Havent done much lately.
Got the CNC hydraulic reservoirs installed filled and bled. I used some different fittings on the bottom so I could align them where I wanted them to go, then tighten them down. Quite better than using a 90* pipe fitting, then having to sacrifice tightness for direction.
Had a beautiful weekend about 2 weeks ago, met my local Capital Area Cobra Club for breakfast, then went for a nice ride. I rode first with Gary in his Coyote powered MkIV Factory 5, then took a ride with Alan in his 12 yr old 351 powered Coupe. Yeah, it was a good day.
Since then, I replaced the power steering reservoir due to a pinhole leak in the bottom. Also replaced the -10 feed hose from the tank to the pump. The hose I was using wasn’t real good for making the tight U-bend, so I replaced it with a more flexible, corrugated teflon lined hose. Called a neighborhood friend and asked if I could stop by, she was like “Sure!” So that made for a nice test drive to bleed the steering. She was good enough to take a pic for me…
I did get on it pretty hard for the first time when I was on my way home. Couple of things… It surprised me how well these tires stick. It surprised me how aggressive it was when it did break loose. It surprised me how quick and aggressively it wanted to kick out and lastly, it surprised me at how quickly and aggressively it snatched back in line when I let off it. 200 treadwear tires made the difference… they are about as close to race tires as you can get on the street. Its gonna take me some time to learn this beast, and I will always respect her… she can kill me. Got to feel a little bit of that.
Last weekend, I met friend Gary at an autocross down in Waldorf. We hung out for a while and explained to me how it all works. Then he said it was his turn… “C’Mon!”.
I rode along with him for his 3 afternoon runs. One run was way slower than his norm as his tires were a bit cold and we were sliding all around. By the time we got to the last run, it was his fastest ever. He said having me in the car made it faster because it gave him extra traction… desperately needed in these cars that already have plenty of horsepower.
Here’s a video of his first 2 runs before I got there. Good times, and the best way in the world to learn your car. See his youtube video here.
Yesterday, I did some small work and made a new punch list. It really is small, non-glorious items. I’m making some pull straps for my seatbelts to be able to loosen them easier. I chose a blue nylon / polypropylene that I think will work very well for my accent pinstripes on the body. Adjusted my mechanical throttle linkage to be a little less sensitive and added a dual return spring to the fuel injection. Installed the 2 heater eyeball vents and the heater hoses. Replaced the way-too-long-with-a-stack-of-washers power steering pump bolts with proper pieces. Pulled the passenger seat and did some adjusting on the belts. Need to work on getting these set for they will be good for most anyone that rides with me.
Got to chat a bit with Jeff at Whitby’s on Messenger… still no time line and it’s been 7 months. Looking forward to something good soon…