Indy 500 – Remembering the First

As some of us prepare to watch the running of the Indianapolis 500 today we should remember the first Indy 500 run on the “brick yard” in 1911.  Ray Harroun drove the Marmon Wasp to victory as the only car to compete without a mechanic.  After much controversy he was allowed to run sans-mechanic by mounting a rear view mirror, the first ever on the cowl of his number 32 yellow Wasp.

With a purse of $25,000 for the winner and contestants from all over the world, this inaugural race drew a crowd of 80,000.  The race was sactioned by the AAA.

In those days a mechanic road with the driver and constantly made adjustment to the clutch, engine, and grease cups, etc. as well as warned the driver of cars around him on the track.  Today spotters around the track are in radio contact with the drivers alerting them to the same situations as the mirrors in use provide only a limited amount of visual information.

Back in those days the Indianapolis track was paved with bricks in order to provide a hard surface for the race cars, hence its nickname of the Brickyard.   Over 3 million bricks were used and today there remains a three foot strip of those bricks exposed at the start finish line so that the nickname can still be used.

The track was established as a development test track for the emerging automobile industry.  At the time Indiana was the home of over 100 manufacturers of cars.  Far more than Michigan.

The Wasp was powered by a straight six cylinder engine of 7.8 liters and developing 110 horse power.  Ray’s average speed was just shy of 75 miles per hour.  He chose that speed so that his tires would out last the other competitors. 

In 1962 Ray came out to the track to do a lap in the Wasp in celebration of the fiftieth running of the race.  He was 83.  You can see his car in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at the track.

Here is a film of the first Indy 500.

Evolution IX – Gauging a New Perspective

It is a relatively small change, but one that really improves a key feature of the Evolution MR.  The MR edition came with a three gauge cluster that provides some useful information, but its placement is not the best for quick scanning or getting the most useful information in your line of sight.

The three gauges consist of a boost gauge, on the far right, an oil temperature gauge, in the middle, and a volt meter, on the left.  The problem is that it is mounted down below the dash, and just above the console.  This makes it difficult to see and make use of the information it provides. 

Fortunately the gauge cluster is just the same size as the radio which is mounted up on the dash, so the two can be swapped with each other.  The gauges can also be rearranged so that the boost gauge is closest to the driver’s line of sight.

The first thing to do is to get enough of the dash apart so that the radio and gauges can be removed.  To do this you need to pull out the heater control knobs.  This doesn’t take much strength and exposes a couple of Philips headed screws that also have to be removed. 

There are another two Philips screws to be removed on the trim around the gauges.

Then some gentle prying will remove the lower trim piece.

Just hooking your fingers through the control holes will allow you to pop off the panel around the radio.

More Philips screws hold the radio and the gauges in place

I put towels on the console so that it wouldn’t get scratched.

When you pull out the radio you will need to disconnect the white plug and the antennae lead.  Just put it on the floor until you get the gauges out.

You can pull the gauges out and unplug them so you can reroute the wires and hose to the radio’s old location. 

If you want to move the boost gauge closer you can completely remove it and the volt meter from the cluster or you can make it real easy and just loosen all three gauge clamps and rotate them in the bezel 180 degrees.  That will get them in the preferred order without totally removing them.

With the gauges clamped in to the bezel you need to route the wiring to the upper location to you can plug them in with no strain on the wiring or tubing.

Connect up the wiring to the gauges and set them in place up top and screw them in place.  Take your time and make certain that no wiring or tubing is pinched.

The radio is much the same situation.  Make certain that the wiring is not going to be stretched or pinched when the radio is fastened down in the new location and don’t forget the antenna lead.

Screw in the radio using the mounts that used to hold the gauges in place.

Put all the trim pieces back and screw them down.  Push the knobs back in place, too.

Now your gauges are easy to view and make use of while your radio is still very usable.

I added the Mitsubishi IPod adapter to the radio while I had it out and ran the connector for the IPod to the glove box.

39 Miles Per Gallon

Today the President announced that new cars would be required to achieve 39 miles per gallon in a few years time.  Given the current state of America’s automobile industry this was an optimistic road to take.

I would be delighted to achieve mileage in that range as I am sure most of us would.  We need to acknowledge though that to achieve higher mileage we will have to pay in other ways.

The fastest way to improve motor vehicle’s fuel consumption is to make it as light as possible.  Unfortunately motor vehicles have steadily been gaining weight over the years and it is not just the SUV’s and full-sized pickup trucks.  Sedans and coupes have also put on pounds.  A big factor for the weight gain is due to more stringent crash requirements by the Federal government.

Even before the new mileage requirements go into effect new roll-over requirements will challenge the car companies.  Frontal and side impact requirements continue to demand more from automotive design. 

Engineers can add more metal and weight to achieve these requirements or resort to more exotic materials that, while far lighter, will be more costly to produce and manufacture. 

More “air bags” (SRS) positioned about the cabin require more expensive design and computer networking within each vehicle.

It is true that there are new technologies that are yet to be applied broadly to the internal combustion engines sold as power plants to US motor vehicles.  Technologies such as direct injection, that will cut fuel consumption and emissions.  More exotic methods of controlling and varying valve timing will come into play as well.

