New to Legends - Winterizing

[irace24]

Moving into legends from karts and I have found this forum has a lot of great into.  I'm trying to prep the engine to sit in my unheated garage.  I've given it a good dose of SeaFoam and put stabilizer in the tank.  Should I empty the bowls in the carb as well or leave the SeaFoam mix in them?  I haven't gone as far as pulling the carb but how would I go about doing that in the best possible way.  These are much larger than the kart carbs I'm used to.  Any other winter tricks you can offer would be appreciated.  I plan to pull the battery and hook it up to a tender.  Go through the chassis and inspect heims, tie rods, etc.  Should the brake system be prepped in any way?  Any other regular off season preventative maintenance I should be keeping up with?  Clutch is spongy in the cold but I have ready that is normal.  Tires are inside in a warm place.  Car is up on stands.  Body is going to be pulled and painted.  Thinking of installing more dash gauges.  Right now I just have an oil temp gauge.  What would you recommend for gauges?

Lots of questions here and many more to come I'm sure.

All help is appreciated.

Thanks

[Legends57x]

I would only recommend adding an oil pressure gauge as you already have oil temp gauge. I have already saved one engine from blowing up by having oil pressure gauge when oil pressure relief gasket inside of oil pan partially blew out. Since most everybody is worried about weight these days, I would skip adding a tachometer as they add weight. Ignition systems on these cars are set up to cut out at high speed anyway, at slightly different speeds depending on ignition system you are using. Hope this helps!😀

[justfreaky]

Welcome!
Glad you are enjoying the site.

Here is a thread to a pretty comprehensive list of prepping for off season: http://www.legendsracer.com/index.php?topic=2560.msg21459#msg21459
I prefer to drain the fuel system completely. Inspect the fuel cell foam, lines, etc...
I think you will be ok with leaving the brakes until you start prepping them for the upcoming season. Then I would drain the brake system and fill with fresh fluid. Same for the rear end lube.

Definitely spend the off season going over the car completely! Check the chassis for damage. Nuts, bolts, heims, wheel bearings, wiring, etc.. Go through the whole car and make sure everything is right. Body and paint work. Post pics! I love new paint pics!!!

Also a good time to start hunting up sponsors. Unless you are like me and have slightly more change than the homeless guy living under a bridge in a cardboard box. In which case; I am moving my cardboard condo over to your backyard. :p

I'm a gadget guy... Gauges are cool looking! But in reality, you won't have much time to look at them. Some people run nothing more than an oil pressure light. That will drive you nuts!  You sure as hell aren't going to back off if your leading. Depending on your weather, and if your oil temp is running cool enough not to peg the oil temp gauge...... Sorry! Trailing thought. Mark has a point on a tach. I like them! But I weigh 140 lbs soaking wet. The tell-tale (or memory) tach can be beneficial; But the rev limiter will kick in when you hit top revs. I guess I would recommend the tach.

Questions are good! The only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked. There is a wealth of knowledge and awesome people here on the site!

No idea where you live or what track(s) you plan to run. Take a few minutes to introduce yourself. (We have a cool thread for that! Yes, I know; Shameless promotion for the site. It's my job. lol!) Did I mention the way cool thread we have for those new paint jobs?

Anyway... My 2 cents for what it's worth. Take what you need and forget the rest.

Best of luck in the upcoming season.

Steve

[irace24]

Having difficulty pulling the carburetor off.  I have loosened the four hose clamps and do not see any other bolts securing it to the engine.  Am I missing something or should I just pull harder? 

[DoubleZero]

It takes some effort to get them off.  I usually rock them up and down a little while pulling.   

Be careful with the throttle cable when doing this.  I can seen people damage them and then have the throttle stick wide open on the track.  If you bought a used car it would be a good time to change the cable unless you know the age and condition.