Bob and Evan at the battle of the imports, report!

[killerbee20]

I enjoyed reading Starkeys reports from when he was at the big show, so here we are.

We got to Tacoma last night. LONG day and a half drive...We are racing in the Battle of the imports Round 8 in Woodburn Oregon this weekend.

I'm driving the white Civic in the Hot Rod class, and the red pump gas street car in S/C "street Comp", and Evan is racing the little blue civic in Whatever naturally aspirated class there is. We don't intend to kick any ass, just to be here and be a part of it. Although I do have a few goals I'd like to see, time will tell.

And if we can talk Carnahan into it, I'd like to run that red Civic 1 or 2 passes next weekend. Be nice to get a number on it as a "fast street car" potential candidate. Give a guy something to dream about all winter long. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...lol.... those other cars are gonna get hot and need cool down time....

All the fiberglass is finally on the white car, and we got it painted out here and Evan and I put the vinyl wrap on it... ALL DAY. That's quite a chore. The red car got tuned today an, and put up good numbers. I'm curious where it's gonna run. It weighs in at 2510 pounds, and i'm likely to be the only guy on pump gas in "street comp", but that's okay with me. Zol saw the numbers and thinks with some good luck the car could crack the top 16 anyway. I think that's optimistic. It's a 1.8 litre LS/VTEC with a piston rod swap and a JG head, 1000cc injectors with blox cams and Edelbrock intake manifold with a 70mm BDL throttle body and a Stainless Synapse turbo Manifold. (I know that don't mean much to most people but it's still fun to try and wrap around it).

We finish scaling out all the cars tomorrow morning and the whole group of us that are representing the "Speedfactory" are going down in a convoy. Our group is over 12 cars. The Speedfactory is the place that builds our Honda engines (and 97% of the white car), and those dudes are so sharp I feel pretty stupid when I'm in the room with them... But I'm faking it as best I can.

Patch and I were out here last year... we thought we'd show these young bucks a few things about turning wrenches... 5 minutes into it, we were looking for brooms, we ain't that sharp. ...lol...

The Speedfactory has 2 main cars, one is Kevin's car, it's similar to mine, except he made 900+ horsepower with his, and at 70% of it's boost potential turned a 9.92@153 ...YIKES! They are hoping the car will run a 9.40 before the weekend is over.

Here's that pass.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvp3nVupuoU

And their first day on the dyno:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS7v-SQoRVc&feature=related

decently high horsepower Front wheel drive cars are almost hopelessly stuck in the high 10's. These cars just do everything wrong with their power. ...lol... Even Zol with 800whp is temporarily stuck in the mid 10's. Just no traction. It is fun to drive 'em though. I think the record in Billings for a Front wheel drive car is 10.1, some dude with a Dodge Neon. That 9.9 pass by Kevin is the first 9 second front wheel drive pass in Washington state, to put that in perspective as to how hard it is.

The other Shop car is James's. He's got a single overhead cam 1.6 litre engine. He owns all the records with Vitara pistons. He's gone 10.40 with a 2500 pound car on 96 cubic inches. His engine got jacked 3 weeks ago, and they tossed this one together outta stuff around the shop in 3 days. They're tuning it in the morning.
Here's the old setup:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-CvdlJLes4

Got another dude in the shop today that's pushing 800whp, a dude named Zol. He got hooked up with a company that makes aftermarket transmission gear sets. they built him a transmission today, outta all this trick prottype stuff. He's doing the testing this weekend for this company. They wouldn't let me photograph it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh_XsTYUayI

Another shop dude got his Naturally aspirated k-series 2.4 litre engine to 330whp...no turbo, no nitrous...Nothing but grunt. Says he can crack the 10's with it. Awesome Kinsler setup on it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qWQMHSQio&feature=related


Lotta fast Crapola in that parking lot all day. Looks like an episode of the fast and furious around here.

Cool to be here today. It's a freaking zoo around here in the shop. PATCH, alex and tyler put Zol's car on the lift to pull the transmission, I went around the corner to ask Zol a few questions. No way I was there more than 3 minutes... I came back the transmission was out and they were on break eating lunch... We suck at changing honda transmissions...lol...

It's amazing just to be here. These guys are among the best in the country at what they do.

pics soon. We leave for Woodburn in the afternoon.

[prariehawg]

Cool beans, keep us posted sounds like a great time!

