So you’ve bought a new-to-you race car—now what? It would be nice to jump in and go racing, and while some people do just that, it isn’t necessarily the smartest move. Especially if you’re looking to win races, and a championship (why else would you be racing?) Last month we briefly looked at what you should pay attention to when buying a new car. Now that you have it, it’s time to rip it apart in preparation for the track.
Ripping apart a car you just bought may seem counter productive, but it really isn’t. You’re most likely going to find good things and bad things, and you should be prepared for that. You’ll also figure out fairly quickly what can be kept and what needs to be replaced. For us, it was the complete opposite of our expectations.
The disassembly process started under the decklid. The fuel cell was a big unknown for us, and it quickly turned into a nightmare. After removing the dry brake and cell hold-down, we weren’t able to pull the cell out of the car. We know the car had been sitting for quite a while, but we didn’t know for exactly how long, or if it was inside or outside. As we investigated further, we were unable to come up with any reason why the cell wouldn’t come out. Going into it, we knew we wanted to replace the cell, but after pulling it apart, the entire fuel system had to go.
The filler neck, dry brake, bladder, pick-up tube, and foam were all covered in the slime of partially solidified race fuel
01. Stripping our new race...
01. Stripping our new race car started in the rear. We began by removing the dry brake and catch can tubing. With all of this, plus the fuel cell hold down removed, we were still not able to remove the cell, which should have slid right out of its location. It was time for plan B.
When we couldn’t pull the cell out of the car, we began to take it apart in the car. The fill neck came apart first. With the cell opened up, we pulled out the foam, and finally the bladder. With the cell empty, we took a hammer to it in an attempt to loosen it from the car. Whether it was condensation or rainwater, the cell had rusted itself to the car. After some serious hammering on the cell and the car, we were finally able to break it free. The entire process took over two hours, which if we had waited till we were at the track to find this, it would have put us in big trouble.
Here’s why. Besides the removal issue, we were surprised to find some old fuel in the bladder. If you’ve never seen really old fuel, it takes on some gel-like qualities as it breaks down. The filler neck, dry brake, bladder, pick-up tube, and foam were all covered in the slime of partially solidified race fuel. While the hard parts can be cleaned and reused, the rest of it will need to be replaced, because the last thing you want is that slime clogging your fuel filter, or worse, making its way into the carb.
02. In an effort to figure...
02. In an effort to figure out why the cell would not come out, we decided to dismantle the fuel cell in the car. We started by removing the filler neck.
03.0 The foam and bladder...
03.0 The foam and bladder were next. Once we pulled the foam out, we found some old race gas still in the bladder. The fuel had begun to break down, leaving a slimy film on everything.
03.5 While some of the hard...
03.5 While some of the hard parts can be cleaned, things like the foam, bladder, fuel filter, and fuel lines should all be replaced. The gelatinous residue will clog filters and carburetors.
04. With the bladder removed,...
04. With the bladder removed, we still couldn’t find why the cell wouldn’t come out. So we resorted to smashing it with a hammer. Okay, maybe we didn’t smash it, but we did beat on it pretty good.
05. After about 20 minutes...
05. After about 20 minutes of hammering, the cell finally broke free.
06.0 Whether it was condensation,...
06.0 Whether it was condensation, a little rainwater, or something we can’t think of...
06.5 ...some form of moisture...
06.5 ...some form of moisture caused the bottom and the backside of the cell to rust, bonding it to the car.
07. After we pulled the foam...
07. After we pulled the foam and bladder out, we inspected both. Looking at the condition of the pre-filter on the pickup tube, it’s easy to see that most, if not all of the fuel system needs to be replaced.
08. The nasty old fuel in...
08. The nasty old fuel in the bladder confirmed what we already knew. An all-new fuel system will be ordered soon.
09. Next, we pulled all of...
09. Next, we pulled all of the windows. We started with the side windows to give us access to the rear window.
10. The rear window was cracked,...
10. The rear window was cracked, so it needed to be replaced.
11. The windshield looked...
11. The windshield looked as if it was sandblasted, which out in the sun would turn almost completely white, greatly reducing the driver’s vision.
12. With the fuel system...
12. With the fuel system pulled and the windows removed, we shifted our attention to the suspension and brakes. And we started in the front.
13. The car came equipped...
13. The car came equipped with AP Racing brakes on all four corners. This was a big unknown, as we had no clue as to the condition, and the rust and dirt on everything didn’t look good.
14. We decided to remove...
14. We decided to remove every piece of the suspension. This would allow for a thorough inspection of everything, as well as cleaning each piece and painting or powdercoating them.
15. Stripping the front suspension...
15. Stripping the front suspension is straight forward, and in less than an hour the job was completed.
16. Our used parts will be...
16. Our used parts will be good as new after a little reconditioning.
17. We then shifted our attention...
17. We then shifted our attention to the rearend. After unbolting the truck arms and the shocks, the Tiger quick-change rear easily slid out from under the car.