Garage Heroes In Training

On this week's podcast episode we go over wheel alignment and measurement techniques that can be used at home and at the track by almost everyone with Gil Winingham from QuickTrick Alignment. Having a minor change to the alignment can lead to very significant effects, increasing speed, decreasing lap times, and easier/safer driving and handling.

Please contact Gil at: https://www.quicktrickalignment.com/

On this week's podcast episode we go over wheel alignment and measurement techniques that can be used at home and at the track by almost everyone with Gil Winingham from QuickTrick Alignment.  Having a minor change to the alignment can lead to very significant effects, increasing speed, decreasing lap times, and easier/safer driving and handling.  

Please contact Gil at:  https://www.quicktrickalignment.com/

Our team now has a new race car build about to begin. Long Roof for Life: Project Codename: Godzuki!!! It is a "new to us" Honda Civic that we will be converting into an endurance race car after this season. Since we know "Mr Honda" we will have backup knowledge to assist us as we go. Our plan is to build this car as a demonstration project for our listeners. If you have any ideas or thoughts, and suggestions on what we should do, please let us know within a podcast review or on our email at [email protected].

On this GHiT Team focused episode this week, we covered what we have been up to in the garage this past week or so. Lots of HPDE and NHMS race weekend prepping on all counts. Vicki has been obsessed with car detailing for the past two weeks on her 1999 NB MX-5 with a Flyin' Miata turbo. Inside, outside, in the engine bay, adding decals, etc. Alan avoids the Capri with everything else that could possibly be worked on and Bill is working on the 4 HPDE cars for Watkins Glen and two additional race cars this week (The cheap Boxster is trying its best to avoid remaining cheap). We also get into the Race Truck brake issue and our path forward; still not sure we have a plan. Vicki makes her point that we could use an additional team member with mechanical skills, but we still don't know how to find our missing skillset.

We cover how to go about converting a streetcar into an endurance racing car and in what sequence.

Our general priority is to first make sure it is safe by stripping it down and making sure what is structural is sound and repair as needed. After this, we add in safety features like the roll cage, racing seats, racing harness, and fire suppression systems etc. Do not forget to address the brakes and braking system with good racing pads and racing fluid, and likely improved brake rotors and calipers. Please review our episode #59 with Wendy from Porterfield's if you would like much more detail in this area. Tires and brakes are probably the biggest performance bang for the buck improvements you can do.

The next priority we like to follow is to improve our driver skill and the durability of the car towards the abuse it is about to receive. This would include better grades of the various fluids, better suspensions, oil coolers, radiator improvements, transmission coolers, differential coolers, etc. Potentially adding a better clutch etc. as they fail during racing.

As far as driver improvements, we really like HPDE events for the type of racing you will be doing, for instance NASA HPDE for road racing, EVO School for Autocross, etc. Really any type of coaching will usually lead to significant improvement, especially if early in your racing career. Don't forget to use your daily driving time to help practice and improve several aspects of your driving skills, like heel and toe, hand positioning and movements, and long range vision etc. At this point you have a good solid foundation and you can work to dial in the car further and continually improve.

Once solid, we start looking at better clutches, improved drivetrains by adding in an LSD or a Torsen or even a locked/mini spool type etc. and avoid the open differentials where you only drive one of the wheels. The costs of these improvements tend to be a bit higher than the earlier steps.

Nice/Next level additions to have at some point would include:

Telemetry and video analysis to allow you to compare driver styles and performance via the data collected.

Engine power increases can be a very expensive path unless you swap out the engine

Suspension improvements like lowering the car, improving handling with springs, sway bars, coil overs, etc. Lightening the vehicle.

Aero is also another great path to improve performance at a reasonable cost.

Don't forget alignment is a great bang for the buck potential improvement, especially a good alignment and then a racing camber and toe adjustment.

We ended with Vicki's Tool of the week for use with vinyl decals, stripes etc.: It is called Knifeless Tape and it allows you to cut any designs and shapes needed into any vinyl to make your desired edge designs.

And finally, Vicki volunteered to list several of our cars for the "we" of our team. "We" shall see.

Again any questions, suggestions, movie references, and/or car purchases, please contact us at our email at [email protected] and or even better within a podcast review.

