Scuderia F.A.R.T. rides again!!

[ga.spyder]

Thats right,our infamous Lemons team will again bravely campaign our Fiat Spider,against more modern and powerful cars,in this weekends Southern Discomfort 24 Hours at Carolina Motorsports Park.We have switched from our 1600 to a 2 litre block.The 1800 block was reworked and ported by BEEK.Thanks again,we will try to do you proud.He also installed our SoCalMark big valves and ported our dual IDF intake.Thanks to sptcoupe for all the carb and timing setup advice.The help available here is amazing!!!
The hope is for more power and low end torque without sacrificing reliabilty,which has been great.The secret to these races isnt overall speed,but in staying out of the garage area.So,wish us luck as we bravely go where other cars fear to tread!!!!

[So Cal Mark]

did you get your power back?

[ga.spyder]

Yes we did Mark.It was cam timing.I think they may have had it off a notch or two.It would start and idle,but no acell.They retimed it and it seems ok.I wont see or drive the car until Thursday,so......fingers crossed.We have a full practice day on Friday,to iron out the bugs.The motor change came way too late in the game.

[TX82FIAT]

Best of luck to you and your team. I'm sure we are all looking forward to hearing about the event.

[narfire]

Good luck, hope all stays together.
Get lots of pics with the MG's, Alfa's and those japanese M....'s (no I did not say it) behind you eh...(rear mount camera?)

[2ndwind]

Good Luck Guys

[ga.spyder]

Very frustrating day at the track.Car is very strong ...when running!!! After getting the timing set correctly,we had an issue with the car shutting off.It felt like we were running out of gas. Completely disasembled the carbs,checked fuel pressure,jets,emulsion tube,float level,and all was good.The car runs great then just sputtered to a stop.I felt like it was electrical,so I took apart the dizzy,and found the trigger was loose!!! Adjusted and tightened and it ran great.Then,our tank failed inspection!!!! Car is much faster and the increase in torque is substancial.Tomorrow.....

[BEEK]

tank failed inspection? please elaborate!

[ga.spyder]

Our fuel cell isnt foam filled,nor does it have a cage around it.They made a rule change that one or the other is required.We found the foam in Columbia SC,about 50 miles from the track,and got it this morning.We had to start about an hour late but ran all day.We are having some overheating issues,which we never had before.I think we found our leak,and got it repaired this evening.
BEEK,the car runs great.We are passing cars on the straights and coming out of turns.The combination of the 2000 block,and the head and intake work you did for us has really changed the cars personality.I found myself drifting thru turns if I got on the throttle too early.Thanks for the fine work!

[sptcoupe]

Well - how did we do??? Sounded like the car was running strong Saturday and would be competitive. Now you need some cams to really take advantage of the porting and headworlk and the IDFs! Look forward to seeing the results.

[ga.spyder]

Jeff,again thanks to you and BEEk for the support.The car was really running good.We were able to pass cars coming out of turns and on the straights.That has never happened.We actually need some better tires now,as we are overpowering them and breaking loose around turns.I found out the hard way I was so carried away with our ability,that I tried an outside pass in a very tight right hander.I got on the rumble strips and went into a lovely drift..er..until it snapped the other way!!! I ended up doing two 360's across the track and into the dirt.I ended up about 50 yards from a flag station,where they all gave me an ovation.
Late in the day Sat.,we started having overheating issues.We tried to rig a coolant recovery system,with a16 lb cap,Sat night.I got to the track early Sun.,and started the car.There was still water coming out,somewhere in the back of the motor.It was dripping at the bellhousing,but I never could see where it originated.We dumped a can of engine stop leak in,to try to get thru the day and it worked.However,there was a metal ''rattling'' noise coming from the motor.I listened with a long screwdriver,but couldnt pinpoint it.Didnt seem to be valves or bearings.We ran until the first driver change.The noise had increased.After much looking we realized the crank pulley nut was gone!!!No spare,nowhere to find one.The keyway and threads were pretty mangled too.But...we went back out with nothing but the belt holding the pulley. As you might figure this lasted for 5 laps.The car came back overheated,with no fan belt and no pulley.At the lunch break I took a golf cart and drove the track looking for the pulley.No luck and we were done.
The car was much improved,but the lack of time on the new motor hurt us badly.When the car arrived,it would barely run but we kept after it.Team Perseverance! The crank nut not being torqued was just one of probably 20 things we found not done correctly.But,we still had a ball.If anyone here ever has a chance to do a Lemons race,do yourself a favor and go for it.The spirit of help and friendship among teams is amazing.Any help,tool,advice,food,or drink you may want or need someone will provide.We were garaged next to the Hillbilly Beemer Boyz again.They had a working tap on the back of their car and 2 gallons of ''lightly carbonated lemon moonshine'' hooked to it!! Needless to say,I had more than my fair share. So did the organizers,corner workers,judges,and anyone else who walked by.All in all,a fun weekend,although a better finish would have been fantastic

[kmac33]

Great story Craig!
Wish the car would have lasted the whole weekend for you!

[ga.spyder]

Thanks,Kev.The finish was disappointing but we still had a great time.I go there with no expectations,but once I get in the car my ''Inner Schumacher'' takes over.We are gonna win one eventually.

[mdrburchette]

Sorry I missed it all, Craig. Hopefully next time I'll be down there with you boys.

[ga.spyder]

We missed you,D. There is a plan working that may put you behind the wheel in the next race!