Since Dstone posted about his trip to driving school at the
track, here's mine:
It wasn't easy getting there, 2 weeks to the day before the
class, the Triumphs saw fit to overheat. The water pump was
shot. Not only that, but I would be gone kayaking that
weekend. It was my girlfriend's Valentine's Day present and
we'd been rained out, cancelled or booked at each previous
opportunity. I didn't want to re-schedule again. That would
leave me with a bit over a week to get the car running, but
like Bob Metcalfe used to say, "anything is possible with an
intervening weekend."
Getting the water pump changed was easy, thanks in part to some advice from the
people on the list. Then I figured that since
the manifold was off to get to the pump, I might as well
overhaul the carburetors. The car didn't run under 1500 RPM
so it was time. I took the carbs apart and found worn
throttle plates and worn throttle bushings, and that didn't
even address the bad automatic choke. I sent away for a set
of rebuilt carbs and choke instead. It was only going to
cost me a bit more than the machine work alone. The carbs
arrived and I put them in with little problem.
Only one thing, the car wouldn't start. Time was running
short so I called for help. My father solved it in the first
30 seconds of his visit. The distributor cap was on crooked.
A nudge back into place and the engine started on the first
turn of the key. Next I borrowed a helmet and arranged for
the use of some tires from another SOL. The car ran sort
of ragged so I made an appointment for a tuneup. They
determined that the choke I just had bought was bad. They
tuned it as best they could and sent me on my way for no
charge.
The night before, with the car all loaded up, I went to spend
the night with a friend in Monterey. I woke up early and was
on my way to the track at 6:45. About 6 blocks from his
house, the car lost power and died.
The re-assuring click of the fuel pump could not be heard
even in the quiet morning. I walked back, woke up my friend
and asked for directions to the nearest parts store. He
provided me with directions and car keys and I was outside
their door 20 minutes before they opened. They had a pump
and it only costs 75% more than what it should have. I was
in no position to complain so I paid for it, thanked them and
left to install it.
By 8:45, I was again on my way to the track. Registration
started at 7:15 and there was a mandatory driver's meeting at
8:30 but I figured I'd go, if only to tell my sob story and
try to have the fee applied to the next session.
Luckily they were running late too. I wasn't even the last
one to register. It was too late for me to swap tires, but
at least I hadn't missed the class.
The rest of the day was great. After the first couple of
track sessions, I finally had time to swap tires but decided
not to. I wasn't driving fast enough for tires to become a
factor, and didn't until the last session.
I learned a lot about driving and my car's handling. Mostly
I learned that my car performs quite well and that the
biggest factors in driving on the track are attitude,
concentration, practice, and skill. Not horsepower, sway
bars and other modifications. The car, in its current stock
condition is capable of delivering a lot more than I know how
to get out of it. I'll be back at the next opportunity to
try to even up the balance a bit..
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