Our team now has a new race car build about to begin. Long Roof for Life: Project Codename: Godzuki!!! It is a “new to us” Honda Civic that we will be converting into an endurance race car after this season. Since we know “Mr Honda” we will have backup knowledge to assist us as we go. Our plan is to build this car as a demonstration project for our listeners.

We cover how to go about converting a streetcar into an endurance racing car and end with the Tool of the Week called Knifeless Tape.

Another new intro bumper starts off our summary of Disney's D23 expo with most of the highlights. We cover most of the announcements and also give our opinion on most and background in many cases if you are not familiar with the different properties. We also highlighted two additions to the Disney park areas.

We cover a wide variety of the recent announcements including:

Moon Knight

She Hulk

Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan version

Black Panther 2: May 6, 2022, title still TBD

The Eternals: November 2020, added Gemma Chan as Sersi (no longer playing Dr Minerva?) and Barry Keoghan and Kit Harrington (as Black Knight) (Bill makes two feeble joke at Mr. Harrington's expense, but Bill knows nothing!)(and Benny doesn't get either)

Black Widow: Footage was shown, not released, yet

Star Wars 9: Rise of Skywalker: Trailer #2 shown, and internet predictions abound

Kingsman 3

We woot our woot episode by talking about The Matrix and Bill's top movies of all-time list

Artemis Fowl

Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Raya and the last Dragon: with Awkwafina and Cassie Steel 11/2020

Spiderman and His Amazing Friends: on Disney Junior – Animated

Lizzie McGuire: Hillary Duff starring on Disney+ show

The Muppets: Short form TV show on Disney+

Obi Wan Kenobi: Series Disney+ starring Ewan McGregor

Star Wars Galactic Cruiser Hotel: Specifically for Jeffe, announced for Disney World

Mulan: Showed some of the live action footage

Frozen 2

Avatar: Logo for revealed

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: Poster shown

Cruella Deville: Emma Stone starring as

Soul: Disney Pixar movie

Noelle: Disney+ movie starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader

Clone Wars: animated series returning

Monsters at Work: Disney+ TV series

Avengers Campus: Announced for Disney Land

Tom Holland presented for Disney/Pixar movie Onward, …… "I love you 3000", seemed quite sad during talk

Spiderman Sony/Disney Talk here

Krypton Soapbox Time again

Top 5 Most Wasted villain list (attached)

Our open invitation to Kevin Feige remains! We won't try for spoilers but would love to review the MCU and his career to date.

Another new intro bumper starts off our summary of Disney’s D23 expo with most of the highlights.  We cover most of the announcements and also give our opinion on most and background in many cases if you are not familiar with the different properties.  We also highlighted two additions to the Disney park areas.

Our open invitation to Kevin Feige remains!  We won’t try for spoilers but would love to review the MCU and his career to date.

Chris Egan is our special guest driver from the Futility Motorsports endurance racing team. We last saw Chris at the 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thompson. We review his lemons racing history as well as the team's recent over-temp issues at their last race. Chris started racing with a Shelby Daytona and somehow he is still going (with the Futility Motorsport Saab). Chris has also raced in several HPDE's and tried his hand at autocross. Chris races with his family (father, brother, and sister) and is shooting for a top 20 overall. Chris covers why the Daytona is no longer the team vehicle and how the 250k mile Saab came to be a race car.

We also talk about the pressures and responsibilities of being a square on the E1R bingo card and the history of the "Young Chris Egan" moniker.

Chris is a mechanical engineer who has a penchant for following in the steps of Rube Goldberg, so he fits right into the lemons paddock. A natural born tinkerer in all areas, we also go over the recent intercom system that Chris has been working on and developing. As expected, Bill had no shame and requested a test model for our upcoming HPDE at Watkins Glenn.

The conversation led to many different areas of discussion, including:

HPDE vs racing vs autocross comparisons in learning and experience on track driving and improving your ability to read and predict other drivers, both on and off the track.

Chris recalls several of the wild and crazy things he has seen both on and off the track at a lemons race, including a burning man themed paddock

Vicki and Chris talk about making their own tracks at NHMS by not going up the hill. Chris seems to have worse luck at NHMS than we do.

