Art Metal students are finishing up the skill builders, and have been introduced to the Steel Sculpture project. Most students are finishing off chain bracelets and chain mail.
A good friend of mine has "hired" me to build a bush buggy for him. We picked up an old 340 Skidoo to serve as the drivetrain (excellent, as there is a centrifugal clutch, steering and brakes). I'm planning on it being like a downsized tube-frame-VW style buggy. I want it to be light, durable and safe. I'll post pictures as it is constructed. I'm thinking of running an after-school tutorial on car audio, as I am finding a lot of students really have no clue how to select, install or setup car audio. I spent some time helping some students last week learn about crossover frequencies and sub location. I may ask around and see if there would be enough interested students. I am debating about starting another racing club... |
I guess it's time to make the official statement: I will not be racing at the coast this year. I have other financial responsibilities this summer, so I need to put racing on the back burner for now. Darned shame, too, as I have a buddy who just put together a green Sentra just like mine with the same setup I had at the start of last season. I'd REALLY like to run against him - perhaps he'll come to Kelowna to race?
I had to disassemble the front struts to chase down a squeak that was occurring during steering inputs. Turned out it was the dustboot rubbing against the top spring perch, as the boot was securely attached to the strut rod. A good dollop of grease and it's all quiet now.I also re-greased the front and rear sway bar bushings (30,000km) and shimmed out any preload with washers. Now the car is very predictable and consistant left and right. Huge difference!
I also tried to make the camber consistant side to side, as the car is pulling a bit to the right. I will re-set the rear camber then take it in for an alignment to get the thrust angle aligned. I have had this silly suspension apart so many times, it is quite likely that things are a bit "off."
I am also trying to decide what route I will go for tires this summer. Two of my Kumho 712's are bald. I could put on the old all-seasons that came with the car, which would be the cheapest solution. I could buy two new 712's. I could keep running the winters all year, but would then have to buy new winters for the fall (they won't last). Or I could buy a set of Toyo RA-1's and use them as street AND race tires. I'm leaning to the 712's, as that is the best compromize between cost and performance. But I have not decided yet. The front 712's lasted about a year and a half (30,000kms).