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24 hours of lemons altamont
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24 hours of lemons altamont
transmission swap
Want A 5-Speed Crown Victoria?
We all thought transplanting the drivetrain from a Lightning F-150 into a 2000 Ford Crown Vic was pretty cool, but some Panther owners might want to take on a less ambitious project that still makes our cars a lot more fun to drive. Say, grabbing the T-45 transmission out of a Mustang and installing it in a Panther, for example. Ford never saw fit to put a manual in the Panther, so it's not a straight bolt-in; that's why it's great to have the scoop from someone who's already solved all the problems involved with such a project. We've seen a very good how-to for those wishing to de-slushbox-ize their GM G-bodies, and now dRock96Marquis has put together a comprehensively documented and illustrated guide to doing the same with a 2003 Crown Victoria. [CrownVic.net]
24 hours of lemons
Real $500 Race Cars Have Manual Transmissions... And Inner-Tube Shifter Boots!
When we started out to build a V8-powered Volvo 244 for the May 10-11 24 Hours of LeMons race, most of the team members assumed we'd be using the good ol' C4 automatic transmission. You know, automatics are way easier to swap, with no troublesome clutch linkage to futz with. But Crew Chief Hellhammer (formerly known as Dave) pointed out that he's built plenty of manual-equipped rods, and then he directed our attention to several Ford V8-compatible T-5 5-speeds (and no C4s) sitting in the weeds behind his shop (he's been working on a '57 Ford project, so his stash-o-parts is heavy on Ford running gear). With our minds filled with images of slushboxes overheating and dying at last year's Altamont race, we decided to go with three pedals instead of two... then held our collective breath when it came time to make it happen for real.More »
ennui countermeasure
What Are Your Ten Favorite Wrenching Albums?
We've talked about the Ten Best Driving Albums, but what about the albums you want to listen to while you're systematically removing all the skin from your knuckles on your Hell Project? The music that just sounds best when played on the oil-spattered beater boombox that lives in the garage? This question came to me last weekend, while working on the race car...More »
10:00 AM on Fri Apr 25 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,601 views,
72 comments
Latest by Bernie530: Good list. More I would add: Fred Eaglesmith: Lipstick, Lies, and Gasoline Pixes: Surfer Rosa Uncle Tupelo: No Depression Gaye Bikers on Acid: Stewed to the Gills more »
24 hours of lemons
What Makes A Race Car Faster? A Fiero Wing, Of Course!
When we added a great big hood scoop to our V8 Volvo LeMons racer, it immediately became apparent that something was missing from the picture. But what? Walking around to the rear of the car, it hit us: we lacked a wing! Skeptics might point out that a wing would be aerodynamically meaningless on a brick-shaped car running on a track with top speeds of about 60 (the crueler skeptics might even refer to a wing as "useless dead weight"), but we know that's hogwash- the bigger the wing, the faster the car!More »
24 hours of lemons
Another Advantage To Racing A Volvo: Free Parts Car!
Now that the 24 Hours of LeMons shit-talking has begun, I find it necessary to present some more evidence to show that the V8-ified Volvo 240 is Your Best Race Car Value, even though it means giving away some tricks to our real competition (i.e., the other teams driving Swedish steel). You see, some teams are coming up with this crazy talk about how they've got the best bang-for-buck with their Cavaliers or MR2s and such, but are there countless MR2s sitting in back yards, just waiting for some kind, trailer-equipped soul to come haul them away for free? As we've seen, perception of the poor brick-shaped Göteborg machine has gone from beloved daily driver to gas-swilling outcast recently, with local junkyards bursting at the seams with 242s, 244s, and 245s. That means that a Craigslist ad with the headline "DEAD VOLVO WANTED, WILL TOW" gets an immediate response.More »
24 hours of lemons
Welcome To Low-Budget Race Car Wiring Hell!
So we solved the throttle-linkage problem on our V8-ized Volvo race car, but what about electrical stuff? The factory wiring, switches, and instruments weren't going to work with our new engine. In fact, we'd torn out every scrap of wire in the car, preferring to start with a blank electrical slate. As the creator of the Junkyard Boogaloo Boombox, I figured whipping up an all-junkyard instrument panel on a shoestring budget wouldn't be too much hassle. I was able to scrounge up an old Auto Meter temperature gauge and a few toggle switches in my Boxes-O-Car-Crap™, and aMore »
2:45 PM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Murilee Martin
4,139 views,
58 comments
Latest by FuzzyPlushroom: @narf: ...cutting power to the engine at random intervals, forcing you to pull over, wait a few minutes, then restart it and drive off! This is especially fun with a dead battery. more »
el camino
Wrecked Civic + Drag Bike = El Civico!
When we had the Favorite Example of Caminoization poll, reader Buckyworld stunned us all with his description of El Civico, a 1999 Honda Civic converted to motorcycle-haulin' cartruck. Well, anything that cool is sure to trigger weeks of relentless hounding from us for the whole story, and Buckyworld was kind enough to oblige. Make the jump for the astounding saga of the mighty El Civico!More »
engine swap
One Maddening Problem Solved, 297 To Go!
It seemed like such a great idea a few months ago: Over here, we had a $100 Volvo 244. Over there, a free Ford 302 engine. A little welding, a bit of cutting, some duct tape, and voila! Easy V8 Volvo for the 24 Hours of LeMons, you betcha! Actually, we all knew we were taking on aMore »
24 hours of lemons
Hood Scoop Adds Dignity, Top Fuel Power To LeMons Volvo
Not long after I joined a 24 Hours of LeMons team, I attended a barbecue at a friend's house. Friend's husband, Darren, is a motorcycle mechanic, so naturally all the gearheady guys gravitated to the garage to look at grimy machinery and listen to The Atomic Bitchwax on the garage boombox... and then I saw it. Just lying there on top of a box of Honda pistons was an old battered Mr. Gasket Street Scoop. Yes!More »
