Exocet Rally Update: It Ran & Mostly Didn't Break

"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
09/25/2020 at 22:04 • Filed to: Exocet, rally

For anyone who might have caught my post from Monday, this week has been nuts. I finished the fuel cell and got the Exocet on the road in time for the rally.

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When last we left off, we were here:

Monday: Wired, plumbed, and not started.

Tuesday: I put the pressure gauge on the regulator and some fuel in the tank. Test fire time. It started right up.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Woops, NPT needs gas resistant teflon tape. A quick trip to Home Depot and we were fixed.

Wednesday, I got the back lid on and took it for a test drive at 9pm . No problems. I wired up the gauges and called it rally-ready.

Thursday on the rally, the car held up pretty well. I broke a spot weld on the seat bracket on the last road - leading to a somewhat dynamic seating position. I’ll fix that pretty easily.

The engine seemed happy enough? I am getting a slight stall issue as I come to a stop. If I crawl to a stop in-gear then clutch in, it wants to die. Not sure what that’s about but I’ll be tuning the fuel pressure in a bit this week. Probably too low.

There were about 75 cars in total. All kinds of great stuff. Old VW’s, classic Mustang, GT 350, Camaro, all manner of Porsche (GT4 cayman, 911T, etc), a Hellcat, MGB, Elise, LS swapped Volvo V90, etc. The roads are a great equalizer.

Next rally is Thursday. Quick turn around. I think I’m going to put some new tires on.

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DISCUSSION (19)

dieseldub > Nick Has an Exocet
09/25/2020 at 22:16

“...somewhat dynamic seating position. ”

LOL

jminer > Nick Has an Exocet
09/25/2020 at 22:38

That looks awesome. A sedate motorcycle rider welcome to join your rallies?

*asks a guy that will be relocating in the bay area in the next month for work and the most interesting car he owns is a TDI Sportwagen*

Nick Has an Exocet > jminer
09/25/2020 at 23:03

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: Read Brad’s review of the Royal Enfield INT 650 . He took it on one of the rallies. It can be a very grueling thing to do on a bike. I was TOAST after the day in the Exocet. The 3 day rally in the Exocet was brutal - a full o n endurance challenge. I can’t imagine doing it on a bike.

Swap some good tires and pads on the Sportwagen and use that. Or better, get a cheap Miata, E30, or 944 as a rust-free second car! San Jose is well positioned to some great driving roads (Alice’s , Mines, Hamilton, etc ). Things are very different here in terms of policing than the rest of the country. Lots of roads and a culture of motoring.

sony1492 > Nick Has an Exocet
09/25/2020 at 23:08

Beci des the traffic, the pace looks fun.

jminer > Nick Has an Exocet
09/25/2020 at 23:10

That does sound exhausting on a bike. The M rs is already talking about wanting a convertible after we get out there so making sure it’s a sporty one is a solid plan. I’m 6' 2" and don’t fit well in a Miata but there are definitely other options.

Good to know about the motoring culture, there isn’t any of that here so it’ll be a nice change.

SmugAardvark > Nick Has an Exocet
09/25/2020 at 23:28

I’d love to come out and join one of these someday. The C5 is itching for some actual fun roads .

Nick Has an Exocet > sony1492
09/25/2020 at 23:48

Generally speaking, we get out to areas without another soul on the road. It’s a bit harder to do that on these 1 day rallies. This was easily the most trafficked road.

Nick Has an Exocet > jminer
09/25/2020 at 23:53

let me know when you’re settled. I can recommend some cars and coffee events!

Nick Has an Exocet > SmugAardvark
09/25/2020 at 23:54

Become a patron of Driving While Awesome. Just about the only way to get in on one of these.

jminer > Nick Has an Exocet
09/26/2020 at 01:01

I would love that - thanks!

SmugAardvark > Nick Has an Exocet
09/26/2020 at 03:36

$10/month? Yeah, sounds worth it for getting to drive with a bunch of cool cars and cool folks . Thanks, I’ll be signing up. :)

Nick Has an Exocet > SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 03:42

:) The rallies themselves cost money too but the patreon subscribers get first crack at them. They usually sell out immediately and don't get beyond Patrons.

Nick Has an Exocet > Nick Has an Exocet
09/26/2020 at 03:44

I should also mention that the rallies include swag and the 3 day ones include a dinner/party so it's usually a good value.

SmugAardvark > Nick Has an Exocet
09/26/2020 at 03:49

Yep, saw that. $99 is a bargain for the 1-day event , as far as I’m concerned. Last time I did a similar one was in Florida about 10 years ago, and it cost twice as much.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Nick Has an Exocet
09/27/2020 at 17:25

I saw your car pictured in friend’s posts! I was like, “hey I know that car” xD

Nick Has an Exocet > CaptDale - is secretly British
09/27/2020 at 18:23

Hahaha, that’s awesome. Do you remember who it was?

CaptDale - is secretly British > Nick Has an Exocet
09/28/2020 at 21:37

Yeah Dave (with the MG Bs) and ugh someone else who’s name I am blanking on.

Nick Has an Exocet > CaptDale - is secretly British
09/29/2020 at 02:03

Oh cool. Dave’s a super nice guy. I’ve never seen someone tinker with a carb as much as he does.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Nick Has an Exocet
09/29/2020 at 11:37

Yeah he is. Classic British car people seem to be.