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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
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      2,770
      Country Flag: United States

      My 2012 RTTS Experience

      This thread is to show you all what went down this weekend between me, my g/f Kim, my Monte Carlo, and her 04 Mustang Cobra. If you are my friend on facebook then you have already seen most of this...but not the drama on Sunday. My name is Douglas Lutes on facebook if you want to friend request me.

      Get out some tissues b/c it gets aweful sad at the end...
      Last edited by JEFFTATE; 04-23-2012 at 06:44 AM.
      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      pre race sponsor decal install at my home shop...

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Thursday morning before the event. Getting the second trailer ready after the U-Haul I rented left us feeling un easy. We got this brand new 20' "BigTex" trailer as a loaner for the weekend.




      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      About 20 miles into the trip this decides to happen...and in traffic non the less!!






      So I take it off the trailer and decide to drive the monte to the event...here's proof.

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Friday morning comes around and Kim and I go to register our cars...and get the event sponsor decals.




      Kim and I head out to get both cars ready for a Bangshift.com photo shoot.




      I go to start my car and there is a wicked noise coming from the engine. OH NO!!!! I gather some tools and some friends and we dive into the car to see what's wrong. People are thinking it might be a loose bolt holding the flexplate to the converter or a cracked flexplate.




      The Farrington's and I unbolted the torque converter from the flexplate and started up the motor. It sounded perfect and had 65psi of oil pressure so that means the engine is ok. We put back on the TC and the noise came back...we are all thinking that the converter is coming apart from the inside. This ends my weekend...for now.

      Sneak peak of Kim's 04 Cobra photoshoot.



      After all this excitement we all went to the track for some parade laps and a really good dinner.



      Kim's Cobra getting teched after dinner...

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      After we all got back to the host hotel the bangshift guys went out to get some beverages. In their travels they happend to pass by a trans shop that as still open at 9:30pm...and there was a sweet 69 nova on the lift. BINGO!!! Kim and I headed over there. After explaining our dire situation the owner said he actually had a stock monte carlo ss torque converter in stock and that he could put it in the next morning. I agreed and had his buddy tow the car over to the shop...






      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."


    7. #7
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      the next morning the guy who owns the shop called me at 7am. Kim and I are already getting ready for the race that day. He starts talking in a foreign language I can't understand but I can make out" come to the shop". I have Kim drop me off there and send her on the way to the track without me. I felt really bad for sending her alone but she handled it very well. I'm very proud of her at her first event! Anyways...I get there and the trans is out of the car on a trans jack. He shows me what happend. Apparentlly.....the TC broke the front pump gears. He took the front seal off to show me the cranage. There were the two "key ways" on the front pump...and they were all chewed up. The shaft of the TC was destroyed. This sealed the deal on the fate of my car for the event.



      We put the trans back in and called in another tow to get it back to the host hotel.







      and there she sat for the rest of the day...while all her friends were out playing.

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
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      So after the car was safe and sound back at the hotel, I called a taxi to take my a$$ to the track!!!




      I get there and Kim's run group had already done one session on the big track. I helped her prep for the autoX.




      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      After the autoX it was time for her second big track session. I ran over to the timing tower and hung out with Brian Finch and had a cool vantage point of the front straight.





      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Lawrenceburg, TN
      Posts
      4,083
      Country Flag: United States

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Her run group ended up not having another session on the autox for some reason but they did have one more session on the road course. Right as Kim was pulling out of the pit road her clutch pedal went right to the floor. She called me and told me this so I headed over to the pits. She got towed over there by the track workers.




      Turns out good ole' lead foot snapped the cable in two!!



      So we call AAA and they come get her cobra. She decided to stay with her car and I stayed at the track.






      We called every parts store in sounthern NJ...no one had a clutch cable in stock.
      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
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      2,770
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      So now it's time for the Speed Stop Squared Challenge. I was just there hanging out taking pics and video.




      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      The finals consisted out of a best 2 out of 3 between Billy Utley and Tom Farrington. Here's the first coin toss.






      Second coin toss b/c they each won one!



      Final line up...

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
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      Billy ended up winning that event b/c Tom skidded out f the braking box by a front bumper...it was sooo close!!!

      Awards Ceremony...



      I ended up winning the Hard Luck award b/c my car was a non driving POS that entire weekend lol!!!!!



      Road Course times...I'm so very proud of Kim!!! It was her first time on a road course.

      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Saturday night we all went to dinner at Benegans.



      Random Sat night pics...



      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
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      So here is the stuff that no one has heard about yet.........

      This is Sunday morning getting towed by to my home shop...141 miles away in Maryland.




      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Arriving at home...finally!!!





      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Since Kim's issue was a simple snapped clutch cable I decided to put her Cobra on the lift to take the old one out. Upon lifting the car up in the air...I immediatelly saw this carnage!!! I almost didn't want to tell Kim.





      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Woodbine, MD
      Posts
      2,770
      Country Flag: United States
      Yes you are seeing that correctly. The "J" hooks on the tow truck tore and ripped apart the underside of her car!!!! Since this is a unibody the floor ascts as a structural part so I have no idea how this insurance claim is gonna play out. You can touch the carpet from the gashes.

      Of course AAA hasn't returned a single phone call today and I haven't contacted the tow company yet. We did put in an insurance claim for the damage and they said they would go after the tow company for the money to cover the costs. Once the adjuster comes to my shop to do the estimate...the cobra is going to GForce Design Concepts for the repairs. We are just hoping that they don't total the car.

      So that as my weekend. Im not mad about any of it...just a little frustrated. I had a great time hanging out with my pro-touring friends and even though I didn't get to race and have two broken hot rods...I would do it all over again tomorrow.

      I want to thank Bill, Brian, their families, and the American Street Car Series for puting on an awesome event! I live for this stuff!!!!!
      Douglas Lutes
      1988 Monte Carlo SS

      "Never race anything you can't afford to set on fire and push off a cliff."

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Sep 2007
      Location
      Southern California
      Posts
      566
      Country Flag: United States
      Damn! That sucks about the cars but cool that you had a good time! Hope the insurance comes through and you can fix her car!
      Jon U.

      1968 GTO - SC&C Suspension, Forgeline SO3 Wheels
      Build Thread
      1967 911 with a few mods

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