911 Carrera RallyCross Project

[BRAID]

Tailless test drive tonight. 37F; the coldest it's going to be for about a week. Not liking the look

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...48f5ot1lsi


A 20 minute drive at 55mph to a restaurant for a business meeting prduced this:

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...fc37ot1lsi


I'd say that was 180F. I was hoping for more, after all, it wasn't that cold and the oil cooler is still covered. The exterior thermostat didn't open and it didn't overheat. Maybe I'll try restricying the deck lid grill a bit.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

The oil temperature issue continues to frustrate us.

The standard decklid grill is about 101 square inches while the whale tail is about 162 square inches in area. This is just measuring the individual slots and doesn't take into account the sizes of the relative mesh and slats but let's assume they are at least "similar" So it seems plausible that the whale tail would be a) less restrictive and b) capture more air when in motion. So we reinstalled the whale tail but covered half the slots with packaging tape in an attempt to restrict cold air flow to some extent but, alas, with 37F outside temperature and the engine oil cooler still covered with cardboard we only achieved what appears to be 160F. Is this a good enough oil temperature to be thrashing the engine at redline and wide open throttle? It makes us very uncomfortable. We are going to try blocking off 50% of what's left open and see if that helps but at that point we are concerned about restricting air intake for the engine itself. Temperature outside is only going to get lower.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...f%3Aot1lsi

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http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...Af8got1lsi
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Perhaps driven by the need to score a victory over the car, however small, we decided it was time to install the LED gauge lamps/bulbs we have had on the parts shelf for some time. This is not for bling but for practical reasons as it is very difficult to see the odometer at night; a fact that came to light during a recent TSD rally.

So we had to pull all the gauges out one at a time, locate the illumination lamps and replace them. Actually quite easy once you figure out how to get them out of the back of the gauge.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...5g53ot1lsi


The effect is quite illuminating.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...5g46ot1lsi


You can't see the volt meter hidden behind the steering wheel which is fortuitous as it still has it's old yellow incandescent lamp in there. We will need to source a 194 LED replacement to finish the project. And yes, we also fixed the offset steering wheel position, and not by just moving the yellow tape either.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...5%3Bot1lsi
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Mixed bag of progress today but no oil temperature posts; not cold enough to do any meaningful testing.

First off, to make sure we win this weekends RallyCross we added some stickers/power.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...5e88ot1lsi

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...8gdeot1lsi

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...e289ot1lsi

[URL="http://www.thayerauto.com/"]Ralph Thayer Automotive[/URL] is the series sponsor in case you were wondering.


Then we installed the last of our LED gauge illumination lamps: the aftermarket voltmeter. It cost nearly as much as the bloody voltmeter!

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...1lsi[/IMG]


Then the postman arrived with a spare transmission. OK, it was a big truck. We are now practising round the clock so we can do transmission swaps between runs at the next RallyCross.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...%3B2ot1lsi
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

We had a very interesting weekend with the car, racing and making a movie!

Firstly Ryan Symancek arrived Thursday as guest driver and filmmaker for the weekend. Ryan is famous for his film series he made for /DRIVE about his experiences building his first car for RallyCross and driving a Group B Lancia 034 in New Zealand among other things. After those exploits were were hoping he wouldn't be underwhelmed by our little 911. We needn't worried.

Friday was spent prepping the car, loading the van and shooting some moving footage from the back of our Audi. It was an interesting process and the car was a star performer. Here are some iPhone shots we took of the proceedings.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...%3Ccot1lsi

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...h%3Bot1lsi

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...f67eot1lsi


One interesting result of all this was that the oil temperature reached 195F. It was 46F outside and mostly were were making passes at around 50mph so that was somewhat encouraging especially as this somewhat replicated the conditions we expected Saturday at the event. Consequently we decided to remove the plastic tape blocking of half the whale tail slots.



Race day morning we were greeted by thick fog and freezing temperatures. We were happy we had left the winter tires on the car and that the venue was only an hour away. The temperature kept going down the closer we got till it was only 24F when we unloaded and set up camp!

