With three races in the books I figured it was about time that an update was posted to the build thread.
Damage from the Race:Rear Shock Mount
Missing Rear Spring
Front Hubs
Radio
It looks like the rear bump stop was destroyed, that meant the shock was acting as the bump stop. And caused the failure mentioned in the article available at
http://bit.ly/c3PzXKNo idea about the front hubs, but neither one is engaging at the moment. That caused BRD HNTR to go off the track as he claims the vehicle didn't pull through the corner like he was expecting. We will never know the truth as I forgot to turn the camera on during his version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on the first lap.
The radio fell inside the dash again. I'm debating removing it. Or building a better mounting brace.
How Project Trouble Held Up:The Bilstein Front Struts were great on the first race and held up half-way through the second. But with the rougher coarse the front struts were all but gone by the third lap. I talked to Bilstein's warranty department about this and they offered to rebuild the struts for $75 with racing oil which should handle the temperatures. So those are to be sent off next week for repair, we'll see how they hold up.
The rear shocks that managed to hold up admirably during the first race were no match for the constant pounding and gave up about half-way through the first lap, causing a much rougher ride. The Eddieville tracks smoother sections probably gave them time to cool down, something not available at Goldendale. But she was still drivable.
The front strut tower bracing hasn't moved yet, so it looks like adding the internal re-enforcement was a success. It was certainly easier then putting in a strut tower brace.
Low Range is where it is at. It is rare that I top out on 5th gear and the close mesh of 3rd and 4th make for much better racing then trying to jump between 2nd and 3rd.
Thoughts on the Project:If your doing this, secondary bump stops are a must. Especially on the rear. This would have saved our rear end and allowed us to probably run the entire third race, even in 2wd mode. So when you build your rig, pick up a set of bump stops to throw under the frame.
2wd is easier. Less stuff in the way and you don't have to worry about your front end breaking. It is probably best to get a 4wd Tracker and convert it though, welding a cover over the front output shaft. That way you get low range. But there is something fun about having a 4x4 racer.
Power Steering wouldn't be bad. Not so much for easier steering, I have never had a problem with my arms getting tired. More for the quicker steering it provides allowing you to cut back and forth faster. Of course, it is just another thing to go wrong.
Rear Shocks are a tough one. Without building new mounts you can't really get the shocks you need to keep cool, even expensive shocks are going to get eaten alive. Until your ready to build something for the back end cheap replacement shocks and an understanding they are going to fade is probably your best bet.
What's Next:We have some pretty cool things in mind for Project Trouble v1.5. We are limiting our changes to the rear end and keeping them simple for now. Borrowing (stealing) the modified 3 link from BRD HNTR's V6 project and going with a slightly different spring and shock setup. Look for updates as we get closer to the end of August!
