Topics

1

Automotive Marketplace / FS: Budget-oriented beginner friendly autocross car (2001 Ford Focus ZX3)

« on: June 25, 2017, 09:36:02 PM »

A change in work situation (and location) means my focus is up for sale.

Some details:
2.0L Zetec + MTX75 5-speed manual, approximately 171k
Non-ABS 2001 ZX-3 so it's light
Gear oil was last changed this spring with the ford magic honey
Brake fluid was changed 2 years ago
Brake pads and rotors were done 3 years ago - normal consumer-ey rotors and ceramic street pads
Since I've owned the car it has gotten oil changes every 4-5k with synthetic oil only and motorcraft filters
Working A/C
An Atsco reman steering rack was installed 3 years ago

The car comes with 2 sets of wheels:
1) 5.5" wide 15" diameter white stock wheels with completely dead garbage tires (seriously, parking use ONLY) one is super rusty because the PO let the brakes rub through to the backing plates and so it's got metal flecks embedded in it.  I tried using polishing compound and the brown does come off but right after I started I got a really good deal on set #2 and stopped
2) 7" wide 15" diameter Rota wheels, black, I'd say average condition, currently wearing some 205/50R15 RE-71R tires with well over half tread life

Upgrades:
Poly bushings in the back end, and I have the bushings on-hand for the front end
Rear subframe with swaybar mounts and rear bar is installed, also poly bushings for the rear sway bar
K-MAC camber plates on the front
Rear disc swap (the smaller non-SVT rear discs)

Stock shocks/springs/struts
No ABS (was never equipped)

LOADS of brand new spare parts:

• Inner and outer tie rods
• Control arms (two left for some reason)
• Front and rear wheel bearings
• Spark plugs, wires and probably a coil pack
• More stuff I've probably forgotten

Some used spare parts:

• A pair of sway bars I was given in a deal.  I was told they are stock but I never measured them because I like the bars that are on it now
• Spare steering racks, one SVT one normal, both used and a little leaky but good for a rebuild
• Driver's side mirror - just needs the cables re-attached to the inner half as I had to salvage it from 2 separate cars at pick n pull

This car is an amazing deal because

• Gets me to an event in Red Deer, through a day of autoslalom and back home in about 30-32L of fuel
• It can haul 240 cones plus fire extinguishers and helmets if necessary
• Tires are super cheap because they're 15" (I checked my receipts, the last set of RE-71Rs cost me $541 including tax, mount and balance)

It does need a couple things in the not too distant future:

• I noticed after last season the front wheel bearings are starting to develop a little bit of play and need to be done soon
• During my pre-season inspection I noticed the driver's tie rod boot is torn at the outer end
• I also noticed the axle seal on the driver's side seems to be leaking a tiny bit
• The battery is getting older - it isn't showing any signs of dying electrically but it looks to be leaking a tiny bit from the top.  Maybe it's all the hard cornering or maybe it's going to fail soon.

It also has a couple minor issues that will probably not cause any significant problems:

• One of the power steering lines is VERY slightly leaking.  I noticed this when I bought the car a few years ago and it hasn't gotten any worse.  The crimp where one of the hard lines goes to the front of the car is just getting a bit built up with stuck-on grime
• The steering rack is leaking very slightly from the plate on the backside of it.  It doesn't have any play in it or any other problems but the leak annoys me - this might not require any new parts to correct
• Lots of things in the interior squeak and rattle and the seats are getting worn
• The driver's door has had a very poor quality rust repair done.  It's water-tight and solid enough but cosmetically it sucks
• The rear washer nozzle doesn't work.  It was working before I swapped the hatch and I thought I was careful not to pinch the line so maybe it's just a clogged nozzle.  I'll try to look into this and might be able to resolve it

Because I am moving out-of-province and already have a lot of problems to solve I would just like an easy sale and so I'm listing at $1500.  In my opinion this is a bargain and an extremely cheap entrance to this sport.  If you disagree feel free to make an offer but don't just message me and ask how low I'm willing to go.

This is a ready-to-go car that I regularly score 94 or higher on PAX with in STF and would be even more competitive if you downgraded it to HS.

The car will be available after the July 8 Red Deer event.  I will have it at the July 8 event if you'd like to check it out or it can be viewed weeknights or weekends at my house in Royal Oak.

2

SASC Events / September 4 Westerner Park Practice Event

« on: August 26, 2016, 07:44:42 AM »

Hey guys!

I just wanted to share with you that registration is open for our September 4 practice event at Westerner Park.  I am a little worried about attendance so if you are thinking of going please show your intent early in case a decision has to be made about dropping this event.

September 4, 2016

Currently it is looking like this will be a lower attendance event due to the conflict with a major US event, so here's a chance to get some extra seat time!  I hope to see many of you out there!

3

SASC Events / June 4/5 Registration Open!

« on: May 28, 2016, 12:05:21 AM »

Registration is open for the June 4 and June 5 events at Westerner Park!


