modracer

Thanks, I'm pushing to get everything at least roughed in and sealed in epoxy before it turns off too cold to use it and have it set up as there has to be at least 6 hours above 65 degrees. Once it gets out of that range then I'll get the car back up in the air and start working on mechanical stuff like hanging the fuel lines back under it, swapping out the rear brake lines and calipers and a few odds and ends. After that then I'll start putting the stuff on the firewall back in place.

modracer

Short afternoon in the shop as I had to go pick up some Corvair parts, lol and stopped back by my buddies place that runs some of the Cannonball stuff.

I did get tiger hair wiped over some of the repaired areas in the fiberglass parts, that sanded back down and a couple spots wiped back with a thin coat of bondo. Nearly all those surfaces face the pavement so they'll never be seen but just wanted to smooth them up a little.

Tiger hair over the repaired fiberglass patch on the front of the driver side ground effect.

Tiger hair over the spoiler corner repair.

Small spot on the back of the driver side.

Tiger hair over the patch on the front of the passenger side ground effect.

Driver front tiger hair sanded down.

Passenger front tiger hair sanded.

Spoiler corner kitty hair sanded.

Light wipe of bondo on the passenger front.

Bondo on the spoiler corner.

modracer

Sanded the couple bondo spots and then started to get the rear quarter ground effect pieces sanded so I could spray them and made another interesting discovery. Both look to have been replaced at one time with one of them originally being off a red car. The other is cracked nearly in half horizontally [ from the side that had the damaged quarter] so going to pull one off the parts car. Got the other ground effects and rear spoiler sealed in with 2 more coats of epoxy. I'll hand block them next and then put them back on the car. Going to paint them on the car as it would have been done while the car was being raced.

Driver rear quarter ground effect. Looks to be red/maroon under the white.

Passenger side, its split in half almost. I think its a replacement though as it had writing on the back side.

Not sure what this was for.

Bondo on spoiler corner sanded out.

Bondo on passenger ground effect sanded out.

Staged and ready for 2 more coats of epoxy.

Ground effects and center spoiler.

Spoiler corners and door ground effects.

modracer

After spraying the epoxy to seal them.

2 more coats of epoxy on them. Still trying to get the hang of this new gun and larger tip so had a couple runs but they'll sand out.

Passenger front, no more missing chunk.

Passenger center.

Passenger rear.

Driver front, no more missing chunk here either. For never working with fiberglass before I'm happy with how it came out.

Driver center.

Driver rear.

Center spoiler.

Corner spoilers.

Door ground effects.

modracer

Flipped the rear spoiler pieces over today and just lightly dusted the undersides of them to get rid of the black. Sprayed 2 more coats on the rear hatch and then just set the side ground effects back in place on the car but not bolted up yet. Was also able to pull the passenger side rear quarter ground effect off the parts car.

Light coat of epoxy on the undersides of the rear spoiler pieces.

2 more coats on the hatch. I think after I sand them it wont need anymore.

Top is the one off the car, its split horizontally from the wreck that bent the quarter and damaged the bumper cover. Bottom one is off the parts car.

Passenger side ground effects just sitting back on the car.

Once I bolt them back up then the front gets 2 screws behind the emblem that pulls that part into place.

Driver side setting in place.

Same here with the screws that go in the front.

modracer

Hand blocked the hatch and spoiler pieces today and then just set them in place for now as well as the driver rear lower quarter ground effect. Also got the passenger side one that came off the parts car sanded and ready for epoxy. Finally got back to sanding the bondo spot on the front of the driver door and then more blocking on the door to crispen the center body line up. Also blocked door to fender and door to quarter.

Hatch and spoiler hand blocked and ready for high build.

Spoiler is just setting in place. I will probably raise it with washers when painting the car just to have clean lines.

Starting to look more like a car again.

Driver lower ground effect just sitting loose. I still have to strip and epoxy the rear bumper cover plus make repairs on the passenger side.

Passenger rear lower ground effect off the parts car sanded and ready for epoxy.