[killerbee20]

Spent the day finishing things up on everybodys cars. Must have been 50 people at the shop like ants, EVERYWHERE. At one point cars on the dyno, 2 cars on the lifts and 3-4 guys out in the parking lot with stuff. Kevin did a test burnout with his car and snapped a badass drag axle. They are sending one next day air to some shop in Woodburn. They have to pick it up in the morning. I'm running the same axles... hope it's just a fluke.

Got some pics of the red Street comp car on the dyno, and the white car with it's current modifications. It's 305 pounds lighter now than it was last time on the Malta track.

Traveled via a caravan all the way down to Woodburn, the whole Speedfactory crew. I think 6 trucks with trailers. 2 guys drove all the way down with the cars they are gonna run. I give those guys HUGE respect. Dont see much of that kind of thing anymore. Was cool to follow a car a few hundred miles knowing that he didn't trailer it, he drove it. and about a dozen more cars of people from our group.

We got to the track and checked in. Looks like tech starts at around 8am Saturday morning. I'd like to get a few passes in to get my head in the game. I have to find 25 pounds to make weight for the S/C class at 2500#.

The gold rims and slicks from the white car are on the red S/C car. The new slicks and skinnies should be here in the morning for the white car. Some place called garage-808 is bringing them up for me. Can't wait to have more tire.

img4.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=whitecar2.jpg

On the road in Oregon,
-Bob and Evan

[killerbee20]

Here they are on Flikr.

Heaading out to the track to unload... <kinda nervous>

www.flickr.com/photos/34098323@N02/sets/72157622458916396/

[killerbee20]

Well, First day is in the can. SON_OF_GUN they run a fast race. I didn't make it to the lanes not once, but 3 times before they closed it and moved to the next class. You've got one dude about 1/2 track, another dude doing a burnout and the starter just about waving up the guy behind him. I'm not so sure they aren't running really close to 6 cars a minute. I looked up, saw about 20 cars, thought I had 10 minutes or so. 4 minutes later, the lane was closed, on to the next group.

GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS. The good news is that the track owner and manager are absolutely cool people, and I got to spend a lot of time with them when they called me to the tower to "discuss" my speed.

Since last raced in Malta, we lightened the car 305 pounds, put a high downforce front end on it, went to the biggest toughest axles they make, and went with a t aller and wider tire. All things we learned we needed from racing in Malta. Turns out, they were good decisions.

First pass of the day, on my bullet proof axles, I broke the drivers side in the burnout box... IN THE BURNOUT BOX... We scrounged up a spare.

Second pass, I totally boned the 3-4 shift, fell off boost and coasted across the line. Ran a 10.979@112. The good news is that it was the best 1/8 mile I ever had with the car. It ran 6.63@111mph in the 1/8th with a 1.654 sixty foot.

3rd pass. We up'd the timing a smidge, and up'd the boost, and leaned the top end. I ran a 10.20@143.65 and was summoned to visit with the track management about my lack of NHRA license. In Lewistown I couldn't get traction so I never did get a decent pass to gauge anything off, only made one pass where we didn't break an axle and it was on a lower power tune 11.0@132.

The head tech guy re-teched my equipment and my cage cert, etc... and said if I had a physical, we could do my licensing passes on Sunday. SOOOOooooo, I started calling around (with his help) and found a sports clinic here in woodburn. Nobody answering the phone (4 o'clock Saturday afternoon)... So we took a chance and just pop'd over there and by-god they were there, and only 6 minutes from the track. The lady at the desk told us if we had been there even 5 minutes later, it wouldn't have happened. So, I got the proper NHRA physical, talked to the track manager today and I get to run tomorrow for my license. How often does a person get that lucky on a Saturday, no appointment, no drama?

We re-tuned the car, put 1/2 degree more timing in it, and up'd the boost 2 more points and moved the shift point to 9100. We'll see what happens. I've been lift shifting the throttle... I've been advised to try a flat footed pass on the throttle, bumping the limiter and wacking the clutch... I don't know that I can get past the idea of not lifting the throttle. I'll try it on my 3rd or 4th pass if I don't break anything trying to license. I need 3 solid 135mph+ passes, they're gonna count my others from today.

OTHER GREAT NEWS. Our little blue Honda Civic that we race over in Malta, Evan Is running it here. Best ever in Malta was an 8.88@77. Our man Evan pulled a 8.755@80.06, or a 13.699@99.75 1/4 mile. Best we got in Lewistown was 14.2. Blue hatch is running great. We up'dd the launch to 8200rpm, it seems to like that. He's still 60 footing in the mid 1.9's, I think we can get a 13.5 with a good launch. Considering Evan's limited seat time in that car, I'm darn impressed with that!

