|  | NEWS | 8-25-08
The mini stocks only got 5 laps in his heat (HEAT #1) and out of a 7 to 8 car field, Shawn started in the next to the last row on the inside. Working his way past the #48 (Ogelthorpe mini stock) and holding of the Black and Green #4. The new gear helped out a good bit on the start of the heat race for the #41. Even after the spell Shawn had with the wall during the hot laps. The track was extremely wet and Shawn got the mustang out of the more packed groove of the track. After flirting with the Turn 4 wall two times already, he finally kissed it on the 3rd time around. All in all, it only bounced the car off with some minor scratches on the right rear part of the car, only on the rubber stock rear bumper. Thanks to the slick track letting the car bounce without biting in, and the tough car built by Robert Dolan.
The WoO Late Model show was a good one to watch, and they got their show in with the approaching storm heading in fast. However, the mini stocks were on the track and headed on their way to the green flag when the bottom fell out with the track turning glassy and slick as ice. The race was called with no chance of running that night (because of it already being 1:30 AM on Sunday). Shawn waited on Redd and explained how he wouldn't be able to make it with a rain check, due to his commitments to the U.S. Gov't and attending training. Redd slipped Shawn some money to compensate what payout would have been and that was much appreciated by Shawn.
So for now the #41 Mini Stock Mustang is put up for the rest of the year of 2008 it looks. Staff Sergeant Connelly USMC will be leaving the USMC tomorrow (Aug 26, 2008) and will be heading to Jacksonville, FL to swear in to the Army on August 27, 2008. Then off to school, and a chance of being on lockdown and no racing, family time, freedom or anything. Shawn will keep this site updated and folks posted with what he finds out in the near future. If money and time gets straight, we might could see a GPS or Modoc appearance. If no time or money, then we will have to see where Shawn and the family gets stationed to see if the #41 will make it back on to the track.
Thanks for everything to Jennifer, Choo Choo, (crew chief) Brian Cheek, Dave's Auto & Truck Repair, B&T Machine Shop in Beaufort SC, Big Redd (owner/promoter SMS), Bruce Denman (Sumter Speedway) and all those who supported S. C. Racing in some fashion in the short and fun 2008 season! We hope to see you again soon at a track near you!
8-9-08
The #41 Mustang now has a 3.73 gear under the rear giving it a 6.75 final ratio. Hopefully it won't be too much for the stock bottom end and weak head. The #41 will be running its final race at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA on August the 16th, 2008. It will be a last run for Shawn before he goes to school at Ft Gordon, GA (Augusta) for Satellite Communications (25S). Hopefully the new gear will put the cam and enginie a little further up in the power band of the little engine and get the #41 in the top 3. If Kevin O'Brien (#44) will let Shawn use his scales, it could only increase his chances...in theory. Stay tuned for more car upadaes prior to August 16th....
David (#15 "J.D. Byrider 440" at OSP) and Brian (#53 "J.D. Byrider 440" @ OSP) said they want to come too to race in the renegade class. If so, there will be a slew of Beaufort, SC drivers at the "Action Packed Track of the South".
8-8-08
Made the 130 mile one way trip to Sumter Speedway, Sumter, SC on July 19th, 2008. Missed the hot laps session making only half a lap before stock 4 had to come back in. Sumter had longer straight-aways so the #41 had a little more horsepower on the straights, compared to Screvens and its shorter straights. In the heat the #41 finsihed around 6th and was popping and shooting flames out the exhaust. The #80 team came over and saw the header had came unbolted and provided a header bolt. With some RTV and a Chevy exhaust bolt, the Mustang made it to the main, starting dead last, due to the staging official screwing the #41 out of his starting position, saying Shawn showed up late, when actually he was lined up 15 minutes in advance.
The #41 (Shawn) dodged 3 wrecks and after an actual 4 laps under green, the #41 made it from 12th to 7th, passing the Red #26 coming to the checkers on the lst lap. The #41 finished 6th in the main, bringing home a whopping $35 dollars in winning + $20 for spotting in turn 2 of Sumter the week prior. Shawn wants to thank Brian Cheek (neighbor---crew chief) and Choo Choo #21 (Daddy) for coming up and bringing fuel, and getting the car on the track for the main event.
7-17-08
On June 21st, 2008-the #41 team made another trip to Screven Motor Speedway and was running 3rd in the heat when the weld that locked the rear end broke. The car became extremely loose upon under acceleration off of the corner and Shawn fell back to 5th in the heat.
After staging for the main, Shawn shut the car off to conserve battery power and save fuel in order to make weight after the main. The starter on the #41 mustang had been giving him problems. Well this same problem arose again, and left him stranded in the staging lanes and needing a push-off from the wrecker. So, this forced the S. C. Racing #41 Ford to start in the rear due to the push off.
Shawn worked his way up to 5th and avoided 3 seperate caution &spins of various cars throughout the main. The #41 was held up behind the same #11 Honda Prelude that held Shawn up in the first race a few weeks back. Shawn raced the #11 (Lanier) clean and the #11 gave Shawn plenty of room on the bottom to try and work him. But with only one wheel pulling strong in the rear end, it was near impossible to hook up coming out of turns 2 and 4 without sliding into the #11. So as a last ditch effort, the #41 dove through the apron of the track coming out of 4, but like previous laps, "Spinning ain't winning". So the #11 beat the #41 out for 4th, by a fender. A good race and good luck on our side, with the car weighing 2308 lbs, this time after the main.
