The Fever
 

Now that we're inside the 90 day "window" to DGRRX, the fever is beginning to kick in. I find myself scanning the central Illinois weather forecasts for days over 40 degrees that might allow me to wash the car and contract double pneumonia at the same time. I am already making a mental list of things that require my attention. Soon, my condition will deteriorate sufficiently so that I will be forced to start making written lists. You know, LISTS. Like, what to take, who to contact about caravanning, what arrangements to make for the dogs (anybody want a surly half blind 13 year-old chow?), and so on. The final stage of the disease has arrived when check marks start to appear on these lists, indicating an incurable condition which can only be controlled by three days of great roads and great people. What a ravaging, debilitating sickness this is. I pray not to be cured anytime soon.

I've got a to-do list on my car too! I'm about halfway down it, it's on the tail end of a lot of paint and body freshening that's taken way too long. DGRR has helped kick me into gear, so hopefully it'll be DONE long before DGRR!

I'm getting REALLY stoked about the trip!

Dale

^^ This :D

Redhawk, buy some Optimum No Rinse Wash. Sponge it on, towel it off. No rinsing or using a hose (other than to fill your buckets).

I can sympathize with the feelings. I just read the Checklist and FYI thread and my adrenaline is pumping in my office chair! This'll be my first event with either of my rides, so my anticipation is out the ROOF! But I do want to ask and make sure of a couple things with my vehicle:

1) The brakes have never been messed with on my 04 RX-8, and it has 66k miles. Should I get them swapped out for this? And if so, recommendations and prices?

2) My suspension is getting soft due to horrible roads and nasty speed bumps. Can I solve this by letting the dealership handle it? Or would it be better to learn how to do it myself for this?

3) Any other advice for someone who's never done this before? I've been driving for about a year now in my RX-8, and I'm still learning all the ropes to mastering my vehicle. Any advice is good advice to me! :D

I would DEFINITELY address both of these issues before tackling the Dragon. My car had only about 25K before the event last year, so nothing was worn out yet, but I went ahead and went through the brakes anyway - new slotted rotors, Hawk HPS pads, stainless steel brake lines. As I recall it all cost me a little over $600, and was worth every penny. All my stuff came from Pettit Racing. The HPS pads in particular are a vast improvement over stock type pads. They really bite down hard, are quiet, and don't produce much dust at all. And if your struts are worn, as it sounds like they are, your car is not safe anywhere, especially not on the Dragon. As Phil has said in another thread, your car really must be in top shape to take on this challenge.

You guys are all talking about getting ready for the dragon and I winterized my engine tonight and I'll be pulling it tomorrow :smilielol5: See ya in less than 3 months!

well thats because theres something wrong with your head. your sick.

im really dissapointed i wont be able to come up this year and see how the reworked ride is gonna look and perform.

TT i met you last year when you stayed at that big ass house with about 20 of drunk assholes( good times) i came up with my buddy in the MB fd with the flat black FNO1RC's.

Oh yeah! I remember you guys. Sorry to hear you're not coming this year. Did you ever get that blown fuse sussed out? And yes I am sick in the head. Hows this for a todo list? Took this pic last night :rofl: See ya guys in 64 days!!

http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1265597494

http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1265597494

^^^holy shit. thats alot of all nighters

that day when we got back to the village we pulled the fuse, checked it cleaned the contacts and re installed. didnt have a single issue on the way home. thank god, it rained the whole day


track tires get really scary at 100+ in the rain FYI

Nah, maybe one or two just to keep going on some of the longer issues.... like wiring. I don't like to stop wiring when I start so I can see rocking on that for 20+ hours. Hopefully I'll be over that hurdle by the end of the weekend, looking into some alarms/remote starters now.

Sweet, glad to hear that. Weren't you guys on the RT615's? I remember talking to you guys about them... I actually didn't think they were bad at all in the rain. Of course I was only making about 315 wheel at that point and the tires only had 800 miles on them and 3 heat cycles :rofl: Towards the end of thier life they started breaking loose at really inopertune times and without warning and when they normally wouldn't have. Thinking about running the NT-01's this year :D

yeah we were running the 615's, they are actually not that bad in the rain if your just driving normally but once you get into higher speeds in the wet with these tires they lose grip fast.

i was amazed at how much better these tires handled once they got warmed up at the dragon

My times at the auto-x's went down consistantly as the day went on and I got heat in them. I generally can't drive at speeds in the rain around here.

I'm still debating the RT615's vs the NT-05's vs the NT-01's and I'm leaning towards the 01's

Inside 60 days. Sneaking up on a probable 200 participants. I have a comment.


This is gonna be nuts!!

Fek..... my car is still upside down on the rotisserie..... I'm a little behind shedule :smilielol5:

SHITE! 52 days!

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dura...&y2=2010&ti=on

Go go go! :D :driving:

Meanwhile I just got a Stage 2 XTD clutch for my RX-8. Trying to debate on whether I really want to go through that headache again or if I'm just going to pay for it to be done this time. Once the new clutch is in the 8 will be ready to roll. I'll have to go with the original brakes since I have no cash to get better ones at this time.

