We have a 3-day club days this weekend. Yes, I have to pinch myself to be sure it is real. There are some challenges. None of my cars are ready may be with the exception of the Autozam AZ-1 and the minature firetruck. Desire would be out of action for a while as she needs a knee joint (front inner ball joint) replacement.

The relocation to the ranch created countless projects as well as ongoing maintenance. The only way to get a car ready is to bite the bullet and install the paint protection on the Lotus - a project that I dread even after having done one on the GT4 myself. My goal is just to utilize the 3 day event to break it in. Once the Lotus is out of the way, I want to get Desire ready for the season which involves a long list of upgrades that includes a set of coilovers and racing clutch. And the front inner ball joints would also be replaced in the process.


this is the paint protection kit that I bought many months ago; the fender cut is very unusual due to the pronounce ridge transition from vertical to horizontal



the windshield frame, center hood piece, and the headlights paint protection installed

It is so nice to have a spacious and clean garage with excellent lighting to do a job like this. I replaced all the fluorescent tubes with LED dropped in replacements from Costco. I wet mopped the concrete floor to rid most of the dust for this work.



the propane smoker in bottom end service mode ; this is one of countless maintenance work - fixing the problematic propane smoker that has a tendency of backfiring and take out the rubber gas hose and then the ranch and its livestocks



I came up with this cheap and dirty poor man's heat wrap to protect the rubber propane hose in case the burner backfires



we are in business as the repair was effective; I placed the smoker a good distance from the house just to be safe as I don't trust the hillbilly engineering



this is the thin side of the USDA Prime brisket that has been smoked Taxes style



this is a small piece of untrimmed USDA Prime brisket I bought from Costco - Costco kicks asses with deals like this



this is a relatively lean brisket with only slightly over under 1.5 lbs of fat trimmed out



Desire made a brief appearance at the ranch but she went back into town; she is sporting a set of 15" RE71s as road tires

 

Nice brisket!

Still interested in your takeoff springs if you decide to get rid of them. 😁

 

I'm curious if you're still running these, and what your final opinion on them is. I stumbled upon them as well and I'm close to pulling the trigger. They look well made and like they do a good job of directing air to the disc.

 

I have not install them as the right ducting implementation is very challenging. I am glad I haven't butcher into the wheel covers yet. That might be a project this season.

 

I took the Lotus to the three-day track event. I barely had time to finish the clear wrap to protect the most impacted surfaces. My goal was to put at least 400 miles on top of the 250 to break the drivetrain in.


this is our first trip to ORP from the ranch



we arrived in the late afternoon the day before



a fresh Lotus but soon would not be







the first track day would turn out to be the windiest day I've ever seen here



my friend sold his toy hauler camper trailer and is roughing it in this smaller trailer; he showed me what they bought and we should see it very soon







it was cold and windy so I donned this not FIA approved $1.99 HF driving gloves; work amazingly well and have great grip



this has to be the best looking SUV and it is blistering fast











this is a favorite dish to make now while camping; I call it Asian paella



















the Red Baron suffered from a broken front lower control arm and my buddy drove 600 miles round trip to swap it with his "street" Mini















while I was breaking the car in, I didn't just pamper it; these are the stock tires that are 4 years old



these photos were taken at the end of the third day with the odometer reading around 680 miles



out of the box the Lotus is much more track ready than the GT4 with suspension and brakes



I cranked up the driving a big notch on the third day; the Lotus is broken in

 

I know this a MINI thread and blog...

And we’ve seen the pictures, so we “know” you took the Lotus to the track and tried to wear the tires off the car.

But, please don’t leave us hanging out there wondering what the Lotus is like on the track.... We need a full review of the car.

 

Read my lips. I only have one word to say. Awsome.

The truth is, I got my butt kicked by the Elise Cup in one of the photo. He is a very very good driver and the car is well sorted with slicks. A lot of good drivers and cars there.

 

Pictures are nice, but we need video...