A 5th place finish, $40 winnings, and 80 miles later, we were back in Beaufort, SC around 230AM Sunday Morning.
6-10-08
With lots of help from a flown in Minnesotan, Ryan Hagen, (the CREW CHIEF of the #341 Pinto) the car was closer than ever to making it to the track. A shame Ryan couldn't have stayed longer to get to take her for a spin himself.
The S.C. Racing #41 Mustang was finished up enough to race on Friday night (6-6-2008) with the help of neighbors Jak & Brian. The Connelly family and the Cheek's loaded up the #41 and went racing at Screven Motor Speedway, in Sylvania GA on the 7th (Saturday).
During the hot laps session, the throttle linkage on the carburetor broke and having the car towed back to the pits by a Ford Tractor. After 30 minutes of help from the McSpadden family and a few other mini stock teams, the #41 made it out to the heat race.
In the heat, after dodging a first lap wreck, the little engine that could stayed together and sounded great while was learning how to drive on dirt.
In the main, the #41 passed up the #1 and was working on the #11 up to the last lap. When trying to pass the #11 on the white flag lap, the #11 went low and pushed up into the #41, denting the door in and causing the S.C. Racing mustang to ride over the fender and tire of the #11 on two wheels. The #11 suffered a flat tire, the #41 kept on trucking to the caution. With no flat tire, a nice dent in the kicker panel under the number, and astill running car, the #41 Mustang finished 4th out of 7 in the main event, bringing home a whopping $50.
The S.C. Racing #41 and Shawn will be back in action at SMS on the 21st of June.
5-19-08
Header bolted on, fan connected to radiator. I found some dinged up fins on radiator and assume it will leak once under pressure. and heat. Timing pointer is on the engine. All hoses connected. Just need a wire from distributor to the coil, a lil bit of 93 pump gas and electrical wires to the fan and we are in business for this Saturday's race at Sumter. Hope this freaking engine runs decent and stays together. If not, this car will be in the front lawn with a for sale sign..LOL!
5-11-08
The clutch is now working, still waiting on header bolts and gasket to come in from Power By Ace (California). Also, just ordered a new electric fan on EBay. Now need just a timing pointer, a timing gun, to put the distributor in and hook up a few more wires and it'll be time to see if the garage built engine will run. Hopes are for no problems, but if it cranks at all it will be a major accomplishment in my eyes. And to add on the good news, Ryan is coming down for memorial day. Have to get the car running before 24 May, for the old crew chief. That dude deserves to make some laps in it. Check under the Mustang Build page for some pictures of the engine.
4-11-08
Got the head on, one of the bolts doesn't torque past 80 ft/lbs. May be a bad sign of a thread stripping out of the block, but going to push on and see what happens. Picked up the fuel pump, water pump, timing belt, and other parts were ordered. Hoping to have engine assembled by Tuesday of next week and in the car by Thursday of next week. We'll see how the rest of the assembly goes first. A week of work next week will allow more time for engine work.
4-2-2008
Called B&T, the head should be finished by 1300. They are running late and I hope they don't do a crappy rush job on it. The 90 LX head ended up not having any cracks, so that was good. If I can get off of work early enough, I will pick up the head, and then off to Dave's to hopefully seal up the bottom end.
Some items still missing for the mustang engine are: Water pump, timing belt, pinto throttle cable bracket, water pump belt, & cooling fan. Also a clutch/pressure plate/throw-out bearing need to picked up. All of this isn't cheap and don't know if it will be done in time for a April 19th race at Screvens.
3-30-2008
The rotating assembly is together now. The crank was polished and mic'd by B&T and it came out standard. New Clevite 77 main and rod bearings were installed, using oil and red line assembly lube. A new Melling M127 oil pump was installed and the 127S oil screen was re-used from the 87-88 ranger motor, that the block came from.
The first head turned in to B&T had cracks in the combustion chambers. The last junk head on the shelf (from the 90 Mustang LX motor) was turned in as a substitute. Waiting for hopefully good news from B&T. If more bad news, S.C. Racing may be forking out $375 for a used, big valve, Open Chamber, Solid lifter head from a fellow racer in Beaufort, SC.
Shawn will be TAD to Albany, GA March 31st thru April 2nd. When he returns, he hopes to go to David Breton's and install the rear main oil seal, the oil pan, and thn maybe put some oil in the bottom end to see if it leaks.
3-24-2008
The 2.3 Block is at Dave's. The crank and the head are at B&T Machine Shop in Beaufort, SC. The bottom end has been honed again and the gasket surfaces have been cleaned up. A rookie builder hone job by Shawn may turn out to be devistating to this little engine. The first start of the engine will tell. Will get the crank back tomorrow and hopefully the bearings will be in from Speedway Motors. After all this is back, I will be making my first attempt at assembling a bottom end. Hope all goes well! Also hope B&T don't screw up the head. | |
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