Front Suspension Lift

Happy with how much better the rear suspension is after adding the coil spring spacers, Damian decided that spacers for the front suspension was in order.

Unfortunately, Damian forgot to measure the height prior to putting the car up on jack stands... The front suspension also has the added problem of clearance for the upper control arm, so the spacer needed to go in the lower third of the spring.

Like that.

And the passenger side - with the added caution required to ensure no fouling on the brake lines would occur!

After dropping back down and taking Retro Rock-It for a test drive to settle the springs, the height gain is immediately obvious.  Driver's side...

Passenger side...

For comparison purposes, here's a picture of Retro Rock-It taken at pre-scrutineering a few weeks back... the front (and rear) suspension are now clearly higher than they were previously!

This time in four weeks Damian will be packing Retro Rock-It ready to head down to the starting line (Wangaratta).  Fundraising has ground to a halt at the moment, so if you would like to help Damian reach his $10K goal, click that big yellow Donate Now button over there!!

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Special Support and Another Raffle Prize Delivery

Each year, Damian's friends Paul and Catherine, along with Catherine's mother Denise make a contribution towards the costs associated with Damian attending esCarpade... Their instructions are simple - please use this money in any way that helps you with the event costs - whether that's tanks of fuel, new tyres, anything!

Damian counted the money, and there was a staggering amount!  Their generosity knows no bounds.

Damian will use the money for some suspension components, perhaps a couple of tanks of fuel and to purchase lollies for school visits.

He took the money into town to have it counted and banked, and while in there, gave the lovely Sue her two prizes - 4th and 5th prize (tickets 61 and 63), which were both $50 Coles/Myer gift cards!!

Not a bad investment for Sue!  Thanks for your support!!

There are only four weeks until Damian and Angus head off on the 2019 Camp Quality esCarpade, and the fundraising has hit a bit of a plateau... There is still time to get onboard if you haven't already donated (or make another donation if you have!!)

Damian is still hoping to reach $10K for 10 years - he's now less than 28% away from his goal!!

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Raffle Prize Delivery Continues...

More raffle prize delivery...  7th prize goes to Brian, who won a Wilson Titanium tennis racquet!

Dan on the other hand was a little bit more lucky - he won first prize (119 piece toolkit) AND 10th prize (the Boulevard Kings t-shirt).

This prize delivery process is a bit slow, but eventually everyone will have their prizes!

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Raffle Prize Delivery and Rear Suspension Lift

Damian decided that the best way to offload the raffle prizes to some of the winners was to do a quick road trip in Retro Rock-It...

First stop, Laura the second prize winner (Rock Cooler)...

Laura posted a cool selfie to Facebook holding the rock cooler box like a ghetto blaster (80's reference for the oldies)... Damian liked the picture so much he stole it for the blog!

Next stop, delivering the bucket of car care goodies to Matthew (6th prize).

Damian headed home and took the opportunity to install some rear spring spacers to give the rear a well-earned raise (it sinks a bit when loaded with spares for esCarpade).  Passenger side pre-installation measured 71cm from floor to the wheel arch.

Driver's side (pre-installation) measured 72cm from floor to wheel arch.

Magic spring stiffener blocks... they attach to the springs to prevent one turn of the coil from compressing.  The effect is that the springs sit a little higher and firmer.

Passenger side ready to install...

And installed!

Driver's side installed...

Passenger side back down on the ground... new height - 73cm (pre-settle in drive).

Driver's side height (pre-settle in drive) - 74.5cm.

Lucky last, Amanda the 12th prize winner dropped by on her way home from work to collect her Ferrero Rocher prize.

Damian will go for a test drive in the near future to let the springs settle a bit and re-measure... after that, he'll decide whether to source a set of spring spacers for the front also.

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2019 Brisbane Billycart Championships

The day had arrived for the 2019 Brisbane Billycart Championships... Damian fired up Retro Rock-It, and since he'd need the safety lights to drive through the event, he thought he'd test them out... driver's side looking good...

Passenger side looking good...

Ready to hit the road...

Nice side profile shadow...

Up and over the Gateway Bridge...

And a front/back profile shadow...

Parked up at the Brisbane Billycart Championships...

Prime spot - right up near the starting ramps (and Damian's MC position).

Camp Quality signage number one near the presentation area...

And sign number two near the finish line...

The impressive steel ramps, custom made for the Rotary Club of Carindale.

The view from the top of the ramp...

Loading the kids onto the ramps...

And racing!

Damian posing with the microphone... The man on the mic!!

Loading up some of the 13 and over modified carts...

And racing!

This is the outcome of one of the spectacular stacks that Damian missed seeing, as he was out the back gathering information for the next heats...  An adult was driving this cart, and had a minor mishap resulting in complete destruction of his traditional billycart.

And you wouldn't believe it... the same guy was involved in another spectacular stack - this one not his fault - the competitor in the other lane crashed through the cane bales and into the side of his cart, causing a rollover and the carnage you see below!  Both drivers walked away relatively unscathed...  The cart, not so much!

Safety first in the shade; wearing shades, a hat and PPE!

The races were run and won, and Damian made it home with Retro Rock-It in one piece...  The driver's side of the rooftop pod came up a treat...

Passenger side looks great too!!

The Rotary Club of Carindale gave a donation of $500 to Camp Quality in exchange for Damian's services as MC... Of course, Damian donated his time for free!

Once this $500 donation hits the books (it's a cheque that needs to be banked), the fundraising total for 2019 will stand at $7203.42!!  With 5 and a bit weeks to go until Damian heads off to esCarpade, there's still time to get onboard - help Damian get to $10K for 10 years!!

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2019 Mega-Raffle - WINNERS

With all 100 tickets from the 2019 Mega-Raffle sold, it was time for Damian to get the winning tickets drawn.

Bag full of numbered balls (1-100), and a sheet of paper to record the winning numbers on.

Damian had arranged for Vinhsin from Ray White at Burpengary to perform the ticket draw.

Posing for the camera...

Video of Vinhsin drawing the raffle...


And these are the winning numbers, as recorded by Damian!

What do all these numbers mean?  Damian cross-referenced them to the ticket sales, and the winners are as follows:

Prize List:

1. 119 Piece Tool Kit in carry case
#43 - Dan Frith

2. Rock Cooler (cooler with inbuilt AM/FM radio)
#12 - Laura Sheather

3. $50 Coles/Myer Gift Card x 1
#84 - Ross Stewart

4. $50 Coles/Myer Gift Card x 1
#61 - Sue Chelepy

5. $50 Coles/Myer Gift Card x 1
#63 - Sue Chelepy

6. Car Care Bucket (wash, wipes, wash cloths, work lights etc)
#32 - Matthew Brown

7. Wilson Titanium Tennis Racquet x 1
#89 - Brian Swindells

8. Wilson Titanium Tennis Racquet x 1
#77 - Donna Wooldridge

9. $20 Supercheap/Rebel/BCF Gift Card x 1
#54 - Donna Wooldridge

10. Boulevard Kings T-Shirt (men’s size L)
#33 - Dan Frith

11. Wilson Tennis Balls (pack of 4)
#95 - Alex Walters

12. Ferrero Rocher Chocolates (box of 30)
#39 - Amanda Daniels

Congratulations to all the winners, and a massive thank you to everyone who bought tickets - with your help, another $500 has been raised for Camp Quality!!

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