Desert Dingo Racing

Category: Photos

  • Ok, we’ve had better weekends

    The engine is mocking Bob

    Bob vs. the engine

    This weekend belonged to Bob, Creech, and Shawn. The whole weekend.

    They installed the rebuilt transmission from Bradford Racing in Prunedale. On Saturday they drove nearly two hours to Hollister Hills SVRA for a shakedown test. The video says it all. Drive a couple hundred yards, stop. Check the transmission. Drive another couple hundred yards. Stop. Repeat. It kept popping out of second gear.

    They packed it up after just one run and headed back to Bradford’s place. He drove it. It still popped out. The team trailered the car back to Creech’s and Bob dropped the engine and tranny in a record 75 minutes. They drove it back to Bradford’s and he committed to rebuilding it overnight.

    Creech picked it up this morning and Bob worked his magic to get it re-installed. The engine, coaxed into place by Bob, Creech and me (while Shawn made a rocket run for transmission fluid), went in like buttah. (Bob had his own description for how smoothly it went).

    Creech and Bob took it for a test drive just as it started to sprinkle. No joy. Still popping out of second gear. It really started to rain as we loaded 1102 onto the trailer. An hour drive to Prunedale. Steve says he’ll deliver us a working transmission, whatever it takes.

    The team starts heading out for Vegas and the Battle at Primm on Thursday. A handful of photos here…

  • Two weeks to Battle at Primm and counting

    On the road again

    That’ll buff right out…

    Two weeks to Primm and we’re buttoning the car up. We re-attached the hammered out fenders, installed the rear skid plate, adjusted the shifter and clutch and installed the rear bumper.

    Took it for a run around the neighborhood and decided some more teesting is in order, so we’ll out to Hollister Hills next Saturday for a shakedown cruise. Sunday the fenders get painted. Then on to Vegas.

    Photos of today’s work here…

  • Evolution of the car

    More work tomorrow on the car to get it ready for the Battle at Primm. A perfect time to do a retrospective on the evolution of the car.

    Straight off the showroom

    Skid bought it for $300 from a guy who was about to have it hauled to a junk dealer, apparently because his landlord thought it was an eyesore. The car was a rolling frame with an engine and transmission, but not much else. We stripped it down to the pan and built it back up from there.

    We'll be blowing past Trophy Trucks

    In line for the 2007 Baja 1000. We didn’t come to appreciate this til after the race, but we didn’t have much in the way of clearance, which was our downfall. Went with red rims in honor of Eric Solorzano. Notice the night lights mounted directly to the roof, also with no protection. One low hanging branch and we could kiss them goodbye. The black on the hood was to reduce glare from the lights.

    Getting our act together

    Note the substantially greater clearance, the new vintage Jeep tires that give us an extra 3/4s of an inch of clearance. Front shock reservoirs have been moved to the inside of the fenders for increased cooling. Trunk is double-fastened with clips and a rubber bungie cord. New light bar with lights repositioned further forward. The car being prepped for Primm is pretty much in this configuration.

  • Three weeks to Battle at Primm and we’re hard at work

    Bustin' ass

    It’s three weeks to Battle at Primm and we’re working like crazy to get the car ready. Scott, Bob, Richard, Cary, Skid, Shawn and I showed up at Creech’s mountaintop retreat today. We installed the transmission, then the engine, then got the electrical and hoses connected, put in a new steering damper and fired her up. Bob also had his heart set on a front end alignment before terrorizing the neighborhood. Cary and Shawn worked on some new fenders we got courtesy of Bradford Racing in Prunedale.

    Rather than trash those perfectly good fenders during the gold rush start of 14 Stock Bugs at Primm, we’re opting to hammer out and rattle can paint our existing fenders.

    Gallery of photos from today’s work here.

  • Flying Bug

    It's big flying bug!

    Who doesn’t get tired of looking at pictures of a flying Bug? This one from the driver’s side.

    There is consensus building that the team will forego the San Felipe 250 and instead race the Battle at Primm in February.

    Thanks to Zach Zander for shooting the photo and Bryan Grant for forwarding it to us.