If you recall from one of the previous installments, we picked up a parts cache from a guy locally to keep as inventory for the car. Included were a big pile of transmissions, some of which were 5-speed units from later Z cars. We picked a winner and tossed it in, figuring that the extra cog would help in the long straights at NHMS. The one we picked likes to pop out of reverse, but all of the forward gears work just fine!

We also changed out some of the front suspension bits for other pieces from the parts horde. We changed the brake pads up front and modified the control arms to achieve some negative camber to help out with the cornering. The 70’s suspension settings left a lot to be desired, so we were hoping that a cheap mod here and there would increase are cornering speeds.

Our steering rack was also leaking bad, so we took the opportunity while everything was out to replace it. Last thing we needed was the power steering fluid spraying somewhere it shouldn’t and catching the car on fire and/or leaking all over the track.

The result of the suspension mods was about 2.5-3 degrees of negative camber and admission into the Stance Movement. But since we were doing actual racing and not spending thousands of dollars making our car completely useless, no stretched tires on giant width wheels were installed.

After arriving at the track, we started poking at the car some more, and decided to do some quick subframe patches and reinforcements. It seems like we throw sparks at this thing more than we turn wrenches on it! But hey, whatever works. This patch in particular was to reinforce the sway bar mounting bracket.

After the mods and welding were complete, we passed tech no problem. Class B this time around with no BS laps. Last time at Thompson, they gave us Class A, but after seeing the Z on the track, they realized it was better suited for Class B. Perfect!

Before we even started racing, we were having some issues. We were already down a driver (Matt) due to his wife having a baby (congrats again!), and Pat (pictured here) started having an issue with his eye. We still aren’t sure what happened, but he couldn’t see out of it, so we bought him this sweet patch and started calling him Pat the Pirate. Although he’s smiling here, it’s more of a “Are you seriously taking a picture of Pat the Pirate?” than a happy smile.

Pat the Pirate’s condition didn’t improve, so we spent much of the evening at the ER having him checked out. He didn’t get released until the wee hours of race day #1, so we were already at a disadvantage.

Pro Tip: I’m sure you guys that spend time at the track have one, but if you are new to this, get yourself a pit bike! At our previous race, I only had my feet to get me around, and I was hurting by the end of the day after running back and forth the entire time I was there. I recommend a 80’s/90’s BMX bike, as they are light and easy to pack. NHMS is a very large track, so I’m glad I brought this thing. Plus, I felt like I was 14 again, cruising the neighborhood looking for trouble. Where’s my Sony Sports Walkman and Megadeth cassettes?

Running on coffee and adrenaline, Dave, Jeff, and Greg suited up, with Pat the Pirate and I making up the pit crew. Matt surprised us by showing up for a little while, after sneaking away for a few hours, but he couldn’t race. Just like last time, we sent Dave out for the 1st shift. Dave is aggressive and fast, and he liked the improvements we made to the car. We were cruising and competitive, and when he pitted in for our first driver change, he had us up to 4th in our class. Nice! Things were looking up….

…And then, things went straight into the toilet. Greg was behind the wheel for this one. As he rounded the last corner into the straight, a caution flag on the other end of the straight was up and drivers slowed to a crawl. On the other side of the corner, it was tough to see the slowed field, and he didn’t have the time to stop completely and smacked an Olds Intrigue in the butt. While the Olds was mostly cosmetic damage, our poor Z got punched hard in the face.

Before…

…And After. Ugh.

The headlight bucket turned into tin foil, and the core support got bent.

Peeling away the mangled steel, we got a good look at the subframe and unibody. It was bent up pretty bad.

The cage and safety equipment did their jobs, and Greg was shaken up but able to walk it off. The floor did buckle a slight bit, but nothing a hammer couldn’t fix.

Here are the suspension bits we pulled off the Z. These parts were FUBAR’ed big time.

That link is supposed to be straight. That’s not going to work anymore.

After we brought the car back to the garage, people kept stopping by asking if they could be of any help. We said that unless someone had a way of straightening our bent car, we were out. Then, someone mentioned that a team had towed their car to the track on a big flat bed tow truck, and that it has a giant chain and winch. If we could get this guy to help us, and pull the other end of the car with a tow strap, maybe we could bend things back enough to get back out there! Lucky for us, the guy with the tow truck was super cool and 100% in on our car straightening scheme! Better yet, Dave called his autocross buddy Gavin, and he grabbed suspension bits off his own personal Z car to let us use in case this stupid idea worked. Awesome! (And to the tow truck team, I forgot your names, but thanks!!!)

Here’s the BangShift Method of Straightening Bent Race Cars! Step 1: Grab the giant tow hook and grab the core support/subframe.

Step 2: Get someone in the car to keep the wheel straight and put their foot on the brake.

Step 3: When you realize the car is just going to drag itself around, hook up a tow strap to the rear of the bent car to a big SUV. Get in said big SUV to pull the car the other way while the giant hook is doing it’s thing.

Step 4: Get the giant hook and attach to suspension bits in an attempt to straighten it out.

Step 5: Attach another tow strap to the rear shock mount.

Step 6: Get another even more massive SUV, hook up the other tow strap, and have both SUV’s pull while the tow truck winch is going full tilt, thus raising the car off the ground in a mechanical medieval torture rack, thus (somewhat) straightening your bent race car.

Well, did it work? Mostly! It straightened it enough to be able to bolt on the borrowed suspension bits, bent the fender back into a rough fender shape, cut the mangled steel off, and you are left with what you see here. The look on the Z’s face is priceless, by the way. What it has seen cannot be unseen.

The best part about the whole ordeal: the stupid headlight still worked fine! Apparently 1970’s Datsun glass is stronger than 1970’s Datsun steel.

The next day, the track was wet, but the Z was ready to race again. We went back out there, turned some laps, and packed it in and went home. The car strangely felt alright on the track, even with the passenger side a few inches off of where it was before the crash. The last day of racing was largely uneventful, and we took it easy and didn’t smack any Oldsmobiles.

After racing all day in the cold, wet October weather, we put the car on the trailer after crossing the finish line under its own power. Pat’s crazy eye also stopped being a jerk long enough for him to get some seat time.

Dave, like the rest of us, felt that the real victory here was actually finishing the race, especially after all of our mishaps. But that didn’t stop him from making us snap this derptastic picture of him on top of the podium in the Winner’s Circle!