Looky what I bought!

[Lesley]

A new present for the mighty dak!

I WILL have traction!!!

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/slicks.jpg

[Lesley]

The "transformation of the Mighty Dakota " saga continues!

Next week, I pick up a custom mandrel-bent stainless steel Noyz Boyz exhaust. 3" from the headers to a custom y-pipe, single into a Borla muffler, dual out. Those twin pipes will look pretty nice peeping out under the roll pan I just installed in the fall. :)

C'mon Spring!!

[The General]

Lesley,

We need more picks of the Mighty Dak!!

[Lesley]

Sure thing!

It started out as a 97 V6 Sport but then I got the speed bug. Eventually, I thought that an engine swap would be a great idea, and a fabulous learning experience. Little did I know what I was up against. The big V8 wasn't available in the dakota until 1998, so the biggest challenge was getting a computer that would not only talk to the engine and transmission, but also the gauges. I ended up with a custom flashed computer after trying various configurations.

Here's a pic of the engine. It's a Mopar 360 - 5.9 litre. I tore it down and had it on an engine stand in the mudroom off my kitchen for two years while I searched for hop-up goodies (KRC 210x cam, 1.6 roller rockers, ported and polished throttle body, ceramic JBA headers, Mopar performance intake manifold, double roller timing chain,windage tray)

Eventually, I conceded that it was better off being finished by pros - thinking about bent valves and pushrods after spending that much money was keeping me awake at night. Engine was built by Thomson Automotive of Peterborough, long-time custom car builders.
It's hooked up to a custom transmission with kevlar bands and clutches and Transgo shift kit - via a Mopar 2800 stall converter. The rear end received 3:92 gears and a sure-grip.

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/360.jpg

I only made it to the track twice last year. The first time, I had fuel sync issues and the second, no traction. The slicks should help with that!

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/LesDak.jpg

I've also taken it to some autocross, where it's admittedly too big to be really good on the small courses, and a track school at Mosport, where it was surprisingly good! It just needs to be lower and tighter, but that's coming.

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/solo3.JPG

Waiting to go on the truck is a 2/3" drop kit, a Stillen front bumper, thicker sway bars and custom exhaust.
Future plans include a Kenny Brown x-brace on it to stiffen the frame. And maybe a shaker. ;)

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/river.jpg

Stillen bumper:

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/stillen.jpg

[Pritch]

you are now officially my hero

[Lesley]

LOL. It's running just terrible right now (fuel sync has to be adjusted and I suspect the throttle position sensor is kaput).

But I promise you can take it for a drive sometime.
There's no ABS, no traction control, the suspension is harder than cement... but man, does it have lope . :)

[Crash]

You'd better get back working on it right now Lesley. Justin tells me that he has either a Charger SRT or a 300 SRT for the 29th... and someone's got to remove that dirty great smile from his face !!!

It won't be me, that's for sure! I forgot all about booking a car and I'm in a sporty Hyundai Tuscon that week :oops:

First thing in the morning, I'm phoning around to find some more suitable wheels, but If you bring that truck of yours...the only way I'm going to top that is if they lend me BigFoot or the ZZ Top Eliminator :lol:

[The General]

Dudes!

What's going on the 29th?

[Crash]

The Ian Law school. Lesley is going, Justin's booked, and... he's sweet-talked Bart into giving him an SRT to use, is that guy sharp as a pin or what!!!

Me! as usual... I forgot all about it, but I am going down to see Ian next Sat anyway, to check out his car control school for a possible story. Only as an observer, but I'm hoping that I can book the course for the 29th while I'm there.

So with any luck, there will be 3 Auto123 journo's in attendance. That should be something eh! Poor old Ian, He doesn't know what he's letting himself in for :lol:

[Lesley]

The truck will be staying at home - it needs the fuel sync adjusted and I need to spring for some rubber before taking it to a track day.
Mazda was kind enough to bestow an MX-5 upon me for the 29th. :)

Crash, your Mini would be perfect. The thing about those track schools, is that it's not about horsepower, it's handling... driving the correct race line and braking in the proper places.
Honestly - I'd rather have a Miata or a Mini for a track school than a huge powerful beast.

This will be the sixth Ian Law school I've attended - I think you guys will find that he's a really good teacher.
It's a great learning experience, since the student/teacher ratio is low, and you've got an instructor riding along with you for most of the time.
One of the instructors is a good friend and fellow Peterborough Motor Sports Club member (who recently took part in the CKN Karting Cup Race along with me, and Auto123's Mark Hacking - story to come soon :) )

[Crash]

Hi Lesley,

I'm right with you on the choice of cars. In fact, you've grabed the exact car that I was going to ask for, the MX5. I like small cars, but it's tough to find a good small RWD.