Sanded the bondo spot on the front and then blocked door to fender.

Blocked the door to get the center body line cleaner. You wont see it once the car is painted and decaled though as it gets a black vinyl divider strip down the center to break the paint colors.

Blocking the door to quarter and found a small high spot in my bondo work.

One more spray out of epoxy on the door and then its ready for high build.

modracer

Sealed the driver side back in from wheel well to wheel well today along with the passenger rear lower ground effect. Loaded up 1 of the 2 short blocks for it and headed to my engine guy in the morning with it.


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Pretty sure this is the last coat of epoxy on it wheel well to wheel well before high build. Still have to do some bondo work on the front of the fender though.

Door to fender sealed in.

Door to quarter sealed in.

Keep in mind this is just the first stages of primer.

Happy with how the door came out given all the damage.

Sealed in the passenger rear lower ground effect.

The brand new short block that we are robbing the crank and rods from to build the 302 inch engine.

modracer

Started getting the hood ready for epoxy today and only got the underside sanding as it all had to be done by hand.


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Lots of nooks and crannies to hand sand.

May possibly be the original hood based on no paint where the hinges were?

Sanded and ready to spray epoxy on the underside.

modracer

Had a whole bunch of stuff going on today but did manage to sneak down to the shop this morning and spray the underside of the hood with gray epoxy. I went with gray because the rest of the engine bay was sealed in gray after I stripped it to bare metal and then sprayed the white base over that.

modracer

Sanded the hood this morning and sealed it in epoxy. It was white under the black so is either the original hood or was replaced while Morrison Cook was racing it.

Also started stripping the hood hinges and hood latch support.


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Sanded the hood to get it ready to seal in epoxy. I didnt see the need to take it to bare metal given how it sanded.

First 2 coats of epoxy.

Stripping the hood hinges and latch support.

modracer

Sanded the mirrors today and sealed them in white epoxy and then sealed the hood hinges and hood latch support in gray epoxy. The hinges and latch support will get actual paint next.


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Hinges ready for gray epoxy.

Mirrors sanded and ready for white epoxy.

Hood latch ready for gray epoxy.

2 coats of white epoxy.

Sprayed in gray epoxy.

Hinges sprayed in gray epoxy.

modracer

Bolted the hood hinges on today and then set the hood in place and started lining up the front end.


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Hinges rougly back in place.

When you have no help you figure out how to get things done. Blankets and cardboard around the opening and then cat walk the hood onto the car.

Setting atop the hinges at a 90 degree angle.

Using a rod to support the front to start lining up the holes for the hinge bolts. It becomes a balancing act at the point.

Bolted to the hinges.

Not too bad of a fit for the first time.

This gap is slightly narrow, I'll move the fender out just a minute amount.

This one is slightly wide but partly because the top edge of the fender bows out in the center. I'll work on it some.

Center lines all line up good.

Nose piece is not bolted on so it will come up and in a little when it gets bolted up.

Little by little. Looks like it may be a few days before my next window temp wise to spray epoxy.

battmann

iTrader: (9)

I enjoy reading your updates. Thanks for sharing.
Super cool project and I can’t wait to see the final product.

modracer

Thanks. I wasn't planning on doing this much work so soon on it as my 74 is torn apart in the other shop but just got a little burned out on it so have been knocking stuff out on this one.

modracer

Painted the bottom side of the hood and the hinges today but wont known until tomorrow if I royally screwed it up or if its ok. I had what I thought was reducer but turned out to be a second hardener that I have no idea where it came from so the mix ratios are off.

On top of that I had both the base and the clear sprayed under the bottom side of the hood before remembering I needed to do the hood latch support bracket and the safety catch. Luckily I had poured my extra base and clear back into their mixing cups so it just took a little more time to get it all painted.


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First coat of PPG base.

Second coat of base.

After 3 coats of base and 2 coats of matte clear.

We'll see how it cures out if it does. I'll be replacing the hood struts so didnt bother masking them.

Driver top.

