SACRAMENTO 
At Sacramento in June we blew a head gasket while qualifying #5, and had some transmission strangeness.
It turned out the trans was pretty cooked, and so was completely rebuilt. 

LACR
At LACR July 6th the car ran well, considering the astounding 6300' corrected altitude. Everyone was struggling to make power. We had another bit of bad luck, with the oil filter mounting plate breaking during the first qualifying run burnout. We got that fixed, but just missed the field qualifying #9 at 8.35/172. We decided to use the outing to test the tune-up, so upped the blower 8%. Unfortunately, the trans input shaft failed 30' out of the gate, the motor zinged, we kissed 8 exhaust valves at about 10,000 RPM, though only slightly, and snapped the blower belt. The belt tore the body up a bit, hence the "repair".
The blower belt damages are about half repaired, and the car has been rescheduled for final paint prep and smoothing over the next 2-3 weeks.

SACRAMENTO in JULY
We've passed on the 7/20 Sacramento race while getting the body further along, shooting to make Vegas on August 17th. 

ENGINES
The car was originally run with a 431 motor, which was replaced at the end of the first season with a 542. Since that time, repairs on the big motor have forced the little motor into use. Quite surprisingly, the "little" motor has done very well. The 431 motor is in the car, while the 542 motor is apart awaiting new rods and head repairs (cracked valve seats). The 542 rods are ready, but the 542 head work is backlogged at Sissel's for 6-8 weeks. The 431 heads are usable on both motors, and I'm getting extra bolt holes installed to prevent further head gasket blow-outs. Getting both heads to match has turned out to be a major project, but it seemed silly not to make them interchangeable. 

TRANS/CONVERTER
The primary trans is getting a new Vasco tool steel input shaft. There was some conjecture the 9" converter might have had a problem, but converter disassembly showed nothing. The trans might have had some low pressure as well, causing the shifts to be very soft or seemingly absent, with lazy 60' times and smoking clutches. We typically run about 1.10-1.18 secs @ 60', and we're consistently getting 1.23-1.24, which doesn't figure at the speeds we're pulling.
I'll fire it up using the 10" converter for Vegas as a test to see if the trans now performs. If not, then we'll investigate the shifting anomaly more deeply, and switch to the spare trans in the meantime.

GENERAL
Our story sounds similar to some of the top fuel teams, who are vastly better funded. This season won't find us at the top, but we've demonstrated we're right there. WE'VE GOT 2 SPARE converters, spare trans, spare engine, and have been steadily building and deepening the operation, getting through the inevitable sniggling little stuff to get to being a reliable, consistent competitor. 
 

TRAILER
Additionally, the trailer has been improved with new E-rated (did you know they made an "E"?) tires, good for 3400# EACH (over 6 ton total payload capacity), mounted on new chrome 16" rims, with two spares.
Cabinets have been installed (whew!), and the trailer looks quite fine and uncluttered. 
New projects are hot-rodding the roll-around tool box with diamond plate and polished aluminum trim and paint, relocating the front D-rings back about a foot to get better weight distribution, tuning up the awning function (it's new), and hooking up the water tank. The batteries, generator, lighting, cabinets, compressor, racks, etc. all work great.

MISC
I got the driver air-cooling system functioning for LACR, and none too soon. It was about 106! The system works well, and I'm designing another step to it: chilled air input. That will take until late August to complete. The lift system continues to wow the spectators, and makes sudden emergencies requiring lifting the body VERY convenient to address. The body coming up as I turn onto the return road really pleases the safety crew. The on-board primer works well (but needs the addition of a solenoid shutoff for perfect function). 

SPONSORS
I appreciate the support of Continental Converters, Optima Batteries and Hamrick's Auto Body.
Nick Johns, the owner, has been extremely helpful in guiding me through the nuances of fiberglass and bondo work (all new to me). The car is slated for taxi-cab chrome yellow paint in about 3-4 weeks at Hamrick's. This color is a change from the original Porsche Red plans. This will allow the car to be even more of a standout, particularly in photographs and media shots. It is after all a 20' rolling billboard with flashing lights on top, and we want any sponsors to be noticed. Right now we're looking for sponsorship to help with: uniforms, final beautification (polishing and plating of some components), travel and lodging funds, and parts backup.  We're looking for five $1000 associate sponsors, and a $10-$20,000 prime sponsor. We're planning a full slate of displays to about 400,000 spectators over the next 12 months. 

Look for another update in September.