Set-up for track day

In two months time I'm taking my beloved '67 BJ8 to an organised classic car track day.

For me, it's about getting a bit of time to drive the car without having to concern myself with other traffic (apart from the odd kangaroo) and to take some photographs.

What I'm wondering though, is what the recommendations are for setting-up for a track day. Shoud I change things, stiffen anything, tighten nuts and bolts, check levels of fluids etc in a different way to that which I'd do normally?

I'll only have 40 minutes of track time and I'm not trying to break records, I just want to enjoy the day.

Would love to hear the thoughts of those who have done this before with their pride and joy....

Rob

Haven't track dayed, but have autocrossed, some of it should cross over, certainly just like if you were going on a long trip make sure fluids are topped up, check for loose bolts, muffler hangings, etc. Assume you have wire wheels give them a couple or half dozen extra whacks. Check tire pressures of course, don't know the best track set-up for a BJ8, but I like to pump up the fronts to maybe 40lbs and leave the rears a little over 30 or so on live axle LBCs with radials and seemed to work ok on my BN1.


Make sure the battery is well secured, make sure things that can fly around in the cockpit or trunk are tied down or removed before you start.

HAVE FUN

Also, on a quiet section of road, esp. if you don't drive like this normally wind it up through the gears revving it as high as you would on the track, and also some spirited stomps on the brakes, sometimes things that behave well at puttering around speeds are different when you get on it, i.e. a miss at high revs or a wheel that locks up when you drive hard--if you can find and sort out before you get to the track so much the better.

Watch Out - It's Addictive! I went for a 'fun' weekend at a track about 15 years ago and I haven't stopped spending money yet.

I agree with glemon, harden up the tires and try to thrash it a bit as a 'shake down' before hand if you can. Even going on an on-ramp you can run it to redline in a couple of gears without going too fast. Off-ramps can be good places to work the brakes a bit harder than normal as long as you're not sharing the off-ramp with another car. If you've got some open road nearby with no traffic, even better. I'm talking about 'working' the car harder but not necessarily going all that fast.

Have fun and stay within your comfort zone.

Let us all know how it went.

Dave Phillips

40 minutes is really quite a long time. I'm sure I don't have the track time Dave does, but I have put in my share of track day events in my Corvette. What I have found is that if you run a bit aggressively you will be seeing higher temperatures in your brake fluid than you normally subject your braking system to. The most alarming result could be that your brakes will go soft...or away completely. How long that takes is partially dependent on how much moisture has accommulated in your brake lines. A good prep idea is to REALLY bleed the brakes...this helps excavate the moisture build up and put a bunch of fresh fluid in the lines. Your brakes will last longer with clean fluid. The boiling point listed on the brake fluid can is dependent on it being free of moisture. Actually, this is a good thing to do yearly if your car never sees a track. FWIW

Have fun!!....as Dave said, it's addictive!

Cheers,
Steve
BJ7