Steve Beeler

You have a goal…I have a way to get you there.

Blog

Spare Parts

by

Race cars wear things out (if you are paying attention) and break them (if you are not) so spare parts are always needed. How many spare parts to carry? How to organize spare parts?

Money is obviously the primary consideration (and limiting factor) but there are others. Sourcing is at the top of the list of other considerations. In the digital age, there is so much that can arrive the next day at the click of a mouse. The next other consideration is storage. If there is no room for it on the trailer and it can be delivered tomorrow, why have it at the shop?

What is left are hundreds of small, relatively low cost parts to have at the shop and then take to the race track. It would make no sense, for example, to ruin a race weekend over a spark plug so a set of spark plugs goes to the track.

Spare Parts

Here’s an outline of the spare parts that I take to the race track and how I organize them into the three totes shown above:

Electrical and Fluid Handling. No spark and fuel starvation are the two primary causes of engine problems. This tote contains critical electrical parts (master switch, on/off switch, starter button, coil, starter, etc), a complete set of ignition parts (cap, rotor, condenser, plug wires), and wire in every color and connectors in every size. Also in this tote are critical fuel system components: pump, filter, hose, clamps, and check valve. A complete set of coolant hoses and clamps, oil filter cartridges and o-rings, and assorted light bulbs complete the spare parts in this tote.

Chassis and Power Train. Brakes are worked hard in Formula Ford racing. This tote contains spare parts required to refurbish the brake system: master cylinders, caliper seals, caliper pistons, and pads. Also in this tote are rod ends in all sizes, clutch parts (disc, slave cylinder, throw out bearing), spark plugs, lobro joints and boots, front wheel bearings and seals, a throttle cable, an assortment of small springs, an engine gasket kit, and alternate gear sets.

Vital Fluids and Chemicals. This tote contains the fluids and lubricants (oil, brake fluid, water wetter, bearing grease) and chemicals (cleaners, sealers, thread lockers) required to maintain the car. Also contained in this tote are shop rags, paper towels, micro fiber cloths, emery cloth, scotch brite, etc.

Not all spare parts fit into these three totes. Carried separately are a nose, a nose frame, splitter rub strips, a radiator, assorted suspension links, engine mounts, a rear upright, two hardware kits, and eight mounted tires.  I would take more to the track if I had the money and the room on the trailer. 🙂

This is the third in a series of blogs on how to get started in racing.  If you missed the first two, here are the links:  How to Get Started in Racing and Tools and Equipment.

Tools and Equipment

by

It takes less in the way of tools and equipment to maintain a Formula Ford that you might think. Pictured below are all the hand tools and fixtures that I use to shop prep (checklist, gear change, engine oil change, and alignment) my Lola T-540 for a race weekend. As you can see, they all fit on a folding table!

Tools and Equipment

Here is a quick list of the tools and equipment required to perform routine pre-race maintenance on my Formula Ford. Everything I routinely use (except for the alignment fixtures) can be carried in one small toolbox.

Open and box end wrenches (1/4 inch through 1 inch with some duplicates)
3/8 inch drive ratchet and assorted extensions and adaptors
3/8 inch drive socket set (3/8 inch through 3/4 inch)
3/8 inch drive hex drive socket set (5/32 inch through 3/8 inch)
Breaker bar
Torque wrench (up to 120 ft-lbs)
Assorted hex keys
Assorted pliers (needle nose, side cuts, etc)
Safety wire pliers
Pop rivet gun
Air pressure gauge (bleed down, 0 to 30 psi)
Dial calipers
Spark plug gapping tool
Feeler gauge
Oil tank dipstick
Transaxle dipstick
17 mm hex wrench (for transaxle plugs)
1-1/4 inch socket (for transaxle shaft nuts)
13 mm socket (for transaxle bearing carrier nuts)
18 mm socket (for engine oil pan drain plug)
13/16 inch spark plug socket
Alignment bars and plates (for toe and camber measurements)
Ride height blocks
Tape measure
Digital level (with laser)

A short list of shop equipment (not in the photo) is also required:

Floor jack and/or quick jack
Chassis stands
Air compressor
Portable air tank
Timing light & dwell meter
Battery charger
Drain pans & funnels
Workbench with a vise

Some nice-to-haves-but-not-essentials:

Drill press
Bench grinder
Tap & die set
Assorted EZ outs (1/4 inch through 3/8 inch)
Engine hoist

My Formula Ford was purpose built in 1979 by Lola Cars in the United Kingdom so most of its bolts are English. The exceptions are a few metric nuts on the Hewland Mk9 transaxle (which utilizes a highly modified VW Beetle case). The automotive industry was an early convert to metric. Therefore, production based race cars are likely to have most if not all metric fasteners. If it is a recently designed race car, there are also likely to be a large number of socket head cap screws because of tight clearances.

Tools and equipment is the second in a series of blogs on how to get started in racing.  Next up:  spare parts.

How to Get Started In Racing

by

My FF50th and Motorsports pages are getting a lot of interest. Would you like to be out there instead of watching from the grandstand? This is the first is a series of blog posts on how to get started in racing.

