S197 3V Fabman's build; How did we get here? Build Thread

[JeffV8]

I hate hearing all this. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues leaving my car over night or heard of any at Pitt Race but has me thinking of getting a locking gas cap. The problem is what if someone glues the key slot. I looked for the entire locking door assembly but NLA for a 2012.

I have been racing at BeaveRun/Pitt Race since it first opened with no problems ever.

 

[dragoon]

@Fabman
what ever happened with “honor amongst thieves” ??

 

[Fabman]

@Fabman
what ever happened with “honor amongst thieves” ??

Some people are just assholes.

 

[Fabman]

Well, I don’t know what to do.
There are currently no cars in NASA NorCal, only one car in SCCA ITE and it’s not an ITE car, it’s a tube frame/glass body car so if they let it run it’s out of class anyway, and the USTCC thing looks like a bust as well.
Why am I building a motor?
What am I going to do with FrankenStang?
Am I going to have a rather large paper weight?
I can’t see myself doing track days and TT anything is not my cup of tea either.

Did I just retire?

 

[PatrickStapler]

Sell it and build a vintage car. Or you could buy this…friend of mine that retired last year.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Move to the Midwest, prices are cheaper , lots of Mustangs running, and there are likely tons of folks who would love to have you fabricate stuff for them --- after all Frankenstang and the Fabman are legendary whether you want them to be or not!

 

[Tonymustang302]

Time to be a NASA midwest champion. The further south you go, the more natural born females there are

 

[PatrickStapler]

...The further south you go, the more natural born females there are

 

[EF1]

Move to the Midwest, prices are cheaper , lots of Mustangs running, and there are likely tons of folks who would love to have you fabricate stuff for them --- after all Frankenstang and the Fabman are legendary whether you want them to be or not!

Fabman’s skills are legendary. I was talking to someone pitted next to me at Barber last weekend and told him about TMO. I said there were guys like me who are just playing at the track and their were serious competitors including national champions in TT and road race. I referred to Sal by his first name only - the response was “Sal Molinare the Fabman is on there? The driver was from Miami and he knew of the legendary Fabman.

 

[Fabman]

Time to be a NASA midwest champion. The further south you go, the more natural born females there are

I just love natural born females.

 

[Fabman]

Fabman’s skills are legendary. I was talking to someone pitted next to me at Barber last weekend and told him about TMO. I said there were guys like me who are just playing at the track and their were serious competitors including national champions in TT and road race. I referred to Sal by his first name only - the response was “Sal Molinare the Fabman is on there? The driver was from Miami and he knew of the legendary Fabman.

And he didn't refer to me as "Dammit Sal"...? I hear that a lot....lol.

 

[EF1]

I just love natural born females.

Don’t we all?

 

[EF1]

And he didn't refer to me as "Dammit Sal"...? I hear that a lot....lol.

No he spoke highly of your fabrication skills and mentioned trying to get you to make cooling ducts for his SN95 optima challenge car. Your reputation has made it to Miami.

 

[misterpeanut]

Skip the midwest, been there done that (so sorry Mr Pemberton, no disrespect meant, I would love to visit your track though). Unless you want to buy a 360ci winged sprint car!

Here's my suggestion after traveling the country visiting engine builders for 15+ years, which has felt like 30 years. I just spent a week in the Charlotte, Mooresville, Raleigh NC area and dang there are a lot of engine builders. Saw a number of Coyotes in these shops too. Tracks and performance/racing minded citizens. Beautiful area. Loads of tracks in that circle I drew and not too far outside of it. Oh wait, I should have put a belly button on this thing for Ashville, NC ... you can smell the hippies as you get closer.

 

[EF1]

Skip the midwest, been there done that (so sorry Mr Pemberton, no disrespect meant, I would love to visit your track though). Unless you want to buy a 360ci winged sprint car!

Here's my suggestion after traveling the country visiting engine builders for 15+ years, which has felt like 30 years. I just spent a week in the Charlotte, Mooresville, Raleigh NC area and dang there are a lot of engine builders. Saw a number of Coyotes in these shops too. Tracks and performance/racing minded citizens. Beautiful area. Loads of tracks in that circle I drew and not too far outside of it. Oh wait, I should have put a belly button on this thing for Ashville, NC ... you can smell the hippies as you get closer.

View attachment 94490

I’m in the center of the circle, Knoxville and I can’t agree more.

 

[Fabman]

Don’t we all?

Not where I live....lots of rainbows around here.

 

[Fabman]

No he spoke highly of your fabrication skills and mentioned trying to get you to make cooling ducts for his SN95 optima challenge car. Your reputation has made it to Miami.

Well, that's very kind of him, and you to mention it. Thank you.
I do have a set of sn95 spindles and plan to do ducts for those but my hands are full of industrial work at the moment.
When things calm down a bit I'll get to them.

 

[Fabman]

Skip the midwest, been there done that (so sorry Mr Pemberton, no disrespect meant, I would love to visit your track though). Unless you want to buy a 360ci winged sprint car!

Here's my suggestion after traveling the country visiting engine builders for 15+ years, which has felt like 30 years. I just spent a week in the Charlotte, Mooresville, Raleigh NC area and dang there are a lot of engine builders. Saw a number of Coyotes in these shops too. Tracks and performance/racing minded citizens. Beautiful area. Loads of tracks in that circle I drew and not too far outside of it. Oh wait, I should have put a belly button on this thing for Ashville, NC ... you can smell the hippies as you get closer.

View attachment 94490

Excuse me if I've told this story before but I had an offer to work for Richard Childress when I was there back in the 90's.
I'm thinking maybe I should have taken the offer more seriously.
Ever think about the possibilities you passed up in life and wonder?
I had John Force ask me if he could help out my stock car program in 1993 and I told him "Naw, screw these cry babies, I'm outta here" and then sold my shop and moved to the Bay area to work for Clorox..
I also passed up a pile of beautiful females over the years.......
Clearly, I am a moron, and I'm probably only getting dumber as time goes by.

 

[Fabman]

Also was offered the job as crew chief on a Winston west car....passed that up as well.
How dumb am I....?
Don't answer that.

 

[misterpeanut]

NASCAR is now 100% spec car, saw that first hand when we toured Penske and the guys who've been there 20plus years just can't believe it's come to this. They can't fabricate anything! But there are still very cool jobs in those mega race teams.

Funny, my Dad wrenched on a Winston West eons ago.

Top Fuel teams ... I've heard loads of crazy stories from the pit guys and crew chiefs, and drag racing is not a drivers race, it's a crew chief's race. Haven't been in those pits for years since they all brought most of their manufacturing in house. The Schumacher team built the Exide Batteries car in the business unit next to us way back when. That was cool to watch as kids.

I think the IMSA sports car deal looks like so much fun, and despite the BOP ... the cars look so good.