Piston Slap: The Ten Coolest Engineering Feats of The 24 Hours of LeMons Dallas (pt. 2)

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

One has to be slightly off their rocker to make a LeMons racecar. But then again, you also have to possess self-awareness not seen in most other forms of motorsport. Simply put, this race series totally rocks. And without any further ado, here are the final five vehicles in TTAC’s Ten Coolest Engineering Feats of The 24 Hours of LeMons Dallas.

5. Rubber Mat cum Shift Boot (Team: Mid Drive Crisis, picture see above): The Mid-Drive layout of this Mitsubishi Mirage has been profiled by Judge Phil on several occasions, but I can’t resist giving these guys more props. So I’ll go with the little details: making a mid-drive gearshift layout is more than a little insane, but covering the shifter with a rubber mat sporting fake diamond texture is pure brilliance. These folks sweated all the details, and the car was quite a looker. So to speak. If only Mitsubishi made ‘em like this from the factory, talk about a reason to avoid buying a Civic or Corolla!

4. Taking up the Throttle Cable Slack (Team: Property Devaluation Racing II): This is zero-dollar engineering at it’s finest, something that you’d expect in a cheap (to buy) Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. I chatted with these folks about my personal Fox Body solution to this problem: adding a barbed fitting (a $4 part at Home Depot) to the end of the throttle pedal (top). But that’s way too “up town” for a LeMons car: they put a hunk of metal on the pedal and finished it off with the intake plaque from a 5.0 Mustang. On the face of it, that’s a brilliant move. If you’re a smart-mouthed Fox Body know-it-all (like myself) that’s seen this particular (single year production, 1986 only) plaque sell for $40 on eBay, you cringe at the sight of those three screws on the pedal. Odds are they coulda got enough bread for another Fox Lemons car with the proceeds from selling that plaque.

3. Stupid Insane Cooling (Team: Live Oak Nudist Resort): Just like the E21 strut tower brace, those Nudists had a surprise under their, um, trunk lids for me. This time it was their super-cheating Taurus SHO: known for its insane power, a super aggressive exhaust note and the ability to launch out of a corner like it has a limited slip differential. So the extra engine and transaxle coolers, oil pumps and filter housings (using the surprisingly crappy Orange Cans of Death) is necessary considering the SHO’s less than durable transaxle. While this setup looks bad with the Optima battery making it worse, they hit the track un-penalized. The Nudists can bribe like no other: free meals for everyone is not unheard of. With their past goodwill in mind and the 1.75 liter bottle of Chivas Regal in my luggage, I had no problem giving them a clean bill of health.

2. Rotary-Powered Rib cooker (Team Sensory Assault): Aside from bribing the judges with the tools for two of LeMons’ most famous penalties (the “crappy driver” toilet and plastic dog house), these guys make some tasty ribs in the exhaust of their Mazda RX-7. That’s right, the smoker on the driver’s side exhaust isn’t there for looks: it frickin’ works. Some credit goes to the Mazda’s dashboard, which has gauges for the normal stuff (engine temp, oil temp, etc) and one meter for the temperature of the smoker. This whip gives new life to any and all kitchen recipes, and the proof is in the pudding: the final product is customarily given to the LeMons crew. And it is downright delicious.

1. The SHO-Stang (Team: Blue Oval Cult): Even the biggest Ford hater has much respect for what people do with the Fox Body Mustang and the Yamaha motor in the Taurus SHO. So why not combine the two? Cut a gigantic hole in the firewall, build a new one in the cabin (a la Econoline van) throw in the SHO motor with a Ranger transmission and call it a day. This thing is completely, totally, unquestionably sick. And more than a little slick: even the stock 5.0 Mustang fuel rails were retained in the SHO-transplant. Considering four cylinder Mustangs can be competitive, the SHO-Stang has a future once the bugs get worked out. But you’ll never hear a better sounding SHO: turn this motor north-south, run a Mustang exhaust to it and the angry-exotic nature of the Yamaha V6 truly shines.

And there you have it: the Ten Coolest Engineering Feats of The 24 Hours of LeMons. With any luck, this won’t be my last time judging the wickedly wicked engineering, so set your faces to stunned in the meantime. And make an effort to experience the madness in person, a LeMons event is just that: an event.

(Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com)

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 6 comments
  • Blowfish Blowfish on Jun 17, 2010

    looking at your intricate cooling system brought back memories of a 92 F150 6cyl I had. I had spun out 1 con rod bearing, keep changing the bearing for few times, and when reach operating temp the oil pressure seem to go south. So I did bought an external oil filter system, loop the oil into an old Merc 300D air con condenser or the colling coil infront of a rad. I had the fittings and it worked, the oil temp stay cool so did the oil pressure never drops down even if I had drove her for some distance. The oil cooler does have its place for the longevity of any engines. Newer Merc have since done away with oil cooler, the old benzene firing ones and oil burning diesels did have oil coolers. Is becoming a moot cause for Merc to run beyond 5-6 yrs. As the software/hardware issues will crop up, not with standing the engine can be for few million miles!

  • The SHO-Stang is one of the finest pieces of beer-inspired engineering I've never seen before... I want more!

    • Blue Oval Cult Racing Blue Oval Cult Racing on Jun 21, 2010

      We're slowly getting everything together online, however I do have a Facebook page for Blue Oval Cult Racing. Just look us up. :)

  • Kwik_Shift Hyunkia'sis doing what they do best...subverting expectations of quality.
  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
Next