Morning in Cordoba - 8hrs to go!

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The team - en route in the truck

Azel
Ivan
Jose
And myself
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On the way to the Carrera Panamericana 2010!

The car on the fully loaded trailer! Pics with the team to follow soon.
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Clean up for the race!

Giving her a quick wash and polish for the race. Should also help with the installation of the racing stripes later today.
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Pre-race 5 days to start

Car is ready, and the racing dress is coming on. We leave for the race tomorrow at 3pm and plan to arrive Tuesday afternoon.
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Race ready!

List of open items is down to zero! Just gave the car a quick test drive and its feeling great! Car responded very well to the modified exhaust, and the jetting in the carbs is working well.

Car is ready for the race! Now to pack up the tools, clothes and drive down to the starting line!
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Helmets - check!

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The tool box and spare tire!

Great execution by Ivan.
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The trailer!

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DII Racing

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One great kill switch!

So... We believe this is how it should be done. Used the original fuel tank inlet location, and one very nice label - no confusion here.
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Pre-race - 6 days to race

more and more carburetor tuning. Car is now running very well, with good idle and ok air/fuel ratio across the board. Car needs the fire extinguisher system installed and will be ready for the race!
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Pre-race - 7 day to race!

Final carb setup underway and last-minute details in the engine bay!

Shorter exhaust is working wonders.
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Up and running!

So with only 20 days to the race we finally have the car out on the road. Luckily it is working well and it now seems more a matter of getting to know the car than anything else. Wheel look great, and the car has a great ride to it - firm, but not harsh and feels very flat and balanced in the corners.

This next week we need to finalize the exhaust and the fire extinguisher system and we are off to the race!

In the pic is the car at its first trip to the gas station.
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Driving course at Bondurant

We have updated the blog a lot less than planned, but we are 1 week from finishing the car, and we just spent a great 4 days in Arizona taking a driving course at Bondurant.

These have probably been 4 of the best spent days of our Panamericana preparation. My sister, dad and I all made huge improvements in our driving skill and had a great time. Anyone thinking about going should definitely go.

Next week we plan on finishing the car, starting the engine and getting all set for testing the week after.
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Pic

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Front struts and brakes!

The front strut and brake assembly look promising! And are ready to go on the car. As a last minute thing, we are sending back the big rear drum brakes and purchasing the new 13" wheel compatible rear disks.

Progress...?

This week and last feel like little movement - but its all about prep work. We finished the engine bay modifications: removing the heavy US spec bumper structures and locating the oil cooler. Hopefully we paint tonight and are ready to recieve the engine in two weeks.

Race ready Ground Control struts

After a bit of a wait, finally got the fully assembled struts! Hopefully these will be fully installed this weekend. Internal valving has been custom developed for this car! So we have high expectations.
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Suspension subframes

For the past 2 weeks we have been completing the subframe assemblies and are as of now finished with the front and 80% there with the rear. To build them up, all parts where sandblasted and then powder coated in black (primarily to keep stock apperance)

FRONT:
On the front, little modification was don to the original parts - although recent info suggests that re-inforcing the control arms and engine mount might be a good idea. Assembly of the front was pretty straight forward, the only detail being that the steering box should be the first thing to be installed. The new 22mm stabilizer bar from IE fit great and was a joy to see in place.

REAR:
The rear received quite a bit more work prior to assembly. First off, the arms were fully boxed to increase their torsional rigidity and then triangulated (the are originally a V shape and a cross member was added to creat an A shape). The new member had to be installed twice because during the first attempt (done by a shop) the arms ended up to narrow - back at home we remeassured carefully and replaced with an element that left the arms perfectly located on the subframe. The subframe itself was modified to incorporate adjustable toe and camber - a must for lowered suspensions on these cars (or so we were told and agree).

We have a multitude od pics and will post them soon.
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