Aerodynamics can also be improved, but that factor only comes in to play at speeds that, well, consume more fuel.

We can add more hybrids and pure electric vehicles to the mix to enhance the fleet average, too.

If you are expecting me to say that this new national requirement is a bad thing you are going to be disappointed.  The stated goal is a good one.  It would be good to reduce “greenhouse gas emissions” (what ever they really are) and it would be good to get more miles out of a given unit of fuel.  But when you ask for all that you must be careful that you understand all that you are asking for and what it will cost in other areas to achieve it.

Would you be willing to give up safety in order to have a lighter vehicle?  Would you be willing to live with slow acceleration and limited top speed so that fuel consumption would be enhanced?  Would you be willing to pay twice what you pay now for a motor vehicle so that you could have everything you have now and better mileage? 

You didn’t hear any push-back from the automobile companies because they know that their very existence is now in the hands of the Federal government. 

All the desires for lower fuel consumption, enhanced safety, lower emissions, etc. may very well be achieved, but only as measured at the vehicle itself.  Do your math so that it includes the emissions, safety, and fuel used during design, manufacture, transportation, and distribution.  There is no free lunch.  It all has to come from somewhere.

We live in interesting times.

Evolution IX – Fuel Pump Upgrade

This Evo is going to be getting a lot more power out of the engine and to prepare the fuel system for that I have upgraded the fuel pump.  The stock fuel pump works great within the program that the ECU comes with and the cams and turbo demands from the factory set up, but this engine will be getting a set of GSC Stage 1 cams, a much freer flowing exhaust system, an intercooler with more cooling capacity, and very likely the Tomei ARMS turbo upgrade.  As a result the fuel demands will out strip the stock pumps ability to deliver. 

 

The new pump is on the right in both photos…

Today I swapped out the stock pump for a Walbro 255 lph pump.

It is not too hard nor is it time consuming, but you do have to be careful since you will be exposing a lot of gasoline from the tank and from the pump assembly.

First off you need to remove the seat bottom of the rear seat since the pump is accessed via a plate under the seat bottom.

Then you need a Philips screw driver to remove the plate’s four screws.

After that, the pump’s connections will be exposed and the first one to remove is the electrical connection. 

Pop off the connector and start the car up.  It won’t run long as the pump won’t be supplying fuel.  Instead it will empty the lines, which is a good thing at this point.  Then turn off the engine and remove the key.  Pop off the gas cap to relieve any pressure built up in the tank and put the cap back in place.

Then squeeze the two connectors and pull the main and secondary hoses off.  Then get some needle nose pliers and release the spring hose clamp on the last hose so you can slip the hose off.  You might need to break that hose free of the nylon connector with a small flat screw driver by gently moving it between the hose and the nylon pipe.

Once they are off and out of the way you can undo the eight nuts that hold the clamping ring.  Be careful and don’t lose the nuts.

With the ring loose you will be able to pull the pump out of the tank.  Have some towels and plastic handy to move it out of the car since it will be full of gasoline. 

Then undo the three snaps and pull the base off from under the pump.  Be sure to hold on to the black rubber vibration isolator in the bottom of the base.

Then gently pull the pump down until you can grab the electrical connector, squeeze the release, and disconnect it from the old pump.  There will be a black seal that may have come out with the pump or still be in the top of the pump assembly.  There will be a white nylon clip on the pump where it connected to the black seal.  You will re-use the black seal and white nylon clip on the new pump. 

My pump came with a new sock filter for the pump.  Yours may need to have the old sock filter moved to it.  If that is the case be very careful as the metal retainer is very small and won’t come off very easily, but it will have to be re-used.  My pump came with a new one so I just pressed on the new sock filter and used a 5.5mm socket to press on the metal retaining ring.

With that the black accordion seal needs to be put on after the white nylon clip and the pump can be re-inserted into the pump assembly.  Connect the wire connector to the new pump.  Clip the base on at the three points and make certain everything is back the way it should be.

Now you can re-install the assembly being careful not to bend the float as you insert everything into the tank.  Slip on the black mounting ring and secure it with the eight nuts.  Re-connect the hoses and don’t forget the metal clamp on one of the three hoses.  Then connect the large electrical connector.  Re-examine your work making certain things are tights and right.  Then start up the car.  Remember that you will have to wait until the fuel has been distributed before it fires up.  Then turn off the engine and screw down the cover plate and re-install the back seat bottom.  You are done.

If you think you need more detailed instructions check out this LINK.

Evolution IX – the Strut Tower Brace

The next bit of bracing will take place in the trunk again.  Since the trunk bar itself has been installed it was time to install the strut tower brace.  The one I use is a factory unit from Mitsubishi.  It may not be as pretty as some after market braces, but functionally it is excellent.

The first thing to do is to remove all the trunk liners so I took out the carpet over the board that covers the spare tire as well as the board.  Then I pulled the large plastic piece at the rear of the trunk.  I didn’t install all the plugs and pins from when I installed the trunk bar so it just took a little tug to get it out. 

