A long day at the Auto-X

[widebody911]

This was just one of those "interesting" days.

Since nobody wanted to buy my 7's and 9's (at least nowhere near the $1500 I paid for them) I shod them at the last minute (yesterday afternoon) with a set of V700's.

This was a PCA auto-x @ Maclellan XAFB. It was a 1+1 run configuration, which I likey!

My first issue was trying to get pressures right. I haven't been to an Auto-X for about a year, and had lost my mental references. I started *way* too low; that, coupled with fresh tires, made the car drive like butter in a hot frying pan.

After my first run I added air, which made it a little better, and then for the 3rd run I lowered it a tad and it was about perfect - 38 hot all the way 'round. Ironically, my 1st run turned out to be my fastest of the morning. Go figger.

For me, an instructor during an auto-x is too distracting. I don't have the mental b/w to handle it. Ron Kain went out for a session with me, and I had a very nice spin, and I think I may have even broken my hand. The wheel snapped on me, and before I could even get my hands away, a spoke came 'round and jammed the ring finger and pinky of my right hand - POW!

I went downhill for the morning from there. On the last session of the morning, just after passing the finish line, I hit the brakes and the L/F locks up, and stays locked even as I'm trying to modulate the brakes. Hmm. That symptom sounds familiar - yup - the steering rack broke again. And I was also rewarded with a huge flat spot in my front-left tire.

In the first session of the afternoon, I came in very hot on the second lap, and there was a small set of esses after the first turn. I got a little loose, overcorrected, overcorrected the overcorrection, overcorrected the overcorrected overcorrection.... you get the picture. Long story short, I worked it for two spins, one in each direction. A nice round of applause followed. Yay Thom!

After getting the estranged father-in-law of spins out of the way, I went on to record some decent laps. I was driving very gingerly at that point, what with a "thump thump thump" coming from the left-front, and slightly loose steering. My final run was my best run, taking a full 1.5s off my 2nd best time (which of course, was my first).

Oh, and I broke my turn signal switch sometime during all of the mayhem.
On the positive side, the 3.6L ran great, and my ailing 915 survived to fight another day.

[mskala]

Originally posted by widebody911
- yup - the steering rack broke again. [

Where are the racks breaking? I've never heard of steering rack failures.
Mark S.
'70 914-6

[widebody911]

The keeper on the end comes out, letting the bushing that the rack slides on, and the seals, out. It's only held in by the friction of either a circlip or a spikey-looking washer - I've seen it both ways. There is no positive means of holding the guts back - it's all friction.

[304065]

Man, that finger has gotta hurt. I have a permanent bump on my right wrist where the wheel kicked back in a spin and busted one of those small wrist bones. Hurt like hell for a couple weeks then settled down to a bump about 1/4" off the underlying bone.

Double spin, NICE! You really had to be letting it all hang out. I salute and encourage this.

JFC