PZG302

I already have my other two cars: 1. NA6 MX5, surprisingly quick around the twisties and can be driven hard standard, mine does 66's around lakeside with only coilovers and and exhaust. 2. VH Charger with 265 Hemi running a 4 speed and triples with 3.5:1 LSD. Will be quick and the engine builder has been given the brief to build a motor with around 320 horses and when started the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse are to appear at the top of the driveway.

Well as said in the post from the other day, things are moving quickly. A JDM BB T28 turbo turned up in the post this morning and i had a nice drive from Brisbane to Kyogle to pick up a standard black top SR20 from an S13. Motor was standard and came complete with all ancillaries and loom, didn't bother with the computer as I will be using a Motech. I also got an engine crane this morning and put it together tonight to get the motor out of the ute and under cover. So this will be off to the engine builder as soon as he is ready for it so some magic can be worked, including swapping the T25 for the T28, if this hasn't already happened. Next on the list is a rotisserie to prep the underside of the car, this should be sourced in the next week or so to get a quick start on the prep and then paint the underside and interior so I can get the ute back in the garage. Things are looking good for a September shakedown at this stage as long as the fun tickets keep stacking up nicely.

Mike, a guy by the name of Dave Avenell. He has his own fabrication business and sub-contracts to Australian Diversified Engineering at Aspley. As well as cages he has built quite a few off road baggy and truck chassis, so knows his stuff. If anyone in Brisbane is looking to get a welded cage done I would highly recommend Dave to do the work. He charges a fair price for the quality and time taken, and is very easy to deal with.

I've used the POR15 product with great success on a charger fuel tank with some small pinholes that it sealed quite well.

Full "X" bracing for the roof, so very comprehensive cage with everything triangulated nicely, including the intrusion bar to knee breaker.

The shell is home this morning, the towie just dropped it off. The cage is complete and turned out great, now for me to get the car on a rotisserie and finish the stripping of underneath and the inner guards before painting all but the outside and hanging panels in KBR/POR15 in white. And the price was a nice surprise to, I suppose cash helps I also found a S13 blacktop motor at a good price a couple of hours drive away, so gives me something to do tomorrow. It's a standard motor in allegedly good condition, so a great base for the new race motor. A build and budget is being worked out at the moment and hopefully won't be too far from starting off. I also have a T28 on the way to swap out the T25 that the S13 comes with. Another reason for getting this motor is no VVT, so a bit simpler as I will be using bigger cams anyway, plus the head is slightly better than the VVT version for what is looking at being done for it. Excuse the poor phone photos, but here are some of the cage and seam welding.... Seam welding in the front. And the other side Cage from the front Steering mount to "knee breaker" Back of cage. The strut mount in the parcel shell is plated and attached to the mount point of the rear bars on both sides. Blurry shot showing intrusion bar and another view of the steering column mount and tag between pillar and tube, which is also done for the main hoop and B pillar. The cage is a great design and will make the chassis nice and stiff as well as keep me safe, hopefully I won't have to test that part out. I am also getting a new seat in the next week or so, depending on availability will be local supplier or from UK, to better make use of the HANS device. I will be getting an OMP HTE XL. A very comfortable seat that fits a fat bastard like me in the hips and also the shoulders. I will also be getting a great window net kit that is used on the Porsche cup cars, It will work out about $150 dearer than other kits, but the way it is made is much better, doesn't require any welding to mount it and is a much better solution for when the net is not in use. So if anyone wants a brand new Sparco PRO200, see this thread....http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,13649.0.html All in all some big progress has been made and further progress will be made in the next couple of months.

Still partying Lurch??

Tighe cams in Brisbane can sort you out. Dean Tighe and his dad Ivan are great blokes too, and Dean is a very quick driver in anything he drives. They sponsor the Qld hill climb series and are great supporters of club motorsport in general. http://www.tighecams.com.au/cars.htm

No the vehicle in question wasn't a bluebird, but would carry around 18 on a good day on each run . But I would probably get that magazine signed too.

