators Redux, Buick TR7 - Really, it looks fast, and might be more reliable than a standard issue TR7, but my spidey-sense is tingling that there's going to be some 'splosions basd on previous LeMons performances watching it stranded on the infield- 120
ZZ Uber II, VW Corrado- Seen the car at previous LeMons races. It was fast when it was out. - 225
Safari West, Jaguar XJ-S- I've tried to do major modifications to fueling systems for LeMons, and it never ended well...- 45
Metro Gnome, Busa Geo- Its already had time on the track and worked flawlessly. If it were Altamont, I'd give it a snowballs chance in hell, but I'm optimistic that the chain drive will hold our for a day- 250
Motoring J Style, Isuzu I-Mark- No idea on the car, but they've got some excellent wrenches- 85
Italian Stallions, X1/9 - Bitchin car. Will explode. Nice windshield elimination, BTW!- 75
Famila Italia Advance Team, X1/9-I can't believe there's another one! Don't know anything about this one, so it gets a deduction from Italian Stallions- 60
Eyesore Racing, Mazda Miata- Great drivers (Thanks, Murilee!), top niotch build, totally legit. I'm biased because I'm on the team though. Two track days under the belt and the ability to go naturally aspirated with the flip of the header, this baby will last if by nothing more than the dread of having to build another one.- 580
Unsafe At Any Speed, Chevy Corvair- I can't wait to see this on the track. I think this will actually make it - 465
Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys 505- Much as I like turbochargers, I don't think that this one will see the checkered flag. Sorry guys.- 300
12/19/08
1. Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys, Peugeot 505 Turbo - Not a clue.
2. Unsafe At Any Speed, Chevrolet Corvair - Depends how many spare belts they bring or if they've managed to get a workable keeper system figured out. If they get the belt situation taken care of and manage not to stuff the car I'd expect this to finish.
3. Eyesore Racing, Ghettocharged Mazda Miata - This one depends on what fails. If it's the Turbo I'd say 20-30 laps into the first day, but they've got good wrenches so they'll be back turbo-less for day two (assuming, of course, the turbo doesn't explode and decapitate someone), same goes for blown head gaskets. If it's the pistons, connecting rods, block, or crank that go then it'll depend on whether or not they have spares... I have a feeling finding an open junkyard with a Miata that has a usable engine within their budget might be a bit tricky on Christmas weekend.
4. Italian Stallions, Fiat X1/9 and 5. Famila Italia Advance Team, Fiat X1/9 - The only experience I have with X1/9s is that every single one I've seen in person has been non-functional. I'd expect both to be out before the 100 lap mark.
6. Motoring J Style, Isuzu I-Mark RS - No Clue.
7. Metro-Gnome, CBR900-Powered Geo Metro - I'm going to say 10 laps before something breaks, they'll fix it, get maybe another 15 laps before something else breaks, rinse, repeat until something catastrophic happens.
8. Safari West, Jaguar XJ-S - British Leyland V12, Check. Six Solex Carbs, Check. A Pissed off partially dismembered Joe Lucas, Check... if this can do five laps before the first breakdown I will be impressed. I expect the XJ-S to be in and out of the pits more often than Courtney Love in rehab.
9. ZZ Uber II, Volkswagen Corrado G60 - No clue how many laps, I just want to know where the hell they got a Corrado, in that kind of condition, for $500? Hell, that thing looks nicer than at least half the cars on the street where I live.
Absolutely no clue on the rest.
12/19/08
Hey, did you know that when you get a Jaguar for $100 and six 2" SU carbs for $30 (their value as scrap metal,) you can exorcise the Prince of Darkness from your ignition system and still come in under budget? Then all you'd have to worry about is the Prince of Darkness playing havoc with the wiring, the starter, the charging system, etc. Not that I'd do that, of course. Wouldn't want to mess with the essential Jaguarness of the car. I'd never show my hand before the race, either. No, sir. Not me.
12/19/08
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12/20/08
The Index Of Effluency award is totally subjective, according to the whims of Chief Perp Lamm, so you guys should have a shot at the trophy if you manage double-digit lap totals.
12/19/08
How many hours will the temperature be above 30 degrees? Over/under stands at 10.
12/19/08
12/19/08
If the overnight temperatures are under 32 degrees that could be interesting as you have 100 cars filled with straight water. Hmm maybe the Corvair will win because it's the only one without a cracked block on Sunday?
12/20/08