Recommend me some spares

[Tiago Santos]

Hey

Just bought my first FV a couple weeks ago (1990 Tsunami Mk3) and did my first race weekend last week. It went OK, but I can honestly say I wouldn't have made it past practice without the help and support of every other Vee driver out there.

I really appreciate the help and the very warm welcome I received, but I want to be as self sufficient as I can out on the track. I know it'll take time, but I want to prepare myself and the car the best that I can, so I'm not out bothering and annoying the other drivers.

So, other than tools (which I already have a hefty list of things I missed for the first weekend and need to get for the next one!), what sort of spares would you recommend getting? I'm looking for things that can and will break eventually.. Right now, I have nothing. I have a car, one set of slicks, and one set of rains. I'm buying another set of slicks and wheels as soon as I can..

What else? I just don't know enough about the car to know what I will and will not need, so I'd really appreciate some tips

Cheers!

[Matt King]

I would start with a basic list of spare ignition parts (cap, wires, coil, points, condenser, etc.) plus brake parts (front/rear shoes, master and wheel cylinders, flex lines, spare drums). Extra lug bolts, wiring supplies, fluids are good things to have. Beyond the basic small stuff, you may want to consider acquiring major drivetrain(engine/trans) and crash repair parts (beam, spindles, axles, etc.) eventually.

[Albatross]

Congratulations on your purchase. The Formula Vee drivers will always be very helpful on or off the track. Matt gave you the ubiquitous list that you should acquire - with time. Arrive at the track with a well prepared car and you will enjoy the race weekend without much wrenching. Keep the car on the track and you won't have to replace many parts. Put the correct spark plugs in the heads and don't be taking them in/out all the time, otherwise you will have to helicoil heads if not done already. Use the right plugs and change them once a year. Learn how to set the valves. The vee drivers do it differently. There is a big Vee race coming up July 16-18 at Mission. Be sure to attend it even if you don't race that weekend. Being a Vee driver will teach you how to draft other cars and require you to learn to be a smooth driver. You have a very good car and good luck.

[CenDiv4]

Contact SR Racing and get their book.... Getting Started in Formula Vees.... I think its 10 bucks or something like that. It will explain more than you need to know to get started and has lists of everything you need to replace and how to do it.

[Tiago Santos]

Thanks for the tips guys

I will definitely be at the July Historics race. Hopefully driving! I'm skipping the conference race next weekend as I want to go through the car and make it my own.. I didn't have time to completely check it over (nor did I know what the hell I was doing) before the race last weekend and it showed, I was definitely stressing out over the car a lot more than I should have.

I'll have to get in touch with SR racing about the book - I have a printed out copy of when it used to be on their old website, but it might have changed enough to be worth spending the 10 or 12 bucks.

Albatross - you didn't make it to the big vee race (the 1st Annual FART Vee race) last weekend up here in Mission, did you? It was a great show, you should definitely make it next year!

Now how do I fix all these oil leaks...

[Daryl DeArman]

Other than the basic fluids and ignition parts the most basic of spares would include a rear drum, valve cover gaskets and oil sump gaskets.

Oil leaks? How much overfilling are you doing and where is it leaking from?

[Hardingfv32]

Build a COMPLETE new front end, steering box, brakes, brake hoses, etc. Remove the current front end and carry it as a spare. You are going to damage the front end at some point.

Brian

[Tiago Santos]

Build a COMPLETE new front end, steering box, brakes, brake hoses, etc. Remove the current front end and carry it as a spare. You are going to damage the front end at some point.

Brian

Hehe I like your optimism. I'm actually very good at spinning and hitting people backwards, I find the damage is a lot easier to fix!

Quickshoe - I don't know where it's leaking from yet.. I found a good sized leak on the oil cooler, couldn't be sure if it was coming from the gaskets/orings or if the cooler itself was cracked. I replaced the orings before my last session and thought it had helped, but then the car leaked quite a lot on the trailer on the way home. I don't keep the car at home, so I haven't had a chance to look into it more. It's very possible that I added way too much oil though!

As far as heim joints and hardware, are some things more likely to need replacing at the track than others? I guess this falls more into the crash damage category, and it's anyone's guess at that point, eh?

[Daryl DeArman]

Preparing for normal wear and tear (crash damage aside)...a rear brake drum stripping out the splines will end your weekend. They are cheap and easy to store. Make sure the axle nuts are properly torqued.

Nothing on a FV tends to wear out quickly....my brake shoes had 16 double weekends on them before they were replaced.

[smsazzy]

I would say it depends how far you are traveling.

If you are going to drive more than two hours and stay in a hotel, I recommend eventually getting a second engine. A spare engine has twice averted me from having to pack it up and go home. Once was while I was 2000 miles from home in Kansas.

You can also get the FV First Aid kit from SR Racing. It contains lots of misc nuts, bolts, points, pushrod, etc. that are used in our engines.

I second the note regarding building a spare beam. It does not take much to bend the beam. At the very least, get a spare H-Beam, minus the spring pack, etc. The internals don't USUALLY bend, unless you hit something really hard. Also get a top and bottom turkey leg for the beam.

As mentioned before, brake drums, etc. are a required spare. Get a spindle too. Jess Heitman can make one of these for you.

A spare front nose would be a good call too. Have you met Jess Heitman in Portland yet? He built the Tsunami's. I have one as well.

During the off season, do a frame up rebuild and save everything you took off the car ass a spare. That is the best way to ensure your collection is complete.

Also - when you use something, don't forget to replace it in your spares set. :-)

[Tiago Santos]

For now I'll probably stick to racing "at home" - Mission is about 1 hour away and with my towing arrangements (an old Volvo wagon and an open trailer) I probably won't be going very far for a while

I haven't met Jess Heitman yet, hope I get a chance in the near future. I did meet Bob Posner last week though, who turned out to have owned my car for 15 years, if I remember right!

[Albatross]

While not exactly on the thread, those drivers new to racing always try to get by on the cheap. Ostensibly, to save money and "I'm new and won't drive that fast." If there is one sure way to cause spin outs, damage to your car (where's my spare beam), then use old tires or worn out tires. Don't, Don't, Don't !!! Get rid of them. You can't learn to drive fast or race on bad/old or worn tires. Many a good race car driver has been able to drive out of trouble or stay out of trouble because his tires stick. Try to get by on the cheap and [it] will bite you.

[Tiago Santos]

Makes sense.. My current (and only) set of slicks now has 2 weekends on them - most people up here milk their tires for good part of the whole season.. I definitely need another set though, if anything so I can rotate them between practice and quali/race sessions.