If this is the bloke I am thinking of I have a magazine article of a road test comparing one of his special vehicles to a Wankin Stick VL Commodore from way back when he did the school run. Would be nice to have the article signed.

Don't know and wasn't bought with ADR's considered as it was/is for the S14 race car. After a quick search and from the Sparco Australia Facebook page the Pro2000 is ADR approved. Here's the link.....https://www.facebook.com/SparcoAustralia/posts/386573871396655

The RAM brand suction cup mounts are brilliant, but pricey. I have used them on trains, helicopters, cars, hovercraft and boats with a great deal of success holding cameras and housings around 1/2kg in weight at reasonably high speeds. For those mounts Johhny Appleseed is the Queensland dealer and for other states Google RAM Mounts.

For Lapz, I would be able to lend a hand doing whatever is needed that can't be done by club members such as srcutineer and also if anyone wants to go racing point out what may need to be done for compliance to either 2F, 2B or Sc rules and what category their car fits in best. For NDN15 a lot depends on when and what I am doing for work and what it will cost me to be there, accommodation. lost wages, etc. But more than happy to be a scrutineer and wave flags if available. In all seriousness for NDN15, if not already organised get in contact with Qld fire and rescue club to get costs for their services and also to the QMROA (I hope that's right) for flaggies. To get the expert officials may cost but if the worse happens you will be awful glad you got them.

With Christmas over, and hopefully some gift money to spend who wants a late Christmas present?? FIA compliant and HANS compatible, perfect to put in a car that's going to hit the trak.

Peter, if you are using a Go Pro or Radcam type camera, and mountied inside the vehicle to the roll cage with appropriate clamps you should be right. If you are looking for mounts try these guys..... http://www.ja-gps.com.au/RAM-Mounts Johnny Apleseed GPS have the best range in Qld for ram mounts, basically what you need for a Go Pro or Radcam if you haven't already got a mount or need extra arms etc. Check the event regs regarding cameras on the outside of the vehicle, some are OK some aren't. If mounted to the outside make sure you have a secondary cable tie so the camera belts the crap out of your panels and not hit another car, or worse go through the windscreen. Alo a good idea to have a secondary tether for inside the car as well, just in case.

You may get the go ahead at NDN15, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a full race. You may have to stretch the rules and run it as a sprint but with a standing start for groups up to 6 cars and times only recorded and no "winner" other than the person with the fastest lap. If you do do this also ensure that you have a full complement of marshals, flag, fire/rescue and race control, etc for the obvious safety reasons and arse covering in case something goes awry.

Happy Jeebus' birthday misappropriated into a Pagan festival to make it more appealing to the serfs. Hope you're all having as good a day as I am, Margaritas rock...... As does lots of ham and not caring if I have to let my Homer pants out. Stay safe if you have to drive anywhere and don't overindulge too much.

I would use 98 for petrol, as I use in all my cars, better mileage than 91 and 95 by enough that the cost difference is nothing. For oil, Penrite, what the web site recommends, it will have enough zinc for what you want. This is for a standard motor. For highly modified or race motor you may need to spend a lot more for an oil like Joe Gibbs. The Penrite is relatively cheap for a good quality oil, it's what I use for my MX5 and will be using in my Charger. Hope this helps.

3.9 will suit in my opinion, that's what I have used for a couple of speed weekends in my car, hillclimb up mountain straight and the run from the hump to the start finish line. Whilst speed down Conrod is important you can't forget about the big climb up mountain straight and even worse the 1 in 8 climb out of the cutting which is 2nd gear low revs and pull from there up to Reid Park and then onto Macphillamy. A big trap for young players is to worry about Conrod and forget about the climb up the hill. I would take a 3.9 and a 4.1 and go with the 4.1 first and if to short drop to the 3.9.

