Desert Dingo Racing

Category: The 24

  • Two weeks to “The 24” and 1107 is on the truck

    1107 set up for a lot of night driving. This photo appears to have been taken in the late 1960s.

    I met Crusty Thursday noon-ish and drover his 60-year-old no-power-steering ’51 car hauler down to Bayside Oil II to pick up a 55 gallon drum of race fuel, then drove it back. I’ll be driving it solo from Felton to Gerlach and from there to Fallon for the race, beginning next Monday night.

    Crusty put 1107 on the truck, but I insisted on tying it down, just so I know how it all works. Over the next week I’ll be making a run to Dixon & Son Tires in Watsonville to get a flat fixed and have a couple of rims swapped out. Will also head back to Bayside to get the 11 gallon speed jugs filled and I have to load all the radio equipment, helmets, race suits and other stuff. I’ll be driving over night because A. Less traffc, and 2. I get to listen to that guy who replaced Art Bell on that radio show that talks about UFOs.

    I’ll arrive in Fallon on Thursday, Sept. 1, will set up the pit and prep for everyone arriving on Friday. The 24 starts 8 a.m. Saturday, goes for the 12 hours. Everyone gets 12 hours to rest and wrench, then resumes 8 a.m. Sunday and goes for another 12 hours.



    Crusty included in photo for perspective purposes only.

  • Sometime tomorrow we should pass 30,000 downloads of our iPhone & Android apps

    Now if only Steve Jobs would tell me who you all are.

    Bob Russell reports that the engine fired up nicely yesterday and he dropped off two more fenders he picked up at a VW show, bringing our total fender collection up over 300.

    Lowrance reports that our GlobalMap 5200C GPS unit, which we’ve had for four years, is kaput and is shipping us a new HDS 5M, which I think will also locate trout if we ever decide to take 1107 fishing. Shocks and tires should go on the car today. Two weeks to the “The 24“, which I will be live updating on the Twitter using the hash tag #The24.

  • Summer finally arrives

    This isn’t what you think it is.

    It was freaking hot today. I wasn’t even working on the car and I had pits. I showed up and Crusty was chasing a short in one of our halogen driving lights. The Bilstein shocks arrived. Bob comes by tomorrow to start the engine and seat the rings or whatever it is you have to do. Shocks go in tomorrow. Wednesday we pick up fuel and I probably haul tires down to Dixon & Son Tires to get the best tires put on the best rims.

    Crusty also painted the new nose today. I promptly dumped race fuel all over it.

    It still looks pretty good. Since my math sucks, it’s now two and a half weeks to The 24.

  • Buttoning up

    That’s a pumper.

    More buttoning up today. Crusty focused on reinforcing the front end, something under the engine and welding supports for the front bumper. I installed the air pumper (which filters and pumps fresh air into our helmets), tested all the radio equipment, zip-tied several miles worth of wiring or tubes, installed the Camelbaks, and together we installed the doors, which is only six screws, but took for freaking ever.

    What’s left? Install the Bilstein shocks, which I’m hoping arrive Monday. Put the tires on. Load the spares. Wait for the new or refurbished GPS unit to arrive from Lowrance. Pick up the fuel drum and fill the speed just. Put the car on Crusty’s rat road hauler along with all the spare parts and tools and fuel.

    Bob reports he picked up two more fenders (we never have enough) at a Bug show today. He’s coming by tomorrow to start and break in the rebuilt engine. Sometime this week Crusty will install the bumper-mounted driving lights.

    Some photos from today’s work here.

  • Countdown to “The 24” begins

    Our new deck lid, replacing our old deck lid, which was crushed by 775 at VORRA’s USA 500.

    Crusty and I wrenched on the car on Saturday. Mostly Crusty. With the engine installed, Crusty filled it with oil provided by our new sponsor Motul. In addition to the engine, we have to add enough oil to fill the engine, 1.5 quart oil accumumulator and all the hoses and filters. The new front skid plate (we sort of lost the last one at the USA 500) is in from State Steel in Watsonville.

    I focused on everything comm, getting the radio and comm re-plugged in and going through all of 1107’s wiring to streamline wiring routing to ensure that nothing was exposed if it didn’t have to be, nothing was hanging where it could be snagged by anyone climbing in or out of the car or grabbing a tool or somesuch. Also picked up new Nylocks to make sure the air pumper doesn’t fall off during the race and a few bits and bobs at Home Depot.

    Buttoning up continues today. I’ll learn how to drive the rat rod hauler. We’ll fuel 1107 (so we can bring additional fuel in the speed jugs). We’ll go through a ton of zip ties. I’ll be duct taping a handheld mic in a zip lock baggie with a handheld mic somewhere in the car. Naturally I’ll test the ability to plug my old skool iPod shuffle into the Rugged Radios intercom. The new deck lid will go on and I’ll attach and wire the TrailGlow rear number panel. Everything is a process.

    That new model VW Beetle is still parked on the hauler in Felton. I’m this close to taking a blow torch to it.