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...9336nu0mrj


By the time the runs got underway the sun had emerged and burnt off most of the fog. It even climbed above freezing, barely. Ryan managed to spin the car on his first practice lap but after that he got it down. The thing is so easy to drive anyway, once you figure out not to lift mid corner. After 8 runs each and much filming Ryan finished 2nd and I was fifth, after I demolished a bunch of cones on my sixth run. I'm rusty, what can I say?


http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...B336nu0mrj

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...6336nu0mrj

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...4336nu0mrj

Video:

https://youtu.be/hoRssnt7-54


The car ran flawlessly, almost. After my debacle with the wall of cones I suffered a stuck throttle at wide open and shut the car down mid-run. It fired right back up at idle so we are not too sure what happened. One theory is that broken pieces of cone got jammed up in the throttle linkage as it runs almost under the transmission. At these temperatures cones just shatter when you hit them! Another is that, due to the deep ruts that were forming we were jamming frozen mud into the linkage and jamming it up that way. Either way it is a bit worrying and something we may need to address if we decide to RallyCross the car again.

Oil temperature-wise we got some good results. whale tail fully open but engine oiler cooler still shrouded we saw 195F again during the runs. This was in temperatures in the mid- thirties so quite encouraging. We drove the car home below freezing but only got 140F at highway speeds, not surprisingly.

So we can't wait for Ryan's film to be done now and released to YouTube. Expect it in about a month. Oh, and our new mascot, RALLIDOG was a big hit too.

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...5336nu0mrj
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

We think we have the oil temperature concerns addressed now. With some 5W40 oil in there and a cover over the engine oil cooler I think we should be fine. Time to move on to other issues: poor running and "popping" noises at idle!

We read on the forums that the popping noises are probably due to intake leaks; either from aging vacuum lines, oil filler gasket or, more than likely, intake manifold. It seems the bolts come loose and they can suck in the paper gaskets! These issues might also account for the rough idle. Of course there are other possible causes for the idling so we decided to look at plugs and ignition too.

So off with the distributor cap. Doesn't look pristine in there.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...ehgdot1lsi


Neither does the rotor arm

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...1lsi[/IMG]


We found these loose wires in front of the engine too. Can't believe after how many times we've had the engine out we haven't noticed them before. We must have forgotten what they were previously for, surely.

[IMG]http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv34984%3Enu%3D3%3B83%3E%3A34%3E5%3C3%3E2%3C74%3A346%3B4245ot1lsi


Plugs all look OK though the gaps were a little tight.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...3Bfhot1lsi


Uh Oh, another oil leak. Put it on the list.

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...C245ot1lsi


So we gapped the plugs, cleaned up the cap and rotor, checked the oil cap gasket, looked around for deteriorating vacuum lines and checked the intake manifold bolts. Every bolt was loose! Not hand tight loose but almost. We torqued them back down and fired it back up, hoping that would be sufficient to sort it out for now.

It was Runs like a champ again. I think we'll plan on removing the intake manifold and replacing the gaskets and vacuum lines next time the engine is out. Which, judging by the proliferation of oil leaks recently will be quite soon.

Next we are off to Sno*Drift rally with the car to do some spectating and sell some wheels! Stay warm.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

One more project on our to do list before we head to Sno*Drift was to relocate the battery to the smuggler's den, the recessed box in the trunk that used to house the AC blower. Weight distribution is the oft touted reason for doing this and there may well be some benefit in that regard but to us it felt necessary because we could never get jumper cables on the terminals in the stock location behind the front left headlight and that seemed important, especially as we head into the depth of winter.

The RENNLINE relocation kit is a well designed beauty that comes with everything you need to bolt the battery securly in place. We opted for the clamp with space for a disconnect switch but did not order the switch, yet. The main pieces are anodized aluminium and all the fasteners are stainless steel. The instructions are very clear too.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...gf42ot1lsi


Here it is fully assembled but without the battery.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...%3Chot1lsi


This particular kit is designed for the Odyssey PC925 battery and as we have had good luck with these batteries in the past had no hesitation to go with one of these again.


http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...d5hcot1lsi


And this is where it's all headed.

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3E...C245ot1lsi


It drops right in and rests on the lip of the aperture. It is then clamped to the lip with two small plates and srews.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...h%3Bot1lsi


Now for the tricky bit: wiring it up. The idea is to cut the terminal off the existing battery cable and pull it through the firewall into the passenger compartment and fish it into the smuggles box through the hole in the central tunnel that used to flow air to the AC blower. It's a bit fiddle espaecially as the cable is quite big and stiff but it was quite manageable. Once in we soldered and new ring connector on the end.


http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...3B55ot1lsi

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http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...d87got1lsi


With the main battery cable now in the smuggler's box this left a bunch of wires in the old location without a positive feed. We ran a new fat cable from the battery back to this area and temporarily bolted them all together while we figured out how best to connect them. We also had to include two more wires for our rally lights into this configuration.