Peter, the QR300 would be a huge step up for most from the 6 hour relay events that have been done in the past by the ZCCQ. The event is one car two to three drivers, and the field will have a huge disparity in times, probably not the best event to be having your first go at racing. The speed difference between the front runners and the tale end of the field will be scary, similar in relative terms to the CUE one hour series and we have all seen the scary speed difference in cars there. The car prep is a huge step up from sprints, you need cage, seat harness, proper suit, gloves shoes, helmet HANS etc. So a decision not to be taken lightly. As I have said before it is now a hell of a lot easier to get into door to door racing than it was 20+ years ago when I first got my CAMS racing licence. Back then it generally took two cracks at the OLT to get a signature, just because, to make sure you were committed to getting your licence to race. In my opinion the best events to dabble with a tow in the water would be a QR event at QR, safe track and a lot less pressure. As I have offered before if anyone is serious about having a crack at door to door racing I am more than willing to mentor in all facets from car and driver prep through to the admin and track etiquette on the day to get you started.

Quite a few days you see the red mist descend in sprints, plus the fact you go out on the track at intervals, not all bunched up for a rolling start. Racing is quite different to sprints so to mitigate the risks, QR's Clubman circuit would be perfect in comparison to Lakeside where there is no run off if things do go pearshaped.

Also, if you can get the try the racing day at a ZCCQ event, I wouldn't really look at doing it at Lakeside, people who haven't raced before and Lakeside would be a bad mix. The clubman circuit at QR would be the safest circuit, yet it is a technically tricky circuit to drive, especially through the dip on the connection road, and will give people more than enough of an idea if they want to play door to door without the extra risks associated with making a mistake at Lakeside. Remember there is no CTRL Z when you banzai down the inside of someone and get it wrong in real life.....

Richard, the HANS device is only one of a selection of racewear you must have to go racing, and is not a substantial cost to do so. You are also required to wear a race suit, double layer minimum, though triple layer is encouraged, proper racing shoes/boots and gloves plus socks and a balaclava is also recommended. This is a big step up from the sprinters uniform of jeans, cotton long sleeve shirt and maybe some cheap driving shoes. Yeas a lot of sprinters wear suits, but I know a lot are only wearing single layer. The car also needs a step up in preparation and safety equipment to go from sprints to race, cage and seat plus proper harnesses. And then you really need to get a log book for the car for AASA events, especially if you want to play down south at race events at Wakefield and Winton, let alone a CAMS log book for CAMS events, and then a whole raft of other standards come into play. I don't see this as nanny state, I see it as risk mitigation for you, and also the poor bastard left to clean up your mess when it turn into a heap of shit and feathers. I have seen many bad on track incidents at race meetings from over 10 years as a fire marshall and medical chase car and FIV driver from state rounds to Indy and the F1 GP. They aren't nice when you turn up to find someone a bag of jelly or their neck snapped, or someone having to shove a pen in their throat to keep them a live whilst still trapped in the car. Without these advances in driver safety equipment many more of us would be in boxes, wheel chairs or slobbering in a corner. Motorsport is dangerous, but we can make it as safe as possible to all participents on both sides of the fence, and if that costs extra, then so be it. Aub, I think what you and the ZCCQ are trying to do is great, but those who want to take the next step to door to door racing should be made aware of what is needed, yes it is a fair investment to make the plunge into racing, and they should be encouraged, but unfortunatey its not as easy as some would like. It is still a hell of a lot easier than what it was 20 years ago to get a licence, prepare a car, get track time and play, but it should be a little difficult to make sure that the people who want to go racing treat it as the serious business it is. If I can be of any assistance as a mentor for any one in the club who wants to go racing in terms of car prep., eligibility for the various sports car categories and the administration and what you need to do on the day, let me know. I am more than prepared to be someone's pit bitch for a meeting or two so they get to learn the ropes, including simple things like are the wheel nuts tight, pressures right and also on racing etiquette on and off the track. I think with 20+ years of racing and 10+ years of marshaling I might know a little bit about this caper.

No, you need a SA2005 or higher helmet. Best is SAH2010, which has either prefitted HANS posts or the threads ready for HANS posts. SA2005 can have posts retro fitted, but it is scary drilling into your helmet. AS1698 helmets cannot be drilled to fit HANS devices. A SAH2010 rated helmet can be bought for around $400, so there is no excuse not to upgrade if your present helmet is getting old.

Well as I said before...... $10 dollar head, $10 dollar helmet........