Cars, Computers, Society in General
So, 2022 was a thing. From a racing standpoint, it sucked. No wins. Broken stuff. Embarrassing track oildowns, and general carnage. I started with a disappointing finish at the Pine Mountain Hill Climb, followed by the explosion of the clutch in the RX-8 at the SCCA Time Trials Nationals. Then a few local events where …
This will be a long one. Finally here. After over a year. We’ve arrived. Before I tell you where we are, let’s recap where we’ve been. At the SCCA Time Trials Nationals last summer, on June 9, 2021, during the first lap of the first practice session on Thursday, the $300 junkyard “JDM KLZE” engine …
I sold the RX-8. That experiment didn’t work out like I wanted. The car made it through the Pine Mountain Hillclimb without incident, but the clutch failed at the SCCA Time Trial Nationals. During the TT Nats, I also found out the engine was hurt. The combination of busted clutch and the need for a …
Event Prep With the Probe still laid up waiting, and the Pine Mountain Hillclimb fast approaching, I made the decision to outfit the RX-8 with the proper safety equipment to run the event. That means a four point roll bar, harnesses, and a fire bottle. Since the factory seats don’t have provisions for a harness, …
A month of work reviving an old Mazda culminated in a successful SCCA National Tour event. I’m happy. Back in February, I bought a 2004 Mazda RX-8 off a friend. He had bought it off a guy in Tennessee a year or two earlier, and just hadn’t had time to mess with it. When I …
Read More “2022 SCCA Red Hills National Tour (RX-8 updates)”
It happened. The new pistons for the Probe’s engine have finally arrived, and boy are they pretty. These puppies are 85mm in diameter, 9.3:1 compression, forged aluminium copies of the OE piston. They feature improved quench areas and reinforced pin bosses. CP Carillo even sent back the rod and piston I sent them so they …
I was honored to be featured on the latest episode of the Classic Car Corner Podcast! Check it out! https://gdherring.com/journal/the-buick-grand-national-with-andrew-scott/
I bought another Mazda. This time it’s a genuine one, and it’s in good shape. Quite the departure from the Probe when I brought it home. So, without further ado, meet my New-to-Me Mazda RX-8: It’s a 2004 Model, dark green metallic. The tub is rust free and all original. The car does have a …
After over a decade of serious competition that included one Kentucky Region SCCA CAM-T championship, five top-ten GTV finishes at Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car qualifier events, two Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitationals and an amazing trip to Saudi Arabia, we blew both head gaskets in Vegas at the 2021 OUSCI. It’s time …
In our last post, we mentioned the car wasn’t running right beginning in the second road course session. Once we got home and had some time, we compression checked the engine and got a nasty surprise. Yes, positive evidence of a blown head gasket. Unfortunately, I put ARP head studs in this engine. That means …