> Uhh, Eric, I recall certain STOCK F-bodie cars having overheating
> issues in Pro Solo.
-- Yes, yes, when I think reliable transpertation I think F-Body (Sorry
Karen)
Oh and Eric... two words... HEAD GASKET!!!!
> Were they actually overheating to the point of potentially damaging the
> engine (if so, then that IS a poorly designed Stock car and perhaps a
better
> choice is available) or did the car owners simply want some time to let
them
> cool down a bit for better performance, or (gasp) were they merely
stalling
> for time? I've seen the "overheating" excuse used to stall for a bit more
> time as the drivers of a 2 driver car weren't paying attention and weren't
> ready for their call to the start line. FWIW these were multi time past
> National champions.
>
>
>
> > Perhaps
> > they were never properly engineered or built to begin with.
>
> Possibly. Or possibly, they were _perfectly_ engineered and built
> for runs of a minute or less separated by a five minute or
> greater cooldown, which is what you can expect to encounter in
> Solo II competition. It's speculation either way.
> ============================
> Speculation indeed. But the fact remains that if these prepared and mod
> cars were not built to sustain that level of exercise (ProSolo) it was by
> the owners choices. Stock, and SP cars to some extent, are limited in
what
> they can do and therefore may have to live with inherent manufacturer
> defects or poor designs.
>
>
> > Personally I
> > would never field a car that cannot reliably sit idling between
> runs without
> > fear of overheating.
>
> Hear that, guys? Eric wouldn't run in your cars. You'd better put
> 'em up for sale, since he doesn't like 'em. ;^P
> ===========================
> Damn straight, and cheap too. When I buy them I'm gonna have to go out
and
> immediately buy bigger radiators and cooling fans at a minimum. ;^)
> Probably need tranny and oil coolers as well. I never said I wouldn't
like
> to take a run or two in these cars but that _I_ wouldn't field a car that
> wasn't up to the rigors of the event. Stuff happens and even good parts
can
> break. That's inevitable and sometimes unavoidable but if it's due to
using
> undersized or inadequate parts then that's the builder's fault. I liked
> Dick Rasmussen's recent story on the utter reliability of his CM Citation
> during several years of abuse at Solo and ProSolo events. Compare that to
> other cars in the same class that break on a regular basis. Was this due
to
> the owner's choices or the manufacturer's? Dunno, but he seemed to have
> very few problems despite thoroughly flogging the car.
>
>
>
> > We used to have a phrase for cars like that back in
> > school..........lessee...........hmmm.............wait a
> > minute..............it's on the tip of my tongue.............oh
> yeah, POS.
>
> As opposed to what? An STS Neon?
> ===========================
> Hey, it CAN survive back to back to back Solo runs not to mention 30
minute
> open track sessions and grocery getting duties without as much as a
hiccup.
> Right now it's doing okay in the snow too. Sounds like a decently
> engineered car to me. How 'bout the Lotus? They were sold as actual
street
> cars at one time weren't they? That said, my Neon did go through 5 PS
belts
> (and 4 PS pulleys, 2 PS pumps, 1 AC and crank pulley [on the same belt]
and
> 2 PS pump brackets) in 2 months this past season. Dunno exactly what
caused
> the first tossed belt (it may have been the alternator belt which also
flew
> off that day but has never again been a problem) but it's not an entirely
> uncommon event for Neons. The 4 subsequent tossed PS belts can be
directly
> attributed to poor service department technicians. That was before the
2000
> Nationals and (knock on wood) it's stayed in place since that last
> replacement despite relentless flogging. I still think the root cause may
> be the actual PS rack but that's neither here nor there.
>
>
> To each his own, I say. I wouldn't be quite so critical of other
> folks' car/prep decisions if I were you. You just might wind up
> needing somebody's help when your car breaks.
>
> Jay
> ===========================
> Absolutely to each his own. But don't gripe about it overheating because
> you installed a smaller, lighter radiator or fans. That's like me griping
> that my car doesn't have 300 hp. I bought it, I live with it. In my long
> term plans is the idea of building a Prepared car. BUT I will do it right
> utilizing the advice of every ear I can bend and of all those who have
> blazed the trails ahead of me. I will not try to piece it together bit by
> bit while still trying to campaign it between upgrades. It will never see
a
> start line until it's mechanically complete and proper from top to bottom.
> A good looking paint job of course is entirely optional. ;^)
>
> Now, back to work for a bit. ;^)
>
> Eric Linnhoff in KC
> 1998 Dodge Neon R/T
> #69 STS #13 TLS
> eric10mm@qni.com
> ICQ#101282513
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