NMS-South Appears in Lemons Race Video!

Screen Shot of The Dodgesons from the video

"The Dodgesons" screen shot
Here's the video on YouTube:  LEMONS AT CMP

Brian (AKA NMS-South) and his friends in the Bunch of Idiots racing team were in a recent Lemons race here in South Carolina, and the final video from the official 24 Hours of Lemons folks has hit YouTube.  To see these drivers and hear what they're up to, go to 8:00 minutes into the video and you'll see the hosts talking about the big purple Dodge, themed as "THE DODGESONS", and then the video goes to our friends "THE DIRTSUNS" in their Datsun 510! Just a crazy family reunion at the race you know!

Later, as the video lists the race prize winners, look closely, and you'll see that the footage is from inside the Coronet with NMS-South (Brian) driving! Hey, I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool! 

The Bunch of Idiots video screen shot

Besides the Bunch of Idiots, I think this video gives you a great idea of what Lemons racing is all about, which is mostly having fun with cars, and doing crazy stuff at the same time, all while being safe on track. Oh, but it's not ALL on the track, because the race here in South Carolina features a unique Friday Night Block Party in downtown Camden, and there's plenty of scenes from there also (like the photo above.) The video also includes a lot of quick references to the Dodgesons and Dirtsuns "Family" theme, as in from the Fast and Furious films, so that's kind of extra cool too. 

That's NMS-S (Brian) in-car camera for the video trophy section. 

Car Questions

You want people to know what you're driving!

I went to the Lake Wylie Cars and Coffee (new to me) recently, and enjoyed seeing some old, new, and in between cars. Since I'm in air conditioning class right now, I started looking at how the AC systems were set up on various cars, so that was some good experience. One thing that really stuck out was that old cars either with or without AC generally have a lot less pulleys and accessories attached to the serpentine belt. Some of them looked like there was the crankshaft, and a belt that only went to the alternator. 

Mustang

Anyway, in the midst of looking at AC stuff, I also noticed on an old Plymouth Valiant a brake master cylinder with only one brake line, so from my brake class this told me it was old enough (1960s) that back then some cars just had one brake line for all 4 wheels. The reason you can't make a car like that anymore is the safety requirement to have at least 2 brake lines. This comes in handy if you ever lose brake pressure or fluid, because with the one-line system to all 4 wheels you'd then lose brakes on ALL 4 wheels. Not good unless you apply the Fred Flintstone driving method.

Ford

Along the way, as I was looking at all the cool cars, I thought of a few questions, so I'll throw some of those questions with the appropriate photo below also. Thanks for reading. 

Classic Monte Carlo badge, who doesn't love that?

Chevy Bel Air. Why don't they make this again?

Charger with fake side ports. It still looks cool, huh?

Porsche, why do they call it a slant nose?

Plymouth Valiant Signet.  As Gunnery Sgt Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket said, "Are you royalty?" Signet has a nice ring to it. 

Here ya go, Plymouth Valiant with one brake line for all 4 wheels. The owner stated that sure enough he lost all his brakes one time on the Interstate. Cars are now required to have more than one brake line. 

Nissan GTR. These are great fast cars, but do you even know anyone that owns one?

This was a nice display on this Chevy. How do you like the yellow?

When was the last time you saw a car with timing marks on it?

SPOILER ALERT: Doesn't everyone want a new Corvette?

Corvette interior. 

Corvette tubeless rear tire, 345 width is a HUGE tire. How much does this tire cost? I looked it up and saw $446 for one rear tire. 

I have no questions on one of the coolest logos ever! Carry on!

2009 Porsche Cayman. You didn't think I'd leave out my own car did you?

Shelby Cobra. Should I have moved over 1 step, so that it looked like the snake was eating my head? Maybe next time. 

Plastic head cover. Am I the only one worried about this?

Mid-sixties engine bay. How do you like all that space in there?

Late model engine bay. Where'd all the room go?

Ford Oil Bath and StratoStar labels. Who doesn't need more labels on their car?

Ford Victoria. Don't you love having your name on your car? I'm not sure how many people named Victoria bought this car for that reason, but you never know!

I like a good vanity license plate. If enough people pay extra for them, don't you think the rest of us should get free ones?

Ford 5.0 liter Coyote engine. Not a bad name, but how about "Werewolves of London 5.0?"

