Who said it won't rain?

Today I accomplished two what most would call minor projects but when you are involved in a race (any race) let alone one that starts at the border of Guatemala and last until you get back to the United States some 7 days later NOTHING is minor.

One such task was finishing up the electrical system for the heater. Now before anyone starts asking questions like, "What kind of a race car has a heater?" let me tell you that I attribute lots of good reasons why a race car, especially a car designed for endurance racing should have not only a heater but defrosters to boot. God willing this will not be the only endurance race that Lucky will star in and there are several races TEAM CALIFORNIA'S BEST utilizes a heater/defroster. Besides the obvious reasons of needing a defroster in the humid and rainy jungles found in the southern parts of Mexico near the Guatemalan border and other races like the 25 HOURS OF THUNDERHILL which takes place in December during what some call the monsoon season, there are other factors. One such reason is that a heater helps an engine hold a larger amount of water which helps keep the engine running cooler especially since over-heating is a common problem at the altitude which cars run during the La Carrera Panamericana. Any winning endurance team will always give high priority to visibility and ways to help an engine run cooler.

Another "small" project I dealt with today was building a better mouse trap so to speak with regards to the power steering hoses. As I mentioned in an earlier post over the years I have removed power steering from many of my Mustangs but for such a long race with so many turns MAIERS RACING has advised me to run a custom power steering setup. Since Mustangs are not known for having reliable power steering hoses I designed and then had some hoses built that will not fail. The good thing about power steering on a mustang is that should it ever fail you can just keep on driving. Sort of like a built in back up plan.

Lucky has a new friend (Can Lucky come out and play?)

I sure hope we don't get in trouble. The other day I placed an ad in the paper to sell Lucky's rear end and boy did that ad get a lot of response! Check out Lucky's cute new little friend that dropped by to check out Lucky.

I finally finished wiring up the fuel sender to the FUEL SAFE Racing cell. While I was at it I installed the spare tire mounting bracket which was designed and built by IMPACT ENGINEERING that is required to race in the La Carrera Panamericana. Most spare tires found in GT350's were located in the back seat shelve area however due to the complex full roll cage which another IMPACT ENGINEERING design found in Lucky it will be a lot faster to get the spare out should we need it. Besides, I don't think Jon or I will be keeping our luggage in the trunk anyway.

Taking time out to smell the roses

I can't help but laugh at times when I realize this whole adventure is on about the same time-line as my grandson Tyler Gene considering both are just a little over 1 year old. Between all the excitement of the build of Lucky and the excitement of watching Tyler grow both of which seems to be at lightning speed I can honestly say each is an awesome experience. Needless to say of the two Tyler is our highest priority but what's even better is that Tyler loves race cars and he has literally grown up around Lucky. We all enjoy Tyler Gene and he has made our lives rich and even Tyler makes gramps take time out to smell the roses. (And a weed or two.)

But Lucky has even more friends to make yet since my navigator Jon Emerson and his wife also has a new bundle of joy at his household of about the same age and she is destine to make a lot of fellas hearts throb.

What good would an exciting life be without someone special to share the experience with? Yes, we are blessed men.

You can never read too much

One of the ways I relax is by enjoying other blogs and God knows there are a bunch however I have found what I consider my favorites. There are too many to list however there are a couple that stand out in my mind. One such blog is HEMMINGS AUTO BLOGS. I would find it hard to believe there is a single auto aficionado who is not familiar with the Hemmings reputation. While some teenagers were sneaking a peek at their ole man's Playboy I was getting yelled at for not returning my dad's Hemmings back to his favorite recliner. If you needed anything auto related, Hemmings was the place to look and still is. Click here for a sample LUCKY REPORT which mentions Lucky's progress.

Another favorite blog of mine is THE GARAGE BLOG. Not only is this a great place to read about everything that goes somewheres between slow and fast but this blog is based out of Canada which seems to offer some awesome "up north" viewpoints and personalities as well. You can also keep up with Lucky's status at THE GARAGE BLOG as well by clicking here; LUCKY REPORT.

While it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to see feature articles about Lucky and the adventure that is unfolding for TEAM CALIFORNIA'S BEST, there is so much more to be found in these great blogs so be sure and check them out.

Hey... Put a lid on it, will ya!

Now not only does Lucky have a hood but now he has hood pins as well. Do you have any idea how painful it is to take a drill to a perfectly brand new hood and hope like heck your measurements are dead on? Talk about "pucker power."

After the hood was on I really wanted to take the car for a spin but since the motor wasn't back yet we had to grab the first thing we could find. You know what they say, When in Rome do as the Romans do but since we're headed for Mexico....

Landslide Buries Bus in Mexico

Today there was a tragic accident when a busload of at least 40 passengers was buried by a landslide which resulted in the deaths of over 26 passengers so far. The bus was headed for Tehuacan which is where we stop for the first night of this years La Carrera Panamericana.

Soldiers and rescue workers recovered 26 bodies from the bus but held out little hope of finding survivors. Frantically digging through tons of earth and rock, hundreds of soldiers and rescue workers braved threats of additional slides to pull victims from the bus which was believed to be carrying between 40 and 60 passengers. The state's chief of ambulance services told the Televisa television network that "All are dead," but did not explain how he knew that. He said workers had only gained access to a small section of the bus. One official said, "All the mountains are risky. ... It's nature."

Authorities are considering dynamiting the rest of the mountain once rescue efforts end to avoid future landslides, saying its "current condition is a great risk."
Heavy rainfall across Mexico this week has triggered flooding and landslides that killed several people.

Update; So far, all but two of the 32 victims -- aged 6 to 48 -- have been identified, Puebla's state government said.


California's Best Racing Team would like to offer our sincere condolences to those families who lost loved ones in this terrible accident.

Just a little trim on the top please.

Today I finished installing the upper spring perches with full bearing movement which also allowed me to finish installing the springs and Bilstein racing shocks. After they were installed I installed all new tyrod ends, drag link, power steering ram and control valve. I also installed the "Quick Steering Idler and Pitman Arm" designed specifically for the 1965 GT350 R model Shelbys. This combined with the Flaming River quick ratio steering gear box and the TCP power steering pump system to be installed later will give the ultimate control that can be found on any Mustang. For years I ran Shelbys and Mustangs minus power steering and for the most part felt comfortable with it. But when you are intimately involved with a handful of car while dealing with an unexpected slippery road let alone a amorous burro it pays to be "quick" on the wheel and that's exactly what Lucky will have.

I also found time to finalize the installation of the adjustable proportioning valve lines and re-routing as well. Last but not least we installed the small bit of door trim chrome moulding. As my wife would say, "Not to be too overpowering but just enough to make a statement." LOL.