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Actually increasing my ride height in the back to 135 mm will definitely get rid of the occasional LR chirp. I don't think it will affect braking much and my car is really braking well right now. Good time to try it out.
With 14mm spacers installed, I had to modify my radiator bracket (as shown below) for the outside clearance but could not dial in the clearance for the inside. I might be interested in your second set of thrust arms since I can see how that could increase the clearance inside. PM me and let me know what you have and how much you want for them. Thanks.
First time at COTA today. The car feels amazing! I'm actually really glad the ride height and corner balance were so jacked up so I could appreciate how it feels when it's right. Between that and switching to all solid bushings, the car feels very predictable and responsive.
Great weekend right up until the very end. My brakes were squealing really bad the session before so I pulled the wheels off after it cooled and checked everything out thoroughly. Pads still had life so I went ahead and bled the brakes as I had many times before. My favorite flare wrench that fits the best is a little wide and so I have to double check each bleeder valve when I tighten them to make sure it is secure, and not just the wrench hanging between the bleeder and the caliper. All I can figure is I forgot to check and one didn't get tight enough.
It was the 9th lap of the session. I had been tentative at first because it was lightly raining. But the track had lots of grip and there was a 996 Cup car that was wanting to play. He was near but took a few laps to catch. So I gave him a point by and then stuck to his bumper. He started getting squirrelly with me in his mirror and so he gave me the pass after about a lap. I couldn't shake him and he was back on me aggressively so I gave him back the lead. This time he was on his game and we were flying. It was a blast. I was coming out of turn 10 which is a high speed left onto a downhill straight passing a Camaro. I hit 114 according to my AIM and then went to brake hard and there was nothing. My first thought was to pump the pedal and I tried it 4 or 5 times and still no brakes. In the time it took to pump the pedal I had blown through the brake zone and just had a patch of gravel between the barrier and I. I turned sideways to try and scrub off speed and spread out the impact zone on the car. The data said I was going 40 when I hit the barrier. It was a pretty good jolt but with the cage, halo seat, harness, Hans and helmet I didn't have a scratch.
It took the wrecker about 20 mins to get me off the track and then they just dumped it, with considerable effort, in front of my trailer. The left front wheel connections were toast. It broke the tie rod, thrust arm (both I had newly upgraded) and the LCA was hanging by a thread. I managed to get the tie rod back together enough to back it up onto the trailer and head for the house.
Charlie Lacy recommended a shop in Sherman, TX, Heritage Collision Center, that understands how to do "race quality" body work. He called and arranged for me to drop it off on the way home. Shiloh, the owner, was a super cool kid (34). He told me he would get me a list of parts he needed so that I could save markup on anything I could source myself and have shipped to him. That's my kind of guy. Initial estimate including the parts I need to source is around $5-6k. Definitely a kick in the pants but pretty darn good considering the circumstances.
Here are some pics of the car. I'll post some video from the sessions a little bit later. The video system went out 4 turns before the crash so video of it. That's probably the part I'm most ticked about. Lol.
Thanks for sharing the pictures...tough way to end what looks like a great day at COTA. Your attitude is fantastic through this.
Reminds me of something I heard on one of Ross Bentley's podcasts, for those of us who drive on the track "you're either one who has had a wreck or one who will wreck in the future".
Awe man sorry to see this but it happens to the best. Good thing you trailered the car. COTA must've been fantastic up until this point. One day ill make it there, maybe do Barber on the way out or back. Good luck getting her back in shape.
02-20-2017, 06:24 PM
