SAE mini baja and engineers

[KasaRyan at aol.com]

This last weekend I did judging for the SAE west Mini Baja.  What these kids 
can do with 10 HP is amazing!  Some with CVT's, some with modified MC 
transmissions, others made their own gearboxes.  Four wheel steer on some, 
FRP bodies on others.  Lots of effort.  3 days of presentations, hillclimb, 
acceleration, handling course, and a four hour endurance race at which I was 
as course worker.  Talk about beat.

Honda was one of the other sponsors, and one of the reasons I think their 
engineers are just a bit biased towards serviceability is that they must 
spend some time on a race team.  If you cant get at something on a Honda, 
that means it must not be the problem.  I also have to agree with Suzuki MC's 
being easy to work on.  I have a 1200 bandit and you can get to everything.  
The only thing I ever had a problem with was one motor mount bolt that 
required an impact to get off without rounding.

I choose to work on and drive GM type vehicles for many reasons, but after 5 
years in auto plants I know that they are much easier to service than a 
typical ford vehicle.  Fords require 30% less time (and therefore probably 
accessible fasteners) than a GM product to build, but they suck to work on.  
And they change things every few minutes.  Think about how many different OHV 
V8 ford engines there have been - 15, 20?  Chevy - 5.5 (gen 
1,LT1,348/409,MarkIV,LS1,87-up SB/BB that don't leak with 1 pc mains count as 
1/2) , Buick 4, Pontiac 1?, Olds 3 and so on.   

I think we will take my brother's DOHC 3.4 lumina in to have the plugs done, 
because the cost for that is less than the tools and hassle to do it.  
Sometimes you have to let someone else work on things.  I also let people do 
auto transmissions and suspension work.  But brakes and engines are mine!

Thanks for listening to my electroyappin!
Ryan Hampl - a K-State Grad!  kasaryan at aol.com
139 Hoover Ct.                     Controls Engineer 
Salina, KS  67401                  97 B12 / 93 chevy truck
phone  (785) 825 5831           
I'M ALWAYS FIRST TO THE GROCERY STORE!
http://hometown.aol.com/kasaryan
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/kasaryan">Ryan Hampl and his happenin' 
Hotspot</A> - updated 11/20/00
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