Passenger top.

Passenger bottom.

Driver bottom.

Hood latch support and safety catch.

modracer

Worked on the fenders to hood gaps today and ended up having to bend both fenders to get the gaps I was looking for. The passenger side was the worse as it moved away in the center but started out probably a quarter of an inch higher that the top of the hood in the center with the front and backs being level. Where the fender bolts to the unibody structure and it comes up it should be at a 90 degree angle however it was about 135 degree so it pulled the center top of the fender out and away from the hood edge. I grabbed the wheel opening at the front and back and then pulled up and out while rolling the top of the fender edge towards the hood edge. This closed the gap so it was parallel and also dropped that same edge down so its level with the hood. Kinda hard to explain but it worked.

On the driver side I had to do the opposite pulling the fender down and out to open the gap as needed.

After that went back to stripping the front bumper cover. Its been painted several times and had lots of paint cracks and chipping so taking it down to its original factory base paint. Once I have most of it done will pull it off the car and take it all apart to finish. Prob going to use the lower spoiler that is on the bumper cover originally on the car but have to repair it. I also still need to modify the parking light holes for the Hella fog lights like Morrison Cook had done originally.


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3 more hours today on stripping the paint on the bumper cover.

I wont be using the lower spoiler as the one on the other cover is better but also needs repair.

The mess in the floor is all from todays sanding so you can see how much paint I took off.

modracer

A little more slight tweaking on the fender to hood gaps.

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Gaps are much closer to being the same now. Keep in mind the bumper cover is just setting in place,

Driver side gap now.

Passenger side gap now.

modracer

Sanded some more on the bumper cover and then pulled it off and took it apart. Cut the parking light brackets out like Morrison Cook originally did so they could run the Hella driving lights in that place.


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Bumper cover back off.

Taking it apart to finish sanding and make modifications/repairs.

More sanding.

Passenger side park lamp pocket before cutting.

Driver side before cutting.

Passenger side cut out.

This is what I removed.

Driver side cut out.

Driver side material removed.

Sitting back on the car so I can fab the brackets for the Hella lights.

The light brackets mount off the bumper reinforcement. The hole is there but the lights were gone as later 88 they went to a brake cooling duct.

Lower spoiler that was orig on the car. I'm going to repair and reuse it.

modracer

Took about 3 hours today to strip the lower spoiler. It had the factory white, then the silver that Morrison Cook painted it, primer, another layer of white and then another layer of silver and then primer by whoever raced it next followed by yellow, then primer and then purple.

I bolted it back to the stripped bumper cover off the parts car so it has more rigidity when I attempt to repair it. Dug the Hella lights out and made a quick set of brackets to mount them but looks like I need to make them 1 inch longer. Set the bumper cover back on just to see where they set.

The last pic is from the SCCA archives and is the earliest known race picture of my car early 88 showing the lights.


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Lower spoiler had to be stripped all the way to the urethane, not sure just yet if it can be repaired.

Spoiler bolted back onto the bumper cover.

Fabbing up brackets to mount the Hella lights.

Loosely setting the bumper cover on to see where the lights sit in the cut outs.

First brackets were 3 inch center to center mounted in the original holes that Morrison Cook had drilled in the bumper reinforcement. Looks like they need to come out another inch.

I wasnt worried about lining them up, just checking distance and location.

Very early pic of my car showing the lights. Later pics show them taped over.

modracer

Spayed the first 3 coats of epoxy on the bumper cover and lower spoiler today to start the process as it will prob get 6 to 8 total. I've got a urethane welder and urethane rods on the way to repair the lower spoiler. While it looks good in the pics it has several cracks underneath that will only get worse if not fixed plus the bottom center area is rubbed through.

Installed the mid fender to radiator support brackets and shot a quick coat of white on them even though they wont be seen.


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First coat of epoxy primer.

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Second coat.

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Third coat.

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Third coat, the spoiler looks decent but the cracks are on the bottom side where it rolls under and will be mostly repaired from the back side.

