New TRZ ARB
12-05-2007, 09:31 PM
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New TRZ Bolt In ARB Before anyone gives me any grief this time, TRZ Motorsports has now become a sponsor, I have the OK from Nine Ball and I admit to jumping the gun promoting this product earlier.
Since I first posted the pics of this setup, we were able to do some testing with our 95 Firebird and have some very positive results to post back about. For information purposes, the car we tested this piece on has a 9.9:1 383 LT1 engine in it, ported stock heads with stock valve sizes, stock intake, electric water pump, all accessories still work, single soft plume nozzle wet nitrous kit (jetted for 100hp), Adjustable lower control arms, lower control arm relocation brackets set in middle hole, stock torque arm, stock front struts, stock springs all the way around, no front sway bar, stock rear sway bar, TH350 transmission, 7.5" 10 bolt (YIKES) 3.42 gears, 275/60/15 MT Drag Radials, weighs right at 3500 pounds depending on fuel load, etc etc blah blah.
For the last few years, the car has been run with a 3.73 gear and posted times in the 11.80s on the motor and a best ever nitrous pass of a 10.85 @ 123 with a 1.543 60ft on a day here in FL that was perfect racing weather with air conditions well below sea level (-500 DA). The car had been out a couple of times with the 3.42 gears in the car before this test, but we had not used the nitrous. Before the TRZ ARB install, the car would pull the left front 2-3" off the ground on the motor and 4-6" off the ground on the nitrous. The roll was so bad that the passenger side fender needed to be rolled because it would make contact with the tire and cut up the edge of the tread on the tire. On the first (and only) nitrous test, the car had its best ever 60ft of a 1.525, which was even better than the 1.543 that the car produced in better weather with the 3.73 gear. (I incorrectly posted that this car had tripped into the 1.49s in 60ft on my original post, the owner of the car, the owner of the shop that I work at, noticed that in my post and brought me the time slips of the best passes of the car). The 1/4 mile time achieved on that pass was an 11.06 @ 121 with the bottle pressure at 800 psi (normally run at 950). With the weather on this test day hovering around 1000DA and the low bottle pressure we are sure that the car will better its best time ever on a day comparable to what the car has run in before. The car also leaves nice and flat now, and the driver of the car says that it is now boring to drive because it doesnt twist and it now goes straight down the track, lol.
Anyways, here are the pics that I originally put up, and the video of the 11.06 pass is below the pics and more information about the new piece from TRZ!
This is a bolt in ARB kit (with the exception of the tabs on the rear end) for the 3rd and 4th Gen GM F-bodies. It replaces the panhard rod support brace, the stock panhard rod and the factory rear sway bar. Some interesting information: the entire kit weighs under 16 pounds, which is approximately 4-5 pounds lighter than the stock stuff that this kit replaces. All part of this kit, with of the ARB links are chromoly. The car in the pictures has the stock gas tank in it, and a 4" Mufflex cat back exhaust kit with a Magnaflow muffler. As you can see in some of the pics, a sumped stock gas tank would have plenty of room around this piece.
The bolts are the stock thread, this car previously did not have the upper panhard rod support brace installed as the Mufflex exhaust rattled on it like crazy!! I happened to have these bolts in our transmission room (they are the same thread as early GM metric transmission mounts on TH350 transmissions) so I used these bolts, no reason why the factory ones will not work fine.
View of the clearance above the bar and under the exhaust.
How the panhard rod is relocated, thats a 5/8" Grade 8 bolt so the holes in the rear end need to be opened up to 5/8". On the other side, the backside of the holes need to be opened up to 1/2".
Where I mounted the tabs on the rear end. With a 9" rear end with a back-brace the tabs would probably need to be cut flat and installed on the back of the brace. The next car we put this piece on will have a braced 9" in it so I will take more pics of that setup then.
The car sitting at ride height on our dyno.
Here is the video, sorry about the shaking. I was in another car getting ready to race and was not able to run the camera
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1...fb013d34ce.htm
The next test for the car is going to come on a much quicker car (one that has previously been 7.51 @ 191) so after the testing on that car we hope to be able to silence any notions that this will not work on much faster cars.
Since I first posted the pics of this setup, we were able to do some testing with our 95 Firebird and have some very positive results to post back about. For information purposes, the car we tested this piece on has a 9.9:1 383 LT1 engine in it, ported stock heads with stock valve sizes, stock intake, electric water pump, all accessories still work, single soft plume nozzle wet nitrous kit (jetted for 100hp), Adjustable lower control arms, lower control arm relocation brackets set in middle hole, stock torque arm, stock front struts, stock springs all the way around, no front sway bar, stock rear sway bar, TH350 transmission, 7.5" 10 bolt (YIKES) 3.42 gears, 275/60/15 MT Drag Radials, weighs right at 3500 pounds depending on fuel load, etc etc blah blah.