Roush is another Ford performance company. This logo is OK, but I still like the Coyote more, how about you?

So, You Want to Buy a Racetrack?

Even if you spell it backwards, it's still a RACECAR!

If you're in the market for owning a racetrack of your very own, you've come to the right place! No, NMS is not selling one, but we've seen a few on the Internet that apparently are up for sale! All you need to become a racetrack owner is what scientists call "money!" I don't know about you, but there's just something fascinating about this, although for most of us, unless we hit the big lotto prize we won't be buying a track anytime soon. Shoot, if you were that rich, why not build your own track! OK, grab your wallet, and step right this way!

Another racecar!

First up, near Topeka Kansas, and smack dab in the middle of the USA, is Heartland Motorsports Park. This facility is part of a larger sale that includes land that can be developed into an industrial park too. I'm not sure if the local intent is to convert even the racetrack into warehouses and whatever you find in an industrial park, but buying a racetrack sounds like a good idea to me! Your mileage may vary! Check out this link for more info:

        HEARTLAND PARK AUCTION

Our favorite SC track, not for sale.

Next, up near Grand Rapids Michigan is Grattan Raceway.  This track has been a family business since about 1960, and the family is looking to sell. The track is still operating, includes various other facilities like a BMX track, in ground swimming pool, and etc. I don't know the current business model, but since it's farther north, I'd think that maybe if it snowed enough you could do cross-country skiing or snowmobiling in the winter. Why not buy it and give it a shot! Here's the link: 

        GRATTAN RACEWAY

Charlotte Motor Speedway, probably not for sale. Right next door to the big NASCAR oval is a dirt track, and the 4-wide Zmax Dragway. Oh, and they're building another track right next to this one. 

Finally, if those two tracks don't get your entrepreneurial motor racing, here's a website that lists a BUNCH of tracks, dragstrips, dirt tracks, kart facilities, and related properties for sale. From across the USA and including Canada, there's sure to be something on your shopping list! Shoot, check out the listing for Greyhound Park in Tuscon for some different racing! The Internet was made for stuff like this! Happy shopping!

        CAR PROPERTY DOT COM

Good News/Bad News: Air Conditioning Class

Checking pressures, refrigerant. and oil on a Lexus. 

Good news: I started Air Conditioning class and have learned a lot of the basics of how automotive AC systems work. 

Bad news: It's been the hottest week of the year, and when you're diagnosing an AC system, you should be doing this with the car out in the sun to really test it. SPOILER ALERT: being in the sun is hotter than being in the shade!

AC machine getting a refill of R-134a from the blue tank, working on a Nissan. 

Good news: The AC machines that can recover, recharge, and handle the refrigerant and oil and inject dye for testing for leaks do all the work!

Bad news: You better know what you're doing and operate the machine the right way or you'll be having some problems! At the end of this class, we will take the test to be certified on handling refrigerant and these machines. 

New belt on the AC-less 350Z

Good news: There is a rating scale for how different refrigerants pollute the air, and over time, the auto industry standards for Ozone Depletion Levels on the 100-year Global Warning Potential scale have vastly improved from R-12 rated at 10,900 to R-1234yf rated only 4. I don't know what those numbers mean, but 4 is a lot more than a cheeseburger's worth less than 10,900. Speaking of big numbers, I remember comedian Mitch Hedberg said something like "I like rice, when I want to eat 1,000 of something!"

I recovered the refrigerant and removed the AC system on this NMS-South Z car, so I just crimped off these no longer needed AC lines. To remove them and the evaporator would have required enrolling into the dash removal program, so we voted "no" on that proposal. 

Good news: So far, I've worked on multiple cars, like a Scion, a Ford Escape, a Ford Explorer, a Lexus SUV, a Nissan Rogue, and a 91 BMW 325i that had a 99 M3 motor in it. On top of that, I've observed plenty of other cars in the shop!

Bad news: In one car that my group charged up with refrigerant and then test drove, the low gas warning came on, and was flashing! We returned to the shop and let the instructor know that we were done testing. So, my tip of the week: If you're having work done on your car that might require a test drive (like AC or brakes, suspension, etc.) make sure you've got some gas in there! On the other hand, if your car needs a new fuel pump that is INSIDE the gas tank, maybe try and get it to the shop with very little gas if you can. 

