Modified my old cargo platform (that was setup for my hidden MiniDoMore hitch) to work with the MiniFini hitch. Just had to cut down the shaft and re-drill it. Perfect now! Ready to haul more gear to MOTD. Finished modifying and installing the rear interior panels. Not going for show-car pretty this time, just want something to protect the speakers and look better than bare sheet metal if someone sneaks a peek back there. The back will always be covered by the tonneau, anyway. Found another one of my missing tow hooks, and dipped it to match the front one. Since one of my Rennlines was damaged beyond repair, and I can't find my other one... I realized today, I'm the Imelda Marcos of car shoes. I currently have 19 tires for the GPR in my garage... Four Star Specs on the car Four NT01s on the track wheels Four new NT01s for when I need them Four Michelin all seasons on the GP 18" wheels Two almost-new Star Specs from the wrecked car A donut spare And I have a new project... extreme makeover of my workshop / garage. I built this about 10 years ago as a sculpture studio. It's been a few years since I've used it for that. It's my general purpose workshop now, and I could just barely squeeze the MINI in there to park before the manual conversion and all the extra parts and tools started taking over. I think I have a plan to retain enough workbench and tool space, and get the lift in there setup for the MINI, with more parking space. So I can just roll in and put it on the lift any time, and free the other garage for the two primary cars, which will make the wife happier. Will be nice to have the lift setup all the time. I can move it back into the other garage easily enough if I need to work on one of the larger cars.
That's just the OEM tow hook, right? Cracks me up, half the tow hooks that are aftermarket say "not for towing onto a flatbed". I was thinking of getting the rennline, did yours explode because of the hook or because of the car not being completely bolted up front? Either way, OEM is pretty fail safe.
Yep, OEM hook. I have several. The Rennline hooks are the only ones I've seen that are really beefy enough to use. And mine were used several times. The one that failed was a result of sheer idiocy. I really like them, but they're $$. I'll just use my dipped OEM ones until I win the lottery again.
Spent about 8 hours today working on the new lair for The Phoenix. Before: During (had to cut down my 500lb workbench by about 2' of depth): After: OMG that was a lot of work. I still have a few things in there that I'm going to take out and store in the attic. And a few boxes of parts that either go on the car, or that are going to be sold. But, when I get the last of the stuff out, there will be plenty of room for the lift and tools, and plenty of room to work on the car or on the bench. Win. i'm so tired I can barely move.
I'm so glad you finally got round to cleaning that mess up!! BTW, did you find that snap-on torque wrench I loaned you last year?
Ordered more floor anchors for the MaxJax over the weekend. Thanks to the miracle of Amazon Prime... they arrived today. So, in typical fashion, I dragged my feet for a few minutes... then just did it. After measuring 42 times and figuring out how to clear the garage door track, shelves, cracks in the floor, maintain minimum spacing to the edge of the slab, etc.... I rolled the car into the right position, rolled the columns in, and measured some more. Verified that I can use the columns in this position, with the car either nose-in or tail-in. Then measured some more. And some more. Then when I was pretty confident I had everything in the right place, I marked the hole locations, and moved the columns. Say hello to my little friend. Drilled 10 holes, three times (pilot, larger, and final sizes). Cleaned them out well, and pounded in Wej-It anchors. Whoever called these "drop-in" anchors had a sense of humor. Because you pound the snot outta them with a BFH to get them in the holes. If they just "drop in", you probably gonna die. One column set. This one allows enough space to walk behind, to access the front of the car. And.... done. I love it when a plan comes together. Gotta finish moving stuff around tomorrow, and decide on final location for the power unit for the lift. Eventually I'll move a couple of lights and raise the garage door so I can work in there with the door open... but it's not a high priority, because this garage has heat and air conditioning... This space is perfect for working on the MINI. I could probably fit a couple of the other cars in there with the door open, but I can always roll the lift into the other garage in 10 minutes and have more space for the larger cars.
Never fear, it's safe and sound, 30 feet away in the other garage. I conveniently walk by it on the way into the house. :yesnod:
Question(s) that I keep forgetting to ask. Your antenna. Do you plan on keeping it there? Would relocation be worth the hassle? And if it's moved, would there just be an ugly space left behind? And do you even care?
Great use of the space Paul! I need a second garage for storing the Rat, so I don't have to pull it out of the main garage when I'm working on it, and your miniature setup is exactly what I would do.
Moved the lift pump to its final position, reconfigured hoses and routed the far one across the ceiling. Nothing on the floor to drive or trip over. Win.
Great couple of days at VIR with Trackdaze, driving solo, hanging out with my buddy Mark Dissen. Still getting the hang of the car, and remembering how to drive fast. Made tons of progress in two days; cut my lap time by over 10 seconds. Still probably have 10 to go, as the car is setup now. But I'll probably have MOAR POWAH next time I go there. It was mostly due to my awesome new shoes. Here's the best lap of the two days - my last full lap in session 2 yesterday. I set four personal bests in the last four laps of that session... culminating in this 2:23 lap. [ame=""]VIR Trackdaze 20160322 Session 2 - YouTube[/ame] And here's what happened immediately following the end of that lap... [ame=""]VIR Trackdaze 20160322 Turn 1 off - YouTube[/ame] I was going almost 130mph when I started braking, so I wasn't doing much less than that when I upset the car and went into the slide. I slid a LONNNNNNNG way. Epic skid marks. Pro tip: Get mostly done with your threshold braking before taking a hand off the wheel to downshift. I will NOT make that error again. Got lucky. My car looked like some prankster spread an entire bale of straw in it. Immediately went to the race shop and bought this: I feel much less likely to die an early death, when sitting in that seat. Took it easy for half of the next session, then loaded up and headed home, while still in one piece. It was a great couple of days.
WOW!!!! It's a deceiving approach into T1 brake zone. The front straight kink loads up the suspension. The LHS of the track is off camber and the "straight" curves right while momentum is pushing you out to the left. Plus any bump steer when you get on the brakes, can all conspire to make for an interesting ride!! Paul that was a lot closer than I thought. Thankfully that grass was dry.
Yep. I will never ever ever ever trivialize that braking zone again. Or ANY hard braking zone, for that matter. Bullet dodged, lesson learned. Two hands on the wheel. :yesnod: