STANG KILLA SS goes "racin"
06-03-2021, 09:31 PM
#342
getting serious!
Picked up two new sets of Forgestars on blackfriday.
built to my specs
18x11 +45mm
18x12 +52mm
scored a killer deal on black friday. extra discount for two sets. and just in time. got email next month Forgestars are going to have a 15-20% price increase.
Gloss Kingsport grey, other than in direct sunlight they are very dark/deep. told them i wanted the darkest gunmetal that wasnt black.
first set of slicks! Hoosier R7s
New wrap!!
Worked with a company on the artwork for several months. and they nailed it. i love it. it transformed the car!
right after install. upclose you can see the details. hex background. stripe inside of stripe, etc.
Bigger Oil Coolers
at COTA i was seeing oil temps hit 300* and i would back off for a lap. bought this generic kit off ebay for just over $100. also bought a second cooler and fan separately.
origonal plan was to do a grassroots cheap version of Gspeeds dual fog light coolers.
but the longer i had the coolers before starting, the more i thought about it. i REALLY love my fog light brake cooling ducts. they work so well. and i didnt like all the nose weight and long plumbing of this setup. also seemed to be in a prime spot for race damage. while proven i wanted to try something different.
decided to remove the windsheild washer tank and see if it would be possible to squeeze the both of them in the fender. and if so could i get enough air threw them to make them work.
with some creative packaging they both fit! with 1/8" to spare.
behind them there is a 4" x 8" tunnel that leads to the engine bay. that would be my supply air rather than from wheel well or below.
hole for lines cut. thats the black frame rail on right. and the lower wheel liner on bottom, same wheel arch liner on left. in and out fittings shown.
shortened the included lines to 34 and 35"
bolted to the block
in my excitement to finish i forgot to take pics all plumbed and with fan. it was a long day. heres a pic threw the exit duct in the fender.
next up: 7 hour haul to Oklahoma. first time to Hallet Track.
Picked up two new sets of Forgestars on blackfriday.
built to my specs
18x11 +45mm
18x12 +52mm
scored a killer deal on black friday. extra discount for two sets. and just in time. got email next month Forgestars are going to have a 15-20% price increase.
Gloss Kingsport grey, other than in direct sunlight they are very dark/deep. told them i wanted the darkest gunmetal that wasnt black.
first set of slicks! Hoosier R7s
New wrap!!
Worked with a company on the artwork for several months. and they nailed it. i love it. it transformed the car!
right after install. upclose you can see the details. hex background. stripe inside of stripe, etc.
Bigger Oil Coolers
at COTA i was seeing oil temps hit 300* and i would back off for a lap. bought this generic kit off ebay for just over $100. also bought a second cooler and fan separately.
origonal plan was to do a grassroots cheap version of Gspeeds dual fog light coolers.
but the longer i had the coolers before starting, the more i thought about it. i REALLY love my fog light brake cooling ducts. they work so well. and i didnt like all the nose weight and long plumbing of this setup. also seemed to be in a prime spot for race damage. while proven i wanted to try something different.
decided to remove the windsheild washer tank and see if it would be possible to squeeze the both of them in the fender. and if so could i get enough air threw them to make them work.
with some creative packaging they both fit! with 1/8" to spare.
behind them there is a 4" x 8" tunnel that leads to the engine bay. that would be my supply air rather than from wheel well or below.
hole for lines cut. thats the black frame rail on right. and the lower wheel liner on bottom, same wheel arch liner on left. in and out fittings shown.
shortened the included lines to 34 and 35"
bolted to the block
in my excitement to finish i forgot to take pics all plumbed and with fan. it was a long day. heres a pic threw the exit duct in the fender.
next up: 7 hour haul to Oklahoma. first time to Hallet Track.
The following users liked this post:
GarrettM (11-02-2021)
06-12-2021, 06:42 PM
#343
Made the 8.5 hour drive to Hallet in Oklahoma last weekend.
All new track id never been too. A small short narrow track. Not exactly a corvette track. Luckily they split the classes into 3 groups, instead of two, so it wouldnt be so crowded/dangerous. Was supposed to rain but we got lucky and it stayed away during races. PLENTY of it towing though.
Saturday:
Practice, Qualifying and two races. 20 and 25 minutes long. The average finish from those two races determained your starting position for the Sunday 50 minute Championship race. I picked up a vibtration early. the new wheel weights didnt stick and also warped the new rotors. i didnt bed them at all ahead of time. I just beat out my ST1 competition in both races, winning my class and 6th overall.
Oil Cooler:
this had me worried Saturday. Temps rose REALLY fast. but the more testing we did it seemed to do ok. Outside temps were only 82ish and its a short slow track so not really a big test. But the oil definitely heats up really fast. But once it reaches about 265 it really starts to slow down. In the 20-25 minute races it peaked at 275. in the Sunday race it peaked at 277. COTA in July will be the true test. LONG straights and 100* air temps.
Hoosiers:
So glad i had them. there was no way i could have brought the fight on this track on street tires. They werent the "holy ****" everyone discribed. but on the other side of the coin i never once had to worry about grip. i could do whatever i wanted and they just stuck. A track with more fast sweepers would have probly shined more. I also didnt find the first two laps when cold to be sketchy.
Brake Temps:
First time checking them. Ive always wondered if i was over-cooling them. cause i seem to go threw rotors every 2 weekends.
This pic describes the entire weekend
David Vs Goliath:
$75,000 Vs $750,000
Jeep Vs Semi Truck Toter
20' flat bed Vs Double stacker elevator race trailer
GM C6 Vs Maserati GT3
Harbor Freight Jack Vs Air Jacks
Sketchers Vs Gator UTV
Craftsman Hand box Vs Tool Cart
Hoosier DOTs Vs Pirelli Slicks
Sunday:
I put new pads on Sunday morning before the 50 minute race. No way to bed them. I tried to do a bit on the formation lap. i do remember seeing smoke pouring from them on the first couple laps. I was REALLY worried if the stock 18 gallons was going to be enough to feed the 7 liter for 50 minutes. i put every last drop of fuel in i could. Then spent about 10 minutes putting in a shot glass at a time after the filler clicked. Car weighed 3195 lbs Post race with me in it. Car was a serious oven, gonna need to address that some more. Had a GREAT battle with the Maserati GT3 in my ST1 class. See Video.
What a weekend!, had an absolute blast despite the long drives towing threw all the rain.
All new track id never been too. A small short narrow track. Not exactly a corvette track. Luckily they split the classes into 3 groups, instead of two, so it wouldnt be so crowded/dangerous. Was supposed to rain but we got lucky and it stayed away during races. PLENTY of it towing though.
Saturday:
Practice, Qualifying and two races. 20 and 25 minutes long. The average finish from those two races determained your starting position for the Sunday 50 minute Championship race. I picked up a vibtration early. the new wheel weights didnt stick and also warped the new rotors. i didnt bed them at all ahead of time. I just beat out my ST1 competition in both races, winning my class and 6th overall.
Oil Cooler:
this had me worried Saturday. Temps rose REALLY fast. but the more testing we did it seemed to do ok. Outside temps were only 82ish and its a short slow track so not really a big test. But the oil definitely heats up really fast. But once it reaches about 265 it really starts to slow down. In the 20-25 minute races it peaked at 275. in the Sunday race it peaked at 277. COTA in July will be the true test. LONG straights and 100* air temps.
Hoosiers:
So glad i had them. there was no way i could have brought the fight on this track on street tires. They werent the "holy ****" everyone discribed. but on the other side of the coin i never once had to worry about grip. i could do whatever i wanted and they just stuck. A track with more fast sweepers would have probly shined more. I also didnt find the first two laps when cold to be sketchy.
Brake Temps:
First time checking them. Ive always wondered if i was over-cooling them. cause i seem to go threw rotors every 2 weekends.
This pic describes the entire weekend
David Vs Goliath:
$75,000 Vs $750,000
Jeep Vs Semi Truck Toter
20' flat bed Vs Double stacker elevator race trailer
GM C6 Vs Maserati GT3
Harbor Freight Jack Vs Air Jacks
Sketchers Vs Gator UTV
Craftsman Hand box Vs Tool Cart
Hoosier DOTs Vs Pirelli Slicks
Sunday:
I put new pads on Sunday morning before the 50 minute race. No way to bed them. I tried to do a bit on the formation lap. i do remember seeing smoke pouring from them on the first couple laps. I was REALLY worried if the stock 18 gallons was going to be enough to feed the 7 liter for 50 minutes. i put every last drop of fuel in i could. Then spent about 10 minutes putting in a shot glass at a time after the filler clicked. Car weighed 3195 lbs Post race with me in it. Car was a serious oven, gonna need to address that some more. Had a GREAT battle with the Maserati GT3 in my ST1 class. See Video.
What a weekend!, had an absolute blast despite the long drives towing threw all the rain.
The following 2 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
89ThirdGenCamaro3310 (07-24-2021), srode1 (09-11-2021)
08-18-2021, 05:57 PM
#344
NASA @ COTA
Whew what a weekend!
Clutch & Torque Tube:
3 days before race day, we replaced the clutch and rebuilt the torque tube. First time going threw this ordeal.
replaced the bearings and rubber couplers on the torque tube itself
Installed Fidanza flywheel. 13.3lbs vs 26lbs stock
I had ordered a RAM Powergrip HD clutch which i had used and liked on the SS, but when it was time to install it didnt have the dowel holes, and was 1/2" too tall in height. apparently i had ordered a LS1 version, not an LS7 version. Luckily we had also ordered another stock LS7 clutch just in case. Had to install that due to time, its what was in the car before and worked fine.
Heat Sheild:
In my 3 year quest to minimize tunnel heat this was my last phase. had to wait for torque tube to come out. Used some Heat Shield Products self adhesive shield on the front half of tunnel, 2 layers. on the back i used some non sticky DEI shield that was twice as thick.
I wrapped it up the firewall behind the motor, and in front of both foot wells.
For the first time, this actually worked. it made a noticeable difference in cabin temps.
Race Day:
Vibes:
From the very first lap of racers warm-up Saturday morning, it was obvious something was seriously wrong. i had MAJOR vibrations when i would hit 75mph and above. They were massive. I could see the roof moving 1/4" away from the cage. the doors, steering, mirror, hood, the entire car was trying to destroy itself. All speed based, not RPM. It was obvious we had put something back together wrong in the driveline. Im really suprised the windshield survived. i had to double zip tie the mirror to the cage to keep it from vibrating off.
Oil Temps:
The rest of the weekend i was also fighting oil temps. they would pass 300 degrees in just a few laps. and i would have to back off, and just limp around trying to keep them hovering around 300.
My dual coolers in the fenders simply didnt work.
Tried blocking the opening between the engine bay, and the fender cavity, to keep the hot header air out. Made a little block off panel in the hotel the previous night.
That didnt help so eventually removed the entire rear/lower fender liner.
also added a little ghetto gurney flat to encourage the exit
sadly none of this helped. either there simply wasnt enough air passing threw, or it wasnt cool enough air, or the ebay coolers were simply junk.
FIRE!
Race #4 was the final race on sunday and was 40 minutes. It was 95 degrees out. For the last 20 minutes i had already been at half throttle, and shifting at 4-5k trying to get the 300 oil back down to 270 ish. On the last lap coming into T12 i started smelling something toxic smelling. Like chemically. Ie not clutch/brakes and not a burning smell like wood or paper. Made my eyes burn to the point i couldnt keep them open. Not smoke like, just more chemically/stinging feeling.
By T19 and 20 i had smoke in the car as i took the checkered. As I approached T1 it was getting worse. I knew i had to stop. Luckily been to all the GT pro races and know theres always a truck parked inside fence of T1, and the run off and stand in T2 would be the best spot for fast help.
I pull over and get out. Still just smoke, no fire. Good news, as i get to marshalls stand for a few coughs and for some reason shaking my head trying to get rid of the eye stinging so i can keep them open, I turn back to the car to see about 8" ball of fire in the drivers collector/oil filter area. ie the bottom of the drivers firewall area. i run back to the car to grab my hand held extinguisher. Things arent out of hand yet. All that was needed. Well it takes me awhile to remove it. by the time i get it free, things had escalated and flames were coming out of the hood i had luckily poped on exit. I go to spray the flames but the extinguisher runs out really quickily. Rescue gets there and pulls me away from the car.
Seconds seemed like minutes as they fiddled with the hose as the flames continued. They get to dousing it finally but it keeps wanting to come back, but finally its out.
From up top no noticeable hot spot as deep as you can see. Random melted bits, wires, coil pack, plug wire, injector harness, and hoses, brake reservoir etc. Surprisingly not alot of damage.
I knew nothing about the fire on the pedals until i watched the gopro that night. but this is where most of the damage occured, the firewall gromet, column and pedal harnesses all got burned up. Even the steering column bushings melted.
Also during the fire i lost the clutch. its just a free swinging pedal now. Inside theres a melted hose hanging that matches the brake booster hose and white fitting under the hood, and my wife also found a 2x3" melted circuit board just laying in the floor board that night. So i have a hunch behind the gauges is a melted mess. Water hose probly didnt help as power was till on. I noticed The auto blip had constant power so i assume it melted to a live positive above the pedals.
But the car survived and will be back. Bummer for how the weekend went as i had family and freinds come to watch and support at this one race since so close to home.
Once back home and on lift we go underneath to our surprise there is no damage, it looked exactly as it had when we did the clutch and torque tube.
we did find a Fuel leak. where the 12" rail braided line, meets the main hardline at the firewall. Later at Gspeed this end was found to be damaged beyond use. My guess the vibrations were rubbing metal on metal (thin) and the joint finally gave out. its also visably heated/burned the braided stainless fuel line.
The Good news is the car is already at GSPEED and repairs are already underway. and if the current pace continues it looks like there may be a shot at saving Nationals in just a few weeks at Daytona! #bucketlist
Notes:
-3 Rear Comp
+1 Rear Rebound
-3 Front Comp
Cold pressures for 34F/32R hot
LF 25
RF 24.5
LR 23
RR 23
Whew what a weekend!
Clutch & Torque Tube:
3 days before race day, we replaced the clutch and rebuilt the torque tube. First time going threw this ordeal.
replaced the bearings and rubber couplers on the torque tube itself
Installed Fidanza flywheel. 13.3lbs vs 26lbs stock
I had ordered a RAM Powergrip HD clutch which i had used and liked on the SS, but when it was time to install it didnt have the dowel holes, and was 1/2" too tall in height. apparently i had ordered a LS1 version, not an LS7 version. Luckily we had also ordered another stock LS7 clutch just in case. Had to install that due to time, its what was in the car before and worked fine.
Heat Sheild:
In my 3 year quest to minimize tunnel heat this was my last phase. had to wait for torque tube to come out. Used some Heat Shield Products self adhesive shield on the front half of tunnel, 2 layers. on the back i used some non sticky DEI shield that was twice as thick.
I wrapped it up the firewall behind the motor, and in front of both foot wells.
For the first time, this actually worked. it made a noticeable difference in cabin temps.
Race Day:
Vibes:
From the very first lap of racers warm-up Saturday morning, it was obvious something was seriously wrong. i had MAJOR vibrations when i would hit 75mph and above. They were massive. I could see the roof moving 1/4" away from the cage. the doors, steering, mirror, hood, the entire car was trying to destroy itself. All speed based, not RPM. It was obvious we had put something back together wrong in the driveline. Im really suprised the windshield survived. i had to double zip tie the mirror to the cage to keep it from vibrating off.
Oil Temps:
The rest of the weekend i was also fighting oil temps. they would pass 300 degrees in just a few laps. and i would have to back off, and just limp around trying to keep them hovering around 300.
My dual coolers in the fenders simply didnt work.
Tried blocking the opening between the engine bay, and the fender cavity, to keep the hot header air out. Made a little block off panel in the hotel the previous night.
That didnt help so eventually removed the entire rear/lower fender liner.
also added a little ghetto gurney flat to encourage the exit
sadly none of this helped. either there simply wasnt enough air passing threw, or it wasnt cool enough air, or the ebay coolers were simply junk.
FIRE!
Race #4 was the final race on sunday and was 40 minutes. It was 95 degrees out. For the last 20 minutes i had already been at half throttle, and shifting at 4-5k trying to get the 300 oil back down to 270 ish. On the last lap coming into T12 i started smelling something toxic smelling. Like chemically. Ie not clutch/brakes and not a burning smell like wood or paper. Made my eyes burn to the point i couldnt keep them open. Not smoke like, just more chemically/stinging feeling.
By T19 and 20 i had smoke in the car as i took the checkered. As I approached T1 it was getting worse. I knew i had to stop. Luckily been to all the GT pro races and know theres always a truck parked inside fence of T1, and the run off and stand in T2 would be the best spot for fast help.
I pull over and get out. Still just smoke, no fire. Good news, as i get to marshalls stand for a few coughs and for some reason shaking my head trying to get rid of the eye stinging so i can keep them open, I turn back to the car to see about 8" ball of fire in the drivers collector/oil filter area. ie the bottom of the drivers firewall area. i run back to the car to grab my hand held extinguisher. Things arent out of hand yet. All that was needed. Well it takes me awhile to remove it. by the time i get it free, things had escalated and flames were coming out of the hood i had luckily poped on exit. I go to spray the flames but the extinguisher runs out really quickily. Rescue gets there and pulls me away from the car.
