02/03/12 Time flies. It is now February which means that if we want to run this car in March we better get going on it again. Before sending the frame off to powdercoat I looked at packaging one more time and decided to move the oil tank from in front of the engine to the side. This accomplishes several things, the most important one being a big improvement in cooling airflow around the engine. A revised intake system is also in the works.

The new arrangement will improve the serviceability as well, with much easier access to the oil tank and a number of other items. The overflow tank location is also vastly improved and allows for drain-back to be added that will eliminate the need to periodically drain it. The oil tank does get some impact protection from the floor/body/jack point tubing but ultimately, coolers are already outside the frame and the tank is about as far away from the driver as practical so I don't think that safety is compromised in any way. An extra tube and some tabs did the trick and Monday this frame (and Pearl's as well) will go off to powdercoat. A week from Monday we expect to start putting both cars back together. Driving season draws near!

The other reason for addressing the D1 now is that we have decided that the Pikes Peak car (technically still a D4 because it's a 4-cylinder) will use the longer D1 chassis. With an advanced turbo system it will have similar power to the D1, albeit at 14,000 feet, and so a part of our test program will involve running the two cars (and a standard D4) back to back. Much will be learned, no doubt. It's a tough job... :) More details on the Pikes Peak car will be posted shortly on the sponsor blog.