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...7dd2ot1lsi



Then we had a brilliant idea: use a radiator isolator mount from our Audi Quattro and a Tupperware box!

http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...i78eot1lsi

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http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp93232%3E...3B82ot1lsi


Worked perfectly
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Last week we talked about prepping the car for Sno*Drift rally, even though it wasn't competing. Well now we feel obliged to let you know how it all went.
Of course it wouldn't be rally unless you were burning the midnight oil just before you left and that's exactly what we did though, of course, it wasn't planned that way. When we moved the trailer into position to load the car the next morning we found the lights only worked if we jiggled the trailer plug back and forth. Uh oh! We carefully removed the plugs cover and promptly three loose wires came out of their terminals with no clue as to which terminals they were.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/2755/files/1...0835[/IMG]



We have no documentation of what terminal does what and the interweb wasn't forthcoming so we dashed out to Autozone before they closed to purchase another plug so we'd at least have a diagram and, if needed, a spare plug. The issue soon became that there were three loose wires and only two loose terminal screws. This was compounded by a wiring diagram that had the plug notch 180 degrees out of position which suggested our plug was always wired wrrong. But it wasn't as it always worked before. Oh, and the wire colors were all different too! It took a few hours to realize all these but when accounted for we got it back together. The extra wire? That turned out to be the trailer brake ground so we twinned it up with the trailer ground. PHEW! still Wednesday; just.
Loading up the car and trailer next afternoon was unefentful, thankfully, and the weather wasn't too bad with just some light snow forecast for later. Piece of cake.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/2755/files/1...2489868039




So it was an easy drive to Lewiston and some logistical jiggery pokery soon saw the 911 parked at the rental house and the RALIVAN and trailer locked up in the local hardware store's yard (same owner). Then a quick jaunt over to race HQ in Atlanta via the snow covered "scenic route" had us registered, acredited and smiling. The Nokian tires proving more than adequate for the snow covered ice encrusted back roads. Back to the rental. Drinks, dinner and rally banter ensued.
The next two days were a blur of spectating and hob nobbing with participants and rally enthusiasts at our vendor booth and both parc exposes. The car really is a massive hit, even getting more attention on local TV than the rally cars. (see below) The car ran flawlessly all weekend and proved more than adequate for the conditions. There's just so much grip! After sitting in Atlanta service for two cold days the RALIVAN sputtuered into life Sunday morning to drag us all back down state without a hiccup. All said a thouroughly enjoyable but exausting weekend.

Video:

https://youtu.be/zgWYWqSb-Lw

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zgWYWqSb-Lw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/2755/files/1...6114286879

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/2755/files/1...6114286879


http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/2755/files/1...6114286879
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1459/24789490122_d8628fbbc9_c.jpg

That's right, our little 911 is getting a roll cage. Does this mean we are going racing? Maybe. Motivations for this are three-fold: 1) safety during track days etc. 2) Race car credibility generally. We are showing the car a lot more these days. 3) This six point bolt in cage is SCCA time-trial approved and should allow us to run the Empire Hill Climb later this year!

We picked it up from a chap in Cincinnati who was selling for "Local pickup only" as a few of the bolt on sleeves had been welded "for additional safety" which rendered it less easy to ship.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1486/24558573109_413c45c823_c.jpg


Fortunately that allowed us to win the auction for a great price as it really narrowed the market for it and, although we were willing to drive down to Cincinnati for it a good friend of the shop, Nick Clute very kindly volunteered to pick it up for us on his way back from Florida. SWEET!

We would prefer a white cage and will probably paint it before final installation but first we have to make sure it fits and that we can still install two seats with harnesses as only the driver's side harness bar is looped for extra clearance. So first thing was to remove the seat and harness bar from the car.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1670/24299333883_2d5ae84de9_c.jpg

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https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1622/24899929936_f48350ba4c_c.jpg


The rear hoop was a bugger to muscle into place unassisted but we managed and immediately a problem presented itself: we had assumed that the bolt holes in each sleeve and bar were factory drilled thus making the sleeve locations universal. WRONG. Every sleeve must have been drilled in the car as none of the holes would match up. So we wrestled the rear hoop back out and started to put this jigsaw puzzle of a cage back together in a way that rendered it somewhat 911 shaped. Eventually we had it figured out and marked everything so it could be reassembled the same way in the car. PHEW what a job.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1534/24855255021_958a89b5d4_c.jpg