I am going to write from the perspective of Formula Ford and club racing because (1) that is what I have been doing recently and (2) you likely found my website through an interest in Formula Ford and the FF50th. In any event, racing is racing so the requirements to support a small formula car will extrapolate to whatever race car you are interested in sitting in.

How to Get Started In Racing

The organization and effort required to put a race car (safely) on the track is considerable. It is a big hill, but not Mount Everest. Anything can be completed on time if you start soon enough. Preparing a race car and transporting it to the race track is a challenge that provides (as least to me) almost as much satisfaction as the seat time.

How to get started in racing is a big topic across multiple dimensions. A race car, of course, is an obvious requirement. Safety equipment (helmet, HANS, fire suit, underwear, gloves, shoes, etc) and a competition license are also needed. If you choose to race your own car (as opposed to renting one from a prep shop), then you must maintain and transport it. I will focus on this dimension of how to get started in racing by retracing my steps to resume driving after a long break (17 years!) to do the dad thing for three little girls.

I quickly realized that the infrastructure that I once had in place was mostly gone. In the next four blog posts, I will outline the support systems required to campaign a Formula Ford:
– Tools and Equipment
– Shop Space
– Spare Parts
– Trailer and Tow Vehicle

There is a lot to more to racing that driving the car….

Lean Thinking in NASCAR

by

Toyota may have only been racing in NASCAR for the last decade or so, but the principles of the Toyota Production System have been in the sport since its inception. Here are some examples of lean thinking in NASCAR, that uniquely American form of motorsport:

Lean Thinking
NASCAR Pit Stop

Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED). A pit stop is the NASCAR equivalent of a die change in manufacturing. Quite a bit gets done in only a few seconds: tires are changed, gasoline is dumped in, and chassis adjustments are made. A number of lean thinking techniques are utilized in a NASCAR pit stop:

(1) Separate Internal from External Setup Operations. Most of the work performed in a NASCAR pit stop is actually done while the car is on the track: tires are mounted, balanced, and set to the right inflation pressure; gas cans are filled up; adjustments are discussed over the radio; and everything (and everyone) is organized along the pit wall.

(2) Convert Internal to External Setup. Lug nuts are glued to the wheels so that they do not have to be positioned before being secured. Special tools have been designed for things that are frequently adjusted for changing track conditions (track bar, wedge, etc).

(3) Adopt Parallel Operations. One person could perform all the operations in a pit stop…but a carefully coordinated team can do it much faster. Everyone in a NASCAR pit stop has a job to do…and does it with very little wasted motion.

Countermeasures for Zero Breakdowns. Mechanical reliability in NASCAR is excellent. With the exception of a few cars too damaged in wrecks to continue, almost all the cars that start are running at the finish. All five Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) countermeasures for breakdowns are readily evident:

(1) Cleaning, lubricating, and bolting. The cars are meticulously assembled and then receive lavish amounts of attention during a race weekend. A small fluid leak will only get worse. Brake dust could be hiding a problem.

(2) Adhering to proper operating procedures. Detailed checklists coordinate and control everyone and everything that touches the car.

(3) Restoring deterioration. Virtually all parts are inspected between races. Many, like engines, are replaced after every race.

(4) Improving weaknesses in design. NASCAR teams have rigorous engine dyno programs to improve engine reliability. Redundancy is provided for systems with less than 100% reliability: electronic ignitions, batteries, etc.

(5) Improving operations and maintenance skills. Self evident…the cars get faster and more reliable every year. A very high level of organization is required to run a NASCAR team.

Shigeo Shingo and Junior Johnson would have had a common language in lean thinking…

Source Inspection for Zero Defects

by

As the highest form of error proofing, source inspection for zero defects is such a powerful concept that it merits a close look.

Source inspection is 100% inspection, not statistical sampling, for causal factors that lead to defects. Defects are prevented through immediate action to remove causal factors. While this may sound complicated, it is not. In fact, examples of source inspection are everywhere around us.

The logic behind source inspection is pretty simple. Before completing an action of some kind, check for causal factors of defects. If causal factors are present, then the action is stopped before completion, and before the defect occurs.  With the causal factor(s) removed, the action can be restarted and completed without creating a defect.

Source Inspection

Everyday examples are all around us:

Automobiles. A little fender bender in a crowded parking lot is a defect that we can all do without. Possible causal factor: foot off of brake pedal. Source inspection: all vehicles with automatic transmissions have a safety interlock that requires the driver to have their foot on the brake pedal before shifting out of park.

On-line forms. In this case, the defect is missing information on an airline reservation, a catalog purchase, or whatever. Possible causal factors: error of omission or typographical error. Source inspection: if a required data entry field is empty, incomplete, or in the wrong format, the reservation or ordering process will not advance to the next screen until the field is filled correctly.

Thermocouples. A residential natural gas explosion would be a very bad defect. Possible causal factor: no pilot light. Source inspection: gas water heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, and so on have thermocouples. If the pilot light is on, the thermocouple is hot and gas is allowed to flow. If the pilot light goes out, the thermocouple cools down and shuts off the gas flow.

Does source inspection make statistical sampling and control charts obsolete?  Absolutely not.  Use statistical process control to reduce causal factor variability to minimize interruptions and increase productivity.