PYROBAR - 3.0.2 Fundraiser

[foolsby]

An icon of mobile art, aerial, fire performance, and rich interactivity, the Pyrobar is seeking a new life and expanded offerings!

The Pyrobar is a magical, artful craft, known to be a staple of roving bliss, fire and spectacle at Burningman and beyond. This roving beast provides its festive charm to events and festivals all across Southern California and makes the challenging annual pilgrimage to the Burn in Nevada.

We are seeking your help in our Kickstarter campaign to allow us to bring the next generation of the Pyrobar to fruition. Pyrobar 3.0.2! Visit our Kickstarter page to learn about its exotic past and charmed life, to see how to get involved and help us keep this amazing example of moving art and entertainment not only alive, but thriving in its new form, so it can keep on providing smiles, titillation, and lighting up the nights in the warm glow of its fire.

If you have ever received a drink from our festive bartenders, swung from the hammock swing while roaming the playa, or rested in the comfortable rooftop lounge during one of the burns, please consider donating to our humble cause. We must receive pledges by March 11th to keep the fires burning, so do it soon. Thank you, thirsty souls, young and old!

[lemur]

why arent you buying yer own shit ?

[BBadger]

I'm secretly entertained when personal-project, playa-fund-me Kickstarters like these fail.

[junglesmacks]

I remember this guy. After almost running us over on 3 while flying down it kicking up dust everywhere, we jumped on at a brief pause and rode a bar stool out to mid playa. He wouldn't stop for anyone or anything and I witnessed countless people practically breaking limbs trying to jump on and off. It was pretty much the most sketchy MV ride I've ever been on.

No thanks. You guys can chump up your own change. It was pretty clear that the party was for you and no one else..

[theCryptofishist]

But, but, it's Burningman's favorite flame! Get it?

[trilobyte]

For what it's worth, I don't think believe it's a personal fundraiser. I've known the car since 2004 and it's been quite the awesome playa mainstay, my understanding is that they're looking to help defray the costs of some significant mechanical repairs and much-needed maintenance - it's not to fun anyone's bar tab or burn. I don't see this as being any different from any other art car seeking public assistance to fix suspensions, blown engines, and whatever ailments and beatings these machines take in whatever passes for normal playa service. I don't know the current owners personally, but am glad that they rescued it when they did. I wince a bit when I see stuff like "Burning Man's favorite flame" but I having built and crewed a couple cars I can certainly understand the pride that comes along with making and bringing something awesome that you're proud of.

[foolsby]

Ha! I can understand a few folks' reaction to such a smarmy title - 'favorite flame'. Not my concoction.

Here's a breakdown of some of the rebuild costs:
Standard engine rebuilding kits. $209.52 -or- Much better higher performance rebuild kits: $535.95 Headers: $115.95 off of summit- may not fit Intake manifold: $139.95 Fuel pump: $54.88 K&N air filter: $55 New Oil: $60 New timing gears and chain: $25.95 Cam shaft and lifter kit: $99.99 summit $1093 Tools: Piston Ring compresser: $26.95 Valve Spring compressor Tool: $49.95 at summit. Cheaper at harbor freight Cam degree kit: $84.95 Harmonic Balancer puller: $40 or $17 if we can get a 3 jawed puller to work Slide Hammer Puller: $33 harbor freight for bearings Connecting rod balancing tool: make or get machine shop to do it $236 Machining Block is sonic tested then cleaned and magnafluxed then its line honed with a new ARP main bolts, its decked, bored and plate honed and the lifter bores are lightly honed. Install cam bearings and brass core plugs. may need to get the cam bore $500-$700 Chassis and Suspension New rear hd leaf springs $580 New air bags and related hardware $400-600 New rear shocks $110 Remove bar and crane Reinforce chassis and extend (steel, welding rod, hardware) $600-700 New lug studs $120 Brakes front and rear $145 At least 2 deep cell batteries $300 Wiring love $340

With all due respect to the gentleman who caught a ride (and quite possibly a drink) on our vehicle, the Pyrobar is, like most MVs, a dual-purpose craft. We have fun manning the vehicle, providing lots and lots of drinks on our tab to denizens as we make our way across the playa, while offering transportation and a service to aerialists on our aerial rig. When the bar stools are all full, we discourage anyone from jumping on, for safety reasons. But it all is - as they say - at your own risk.

That said, two tires flew off the vehicle on the drive home last summer. The summer before that, on the drive home there was an actual fire in the cab, at the foot of the drive and passenger. So it'd be nice if the vehicle WAS a little safer in some respects, and this Kickstarter campaign hopes to achieve that end.

[ranger magnum]

These guys have brought out an interactive mv to the playa for years, furnished it with enough booze to last the week, brought hundreds of gallons of propane, selflessly remained sober so as to be able to chauffeur folks around the playa, and paid for all of this out of their pocket. Nothing really different than many other camps. But a lot of those camps have fundraisers to help fund their playa efforts. Whats the difference between fundraisers and kickstart?

I know this mv well; it lives in my town, and I have worked on it myself. It's tired and worn, and needs help. Our city is too small to successfully have fundraisers for burner-style projects, so kickstart is the only other real option. Pyrobar has been a BRC staple for a long time, and it would be a shame to see it not return.

[foolsby]

We've been funded!

Thanks for listening, everyone, and for sticking up for us when it was needed. Good luck with your own projects, and see you out on the playa!

[Captain Goddammit]

Why don't you just pull a good-running motor from a wrecked truck, like anyone with common sense trying to build an MV on a budget would?
And by the way, headers don't go on an intake manifold... they're exhaust...

Hey, wanna know what my MV cost to build, maintain, and improve? Wanna know what it cost to put the new engine and virtually everything else in my truck to get it to the playa? Wanna know what I spend on ingredients for all those margaritas that get passed out? You don't even want to begin to hear about buying tools.

Everyone who ever rode on my MV, had a cold drink, etc. please send me a few bucks!

Good luck with your own projects, and see you out on the playa!

Indeed.

[lemur]

We've been funded!

Thanks for listening, everyone, and for sticking up for us when it was needed. Good luck with your own projects, and see you out on the playa!

see us out on the playa?! what about right here!

will you still have 3 posts in 3 months!?

maybe 6 posts next year this time when youve needed people to buy you new parts once again!

[trilobyte]

Excellent point, lemur. While I'm sure foolsby and the others on the Pyrobar team will be busy working on the vehicle in the months ahead, it'd be great if the connection to the boards was maintained. Better still, post a Pyrobar thread in the Mutant Vehicles board and share a picture or two along the way so people can follow along on the progress. Not only does that stuff get people more excited about your project, but it encourages them to get moving on their own stuff.

Congrats on hitting the goal, I look forward to seeing it in the dust!