Big_Holla
Senior Member
Dang Phil the hits keep coming. One of these times you’ll catch a break tho.
Hicks Lawn Services truck racing
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
That sounds like a simple answer. And it should be. But it isn't.
In short, yes.
I knew it was a lot of time and effort going in. I knew there would be frustrations or some "that's racing" moments. The good nights offset those nights. Just never got it all put together for a complete night this year.
Really need to continue digesting the situation. Still tired and a bit bummed. But these are completely first world problems. There are people with daily drivers they can't keep together. These are race trucks for a hobby. Perspective.
You can't put a price on fun. Plus it's keeping you busy. Maybe you'll get it together next year
Thank you for posing that question. It has helped me to ponder and digest the season.You can't put a price on fun. Plus it's keeping you busy. Maybe you'll get it together next year
The fun part is being strapped in the seat and driving around the track. This season was extremely short on the fun part. That said, I've been shopping different clutches. I've considered fixing the back up truck before the weekend. As few laps as I got this year? I'm not putting it up for sale. I'm planning for next season. I suppose it isn't much different than hunting. We spend a lot of time and money. Some years we go empty handed and eat tags. Doesn't stop us from planning the next hunt or next season. There is a certain satisfaction in the preparation. If you shot a monster buck every hunt (if it were legal), would it have the same appeal? Probably not. It isn't all about the kill (or race results). Plenty of satisfaction (and heart break at times) in the process.
Congrats to you and Maddie though. It wouldn't get old watching one of your kids shoot a deer in opening day.
No snow to speak of. Loaded the backup truck and brought it to the shop. Within an hour or so I had it disassembled. On Jack stands, driveshaft pulled, shift lever removed, transmission sitting on the ground.
As suspected: sheered the bolts which mate the flywheel and clutch to the crankshaft. No explanation as to why. It is the "backup truck" or second truck or whatever you want to call it. Pretty bone stock. Open header, different intake, dumping some extra fuel to it, timing advanced, no sensors, lightened up and ready to race. If it has 25hp above factory I'd be surprised. How many guys beat the dog snot out of Rangers, Mustangs, and other cars in high school with the Lima 2.3L 4 cyl engine? Plenty. How many snapped bolts holding clutch and flywheel to crankshaft? Probably not many. And most of the abuse was done on pavement, not dirt where there is a bit of give. Doesn't make sense as to why these snapped or sheered off. Maybe the guy driving tried to shift from 2nd to 3rd and hit 1st? Maybe turning 6500-7000rpm on straight and let out. 30lb clutch still spinning with sudden drop in RPM and they break? Or maybe he let out completely, them stomped throttle again thru the turn and they snapped? I don't know. Maybe the starter hung up and was turning with the flywheel until it locked up bringing the engine to a stop? Doubt it. I'd think flywheel would have been chewed to pieces and starter would have been glowing. I'm racking my brain to figure out just why it happened. Most of the time it is due to a factory 100hp motor that is now 200-300hp being too much for those bolts. You just know you will have to replace them every now and then in this situation. But not with a fairly stock setup.
Let's just say they were not fun to get out. Couldn't get a weld to stick. Tight quarters. Needed three arms to do it. And to be honest, I'm not an expert welder. I just couldn't get the weld to hold. So, I ended up drilling the six bolts out and using an easy out on all of them. It was tedious. I spent $30-50 in drill bits. I'll need 6 new bolts (which I already bought for the other truck). Overall, relatively inexpensive fix. Just my time.
My work area.
The carnage.
As suspected: sheered the bolts which mate the flywheel and clutch to the crankshaft. No explanation as to why. It is the "backup truck" or second truck or whatever you want to call it. Pretty bone stock. Open header, different intake, dumping some extra fuel to it, timing advanced, no sensors, lightened up and ready to race. If it has 25hp above factory I'd be surprised. How many guys beat the dog snot out of Rangers, Mustangs, and other cars in high school with the Lima 2.3L 4 cyl engine? Plenty. How many snapped bolts holding clutch and flywheel to crankshaft? Probably not many. And most of the abuse was done on pavement, not dirt where there is a bit of give. Doesn't make sense as to why these snapped or sheered off. Maybe the guy driving tried to shift from 2nd to 3rd and hit 1st? Maybe turning 6500-7000rpm on straight and let out. 30lb clutch still spinning with sudden drop in RPM and they break? Or maybe he let out completely, them stomped throttle again thru the turn and they snapped? I don't know. Maybe the starter hung up and was turning with the flywheel until it locked up bringing the engine to a stop? Doubt it. I'd think flywheel would have been chewed to pieces and starter would have been glowing. I'm racking my brain to figure out just why it happened. Most of the time it is due to a factory 100hp motor that is now 200-300hp being too much for those bolts. You just know you will have to replace them every now and then in this situation. But not with a fairly stock setup.
Let's just say they were not fun to get out. Couldn't get a weld to stick. Tight quarters. Needed three arms to do it. And to be honest, I'm not an expert welder. I just couldn't get the weld to hold. So, I ended up drilling the six bolts out and using an easy out on all of them. It was tedious. I spent $30-50 in drill bits. I'll need 6 new bolts (which I already bought for the other truck). Overall, relatively inexpensive fix. Just my time.
My work area.
The carnage.
Black truck needs a battery, fired up, and confirm the clutch is bled. Transmission and clutch better hold up. Stock motor shouldn't be asking too much of it. I did make a battery door on top of the bed. Sucks accessing it from between the bedside and tire to charge the battery between races. Now we can pull a pin, charge the battery, and button her up much easier. Hoping to pull her out tomorrow and drop at the other building.
Next will be our "good truck". The red, white, and blue #17 needs to have the drive line pulled. We will be swapping the crankshaft. I already bought a new race clutch. Used stuff is all spent now. I am feeling pretty confident all my clutch woes last year were due to the crankshaft. It had oversized bolts. Those were secured with helicoils. I believe they were the culprit all year. With proper crankshaft and bolt sizes there will be no modifications to make things work. Bolts actually threaded into the crankshaft versus into helicoils in the crankshaft "should" hold up. Start turning over 8000rpm and you are asking a lot out of helicoils. Hope to have her ready by April 16. Still need to finish taxes and spring is approaching rapidly. Might be a lofty goal to get her to the track for the opening race. I might be in the backup truck.
Here are pics of the makeshift battery access door. Not spending $20-30 on pins from a race shop. $2.49 gate latch from Lowes will hold her shut.
Doubt I paint her to match the truck.
@giles I'm trying to have fun. If nothing else I can laugh at myself. Some people have "mad skills". I just have bad skills.
Next will be our "good truck". The red, white, and blue #17 needs to have the drive line pulled. We will be swapping the crankshaft. I already bought a new race clutch. Used stuff is all spent now. I am feeling pretty confident all my clutch woes last year were due to the crankshaft. It had oversized bolts. Those were secured with helicoils. I believe they were the culprit all year. With proper crankshaft and bolt sizes there will be no modifications to make things work. Bolts actually threaded into the crankshaft versus into helicoils in the crankshaft "should" hold up. Start turning over 8000rpm and you are asking a lot out of helicoils. Hope to have her ready by April 16. Still need to finish taxes and spring is approaching rapidly. Might be a lofty goal to get her to the track for the opening race. I might be in the backup truck.
Here are pics of the makeshift battery access door. Not spending $20-30 on pins from a race shop. $2.49 gate latch from Lowes will hold her shut.
Doubt I paint her to match the truck.
@giles I'm trying to have fun. If nothing else I can laugh at myself. Some people have "mad skills". I just have bad skills.
JARHEAD
Active Member
Good luck this year! Keep us up on where and when you're racing! Love to come watch sometime!
Some big money races down south. May need to try it but not sure I could compete. They drop $5-10k or more on 4cyl motors. That might be winnings of only one big race. Wish we had some big boy payouts.
Did get the backup truck out of the shop and over to our cold storage building. Starts. Goes in 1/2 and reverse. Didn't try anymore gears. That's all I need. It even stops. Good enough!
Pulled the "good" truck in yesterday. Figured I would pull the trans and mess with engine later. But, 2 hrs later trans was on floor as was the motor. Probably the fastest I have ever done one. Motor is at the builder's shop. She is getting a new crank. New clutch is already here. Received it a month or so back. Now to wait and see what happens with a different crankshaft. I am praying that is the issue. If she keeps shredding flywheel bolts and clutches I am going to scream.
Do you think the crankshaft and flex plate are bad?
Hot spot much?
Pulled the "good" truck in yesterday. Figured I would pull the trans and mess with engine later. But, 2 hrs later trans was on floor as was the motor. Probably the fastest I have ever done one. Motor is at the builder's shop. She is getting a new crank. New clutch is already here. Received it a month or so back. Now to wait and see what happens with a different crankshaft. I am praying that is the issue. If she keeps shredding flywheel bolts and clutches I am going to scream.
Do you think the crankshaft and flex plate are bad?
Hot spot much?
Hoping to drop engine and transmission in tomorrow. First race is next weekend. I have big doubts. With April rains, I will be very impressed if they can have the track prepped for Saturday. Either way, race or not, need to finish the #17 truck. We will get a first race sooner or later and spring has my work load hopping already.
I did watch Talledega Nights on the TV tonight in preparation for the season.
I did watch Talledega Nights on the TV tonight in preparation for the season.
Loaded. For. Bear.
My dually had the computer crap out. Tried to switch to our F250 we recently acquired. It did a wheelie. What looked like a lift kit when I bought it, must indeed be a lift kit. Higher arch leaf springs but less load capacity. Add that to the list of repairs. Factory springs here we come. So I hooked to the 2000 Dodge with 252k miles to move things around. I just can't trust that truck on long road trips anymore. So now it is hooked to our F350. What a fiasco just to get to the track. To too it off, my buddy racing the black #6 truck for me had his diesel truck shut off today after we had lunch. He is on his backup mowing truck to tow the other race truck tomorrow. Completely first world problems. We should stop and give thanks these are the problems we ran into today. Some people may be struggling to make ends meet.
Goals: 1) safe travels to and from track. 2) have fun. 3) complete the day in both trucks (safely) from hot laps to checkers. 4) learn what these trucks like for set up.
My dually had the computer crap out. Tried to switch to our F250 we recently acquired. It did a wheelie. What looked like a lift kit when I bought it, must indeed be a lift kit. Higher arch leaf springs but less load capacity. Add that to the list of repairs. Factory springs here we come. So I hooked to the 2000 Dodge with 252k miles to move things around. I just can't trust that truck on long road trips anymore. So now it is hooked to our F350. What a fiasco just to get to the track. To too it off, my buddy racing the black #6 truck for me had his diesel truck shut off today after we had lunch. He is on his backup mowing truck to tow the other race truck tomorrow. Completely first world problems. We should stop and give thanks these are the problems we ran into today. Some people may be struggling to make ends meet.
Goals: 1) safe travels to and from track. 2) have fun. 3) complete the day in both trucks (safely) from hot laps to checkers. 4) learn what these trucks like for set up.
06' right? Did you check the connection at the block? Drivers side. It's known to have misfits. That closed loop system is a tough one to nail down problems.
Correct. 2006. Called mechanic. They towed it. Nothing going on or coming out of computer. She has power. Said it was pretty rusty. I'd imagine salt corrosion finally allowed some moisture to get in there. Truthfully though, I've had some glitches off and on the last few years. Always cleared themselves out and disappeared. Makes sense now. Sucks but still cheaper than a new truck.
Been a good day. My tow rig did the job. My buddy's back up tow rig hauled the other truck fine as well. He ran the black #6 truck. Spun out once but he is a new guy. Track was slick. Then track got real tough. Tough to the point the promoter was dropping 20 lap features to 15 in order to reduce chance of injuries and car breakage.
He did alright in the heat race. Then the black #6 died in the feature with a few laps to go. Honestly think he ran it out of gas and killed the battery trying to start it. We will charge battery and top her off to find out for sure.
i ran the #17 truck. Qualified 7/9 in hot laps. Super loose. Not "loose is fast" kind of loose. More like she gonna come on around loose. Started heat race 7th. Made zero adjustments prior to heat race. Finished 6th.
Top six were supposed to draw for start position. I never heard my number over the raceiver (earpiece to hear the official) so I never went up to draw. Oops. The top five drew and pole position was the only number left. Since I didn't show, they put me in 6th starting position. Not sure I wanted to be in the pole anyway. Still learning this truck. Thankfully I pitted next to my engine builder. He happens to have 55-60 feature wins in a Ranger like mine but is now racing modifieds. He helped dial me in for the feature. Made stagger and offset adjustments. Started 6th. Dropped to 7th briefly, back to 6th, moved up to 4th, held it for 8 laps and was starting to pull away from 5-8th places, then we had a caution. On the restart I was side by side with 3rd for a bit, but the rough track was entirely too rough to go side by side. Couldn't get around him so I tucked in behind hoping he would screw up. He didn't but I did on the last turn. So the 5th place guy got under me while I was loose in turn 4. We crossed the checkers side by side but he nosed me out for 4th and I took 5th. Sort of a bummer given how many laps I held 4th but I'm not complaining. I can read thru last season in this thread be happy with 5th.
Truck ran like a scalded dog. When she hooked on the straight aways she freaking hooked. It felt darn good to complete a day of racing and actually bring home some pay out money. Not that $$$ for 5th place is a ton, but it is better than going home empty handed with broken trucks. Next on the agenda is going over everything. Tire prep. Checking bolts, fluids and welds. Then we race at Limaland May 13. I need to learn how to race this particular truck as they are all a bit different. I need to figure out what she likes for set up. I guess you could say the clutch issues are fixed? Hate to jinx myself but I'm feeling like she got one heck of a test today. So in order to improve now it is all on me. Need to learn how to get maximum output from the truck. Drive better. Learn setup better. It will come with time.
He did alright in the heat race. Then the black #6 died in the feature with a few laps to go. Honestly think he ran it out of gas and killed the battery trying to start it. We will charge battery and top her off to find out for sure.
i ran the #17 truck. Qualified 7/9 in hot laps. Super loose. Not "loose is fast" kind of loose. More like she gonna come on around loose. Started heat race 7th. Made zero adjustments prior to heat race. Finished 6th.
Top six were supposed to draw for start position. I never heard my number over the raceiver (earpiece to hear the official) so I never went up to draw. Oops. The top five drew and pole position was the only number left. Since I didn't show, they put me in 6th starting position. Not sure I wanted to be in the pole anyway. Still learning this truck. Thankfully I pitted next to my engine builder. He happens to have 55-60 feature wins in a Ranger like mine but is now racing modifieds. He helped dial me in for the feature. Made stagger and offset adjustments. Started 6th. Dropped to 7th briefly, back to 6th, moved up to 4th, held it for 8 laps and was starting to pull away from 5-8th places, then we had a caution. On the restart I was side by side with 3rd for a bit, but the rough track was entirely too rough to go side by side. Couldn't get around him so I tucked in behind hoping he would screw up. He didn't but I did on the last turn. So the 5th place guy got under me while I was loose in turn 4. We crossed the checkers side by side but he nosed me out for 4th and I took 5th. Sort of a bummer given how many laps I held 4th but I'm not complaining. I can read thru last season in this thread be happy with 5th.
Truck ran like a scalded dog. When she hooked on the straight aways she freaking hooked. It felt darn good to complete a day of racing and actually bring home some pay out money. Not that $$$ for 5th place is a ton, but it is better than going home empty handed with broken trucks. Next on the agenda is going over everything. Tire prep. Checking bolts, fluids and welds. Then we race at Limaland May 13. I need to learn how to race this particular truck as they are all a bit different. I need to figure out what she likes for set up. I guess you could say the clutch issues are fixed? Hate to jinx myself but I'm feeling like she got one heck of a test today. So in order to improve now it is all on me. Need to learn how to get maximum output from the truck. Drive better. Learn setup better. It will come with time.
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I don't know how to share a video here. I can send a video of the feature thru FB messenger if anyone wants to see it. The promoter recorded it. Mainly focused on the guys battling for first, but he got everyone in the video. I'm not saying I will "never" be at a level to compete for first, but. . . .I'm not dropping the coin on a motor like theirs to race for a $200 purse 6-10 times a year. And to be real: it was the first actual finish for my truck since I bought it sitting in pieces. Looking forward to more seat time and getting the set up dialed in. It will be interesting to see how much I can reel in the leaders as I learn more and improve. I'll never have a built 4.3L v6 like the guy who won last night. It is a 4cyl class. We just allow the v6 guys to run with us for truck count to grow the class.