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Driver mid fender bracket bolted in.

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A little paint on it.

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Passenger side mid fender bracket bolted in.

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A little paint.

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Passenger side hood adjustment bumper.

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Driver side bumper. The inner jamb of the fender will get painted when the exterior is sprayed.

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This is why you bag and tag bolts so you have them going back together.

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Spraying a little paint on misc hardware.

modracer

My plastic/urethane welding kit came in today so I can start the repairs on the lower spoiler so just set the bare cover back on the car to see how it looks with all the black paint gone.


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Plastic and urethane welder. .

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Bare cover just kinda sitting in place. .

modracer

Picked up another engine yesterday from a friend just to rob a few parts off of and then dug my 5.7 short block out and dropped it off at my engine builders today.


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This had been in a 88 Camaro but just got it for a few bolt on pieces I needed for my TPI engine build.


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5.7 short block from an Iroc, will only be using the block for the 302 build. Also a set of TRW forged 11 to 1 pistons for it, flywheel and balancer.

skinny z

302? As in a late 60's early 70's 302?

By the way, I trust you're familiar with this car.
https://autos.yahoo.com/1988-chevrol...123000338.html

EDIT: Going back through this thread I think you reference it in the first post.

modracer

Yes, quite familiar with it and probably know more of that cars history than the current owner however there is quite a bit of false information in that auction listing and subsequent links/stories about it. I have posted proof showing that car was not the 88 championship car but rather the #97 car that only ran under the #98 number in 89 for 2 races and finished as the #99 before somebody changed some of the decals years later to make it look like the championship car.

In regards to the 302, yes like the old DZ engines except in a late model roller block. In 94/95 GM built a baby LT-1 which was a 4.3 v8. It is a 6 inch rod engine with a stroked crank so with that crank and rods in a late model 5.7 block it makes 302 inches. I have enough stuff to build a legal 305 as well but for now just going to have some fun on track days and such and wanted something a little different. Going to have to get somebody to burn a prom for it as we are still going to run the TPI and all but it will remain stock looking on the outside. I do have an Edelbrock lower on it however it wont be that noticeable with everything back on it.

skinny z

False information on an auction website? Say it isn't so! I suppose that's to be expected though. False deliberately or otherwise. Caveat emptor as the saying goes.

As for the 302, it's interesting you should mention the TPI. I'd always thought that the RPM limited intake (all in before 5k in a 5.7 by most accounts) would be a decent fit for smaller displacements. And not of the 305 variety.
The DZ engines were known for RPM capability and the need for it too. I'll be keen to see how this plays out for you. I think it'll be a cool combination. Are there plans for the TPI to be modified in any way? The talk is (was) of extrude honing and /or siamesing the runners to get an elevated RPM capacity.

EDIT: Had a 2nd read through I see there's an Edelbrock base involved. That should spice it up some.
That small displacement but of the large bore/short stroke variety, I think would make a great forced induction package . I realized that's not a fit into your overall package but it's one of those muses I've had for a while (in as much as I'm an NA guy).

modracer

Since nobody has really tried that combo we're not sure how well it will work or not but going to try it at least. If it doesnt then I'll pull it out and toss it in another one of my Camaros with a carburetor on it. I have several sets of stock runners and plenums so going to play around with opening a set up. I know I'm going to have to toss some more gear in the car as well but also hoping bumping the compression to 11 to 1 helps. One would think its still got to run better than a 305 and if I do vintage race it then it checks legal at least cubic inch wise, lol.

Edit to ad, the late model 302 combination has been tried a few times but using the LT-1 intake and it was a dog however they left the compression stock.

modracer

Also going to experiment with transmission gearing to keep it in the upper rpm ranges more. I have a WC t5 but also putting together a hybrid t5 using a 4th Gen v6 WC t5. They have the higher torque rating but are in the Ford pattern main case so will be transferring the internals into a 3rd Gen main housing so its a bolt in piece after modifying the input shaft end. Everybody says oh you cant do this or that or it will never work yet they've never tried it. If it doesnt work out at least I tried and like the engine have other places I can use the trans.

modracer

Switching gears as its too cold at the moment to spray epoxy so got the car up on jack stands and cribbings so I can get the fuel and brake lines back under it.

