What does "burning the midnight oil" mean? Over the next nine months they tuned just about every moving part, replacing the suspension, radiator, and alternator, fitting it with front struts, a hatch spoiler and a seamless roll cage, and picking a proper array of rally tyres. It was quite an undertaking, but well worth the effort. After burning the midnight oil for nearly a full year, making sure not a single loose screw could be found, the big day came.