![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RALLY PREPARATION: When
a rally car is to be almost completely rebuilt to race specifications,
the biggest decision the driver makes is the choice of mechanics, or,
as we prefer to call them: Team
Suhrbier. After discussing options
with several mechanics locally in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs
area), where the car would remain for preparation, I was convinced I had not yet found the right answer. Research
on mechanics led me the international artist, Hiro Yamagata, who uses
totally restored 1954 Mercedes 220A’s for his “Earthly Paradise” series;
he paints vibrant birds and flowers over the entire cars, then shows
them in museums throughout the world and offers them for sale. To date, he has done more than twenty-two of
them and has exhibited them in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Vienna, Venice,
Rome, and other major cities. Hiro’s
“point man” in restoration to perfection and the expert on resources
for Mercedes parts worldwide is Joe Arhi and Arhi Classic Coachworks
in Los Angeles. Once you see
his work and get to know him, you would know why I consider Joe a great
“find” and why he, with his crew, became an integral part of “Team Suhrbier”,
and a great and loyal friend. Our
specifications were to totally restore, rebuild, or replace all mechanical
parts in the car. In general,
those included the rebuild of the engine, generator, distributor, and
fuel pump, booster pump, and steering box. All of that work as well as the work on the
accessories, suspension, brakes, and other items were done with emphasis
on the requirements set forth by the Classic Rally Association but also
great emphasis on safety and dependability.
Larger 14 inch wheels were
installed, with special high profile steel reinforced tires.
An eight gallon racing
fuel cell and a backup electric fuel pump were added to the existing
sixteen and half gallon tank to provide a total 25 gallon capacity and
resulting in a range of 400 to 500 miles.
Skid plates below the oil pan and below the transmission offer
additional protection. New shocks and heavy duty springs to raise
the car body for 9 ½ to 10 inch clearance are engineered for 4200 pounds
total weight. Heavy duty shocks
are new and a triple core radiator
will take the extreme heat of the Taklamakan Desert in China. A special fuel/water filter on a specially designed mounting bracket
is mounted between the fuel filter and fuel pump in order to allow us
to drain water from poor fuel we expect to be the only fuel available
in the Eastern Islamic countries we will visit and from the fuel tankers
that will meet us in the Taklamakan desert in Western China. The
greatest improvement for comfort was the removal of the front bench
seat and the installation of two 560SL bucket seats which are necessary
to better hold driver and navigator in place. Good leather seats are not easy to find; we
will long remember the many phone calls which led us to a great old
junkyard in Sun Valley (California) which just happened to have two
that we needed. A
new roll bar gives added protection, as do the spiffy red racing 3”
four position seat belts which come from a horizontal bar on the roll
bar. A special custom 20 gauge
steel lazarette console between the 560SL seats holds our Husky coffee
cups, the mechanical Halda Speedpilot ( a thirty year old collector
item for speed, time, and distance), our Terratrip 303 computer, and
the AM-FM radio which will receive both US and European/Asian stations.
Special wiring for emergency flashers, a glove compartment switch
to a special fuel pump for the transfer of the fuel in the cell to the
filter hose to the main tank which can be used while under way, a hoselike
map light can be used at night , a
12V coffee pot which works from a special accessory
cigarette lighter, dash-mounted compass,digital clock, these are just a few of the final touches
“needed” for a world rally car. The
odometer and speedo were rebuilt. A Terratrip Terraspeed 303 was installed with
new H.D. cables important – a kilometer gauge was installed, and we
were able to obtain a prized Halda Speedpilot. We installed a
Kenwood AM_FM radio and tape deck and speakers. Harry
of Harry’s Upholstery in Los Angeles has been a valued member of the
team. His design and execution
of the carpets inside and outside the security box, the installation
of the bucket seats, the new and perfectly fitted “boot” and roll bar
cover, all have contributed to the comfort and appearance of the car. To all of our questions, Harry kept saying,
“Don’t worry about it” – he was right!
Part
of the car preparation included special attention to an inventory of
Medical Supplies. Antibiotics,
bandages, over the counter ointments
and tablets, syringes, compresses, splints, even “venous access
cannulae” are on the required list of first aid supplies. This trip will be much like sailing in that
everything will be in the right place at all times in order to keep
order! Spare
parts require a great deal of “on the one hand, and on the other….”
Apparently too much weight is the greatest reason some cars fail
to finish, yet some parts are simply unavailable in many of the places
we will visit. Our spare parts will include replacement carburetor,
distributor, spark plugs and wires, fan belts, thermostat, oil, fuel
filter, water/fuel separator, filters, fuel pump, exhaust fuel tank
repair kits and a host of over-the-counter wire, duct tape, nuts, bolts,
and a full set of tools. As
in past world rallys, “jettisoning” of extra weight will be inevitable. The
preparation has taken nearly full time from March 24, 1999 through January
2000; it included a test drive to Seattle and back in October, frequent
trips to Los Angeles from Indian Wells and a test rally, the “Iron Bottom”
from Julian to Lone Pine to Death
Valley and Joshua Tree National Park and back to Julian , over
900 miles in two days on Friday and Saturday in late February. Fine
tuning and packing are all that are left in preparation! |
|