Consider this your Change-The-Cabin-Air-Filter-Reminder of the day!

Kind of bad news: On the 1991 model year car with the 1999-year engine, we had to keep in mind that while it originally used R-12, the 99 engine uses R-134a. The challenge was the low and high side fittings, because one was for R-12 (so we couldn't use it) and one was R-134a, so we used that one for the R-134. Still tracking down a leak on this one. 

A Story Problem!

Nissan 350Z

Here's a Story Problem for you: 

Some guy, we'll call him "Brian," is driving his Nissan 350Z race car at 122.987mph from Chicago to New York, so if it's 789.9 miles, how many...

Step 1: unload car from trailer...

and Step 2: start doing stuff!

Oops, sorry! Wrong story problem! Try this real-world scenario: 

NMS-South wants to delete the AC from their race car. At the EXACT same time, NMS-North is enrolled in Air Conditioning Class that meets three hours per day Monday thru Friday. This is a two-part question: 

1) How long will it take NMS-North to remove the AC System (but not the evaporator)?

2) How much does NMS-South OWE NMS-North for removing said AC system? Let me repeat, there is NO WAY I'm pulling out the evaporator, because that would likely involve taking off the entire dash and adding hours to this job!

Condenser, no longer needed to cool refrigerant. Radiator fans sitting on it will go back in the car. 

1: Subtracting the classroom time that did not involve wrenching on the car, and the delay caused by waiting for parts to arrive (more on that later), it took 4 days. 

2: The most popular answer to this question came from one of my classmates, who said "He owes you a lot more than a cheeseburger!" so, I'm going to use that as the answer to every question I get for the next week. 

    Q: "Hey man, how do I get to Charlotte from here?" A: "A lot more than a cheeseburger" 

    Q: “Think it'll rain today?" A: "It'll take a lot more than a cheeseburger!"

AC machine, handy for removing refrigerant safely.

Step 1: To remove the condenser and AC, you have to first drain the refrigerant. Then, to get the radiator out of the condenser's way, you have to loosen it, get the two air boxes out of the way, get the upper radiator hose out of the way, and just for fun you might as well remove the tower brace and engine cover. Along the way I drained the coolant and later refilled it with distilled water when things were hooked back up. 

Step 2: To remove the compressor, take off the old belt, unclip the electrical connections, take off the two AC lines, and take off the three bolts holding it on. This step is pretty simple, once you find that last bolt way on the back of the compressor!

Compressor removed, no longer needed to compress and pump refrigerant.

Step 3: To remove a tiny bit more weight, I took out the first sections of AC lines that had gone from the condenser towards the evaporator. This is light weight stuff, but also included a few clamps and bolts along the way. With the high-pressure line, I used a special removal tool at a connection, but the low-pressure line didn't have any connectors easily in reach, so I used a set of diagonal pliers to just cut it off. After crimping the lines, no problem. The rest of the lines in and out of the evaporator can just sit there. 

This machine tests the refrigerant before you work on the system, so that you know what you're dealing with. Old cars might still have R-12, most have R-134a, and new cars have R-1234yf. 

Step 4: Now with no compressor to be driven by the serpentine belt, I could also remove an idler pulley that wasn't needed (diagram below.) Then, with one less pulley, you need a shorter serpentine belt. Brian researched what size belt would work in this new configuration, but when we tried (and tried, and tried) to fit it on the car, it was a bit too short. No problem, we ordered a slightly longer belt! Keep in mind that Nissan did not make any of these engines with no AC this way, so there is no "book" answer length of belt to buy.

Your basic Before and After, although since this diagram is for a 370Z, we don't have the idler pulley that is the farthest to the left.

 THIS Idler pulley? Fughgeddaboudit!

However, belt number two was too long, and this is where this story turns into a variation on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, because I was really... really... REALLY hoping that the THIRD BELT would be JUUUUUSSSTTT right! And it was!

New shorter belt, no AC and one less idler pulley.

After getting the right size belt on, and putting all the parts back on, it was time to fire it up! Guess what? No problems! After running a while, the fans kicked on like they are supposed to, there were no coolant/water leaks, and the belt kept doing its thing in a shorter size! 

So, that's the end of our story problem for today. NMS-South now has a car with deleted AC, NMS-North got to work on a racecar for four days, and certainly the world must be a better place for it! Thanks for reading!