Seconds seemed like minutes as they fiddled with the hose as the flames continued. They get to dousing it finally but it keeps wanting to come back, but finally its out.
From up top no noticeable hot spot as deep as you can see. Random melted bits, wires, coil pack, plug wire, injector harness, and hoses, brake reservoir etc. Surprisingly not alot of damage.
I knew nothing about the fire on the pedals until i watched the gopro that night. but this is where most of the damage occured, the firewall gromet, column and pedal harnesses all got burned up. Even the steering column bushings melted.
Also during the fire i lost the clutch. its just a free swinging pedal now. Inside theres a melted hose hanging that matches the brake booster hose and white fitting under the hood, and my wife also found a 2x3" melted circuit board just laying in the floor board that night. So i have a hunch behind the gauges is a melted mess. Water hose probly didnt help as power was till on. I noticed The auto blip had constant power so i assume it melted to a live positive above the pedals.
But the car survived and will be back. Bummer for how the weekend went as i had family and freinds come to watch and support at this one race since so close to home.
Once back home and on lift we go underneath to our surprise there is no damage, it looked exactly as it had when we did the clutch and torque tube.
we did find a Fuel leak. where the 12" rail braided line, meets the main hardline at the firewall. Later at Gspeed this end was found to be damaged beyond use. My guess the vibrations were rubbing metal on metal (thin) and the joint finally gave out. its also visably heated/burned the braided stainless fuel line.
The Good news is the car is already at GSPEED and repairs are already underway. and if the current pace continues it looks like there may be a shot at saving Nationals in just a few weeks at Daytona! #bucketlist
Notes:
-3 Rear Comp
+1 Rear Rebound
-3 Front Comp
Cold pressures for 34F/32R hot
LF 25
RF 24.5
LR 23
RR 23
08-20-2021, 11:05 AM
#345
It’s cool to see you progress and learn with this car. You’re in good hands with Louis, his builds continue to impress and get more advanced. Just avoid his old man like the plague.
09-06-2021, 03:13 PM
#346
Update time!
Car is repaired and back up and running.
I Let GSPEED handle all the fire repair and driveline issues. not many pics as i wasnt there. but was a TON of work involved they got knocked out quick so i can still make Nationals.
The Replaced list:
Brake master cylinder
Brake reservoir
#4 coil
#4 plug wire
#4 injector harness
brake booster vacuum hose
Main fuel hard lines to tanks
Short Fuel line to rail
column harness
pedal harness
misc dash harness pigtails
TPS
clutch position sensor
Brake pedal sensor
throttle pedal assembly
Clutch master cylinder
Clutch reservoir
PCV crossover tube
brake booster check valve
firewall fiberglass repair
brake pedal sensor bracket
entire steering column
firewall/column seal
clutch return spring
hood release cables
solid torque tube couplers
clutch slave cylinder
SKF front race hubs
new plugs
IPC ground
AutoBlip
drivetrain vibes was a bent input shaft on Torque tube. didnt need a micrometer for this one....
got the car home late on a Saturday night, and first thing sunday morning at a buddies shop me and my old man tore it apart again to remove the old oil coolers and install Gspeeds dual coolers setup.
coolers and shrouds installed and plumbed.
fans installed
in an effort to prevent the airflow problems my in fender coolers had, i drilled two 3.25" holes in the front fender liners and added mesh to add additional exits for the out flow of air.
Since the new oil coolers took the spot of my old brake ducts (fog light holes) i had to relocate the brake ducts to the grill.
drilled holes
added 3" subwoofer ports
removed horns and rerouted new brake duct hoses
connect ducts to grill ports
while in there i also sealed up all the radiator duct holes, any spot air could get out and not be forced threw the radiator.
with the car back together i had alot of new parts, and alot of the car torn apart. i needed some testing. Buddy Kent got me on track at ECR for some testing. only got two sessions in but the car performed great, no vibes, no fires, temps in check. i wasnt out there after lap times or apexes, just to drive the car hard to see if anything didnt hold up. threw on some blued street tires and just made laps. other than an O2 sensor fuse the car was perfect. such good news. really anxious to retry new oil coolers at COTA.
up next: Nationals!!!
