Shepparton Swimming Pool

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Slippery when wet – SAU VIC!

Photo and Video gallery is at the bottom of the page.

 

They say that sometimes the journey is better than the conclusion; we like to think that despite the wet weather this SAU DECA and our lead up to it were both pretty equal.

Two weeks out from the event Michael decided that it’s time to replace the rear main seal in the VK’s 5ltr V8. And so began the most intense engine out operation since he first swapped out the engine replacing the original 6 cylinder.

The VK was moved into the shed, the bonnet was lifted and the engine was whipped out. But once it was out and the sump was off, it was ever so tempting to do more. Keeping in mind that the fuel system, intake manifold and throttle body were not up to supporting more power some parts for longevity were ordered. Apart from the rear main seal, this 5ltr scored new main and rod bearings, welsh plug set, powerbond harmonic balancer, crane lifters and full race series gasket set! fingers crossed the oil stays in the sump and not all over the car.

Three days before DECA the VK’s heart was lowered into place and reconnected.  Just in the nick of time. A quick spin up to the fuel station and a check of the timing was all it received before the long drive to Shep.

This feeling of relief was soon replaced by a feeling of dread after a glance at the Bureau of Meteorology’s Radar for Victoria which showed the highest rainfall in the states north for the year on the Friday night/Saturday.

Still like most of the other competitors we were not deterred. Michael had worked so hard and we weren’t going to miss this “shake down” opportunity.

What followed had to be one of the most interesting DECA motorkhana’s we’ve ever attended.

Firstly, the Skyline club seemed to be completely over run by current model Toyota 86’s / Subaru’s BRZ with a final count of 11 turning up in a registered field of 49. They are rapidly becoming the toy car of choice for these events.

However the Skidpan was where most of the spills were safely controlled as the photo gallery will show.

We think Michael’s VK laid down a pretty good time on the Mini Wang with more grip than expected, however he was unable to participate in the remainder of the back track events due to popping out some tiny 9/16^th Welsh plugs in the inlet manifold, hinting that the tune was not quite as before. As the VK is straight LPG the welsh plugs block where the injectors would normally be fitted.

After towing the VK back to the car park we ventured out, hitting all auto stores in Shep and eventually found what we were looking for. After adding some sealant and tapping them back in Michael was able to get the VK back out in the afternoon for the last of the skidpan tracks and the battles. It didn’t feel 100% down low in the revs but looking at the pics below there was not a lot of opportunity for opening the taps, thus resulting in more fun to be had then times on the board.

As always the SAU Vic should be congratulated for putting on what is arguably one of the best run motorkhana events at DECA.

Enjoy the pics and vids, we enjoyed making them.