Feb 27th Down the Track she goes....

Loooooooonnnnngggg day, up at 7, Lowes before 8 for a brass nipple for the accumulator, shopside for final bleeding of brakes, and some other "finish up" items, load out of the trailer, late getting to the track (are we EVER on time ?) but , some things needed attention.

So we pulled into the track about 2:30 and unloaded, the DiyAutoTune guys were fast at work finsishing some changeups, checking and double checking items, and off to Tech I went.....

LOTS AND LOTS MORE Pics HERE.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newhemiracing/sets/72157623523226962/

At this point about 3, I was made aware they were certing chassis there today, so after a breif conversation with the tech guy, "Man whoever did this did nice work" I smiled and said "Thanks" Me and my dad did, I still dont think he either understood or got it, we did it ALL short of wiring and chassis. Everthing.....man it feels good to build a race car....or bike, anything and see it perform.

But cage certed of course, Mike P's work drew comments about the quality of his work, my dad showed the Chassis Tech around the car, and about 3:40 we were back at the pit.

Then chassis setup, I followed Mikes direction and it was a slick and easy setup, I think it took more effort to actually GET it on the scales than to set it up.....I did it all trackside in less than 30 minutes start to end, that easy.

Then we spent more time putting air in the tires than chassis setup.

Hood fastened on, grab a helmet, set my shock compression and rebound and off to the staging lanes as they called last call.

I got into the lanes only to realize I had never strapped in the car, and had to adjust the belts in the lanes, no bigge, windows up and ready.

We were litterally the LAST car they let into the staging lanes, and I fumbled it pretty funny, I overstaged, I thought I saw the beams in the wall, which I usually look for, well....they werent there but rather where I thought they "should" be , anyway, backed up into it, and gave it a pretty soft lauch, since it was the first time, I was a little suprised at how the converter came up and it started to slip on the brakes, at which point I just dropped it down, I was only going to run a 1/8th shakeout pass, but well at the 1/8th everything felt so damm good, well I like my dad "just kept going" She ran PERFECT......

She went on the scales with 5 gal fuel at 3123, no driver.

Went down the track like an arrow, and stopped like a street car.

Mike P said these go down the track like a street car, that is 100% accurate,

Perfect.....

Some finish / changeup items this week I need to check the oil accumulator precharge and change the fuel return line mounting location under the car, I want to move it a few inches over.

But wow.......NICE run.

I cant wait till the old man gets to run it down, hes gonna get out and say "its just like my orange car"

He ran a great time with a stock tune on the Challenger SRT8 today 13.2 bone stock...not bad for just getting off a 40 mile hike with it. With a tune today it would have been in the 12's and his RT was very nice, he absolutley drummed a Mustang who ran a 14, nailed him all around. Which was good, both of us got to go down the track

Tommorow we will clean our gracious hosts shop that we have nuked and hit the road for Ohio.

A couple days home then back down on Wed, 1/2 day with the car on Wed should give me time to finsih what I want to.

Thurdsay T&T in Atlanta then Divisionals......

On the way back, my exhaust fell off the truck, and like a dipshit I tried to hold it back to strap it up, uuuuuuhhhhh it was hot. Not too bad, hand is a little tender. So a strap on the coat hanger around it and voila back on the road, this truck is a beast.

Only 1 other "mishap" today, I was winching the car in and the floor gaveway, floor isnt a problem our guy didnt put the backing plates on I fabbed when I made the Winch Mount, which leads me to the next 2 questions, what else has he done I havent double checked ? And where are my really cool custom made plasma cut backing plates for the winch ?!?

Well, and I need some time with the kids, and the 5.7......the 5.7 is our "Swan Song" the engine entirley built by us, OUR way, it should be an animal....

Monday to order the new trans, our hyperexotic "plutonium" component beast. Order some other items and sit around looking at an empty shop, its kinda lonley there without the Challenger, BUT now that shes done I guess I can move my 72 back in since well...the DP is done.

I can start in the "in between time" of buiding the 5.7 twin turbo E85 motor for it, the only thing is the body is SO perfect uncut, untouched , unfilled metal I HATE ot cut a hole in the floor for the 6 speed......I REALLY hate to, but man what a driver shell be.

Now that the DP Car is up and running, it will be a lot of "lather rinse repeat" build up teardown, rebuild, etc. But she is "Feature Complete" as we say in programming and.....now shes just waiting to be run out.