Where to start?

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jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

So I just picked up my first racecar, a '90 Mysterian. It's sitting in my garage with a half dozen boxes of spare parts. What do I do now? I know that's a really broad question but what I mean is where do I start? The list is long between things I need to do to the car vs stuff that would be nice to do to the car. Drivers school is a long ways away, so I have a long Chicago winter to work on it.
Jeff
Mysterian #55
tiagosantos
Posts: 389
Joined: June 20th, 2010, 12:10 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by tiagosantos »

I'd definitely start by finding some local FV drivers and asking them the same questions :) Depending on the condition of the car and how much you know about Vees and racing in general, the answer might be different..

Some people will tell you to take everything apart and put it back together just to inspect every single part. How much do you trust the previous owner? :)

Other than making sure it runs and brakes and won't fall apart mid corner, the most important thing you can do (in my opinion..) is making sure the car fits you correctly. Adjusting the seating position, making up a foam/bead seat, adjusting the pedals, wheel and shifter to be as comfortable as possible, etc.

Have fun! :)
1969zeitler
Posts: 288
Joined: March 25th, 2009, 3:21 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by 1969zeitler »

If you haven't done it already, go thru the posts on this board. You will see that a lot of folks have been in your shoes (I'm one of them) and there is some great information here. Also.. Don't be afraid of asking questions. There is no other place that has more people willing to help you than here. The vendors go out of their way to help. There are no dumb questions. Don't get discouraged and like tiagosantos said... HAVE FUN!

Post some photos when you can. We would all like to see your project!
Roger
Orlando, Fl
car-less now



I have a VERY understanding Wife.
FV80
Site Admin
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Joined: June 27th, 2006, 9:07 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by FV80 »

Jeff,
Yes - post some (links to) pix for us and tell us who you bought the car from - when was it last raced - do you have a log book for it - do you plan to race SCCA - are you an SCCA member. That will help .. you might also post YOUR location and see if there is someone close by that will respond.
BTW - a '90 Mysterian finished SECOND at the Runoffs this year ... by 0.017 seconds.
Steve, FV80
The Racer's Wedge and now a Vortech, FV80
Dietmar
Site Admin
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Re: Where to start?

Post by Dietmar »

"The list is long"....
Let's start with what is on your list and we can tell you if you are headed in the right direction. The ... "what I would like to do to the car" will come later

Believe it or not, Driver's School is NOT that far away.

And, as already mentioned, do not be afraid to ask.

Dietmar
http://www.quixoteracing.com
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

Yes I am a member of SCCA, the last 4+ years I've been working rescue. So if you crashed, went off track, had any kind of problem at BHF, RA or MM you might have had me there to help you out. Now it's my turn to race. I bought the car from Mike Schiffer in Cape Coral, FL. Mike provided a lot of information about the car and boxes of spare parts. But living here in Chicago it's very far from Cape Coral (I drove down and back in 72 hours). Mike did race it earlier this year and I do have the logbook (all 3 of them).

I live on the northside of Chicago but the car is currently being stored in Morton Grove. Below is a link to pictures of the car.

http://s1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa4 ... Mysterian/
Jeff
Mysterian #55
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

Okay, the list.. Mike and I sat down and talked about a number of things for the car. Initially to get the car on the track I need belts, a transponder, and a new starter. Mike said he did not have the engine rebuilt while he owned the car and didn't know when the last time it was rebuilt. It's a Noble engine so I contacted Lisa Noble to find out details about the engine. According to their records they haven't seen the engine since it was built in '96. That's not to say one of the previous owners didn't have it rebuilt somewhere else. Despite any lack of rebuilds Mike had some great results with the car while he was racing it in Florida. A new flywheel and clutch are also on the agenda. Reworking the seat and/or adjusting the pedal assembly for a better fit is also on the to do list. I only have one set of tires, no rains, one spare set of front spares, and 5 empty rims. Mike did include 6 very heavy boxes of spares, including extra Carbotech brakes. He even included a GoPro camera so I can video all my misdeeds on track.
Jeff
Mysterian #55
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

Dietmar wrote: Believe it or not, Driver's School is NOT that far away.
April isn't far enough away? :shock: well then I'm in trouble
Jeff
Mysterian #55
FV80
Site Admin
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Re: Where to start?

