-
What Happened to you, Engine?
/
/
comments
In an effort to simplify transmission options and have a broader torque curve, we’re upgrading from a 200ci straight six to a 250ci unit. The basic engineering’s the same, but the 250 has a longer stroke and uses the same bellhousing as small block V8. There’s not a lot of love for the 250; for…
-
LeMons Ranchero Update: Get Your Rear End in Order
/
/
comments
Long ago, I emphasized the importance of finding a “runner” for a first project car. If it can’t move and function like a car should, it’s impossible to know what other systems need work without taking things apart. Case in point: Everything but the shafts and housing of our rear end was junk. Thankfully, Ford 8″…
-
LeMons Ranchero Update: Everything Out!
/
/
comments
The term “rolling shell” gets thrown around a lot these days. Ok, maybe it doesn’t. Point is, we’ve got the Ranchero about as stripped as it can get. Motor and transmission: Out! Interior: Out! Steering column and pedals: Out! Glass: Out! Wiring: Out! Front suspension: Out, but now back In! In our two previous LeMons builds,…
-
LeMons Ranchero: Shopping for Steering and Shifting
/
/
comments
Since its acquisition in March, the new Ranchero’s sat in my driveway, a monument to lack of progress. It waited in line behind the final fixes and sale of the Wagoneer and the conclusion of a T-Ball season I was conscripted into coaching. With all that out of the way, it’s Ranchero Time, baby! Click through…
-
Great LeMons Starter Volvo for $1,000
/
/
comments
Interested in getting started in LeMons? A good first step would be to buy an ancient American land yacht or hopeless Porsche to start with. Wait, no. The best way to get started in LeMons is to hitch a ride as an “arrive-and-drive” to see if it’s really for you. Suppose you failed to learn your lesson then,…
-
Sears Pointless 2016: Hooniverse, The Smashening
/
/
comments
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3bo-NrOv0w[/youtube] “So, uh, I guess we’re done”. The first time I said that, it was an unnerving realization. A week before the race, we had the car running just fine and all the major items checked off the to-do list. The carb and header were in, the new ignition system was working great, the front…
-
LeMons Ranchero Update: Better Breathing, Sparking and Sliding
/
/
comments
When we last left the Ranchero, we’d finished up Arse-Freeze-a-Palooza “victorious” in class F against Top Gear USA. (By the way, how long do we think it’ll take them to get that episode on the air? Surely one of their legion of regular viewers will let us know). We’re all set on the fuel issues…
-
24 Hours of LeMons Pens "A Visit from a Guy Who Looks Suspiciously like Phil" to Warm our Gear Oil Soaked Hearts
/
/
comments
We get so much garbage PR mail at the Hooniverse inbox, but the announcements from The 24 Hours of LeMons are pure gold. Ironic, given that the series is dedicated to garbage. Anyway, they’ve topped themselves once again with the latest reminder about signing up for January’s Sonoma race (which reminds me…). Anyway, here’s the…
-
Los Huevos Rancheros Beats Top Gear, "Wins" Class F "Victory" at 24 Hours of LeMons
/
/
comments
We won LeMons! Ok, well, we won our class at LeMons. That class being Class F, consisting entirely of us and Top Gear USA. Our 108 laps to their 79, despite their crew of at least two professional drivers and support staff of like 40 people. Of course, it very nearly wasn’t so. The short version is…
-
Wrench Scramble 2015: It's ALIVE! LeMons Domination is but 13 Trillion Little To-Dos Away
/
/
comments
If you recall, this car fired (and actually drove) earlier this year. However, the oil pan had a stripped plug and the exhaust manifold was so warped you could see fire through the gap between it an the head. Also the carb was leaking gas right above said exhaust manifold. It was cheaper to find a…