Car is repaired and back up and running.
I Let GSPEED handle all the fire repair and driveline issues. not many pics as i wasnt there. but was a TON of work involved they got knocked out quick so i can still make Nationals.
The Replaced list:
Brake master cylinder
Brake reservoir
#4 coil
#4 plug wire
#4 injector harness
brake booster vacuum hose
Main fuel hard lines to tanks
Short Fuel line to rail
column harness
pedal harness
misc dash harness pigtails
TPS
clutch position sensor
Brake pedal sensor
throttle pedal assembly
Clutch master cylinder
Clutch reservoir
PCV crossover tube
brake booster check valve
firewall fiberglass repair
brake pedal sensor bracket
entire steering column
firewall/column seal
clutch return spring
hood release cables
solid torque tube couplers
clutch slave cylinder
SKF front race hubs
new plugs
IPC ground
AutoBlip
drivetrain vibes was a bent input shaft on Torque tube. didnt need a micrometer for this one....
got the car home late on a Saturday night, and first thing sunday morning at a buddies shop me and my old man tore it apart again to remove the old oil coolers and install Gspeeds dual coolers setup.
coolers and shrouds installed and plumbed.
fans installed
in an effort to prevent the airflow problems my in fender coolers had, i drilled two 3.25" holes in the front fender liners and added mesh to add additional exits for the out flow of air.
Since the new oil coolers took the spot of my old brake ducts (fog light holes) i had to relocate the brake ducts to the grill.
drilled holes
added 3" subwoofer ports
removed horns and rerouted new brake duct hoses
connect ducts to grill ports
while in there i also sealed up all the radiator duct holes, any spot air could get out and not be forced threw the radiator.
with the car back together i had alot of new parts, and alot of the car torn apart. i needed some testing. Buddy Kent got me on track at ECR for some testing. only got two sessions in but the car performed great, no vibes, no fires, temps in check. i wasnt out there after lap times or apexes, just to drive the car hard to see if anything didnt hold up. threw on some blued street tires and just made laps. other than an O2 sensor fuse the car was perfect. such good news. really anxious to retry new oil coolers at COTA.
up next: Nationals!!!
The following 2 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
89ThirdGenCamaro3310 (09-09-2021), mt.nichols (09-09-2021)
10-24-2021, 12:35 PM
#349
DAYTONA NATIONALS!
what an experience! more on that.....
First was the trip, we were leaving during, and following the exact path of Tropical storm Nichols that later turned into a Hurricane. To help with this we decided to drive 3 hours straight north first to get on the northern edge to minimize the monsoons, many of the places on the southern direct root were already flooded, no hotels, no gas etc. But still we drove in more than our fair share of monsoons over the 3 day tow.
But we finally arrived, what a place!
Unloading and first Test session Friday, we had an issue that would set the tone for the weekend. despite my test day at ECR that went perfect, and loading it on the trailer 100% ready to go and healthy, when we unloaded and first test session, I had a flashing engine light, and was a down cylinder.
Ill never forget my first time on the banking. i said "holy ****" out loud in a car all to myself. the feeling of your right side tires being higher than my head was unreal. words just cant describe the steepness. at pace speeds i was seriously worried about oil pick up. pics from outside the car confirm the steepness cause your looking at the roof!
one of the craziest experiences was being passed by Daytona Prototypes...at Daytona. there speed was just unbelievable. id be doing 150 and they would thunder by like i was sitting still!
We first thought bad gas, as the station we used was tiny and pumping slow, suggesting it was the bottom of the tank. bought two bottles of VP octane boost. this turned out to be a blessing. another session lost, while it didnt fix the problem, the octane stain on the plugs let us know quickly exactly what cylinder it was. cylinder #4 passenger side.
Another lost session, and another trip to Oriellys, we decided to replace everything on cylinder #4, injector, coil, and plug wire. plugs were already new. sadly no luck. same flashing engine light. same jack hammer exhaust note. same 7 cylinders.
This time we had Lee from Gspeed hook up HP Tuners to see if any red flags. we did some logging driving around pits, and did have some knock. pulled some timing and a few other bits to try to help. Sadly when done we left the accessory mode on, draining the tiny 3lb race battery. unknowingly went out on next session and on the first lap in the bus stop the car lost all power and shut off motor. was showing 8 volts. battery was shot, and the alternator trying to keep up also dook a dump. another trip to Orieillys for a battery and alternator. we also bypassed the kill switch, as it was acting weird.
