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For questionable release (Picture links below):
Leonard, MI, 11Sept03:
After a 20-year hiatus, the competitive re-debut this past weekend of the infamous Karen Anne, a '73 SAAB 99 L modified for rallying, was both a frustrating & an exhilarating experience. Killer B Racing & service crew Team Code Blue prepared and delivered her to the first annual Viking Challenge held during the 2003 SAAB Owners Convention (SOC03) in Hershey, PA.
Though not a stage rally for which Karen Anne was prepared, the inaugural Viking Challenge is a combination of Strength, Agility, & Beauty as measured in the Dyno Run, Autocross, & Technical Concours, respectively. "We thought the Viking Challenge would be a good redebutante ball for Karen Anne", stated owner/team principle Sean Mullady. "Well, she wasn't ready to be ridden heavy yet. Call it a bat mitzvah."
The fun started the weeks before the event. Prep crew MeMyselfnI (MMI) spent extended waking hours prepping the car for competition. Not willing (nor is race car restoration lucrative enough) to get fired from their day job, MMI scrounged hardware a few hours each night after work & spent the weeknight hours of 7pm-2am actually prepping the car.
Upon arrival at the competition, the lack of sleep showed. Mullady slapped his head, waking him up, "Oh, I forgot the trunk lid. I left it curing on the boat instead of curing in the trailer where it should have been." Also, the lack of trim, dangling wires, & remaining masking on the accent stripes attested to the restoration task triage.
In true rally car form, she took and showed some lumps. "My dumbass driver took off without putting in my hoodpins. So my top was forcibly removed, showing off most of my goods." Karen Anne wailed. "To add to the indignity, my hood went 'CRACK' upon landing." Also, when her top was removed during a SOC03 drinking party, "...some inebriated bloke stepped hard on my top while trying to get my engine rev'ing." Her rant continued. "I heard more ???CRACK???s there than at an Anita Bryant concert."
This reporter took careful note & interest that Karen Anne spent a lot of time with her top off and getting her engine rev'ed. http://www.specialstage.com/forum/cgi-bin/DCForumID7/46.html
The biggest indignity came the next day. The physician's consortium of Howard, Fine, & Howard came to work on her Saturday AM. "While they might be good at cosmetic work, they are no heart surgeons." Karen Anne lamented. While completing some plastic surgery (lens attachment), one of the trio noted that her twin fluid fuel-misting horns were loose. The Nixon tapes recorded the following Howard, Fine, & Howard conversation:
"I think those are loose."
"Yeah, they do wobble a bit. Whoop, whoop, wobbling wobblers!"
"They're probably sucking air."
"We should tighten it."
"Yeah, let me at her..LET ME AT HER! Ruff! RUFF!"
In the ensuing eye-poking, "DOINK"ing, hand-hammering, "OW!"ing, & "rAHer-rAHer"ing, it is not known which of the trio got to her, but two broken carb mounts resulted.
Luckily, Team Code Blue, made up of Paul Ellis, Roger Podob, & Killer B Racing team principle Mullady showed up, wrenched the quacks away, and saved the day. An experienced service crew with many years of reviving & wrenching on *** wenche.., err, SAABs like Karen Anne, Team Code Blue decided on a plan to get her back into competition.
With Mullady ready to throw in the towel upon this latest setback, Ellis and Podob pushed on. "This is a SAAB convention. Someone's got to have this (unique) dual Weber intake." And someone did.
John Whyland of SAAB Savior, to whom Killer B Racing had earlier lent necessary equipment to get them repaired, kindly offered his intake for the day.
Mullady philosophized, "Some times karma bites you in the ass; sometimes it licks your face...or is that dogma? I never get those right..."
Honorable mention goes to John Moncrief of Sobstory who also offered his intake & lent moral support.
Team Code Blue sourced the needed hardware, retrofitted the dual Weber DCOE 45 carbs & Whyland's intake, and got the lady on the dyno.
"We missed the autocross & technical concours, but all in all it was a good day." Mullady concluded and Karen Anne was locked down onto the dyno.
True to form, Karen Anne was not done for the day. She refused to turn more than 3000rpms ('cause the dork/owner forgot to reset the max rev limited from 2700) & spewed coolant after unloading from the dyno when a jury-rigged coolant line let go.
What is next for the intrepid car & crew? Have no fear; the intake fixin' is near. Vintage race car restoration specialist and honorary Team Code Blue member Chuck Christ is on the case.
Stay tuned to this space for more news on Karen Anne.
Pictures of her can be found at the links below:
DougM's:
http://saabpics.nailed.org:3000/gallery/albup72/DSC00010_002?full=1
http://saabpics.nailed.org:3000/gallery/albup72/DSC00011_002?full=1
Jon1's:
http://saabpics.nailed.org:3000/gallery/albup42/P0010422
http://saabpics.nailed.org:3000/gallery/albup42/P0010423
More photos are available upon request.
posted by 12.159.56...
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