Bad news... I've got a right front wheel bearing that's shot, just started howling, and maybe that's where I'm getting some chatter during the burnout. We're gonna check the alignment in the morning too. We're gonna try and rob the spindle off of my red street car and use it. When it rains, it pours.

Red, pump gas, street car. Having a heck of a time shifting it. Either the trans is to new, or the clutch isn't fully engaging or I've gota linkage issue. I only got to make 2 passes in it, and missed 5 of the 6 shifts it takes. Tracks VERY straight, and does beautiful, and chatter free burnouts, so we'll get to have fun with that while we start to tune and dial in that thing.

More soon.

-Bob and Evan, on the road in Woodburn Oregon

[2WeelTom]

Please keep us posted Bob. I didn't realize there was that much fun on half the cylinders.

WYNS Racing

[Buicknut Starkey]

So does it sound like a whole lot of ning ning ning ning ning ning ning ning out there? ;D Sounds fun.
Rick

[killerbee20]

Update,

Racing is done...WHEW...

Made the last passes and got signed off for my NHRA license.

I'm glad it worked out this way. I wanted the fun of trying to get the passes in, and not some kind of license transfer or whatever. it was STRESSFUL. and I enjoyed the battle.

4th pass I went
10.02@146.00

5th pass, blew a charge pipe on the intercooler and lost boost and ran naturally aspirted to an 11.6@123. Would have been a MOTHER of a run, the 330' number was 4.43, That's sweet for a FWD car.

6th pass, I needed one more kick ass run without breaking anything. I babied the burnout, and launch and short shifted 4th when I knew the run was gonna be good. Ran 10.18@146

I wanted to toss the laundry, but frankly I was so happy with finally getting the run in, I forgot about it. Wasn't necessary, but wanted to experience it.

Got 2 NHRA dudes to sign off, and the track manager. *WHEW* was a victory in and of itself.

On the way back home, we stopped and had my back up transmission re-built. I cracked the differential, so we swapped in a new one along with a few other bits. Front wheel baerings were shot on both cars and replaced those as well as some broken welds on turbo piping mount tabs. Car is taking some abuse, that's for sure.

I will say that it's fascinating the differences between the standard V8 drag racing crowd and the import crowd. The v8 guys and our group in Malta are all very helpful and hospitable. But the tuner crowd, something about the struggles of making this crap go fast and trying to figure it out makes the group more talkative, social, and helpful. They are all about helping each other with thier personal best times and not as much about the win or lose. The struggle is with the cars, not each other, and it changes attitudes, I think, for the better. Great groups of folks... even if the majority have stupid haircuts and have poor taste in music.... ...lol...

We had a great time, and we're going back next year.

-Bob

[killerbee20]

Sept 28, 2009 21:40:49 GMT -5 Buicknut Starkey said:

So does it sound like a whole lot of ning ning ning ning ning ning ning ning out there? ;D Sounds fun.
Rick

Was exciting to be in a big group of Honda Civics. I was starting to feel a bit lonely.

Our man from the Speedfactory won S/C with a 9.66@162, and they had 2 cars in the top 3. They also had the fastest naturally aspirated car there, he ran a 10.80.

The other good news was that the second fastest Honda Civic at the event was yours truly. No other Civics in the 9's, other than Kevin's, and I had a 10.02 run. I'm here to tell ya.... crap is happenin fast in a civic at close to 150.

Our red pump gas street car, we robbed spindles and axles off of for the white car... Never did get to make a good pass in it... Now I have to speculate on it all winter. bummer, but still fun.

Good fun.
-Bob

[killerbee20]

Found this, somebody else that was at the race posted it. It's my 10.02 run

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoowOvvleMY

[xsparts]

Hey guys nice to here about the good time you had. From what I found it seems your white car was about the 2nd fastest car in its class. Pretty impressive. Nice job guys

[prariehawg]

Looks like it was a blast, man does that thing move!

[killerbee20]

Took me a while, but got some images up from the event. Those guys with the VW bugs... whole different kind of crazy.

Here's our best runs from Battle.

Click the link to check the pics.
www.flickr.com/photos/34098323@N02/sets/72157622368243235/

[killerbee20]

2 more pics.

[killerbee20]

Found another video from Woodburn.