RACEism Motorsports - Finke, We will get there

RACEism Motorsports - Finke, We will get there To finish first, first you must finish. To finish, you must begin somewhere. Once you begin, anything can and will happen ( bloody Murphy!).

21/02/2024

Crikey, it's been a long while since I've been on here.....
But I have actually done some work on the Firefox - the tie-rod adapters and heims for the steering have been ordered (at last) and once they all get here I'll have the lengths for the tie-rods. Front hubs and calipers have been pulled again - big mistake fitting all the front end up dry for the move from Exmouth to Perth..... especially without seals or outer caps. That was over 4 years (and 2 BIG moves - Perth to Weipa, then Weipa to Guyra) ago and it's sat on the trailer in all sorts of weather since. The bearings are shot so will need replacement, and I'll have to rebuild (at least) the combos and calipers too.
Totally my bad, but it's only money and my time is all mine once I'm finally discharged from the Air Force in 3 weeks time now - no more working for a living.
Once the tie rods are done, next up is the rest of the steering - building and mounting the steering shafts and the electric power steering kit thats been hiding amongst the myriad of parts still to be used on this build. Also hot on the trail of a K24A3 to propel this little 'missile', and getting the 091 transaxle rebuilt.
Still to source items are 2" remote reservoir coilovers (and maybe bypasses?) for the front end and bypass shocks for the rear, and ancilliaries like radiator, fuel tank and all the plumbing for the whole car. Tracking for a race some time around the Australian 'Tricentennial' at this rate 😢

Can't wait to get my big 'toy box' shed built so I can play in all weather on this and many other projects!

13/12/2021

Life has thrown lemons my way, but I'm determined to find a good supply of Tequila and salt and make the most of them 😜

New requirements, plus my current location and availability to race in the Australian Off Road championship pretty much write me out of ever qualifying to race the race I have been working towards for almost a decade now.

By the time I could be eligible to compete in the iconic Finke Desert Race, I'll be dead and buried from old age!
Strangely, there is now more chance of me racing the Baja 1000 (fat chance of that) or Dakar.... just need to find a (very) rich sponsor.😥

I'm not going to stop building the buggies, but I'm going to have to aim for at least a few races that will be even less accessible from my anticipated home location of the Darwin area. 🤷‍♂️

After placing the order with Kennedy Engineered Products on the 18th of March (and being notified that the package was i...
20/06/2020

After placing the order with Kennedy Engineered Products on the 18th of March (and being notified that the package was in transit from Los Angeles on the 24th of March), my K24 to Kombi adapter kit was finally delivered on Monday.... that's the longest 5-8 working days I can remember! (And I can't blame it on a slow boat from China lol).
Coronavirus holdups on freight are ridiculous!

New front feet and shoes! Empi 16x4s shod with Dunlop SP Grippers in 225/95r16. Had contemplated fitting these all round...
06/04/2020

New front feet and shoes! Empi 16x4s shod with Dunlop SP Grippers in 225/95r16. Had contemplated fitting these all round, but it makes it look like the car has chicken legs 🤣🤣🤣🤣(plus I already have the 15x8 beadlockers and 33' and either way the nerf bars need to be widened to cover the wheels), so I'll stick with them as fronts and a spare as the diameter is close enough to run on the rear in an emergency and not kill the diff.
Still waiting for the adapter plate to arrive from our US friends at Kennedy Engineering - any day now... maybe.

08/03/2020

Crikey, time gets away! But there has been a bit of work done on the little car since my last post here - false floor fitted in the pedalbox area, floorplate and panels refitted and the whole project moved from Learmonth to Perth (due to posting).
A few small problems have also been unearthed - like not being able to use 2.5" coilovers on the front (clearance to shock towers) and an interference between the right side front combo and the lower arm as it droops 🤔. Looks like I'll need 2 x 2" shocks on each side, and maybe grind some relief into the steering arm on the combo.
Good news though - I have today ordered the engine adapter kit, confirming that the car will be powered by a K24 Honda. Next up is to pick up the engine so that I can go and visit the clever fabricators at SS Racetech and arrange their participation in getting this build to a full rolling state with drivetrain mounted.

On the 'big' car build, not much has physically occurred but little bits are happening in the background - I really need some time back in Darwin to get to grips with that one 😉.

More again soon, maybe even some photographic evidence!

08/06/2019

Another year, and we're still not where we should be (and a lot of others are...).
Best of luck to my mates and their crews, just remember that you won't win this race in the first section - there AND back is the first challenge, then you will be in the running.
Take care out there and have a great time. With any luck (and a lot of work) we will be there with you all next year in the Prolite. Hanging out to climb back behind the wheel of a buggy in a racesuit and let fly, but for now it remains a dream for the future 🙄

It's late in the week to be getting a start again, but having both a late start AND parts arrive today I did get a bit d...
24/05/2019

It's late in the week to be getting a start again, but having both a late start AND parts arrive today I did get a bit done. Besides a bit of measuring, I got to bolt a set of wheels on to have a look..... I think 33's on 15x8 beadlocks might just be a little over the top for a car this size. Might be looking at 16x4 wheels and 7.50R16's to fit inside the nerf bars and suit the rest of the car.
What's your thoughts?

