We've got a race car!

After many arduous months, we have a Silver Crown car that saw time on a race track today for a few hours as USAC hosted an open test for all Silver Crown teams at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, IN. There was a turnout of 12 or 13 and we found ourselves running decent laps that put us right in the middle of where everyone was. We were able to do it on older tires and we're hoping that with new, sticker tires, we'll be able to put down faster laps. This bodes well for the race at LOR on 19 May.

We spent a fair amount of the day with the weather radar in one hand and stop watches in the other as we were sure that we were about to be rained out of our test session. The sky and radar looked very imposing throughout the majority of the day and we figured that we better get moving and get in as much testing as possible before we had to pack up and head home.  Luckily, the rain held off and we were able to spend a few good hours on track, testing different ideas.

Jimmy was impressed that the car was a marked improvement over what we were running last season and he felt that several of the changes that we made over the winter have really paid off. We spent a lot of time working on shock and stagger set ups and there may still be some additional work to do. However, last season when we ran LOR, we spent the entire day running horribly loose and today, Jimmy noted that the car was much tighter and it was evident, watching him come out of Turn 4. As anyone who attended last year's race, a few times it looked as though Jimmy was running the Indiana Fairgrounds and not LOR! Not so, today.

The car looks very good too as the new decals really stand out and make the car much easier to see. A couple of us stood on top of the Geoff's trailer (which he graciously lent us for the test today) and watched Jimmy turn some laps. The new Indy Line Stripe logo on the side of the hood has added a bit extra which really makes this look like a good race car and helps a bit more in making it stand out from the rest of the pack. We think that Dan Berg, Jimmy's longtime spotter, will really appreciate the new paint scheme!

After running several laps and playing around with shock, spring and stagger configurations, Jimmy said after the test that he's got a few things to think about and consider before we head back out again in May. We have just under three weeks until we get back out on-track and with new tires and a better set-up with the shocks and springs, we should be able to run fairly well.


- Gar

We have an engine!

It's been a few weeks since I posted an update but that's been due to waiting for an engine to arrive so I could have something to talk about and the engine arriving and then being frustrated with trying to fit it into the car. Things don't always go the way we like them to but eventually, they do and we win!

Our engine arrived from Chicago Friday evening, 30 Mar. The following Monday, Jimmy and I figured that we could spend the morning hooking everything up and getting it to slide into the engine compartment and be done by mid-afternoon.

Upon lowering the engine into the car, yours truly underestimated the amount of force that the engine would exert on the hoist and allowed it to... "settle with force" into the car. This caused a few moments of panic as we wondered just what had been damaged, if anything and where did we go from there. Upon quick evaluation, we found that nothing had been significantly upset and we would be able to continue. So, while continuing to operate the hoist (under great supervision from Jimmy!), we were able to lower it into the car in a more reasonable manner the second time around.

As we began to line the block up to the firewall, we realized that something was preventing it from fitting snugly up against the wall. We tried to tighten bolts, hoping they would draw the block in but that seemed to have no effect. We also loosened the bell housing in an attempt to make that fit easier but that was beginning to create problems of its own too.

Long story, really short - we realized that the brake mount screw was extending through the firewall too far and that was causing the engine block to hang up. We also figured out that the floorpan in the cockpit was preventing a smooth fit between the clutch and the engine as well. Engine installation, Day 1 ended with a great amount of frustration and lots of awfully colorful vernacular.

So, we went home early that afternoon and came back the next day to try again. That's always the best approach.

Day 2 of the engine installation went much more smoothly as Jimmy was able to grind down the bolt from the brake mount that was causing the block to hang up. We also went through the trouble to disengage the driveshaft and pull the rear end of the car out to work on the clutch. While it was a pain-in-the-ass, we figured that now was the time to do it right and make sure everything worked the right way instead of half-assing it and hoping for the best in the middle of the season.

After fighting with the clutch and figuring out that not only was the floorpan preventing a proper fit but Jimmy also realized that some of the bolts were not screwing in properly either. So, he cleaned out and reworked some of the bolt holes to make them fit.

Upon getting the engine to finally fit the way it should, we got all of the lines attached and things all hooked up and then decided to see how it looked underneath. That's when we saw that the oil pan was going to have to be changed.

The pan was too deep for the pavement car by almost an inch! So, we did what any self-respecting race team would do when confronted with such information after placing the engine in the car... we used more of that vernacular!

Another hour of double-checking that everything fit so that we only had to take the engine out once to do anything to it and then out it came. It, now, sits in the shop on the engine stand with a new oil pan about to be attached. We are awaiting a new gasket and with any kind of luck, it should be in the car by the beginning of next week.

We hope to get a bit of fuel to get it fired up to check it and make sure everything is running smoothly. After that, panels can be attached, wheels can be put on and we'll have a legitimate race car! I'll make sure to shoot some video of the engine running and get it posted here. I would also like to take some good pictures in the next couple of weeks and get them posted as well.

On a side note, I'd like to take a quick minute and wish Geoff Dodge luck as he begins his sprint car season tomorrow night, 13 Apr. He'll be racing in the World of Outlaws events in Paducah, KY and Pevely, MO on Sat night. Geoff fired up his car yesterday in the garage and ran it around the parking lot a bit to make sure everything was looking good and it sounded great! Jimmy and I are ready to hear the Silver Crown car fired up next and in the meantime, we hope Geoff goes out there and shows the Outlaws how it's done!

Our goal is to have the pavement car ready for the USAC test on 29 Apr. We invite anyone to come out and see us run around and knock the construction dust off the car. We have a garage-full of race cars and it's time to start getting them out to the track and we can't wait!

We are expecting quite a few more updates in the coming weeks so please check back often. Also take the time to check out our website at  http://eddiesachsracing.net/ and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Eddie-Sachs-Racing/122289531187434 so that you don't miss out on any of the action once the season gets underway!

- Gar