June 4, 2016
http://www.motorsportreg.com/events/2016-06-04-cscc-practice-westerner-park-calgary-sports-car-club-322882

June 5, 2016
http://www.motorsportreg.com/events/cscc-practice-2-2016-06-05-westerner-park-calgary-sports-car-club-204322

The event is only a week away and so far we only have 10 registered for June 4, and 12 for June 5.

4

Member Discussion (Private) / University of Calgary - Lot 10

« on: February 29, 2016, 11:06:47 PM »

This one is such a long shot I'm not even going to fill in the template until we've had a chance to discuss this a bit.  Does anybody know if there is even a snowball's chance in hell of renting this lot?  It looks plenty big and the north end doesn't have a lot of obstacles.  We could use the south end for parking / grid then the north end for a course.

The concerns I see are as follows:

• Noise / Nearby housing:
  
  • There are some townhouses immediately on the west side of the parking lot
  • There are houses in a nearby neighbourhood to the northwest
• Hostile Administration:  I have a gut feeling they are not at all interested in having us there

Inspecting the lot on a random Sunday (February 14, 2016) there were approximately 125 cars in the lot.  The sign says it is $7/day to park there so that's about $875 in parking revenue they would potentially lose if we were to rent the lot from them.  Those people would have to park at a more expensive lot so perhaps something could be arranged?  My suggestion would be that we pay $1000/day for the lot, and that they lower the rates in adjacent lots on days we rent so that the people who are used to paying $7/day can still do so.  This puts additional money in their hands as compared to just having people pay to park and hopefully does not anger the regular patrons of Lot 10.

I also think that it would help to have a sympathetic person with some power within the student body or administrative staff.  No idea who that would be (i graduated WAY back in 2010 so I don't know anybody any more) but I do know there is a Formula SAE team still at the university so they have at least a tiny bit of appreciation for motorsports!

5

Member Discussion (Private) / Stoney Nakoda Resort

« on: February 29, 2016, 11:01:22 PM »

Facility address: 888 Nakoda Way, Kananaskis, AB T0L 1N0
Physical Attributes: A paved lot that has been used for autocross previously
Number of cars supported: 75 - lot is approximately 200mx60m in size
Cost: Previously "free" although attendees had to buy lunch at their facility.  They have recently decided this is too much trouble to be worth it for them.
Site Concerns: Not sure
Contact Person: Unknown
Current Status: Negative
Primary Objection:  Autocross events are run during their peak season and there is not enough parking
Recommended Action:

• Wait patiently.  They were very nice to interact with and seem very receptive to the idea of holding events there however the space is simply not available.  There was a suggestion that some construction might take place in the next year which will add a significant amount of pavement to the area.  I was asked to revisit this idea in 2017

History:
I heard about this facility through the Corvettes Unlimited Club of Calgary.  If we want to move forward in any way with this facility we should involve them.  I was told they were previously allowed to run here but at some point the people running the resort decided it was too much trouble to close down the lot Saturday night, and that there were frequently cars left over on Sunday such that they would have to design the course around the leftover cars.  It seems like it might be a good place to run but there is probably some patching up to do with the management there and some additional arrangements that will need to be taken to ensure the site is clear for use.  That said, I also have no idea how big their parking lot is!
It was also mentioned that the tribe (is that the right term?) would be willing to lease land to the Corvettes Unlimited Club for them to pave their own parking lot - maybe if we banded together a couple of clubs this might be an option??

It turns out the CSCC has also run a rally using their lot for tow vehicles and such, and so the CSCC is also on good terms with them as a venue.  Unfortunately they are too busy in the summer to be able to dedicate a lot to us and we will have to wait until they are able to expand in the future to see if we can find the space to hold events here.

6

Member Discussion (Private) / Spruce Meadows

« on: February 29, 2016, 10:55:21 PM »

Facility address: 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW RR 9 LCD 8, Calgary, AB T2J 5G5
Physical Attributes: 2 lots

• Lot 1: 110m x 110m
• Lot 2: 160m x 60m

Number of cars supported: 100?
Cost: Rumoured to be $3500/day
Site Concerns:

• Horses: I've been told people stable their horses here and car noise might upset them

Contact Person: Unknown
Current Status: Negative
Primary Objection:  No contact person or clear avenue to book the facility
Recommended Action:

• Locate Owner / responsible party
  • We need a sympathetic person at Spruce Meadows to make initial contact with.  It seems probable that reaching out to them directly will be met with resistance, although in the absence of a known sympathizer we should try this

History:
I have had this site recommended to me by several people.  The cost seems almost prohibitively high (I suspect it would be $100/person to hold an event here) and a couple people have mentioned that Spruce Meadows may have an agreement with Chevrolet and/or Mercedes-Benz and that might complicate their ability to book the facility for a motorsport event.  We need to find a way to make them want to rent the facility to us before we will have any luck here.  Ideas??