That left the side panels that are held in with push pins.  These pins are easy to install and do an excellent job keeping everything in place, but their removal is tricky and frustrating.  There is a center pin that locks it in place and it must be pushed in in order to loosen up the plastic fastener.  The trick is to push it in far enough to loosen the fastener so it can be pulled out without pushing the pin in so far that it pops out the back.  On some of the pins I could actually get a hand around back and catch the pin, but others were not accessible so the pins disappeared.  Note to self, buy spare pins.

With those out of the way it was time to take the nuts off the top of the rear shock mounts.  Since the car is sitting down on the tires nothing will drop off when the nuts are removed.  Then it is just a matter of setting the bar in place and using the special nuts that Mitsubishi supplies.  These nuts not only fasten the brace down, but they also center the bar on the rear shock mount studs.

The next part takes a lot of time and patience.  The side trim panels need to be cut to fit around the bar.  Tricky stuff this.  The top of the bar won’t need much room at all, but the bottom that is welded on to the mounting plates will need quite a bit cut away. 

My advice is to go slowly and plan on a lot of trimming.

With all that done it is time to put all the trunk interior bits back in place.  I won’t use any fasteners quite yet because I’ll have to take things back apart later when I install the Swift Spec R springs.  Besides, I need to get some more fasteners from Mitsubishi.

The next bracing will probably be behind the fenders.

A Long winter for America’s Heartland

I am spending a few days in the country’s Midwest so that I can celebrate Mothers Day with my parents.  It is quite wake up call as to how the economy is affecting America’s heartland.

Here in Minnesota, where most towns were settled by immigrants from Germany and Sweden, you would be hard pressed to find a Volkswagen or a SAAB, a BMW or a Volvo.  No, this area of the US where you still find people speaking with touches of German and Swedish in their language, you are far more likely to see four-wheeled transportation made by GM, Ford, and Chrysler. 

The loyalty to American makes is strong despite the alternatives available. 

And the environment is not kind to cars here.  With all the advances in car design to fight rust you see the effects of winter’s salt and sand on cars that have but a handful of years upon them.  Trucks are not immune either.

I have seen cars in Vermont and upstate New York that look better.  It is a rough life for a car our here with Canadian winds and weather rolling over the area and holding on for months after North Carolina has seen Spring.  Yes, Spring and Summer will arrive – and disappear as quickly as they come.  Long enough to have millions of acres of corn grow and mature.

While the earth is black as coal and rich with nutrients that produce and abundance of crops to harvest, life is getting very tough around here.  As I travel through the towns supported by agriculture it is clear that retail businesses are disappearing like the steel bodies of the Chevy pickup trucks that have seen a handful of Minnesota winters.  While the nations average unemployment percentage may be under 9% it is fast approaching 20% in these parts. 

When I stopped for lunch in a town outside of Minneapolis I picked up a local paper and found that after the first three pages it consisted of many pages of legal notices of mortgage foreclosures.   

This will be a long financial winter for many in this part of the country.

Evolution IX – the transformation begins

Today I took the first step in the transformation of the 2006 Evolution MR SE into something that will really show what an Evo can be.

Today I installed a trunk bar. 

It may not seem like much, but adding bracing to this already stiff chassis pays off dividends on the street as well as the road racing track.  Bracing means that dimensions stay consistent and that helps handling to be predictable and repeatable.

The trunk bar was a Mitsubishi part that came on the Evolution RS version.  The RS was a stripped down Evolution that had no air conditioning, no electric windows, etc.  It had the aluminum roof of the MR and added the trunk bar bracing.  That means that I can get a trunk bar from Mitsubishi parts and there are threaded holes just waiting to accept bolts to secure it in the trunk.

First I had to take out the trunk’s grey mat as well as the board that covers the spare tire well.  Then I had to pop off the plastic panel that covers the rear of the trunk.  This is where a trim tool comes in handy.  Luckily they are easy to find at auto parts stores and tool stores as well.  With the rear cover off I had to loosen the fuzzy panels that cover the sides of the trunk.  These are held in with push pins that are a little tricky to get out.  In the center is a pin that you need to push on.  The trick is to push it just enough to loosen the pin clip and not push the center pin all the way through.  Chances are that you will push the center pin all the way through so you may want to order a handful of those fasteners when you order the trunk bar and bolts from Mitsubishi.

 

With those out of the way you will find two plastic disks covering the threaded bolt holes in the trunk.  Peal them off and throw them away.  Then lay down your trunk bar and add the bolts.  Tighten it down firmly.

Now you need to trim the spare tire cover since it is too long to drop past the trunk bar.  I used a scroll saw and copied the hand hold of the original just moving everything back from the bar.

You will also need to trim the plastic panel since it is too long to go on.  I cut mine down with a jig saw.  Trim a little at a time and you will get it just right.  Whack off a bunch all at once and you will either get lucky or end up buying another panel from Mitsubishi.  The fuzzy panels can be trimmed with a good pair of scissors.  Again, go slowly since it is easier to take away than to put back. 

When you are done it will look like something the factory did and you will have added some important stiffness to the chassis.

Next I’ll work on the rear strut brace.