Trip Report for the HDPE:
Overall it was a great weekend. The car ran great and handled exactly like I expected that it would. After a few sessions to get the tire pressures figured out, I was able to run consistent 2:36 on the NCM Full Course (incl. the sinkhole).
The fan issue sorted itself after one on-track session, so I figure either the battery was just charged enough or the relay control module just neede to be jostled around a bit.
The only real issue we had all weekend was the clutch / transmission. It was almost impossible to complete a shift regularly. After a while, I gave up on the clutch and just mated revs best I could and crammed it into the gear I wanted (mainly 3rd and 4th). Second gear would have been useful, but it was too hard to get third in a timely manner, so I just lugged it out of the tight turns.
When I bought the car, it had a poorly engineering cable clutch that was so hard to disengage it ruined the driving experience. I replace that with a hydraulic clutch using a Wilwood pedal / master cylinder and a pull-type slave cylinder from Panoz that attached to the stock clutch fork. So...press on the pedal and nothing. Clutch wouldn't disengage. Bled clutch. Checked all the fasteners, etc. After an hour or so of troubleshooting, it turns out the slave cylinder was sliding in the bracket I made instead of actuating the clutch fork. $1.79 at Lowe's and that was fixed.
Still, even with the clutch disengaging like it is supposed to, the tranny was hard to shift on a consistent basis. I haven't explored why yet, but I'm thinking the sychros are worn out. The Hobbs meter shows 615 hours, and I doubt the transmission has ever been serviced (No maintenance records came with the car).
I need it to be quieter for when they really enforce the 103dB limit. Any muffler recommendations that will fit in the Panoz bodywork?