Three hours later the cage was fully assembled in the car but it was tight and even though all the bolts were loose it had very little flexibility. It seems it is going to mount exactly where it is now and nowhere else.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1488/24922298736_3d63146de5_c.jpg


Again, a few issues presented themselves; non of which are insurmountable. Firstly, the sun visors are clearly never going to work with this cage in place. I guess they are coming out.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1611/24948593895_4b26b782ec_c.jpg


And secondly, the door pockets line up perfectly with the door bars. Either they go or the door bars go.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1523/24948598315_beb68d92d7_c.jpg

I think we'll source some RS door cards from RENNLINE to tidy this issue up.

http://www.rennline.com/images/NF-911-07.jpg


So next job is putting the seats and harnesses back in to see if they still work then adjusting the feet locations, if we can and marking bolt holes. Then taking it all back out, drilling holes (gulp), painting it and finally throwing it back in. Stay tuned, it's about to get interesting.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

We never thought this project would need a "part #2" when we started it. Guess what? There's going to be a "Part #3" as well!

When we left Part #1 we had the cage fully assembled in the car and had noted a few things to tweak and/or remove. Next we test fitted the seats to see how they would work with the car, with particular interest in how we might mount the shoulder belts since we lost the harness bar. Before we did that we took the covers off to give them a wash. Three years of RallyCrossing had left them less than pristine.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

The seats still fit but we are a little flummoxed by the height of the cage's harness bars as they seem too low. The rules say something like 10-20 degrees from horizontal and a short as possible but we think this is out of that range. Maybe we attach to the OE rear seat belt mounts which are 3 feet away and offset to the outside about six inches. More on that in Part #3.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Moving on, we next removed the door bars and door pockets so we could at least close the doors.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


And then started to work on the fitment issues, the main one of which was that the feet didn't want to sit on the wheel wells like they are supposed to.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


We suspected (hoped) this was because a) the floor was a little high from poor jacking or hitting things and b) the door bars were rubbing on the b-pillar and not allowing the rear hoop to go back far enough. Both of these proved to be the case and were each addressed with the same specialized tool: a BFH, the b-pillars after first removing their tan leather wrap. We'll paint those white like the rest of the interior later.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

Now everything was falling where it should it was time to drill holes and commit to this cage!!!

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


and then take the whole thing out and reassemble it again so we can paint it.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


BTW the seat cushions turned out lovely

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr



In Part #3 we will finish this project once and for all.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

OK, part #3. Final part? Read on..................

Painting took just two coats of brushed on Rustoleum; the same and left over paint we used for the interior. It was a bit of chore having to paint all round each tube and, because we didn't want to remove the sleeves again, required a bit of touch up later. But it is done and we think looks cracking!

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


While it was drying we ran to Fastenall to get some new hardware. We didn't like the black allen screws that came with the kit and wanted new nylock nuts too.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Then we threw it back in the car. cinched everything down and it fit perfectly.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Then we put the seats and belts back in to complete the project. Well, so we thought.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


As you can probably see the seats sit too high; both for shoulder belt angle and head to cage relationship. Unfortunately we don't see any way to get them lower without cutting the existing mounting pads away and fabricating new ones and that is definitely another project so this one is done.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

DOOR CARDS.

You may remember our car used to be dark pink with a beige interior? Well beige is not a rally color in our book and as this car appears to be transitioning into some sort of rally replica/tribute we thought the door cards needed some attention. We already removed the pockets to get the doors to close with the new cage but when we did the door cards just looked so wrong.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


So we did a little research and selected RENNLINE's RS inspired, black leather door cards as they are simple looking and retain all the funtionality of the originals in terms of switch gear etc. One bonus is that they replace the unusual and hard to find door latch handles with a rather nifty red pull strap. http://teamilluminata.com/products/rennline-porsche-911-door-panels

They come complete with everything you need to complete the swap making it a very easy job.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


They are a very universal kit that come with all the cutouts already made. All you do is cut out the leather from the holes you need and leave the others in place.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Removing all the dodads from the door is pretty easy

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


as is removing the door card itself

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


We discovered that our door caps were covered in brown leather from the factory but it peeled away easily to reveal patterned black plastic below. After removing a bit of old glue they looked like new.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


and before we knew it; race car!

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Spring is finally here and it appears our little 911 has decided what it's new role in life will be: as a show car!. I know, I know, they should be driven and it's a race car but to be honest sales are keeping us busy and it is over 30 years old now. Perhaps retirement is appropriate. Having said that we do have two defenses to mount: one, it keeps getting invited to shows and two, we have entered the next Detroit Region RallyCross so it's not all show and no go.

