Another day, another $0.50

It has almost been a month since I added to the blog and I am still stumped for something to add at this time.

Time goes on, the renovations to our bathroom are still unfinished, my garage is still full of junk and I can't get to the 'Banana, and we are getting ready to go away again.

We will be leaving on September 4th for Watkin's Glen New York for the biggest SVRA event of the year. It is anticipated that we will have in excess of 500 cars for this event. Once more back to the rustic Seneca Lodge and a throw back 20 years in time. We are being joined by a number of longtime friends for the weekend so it should be a good time. Both Linda and I are looking forward to seeing our American friends once again. After The Glen we are home for two weeks then off to Virginia International Raceway and two weeks later, Road Atlanta for our final race of the season. We are going to spend the two weeks between VIR and R/A in Savannah Ga. and Charleston SC. Looking forward to scoffing down plates of raw oysters on the half shell and indulging in some old fashioned sight seeing.

Ian and Eileen have now been in their own place for three weeks and they have settled into domestic bliss quite nicely, at least so they say. They are still lacking some of the bare essentials of life, like 500 channel cable access for their TV but I am sure it is just around the corner. Trying to get Ian, and for that matter, Sarah to clear their stuff out of our house has become an epic struggle. We are strong and united in our resolve to claim back as much of our living space as possible. Seems like we haven't even made a dent in the clutter.

I probably won't be adding to this blog until we return from our trips. Maybe by then I will have something of genuine interest to contribute.

More on the Banana

When we arrived home from our Florida interlude my primary objective was to get to work on the Banana. I wanted to get the car stripped to it's last nut and bolt and start the restoration. What I found was a totally rust free, complete and undamaged specimen. The engine and gearbox were the first items to be removed, along with the complete wiring harness. With the sundry mechanical bits I removed 13 wasp nests, two rather large mouse nests, a load of peanut and pecan shells, two earrings and $0.39 Usd. Most of the nests had been abandoned and those that weren't saw the occupants perish on the trip to the Great White North.

Before it was totally enveloped in domestic 'stuff' I was able to get most of what needed to come off, off. The engine bay was stripped to bare metal by a combination of chemical and mechanical means, etched and primered. Once it becomes available, the doors, interior, fenders, boot lid and all the suspension components will be removed.

Apart from the rubber bumper cars being just butt ugly, they were mechanically inferior (in my opinion) to the earlier chrome bumper cars. One of the priorities in this restoration will be to back date to about 1968 vintage. The rubber bumpers and all the mounting hardware have been removed and a new, older type, front and rear valance have been obtained for the conversion. The front subframe will be replaced with an earlier version to bring the suspension geometry in line with the lower ride height of the earlier cars. New dropped front spindles with the new subframe will bring the whole affair 2.5" closer to terra ferma.

At this point it looks like a Chevy 3.4L V6 with a T5 transmission will be the choice power plant. This will provide somewhere in the area of 175bhp over the stock 86bhp. I have chosen this conversion due to its simplicity and the fact that no permanent modifications have to be made to the structure of the car to accommodate the new drive train.

So, until our son moves out with all his accumulated goods, and our bathroom is finished, all I can do is sit and plan out the next steps. Hopefully by about the first of September the project will once again gain some momentum.