Project 2.Slow Mazda3

[Kaan]

Get a truck, save up and get a pre-built HC car. You would be surprised how much you like DDing a truck. I am sure Navin would help you find a good HC car. (plus that HC car can be in TT )

+11tybillion

i love DDing my truck. super handy all the time. it just murders gas... oh well.

Prebuilt cars, really nice ones with spares... go for $8k or so... sometimes there are amazing deals in the $4-5k range depending on class and suspension work.

[SlimKlim]

Why doesn't the average grumpy alumni be this honest?

....what makes you think we aren't?

[D_Eclipse9916]

Why doesn't the average grumpy alumni be this honest?

....what makes you think we aren't?

The students know when I am honest....when I am an asshole. Truth hurts :lol:

[Ken]

Why doesn't the average grumpy alumni be this honest?

....what makes you think we aren't?

Because you don't "honestly" tell them what they want to hear.

[rherold9]

Why doesn't the average grumpy alumni be this honest?

....what makes you think we aren't?

Because you don't "honestly" tell them what they want to hear.

Yeah sometimes just let me do stupid stuff so we can have a good laugh later

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[Ken]

Yeah sometimes just let me do stupid stuff so we can have a good laugh later

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Can't argue with that, provides me some entertainment in my otherwise horribly boring workday :lol:

[rherold9]

So, updates?

Well I plan on canceling insurance once plates get to the dmv. So this won't be driven on the street anymore. So looking for general tips of what to do with a stagnant car. Unplug battery? Buy battery tender? Sell pointless all-season tires and wheels? Um, what to do about gas, oil, fluids that's just sit in the car? Should I just start it every so often and rev it or?

Let me know what I'm missing and things to think about.

My plans are to tow it to an autocross to give it a test run for cooling and such since there is one plastic piece I don't care to replace and I don't think it will change much. I'll tow it there with a u-haul trailer. Commuting my fan never turned on and the only time my fan turned on at the track was July heat wave once it was idling in the paddock. The plastic piece is about 2 inches of plastic that attached to the bottom of the bumper and rand to the bottom of the radiator support. My assumption by not fixing it is I'll just have a bit more drag. Not too worried about it as I'm not racing and TT won't happen for at least until late 2017 or early 2018.

Then I'll either come out to octoberfast or fall finale towing with a u-haul trailer.

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[ScottyB]

battery tender.

oil is hydroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture to itself over time (think months of sitting) and of course you don't want water contaminating your oil in the long term. if you run the car between long downtimes, be sure to get it plenty hot so the oil can periodically evaporate off any moisture that will collect inside the block. ideally that means a good, hard drive but if its uninsured maybe just let it get a good long idle and a quick hammering up the street and back.

do you run any/much ethanol in the gas (i don't recall if you run E85 or just pump 93). i wouldn't let it sit with any high mixture of ethanol in the tank and lines unless your car is designed for that kind of fuel.

i'd store the car with the tires off the ground to avoid flat-spotting.

it sounds like that flat piece is there to keep air from "spilling" out from around the front edges of your rad and instead ensuring that all that high pressure air finds its way directly into it. i'm sure you could get by, but its probably something to make right whenever you get the time or find the part cheaply.

[rherold9]

So oil should be okay for some time as long as start what once a month or so?

The fuel is just 93 up to 10% ethanol.

So I should leave the car on stands? How bad is that for the car?

So if I decide to replace it I will need to get a whole new radiator support and all it's plastics + fasteners. That's why I really don't care to do it. The only way air would spill if it went through the grill and immediately just went under the car. I feel like most of the air would still hit the radiator while a small amount would be let under the car.


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[JPolen01]

Check out these "wheel cribs" by race ramps. They contour the wheel. Seems like it would prevent flat spots and seems safer than jack stands for an extended period of time.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/media-kit/wheel-cribs-8-inch-rr-wc-8/">http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/m ... h-rr-wc-8/</a><!-- m -->

[rherold9]

Check out these "wheel cribs" by race ramps. They contour the wheel. Seems like it would prevent flat spots and seems safer than jack stands for an extended period of time.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/media-kit/wheel-cribs-8-inch-rr-wc-8/">http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/m ... h-rr-wc-8/</a><!-- m -->

Nice with your suggestion I was able to find these:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H5PTQGC?vs=1">https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H5PTQGC?vs=1</a><!-- m -->

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[ScottyB]

So oil should be okay for some time as long as start what once a month or so?

yeah, i mean i'm assuming you're changing the oil every couple track weekends anyway....but for garage-queen street cars, if you don't hit your oil-change-mileage in 12 to 14 months you want to change it by then.

[rherold9]

Yea, I change is every 2-3 weekends wirh daily driving between them and color/amount is always fine. Doesn't oil break down and has a time? Regardless it will be changed almost every 3 months so it doesn't matter.

So I'm going to purchase those ramps soon enough and I'm still worried about what to do with gas. Guess I just need to turn it on and run it at least once a month. Do fuel additives help?

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[WRXtranceformed]

A lot of people use Sta-bil for the gas in their engines that don't get used a lot. I would imagine that would be fine for you.

[rherold9]

Perfect. Thank you all for the suggestions. Never stored a car before so I'm new there

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[ScottyB]

Doesn't oil break down and has a time? Regardless it will be changed almost every 3 months so it doesn't matter.

on the shelf? not really, you could pick up a modern synthetic 40 years from now and it would still be fine.

in use, yes an oil will break down depending on exposure to wear, heat, and moisture. heat is the biggest killer in an engine like yours.

if you're changing it fairly often you've got nothing to worry about. if it sits a lot over the winter i'd give it a good drive every month or so.

[D_Eclipse9916]

IF you are doing track events or autocross events once a month you are fine. The oil won't break down (even the race car only gets oil changes 2x a year).

Fuel is fine as well as long as you are running through it once a month. It's not like this thing is sitting for ages.

Sit it on a battery tender between events.

I Suggest every 2-3 weeks if you are not driving it to get it up to temperature and rev it out a couple times.. It is not "up to temperature" with just coolant temperature in middle. You need to get the oil to at least 160 degrees, preferably 200. Mine sits between races

[rherold9]

Well I just want to be sure I'm not going to possibly pre maturely damage the car as I might want to throw it back to a daily driver eventually that's why I'm asking these probably stupid but simple questions.

Sounds good. I'll go pick up a battery tender. I've left my car 3 weeks one time and it cranked once and started with no issues but I know over time that won't happen as the battery ages. I'll pick up a tender. I will be running through gas tank close to almost every month if I stay going to the track I will still throw some Sta-bil or whatever it was called through over winter. Reminds me I need to purchase some gas tanks. Time to write everything I need down.

Edit: need to drain out coolant for distilled water. I know I will have to drain this for winter. no idea how to flush a coolant system so this will be fun :thumbup:

[navin]

Check out these "wheel cribs" by race ramps. They contour the wheel. Seems like it would prevent flat spots and seems safer than jack stands for an extended period of time.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/media-kit/wheel-cribs-8-inch-rr-wc-8/">http://blog.raceramps.com/press_media/m ... h-rr-wc-8/</a><!-- m -->

Nice with your suggestion I was able to find these:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H5PTQGC?vs=1">https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H5PTQGC?vs=1</a><!-- m -->

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Waste of money considering you can buy yourself a set of jackstands + jack from HF for that price, and then bring those items to the track as well + home use. Leaving your car on stands isn't going to do anything to it... ask Kaan. :lol:

[ScottyB]

no idea how to flush a coolant system so this will be fun :thumbup:

get the biggest drain pan you can find. maybe even a baby pool. ask me how i know