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The rear up, on jack stands and wheels off.

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Front up on cribbings.

modracer

Back to the saga on the brake and fuel lines. Originally the return and vent lines had some sort of internal blockages that even brake clean and compressor air would not clear out so I pulled them all off and bought new reproduction lines. Well, once on the car the reproduction lines were awful and had major differences over the originals so I pulled them off and set them aside.

I could pull the lines off the parts car but thats a fair amount of work and then disables the car from running so today I took a metal coat hanger, a can of PB Blaster and a can of carb cleaner along with the compressor and started working the blockages out. Was finally successful in getting them opened up so then took a little sandpaper and scotchbrite and did a light cleaning on the exterior of them

Was getting late so just set them under the car and will start hanging them tomorrow. Also brought a table over from my lower shop and turned the front bumper cover upside down on it so I can start repairing the cracks in the lower spoiler.


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Both sets of fuel lines on my bench outside the shop.


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Working on getting the blockages out.


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A little cleanup on the lines.


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Blanket down so I dont scratch the new paint. Will hang the rear first loosely and then bolt the front clamps in place.



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Bumper cover upside down on the bench to start repairs.

modracer

Didnt make it down to work in the shop today as I was working on some of my stuff in the carport . The red 91 Z is the car that finished 3rd in the Outlaw class in this years Southern Classic run from Lakewood to Texarkana and back.

Actually 2 Third Gens in this pic. The one under the cover is an 89 GTA.

battmann

iTrader: (9)

Nice collection of cars you got there. Do I see an early 70s Camaro in the back?? Love those cars - especially the split bumper version.

modracer

Thanks, I've had a few over the years but that one is a mostly original paint orange 80 Z/28. I've also got a 74 LT in the lower shop stripped and in epoxy and then a 72 yellow Formula tarped up behind it waiting its turn.

modracer

Went and checked on my 69 Pace Car this afternoon and then came back and started hanging the fuel lines loosely under the car. Luckily when I took them off the first time I had put wire ties around the 3 of them in the area of where the clamps had been so I had a rough idea where they went.

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As mentioned at the start of this thread I'm not really restoring the car but rather rebuilding it as I plan on driving it and even doing some track days. Because of that I'm mostly leaving the bottom side untouched.

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The original lines fit so much better than the reproductions did.

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Top line will come down once the filter is installed.

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Got the filter today so will get it in place along with its bracket over the weekend.

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I've got to cut the wire ties but left them in place until all the lines are bolted in place.

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I lost a clamp somewhere but will pull one off the parts car.

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This shows how close the edge of the ground effect is to the jacking rail that was added. That is why originally the fiberglass got broken up and then later they cut a rectangular area out. I'll cut these too.

881SA

Love all the work you're putting into this project, great history! I'm curious from these pics did it actually have an original tilt steering wheel?

modracer

It was in the car when I got it but not 100% sure that it hadnt been changed out however it did still have its original lock cylinder, key, tag, etc in it.

Edit to add keep in mind this car went through at least 2 race teams, possibly 3 so its entirely possible the column got swapped and the chip key stayed with the car. We bypassed it on my 91 Z and going to do the same with this car if it wasnt already done.

modracer

I pulled the rear brake parts back off today as well as the brakes off my spare rear end and started sorting that stuff out today. I had bought a used set of PBR calipers off here but the guy neglected to tell me that 1 was 3rd Gen and the other was 4th Gen. Luckily the spare rear had the correct ones on it.

Also tested another black spray paint today in trying to match up the factory sheen used on some of the under hood parts and this one looks pretty close.


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Taking parts off one of my spare 9 bolts. This one had the PBR's on it from the factory.


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Couldnt get the ratchet and socket in to pull the pin so got creative.


