Lucky has nuts

As crazy as this sounds today I finally got the lug nuts I have been waiting for. Is that nuts or what? (no pun intended) At ant rate now Lucky has nuts.

A few minor items that I managed to get done today are finishing installing the fuel cell hold down straps and then I rerouted the fuel cell vent hose and filter so there would be no chance of fuel fumes getting inside the car. We also painted and installed the new skid bar and made some clearance adjustments.

Last but not least I installed the fan that I finally chose to keep Lucky cool with the least amount of problems. After months of research, phone calls and discussions I have finally ruled out an electric fan and have decided to go with a metal, belt driven fan. As a matter of fact it was the tech department at Spal themselves that advised me to go this way. Due to clearance reasons many car builders often utilize a thin electric fan that will fit between their engine/water pump and the radiator. Using thin fan may seem OK but they do not have large enough windings in the motors to run the fan at the required speeds for the high altitudes of the La Carrera Panamericana. Then there are those who for years have ran the most popular fan of choice which is the classic electric Ford Taurus fan. What I managed to learn is the Taurus fan uses a large amount of amperage and one thing I have learned over the last year is not just a few but a WHOLE BUNCH of competitors experienced electrical and charging system problems over the last few years. Is it possible they never put two and two together? I don't know but I am not taking any chances. The six bladed steel fan I chose is the very same one used by the majority of race teams who have campaigned Shelbys in both high altitude and hot weather racing. One thing I have learned about being successful at winning races is... Simple basic is good.

I hope like all get out that the drive shaft I ordered will be here tomorrow so that I can actually drive the car. If so I will try to get the car out to my front end expert ROGER KRAUS RACING who is one of the best known susspension experts in California.