BILL MCMAHAN'S E-PRODUCTION 124 SPIDER

TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, AND TRIUMPHS:

It was certainly NOT a fairy tale from the start. There is really no comparison between owning a full-out Production class racecar, and an IT car. The only similarity is that both started out as FIAT 124 Spiders. Everything is vastly different on the E Prod car. While the IT car was pretty much "arrive and drive", the E Prod car requires so much more to maintain, tune ,and spend money on. Starting the E Prod car is not a matter of turning a key - it takes numerous checks, pre-oiling, and a careful idling procedure before you can even get in the seat. It was a tense moment the first time I flipped all the toggles, and pressed the starter button. The sense of power is much more pronounced in a 190 hp 2 liter, than with the 105 hp 1608 of the IT car.

My first outing in the car was an early 1995 National event at Indy Raceway Park. The car lasted exactly 1 lap before the oil warning light went ON. All the engine bearings were gone in a matter of 2 minutes of track time. We could not figure out why this beautiful fresh race engine wouldn't hold oil pressure.

A major redesign was made necessary, due to a nasty shunt at the June 1995 Mid-Ohio Race of Champions, where I went off the end of the back straight at about 120 MPH. Three races - no finishes - a bum engine, and two corners smashed off the car. It would need a total rebuild. The car would not race again until August of1997. I decided on a total redesign of the car, from the poor oiling system, to the dash and wiring, and (by necessity) the body.

What Mark and I finally figured out was that the oiling system as I bought the car was new, and untested. It was too complex, with way too much Aeroquip hose. We discovered that the filter system didn't work at all, that all of the hoses were far too large and too long to the extent that of the 9 quart capacity of the system, most of the oil was OUTSIDE of the engine, not in. We started over by simplifying the oiling system, using a conventional filter with sandwich plate for oil cooler connections, and from size 12AN hose down to size 10AN. The Accusump was rerouted directly into the oil galley on the passenger side of the block. All together, about 6 to 8 feet of Aeroquip hose length was eliminated. The capacity was reduced to about 7 quarts, with most of it INSIDE the engine.

The chassis and suspension damage was much less than anticipated when we tore the car apart for reconstruction. The body, however, was severely damaged. I decided to purchase the fiberglass body kit for the Spider offered by the Baucoms, to replace the steel body. The cockpit was completely redesigned, with new seat, battery location, Accusump location, new dash, and all new wiring. Two years later, we finally made it back to the track, with a vastly changed Spider. In exchange for all of the work and development, I made a bargain with Mark. He would drive the car; fine tuning it from race to race, with the goal of making the Runoffs in 1998. I still had the IT car then, so I went back to racingwith that car, while we worked on the rebuild.

The 1997 season was short, from August through the middle of October, but we got in 1 National event, and 4 Regionals. It was like starting with a new car, as we chased all the little problems that needed to be made right. Slowly, the car became more reliable, and more competitive. Switching back to the Regional events gave us a better chance to develop the car, and to save money, wear & tear. Improvements to the fuel delivery system, and a switch to Electromotive direct crank-fire ignition, were completed during the season, and in the winter off-season.

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