Post by FV80 »

Jeff,
From the looks of the car pix, you are in great shape. I would suggest that you have the engine rebuilt since you don't know it's history. Personally, I prefer a builder close enough to me to DRIVE to/from with the engine. Besides the expense of shipping (high) there is the inherent risk of damage to, or LOSS of the engine (recent thread on this forum). Paying the additional charges to have those things covered is considerably more $$$. The closest builder to you that I know of is Bill Wallschalger (VeeTech Engines). I don't have contact info for him, but I'm sure someone on this forum does. He MIGHT be close enough - at least for your first rebuild - until you have some track time and get to know who else is doing things and where they are. Not sure why a new clutch and flywheel would be on the agenda, but whoever you have rebuild the engine can take car of that too.

Belts are easy - buy them and bolt 'em in -- or have someone (like RaceQuip) reweb the ones you have at a fraction of the cost. You can get a transponder from RaceCarSupply (link at the top of this page) - I suggest the hard wired unit - tie it into the cold side of the ignition switch and you're good to go. The starter is also easy - Jim at RaceCarSupply can help you there as well, so can Bob at lreracing.com. You can also search this forum for 'belt reweb" and 'starter' to find the older threads where these items have already been discussed (the search engine is your friend :mrgreen: )

Fitting yourself into the car will depend on YOU - I can tell you for sure that you WON'T be able to tell a whole lot sitting in your shop - but you can make a good start. Any tires that came with the car are also suspect, but should get you through your first driver's school (don't forget your driver's gear .. and your NOVICE PERMIT). Many national racers sell off their tires after a couple of sessions to newbies so they can buy new ones - you might be able to find someone in your area with some decent ones he'll part with for considerably less $$ than a new set (around $800 these days). You might also be able to pick up a set of used rains that would be better than nothing for the school - just in case. You don't want to lose most or all of your possible track time if it happens to RAIN. There WAS a set for sale on this forum not too long ago - can't remember if they sold or not - ck the classified forum.

You need to unpack those 'spares' boxes before you start buying things tho' - never can tell what might be in them. Generally, outside of crash damage, not many spares are required for a Vee. You'll want a back up BATTERY (also discussed on this forum lately), possibly a JUMP battery (I DON'T use one, but I keep up with my battery condition ... and I always carry a spare). You'll need fuel cans, OIL (vees consume a LOT of oil - don't let that cost you a motor - check it EVERY time you come off the track ... always check it HOT if you can - preferably with the engine running - about a 1/2 quart *ABOVE* the VW full mark - maybe a little more).

And some way to tow it to the track. Since you brought the car up from FL, you probably already have that covered.
We'll start with this and see where you/we end up :-).
Steve, FV80
The Racer's Wedge and now a Vortech, FV80
problemchild
Posts: 901
Joined: June 25th, 2006, 9:34 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by problemchild »

I had recommended this car to several people as I thought it was the best value on the market. I was surprised that it did not get gobbled up and contemplated buying it myself (but too many cars already).

Congratulations on a great FV start!
Greg Rice
"Happy 50th Birthday"
tiagosantos
Posts: 389
Joined: June 20th, 2010, 12:10 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by tiagosantos »

I was just going to say Mike Varacins (check the classifieds section) had a set of new rain tires for sale and he's in Chicago, or somewhere close..
satterley_sr
Posts: 237
Joined: June 27th, 2006, 3:27 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by satterley_sr »

I also do re-builds. I'm about 4 hrs from Chigago. Mostly a hobby so I'm very reasonable.

Dave

DDC racing

734 697 3874
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

There are three things I need just to get on the track; a transponder and belts are two of those. For transponders I know I can go direct wire or rechargeable. Does either make a difference? Or is it just a matter of preference?

