The last autocross of the year had also been pushed back due to weather but they finally got a chance to sneak it in. So one day after running 10s on street tires at US131 Motorsports park, I'm back there in the morning to autocross through the pits.

Rainy drive there.
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Good variety of vehicles showed up.
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Still fairly damp but at least it wasn't raining when the course was hot.
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My co-driver Jordan got 18th and I got 23rd out of 75 cars. This course was pretty nice to the big, wide Jeep and the shock adjustments definitely gained us some. I'm learning with every lap, can't wait to do more next year.
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And another rainy drive home.
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One of the Furrin Group members got a bunch of photos from the US131 autocross. Pretty neat to see.

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After that last drag day and autocross of last year, the clutch was just about done. Not unexpected since it was pretty rough looking when I got it used. Replaced with a new stock Hellcat clutch.

Dust just from unbolting the bellhousing.
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Flywheel still looks the same as when I installed it used.
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You can see the thickness difference between the old and new disc.
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Major difference in preload between old and new.
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Had a small winter project. Finally got my hands on a Majorette 1:64 Cherokee from Bulgaria ebay. Lowered, wheel swap, painted, added weight. I have a hot wheels drag strip with full timing system, it's one of my quicker modified cars.

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Winter updates to the Jeep were all electrical. Added a driveshaft speed sensor, electronic boost control, and a line lock. I mounted the switches in an old torched piston from my nitrous days.

Left switch is line lock arm, left button is line lock enable.
Right switch is launch control. If the switch is enabled, vehicle speed below 1 mph, and clutch in, the launch rev limiter is set, boost builder enabled, and line lock set. When either of those three conditions are broken, rev limiter releases, boost vs time starts, and line lock releases.
Right button is rolling antilag.
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Excuse the mess.
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Went to the first test and tune of the year at US131 at the beginning of April. Quite a learning curve with the new launch strategy. Previously I was leaving at 6300 rpm with no boost and rolling the clutch out. Now I'm leaving at lower rpm on a 2 step on boost and ramping in boost down track. Still have to work on it but did get it to 1.5x sixty and 10.50 @ 133. Pretty pleased for the first time out. The tire is much happier than before.

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Had to call it quits early because it developed a brake shake. Yep, drilled rotors that came with the front end kit failed.
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Was invited back to be on display during the Autocraft Custom Collision open house. Showed up a little early to swap out the radiator that had sprung an un-fixable leak. That removable front clip sure is convenient.
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Made a trip to Chicago and on the way back stopped at US12 Speed and Custom for some quick dyno pulls. Just made two at slightly different boost levels and called it good. 720 whp and 840 ft-lbs. Way more than expected.



Night before. Good camping spot.
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Without a doubt, my favorite car (truck) at US12.
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Strapped down.
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And my cruising buddy Eric.
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Cross drilled rotors are prone to cracking. I see you upgraded to slotted only which is a better design. You put down some nice numbers there

 

Time to dust this off again. Got some big changes in process. But need to bring this up to date first. Somewhat off topic but my brother finally finished his '78 Trans Am. Turned out great! Awesome to have a cruising buddy now.

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Next up is Metro Cruise in Grand Rapids. I started the event off by going to a track rental by Berger Chevy. The plan was to wheel a friend's 6 speed 2014 Camaro, which I did. But I also talked them into letting a non-chevy run. I ended up running 10s again on street tires but this time with a passenger.

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It's always been tradition for people to do burnouts at the after cruise party but I have never done one there. Decided to remedy that situation. I think I did ok.

 

Longest trip so far. Michigan to Texas and back.

Packed up and ready to go.
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Beautiful drive
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Ummm. That's not on the way to Texas.
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An hour south of Denver I started having issues. First was my bluetooth headphones that were charging tried to light the Jeep on fire.
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Second, I got a bad tank of gasoline and was having fuel delivery issues. I carry spare filters. Replaced the filter in a gas station parking lot, still no beans. The Hydramat pickup in the tank must be clogged.
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Luckily I know some awesome people. Adam Dorey and crew were able to point me in the direction of a new Hydramat in stock, only had to backtrack an hour. Plus they helped me drop the tank and change it in their air conditioned shop. Talk about awesome people!
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North pole, huh?
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There's what I was after. This is the ticket booth for Pikes Peak. Always wanted to drive up to the top with a hot rod.
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Unfortunately they were not letting the public drive to the summit due to construction. HOWEVER. I was able to convince the lady to pull some strings and give me a Summit Pass. Would've been a major bummer to drive all that way just to come up a few miles short.
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These two were very nice but absolutely insane. They made the summit of over 14,000 feet on bicycles unassisted.
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No breathtaking views up at the summit because of the construction but I bribed my way into getting a picture in front of the sign.
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Got the sticker to prove I was there.
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Look at that barometric pressure!
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The descent.
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Made it to Mexico.... er.... Texas.
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We managed to get a little cruising in this Spring before they locked Michigan down because some idiots in China wouldn't quit eating bats.
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Thanks for sharing! What part of MI do you live in? I'm up there often for work and would like to see the car in person if possible.

 

MOTHER OF PEARL!!! What a bad ass road trip!

Dude, That burnout was tits! Two step, rev limit, massive smoke.. You're a freakin PRO!

Major jealous of your ride. So bad ass. Nice work.

 

Hey, I spoke to second at drag week probably just to ask what's under the hood. Are you planning on going this year?

 

Thanks guys! I love burnouts but don't like buying tires so I don't do them that often anymore. But when I do, I make them count, haha.

nxcoupe: I'm just south of Grand Rapids, MI. If you're ever going to be in the area I'd be glad to meet you!

Russell: If it was Drag Week 2018 I apologize that I couldn't pop the hood for you because of that sealed deal but glad I got to talk to you. I have my ticket for Drag Week this year and will be attending whether they cancel it or not.