<VV> Autocross success

[Levair at aol.com]

all.

This was a typical Indiana day, drive to the event in the rain, run in the 
dry and drive home in the rain.
   If you stayed home in IN because of a threat of rain, you would stay home 
every day. 
  We went to Ft. Wayne (Ft. Rain) IN for a local event on a seal coated bumpy 
lot. Around 80 entries. I went simply to test a new set up.
  Last week I went to Grissom AFB to run on smooth concrete. The car felt 
doggy and had very slow/physically hard  turn in. 
  I reduced the front end caster and installed new softer front tires--R25A 
vs R 35. I left R 35s on the rear as they felt soft after running , not so with 
the fronts. 
  I know that asphalt is not the same to compare, but the tires transformed 
the car. 
   It also felt much more powerful as it was very easy to spin the tires; 
especially about a car length into the short straights when the boost came on (10 
psi).
   This is just a subjective  feel because the tires were easier to spin on 
the asphalt vs the grippy concrete. Not a real objective fact. It'll probably 
feel like a dog again on the next concrete lot. 
   ****Anyway, I got FTD (fastest time of the day) . It blew me away as well 
as the cars that I beat. One was a Lotus Europa which regularly gets FTD as 
well as three Lotus 7 types and a new Lotus Elise coupe. I know that this won't 
last, but I'll take it for now.  
   Who would have expected this from an Orange 1960 Corvair coupe with the 
dreaded swing axles.? 
   This car has become set up more and more like my Stinger with no special 
provisions for it being a swing axle car. The only real difference is the 850# 
rear springs which are actually--due to inboard location, and widened 
track--about the same "wheel" rate as the Stinger. These rear springs have finally 
sagged a little resulting in 3/4 deg. neg. rear camber VS the 1/4 it had at the 
start. I hope that it stays right there. 
   I'm still having hot soak starting problems. It's hard to regulate the 
fuel pressure to the 3 psi required by the Weber. I'm about ready to toss it in 
favor of a not so finicky Q-jet.
   My life has been so blessed these last few years, that I can hardly 
restrain myself from boring you about it. I can hardly believe that you can have so 
much fun at 63, not so fit, and not so rich. 

Warren