First Significant Drive(s)

You I got a fast car. Is it fast enough so we could fly away?

First, the huge news: drove the car home today. It will stay in my garage for at least a few weeks, as Joe is going on holiday and his shop will be shut down for at least that long. Absent his tools and amazing help and skills, I can continue to do a variety of things to the car at home. Most important of all is to just drive the sh!t out it and see what breaks, what vibrates, what wears out, what rattles... in short, start compiling a list of closeout actions for the car. 

I do have to say, however, that first drives are really, really promising. Sure, there's a number of things that immediately need fixing. For instance, the brakes basically are as hard as a rock to press and stop the car. Hopefully, the smaller diameter master cylinders on order will fix that. And so on....

....but overall, the car actually handles pretty well already. There's been no real alignment, shocks and spring settings are just guesses at this point, and the car is in desperate need of at least a front sway bar, if not a rear one, too. But she tracks straight and true as-is, and the steering is super responsive (to be honest, almost too responsive; you sneeze and you've lane-changed...). 

The power is also still very de-tuned. The previous owner who had this engine in his car was an old man (hey, ain't we all?) and Joe and his compatriots at the shop rev- and boost-limited that incarnation (5500rpm and 6psi, respectively). That tune is still on the car as it currently sits, but holy crap does she pull hard already. No idea what the current horsepower is, but 1850lbs of car will scoot under even modest hp levels. The engine noises, too, are glorious, with the side exhaust and turbo spool just singing in harmony. I'm still grinning from the couple of drives I've done.

I simply love it. And there's a lot to do to make it even better.. Woot!

And in related news, a couple of new features were added this week. First is a prop bar for the bonnet. Works really well and keeps the bonnet up and very secure. Main issue is just the struggle to open the bonnet in the first place; things have gotten heavier with additional bracing and such. I'm thinking some kind of helper springs are in the future.

Also got my 5-point harnesses installed. Seats need serious re-upholstery, and the belts themselves are a bit of a chore to put on, but they're secure and safe once you're all buckled in:

And the other thing we added was two gauges in the engine compartment, peeking out under the cowl-induction hood. One is boost and the other is fuel pressure. Both are lit and easily read from the cockpit. A very nice solution indeed!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so little will take place, but in the following days, there will hopefully be a lot of miles and more smiles. And lists. Lots of lists. I've leave you with this final shot of the car back in its ultimate permanent home, my garage: