We're Moving

Franeke will remain here, but I will be joining Marc over at RE-Zelse. The Blueberry will continue to race and the build is still on schedule, but has changed slightly. However, all of my build details will be found at my new home: RE-Zelse.

Here is Marc's post about Franeke joining with RE-Zelse.
As I conclude the last post of this blog, I would like to thank all of my followers and viewers have allowed me to take on these new challenges.

Eat, Sleep, Drive, Rotary
Photo Courtesy of jeg-images

Merry Christmas and Happy Rotoring to all!

Christmas is here, and so is a Titan. A Nissan Titan that is. Now the blueberry can now get to 'The Glen' (aka Watkins Glen in NY), Road America (in Ohio), and any track the Titan can drive to.

The build will begin in late January/early February and there is a good amount of work to be done. Here's the short list for those whom are curious:

• Rebuild Street Ported Motor (New Front cover and rotor housing as well)
• Check Transmission Internals
• Check Diff Internals
• Upgrade Diff gearing
• Remove all unnecessary parts
• Upgrade Oil System

First track weekend of 2011: New Jersey Motorsports Park 4/20-4/22.

A look back...

Here are some older pictures that I seem to have missed in the Images page. Check them out and I can provide higher resolution pictures by request.

Photo Courtesy of Scott Keefer

Photo Courtesy of Eric Harris

Photo Courtesy of Eric Harris

Photo Courtesy of Eric Harris

Photo Courtesy of Eric Harris

Photo Courtesy of Omar Alexander

Photo Courtesy of Cobb Tuning

Photo Courtesy of Cobb Tuning

Photo Courtesy of Cobb Tuning

Photo Courtesy of Cobb Tuning

Who's building a Bridge and where?

Brian at BDC Motorsports and in the near future; to answer the title's question.

I have been teasing this amongst my close friends and my "Rotard" friends for months now. I contacted Brian when Eric Meyer posted on the forums that he was running a Bridgeported RENESIS and had some very interesting results. I have chosen to use my street ported motor to be rebuilt and bridgeported. The side story about my street ported motor was that it failed because it was built improperly, amongst other issues.

The car will go under the knife over the winter and under go a series of custom and crazy mods for the upcoming 2012 season. More to come in the next months so make sure you follow Franeke for build updates and more.

Transmission and Differential Fluid Changes

When I changed my transmission and differential fluid around 30,000 miles ago I had the worst time doing. Why? I used those stupid pumps that never seem to work right. So why not let gravity do this work for me, right? Well that's what I did with a funnel and about 4 feet of tubing.

I snaked the hose right to the fill hole on the transmission from here. It was such a simple idea that I didn't even think about it when I put new fluids into the transmission before. Now some people take the shifter off and pour the fluid in. I know me, and I can make a mess any where...that and these fluids smell awful. 

After you crack the drain bolt off the trans and let all of the old fluid out, you will have to replace the crush gaskets with new OE ones. Mine were semi-fused it seemed, best to use a thin flat head and a vice grip to get those buggers off of the bolt.

Now that the drain bolt is back in, take that fill bolt out and place the extended hose into the fill hole and pour SLOWLY.

Now our transmission needs 1.8 qt of fluid, so that extra .2 will be lost in the long hose or as run off as picture below.

Tighten the fill bolt with the new gasket, and its off to the differential.

I had to use a myriad of adapters and extensions to get both of these bolts off. I must warn you, be very careful not to mangle your hand(s) on the frame when breaking the bolts free; trust me, that's another scar from my Blueberry. Now get the drain bolt off and drain the differential fluid

Don't forget the gaskets!

Now put the drain bolt back in and get the fill bolt out. Now use the same hose and place the hose into the driver's side wheelwell. Next route the hose like this so it will stay in place, for the most part.

Then pull the hose through to the differential.

Remember, pour the fluid slowly! Also, the differential needs ~1.6 qts of fluid so extra fluid will trickle out. Then put your fill bolt back in.

One last note: You will see and smell these fluids burning off your transmission and differential. That is to be expected since the fluids did dripple down both the transmission and differential.