Testing, testing. Is this thing on?

The Saab got a workout on Friday before the World Racing League enduro, as we took to the track for some testing. Brainerd International's Performance Driving Schoool had an open track day, so we entered. Good thing we did as we found several issues.

Since Hawk Performance is the title sponsor of WRL, and we were in need of new brake pads, we ordered the Hawk Blue racing pads. They arrived on Thursday, after some odd shenanigans with attempting to order directly from Hawk. Tire Rack came through with 2-day FedEx delivery and we were able to install them before going out on track. They work GREAT! Much better than the old Metal Master pads we have used in previous seasons.

Once on the track, Tim felt a misfire above 5,000 rpm. We checked the spark plugs and wires and found two plugs that were not quite tight and a not quite snapped into place spark plug wire. The Bosch plugs of unknown age were replaced with a set of new NGK plugs and the engine now runs great!

Another problem we encountered was a sudden intermittent misfire. Mike was out for a practice session when it happened and came right into the pits. It turned out to be the negative battery cable which had apparently not been tightened properly.

Travis took advantage of the BIR Performance Driving School to get some track time in his 1984 Chevy pickup. He recently added some 50-series Dunlop performance tires and wanted to play.

With those issues on the race car taken care of, we were expecting a good start to the race. And it appears we were correct... for a change.

Drivin' a Moostang

Mark, Mike and I met up with Jasper Drengler and Brad Nelson, and had a damn good time racing Jasper's V6 Mustang at Brainerd. It was a pair of 7 hour races. We finished both days, but not without some drama.

Though Jasper had installed a surge tank to keep gasoline flowing to the engine as the tank ran down, we still had some fuel starvation issues. Tim managed to go wide entering the cloverleaf and hit a concrete berm, damaging a wheel and flattening a tire.

The 'Stang finished both days, but had to make a few extra pit stops for fuel. Jasper was the final driver on Sunday, when the V6 dropped to 5 cylinders. It slowed down but Jasper was able to make it to the checkered flag.

Results:
Saturday - 13th of 39 starters.
Sunday - 18th of 32 atarters

Parts donor!

Came across this on Craig's List. It was only about 30 miles from Duluth and needs some serious TLC. Like the Fart-hinder racer, it is a 1992 900S with the 2.1-liter n/a engine. It is even the same shade of metallic blue! Picked it up for only $200.

The crankshaft pulley (a.k.a. harmonic balancer) is kaput. The rubber between the crank mount and the pulley portion has separated so the engine runs but the pulleys do not turn, thus no alternator nor water pump nor power steering.

It had been sitting in a field for well over a year, so the brakes and exhaust are rusty. The exhaust broke at the catalytic converter as it was being unloaded from the trailer. The brakes work but the disks are obviously rust coated. The clutch goes nearly to the floor before the disk is disengaged, but it does work. The 5-speed gearbox is apparently out of an '87 and sometimes grinds going into gear.

What we need most for spares are the brake parts and the engine. Wheels, axles, suspension parts... all are nice to have, just in case.

On the plus side, it looks to have less structural rust than my daily driver 1987 900S. Consequently, this 900 would make a good candidate for a crap can racer as it sits. Just strip it out, add the roll cage and fix the broken stuff.

A good used crank pulley has already been purchased from Hanover European Auto Parts. We'll start there.