Tag Archives: driving

Demolition Derby: Mod Session 1

Although we are all mentally prepared for the demolition derby, there are a number of modifications needed to properly prepare the car. Thankfully, RP is as excited about this project as I am and, like old times, is contributing his skills. Yesterday was our first mod session, and this is an after-action report of sorts. A more general update will also be sent to the distro list, so be sure to visit Jason at the Derby and follow the instructions to sign up for the list.

We reviewed the to-do list and sketched out priority, timeline, and basic approaches, with a hands-on review of the car afterward. Here are the major mods to be done:

The Battery
The current battery does not hold a charge, meaning I need to jump it every time I want to practice driving. RP happened to have an extra battery he thinks is good, so the first step was to swap out the old battery with the “new” one. That was easy enough, and the only item left is to start the car today to see if the newly installed battery works.

Edit: The battery did not work. Bummer, USA.

In addition, the rules require we move the batter to the passenger area. We, well, really he, sketched this out. RP doesn’t think will be a problem, just an effort that takes some time. We bought wire for the battery move and RP has terminals that will be donated to the cause. Presuming the battery is okay, the next steps are:
(1) RP finds the terminals.
(2) RP finds where to buy the other end terminals and tells me.
(3) I buy the terminals.

Edit: The cables we bought have one set of correct ends, and RP has the other set.

Gas Tank
There is some concern that the current gas-cap area will not pass demolition derby inspection. There is no concern that I am in danger. RP suggests, and this follows the derby organizer’s recommendation, that we move the tank to the rear passenger area and insert a tube into the existing gas-cap area tube. This will primarily serve to assure organizer’s that the rusted out gas-cap area is a non-issue with the added safety bonus of putting a gas tank a couple feet from me. Note, the battery and gas tank will not be in the same area.

The next steps for this effort are:
(1) RP will identify the parts (e.g., fuel line, valves, etc.) and tell me.
(2) I will buy the parts.

p.s. RP, the rules state that a metal tank is required, so no plastic one. It also must be within arms reach of me so I can turn the tank off in time to prevent my animated gif from becoming reality.

Hole in the Hood
The rules require we cut a whole in the hood above the carburetor, which from my attendance at derby’s is used by the fire fighters to gush water into the engine compartment to put out fires. RP does not think this will be a problematic, just a bit time intensive. There is no timeline on when this will be done. The next steps are:
(1) RP identifies needed Dremel bits (his are old or whatever).
(2) I buy the new ones.

Chain Everything Down
Various parts of the car (e.g., hood, doors, etc.) need to be chained down. Following MW’s initial suggestion of using chain and carabiners, RP and I will make a future hardware-store visit to buy the equipment. This will be combined with an almost guaranteed other trip for this or that. Next steps are:
(1) Buy the hardware and install it, waiting to lock it up until the night of the derby.

Other Tasks To Do
In addition to these major efforts, there is other homework (in no particular order):
(1) RP looks for a jack handle, figuring out where I can buy a replacement if possible.

Other Tasks Done
(1) RP recommended I buy a Haynes manual for the car, so we know for sure where everything is and how to go about doing different things. Thanks to the patented one-click buy of Amazon and my new Amazon Prime membership, the manual should arrive early this week along with about $200 of other stuff I’ve bought since going Prime. Specifically, the manual will help us move the gas tank and deal with the carburetor. Oh, and it was super inexpensive ($5, I think).

(2) I find a solid relevant car forum, in part to seek help and in part to taught the people that we’re destroying this car. The best one my search revealed is Honda-Tech.com, which has a “classic” Hondas section. There is also 3geez.com, which is dedicated to third-generation Honda Accords. Both will be used, and added to the wiki page. I still need to go through 3geez to see if there’s anything useful.

General Update on Demolition Derby Efforts

It is time to post a general update to my demolition derby project, Jason at the Derby, although these types of updates are generally reserved for the mailing list (see the derby Web site for instructions on how to join the mailing list).

Driving
This is my first real go at driving stick, and I picked it up quickly. It helped that I was driving at least once a week for about 30 minutes–anymore makes me car sick because I zip around my neighborhood and practice driving in reverse, as well. For the past few weeks, though, I have been otherwise occupied. I did drive today, but it is obvious that I need to maintain a once-per-week training schedule. This is good, but not troubling, information.

Car Prep
Preparing the car for the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair’s demolition derby should be relatively straightforward. Given that my specialty is lots of stuff other than cars, I assembled a team of people with various interests and skills to lead the preparations. The various modifications can be divided into two categories: required and desired.

Required mods are those that must be made to meet the derby’s rules. The 2009 rules serve as our guide until the 2010 rules are published, which tends to happen right before (one of a few factors that favor the standard derby demos). RP leads the mod effort and expects the changes to be relatively easy, which is good given our lack of experience and the number of other interests I/we have. To get the ball rolling, I sent an e-mail to him today to schedule the first mod session, which will focus on reviewing the car and going through the change list to prep for their implementation.

The list of desired mods is relatively short, but expected to grow as we develop ideas. MB is investigating horn customization. All of us were inspired by the recent starting horn at horse races, so expect that it be one of several sounds blaring from the car on the night of the derby. A major effort is also to stream video from the car during the derby. BS has said he has this under control, and PMS is also working on it. In the near term, I need to figure out each person’s plan and decide on the best course of action. Ideally, we want a camera on me while I drive and a camera pointing out the back of the car to catch the action. In addition, PMS has said he would like to ride in the car to provide color commentary. At first glance, I don’t see anything in the rules to prevent this. RP also mentioned wanting to be in the car.

Party Time
Another major component of the derby is to gather a large crowd and have some sort of celebration. The logistical side of this effort can wait, but we do not have a social coordinator. Anyone in Web-land interested?

In a different sense of logistics, we also need to think about transportation for the fans (as well as the car). In a recent bit of great news, a company for which I do work has said they will charter a bus for their employees. I bet none of the other competitors have deep pockets like this!

Conclusion
In general, we continue to be in a strong place, despite April’s events and May’s slow pace. As with any project, we could use more brains and bodies, whether that is to develop additional ideas or to help with the execution of current plans. If you are interested, visit jasonatthederby.com to contact me.