Gspeed Garages
by this time it was sunday and the Final championship race. we had done all we could do, the car was running but still on 7 Cylinders. we hadnt hardly turned any laps all weekend, just wrenching, and at this point, we just wanted to finish the race. make some laps. take in the awe of Daytona. and after the weekend we had it felt like a win. we took the checkered! and even on 7 cylinders didnt finish last!
Despite the terrible weekend, my family and Gspeed freinds where there helping and supporting me the whole way. without that i probly would have thrown in the towel.
seemed like it all went by so fast. time to head home. 2500 miles round trip it was all over.
spent alot of money and time to make this event, and either way it was a hell of an experience, but sadly didnt go our way. not sure if life will ever take me back to Daytona, but if it does, id like the chance to show it what ive got.
what an experience! more on that.....
First was the trip, we were leaving during, and following the exact path of Tropical storm Nichols that later turned into a Hurricane. To help with this we decided to drive 3 hours straight north first to get on the northern edge to minimize the monsoons, many of the places on the southern direct root were already flooded, no hotels, no gas etc. But still we drove in more than our fair share of monsoons over the 3 day tow.
But we finally arrived, what a place!
Unloading and first Test session Friday, we had an issue that would set the tone for the weekend. despite my test day at ECR that went perfect, and loading it on the trailer 100% ready to go and healthy, when we unloaded and first test session, I had a flashing engine light, and was a down cylinder.
Ill never forget my first time on the banking. i said "holy ****" out loud in a car all to myself. the feeling of your right side tires being higher than my head was unreal. words just cant describe the steepness. at pace speeds i was seriously worried about oil pick up. pics from outside the car confirm the steepness cause your looking at the roof!
one of the craziest experiences was being passed by Daytona Prototypes...at Daytona. there speed was just unbelievable. id be doing 150 and they would thunder by like i was sitting still!
We first thought bad gas, as the station we used was tiny and pumping slow, suggesting it was the bottom of the tank. bought two bottles of VP octane boost. this turned out to be a blessing. another session lost, while it didnt fix the problem, the octane stain on the plugs let us know quickly exactly what cylinder it was. cylinder #4 passenger side.
Another lost session, and another trip to Oriellys, we decided to replace everything on cylinder #4, injector, coil, and plug wire. plugs were already new. sadly no luck. same flashing engine light. same jack hammer exhaust note. same 7 cylinders.
This time we had Lee from Gspeed hook up HP Tuners to see if any red flags. we did some logging driving around pits, and did have some knock. pulled some timing and a few other bits to try to help. Sadly when done we left the accessory mode on, draining the tiny 3lb race battery. unknowingly went out on next session and on the first lap in the bus stop the car lost all power and shut off motor. was showing 8 volts. battery was shot, and the alternator trying to keep up also dook a dump. another trip to Orieillys for a battery and alternator. we also bypassed the kill switch, as it was acting weird.
Gspeed Garages
by this time it was sunday and the Final championship race. we had done all we could do, the car was running but still on 7 Cylinders. we hadnt hardly turned any laps all weekend, just wrenching, and at this point, we just wanted to finish the race. make some laps. take in the awe of Daytona. and after the weekend we had it felt like a win. we took the checkered! and even on 7 cylinders didnt finish last!
Despite the terrible weekend, my family and Gspeed freinds where there helping and supporting me the whole way. without that i probly would have thrown in the towel.
seemed like it all went by so fast. time to head home. 2500 miles round trip it was all over.
spent alot of money and time to make this event, and either way it was a hell of an experience, but sadly didnt go our way. not sure if life will ever take me back to Daytona, but if it does, id like the chance to show it what ive got.
10-31-2021, 04:31 PM
#351
New car!
well sort of... bought this 1995 M3 nearly a year ago. The vette is my NASA sprint car, and this will be my WRL Endurance racer. With the goal of lots of seat time, and renting to drivers to help pay for racing.
Its been sitting under a cover since, with the goal of the WRL final race at COTA this december. sadly registration opened while we were on the road back from Daytona. and it sold out in 18 minutes.
So ive decided to go ahead and get the car out and start learning and testing it. and getting it some track time so its proven once the enduros start.