 

Where did you end up locating? Almost looks like Yakima area?

 

My friend has some footage behind me. I just need to get it but the internet at the ranch is dribbles.



I am back to the track for more punishment. This time I should have some goPro in car video.

 

You are very close. Let's just say I am much closer to the track now than ever. Your friend the Red Baron pilot is out here this weekend also.

 

Always better on this side of the Cascades😄. He gets around. Saw his cars out at Advanced Auto Fab Wed while checking out more additions.

 

It's been a while since anything happened on this thread.
Hopefully you are all doing well.

 

I was thinking the same thing...

And hoping the same thing...

 

Thanks so much for your interest in my well being. Still kicking and well. Let's just say I am quite overwhelmed with so much to do, and so little time. One good way to describe it is like "Honey, I think I just bought myself a full time job."

There is not a whole lot to report on the Mini front as a long list of things that I want to modify on Desire have made no progress. I would like to take her out to the track even as it, but she is in need of a front inner ball joint - I think. I had 4 track days so far this season. Two I drove the Lotus and two the GT4. While the Lotus is a great car unfortunately it threw two different O2 sensor related codes and I have yet to be able to go dig into them. It is broken in now.

The Porsche is in need of suspension upgrades which I want to tackle them myself, but it would be a winter project as is the Lotus's, and most likely Desire's too. I really want to kick off the construction of the bigass shop. I am leaning towards a steel I-beam structure that is big enough to park Desire's mothership, a few cars, and of course a tall two-post lift and a pair of tire machines.

I am getting ready for the club's track day for the 4th weekend. Taking the GT4.

Here are some not so Mini related photos to share with you some of the recent projects.


a three-day club days but I only drove two



with some juggling of vehicles I free up a generous amount of space to park Desire thinking that I would start the long list of works I planned for her; I even mopped the floor as I would be crawling on it a lot



some of the free ranging livestocks at the ranch



the outer gate at the ranch has not gate opener; to keep it closed all the time getting in or out requires getting out of the vehicle twice each passing though; something needs to be done



I have the gate opener sitting in the garage for over a month, and finally I got off my *** to install it; it is solar powered in which I bought the solar pieces that are much cheaper than getting from the gate opener manufacturer



bought myself a hans from Wine Country Motor Sports



I have been patiently waiting for these LED shop lights to come on sale at Costco; I snapped up 10 - the quantity limit



rodents is a fact of life living in the countries; these are one of many weapons



I would learn that doing anything out in the sticks takes a lot more time and effort; you need to plan well to bring everything you might need in a vehicle as it takes forever to get between the locations and a versatile vehicle is a must



a wireless keypad for the gate opener for the guests as well as couriers



I am replacing all the fluorescent lights with these Costco LED shop lights



the banana plants in front of my Portland house bloom for the first time


I have seen other people's banana plants bare fruit but this is the first time mine do in the PNW; the big bulb thingy is a flower; my neighbor's also bloomed and they have two flowers; I suspect that we both have flowers this years because of cross pollination by bees or hummingbirds

 

I need those anti-rodent things.

Surprised about the Lotus and I would have thought the Porsche would have better shocks... Oh, well.

 

first of the three-day club days kicked off to a great start with the most participants I've even seen; I am driving the GT4 this time

I went to bed in the motorhome in preparation for the next day. I hardly slept as I was awaken by some critters rummaging. It first sounded as if someone was rummaging the tool box in the tailer. It was very hard to determine where the noise came from and I had to get back into bed and listen keenly with the ear against the pillow. I was dead sure the motorhome was mouse free when I packed for the track. I even removed thee traps and left them at home.

The noise and commotion was louder than what I would expect from the 6 jumping mice that I have trapped in the motorhome over the course of a few weeks. I even checked the underbelly as well as in the engine compartment. Fortunately I carried three mice traps with me, While I was not hopeful I set them out in the cabin out of desperation. I would get in and out of bed no less than 10 times trying to locate the location of the noise. I was quite certain in came from under the bed. Nothing trigger the traps for a good hour and the noise would reoccured followed by period of silence.