Spruce Meadows has 2 lots that look very well suites for our needs.  I think the south lot (the nearly square one) would be the best although perhaps we could rent both lots at different times to mix things up.  This also looks like an excellent location to hold a school or educational event.

7

Member Discussion (Private) / Eleven Points Logistics

« on: February 29, 2016, 10:48:39 PM »

Facility address: 260199 High Plains Blvd, Range Rd 291, Balzac, AB T4A 0P9
Physical Attributes:  Rectangular lot 325m x 160m
Number of cars supported: LOTS!! 200?
Cost: Unknown
Site Concerns:

• Mixed surface:  The road surface alternates between concrete and asphalt.  This could pose some challenges
• Lack of facilities: The building would be locked on the weekend and we would need to provide a washroom for people attending our event

Contact Person: Unknown (Sobeys currently owns the facility)
Current Status: Unknown
Primary Objection:  Lack of clear ownership or responsibility for the property
Recommended Action:

• Locate Owner / responsible party
  • Attend site on a weekday during business hours.  Speaking with on-site security on a weekend they said that people were in the office on weekdays and somebody there could tell us more about whether it would be available to rent
  • Contact Sobeys: Perhaps somebody in the admin / property arm of their business could tell us more?

History:
This site was originally constructed for Target's Canada branch - we all know how that turned out.
I tried reaching out to the bankruptcy trustee and was met with no response at all every time.

Some time later I swung by the site and spoke with a security guard on site (unfortunately on a Sunday since I was already in the area) and he mentioned that there was generally office staff in the building on weekdays who I could speak to about renting the facility.  He confirmed Sobeys had bought the facility and was looking to put it to use in the near future but did not know a timeline for this.  I tried visiting the front gate even though it was Sunday and it was locked, nobody came outside although there were a couple cars in the parking lot

8

Member Discussion (Private) / Calgary Fire Training Academy

« on: February 29, 2016, 10:40:43 PM »

Facility address: 5727 23 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2B 3E2
Physical Attributes:  Rectangular lot 70m x 90m with an extension of 25m x 60m at the east end
Number of cars supported: 75?
Cost: $1000/day (negotiable if we're renting for 2-day weekends or a large number of days)
Site Concerns:

• FIRE HYDRANTS!!!!  There are NUMEROUS fire hydrants surrounding the lot, course design MUST take these into account.
• Lack of facilities: The building would be locked on the weekend and we would need to provide a washroom for people attending our event
• Lack of parking: It will be difficult to arrange a grid or have sufficient parking for cars and tow vehicles.  The surrounding road is owned by the Calgary Police, not the Fire Department, and we would not be permitted to park on it or use it

Contact Person: Daniel (Dan) Heney
Current Status: Negative
Primary Objection:  Unspecified "risk".  When pressed for details Dan said it was no one thing, that he was generally sympathetic for what we are trying to accomplish but that management had decided it was not a risk they could take
Recommended Action:

• Political lobbying
  • Andre Chabot - Work to get Andre Chabot (the area Alderman) on our side and see if he can help us along in any way
  • Naheed Nenshi - If we can get the mayor on our side maybe we've got a chance!
  • Fire Chief - I'm not sure who this is, but I have unofficially been told that the Corvettes Unlimited Club used to use this facility until a change in Fire Chiefs a couple years back ended their use of the lot
• Try asking again nicely, stay in contact with Dan - I try to send him an email every month or so reminding him that we're still interested and hoping he will be able to get the decision changed

History:
I initially reached out to the Fire Training Academy in late November 2015, speaking with (I can't remember her name) the reaction was initially very positive, she said they would be happy to show me the facility, I attended the site for a visit just as fast as my bike would get me there.  On site she said she had no idea why they didn't already run events like this, that she thought it was a great idea and that when Dan was back on Monday I should call him to arrange everything.  I was shown the grounds by another staff member whose name I can't recall, he also seemed completely on-board with the idea and was wondering as well why I was the first person to ask.  They also both mentioned that the facility is generally not used at all on weekends and that even some weeknights might be available if we wanted.

An initial phone call to Dan Heney on the Monday was met with a firm "NO", that he has spoken to me before (impossible) or "someone like me" and that whenever groups like mine call the answer is always no.  I didn't argue with him, apologized for wasting his time and ended the call.  Later that night I wrote him a big long email outlining the history of the CSCC, our not-for-profit status and what our club stands for, as well as our history with venues, the insurance we cover and described the sport of Autoslalom in great detail.  He responded with a (paraphrased) "We'll think about it".  It took until the new year to get a "no" from them, he says that there was extensive discussion with management but they decided they cannot accept the risk of having us run there.

As I understand they are the only training facility in the area, all fire fighters in Calgary and surrounding area must train there regularly to remain certified, and any interruptions to this could compromise that and potentially put lives at risk.  This sounds dire I agree, but I feel like there must be some middle ground here.  I think the worst damage we could do to the facility would be to break a fire hydrant or damage the chain link fence, and there must be something we can do such that in the event of such an incident they could continue training by Monday morning.