So what prompted this you may ask? Well we did rather enjoy showing the car off at last year's [URL="http://www.northernworthersee.com/"]Northern Worthersee show[/URL] in Frankenmuth, you may recall it won best Porsche or something. And the UR quattro of our friend Tim Maskus also won Best Of Show so these cars are very popular and get a lot of exposure.

11899765_10153160145150773_3751792130510941922_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


The car is also very popular at local car and coffee gatherings as you can imagine.

[IMG]

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr[/IMG]

11069309_10205210970846134_5786907419007244818_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Which may have contributed it being invited to this year's [URL="http://www.eyesondesign.org/carshow/"]Eyes On Design show.[/URL] which is a HUGE honor.

Eyes On Design by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


So then we thought it would be good exposure to once again attend the [URL="https://www.facebook.com/Motorstadt/timeline"]Motorstadt show[/URL] in June but this time as a vendor, again with the car of course. This one is a similar crowd as Wurthersee and they have always appreciated the older German stuff.

[IMG]https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11150782_842832995754224_8794392465291833036_n.jpg?oh=e46d9dcb8771f903f44c57b1affa1000&oe=579E2B87[/IMG]


But then we also got invited to [URL="http://www.concoursusa.org/"]The Concours d'Elegance of America[/URL] along with a bunch of other rally oriented cars. It can't get any better.

13151443_1180457198666449_2627125366945133411_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


However, despite all this attention we are not detailing the car. It's still a race car after all.


.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Was fortunate to make the list for the Detroit region of the SCCA RallyCross this past weekend. These events are always over-subscribed and for good reason; they are a great fun and exceptionally well run.

Unfortunately not driving competitively for six months really diminishes ones skills so, for the first time ever in a RallyCross the poor car did not take home a trophy. I apologized to it profusely.

Still, despite my lack of ability the car is still a crowd pleaser and produces excellent action shots and video:

https://www.facebook.com/brian.thorpe.5/videos/1177258578960966/

13266128_10207531422097382_5490087071613639158_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13263830_10207531411417115_1259497671807684254_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13220995_10207531410497092_8809029149891773887_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13227123_10207531427337513_8321023225533723341_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

27088134381_05299c5453_o by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


The spoiler also doubles as a trophy table!

BrianThorpe5 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Pictures by Brian Thorpe and Scott Banes.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

As the opening salvo in our "All Show and All Go" program for 2016 we entered the car in it's first proper show of 2016, the Motorstadt show put on by the Michigan Volkswagen Enthusiasts and held on the beautiful grounds of the Austrian Society. We also entered our other 911 and our RALIVAN in the show and took along the entire dog and pony show too! It was a long day resulting in 2nd place for the RallyCross 911.

IMG_9167 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

IMG_9168 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

IMG_9172 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13393926_10153704860675773_3400659960073357387_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

IMG_9169 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13321906_1173476469338869_7581010964925592193_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13315364_1173476512672198_7763240109415140100_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


The next event on the calendar is [URL="http://www.eyesondesign.org/carshow/"]Eyes On Design[/URL]. That's a BIGGIE. We might have to get in some practicing.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

We were honored to be invited to the Eyes On Design show this year and surprised to win a Designer's Choice Award. We guess all that lack of preparation paid off.

Early bird gets the designated spot they would have had even if it were late.

IMG_9254 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


This was an unexpected surprise. No mention of Michelle Mouton though.

IMG_9255 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Our "class"!

IMG_9257 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


and some competition. Uh oh.

IMG_9256 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Breakfast with a view.

IMG_9258 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


More surprises

IMG_9261 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

IMG_9271 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


We got to keep this. Now we'll never forget what kind of car is under all that vinyl.

IMG_9270 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


More pleasant surprises. Designers Choice Award

IMG_9263 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

IMG_9273 by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Next big event is the Concours Of America. All Show and All Go!! (no Q-tips either)
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

As the car is red hot now we thought we'd be sensible and install a fire extinguisher before we need one. We went with a 2.5lb dry powder with a quick release mounting bracket.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


There were a few options for mounting: on the cage behind us, on the cage leg in co-drivers foot well, on the transmission tunnel in front of the shift lever. Finally we decided to mount it to the floor in front of the co-driver's seat as it would be most accessible for both driver and co-driver.

