Intro and Update: Slugmobile and Mean Mini! (long read, but worth it)

is this the tranny guy? i had not seen him on here for a bit. cliff. maybe?

The tranny guy was Cliff Ramsdell and he didn't own these cars, but did do some work for Gus (the owner)

Cliff had a few really nice cars over the years, including the T-III/568 powered K-wagon.

Wayne, where is Blackie these days?

FWIW, here are pics from the last AutoFair meet, curtesy of GLHS144

http://s1179.photobucket.com/albums/...cpZZ2QQtppZZ36

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Originally Posted by Directconnection

The tranny guy was Cliff Ramsdell and he didn't own these cars, but did do some work for Gus (the owner)

Cliff had a few really nice cars over the years, including the T-III/568 powered K-wagon.

Wayne, where is Blackie these days?

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Steve, I remember Blackie was sold also but don't remember who got her. Since she was a 5spd she was one of the first to go. Maybe Victor remembers. I'm not sure if he is on the board though.

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Originally Posted by WLKivett

FWIW, here are pics from the last AutoFair meet, curtesy of GLHS144

http://s1179.photobucket.com/albums/...cpZZ2QQtppZZ36

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thanks!
Looks like it was a good turnout of the TM stuff.
Like the Rampage. Those little things are starting to grow on me!
Maybe Mini will be able to make it this spring. Will have to see...

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Originally Posted by NeonShowCar

I often wondered what had happened to both the Slug and Mini as the passing of Gus. Good to see that it went to someone that is going to take care of them as they should be. And thanks for sharing your story, always enjoy reading stories like this.

-Garry W. McKissick
1986 Dodge Shelby Charger - Silver w/ blue stripe (restoration project)
1985 Dodge Shelby Charger - Blue w/ silver stripe

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x2 :thumb:

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Originally Posted by Aries_Turbo

thats the way my k car looks lol. ask anyone that saw it at SDAC 17. i was in the middle of testing a cobblejob alky injection system. hobbes switches, brass fittings, fuel hose and VW cold start injectors, relays, wiring bits and zip ties EVERYWHERE. :)

Brian

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Yeah, I definitely remember! "Have you SEEN under the hood of that car?" LOL

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Originally Posted by Reaper1

Nice to know Mini is in good hands. I had wondered what happened to her.

Not that it matters too much, but I have a G-valve that was made by Gus just before he passed. I don't know how many he turned out, but it very well might be one of the last ones he ever personally built. I still use it on my Shelby Z...and only for the "HIGH boost" setting for added Gus luck! :)

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I still have a set of Gus bleeds kicking around somewhere in an old skool fuse box with a note from Gus describing the color code = what orfice size! Sweet...

And also have a Gus MAP bleed somewhere!

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Originally Posted by wheming

Did anyone pick up the torch to supply those 15-30psi pressure switches?
I remember they were made by World Magnetics or something.

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I still have a couple of these from Gus brand new in the bag somewhere as well!

Great to see you on here Wayne and really glad to see you are taking care of some real legends!

Thanks James.
I'll feel alot better when MeanMini has new paint and Slugmobile has here totally new front suspension and brakes possibly along with a freshened trans and new torque converter.

Then we might be able to do some racing this year!

Well, here's a brief update of what I've been trying to knock out. Slugmobile: Suspension:complete front end rebuild with PolyBushings fixin's, reman manual steering rack, new hubs, new ball joints, new struts/bearings/mounts, Spirit R/T springs, new brake rotors/calipers/hoses, synthetic brake fluid, new engine and trans mounts, Drivetrain: newly freshened A413 (A Cliff Ramsdell special order! Thanks again, Cliff for the quick turnaround to meet my needs!), new Peloquin LSD, rebuilt 8" Dynamic Converters super-duper converter (the only converter to ever last multiple races seasons in Slugmobile), new axles, new stainless turbo cooling lines (need to try and get that damn oil supply line on though!), new/reman starter, new tranny cooling hoses and back to radiator and aux cooler routing, I'm sure there's more but that's the bigger stuff. Some recent pics: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5l...g3YTk5ZTVhMjU5 https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5l...cxOTVkMzRmNWQ4 https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5l...Q1MTNjMWY5YzBl Next up, rear suspension, bearings and brakes, new intercooler tubing, complete fuel hose replacement, and I'm sure some more tidbits...

very nice! sounds like the "bug" is kicking in!

Phew, whaddaya tryna do with ol' slug there... 8 seconds? :D

She was badly in need of some maintenance. The front end has been horrible for >5 years!
Trans started to make a whine at idle in gear.
I doubt i'll even try to make a new record in Slug. This is all to just have her race and drive reliably again.
Don't forget....she's a daily driver too.

Well I've got some update on Mean Mini's fresh new paint...
It's the wrong damn color!
Can't remember if i already mentioned this somewhere but my guy brought a piece in to the paint supplier to match rather than use the body tag for the code. Long and short he was given the wrong color(and activator too!). I thought it looked too dark when i first saw it. But it did look very nice. I was going to keep it and just have him paint everything to match (interior and all jambs) but with a small completion delay (change in temp here made him realize he needed to complete his shop renovation in order to properly complete Mini) it of course got eating at me.
The good news is while I was thinking of how best to tell him, he was thinking the same thing. So even though he was probably 90% complete with the outside he'll be repainting it all the correct color.
So I'll probably only get her back now sometime towards the end of Feb.
That's kind of a pain since i've got a list of stuff that's not getting smaller while it is there.


As far as Slugmobile goes, i completed the entire front end rebuild/replacement and rebuilt trans a TC. Problem there now is i used Spirit R/T front springs and holy crap! i lifted Slug! I clamped two coils but still seems tall. I had used the lower coil spring seats and maybe i shouldn't have. I may need to remove them and cut them. I do have some parts in the trunk so maybe it just looks worse than it is. I'll reserve final judgement untill after i replace the rear springs, install poly rear bushings, and rebuild the brakes/bearings. Once the rear is complete I'll see what'll need to be addressed further.
After that, she should be ready for the road once again!


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Yah, that just sounds odd, car springs lifting a van, unless it had overworked car springs on it already, and the higher rate (?) R/T ones perked it up.

The update for Slugmobile mentioned the springs. The R/T springs were stock as far as I know. My little brother donated them to Slug.
But as your intuitive luck would have it, Mini has been rolling on v6 strut assemblies for a year now. I mistakenly ordered them when getting parts for her rejuvination. I have some konis to go in once i get her back.



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TBH, I think most parts places will only offer you a "universal" strut for these now, i.e. V6... but you can find them in the good brands still if you special order. (Or find online)

I could have sworn when i ordered them they were for the 4cyl. But i did look back and noticed them listed as v6. That's water under the bridge though. I have some konis i bought after from a member here and i still need to install them.
I did contact koni to see how much a rebuild would be and holy crap was a surprised! Could likely be $250 each! So i guess i'll try these as is...



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Got your email, just battling a nasty cold, I'll get the info ASAP.

Well i think i found out why Slug's rear wheel was flopping around so bad. Felt like about 1/16-1/8" with the wheel bolt on!


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d...2011.42.20.jpg

And the rest of this was a pretty sight also...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s...2011.41.26.jpg

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I can't see the pic

That work now?



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