My old Mini Cooper would be great but it's a little old in the tooth (like me :wink: ) and second gear selection is becoming a bit of an art form.

The Bentley is totally out of the question, and if I took a diesel defender...I'd be getting there when you're coming back. Not to mention the fact that as you lapped me...I'd be like James Bond... putting up a smoke barrier in front of you!

I might try to talk BMW into lending me a new Mini Cooper, but who knows what I'm going to turn up in. I might just ride my Triumph 900 there! Do they accept bikes? At least that would give Justin's SRT a run for it's money!

I've done a couple of track schools at Brands Hatch, both saloon car and Formula Ford, but that was 20 odd years ago. I'm keen to see how much I remember of that, and as my background is in Rallying, don't be surprised to see me out on the grass. There, that's my excuse nicely set up :lol:

[Lesley]

Noooo, no bikes, lol.
There's no shame in doing a little "agricultural exploration". I did a bit of that myself, the first time I tried one of those new 170 km/hr F1-K karts at Mosport.
The nice thing about the DDT track is that it's relatively flat and other than than pit row, there are no walls. So if you do happen to run out, it's onto the grass.

I wish I had the budget for more rallying. I've been competing in club level TSD rallies for the last three years (won best driver trophy last year) but that's all about accuracy and having a good navigator. Basically, I'm just a glorified chauffeur.
The Maple Leaf Rally Club has a rally-cross series that I'm thinking of trying. Courses are about 2 km long, generally held in a gravel pit and there are no roll cages required. It's kind of like performance rallying without the transit sections. My TSD navigator won the trophy for the rally cross series last year in an Omni GLH that he bought for $280. (see this month's Inside Track News for the story I did on it)

[Crash]

Ok fair enough, I'll leave the bike at home. Although if I don't find a decent ride, I'm going to be running a 07 Hyundai Tucson. Mind you, could come in handy for getting myself off the grass :wink: Also, with Justin in a SRT, if he goes off "e's going to go a long way off", he might just need me to tow him back on :lol:

I didn't know that you liked rallying? I road rallyed a Mk 1 Ford Escort RS2000 many years ago, it was a good car (ex-works), although I was never that good in it :?

I was much better at Motocross to be honest, I got to Expert level, but that's a young mans sport which puts me right out now.

A few years ago, I brought a Beta trials bike and entered a few events. That's a great sport, it's like playing chess on wheels as it's all about thinking and planning your course. I won the Ontario Novice Championship one year, but the association never sent me my trophey, so I got fed up with them and never entered again! (mind you, I've still got the bike, I never sell anything!).

That rally-cross series sounds like fun, although to be honest, I have one big ambition left. That's to do the Targa Newfoundland. My wife comes from there and the route goes right through her home town. My brother-in-law did the touring class a few years back in an old Porsche (356 I think). The trouble is that I've lost my track certificates over the years, and my International rally license record is tough to track now that the RAC now longer issue them in the UK. That's why I need to get some track courses under my belt. Otherwise, I have to enter in the touring class, and I just don't fancy that. My goal is to ship an old RS2000 over from the UK and enter it in the classic class.

[Lesley]

Crash, you really should have a chat with Mark Hacking, who's also a Auto123 writer. Not only have he and his brother Lawrence competed (and won!) in Targa, his brother is a veteran of the Dakar - on a bike no less. Both of them are serious motocross and bike enthusiasts writing for several bike magazines.
We had them to our motorsports club a couple of weeks ago to speak about Targa, Dakar, and the Peformance Offroad bike trials at Parry Sound last summer.
Honestly, I don't think I'd want to take the Tucson to a track day, the centre of gravity is too high. Maybe Tom would let you exchange it for a Tiburon, that would be more suitable.

[Crash]

Thanks for that Lesley, I'm going to have to meet up with Mark...he sounds like my kind of guy. I'm in awe of anyone who has even completed the Targa...Let alone Won it!!!

Next time you're talking to him, find out what he drinks...He and I need to have a long chat me thinks :-)

I'm hoping that I can find something better than the Tucson. The touble is, that everyone's still off today. Never mind, tomorow morning I'll be ringing around like a demented fool seeking a vehicle, wish me luck!

[Lesley]

Hey, if you are really stuck, you can take my 323. :D

[Crash]

What can I possibly say to that? oh I know, "You're all heart my dear" :P

Actually, wait a minute! knowing you, it's likely to be "all tricked out'. It could well be tubbed with a Hemi power plant for all I know.

