Club tent 2014

[LeoC2]

Should we begin discussing what we're doing for the club tent at Carlisle this year?

I still like my idea of a Drive-In movie. We'll need a DVD player and TV plus drive in paraphernalia. Old fashioned candies to sell or give away.Maybe park a couple of cars facing into the tent like a drive in?

 

[driller]

While I think the Drive-In theme certainly has merit, I have been anticipating a Lincoln 'racing' theme.

There are plenty of 'racing party' theme decorations available.

I even have thought about a starting tree practice rig at the tent. :cool-blue:

One dollar a hit progressive style jackpot and a 'perfect light' takes half the pot! :love-it:

Plus it fits well with the club's affiliation with Ford Racing's "Ford Performance Group" and the Sam Auxier Jr. radio show being at Carlisle. :wink2-green

Regardless, yes it's time we discuss some ideas and start planning! :big-grin:

 

[LeoC2]

Oooo that's a cool idea JP! I like that too!

 

[Mike P]

i like them both but I may not be there anyway

 

[driller]

i like them both and I plan to be there anyway

Fixed it for you.

 

[driller]

I've been wanting to purchase a reaction time practice tree tester for quite a while and have settled on the PortaTree system.



Several add-on options are available including cigarette lighter power adapters, foot switches and vehicle connections for in-vehicle testing to practice reaction time in your vehicle.

While searching, I found this drag race simulator test rig...



How cool would it be to build that using a Mark VIII seat? :cool-blue:

I know where a spare seat is and would only need to have our shop build the frame and find some type of steering wheel. :rolleyes-green:

The in-vehicle connection would be easier though, we would only need a *cough* 'donor' car.

We could park it sideways facing the tent and hang the 'tree' inside the tent for better visibility. A whiteboard could be used to update the 'jackpot' and list the 'winners' throughout the weekend.

 

[beerdog]

Somehow include the center console and dash .Then charge people a buck for a fundraiser. Could give 1/2 the money to a good charity. If there is a tie there could be sudden death "drag off".

 

[steve]

JP, that looks cool

 

[LeoC2]

JP, that rig could be made from plywood for the base and some pipe for the rack. A clean junk yard wheel would suffice I guess. If it's cheap enough and nobody wants to keep it we could just toss it in the dumpster after the show. How is the PortaTree hooked to it though?


Oh, and think about some racing sound effects, perhaps a CD exists? A large image facing down the strip could be a cool backdrop inside the tent with the tree in front of it.

 

[steve]

Oh, and think about some racing sound effects, perhaps a CD exists?.

I think we can just get Joe to mouth some sound effects

 

[beerdog]

Then joe can crouch behind it an throw in random events like a blown tire or wall hit by shaking in......we are getting carried away!

 

[Mike P]

Lol @ Jp. I like your idea and I have a steering wheel if need be and many spare parts. Just lmk what u need

 

[driller]

Somehow include the center console and dash .Then charge people a buck for a fundraiser. Could give 1/2 the money to a good charity. If there is a tie there could be sudden death "drag off".

I was thinking the funds would help with the club's Carlisle expenses? Sort of like a 50/50 drawing.

There wouldn't be any 'tie' the way I was thinking of it. I was proposing a dollar for each try. The 'kitty' would build up until someone gets a perfect light (0.000 reaction time). When a perfect reaction time is achieved, the winner reaps half the pot and the game starts over with a zero balance (the other half stays with the club). Or we could even seed the pot with some sum of money to begin with.

I would expect some may only win a couple bucks but I could see it growing much, much larger. At any track event there are usually many runs before you ever see a triple zero perfect reaction time. Some days you never see any! I suppose if that were the case we could declare the winner be the lowest reaction time for the day.

JP, that rig could be made from plywood for the base and some pipe for the rack. A clean junk yard wheel would suffice I guess. If it's cheap enough and nobody wants to keep it we could just toss it in the dumpster after the show. How is the PortaTree hooked to it though?

I could have that frame built/painted at our shop from scrap steel in no time. I have a spare seat that would simply bolt it place. The authentic steering wheel would be a bit more detail but it could be done. Not so sure about the dash and center console!

The Portatree basically is plug and play. The unit supports external switches such as a foot switch for the throttle pedal in place of the handheld switch on the unit. It controls the external tree lights through the same unit. All the external tree needs is a separate power supply. And they also offer a vehicle connection to rig it up to an actual car. Probably just a microswitch for the throttle pedal?

Lol @ Jp. I like your idea and I have a steering wheel if need be and many spare parts. Just lmk what u need

I appreciate the offer. I have a parts car if we need a steering wheel, though I would have to pull it.

 

[LeoC2]

I think using the funds for the club expenses is a good idea. If nobody wins then the lowest reaction could get maybe 10% or 15% instead of 50%?

 

[mlschultz]

Here's a link to a web site that offers a ton of ideas and party supplies

http://www.orientaltrading.com/

 

[tixer]

I do like the drag racing idea, and I'm not even entirely opposed to using my actual car as one of the contenders. I've always liked the idea of letting people explore the interior of a car. Nobody ever gets to do that at shows like this.. My only concern of course being wear on the interior..

It looks like your tree is just 12vdc, so really we could even run it off of a dedicated car battery source if we wanted to.

 

[LeoC2]

I'm looking for a large image of the track from a racer's point of view in case you want to use that on the tent wall.

 

[driller]

Well, it looks like this idea is getting traction.

Here's a link to a web site that offers a ton of ideas and party supplies

http://www.orientaltrading.com/

Thanks Mike. The Mrs. has used that site before for the last couple of Carlisle themes. There's also a local party supply store we shopped at. She has a list of stuff already picked out. When I get around to it, I'll post up so others can contribute as well without duplication of efforts.

I do like the drag racing idea, and I'm not even entirely opposed to using my actual car as one of the contenders. I've always liked the idea of letting people explore the interior of a car. Nobody ever gets to do that at shows like this.. My only concern of course being wear on the interior..

It looks like your tree is just 12vdc, so really we could even run it off of a dedicated car battery source if we wanted to.

I think an actual vehicle rigged to the Portatree would be more authentic. We could do our best to make sure any vehicle used is given the 'white glove' treatment. We could even have a door valet to assist entry and exit to prevent door slamming abuse and fingerprints as much as possible. It may be better to leave the door open? Possibly use a protective floor mat to help it clean? (FWIW, I wouldn't be against one of my vehicles being used.)

The actual tree uses 120V incandescent lamps (though expensive LED bulbs are available), so I think there must be a power inverter built in or something?

I'll be sure to order and experiment with the setup to leave plenty of time for any details to be attended to.

I'm looking for a large image of the track from a racer's point of view in case you want to use that on the tent wall.

I don't know how much it would cost, but I suppose a graphic of some sort could be printed on a large banner for a backdrop?



Another neat option available for the Portatree is an LED display for the real time display of the reaction time.



It's a little pricey though and a bit more than what I need for my purposes.

 

[Trixie]

That sounds awesome to me! Then again, you've seen some of my rt's haven't you? bwahahahaha.

No, really love the theme, will have to get out the racing team t's to wear. Have no idea what car we're bringing, if we can even go, although reservations are made at the hotel.

 

[Mike P]

if you don't go and need to transfer reservations and show tags let me know. I may be able to go