1. Added FIA roll cage pads to the frame inside the cockpit to protect driver and passenger's heads if there were a mishap.
2. Replaced the original 1/8" Lexan windshield with a larger and thicker 1/4" piece of Lexan. The original piece flexed and wobbled at speed. This is much more stable and was done at the same time that the windshield wiper was installed.
3. Fabricated and installed small supports for the center of the windshield. It is quite stable now.
4. Denise painted our "hi-tech" "Ugly Duckling" front bumper
5. In over 950 miles of driving Illinois' "Finest" Roads none of the 4 shock absorbers had ever traveled more than about 1/2 their available travel. I know this because I've installed small rubber O-rings on each of the shock shafts. The O-rings are pushed down on the shaft by the shock body and mark the extent of shock travel. This is a cheap, simple and effective way to monitor shock travel.
Although the car is very stable in a straight line, it rode quite hard. There are several cloverleaf highway interchanges near my home. I have been known to drive around these in an aggressive manner and noticed that in a certain washboard section the car would tend to skip over the low spots and just hit the high spots. Fun for me but disconcerting for my passengers.
A set of softer springs were purchased a couple of weeks ago and I finally got them installed tonight. The car now rides much better and is more comfortable to drive. It also tracks much better thru that washboard section. I need to review the data logs for detail but noticed 0.9 lateral G's on the dash. Not bad for cold tires on a very bumpy public road!
Mileage now totals 1002.
We are leaving tomorrow for a gathering of mostly Stalker, Caterham and Birken owners in the Smoky Mountains. I promise to get some pictures taken and posted before we load up our trailer and leave.
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