Maybe I shouldn't be so hasty in turning your offer down :lol:

[Lesley]

No, lol. I paid $250 for it and spent a weekend with my car club getting it on the road: new struts, brakes, front axles. Licensed & aligned, total tab was $550. No rust though. But it does have some really great stickers.
It's 90 horsepower and automatic -- a fat man on a unicycle could probably beat it. :)

[Crash]

Sounds like a bargain to me.

You know, some of the best cars that I've ever owned have been the cheapest!

And anyway, who's this "fat guy on a unicycle"??? I tell you Lesley...You've got some strange people living up your way :lol:

[The General]

And anyway, who's this "fat guy on a unicycle"??? I tell you Lesley...You've got some strange people living up your way :lol:

Something like this:

http://www.ridingsun.com/files/ridingsun-scooterGuy.JPG

[Lesley]

Haaaahaaaaa!!!!

I think my 323 can do better than that.
Actually, if it had some power - what a car it would be for track and autox. But that's the thing about beaters isn't it? You have to have something that doesn't tempt you to mod it.

At one point I had a B6t (turbo) engine from an AWD GTX 323 that I planned to swap into the 5-speed I had at the time. It was my favourite car for TSD rallies, so bloody manoeverable and light. I kind of ran out of steam after the truck motor swap and my bank account was screaming for mercy so I sold it.

[Crash]

Hey General,

That pic is plum crazy! They say that motorcyclists always come off worse in an accident with a car, but just look at that picture again!

If he came off and was barreling towards you "my monies on HIM, not the car" :lol:

And Lesley...You're just priceless! If they ever made you transport minister, we'd have buses powered by Merlin aeroplane engines :lol:

[Crash]

Hey Lesley, all that talk about your Mazda 323 got me thinking, maybe that wouldn't be a bad size car for the 29th???

I know what you're thinking!! "I wish I'd never offered to let that crazy Brit loose in my car"!!!

You don't have to worry, I've just had a little chat with that nice young lady at Mazda.

She said that she had spoken with you and Justin about cars. I said, that was because "when we think of good-handling, quick cars for race track use, we all instantly think of Mazda"! (Am I a silver tongued devil or what 8))

Anyway, she instantly aggreed to lend me a nice little Mazda 3.

Oh no, wait a minute, it wasn't a Mazda 3??? It was Siegfried or something like that, Oh yeah, I know! It's called a Speed 3 :wink:

[Lesley]

That's fabulous!
That's the perfect car for a track day. I took it out around the course at Testfest and loved, loved, loved it.
There's just something about Mazda steering - those cars love to play. My MX-3 has it, my humble little 323 too. The torque steer on the mazdaspeed3 didn't really bother me - the Mazda6 hatch has it in spades, as does my mx-3. I don't even notice it anymore. Shifter isn't as surgically precise as say, Audi, but it's still a lot of fun rowing through the gears.

We are gonna have fun, let's just pray it doesn't rain.
Especially for Justin's sake. :twisted:

[Crash]

Yeah, I thought the Speed 3 would be ideal. It was either that or a new Mini Cooper, but I couldn't get hold of the woman at BMW.

See, I'm with you on what this is all about. I wanted a car that was small and nimble. I want to be able to place the vehicle exactly where I want it on the track.

After all, this I would imagine, will be similer to the Brands Hatch courses that I took years ago. They were more about approach and departure lines, setting up properly for the corners etc. If I'm lucky, I might still be able to remember some of that.

No doubt Justin will have a blast in the SRT, I drove one around the Pocano Raceway at the IMPA test fest, and it was great fun, but it's a real beast in the corners!

The funny thing is though, I drove everything everything that day including Viper's, Jaguar's, and even the wicked WRX, but my favorite car was without a doubt The Mini Cooper convertible. It had amazing grip. Also, being a convertible, I knew "to the inch" where the car was on the track at all times, and although I lapped much faster in some of the other fancier cars, none put a smile on my face like the Mini.

Another thing about tracking the Mini that day was that "you could really push it without worrying". I had that thing "holding on for dear life in the corners" (including my wife, who was in the passenger seat), yet I never felt more at ease. It just inspires confidence, and being so small, you really feel like "you're the one in control". Maybe it's me coming from "the land of the small car", but I've never liked big cars on a track.

I remember once watching a video of a bunch of old Cooper S's taking on Corvettes at a track event. Those little things ran rings around the Vette's, and I mean that "literally". They were circling the Vette's and making them look like high powered fools!

Anyway, I just hope that it doesn't rain. If it does, we might have to lend Justin the Mazda.

Oh no! Not my Speed 3... I was thinking "your 323" :lol:

No, that's not nice is it? Besides, I've got to keep in with him...He might let me have a go in his car!!!