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4th Gen caliper on the top that I was sent as a 3rd Gen. Yeah they will swap but not correct for this car.


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Getting the pin loose on the other caliper.


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Pulling the other pin.


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R and L calipers off the spare rear.


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Test spray on a small spot on the booster.


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Calipers off the car on the left and the ones on the right off the spare rear.


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More random rear disc parts I had, these are 4th Gen calipers.


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Driver side apart.




Passenger side apart.


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modracer

Hit a snag on the new rear brake lines vs what was on the spare rear so have to get the correct stuff located and on the way.

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New lines on top and old ones bottom.


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Wrong new hose top.


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Centers look pretty close.


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Def not even close on this side.

modracer

Also in going through parts in the hatch I pulled the main under hood harness out and set it on the bumper reinforcement ahead of putting it back in the car the next week or so.

modracer

Kinda jumping around on stuff today. Got the fuel filter installed and the bracket bolted back up, mostly mocked up the front to rear brake line, loosely installed the torque arm that mounts on the rear end and goes to the trans, started taking the rear axle brake lines apart, painted the clutch reservoir bracket and moved the wiring harness to the top of the cowl and got it bolted up at the firewall.


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New filter and its bracket back in place. .


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Getting the new front to rear brake line in place. .


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Torque arm loosely in place. .


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Wiring harness bolted back to the firewall. .



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Left the harness o the cowl for now until I get the heater box back on. .


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Taking it apart for the bracket and clip. .


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Using a line wrench. .



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Line wrenches keep you from stripping out the tube nuts. .


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New hose installed on the one side. .


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Spraying the reservoir bracket.

881SA

I'm sorry you may have already said this in another post or not but out of these three remaining cars was yours was the earliest of production number for Cook's cars in 1988?

modracer

Yes, it is 1 of the first 2 cars ordered and it won the first race of 1988 at Sears Point. The other of the first 2 cars was rolled at that same race and was replaced afterwards with the car sold on BAT a few years back.

modracer

Did not get a lot done on it today as I had to make a road trip to pick up a TPiS Mini Ram. I would love to use it on the 302 we are building to go back in the car however it would not look correct so will hang onto it to use later.

Started stripping the rear bumper cover but ran into so many different layers of paint that the 180 grit just wasnt getting it done. Have some 80 on the way and will use it to cut through the first few layers. It does still have its original rear bumper cover as the vin sticker matches.


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My fb marketplace score for the week.


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This end has damage from the same wreck that messed up the quarter so will be repairing it.


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Lots of layers of paint.


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As many times as it had been repainted was surprised to see it still had an emblem.

881SA

I found the other one's old listing on BAT, interesting as it confirms they were working on finalizing the 1LE code for these cars early in 1988. The second car was a 15 VIn series so your 14 was there first as you said. The actual 4 - 1le's for 1988 were documented 19 series. Your build sheet listed Morrison Cook while this other one notes "Country Side Motors" and had a shipping weight of 3226 lbs. There's another picture of a label riveted to the frame by the battery and radiator, was this label for special ordered cars?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-chevrolet-camaro-iroc-z-scca-escort-endurance-race-car/

91banditt2

iTrader: (1)

Such a great idea, I wish I had thought of that when I replaced the fuel and brake lines

modracer

I didnt plan it that way at the time but it ended up working out. It was just easy to do as I was right there pulling the bolts for the clamps.

modracer

Yes, early 88 for the test mules for the 1 LE package. We started racing Firehawk in 87 and ordered a new Iroc for the 88 season but couldnt wait until the end of the year for a 1 LE so John sent us the part numbers for the brake stuff that could be ordered and sent us the parts that couldnt.

