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Springtime Workshops FAQs
Call Dave if you want one in your town! Some people learn best using their hands. For these guys, the classroom is a good start, but working on a racecar is the finest way to learn. For this reason, I have launched a series of suspension workshops for drag racers who want to gain traction and improve handling on their own car, or a car like theirs. Frequently-asked questions:
How did the workshops begin? The idea for the workshops is from Kevin Belasario, from Colorado Springs. Kevin is a technical trainer for the Hunter Alignment Company and also owns a seven-second Jerry Bickle car. He was looking for some qualified setup techniques for his own racecar and proposed a setup/seminar where guys could work on his car and get some tube-framed experience. Good idea, too few cars to work on. At the first event in Colorado, we had too many guys and not enough cars so the event turned into a seminar with demonstrations. This didn’t really fit into the workshop concept I was developing in my mind. I was wrong to initially call these “Setup Workshops.” Some problems often go beyond setup issues so I need to be adaptable to the many troubles a guy may be having. What I think is needed is to create an opportunity for you guys to be able to understand and solve many types of problems with your car yourself. Frankly what most of you lack is simply some guidance, access to equipment such as corner scales and alignment tools plus an area to work. So the next event was an effort in that direction. After Colorado, my seminar/workshop was at Scott’s Transmissions in Lebanon, Penn. After the seminar on Saturday, we put four cars in a three-bay shop for the workshop on Sunday. Each car had different problems. One Cutlass owner wanted to locate his center of gravity so he could draw an instant center map of his car. Another guy with a second-generation Camaro wanted to check his rear axle alignment and his corner weights. One fellow just finished a Fox-body Mustang and asked for an inspection, where we found the forward rear suspension control arm brackets weren’t square. One team, touring racers with NMCA and NMRA, simply wanted an inspection of the car and a review of their data acquisition. On Sunday morning, the place was hopping. Everything went well and it gave me a chance to experience what I hoped to see. These guys were intent on their cars, but the feeling in the shop was casual and patient. For example, if I was deep into a conversation with one guy about his problems, then another fellow arrived with a short question… everyone knew about the long answer and the short question and without anyone saying anything… the short question was answered and the long answer was returned to without anyone losing tempo on either project. As a group of racers, we had rhythm. In fact, I discovered a neat side-effect of the workshops. The karma, buzz, atmosphere (whatever you want to call it) was great! It reminded me of my youth when we all got together at the local gas station (for me it was a Phillip’s 66 in Rancho Cordova, Calif.) and worked on our cars together. It was a mechanical effort to be sure, but more socialized than wrenching in my mother’s driveway. After the workshop at Scott’s Transmissions, I felt pleased because we’d solved some problems (and in some cases located unknown ones.) But I also watched future life-long friendships begin. How are the Workshops organized? Every workshop will be different: the situation for the shop will be different; the weekly timing of the workshop will be different and above all, the cars will be different. Each workshop will have its own schedule as far as what get’s done by whom and when. Like the seminars, each participant receives a vehicle spec sheet so I can tell what type of car they are involved with, as an owner/driver or a crew member. The sheets have been used to give me an idea of the profile of my students during a seminar. Now they are used to match workers to the various cars. I do this because some guys want to work on a car, but can’t bring their own. Others have a car, but no helper except, maybe, a wife or girlfriend. So I try to match the workers with the type of car they have at home. This is where the friendships are born. I have also created a collection of work sheets to help guide you through the various projects you’re on. There are worksheets on rear axle alignment, front suspension alignment, scaling corner weights and bumpsteer. Part of the preparation includes phone time with the car owner. This is when we identify the problems and establish a strategy for attacking them. At this point, I begin penciling the shop schedule so we can rotate corner weights, or other tools, from one car to another. For example, some guys will do their CL and PL first, and then corner weights. Other guys will do the same, but in reverse order. Every workshop begins with a briefing for all attendees. The car owners and I will talk about the problems we’ve discussed and map out the plan we have for that car. If we have any logbooks or data acquisition to share, we’ll do it at this time so that everyone understands the problem. In this manner, all the participants know what the situation is for the car they are working on, as well as the other cars. I’d like to think this is where the karma kicks in because everyone knows what everyone else is doing. It’s very-much a shared experience for everyone. One word about the car owners… These guys are also the team managers. When possible, they are the ones who need to be asking the immediate question about the work at hand. I encourage every team member to listen, but for the team, it goes without saying that the car owner, or designated crew chief, is the boss of the squad working on the car and he gets to do the asking. Naturally, I spend preparation time with the shop owner. This is his house and we play by his rules. This is when we plan which cars go where and he shows me where the trailers will be parked. We will have already discussed security issues and the availability of lifts and hoists. What tools do I need? Plan to bring what you normally carry to the racetrack. In particular, bring enough hand tools so that you can loosen every nut on your suspension systems. You will have a homework assignment. Make some new tools for the workshop; right-height blocks. You’ll cut some blocks of wood to a dimension so that the wood can be used to hold the car and differential housing at ride height while the slicks and springs are off the car. If you only wish to work on the rear suspension, you’ll need blocks to support the rear of the chassis and the differential housing. If you also want to work on the frontend, bring blocks to support the front of the chassis and the steering knuckle. Also bring:
How can I get a workshop in my town? I am planning the tour now so please contact me, via phone or e-mail, as soon as possible. Eventually, we will speak over the phone, but in the meantime, let me share a few ideas about what I think is an ideal condition to have a workshop.
How much will it cost? I need to plan the tour first, and then I can announce the prices. I can tell you that I will continue my blue-collar approach to make my service more affordable and available to Sportsman Drag Racers. If you’d like the most current information, email me at staaytuned@aol.com to join my mailing list that I use strictly to send updated tour information. Dates and prices will be finalized by April 10, one week after the current seminar season ends. Wait a minute! Don’t read that last paragraph with the understanding that it’s going to take a week to plan this tour. I’m working on the details everyday. I am establishing this deadline because the fine fellow who is my Webmaster, Brenton White, will be out of the country until early April. I must have the tour dates and prices ready for Brenton when he gets back. He needs the week to program the Web site for the workshop registrations. Which leads to the next question… How do I register? Internet registration on my Web site (www.davemorganseminars.com) is preferable once the tour is set, but if you don’t have access to a computer, you’re welcome to call me at (567) 242-9779. Speaking of the Web site registration and Webmaster Brenton, I’d like to share my vision of the registration process with you. Keep in mind that I keep informal surveys of every seminar by way of the vehicle spec sheets I wrote about earlier. With the Web site, we can collect that information immediately and profile it statistically, which will leave us with a bar-graph depiction of the types of cars we have. Further, once a guy commits to working on a particular type of car, we can get the owner/driver and attendee in communication immediately. I envision chat rooms one day, based entirely on attendee participation. I am so impressed with the way guys got along, that I very much want to be part of that process where friendships are started. I am also impressed with the computer technology that is available to make so much of this work instantly and effortlessly possible. As for myself, I prefer Internet registration because if there are any mistakes made during the registration process, they usually have my fingerprints on them. My volume of phone work is getting high enough now that I’d much rather talk about hook and less about chair counts. So I should concentrate on doing things I’m good at and avoid doing things I’m bad at. Right? Right. Dave Morgan Noted Chassis Tuner & Technical Writer |