Lots of trial by fire and learning what "to do" and what "not to do".

Building an old Toronado in Jahn Pagels shop with Spank the night before the Sonoma race.

We make a challenge for a twin-engine car driven by two stick shifts. (one single clutch would be acceptable)

We also go through a quick math problem with Alan over the plusses (time) and minuses (laps) of his recent red mist collection of black flags.

We also go round and round on what we are doing with the El Jeffe race truck brake heating issues and the Capri engine/transmission swap with input from Chris

Chris get subjected to a Good, Bad, and the Ugly review of his racing career/history.

We make a bet between Chris and Alan on who finishes their project car first (getting the engine to fire). Who do you think will win? Chris and his E36 or Alan with the 3.8 liter Capri swap.

Biggest takeaway: Finish the work on the car as soon as possible, not just in time for the race.

How many other racing podcasts would also have a Wacky Racers reference in the flow of the conversation?

Chris Egan is our special guest driver from the Futility Motorsports endurance racing team.  We last saw Chris at the 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thompson.  We review his racing history as well as the team’s recent over-temp issues at their last race.  He started racing with a Shelby Daytona and somehow he is stayed.  Chris covers why the Daytona is no longer the team vehicle and how the 250k mile Saab came to be a race car along. How many other racing podcasts have a "Wacky Racers" reference ?

We (Finally) cover the recent San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC). We cover the entire event with what we found of interest. Marvel dominated most of the announcements, but we tried to cover everything.

Including:

Krypton, several times

The Witcher and Henry Cavil

Top Gun Maverick Trailer

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot movie and all of Kevin Smith's movies

Terminator: Dark Fate

The Cats Trailer

It 2

Picard trailer

The Orville

The Watchmen TV series

Pennyworth

Akira (delay)

The Boys on Amazon

Bill is back into buying comic books! Especially the recent Hickman X Men series reboot

Marvel TV news: Agents of Shield final panel, and ABC's new show speculation, Cloak and Dagger, The Runaways

All the CW DC shows, The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning and the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event this coming year

Doom Patrol series renewed

The animated Harley Quinn tv series

Marvel Phase 4 announcements

Black Widow in May 2020

The Eternals November 2020

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tv series in Fall 2020

Shang Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings Starring Simu Liu in February 2021

Bill bets Benny a Slurpee that Benny likes the movie and it will break One Billion Dollars

Wanda Vision TV show in the spring of 2021

Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness May 2021

Loki TV Series speculation coming in 2021

The Hawkeye TV series in the Fall 2021 with both Clint Barton/Jeremey Renner and Kate Bishop

Thor Love and Thunder in November 2021

West Coast Avengers and Young Avengers speculation/discussion

MCU Phase 4 and Phase 5 speculation

Also announced movies like:

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Captain Marvel 2

Black Panther 2

Fantastic Four

"Mutants"

What If animated series with Jeffery Wright

Blade in Phase 5

Sony-Marvel Crossover potential speculation on Venom 2 and Mobius movie tie ins

Howard the Duck animated series

D23 Speculation

Bill gets on a soapbox, twice, this episode including:

Krypton is a must watch show

Why the short season/few episode season is a bunch of OOOGAAA horn

Vicki has homework to watch Akira and listen to The Sessions Podcast with Bob /Marley

Thoughts about the recent new Corvette C8 reveal since our last episode

And we wrap up with our most looking forward to picks and a big shout out to:

Christian James Hand and his podcast called "The Session" where he breaks down popular songs track by track in a most entertaining manner. We can't wait to see him live when he comes to the east coast.

We will follow up with a D23 review as soon as possible, hopefully with some Marvel Phase 5 information.

We (Finally) cover the recent San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC).  We cover the entire event with what we found of interest.  Marvel dominated most of the announcements, but we tried to cover everything.  Including: Krypton, The Witcher, Marvel TV news, All the CW DC shows, and the Marvel reveals of Black Widow, Eternals, Falcon & Winter Soldier, Shang Chi, WandaVision, Dr Strange 2, Loki, Hawkeye, Thor 4, GoG 3, Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, Fantastic Four, “Mutants”, What If, and Blade