TeamD Adventures

So far so good. The weather is lovely, in fact maybe a little too sunny.

Das BMW temperantakenstein says it’ 5.5C which is warm and tosty for this part of the world.

Transitting on to the next section.

Steve
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Thunderbird Rally turns 50 this year. This is TeamD’s 7th T-Bird and if the decades that we missed are half as good as the last seven years then it’s half a century of awesome rallies.

At the rally HQ there is a display of Thunderbird memorabilia from years past. Rally plaques and plates are a long tradition in rallying. The display includes plaques going back to the 60’s and 70’s. Also there is a copy of the Rainier Auto Sports Club newsletter, the Wishbone Alley Gazette, from 1989 with some Thunderbird coverage.

We’re waiting for breakfast in Merritt and back at the hotel the parking lot is full of busy rally prep. Team McMillen and Crippen are off to a fine start. At the breakfast joint Jeff asked where his navigator was. Apparently he left Marvin at the hotel expecting him to catch a ride. The trip back to the hotel is short and both of them will be joining us shortly. The moral of the story is that you stick with the one you brought.

Signing off for now while breakfast is getting plated. Hopefully there will be some updates from the road.

We made the trip up to BC with little fanfare and much expedience. All four cars from TeamD are here and checked in to the rally, passed tech inspection, and we 8 are hanging in the hospitality suite discussing the important events of the age. Tomorrow will see us flailing wildly in the snow and mud and water of the course. Updates will be posted as necessary. With photos, if possible. Wish us luck.

The Thunderbird 2007 start order has been posted to the RallyBC site and the TeamD regulars have scored great locations on the “grid”.  Eric and Steve are 5th, Marvin and I are 6th, Dan and Hans are 12th, and Greg and Bill are 13th.  In addition, RASC members Steve and Gary are 17th and our novice car for the Savoia Aero team trophy (more about this later) are 33rd.

What’s not to like?  TeamD has groups of 2 cars up in the top twenty with the most competitive cars sitting 5th and 6th.  Now, my dislike of running first is pretty well stated and known by anyone unlucky enough to hear me ramble on about it.  6th, in my mind, is just about perfect.  Close enough to the front to avoid the majority of the ruts and slow cars (not to mention pissed off locals) but far enough from first to avoid the curse of the front runners.

First car on the road acts as snowplow and local scatter and chances are there are no good visible tracks to keep you on the right path if you have a question.  Plus, the few times we have run up front, well, let’s just say the scores don’t reflect well on that position for me.

In other news, the WRX is back from the shop.  They didn’t have enough time to replace the fuel line but they were able to replace the blown exhaust gasket and AC belt plus they replaced a spark plug (precaution, it was in the cylinder that was reporting misfires) and changed the oil.  She’ll go back in next Wednesday for the fuel line replacement but we are good to head north tomorrow.

I will try to keep the live updates flowing throughout the weekend.  Wish us luck.

With the 2007 Thudnerbird rally only days away (the TeamD caravan will be heading north Friday) I took a few minutes this weekend to start preparing the car for the event.

Since the WRX is also a daily driver, there are a number of things I need to do to make sure it is ready for an upcoming event.  They include (but are not limited to):

Install the spare glovebox/Timewise mount.
Install the Timewise and test axle the sensors.
Wire up the HAM radio.
Swap street tires for snow tires (winter) or pack the gravel tires in the back (summer).
Charge the impact wrench (for quick wheel changes).
Make sure all the tools are in the toolbag in the back of the car.
Put the season-appropriate accessories in the back (jacks, shovel and plank for winter).

Things went relatively smoothly.  Marvin dropped off both the radio and the Timewise earlier so I would have them available for this weekend.  The old reliable Timewise was connected and both sensors are sending pulses back to the unit.  I had purchased an extension kit for the radio so we could relocate the control head somewhere in the cabin for ease of use (we usually have the entire radio under his seat but that makes it hard to adjust while driving) so I installed and tested it with no issues.  Ultimately, I want to mount the radio in the trunk and run wires for the speaker, handset, and control head up to the front of the cabin but for now I have it working with the radio still under the seat but the control face under the stereo and the handset cable attached to the console beside the gear shift.  I would do all the permanent relocation in the evening this week execpt for one problem.

The car is going to the shop tonight.

I have had an intermittent hesitation problem for a few months.  This hesitation manifests itself when the car is cold but seems to disapear when the car is warm.  I have asked my able shop (Smart Service) to take a look but they haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause.  I also have a small leak in the up-pipe or downpipe or exhaust (I can’t remember exactly where at the moment but it’s not a big deal).  During the cold snap in November/December I was smelling gas in the morning as the car started, indications of a leak tied to the temperature, perhaps a loose clamp on the fuel line.  And now, the check engine light is lit.

So off it goes back to Smart Service.  I will be dropping it off tonight so they can get to it tomorrow.  Hopefully they can experience the hesitation when they drive it first thing in the morning.  Hopefully they can figure out the cause of the Check Engine light.  Hopefully they can replace the cracked/leaking engine bit.  Hopefully they can do all this before I have to drive the car north on Friday.  Hopefully.