After a couple of hours while to get some sleep I heard one trap popped. It was the one I place under the bed. In pitch darkness I grabbed an LED flashlight to check. Next to the closed trap was this stunned mouse. The trap failed to pinch its neck or head as it often did. As I rely on the flash light to see and there was no time to lose that I risk the stunned mouse from getting away. I use the flashlight to smash it silly and bloody. As a child I had my share of being bitten by mice trying to catch them with bare hand.



the mouse trap didn't kill this one but only stunned it; I heard the trap popped while in bed and grab a flashlight to investigate; my quick thinking was to smash it silly with the flashlight as I relied on the light and it as a weapon

So after killing this one I hoped for the best and went about to try to get some sleep. I reset the same trap just in case. I really couldn't relax as I laid still and listened intensely for the possibility of more than one mouse. Sure enough after a while there was still the faint commotion. I was tired but could not sleep. in about 15 minutes the same trap popped again. This time it kill the second mice. Not wanting to assume I had gotten all of them I left the three traps armed and went and got some wakeful rest.

I would later on concluded that these two jumping mice got into the motorhome during the day at the track when I left the sliding door open when I was never far away. The commotion was they were having procreation fun. When done they looked for something to eat and my trap was there to greet them. They are literally track rats (track mice).


the second one was killed within 15 minutes after the first by the same trap and piece of dry salami

 

Damn rodents! They seem to be more abundant this year, at least around here.

 

Meanwhile back in the ranch, Desire is getting fed up with the lack of action this season. If I don't give her some attention and keep her happy she might just go back to the city where the actions are. I gathered up my ambitions to begin the list of improvements I promised her. Something that I have not realized before is too much space has its downsides unless all your craps are in the same building, and it is not in this project. Worst is a big relocation like this takes a year or more to settle in, organize, and property store all the bits and tools needed for an undertaking like this. It's been too long since I tear into Desire and it is hard to remember the sequence of things you have to do to pull the drivetrain.


many wells are being drilled recently and there are signs demand for certain kinds of rural properties are there



moving the tools and equipment between buildings; I need to get a big gardening cart to shuttle smaller stuff between buildings



still more stuff



there is no weak of heart now



it took me some time to remember how to separate this connectors as it is very hard to tell when they are fully engaged; here it just has been untwisted to reveal the two connectors







I didn't expect to discover the brake line on the left front has this abrasion wear due to the tiny 15" wheels; fortunately only the pvc skin is rubbed through; I need to use cable tie to prevent the line from moving through the rubber grommet


I need a well made gardening cart like this to shuttle stuff between buildings; most out there look very similar but upon closer inspection much are just plain crap


A long term solution for efficient and safe servicing of my vehicles and working with all the projects is a well insulated shop of generous size. I am leaning towards a all steel building and I am not incline to be frugal this time around. I want my dream shop now that I have the land for one. While the good size garage with a smooth and flat concrete floor is a huge improvement over what I have in town, it gets quite hot in there in the summer and would be inhospitable in the winter, unless it is well insulated which it is not in the current form.

Despite of the pandemic we managed 7 track days at the club. All with the Porsche and the Lotus and Desire feels very left out.


bambies feeding in front of the house at dusk; damn vegetarians

 

I can completely relate on the shop organizing. I've moved a lot, and laying out the new place takes multiple iterations to get it right. I just finished another round 2 weeks ago in mine, and I've been here 3 years.

If you're building a shop from scratch I have one phrase for you: in-floor radiant heat.

I had an amazing garage in my home in Alaska. Over 1000 SF, well laid out, great slab with smooth concrete and the best drainage I've ever seen. Industrial gas furnace, well insulated, and kept it at a comfy 60* all winter.

