AMAC P2 Build Thread

[patman]

Wow, I see I am way behind on this!

If anyone wants an excuse, I have a pretty good one. For anyone interested in building, see here:
https://www.diychatroom.com/threads/...-build.746242/

Anyway, last time I updated this it was up to my mad rush to get ready for the runoffs. As it turned out, I needn't have wasted all that time, as Hurricane Ian made it all irrelevant anyway.

That said, I had never been to the runoffs before, and I needed a chance to learn what it was like. For that purpose it worked out fine. I learned that once a day qualifying is not good for any purpose except setting a qualifying time, especially if people crash every session. Since I usually use qualifying as an extra test and tune at normal races, that is a good lesson. I learned some other stuff too that will help out next year.

As for how it went:
I had a **** week. I lost the first 2 sessions due to a front splitter that kept coming loose. The next session (Q1) I actually got the car to work OK and started figuring out the new tires/suspension setup, but the session ended early before I really got to build any speed.
Then I decided that since I had 24 hours until the next session I should do some maintenance. Got lots of little things sorted, was doing pretty good, then broke a spark plug off in the head. Not good. Pulled the head, broke all 3 other plugs off too. Drilled them out, got everything ready, but in our rush we got the timing off one tooth, so missed Q2. George Dean was kind enough to have someone overnight me a new head gasket, so I was ready to go for Q3. And actually Q3 went OK, except it ended early too, and I still didn't get time to get my act together.

So for me the rain wasn't really bad news if I am honest.
Started 2nd to last. Car felt good. I felt good. A little rain doesn't bother me too much. Gained several positions by attrition, and took a couple the honest way. Was holding steady in 4th, feeling pretty good. Felt that I had the speed for 3rd. Tried to take it in turn 1, and hit a little puddle at just the wrong time, ended up in the grass. No big deal, back on the track fairly quick, and feeling very confident and aggressive, and ready to take my spot back. To be honest I figured there would be another reset anyway, but I wanted to see what the car could do and now I had lots of room to do it.
Unfortunately, I only made it less than 1/2 a lap before my shifter cable came loose, leaving me stuck in 5th gear. Which really sucked, but I did manage to get the car around the track for a couple more laps at a reasonable rate of speed, and any other gear would have probably been much worse. Finished 7th. All things considered, I'm pissed that one little screw failing knocked me out of the running, but overall I am happy with the result.

Here's the best picture I have.



This little clip what held my shifter cable in place, shim and all. It was held on with 2 TINY screws (6x32 I think). Not sure if the trip into the weeds shook this loose or not, but it actually has failed on me one other time, and is a **** design to start with, so all fault is mine for not fixing it sooner:


I haven't had much time to work on the car recently, but I have a couple of good ideas in mind, and am planning another trip to the runoffs next year, so we will see what I can do. I'll try to keep this updated once I start working on the car a bit more.

[924RACR]

Ah, I'd wondered what happened to you after that move! Funny, I had the EXACT same failure happen to me last year, but during a regular race weekend at Waterford, thankfully... it's amazing the little things that can vibrate loose over time.

I use the bail-type cable attachment at the other (motor) end, but wanted this bolt-on connection up front due to room in the cockpit and not wanting to tear my race suit open on the attachment. I think I'm sticking with the bolt-together style for now, but with loctite this time...

[Allemay]

Hi Guys,

I used to post on here more, but I have started a business, had a couple kids, building a house, etc. Fortunately my wife is still letting me play with race cars, and I recently sold my FC and upgraded to P2.

The new car is a '98 AMAC AM-7, which I think most people consider kind of dated for P2, but I like the car and I think with a few tweaks it can still be competitive. So I figured I might as well document the build for your entertainment. Feel free to comment!

Here is the car as received:




More to come.....

Every time I come on these forums I see guys that are more ambitious and much more talented than I am. It's really bad for my self-esteem. I purposely chose friends that are a little "dim" so this doesn't happen. Maybe the internet just isn't for me.

[eobrien]

No need to hate. There will always be folks that are richer, more ambitious, more capable, more skilled than you. You shouldn't let that discourage you. So what if you need to ask for help? So what if it takes you longer? Punching a P2 car out of the pits will immediately tell you it was all worth it - and you'll learn as you go.

I didn't know squat about race cars when I first started. Now I know slightly more than squat, but not as much as I expected I would know by this point because life got in the way.

Every time I come on these forums I see guys that are more ambitious and much more talented than I am. It's really bad for my self-esteem. I purposely chose friends that are a little "dim" so this doesn't happen. Maybe the internet just isn't for me.

[924RACR]

When I moved to P2 - from ITB - I didn't know just how much I didn't know - but I knew it was a lot!

But that was a good part of the appeal; I'd pretty much tapped-out what there was to learn with the old car, and wanted something that would challenge me and give good opportunities to grow.

It hasn't disappointed.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

No need to hate.

I think he was being sarcastic. Postings make everything look so easy and don't show the hours/days/weeks involved.