Well, it's all play really, but every day between now and Rallye Defi will involve some sort of work on T-4.

Tonight, I installed a new proximity probe for the rally computer. The probe creates a signal when something ferrous is in close proximity to it. We put a nut on the driver's axle with some metal based adhesion goo and then routed the wires up to the computer. We spun the wheels by hand and she works! :-)

Drew stopped by and we spent the rest of the evening removing items so that we can take the tranny out for a clutch change. For those of you changing clutches at home, don't forget the nice clutch fork rod, which lives in both Subaru 5 and 6 speed trannies! :-)

I'll pull the tranny tomorrow, install the new ACT 6 puck clutch and pressure plate and then put it all back together.

Bronson will show and work his magic fusing different types of metal and aluminum together. We're hoping to tie up some of the welding projects that need to be completed.

Some more brake system fittings ordered from California today. They'll arrive Tuesday and we leave Wednesday AM. Never enough time.....

Cheers! John

Fellow native and award winning photographer Mark Fleming is documenting our prep and journey to the upcoming Rallye Defi St. Agathe in Quebec in about a weeks' time.

His first pic is up on his blog. Check out Mark's fantastic work!

http://markfleming.pixyblog.com/

Cheers! John

Sorry everyone, but I sometimes get some tied up in working on the car, I forget to update you all!

The question I've been getting lately is, "How's the car coming?" Next popular is, "Will it be ready for Defi?" Answers are good and yes! :-)

More detailed updates below.

1.) Got the AN plumbing from, where else, anplumbing.com. Great folks at the Earl's Store in Cali. Got the bulkhead fittings installed. Dry fit all the lines to the master cylinders. Installed the residual pressure valves. These are important if the master cylinders are below the level of the calipers. Pedal box still not mounted yet, but that's the next step.

2.) Clutch slave cylinder. Had to put the new AN line on the clutch slave and had to open up the gap on the top of the slave to accept the wider diameter of the new line. While the clutch slave was out, I employed a common rally mod. The slave mounts to the tranny(both 5 and 6 speed) with two bolts. These are difficult to get out quickly with the starter in place.

So.....I found a bolt with the same thread as the stock one and placed it in the rear and cut the head off. In the front, I installed a stud with a nut. So, when/if the clutch slave needs replacing, then you remove a single nut off the front stud and pull it off. MUCH easier.

3.) The power to the rally driving lights comes off a couple of relays on the passenger side of the engine bay. Pretty standard stuff. Problem is, when the lights are connected, you can't open the hood. So, another standard rally mod is in the works. Bought two orange extension cords at Home Depot tonight and will wire those to the relays and then secure them to the bottom of the hood so that the pod lights won't restrict access to the service crew.

A small, simple, cheap modificaiton that could make a world of difference for the service crew and improve the reliability of the car.

Thanks for checking in and keeping up to date with the LDR crew!

Cheers! John

Don't worry, the X-Games write up will come-who knows when, but it'll come! :-)

Prepping T-4 for Rallye Defi St. Agathe.

Focus on the car varies between races, depending on what system needs improvement and what damage we've done at the last race!

Improvement has progressed steadily this season, and that's reflected in our finishes.

The brake system is our current focus, although no system in the car exists without affecting another.

So....I decided that we really needed to rectify my driving position. My seat was too far forward(and high) as we were using the stock, firewall mounted Subaru pedals. We had been using the stock master cylinder(without vacuum assist) to our Group N brake calipers.

To say that the system didn't work well would be a bit of an understatement. I mean, I could stop the car, but braking late and hard is the name of the game. In order to do that, we needed to re-engineer the whole system.

A couple of e-mails late and a floor mounted pedal box was on its way from England. A few more magical clicks on the internet and three new Wilwood compact master cylinders were on their way. Heating up the debit card a bit more resulted in a bunch of AN stainless plumbing heading across the US of A to Triple Caution Farm.

So, what else did we need to do?! The list only got longer. Floor mounted pedals meant that we could move my driver's seat back. Moving the seat rearward meant dropping the steering column a bit as well.

Removing the stock brake and clutch master cylinders meant some aluminum patches needed to be cut and riveted to the firewall to plug the holes. The remote reservoirs for the new dual brake master cylinders and the clutch master will be mounted in the engine compartment.

Each change to the car is made with specific concerns in mind; safety, speed, reliability.

The brake system/floor mounted pedals/changed driver's position result in numerous positives.

The position change of the seat allows me to enter and exit the car easier. This becomes even more crucial in an emergency situation. I am now sitting on level with the B-pillar, which puts more metal between me and the scenary. Never a bad thing!

The floor mounted pedals move some weight closer to the floor and further back in the car, helping to lower the center of gravity and change the polar moment of the car(moving my heft back does way more for this, but you get the idea!).

The dual master cylinders should allow for improved braking performance and the balance bar will enable me to change the bias from front to rear brakes as the conditions dictate.

What's the next system for an upgrade? Probably the turbo system, but that's a story for another day.

Stay tuned!

Cheers! John