The Nerve of Leisure Suit Terry! Counting his money while his son has to
gnaw off his own arm in a cold Texas garage!
----- Original Message -----
From: Terry and Donna Cost <tcost@vvm.com>
To: Datsun Roadsters <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 1:17 PM
Subject: Ram Charger
I want to thank all of you for the hundreds of orders I have received for my
Ram Charger. I am now able to retire in comfort and turn my efforts to
installing the Infiniti Indy engine I just bought into a 67 2000. A picture
of it is on the web at
http://www.race-cars.com/engsales/othereng/irl991/irl991pb.htm It will
probably not be legal for the stock class unless I keep the hood closed.
Several of you have emailed me with questions on the Ram Charger. I have
included a list of the questions and answers for those few of you who do not
yet possess one of my creations. Happy reading.
Leisure Suit Terry
Terry,
Looks like the perfect stocking stuffer. I assume from the filter this is
a 2L item. I have a few related questions before draining my bank account:
1.) Does it come in kit form or preassembled? ( It looks pretty
complicated!!!!)
The basic kit comes unassembled. For a slight extra fee we will ship an
assembled unit.
2.)How many pages is the assembly manual and trouble shooting section?
The Assembly Manual is twenty pages long and is printed in English, French,
German, Japanese, Chinese, and Swahili. The Trouble Shooting Guide is
twenty-five pages long and is printed in the same six languages. There is
also a thirty page Users Manual and a twelve page Parts List.
3.)What is the average assembly time in man hours?
Our Technical Representative here at the plant has assembled a unit in less
than three hours, and has installed it onto a U 20 in less than twelve
hours. We expect the average owner to be "on the road" in less than a week.
4.)Has an 800 tech line been set up for questions?
We do not have an 800 line to call, but we do have a 900 number. call
1-900-HI-BAMBI.
5.)How do I know parts will be available in the future should some of these
wear out?
Our main warehouse has a complete line of replacement parts. We offer same
day delivery on all items. Our extensive testing program has found that the
only item that required replacement in a 1,000,000 mile test run was the
cone/scoop, which tends to melt at the upper limits of hypersonic
performance, and then only with a highly modified U 20. The 1600 setup will
not require any maintenance at all. A titanium cone/scoop is available for
a slight extra fee.
6.) Do you sell a separate kit so it can be adapted to the 1500 and 1600?
I've heard Stan Chernoff has a kit that allows this unit to "bolt right in"
If you specify your engine size when you order our unit, we will include the
appropriate adapter kit. You may transfer the unit to another size engine
by purchasing the appropriate adapter kit for a slight extra fee. I have
heard of Stan's so-called "universal adapter kit", and I'm afraid it will
void your warranty if you use it. By the way, an extended warranty (beyond
the 30 day factory replacement warranty) is available for a slight extra
fee.
7.)Will I need to modify the tranny shift hole????
Our unit does not require the modification of any bodywork. In the case of
a highly modified U 20, you may wish to strengthen the shifter seal to keep
road wind from blasting into the cockpit at the extreme limits of
performance. We offer a kit for this for a slight extra fee.
8.)With the increase in HP will I need to weld my rear differential making
it a posi-trac?
You do not need to weld your differential. It will take all the power you
can give it, and at the upper levels of performance you won't want to turn,
anyway.
9.)I've heard this will double my horse power and gas mileage - how many
bags of redi-mix cement should I put in my trunk in order to maintain
traction?
We do not recommend cement in the trunk. If you are concerned about "lift"
at speed, we recommend a trunk mounted spoiler manufactured by the "Rice Boy
Looking Good" company, roughly the shape and size of the St Louis Gateway
Arch. We stock the unit and will include it in your basic kit for a slight
extra fee.
10.) Am I going to need to beef up my breaking system to handle the extra
HP this beast will put out?
The stock brakes are sufficient for all but the modified U 20 owner, and for
them we recommend a large, front-facing air bag and a radar closing-speed
sensor. While commercial models are available, we have found that a
bumper-mounted life raft and a rope from the inflating unit to the cockpit
is sufficient. We do not offer the unit because of warranty problems.
11.) My car is stock - can my stock suspension handle the extra weight of
this system?
The stock suspension will handle the increased load if you remove the
passenger seat, which we recommend. If you insist on carrying passengers,
we have a kit which replaces the front springs with a solid tube, for a
slight extra fee.
12.)Can I still use premium no-lead or will I need to switch to a racing
fuel?
Do not use racing fuel. See #5 above.
13.)What type/size/air pressure/ tires do you recommend?
Most Roadster owners seem to prefer the stock 4.5x14 steel wheel with 175x14
tires. Any wheel and tire combination you wish to stuff under the fenders
will be fine. We recommend the Ford Motor Company's 25 PSI, as specified
for their Explorer line.
14.) I have magnesium wheels - is there any way this unit could cause my
wheels to burst into flames??
The safest way to run Magnesium wheels without them bursting into flames
(this has only happened a couple of times) is to paint them with John Deere
Green or Caterpillar Orange tractor paint. For a slight extra fee we will
exchange your magnesium wheels for the highly desirable 4.5x14 steel rims.
15.) Will I need to wear ear plugs when this unit is engaged?
The unit is quieter than stock at low speeds, but sustained speeds at
maximum performance in a highly modified U 20 will cause ear damage unless
properly muffled. (see #5 above) We offer a kit for a slight extra fee.
16.) What colors is the turbo available in?
We offer the unit in any color you wish, for no extra fee. Simply send us a
can of spray paint in the color you desire, and we will send you a unit
which matches that color exactly.
17.)Is this unit powder coated?
We cannot powder coat the plastic parts of the kit, but we will wrap it in a
colorful gift wrap before shipping it, and will include a picture of a
powder coated item.
18.)After extensive research I believe this item was tried earlier by the
Japanese on their Zero airplanes since none of the Kamikaze pilots never
complained were the test results considered 100% correct and accurate.
The Japanese used a unit similar to ours on their Kamikaze planes, but they
were unsuccessful. Their units may have failed because they were made out
of old beer cans.
19.)Were these put on MG's back in the 60's???
MG contracted to test units on early 60's Midgets, but they ordered the
prototypes from Lucas. Enough said.
20.)Do you take Credit cards?
Our business practices require cash only, in small, non-traceable
denominations.
21.)What is the expected delivery date?
We offer same day shipping service for cash transactions. If the Post
Office loses our package, it's not our fault. We will insure your unit for
$1000 more than its purchase price, if you will give us half.
22.)Do you have a catalog?
We do not offer a catalog at this time, but we will draw you a picture of
your unit and write down a price. If you agree to that price, we have a
deal.
23.)Will I need to recurve my distributor?
If you have the non-smog post-emissions alternate degree small spring
distributor as found on roadsters 000258 through 000263 and 0002419 through
0002552, you only need to replace the points with the ones included in the
kit. The thirty page Users manual describes the procedures for all other
distributors. We supply an upgraded distributor for a small extra fee.
24.) Will this unit pass emissions test?
If you send us a picture of what your state's emissions sticker looks like,
we will supply you with a sticker that a policeman cannot tell from an
original. We will do this annually for a slight extra fee.
25) Was this considered to be a stock item by the car inspection guys at
Shasta last summer.
You cannot run in the stock class with this unit. However, you will be so
fast that you can win in ANY class. I had the Supercharged unit that
Calspeed has a picture of at Shasta. The Ram Charger will debut this
season. They will probably outlaw it as an unfair advantage after the first
autocross.
|