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Project
American Flyer - Week Five
With
a very slow week four completed, it was
time to start the fifth week of our
project. There was never really a set date
for the completion of this project, so
going into a fifth week doesn't surprise
me. We got a lot done during this past
week, but we may have also been dealt a
major set back Saturday morning, which you
will read about later in this article.
I
knew starting this week that there was a
lot to do, and I also knew that everyone
involved had a lot of other stuff to do,
not relating to this project. When I
arrived at the shop on Monday I met with
Eugene and Denny where we went over the
remaining parts that we would need. Some
of the things we needed were new brake
hoses, brake fluid, wheels, tires, lug
nuts, an air filter, and some brake
cleaner. After going over all of this we
discussed the possibility of being done in
time to race Friday the 25th of July. We
all agreed that it would be to much
pressure to try to get the car done by
then. During the day I had spoken with Joe
Furjanic about a trailer he has for sale.
I currently have a tow dolly which is on
loan from Cars "R" Us, which
will do fine, but I would like to own my
own trailer soon. Eugene and I decided to
head out to Joe's race shop and take a
look at the trailer. It was a very nice
ramp trailer with plenty of storage space,
unfortunately, it was also to big for my
Ford Explorer to haul. Joe isn't asking
much for this trailer so if you are in
need of one, give him a call. The trip to
Joe's took the majority of the night so
once we returned to the race shop it was
time to head home.
Tuesday
I stopped by the race shop only briefly to
see what everyone was up to. I had a plan
for the night that involved trying to come
up with some more cash for the project and
also involved another trip to Advance Auto
in Uniontown to see what I could come up
with off of my updated parts list. Once
again, the folks at Advance had everything
I needed and I left with more parts to put
on the car. While at Advance, I also
purchased a ball and hitch and pin for my
Explorer. I was very impressed with the
selection of towing equipment that Advance
had, I had never thought of them for my
towing needs, but with the price of these
parts, I will from now on. Once again I
would like to thank Advance Auto Parts in
Uniontown for their support of this
project and of our race team. I would also
like to say that if you are reading this,
most likely you are a fan of racing, and
if you are a fan of racing, you know the
value of sponsors that support the race
teams that provide you, the fan, with the
entertainment you enjoy weekly at your
local tracks. With that said, please
remember to support those who support us,
and if you need any automotive parts,
visit Advance Auto Parts.
With
a box of parts and supplies in my hands, I
stopped by the race shop at lunch time and
dropped them off so Eugene and Denny would
know I had gotten them in case they beat
me to the shop that night, which would
most likely happen. While I was there, I
decided to put the air cleaner in. It was
the easiest thing to do and could be done
without getting dirty, which I am sure my
boss appreciates! I returned to the shop
Wednesday after work and Eugene had been
cruising on the roll cage. He was just
about complete which meant I would be able
to paint the interior the following night.
As I suspected, Denny beat me to the shop
and had already been working on the rear
brakes. He had also attached all the hoses
to the gas tank, which was now ready to go
back in. As much fun as it was getting it
out, I wish we were allowed to use a fuel
cell. We decided that rather than get the
tank back in right away, we would wait
until the cage was done and we could get
the rear end higher in the air to work
under it.
While Denny was working on the brakes,
Eugene continued to plug away at the cage.
He gave me the gussets and showed me how
to grind down one of the corners so that
they would fit properly into their
positions. Once those were completed, I
got to see first hand how welding works as
I grabbed a spare helmet and leaned over
Eugene's shoulder. Melting metal is cool!
Once all of the gussets were in place, the
cage was complete and the only thing left
for Eugene to do was install the window
net. He fabricated some pieces for the
bottom portion and used the window net
mounting kit we got from Bobby Henry Race
Center in Connellsville, PA. With this
completed, the next day I would paint the
interior and we would weld the roof back
on.
 Thursday
I took a vacation day and went to Idlewild
with my wife and kids for my wife's
company picnic. The morning looked as if
rain would be the order of the day, but it
quickly wore off as we got closer and
closer to Idlewild. We spent the better
part of the day enjoying the rides and
attractions. Towards the end of the day
when we decided it was time to visit the
Soak Zone, we got soaked by the rain that
had decided to revisit us. Everything had
closed up due to the thunder and lightning
so we sat under cover for a while, only to
watch it rain harder and harder. We
decided to call it day and head to the
race shop so that I could get the cage
painted. When we arrived at the shop,
about two hours later than I had planned,
Daniel had already painted the top portion
of the cage and Eugene and Denny had
already replaced the roof.
All
that was left to do now was for me to
paint the remainder of the interior.
I climbed inside and went to work. There
isn't a lot of space to move around inside
once the cage is in place, but I got it
done. While I was working on the inside,
Eugene and Denny taught my kids and my
nephew how to use spay paint, so they
worked on the outside. Once the cage was
painted Eugene and I pushed the car back
inside for the night and we went home.
 Friday
I knew there wouldn't be much getting done
because it was race day. When I arrived at
the shop after work, Eugene and his crew
chief Ace Wilson were there loading the
ride and drive car up to take to the
track. Eugene's truck still isn't
completely fixed so the ride and drive
would be it for the night. Denny and
Daniel were there loading up Daniel's
American Flyer so I stood around and
talked with everyone for a bit, then when
they all left to go to the track, I
decided to get some work done. I installed
the seat and the seat belts and then
jumped in to adjust the belts some. I know
that some people will say that because
this is a four cylinder entry level car,
it isn't a racecar, but I don't care, when
I sat in it, with the cage done and the
seat in and the belts on... I felt like a
racecar driver. After sitting in the car
while saying "Vroom Vroom" over
and over again, I got out, cleaned up my
mess and headed for home. (I didn't really
go "Vroom Vroom")
Saturday
I knew I wouldn't get anything done
because I would not be visiting the shop
due to a planned family reunion/camping
trip to Raccoon Creek State Park. We
stopped for breakfast on our way out and
that is when the possible major set back
took place. I stepped off of a curb and my
left ankle snapped out from under me. I
heard a loud popping sound and I dropped
to my knees. It is pretty swollen and I
have not been able to put much pressure on
it yet. My wife is a nurse and has a
degree in sports medicine, so she has been
taking care of me. Over the past two days,
Saturday and Sunday, I have used a lot of
ice and spent a lot of time resting. I
plan to take Monday off of working on the
car to give it some more rest and then
hopefully the swelling will have gone down
enough that I can get x-rays and make sure
it isn't broken. I plan to spend the rest
of the week working on the car and I as
long as my ankle is not broken, I plan to
get this car done and on the track very
soon.
Week
Six... |