3 times in a week! Gotta be a record.....I'm suffering from motivation at present, quite a good feeling and achieving a ...
19/05/2019

3 times in a week! Gotta be a record.....
I'm suffering from motivation at present, quite a good feeling and achieving a bit too.
Today was (shock, horror....) cleanup day for the shed - first time it's been swept since I've been using it so there was a bit of that lovely, fine red pindan dust to remove. Once that was done, I set about removing the panels and floor plate after discovering that the pedals don't mount to the floor plate but to a false floor that I now have to make up, along with a front 'firewall'. I have the measurements for those now, just got to find a supplier of suitable materials.
Next, I thought I would put a seat into the frame and work out roughly where it needs to be and how much room it will leave for things like the gear shift (and how much, if any head room I will have). Seat wouldn't sit flat in the frame due to extraneous mounts for the old shifter and an interesting setup for what I gather was the original steering brake. Thes mounts (and a few others I have deemed surplus to requirement) have been removed with a certain amount of prejudice.
Reading the CAMS manual (general regs for offroad), even though I have the logbook for this frame, I have the opportunity to change some of the tubes to make it a current spec frame. This includes changing out the dash spreader bar, increasing the size of the compulsory chassis crossmembers, adding a centre chassis member, modifying the main hoop bracing and increasing the size of the Nerf bars. Easiest to do before everything is remounted in the cockpit. After playing with the 44.45mm chrome moly tubing on the Prolite build, 38mm seems so small! (And some of this frame is only 32mm, hence the required upgrade of tubes mentioned above.)
So, at this moment I have a very naked frame with arms, hubs and brakes fitted but not much else. A bit more touchup with a grinder, then it should be all forward from here!
Loving having the time to play, hope there is more around the corner. Gonna try for another few hours a week for the next couple of weeks at least and see if I can get it on its feet and rolling.

I know it's a bit late to make the grid for Finke this year..... but the (almost) impossible has happened and I have ano...
17/05/2019

I know it's a bit late to make the grid for Finke this year..... but the (almost) impossible has happened and I have another advancement on the Firefox! With the arrival yesterday of the new rear arm pivot bolts and a bit of 'spare' time this afternoon, I have managed to fit the rear arms to the frame (still have the spring plate mounts to drill into the arms - that's another story...) and assemble the rear microstub hubs, rotors, adapters and 4-piston calipers.
It's slowly (actually quite rapidly at the moment) starting to look like a racecar again!
Another good bit of news is that the transmission I have had sitting in the car to use as a dummy to set up mounts, etc is actually my 'full house' box, not the dirty old 1800 box I thought it was. This means that the box I stripped down to teach myself the intricacies of VW Kombi transmissions about 12 years ago (which now has a lot of rusty bits) is the basically stock 1800 and my good box is complete and still assembled with oil still protecting its contents - even if it still has a broken 1st/2nd, a much easier repair now.
Front shocks just need oil, springs and mounting bolts to finish off the front end once the wheel nuts arrive. Rear is a bit more work, but I can now move on to installing the electric power steering system and sorting how the column will run.
Still toying with options for the power plant - I have an adapter for VQ25DD, but worried there will not be enough room in the frame for it.
More soon!

A lot of the followers here may have thought I'd fallen off my perch, but they would be wrong! Been a bit busy between w...
15/05/2019

A lot of the followers here may have thought I'd fallen off my perch, but they would be wrong! Been a bit busy between work and trying to stay ahead of gremlins who keep breaking my everyday transport.
Nevertheless, I have some advancement to announce - unfortunately not on the big Prolite, but on a buggy at least.
Today I have managed to finish up shimming the link pins, mounting caliper mounts, and assembling hubs and brakes on the front end of the little single-seat Firefox. IF I had wheel nuts, I would have also thrown a set of wheels on the front just for a bit of fun...... but it seems I forgot to buy them!
There are other parts on the way for the rear suspension so I can put that together (pivot bolts), but I am still in need of a suitable pair of coilovers for the rear (who'd have thought 14" travel would be too long!) and I need to get the 2.5 x 10" FOA coilovers for the front end assembled at least before I can get it rolling.
Little by little it's getting there, but after attending the Gas Dash as a spectator I need to get back on track ASAP.
More soon, and hopefully some good news on the Prolite is just around the corner!

15/08/2018

Crikeys, its been a busy year so far! Haven't managed to do very much as yet but maybe a bit of spare time around the corner.
I have almost enough parts to get the little single-seat car to rolling stage, but if anyone has a lead on some second-hand coilover shocks I would be interested. Chasing (for a start) 2x 2"x 10" travel, and 2x 2"× 12". No idea so far on spring rates until I get a bit further along.
The big new car is very slowly progressing in Darwin as Ross is busy and I am guilty of leaving him unsupervised, and thus slightly unmotivated lol. Seriously though, he is a busy man and keeping his (and Hannah's) businesses bringing in money is what gives him the ability to 'play' with his passion that is offroad racing.
Hopefully more good news coming at you real soon, maybe even photos!

Greetings, loyal followers. It has been a long while since my last post, but things are moving along and about to get cr...
19/11/2017

Greetings, loyal followers. It has been a long while since my last post, but things are moving along and about to get crazy.
After my little Middle East 'holiday' and then a couple of weeks leave to visit an old friend I am back on deck and ready for action.
Ross has done quite a bit, and the main cabin of the buggy has now taken shape on the jig table with the floor and hiprails in place and the uprights in place.
Photos below show where we are up to, with the second showing roughly where the front suspension will link up to the new cab section (photo has the Kadco nose section as a guide, but this will be replaced with a new CrMo version in the near future). Overall measurements are not small by any means, but wheelbase is currently only 9mm over our originally planned 124".
Also got to unwrap my latest purchases for the car - the new front Fox 3" diameter, 14" travel, internal bypass remote reservoir coilover shocks with Dynamic Speed Control. (I was so impressed I forgot to take any photos.... they're flash!) Thanks Ryan at AccuTune Off Road for hooking me up!
More to come very soon!

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