The second thing is belts. When selecting belts are there certain belts that work well with head and neck restraints vs others? Meaning do I need different belts if I'm wearing a Hans or any other HNR?
Jeff
Mysterian #55
brian
Posts: 1348
Joined: June 26th, 2006, 12:31 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by brian »

contact Bob Lybarger at LRE, he's in McHenery Ill not too far from you. 8153638560
The above post is for reference only and your results may vary. This post is not intended to reflect the views or opinions of SCCA and should not be considered an analysis or opinion of the rules written in the GCR.
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

I also have a Mychron3, do I need a transmitter? Or as long as there is one at the track it works for everyone?
Jeff
Mysterian #55
tiagosantos
Posts: 389
Joined: June 20th, 2010, 12:10 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by tiagosantos »

Both transponders will work, personal preference.. The rechargeable ones are great if you have more than one car or are sharing the transponder with someone, etc. Also they don't use up the cars battery (probably not even an issue unless you're doing an endure on a vee lol..). But you're more likely to forget to get it charging before the race, or leaving it on the charger 700 miles from the track :)
cendiv37
Posts: 386
Joined: June 25th, 2006, 7:29 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by cendiv37 »

Jeff,

I think I've needed my Aim beacon about twice in 5 years. Usually there are a bunch of them near SF. You might need one at some point, especially if the races you will go to are lightly attended. This might be more likely at regionals but still, I think I'd save my money for now. Lacking a beacon won't keep you from racing like a lot of other things you will need as spares.

my $.02
Bruce
cendiv37
SR Racing
Posts: 1205
Joined: June 24th, 2006, 1:58 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by SR Racing »

We like the direct wired units. You don't have to worry about charging. Install it an forget it. The only reason I would consider a rechargable unit is if you had multiple cars that you wanted to use it on. Even then moving from car to car is easy with a plug in connection on the hard wired unit. In all the years we have sold them, I have only sold 1 re-charable unit.

In regards to the MyChron. We have 3 rental cars wih them and have never had to set up a beacon. There are always one or more already set up.
hardingfv32-1
Posts: 1014
Joined: December 1st, 2006, 8:01 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by hardingfv32-1 »

2" shoulder belts are preferable with a HANS. There are much more expensive two layer 3" and 2" shoulder belt systems which could be the best solution to the shoulder belt/HANS subject.

Brian
brian
Posts: 1348
Joined: June 26th, 2006, 12:31 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by brian »

I would immagine that the rule will soon be changed with the mandatory H&N rule, but a 3" shoulder belt is required if you do NOT use a H&N device.
The above post is for reference only and your results may vary. This post is not intended to reflect the views or opinions of SCCA and should not be considered an analysis or opinion of the rules written in the GCR.
maurus97

Re: Where to start?

Post by maurus97 »

Check your PM box
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

So the car is coming together, drivers school is right around the corner. I need some belts. I've seen assorted website with prices on belts from $170-450. What's good? What is the difference between the low end and high end on belts other then name? I currently don't have any belts at all. I can see spots to connect the shoulder straps and the waist straps but am not sure where to connect the anti-submarine straps.
Jeff
Mysterian #55
SR Racing
Posts: 1205
Joined: June 24th, 2006, 1:58 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by SR Racing »

There are a lot of options with belts. FIA/SFI, Latch and Link. KamLoc, Pull Up / Pull down, etc. Bolt/Wrap, color etc. For a Vee you can easily get a great set with your requirements for from $100 to $200. Give us a call and we can set you up with exactly what you need at the best price. http://sracing.com/harness_systems.htm
jhenn4716
Posts: 50
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 9:11 am

Re: Where to start?

Post by jhenn4716 »

I know the rule for Hans being required isn't until next year in SCCA, but I'm considering getting one this year. My helmet is already pre-drilled for the Hans. Do I need to take it somewhere to have the Hans anchors installed?
Jeff
Mysterian #55
NotMoss
Posts: 80
Joined: June 25th, 2006, 12:05 pm

Re: Where to start?

Post by NotMoss »

If your helmet is pre-drilled you're pretty much there. The installation of the HANS anchors on the helmet is a snap. Pretty easy even if you drill it yourself. Biggest problem is getting behind the padding to hold the nut thing while tightening the anchors. Even that's not a big deal. I drilled and installed mine in less than an hour.

I got my HANS from SR (actually my wife did - birthday gift for the boy racer) and they will install the anchors for you if you wish, but if you can put together a car, you can put the anchors in. Jim can give you the proper advice about fitting the HANS and also what belts to order now and how to place them for future use with the HANS.
Ted FV 07 (Retired)
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