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

image by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

We took the "All Show and All Go" 911 to the Concours d'Elegance of America over the weekend to hang out with some other rally cars. There were two groups invited to this concours: real works rally cars with provenance and the rest of us "pretenders". We all participated in the peripheral cars and coffee type events but only the provenance-full cars were allowed on the concours field. The rest of us were allocated a club parking spot on the grounds. Still, it was good to meet people from the Historic Rally Cars Group in person and see cars we haven't seen live for thirty years or more.

Here we are with Colin McRae's Ford Focus.

13681052_10153840850640773_613571543239034219_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


This is Richard Burns' Impreza.

13873118_10153840866175773_3091764464965576359_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


MK2 Escort

13900215_10153841595860773_849473300453993226_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Quattro

13873205_10153841604180773_1374115887097938155_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Always use your mirrors. You never know what you might see.

13873249_10153841607125773_3927042831902103633_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Rally cars thrive in these conditions, even at a concours. Opel Manta (red)

13900175_10153843149890773_2217456065079588490_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Great taste

13895194_10153843809655773_6838901992570114493_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


What a nice spread.

13659137_10153843815950773_6211746530854529816_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Safari 911

13895441_10153845947010773_3575181668371423713_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

13882160_10153845949220773_5484836095242208361_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Lancia 037

13901517_10153846611820773_8511592043114990343_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Fiat 131/Brava

13920726_10153846616115773_8701512770684640796_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


All business inside

13872743_10153846623510773_3707973688107080020_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Videos:

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153846215895773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153845945415773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153843806250773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153843141135773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153841997045773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153841988305773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153841602675773/

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153845945415773/
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

More non-action action for our All Show and All Go Carrera RX this weekend as we took the car along with the dog and pony show to the Northernworthersee (NOWO) show in Frankenmuth. An apt setting as it is a German themed town and home to one of the largest Christmas stores in the world.

On the way up we had some fun racing our RALIVAN.

14102414_10153920428550773_5135555444382968590_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

14141681_10153921327755773_8275879391650679308_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153921332705773/


Here we are setup.

14117875_10153921341705773_1590308552399782254_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


The event was well attended, mostly by lowered Golf's Jettas and Audis but we did manage third in the Porsche class. Unfortunately festivities were cut short by the weather so we had our Flint Water Crises on the way home while going through Flint.

14068102_10153921344515773_6067306237827137296_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


Enthused by our jaunt to pseudo Germany we are inspired to take the car to Canada next weekend, the real Canada though.
_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.

[BRAID]

Another outing for the 911 Carrera RX, this time with a bit of speed involved; only a bit mind. We were happy to sponsor the 3rd iteration of the Empire Hill Climb Revival in Empire, Michigan again this year and as a bonus they let us use the car as course opening vehicle. This meant our duties were to lead the convoy of race cars from the village center to the bottom of the hill, run ahead of them on the hill (at a moderate pace), lead them back down then around the block to the start again for two more climbs then back to the village. Despite our "moderate pace" on the hill we still had a lot of fun and would not have been last if we were entered.

You can watch some in car video of one of our faster runs here: https://www.facebook.com/TeamIlluminataMotorsport/videos/10153998737330773/


The weekend began early on Friday morning loading up the van and the car but by just after noon we were on the road.

14449920_10153995837300773_7768782427491728067_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

14457554_10153996363560773_7388397804251531478_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


It's only a little over four hours to Empire so we pulled up to our hotel for the weekend a little after 4pm.

14470419_10153996801100773_3168013211352773176_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


After checking in and getting our key it was off to registration where we encountered this beauty

14390871_10153996805545773_220223840476211351_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

14390768_10153997143090773_6630894368609593365_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


No, it's not a real one; well not quite. It is an actual rally car, just done up in period Rothmans livery. Looked and sounded great.


The Empire Hill Climb attracts quite a bit of vintage kit as indicated by this Mercedes 190 E 2.3-16 Cosworth in the hotel. Yes, those are BRAID wheels too.

14457334_10153997144625773_53461698358570873_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


and this 72 911 with 3.2 engine. An actual rally car.

14484822_10153998707850773_5489386153679671105_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr


There were plenty of other interesting vehicles running including a vintage Lola and a Toyota Starlet with a Sadev transmission! Yes, the Starlet won overall!

14440945_10153998734735773_5513267077937877283_n by Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr

_________________
Paul Eddleston

BRAID Wheels USA________www.BRAIDUSA.com

Proud sponsor of PCA and Porsche Parade. See you there.