But that concrete floor was still cold when you were laying on it working under vehicles. My buddy built high end custom homes, ultra efficient... He used radiant heat throughout the home, including the garage floor. It was amazing.

If I ever build my own, it will have radiant heat.

You've gotten in more track days than anyone else I know of.

 

We sure see eye to eye on what a well designed and equipped shop should be. Radiant floor heat is exactly what I am planning, at least to provision it. One concern is the fuel that supports it. The viable ones are propane or heating oil. I am planning for a multi-zone mini split AC and heat pump for the shop and would like to be able to spend a drunken night or two in it. I have been busy trying to get that show on the road despite the pandemic. I am hoping for it being erected by next summer. It would house my tallest vehicle and my dream 10' asymmetrical two-pole lift, a pair of tire machines, and a woodworking shop, and a modern man cave in case you and your track rat buddies pass out after too many pints.

I woke up to a chilly 37F outdoors temperature this morning and it is good reminder what winter would hold. The children's tale about the piggy that prepared for the winter never leave my worried mind. I just bought a second kerosine heater to prepare for self sufficiency in case of prolonged power outage.

 

I forgot about you being beyond the natural gas distro network.

I spent much of my younger life in homes with propane tanks (they serve as a great imaginary beast of burden when you are a kid).

Looking forward to the garage build thread!

 

I have very little idea of the heating cost for a large volume with propane. I currently have a 750 gallon tank that services mostly just cooking and hot water and a tank last forever. I think with hydronic heat in the big shop it would be fine since I would only turn on the zone where I need to lay on the back. I planning for a good multi-zone mini split heat pump which would be much more efficient and cost effective. I will do the installations of both myself.

I started with a rough thought of 30x60 shop but soon by eyes grew larger than the stomach, as I don't want to kick myself down the road of building too small. I am now leaning towards a 50x80 which pretty well maximize the spot that is the best location without negative impacts to other amenities and nature of the property. Also increasing the square footage of a building is a three dimensional scaling in terms of cost.

 

You plan like I do.

I always say that I've never heard anyone say "this shop is just too big for my needs."

I've heard lots of people say the opposite.

 

I want to get the show on the road. Winter will be here in only a few months. I have done reasonable amount of research and thinking on the tradeoffs between the structure construction alternatives and costs, and am still leaning towards an all steel I-beam structure. The snow loading and wind requirements are some of the higherest in the state here. One important task is to find the optimal siting location for the best accessibility for Desire's mothership with the baby crib in tow. I tried to find an affordable CAD or rendering software to model up the siting to no avail. I decided to do it the old fashion farmer's way.


here is the site for a big shop building without impacting the aesthetics and balance of the other existing structures



I had pulled the tape measure many times so time to pound some temporary locating sticks



I want to use the existing inner gate which requires very tight turns to get to and into the shop building with the MH with the car trailer in tow



everyone I talked to said it would be really nice to be able to do a pull through; that sound so attractive until I checked out the implications and the significant in external space that would be needed



I was very impressed with how small turning radius of the MH and trailer combo; here at the other end of the site I need to do a back up once to turn around between the x'mas tree obstacles



I want to have a 20 - 30' deep concrete pad in front of the building and that will add significant cost but is an important amenity as well as functions



there are up to three accesses to the shop if I am willing; my preference is a low pitch shed roof with reasonable eave overhangs (spell big bucks due to increased structural loads); I like the northern exposure of the garage doors; the green lines shows how the motorhome and trailer may enter the TBD locations of the three garage doors

I have already scoped out the solutions and costs to a few obstacles, one is the underground electric high voltage cable that currently runs diagonally thru the shop location that must be moved; the other are the significant slope of the site, and potential excessive shading of the orchard to the East of the shop, as well as having quality power in the shop. Lastly is water and sewer which would entail a waste water holding tank for pumping the sewage to the septic tank with a macerating pump.

Make no mistake. This would be a big infrastructure project on a personal budget.