Duration calculation results

From and including: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
To and including: Thursday, April 15, 2010

It is 52 days from the start date to the end date, end date included

Or 1 month, 24 days including the end date
Alternative time units
52 days can be converted to one of these units:

* 4,492,800 seconds
* 74,880 minutes
* 1248 hours
* 7 weeks (rounded down)

LOL! All I got left is the new rack kit from RE-Speed!

FYI:

49 days til DGRRX

Also, 181 signed up as of today.

This year is turning out to be the biggest plus some quality cars are signed up to attend.

Damn, and I've still got to decide on a clutch, get the flywheel resurfaced (or purchase a lightweight, still haven't decided), and then put the poor girl back together.

Oh yeah, and pull the gas tank to fix a leak. And install some new seats since the 3rd gens didn't work out so well. Sure doesn't help that I'm working 12 hour days six days a week! But come hell or high water, I WILL BE THERE!!!!


:)

WOW! That's incredible Phil, how many were in attendance last year?

Pssssshhh! Don't even talk to me, my car is still upside down on the rotisserie, I turned the corner this morning regarding putting it back together, finished the priming ~5:30 this morning, interior today, undercoating tomorrow, back on her feet Sunday..... and I still need to BUILD my own fuel tank :rofl: 49 days... WOO HOO!!!!,

yea, i kinda know how you feel...
6 weeks to get my motor in hand, put into cad, assembled and swapped in, broken in, and tuned and dynoed before the event... @_@ my head is swimming and I'm starting to get nervous it wont get done...

Kinda like me last year..... pulled a few allnighters and got everything done, squared away, set, tuned, dynoed and life was goof. I woke up wednesday before the event, went to work, came home, worked through the night with some finishing touches, went to an emmisions test thursday morning 3 hours before departure and they overheated the engine, blew a turbo oil feed line and fragged the waterpump. 11 hours late we left and I set a record 44.5 hours strait no sleep... I don't intend to break that this year but with two cars to get done in 49 days, one needing complete paint and a rebuild, and mine having NOTHING on it but a fuel filter and a wiper motor.... I think I'll break that record :rofl:

I'm so fucking excited though

Speaking of which I think it's time for me to go spray some interior sound deadening and some undercoating

Zgn has invited me to come up this year with him. I trying to make plans to attend the event. I hope no minds having a 300zx tag along.

Yeah, I've seen your pics! But hey, I'm not a psychotic superhuman like you are, so cut me some slack. :)

I don't know what your family situation is, but a wife and three kids tends to eat up what little free time I have after work gets through with me. :o11:

Best of luck with your build, I can't wait to see it in person.

Just so long as you bring up the rear so as not to hold any of us up ;)

:rofl: I really should buy stock in RedBull.... I pulled into the 24 hr CVS last night at midnight after an emergency run to work in 7" of snow to steal some tape. Ran in, grabbed 3 Redbulls and the cashier asked,
you sure three is enough?
Yeah, one is for backup.
I see, so are you plowing local or State?
:lol: Neither, trying to build two cars in 49 days
We have specials on 4 packs next week
:rofl:

No wife, no kids, 3 cars, 2 dogs, 1 boat and a pissed off grumpy neighbor :smilielol5:

Thanks man, good luck with yours as well, gotta remember to find you and meet a bunch of people this year as opposed to the chaos of last.

All you guys talking about the mountain of work you have ahead of you to get ready for DGRR got me to thinking about my own heavy duty task list.

1. Wash car
2. Wax car
3. Check tires and fluids

Whoo, boy - I am buried, too. Think I'll go watch the Saturday morning car nut shows on SPEED. :biggthumpup:

I hate you so much right now :rofl:

Yeah, well, a guy's gotta do what he's good at, you know. Besides, you shouldn't be on the internet, anyway - you should be reassembling! :)

:rofl: Couldn't at that time, was waiting for the underliner to kick. I'm around the corner though, a few little things to fab up.... and one BIG one - my top secret fuel cell :suspect: then I can reassemble.....

FUEL CELL?!?!?! You're converting to run all wheel drive electric powered by hydrogen? No wonder you have a lot to do. I'm not sure you will find a lot of hydrogen refueling stations near Nantahala, tho. (What's that, hon? You think he means he's replacing his gas tank? Oh. Never mind about the hydrogen, then.) Seriously, man, good luck. Anxious to see the changes for this year. :icon_tup:

Me too, got just about everything squared away except for the fuel cell, the coils and the injectors. Minor stuff. Now it's just reassembly.

41 DAYS TO GO!!!!!! WOOT!

good luck brian.. i met you last year, looking forward to checking out the new setup!

i did a track day last weekend and came back with more problems to fix haha. but it was a blast. my brake pads are shot and I now have a oil leak at the turbo (again), and somethings up with crankcase vent.. oil filler neck pops out under extended boost. good times :)