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Detroit, 3:00 PM
Sun Nov 15
11 posts in the last 24 hours
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07/13/09
07/13/09
UDman deserves statues to be erected in his honor in town squares throughout the land. What a prince. He marshalled the worst car imaginable and a pickup team from all over, and they came together as a classy, consistent act, running in 22nd place for most of the race out of a field of 56. And they did it with style, tremendous effort and good humor. Not too shabby for a first timer, right out of the box.
In his honor, I gift you a photo which may or not be of the UDman hisself.
Did I mention that they also arranged for Bite the Bullet BBQ of NH to come down and cook for the team? They not only laid out a delicious spread (including the soon to be famous Cornell Chicken) but also sustained other teams, like the Chard Beef guys who hadn't all day, and even delivered care packages to other teams on Sunday.
Classy and modest too. There were a bunch of Jalops there, most of us in mufti and refusing to disclose our Jalopidentities. I had no idea I was congratulating the renowned Mary with an M after the finish.
TTTOS won simply by showing up with the most improbable car. Then they started. Then they ran. Then they kept running consistently and with good sportsmanship. The pig came early, from all the unavoidable spins - and they loved it. And then they kept going, clicking off the laps right to the end. I am humbled and inspired by their example.
07/13/09
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07/12/09
For all newcomers to Jalopnik, this is the very definition of what the O.J./Original Jalopsters are all about, and for this July 2009, Jalopnik is UDMan's house, and we are all blessed to bask in his UD rays.
Good for you and your team!
07/13/09
@POLAЯ 0.02: I can't even express how proud I am of UDMan for this. So much awesome.
Also: I can haz O.J. status too?
07/13/09
07/12/09
1 - I did have one other Jalop, Mary with an M, and she served as our runner, and cheerleader.
2 - The cars handling was truly awful. The rear end always wanted to come around, and ALL the drivers on my team were doing corrections on the wheel through the corners. We tried all kinds of tire pressure, to absolutely no difference.
3 - Knock me dead, but the engine was dead reliable, without missing a beat. We threw 1 fan belt, and that was late in the race, and cam in smoking. Johnny (my mechanic) put a new fan belt on, sprayed a little ether in the right carb, turned the key, and the car fired off. We were back on the track in 15 minutes.
4 - I was on the track when the right front drum cracked, and locked up the right front wheel, and I skidded right in front of the grandstands, going off into the infield. We were on good terms with the track crew, and I served a penalty (in a green dress, fake boobs, and had to get lunch for the fire brigade) but they let the rest of the team take the car, replace the drum and shoes, and we were back out in 1/2 hour.
5 - There was next to no power from the engine. It was suppose to be 84 HP, but no one on the team ever got about 68 on the fastest part of the track, though we did keep up with most of the traffic in the infield part of the course.
In conclusion, no mechanical breakdowns of any consequence; very slow and scary handling; all drum brake system that still stopped the car when needed; and we recorded almost 29 MPG while competing on the track.......
07/12/09
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07/13/09
Do you have any idea who owned the maroon Corvair 455 that showed up on the 2nd day? It looked immaculate.
07/13/09
@Ethyleneglycoholic’s Fearless Flying Frog...: That was an impressive car - with a 455 Toronado drivetrain transplant. Sounded great. Not sure why the interior enclosure needed to be so large, but it was a very sanitary install. I hope they expanded the gas tank to use the entire trunk, or you'd be stopping every half hour.
07/12/09
Our offering at your altar:
07/12/09
was the porker on the roof a talisman to other racers in the corners trying to pass on the outside?
07/12/09
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07/12/09
To win LeMons, the ultimate proof of a car's abilities, even years and years and decades and decades after it was desirable.
07/12/09
07/12/09
So, are you going to be at Nelson Ledges?
07/12/09
07/12/09
In Soviet LeMons, Effluency indexes YOU!
07/12/09