In talking with John on my car he had this to say "It is possible that the 2 cars Tommy bought were followed closely if they were the first 2. I'm pretty sure they came with all the parts installed from the factory" This goes back to Tommy ordering the first 2 cars to race the 88 series with one of which has been verified as mine and the other that had been rolled. The car bought at "Country Side Motors" was due to the original #97 being rolled so it became its replacement. That car has power windows so it was not originally ordered to be a racer. That car was the 3rd car that Morrison Cook prepped and then later in 88 John sent them 2 more "production line damaged" cars to convert to race cars. While I have been unsuccessful in getting anyone at Hawks to help or answer questions I am relatively sure that the #97 car they have is one of those last 2. Tommy gave that car back to John after the 89 season and he kept it 10-15 years before selling it to Bruce. Tommy kept the #99 car for himself which is the BAT car.

Interestingly enough I was able to locate the original for sale ad for my car that had been placed by Morrison Cook in August of 1989 in the back of the SCCA magazine. The phone number is MC's old shop number.

"CAMARO RACECAR Morrison Cooks No. 98 '88 Escort Endurance Showroom Stock race car. complete race trim. Excellent condition. Additional spare parts are available. Will take trade. Call Mike Gonzalez, 9 to 5 [912] 883 7472"


Edit to answer about the riveted tag. I believe that is a body number tag like the older cars that had trim tags. On TPI cars it is found on the radiator support by the battery, on TBI cars it is in the center of the radiator support.

modracer

I worked on the rear brakes some more today and after I couldnt get it all to bolt back on the car put the rotor, caliper and bracket on the bench to figure it out. The last time I put pads on one of these cars was 1989 but discovered the inner pads are thicker than the outers and I had put them in the other way. Once I swapped that around it all went back together fairly smooth.


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Spraying the PBR calipers with an acid cleaner to get some of the grime off them.


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Got most of it off, will be fine back on the car plus they will just get dirty again.


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Getting ready to install the new pads.


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Mocking the rotor to caliper back up on the bench.


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Driver side back on the car.


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Passenger side bolted back on.

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modracer

Ran and picked up some fresh epoxy today and then back on stripping the rear bumper cover.


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Had to go to 80 grit to get through most of the paint layer and then will finish it with 180.


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Not a lot of space between it and the wall but will make due.


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All that dust on the floor is from today.

881SA

Great info! Is Tommy still around considering the BAT auction didn't make the reserve? His add had all sorts of documentation so that would make sense it was his car, you mentioned you think you had the VIN for the rolled one. Was it 14 series too?

modracer

Tommy passed in 2020 and I have tried to contact his son but no luck so far. Much of the "documentation" is merely race results that are found online and infact do not tell the story which of the actual cars was wearing the numbers at the time of the wins. They even insinuate that the BAT car won the first race of 88 when its been documented that my actual car did and the BAT was not even in Tommys possession at the time of that race. Other receipts have the name blacked out on them however they were for the guy that Tommy had sold the car to many years ago who also had one of his old race Corvettes. I have called that guy out on one of the race forums after he posted that he had been the one selling the car on BAT and asked him if he was the one who had the numbers and decals changed on the car and he chose not to respond to it.

The intake stampings on the BAT car tell part of the real story as they show which races and under what number that car raced. Much of those can be collaborated through pictures of the cars taken at the time and/or old videos of the races. There are certain features of the BAT car that allow it to be distinguished that I wont go into at this time as I'm still working on documenting all the cars however so far they correspond with what little pictures are out there and back up my claims that the BAT car ran the 88 season as #97 and then at least 1 race under #98 in 1989 and finished the 89 season as #99. I believe that is part of the reason Tommy chose to keep the BAT car as it was the only one of the cars he had driven during a race as towards the end of 1989 they had 3 cars on track, 97, 98 and 99. Decal coloring of certain decals also help document which cars started under which number as those did not did changed as the cars changed numbers while being raced.

While I am still working on it I am pretty sure that my car was not the one entered at the Mid Ohio race towards the end of 88 as that may have been the first race for one of the new cars that John sent Tommy and am pretty sure the car that Hawks has first started as the #98 at that race before getting changed over to the #97 and eventually winning the championship as #97 in 1989.

The vin for the rolled car would have been a 14 series car as well as both cars were ordered at the same time and delivered together.