der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 20

T R A D I T I O N S
his brother's 2002 years before, Clay
is grateful for the involvement of other
'02 people and describes the restoration as a community project. It's not
surprising that he would see it that
way given his involvement in other
community activities, like GearUp
Maryland, which he co-founded to
provide after school activities for kids
building and racing go-karts and
sneaking in some STEM (science,
tech, engineering, math) curriculum
in the process.
The car got a fresh engine with
an F3 windage oil pan - to be
expected given that his shop's name
is R.A.C. Engines. A new electronic
ignition was installed. The old
Weber carburetors, which made such
a glorious sucking sound, were

replaced with smaller carbs for ease
of maintenance, ironic given his
tuning skills, but consistent with his
objectives for the build: fun, performance, daily-driveability, and reliability. Then he hid the carbs under a
stock air cleaner, just to make it more
of a sleeper. He kept the 3.90 rear end
while swapping out the five-speed,
close-ratio gearbox to make it better
for highway speeds, commenting that
"first gear was only good for about
five feet."
Suspension components (struts)
were replaced as well as hubs and
brakes. He did not install a big-brake
kit because he still wanted to be able
to fit the Hayashi wheels, which he
loves. He also kept the big front sway
bar that Terry Luxford had made

decades ago by welding some rebar
to a swaybar for added stiffness.
It works. Some experimentation was
done with the spring rates to get the
ride exactly as he wanted and to the
set the rake fore and aft. Currently he
is on setup number three.
The interior got a new instrument cluster, a new center console
with Bluetooth, new carpet, and a new
headliner. The exterior, after being
taken to bare metal and new panels
installed, got new paint - and not a
BMW color. It's still red, but it's Ford
Lightning Red, which is also a
Pontiac color. Why? Because it's the
color red Clay likes, it's very red,
and you can touch it up with an
aerosol can.

(Above) The red paint is a Ford
Lightning Red. Chosen for easier
spray-can touch-up jobs.

(Below) The red 2002 is now being enjoyed in the hands of its current owner, the same hands that restored the car from its years-long neglect.

Photo by Mike Bevels
20

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der Bayerische November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of der Bayerische November/December 2020

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der Bayerische November/December 2020 - intro
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der Bayerische November/December 2020 - Cover2
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