For the last few years, the car has been run with a 3.73 gear and posted times in the 11.80s on the motor and a best ever nitrous pass of a 10.85 @ 123 with a 1.543 60ft on a day here in FL that was perfect racing weather with air conditions well below sea level (-500 DA). The car had been out a couple of times with the 3.42 gears in the car before this test, but we had not used the nitrous. Before the TRZ ARB install, the car would pull the left front 2-3" off the ground on the motor and 4-6" off the ground on the nitrous. The roll was so bad that the passenger side fender needed to be rolled because it would make contact with the tire and cut up the edge of the tread on the tire. On the first (and only) nitrous test, the car had its best ever 60ft of a 1.525, which was even better than the 1.543 that the car produced in better weather with the 3.73 gear. (I incorrectly posted that this car had tripped into the 1.49s in 60ft on my original post, the owner of the car, the owner of the shop that I work at, noticed that in my post and brought me the time slips of the best passes of the car). The 1/4 mile time achieved on that pass was an 11.06 @ 121 with the bottle pressure at 800 psi (normally run at 950). With the weather on this test day hovering around 1000DA and the low bottle pressure we are sure that the car will better its best time ever on a day comparable to what the car has run in before. The car also leaves nice and flat now, and the driver of the car says that it is now boring to drive because it doesnt twist and it now goes straight down the track, lol.
Anyways, here are the pics that I originally put up, and the video of the 11.06 pass is below the pics and more information about the new piece from TRZ!
This is a bolt in ARB kit (with the exception of the tabs on the rear end) for the 3rd and 4th Gen GM F-bodies. It replaces the panhard rod support brace, the stock panhard rod and the factory rear sway bar. Some interesting information: the entire kit weighs under 16 pounds, which is approximately 4-5 pounds lighter than the stock stuff that this kit replaces. All part of this kit, with of the ARB links are chromoly. The car in the pictures has the stock gas tank in it, and a 4" Mufflex cat back exhaust kit with a Magnaflow muffler. As you can see in some of the pics, a sumped stock gas tank would have plenty of room around this piece.
The bolts are the stock thread, this car previously did not have the upper panhard rod support brace installed as the Mufflex exhaust rattled on it like crazy!! I happened to have these bolts in our transmission room (they are the same thread as early GM metric transmission mounts on TH350 transmissions) so I used these bolts, no reason why the factory ones will not work fine.
View of the clearance above the bar and under the exhaust.
How the panhard rod is relocated, thats a 5/8" Grade 8 bolt so the holes in the rear end need to be opened up to 5/8". On the other side, the backside of the holes need to be opened up to 1/2".
Where I mounted the tabs on the rear end. With a 9" rear end with a back-brace the tabs would probably need to be cut flat and installed on the back of the brace. The next car we put this piece on will have a braced 9" in it so I will take more pics of that setup then.
The car sitting at ride height on our dyno.
Here is the video, sorry about the shaking. I was in another car getting ready to race and was not able to run the camera
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1...fb013d34ce.htm
The next test for the car is going to come on a much quicker car (one that has previously been 7.51 @ 191) so after the testing on that car we hope to be able to silence any notions that this will not work on much faster cars.
Last edited by CutlassRacer; 12-06-2007 at 11:26 AM.
12-05-2007, 10:37 PM
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Retail price is going to be $575. This includes the panhard relocation/support bar, chassis style ARB and a double adjustable panhard bar. Like I mentioned up there, it is all Chromoly and lighter than the stock stuff that it replaces
Chris, it will not fit with your "modified" suspension anyways!
Chris, it will not fit with your "modified" suspension anyways!
12-05-2007, 10:42 PM
#5
Retail price is going to be $575. This includes the panhard relocation/support bar, chassis style ARB and a double adjustable panhard bar. Like I mentioned up there, it is all Chromoly and lighter than the stock stuff that it replaces
Chris, it will not fit with your "modified" suspension anyways!
Chris, it will not fit with your "modified" suspension anyways!
I could make the same thing for mine, I still have the panhard bracket, but I would have to have mine shorter, looks like the panhard rod will be about 3" shorter than stock, actually it will be closer to 4" because I am moving the panhard bracket in since the shock mounts are moved in about 1.5"
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12-11-2007, 08:30 AM
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Derek, let us know if you wanna try one out on your car. Kevin would be more than willing to do the install Im sure?!? You have any plans of going quicker... or just keepin it where its at for bracket consistency?
Thanks for stopping by at PRI. Keep us posted on any events / track days going on up there in Gainesville. Nice track!
Thanks for stopping by at PRI. Keep us posted on any events / track days going on up there in Gainesville. Nice track!
12-12-2007, 09:32 PM
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The Formula will likely stay where she's at for the foreseeable future, although when the motor needs a freshening she could get a few "upgrades" 
Either way, bracket car will remain in both the 'Bird's and the Nova's make-up.
Appreciate the offer, and hope to see you at Gainesville sometime soon!
Derek
Either way, bracket car will remain in both the 'Bird's and the Nova's make-up. Appreciate the offer, and hope to see you at Gainesville sometime soon!
Derek
12-13-2007, 12:13 PM
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Looks great. I really like how you can disconnect a link for the street. Good job guys.
Chris, you should just start your own website, about how to totally customize your car where no aftermarket or stock parts will ever fit! Just joking, you know I like your project.
Chris, you should just start your own website, about how to totally customize your car where no aftermarket or stock parts will ever fit! Just joking, you know I like your project.
