16/09/2024
Pontiac Update - Sugar City Powerfest at Palmyra Drag Racing Club Inc
So the short story is.......we got one run in and now have more to fix.
Now for the long story and its super long.......after many really big and stressful days and nights getting the Firebird ready for this event we still had some troubles getting the trans am to fire. We had no spark no matter what we did. And to this day we and multiple other people are still stumped as to why. Shoutout to Michael at Ice Ignition for his excellent tech support.
After many phone calls we found an ice ignition box we could get in Mackay so off we went on our road trip with Will and Jetayah.
The new ice ignition box didn't solve our issue however. We were almost defeated, when Nikki walked through the pits asking around for anyone running similar. She couldn't find anyone running the same set up but instead came across some amazing people that completely went out of their way to help us. And when I say went out of their way, it was above and beyond.
We met this amazing man by the name of Loz. Pretty sure he got sick of hearing us trying to crank the car over and came over to see what was going on. Lol. Loz was a legend and hung around to lend a hand. A very knowledgable man who was more than happy to pass on his knowledge and assist us. And to make it even better he is Maltese as well. You're an absolute legend Loz!
Then there was Mick who was there running his epic Ute FAT572. He took so much time out his day making calls for us to find what we needed and continued to check in on us. It was decided we should try a MSD ignition box. From those calls we met Adam and this guy was just amazing. He wasn't running his car at powerfest so at 11pm Thursday night he lent us his ignition box and coil.
We thought we were good to go, but no. We still had no spark. By midnight we managed to have spark but it was too late to fire her up. That's cool, we have spark, we will fire her up first thing in the morning. Um........no. it's never that easy with this car.
8am Friday we tried firing her and nothing. So our little pit became its own little mechanic shop with all these amazing people trying to help including some of our benaraby regulars. Eventually we established the timing was slightly out. Adjusted that and she fired up!!!!!! Dan and I have never felt so relieved and happy since owning this car. Had to check the lash and adjust as cylinder 2 exhaust was colder than the rest. Got that sorted and Dan was finally going to get a weekend of racing. But there was still one small issue.......we worked out we still have no reverse since our transmission upgrade. Quickest resolve was push her out of the pit and don't burnout past the start line. So off Dan went for his first run in the test and tune. Our car sounded amazing!!!!! Burnout was great and she launched off that line on a mission. Dan was like a kid at Christmas!
Until..........he shifts to 2nd gear and the fuel bowls empty. He finally makes his way back down the return road and is revving the crap out of it just to get her to move. Get back to the pit and establish the front brakes had locked on. So we fix the brake issue and adjust the fuel pressure and get ready to take her out again. Still excited Dan goes to fire her up and nothing. We then established the problem that would end our weekend of racing for Dan and that was at least half the teeth missing from the flexplate. And because we run an oldsmobile it would have been an absolute miracle if someone had one. We still tried but no luck.
We were gutted, but that's racing for you. We got to spend the rest of the weekend crewing for Jetayah Visser - Vizztech Motorsports and cheering on Will, Branden and all of the other benaraby regulars.
Our disappointment didn't end at the flexplate though. We started loading her into the trailer today to come home and Will noticed the diff was out. Upon further inspection we now have a crack in the weld of the drivers side of the chassis. We pack up and start heading home.
Whilst it wasn't our weekend once again, we did have an amazing time. The drag racing community is second to none. The support, help and guidance we received was amazing.
Shoutout to absolutely everyone who helped us out. I wish got everyone's names. You are all amazing. Special thanks to John, Will, Branden and Simon for their ongoing support, assistance and advice.
Massive thanks to Palmyra Dragway and Sugar City Powerfest for a great event. We will be back for Powerfest 2025 that's for sure!
Congratulations to all those that made finals, especially our CQDRA - Benaraby Dragway racers! Very well deserved.
Now to order more parts from the US and attempt to be ready before November.
If you read all of this, thank you! Some of you feel our pain when these things continue to happen.
Nikki V Artistry
VizzTech Electrical
Pottymouth Customs