[Lesley]

It's funny - you really have to get out in the twisties to realize just how good small cars are. And the hands-down best car for auto -cross is the miata.

I think you will find that all the technical stuff will come back to you when you get out there, especially with your background.
And then there's always the optional full track school day in the fall at Testfest. ;)

[Crash]

I hope you're right Lesley, my memories not what it used to be. Mind you, sometimes that's good...I've managed to forget all the dumb and stupid things I did when I was young. Well, most of them anyway, I still relive a few unforgetable moments in the middle of the night occationally :lol:

I'm looking forward to the track day at test fest.

It's funny, but years ago, I used to manage a couple of well known detail shops in Toronto. Among our customers were Richard Spenard and David Empringham with the Can Tire team, John Cadman Jr, and a few others who I've forgotten about.

Back then, Richard & David invited me out to the Bridgestone race school a few times. Like a fool, I never took them up on the offer, as I was always to busy. I even used to get tickets and pit pases to the Indy back then, and I never ever went, not once???

If I knew then what I would end up doing, I would have jumped at the chance of a free lesson or two.

You see, I've never really been a big motor racing, or even sports fan. If I'm not competing, I just can't get interested.

Mind you, I would love to bump into them one day. Maybe I could refresh their memories and take them up on those old offers. I'd esp like to meet up with John Cadman Jr again. He was a great guy, he used to come around the shop because we stored his car there, and would help us eat pizza and beer. He was as good at that as he was at driving :lol:

No seriously, he was real laugh, he once let me take his Firehawk winning car around the block on a dealerplate, that alone made him one of my hero's!!!

[Lesley]

You just might have the chance to run into them again... - Richard was the head instructor for a Chrysler day that I was invited to a couple of years ago. It's awe-inspiring to be able to learn from drivers of that caliber.
I'd love a chance to spend the day at Bridgestone. It's pretty pricey though.

[Crash]

Tell me about it! That's why I could kick myself for not taking them up on the offer back then.

Mind you, I've heard a lot of good things about Ian's school, so I'm looking forward to that.

I'm hoping that I can get booked! As this all crept up on me, and I haven't signed up yet. I was more worried about getting a car first to be honest.

I've called him and left a message today saying that I would like to book, and I'm seeing him on Sat anyway, as I'm going down to check out his Car Control School in Brampton. Hopefully, he still has room for me, and if so, I'll sort it out with him then.

Finger's crossed, I'll be there :wink:

[Lesley]

I'm sure, he knows that you're coming.

Maybe we can do some chatting about rally while we're there. My club has several rally dates coming up, in areas from Lakefield, Marmora, Port Perry etc. If you can grab a partner to navigate, it's a fun way to get back into it, and we've got a couple members who do performance rallying. One works at Targa every year.

[Crash]

I've spoken to Ian now and we're going to sort it all out on Sat.

As far as the rallying goes. When I was back home I bumped into an old mate who I used to hang around with. He does the British RAC each year and builds cars for people.

He thinks that he might know where my old Mk 1 RS2000 ended up. He says that it was trashed, but he has a like-new shell laying about. If he can put the two together for me, I could have my works car back...well most of it :lol:

I would love to own that car again, it was the most fun that I've ever had in a vehicle, well... whilst being fully clothed that is :wink:

[Lesley]

That's wonderful - like tracking down a dear old friend!

We have a member who rallies a right-hand drive Cortina, it's a beautiful little thing.

http://dodgetrucks.org/home/lesley/GALWAY.jpg

[Crash]

My guess, is that would be a Lotus-Cortina? If it is, "it was quite the car in its day", and being RHD over here...Rare!!

[Crash]

Those pics you posted were of a MK 2 Cortina (Lotus-Cortina by the coloring) and a MK 1 Ford Capri.

I had a few Capri's, including a MK 1 GT, I also owned a 3.0 Ghia, and 3.0 S, and a 2.8 injection. Nice cars but the handling could have been better.

[Lesley]

Yah, those two cars competed in the Classic division of the Galway Cavendish Rally, I drew them for the program. The Cortina driver is in our motorsports club and a really nice guy who used to crew for Ron Fellows.

[Crash]

You drew them yourself? Wow! I'm really impressed. We won't need a photographer on the 29th...you can just draw us!

That way, you can just colour in my bald patch :lol:

Seriously though, they really are good!

[Lesley]

Thanks Crash, I was an illustrator for an auto features syndicate for three years... I've drawn damn near everything with four wheels... including the S7 below :)

[Lesley]

The Cortina? Or the truck?
:)