Main Mod List:
S54 motor swap (from E46 M3, OBD2)
Moton Clubsport remote coilovers
Stoptech brakes front and rear w/ ducts
BimmerWorld Race shifter
AIM MXG Dash logger
Composite doors, hood, trunk, mirrors, wing, and canards
Full Cage and fire suppression
CSF Radiator and Setrab Oil cooler
OSgiken LSD diff with 3.91s
Alumilite splitter
Coolsuit setup
Adjustable suspension arms
two sets of APEX 18" wheels
Motorola Race radios
Took it out for its first shake down at MSR Cresson on the 3.1. havent run here it close to a year.
It was a bit unnerving taking out a car i knew nothing about, nor the build quality or maintenance. just went out blind. Hell the first session i didnt even know where redline was, and was shifting at 6500. 2nd session learned it was at 8400.
in the 2nd session i finally got to start pushing and testing the car. and WOW. the car was so good. so balanced, and the lightweight and only 320 hp made the entry speeds much safer so i could really push the car. i really enjoyed that. in the vette im always just trying not to be murdered.
its gonna take some time getting used to not having gobbs of instant torque on tap, but it will teach me a new driving style. i REALLY enjoyed the short time in the car.
Sadly in session 3 after lunch, the extra heat caused the car to drop a cylinder and the day was done. was told coils/plugs are common causes in these cars.
A few notes i jotted down after the first day:
-VERY stiffly sprung, more than the vette even. bouncing was costing me time and confidence. including inducing a spin coming of a curb ive hopped a thousand times.
-odd clutch leg fatigue from steep angle
-long soft brake pedal, yet never showed a single sign of fade
-pedal spacing, gas/brake too close
-no torque
-gearing seemed both too long and too short at same time
-gotta get used to checking mirrors more with the lower power.
vettes best street car(full interior) time on 200tw tires 2:23
M3 best lap after only 3 hot laps 2:26. i feel like a 2:25 would have been easy even on first day.
well sort of... bought this 1995 M3 nearly a year ago. The vette is my NASA sprint car, and this will be my WRL Endurance racer. With the goal of lots of seat time, and renting to drivers to help pay for racing.
Its been sitting under a cover since, with the goal of the WRL final race at COTA this december. sadly registration opened while we were on the road back from Daytona. and it sold out in 18 minutes.
So ive decided to go ahead and get the car out and start learning and testing it. and getting it some track time so its proven once the enduros start.
Main Mod List:
S54 motor swap (from E46 M3, OBD2)
Moton Clubsport remote coilovers
Stoptech brakes front and rear w/ ducts
BimmerWorld Race shifter
AIM MXG Dash logger
Composite doors, hood, trunk, mirrors, wing, and canards
Full Cage and fire suppression
CSF Radiator and Setrab Oil cooler
OSgiken LSD diff with 3.91s
Alumilite splitter
Coolsuit setup
Adjustable suspension arms
two sets of APEX 18" wheels
Motorola Race radios
Took it out for its first shake down at MSR Cresson on the 3.1. havent run here it close to a year.
It was a bit unnerving taking out a car i knew nothing about, nor the build quality or maintenance. just went out blind. Hell the first session i didnt even know where redline was, and was shifting at 6500. 2nd session learned it was at 8400.
in the 2nd session i finally got to start pushing and testing the car. and WOW. the car was so good. so balanced, and the lightweight and only 320 hp made the entry speeds much safer so i could really push the car. i really enjoyed that. in the vette im always just trying not to be murdered.
its gonna take some time getting used to not having gobbs of instant torque on tap, but it will teach me a new driving style. i REALLY enjoyed the short time in the car.
Sadly in session 3 after lunch, the extra heat caused the car to drop a cylinder and the day was done. was told coils/plugs are common causes in these cars.
A few notes i jotted down after the first day:
-VERY stiffly sprung, more than the vette even. bouncing was costing me time and confidence. including inducing a spin coming of a curb ive hopped a thousand times.
-odd clutch leg fatigue from steep angle
-long soft brake pedal, yet never showed a single sign of fade
-pedal spacing, gas/brake too close
-no torque
-gearing seemed both too long and too short at same time
-gotta get used to checking mirrors more with the lower power.
vettes best street car(full interior) time on 200tw tires 2:23
M3 best lap after only 3 hot laps 2:26. i feel like a 2:25 would have been easy even on first day.
The following 3 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
11-02-2021, 09:38 AM
#352
On The Tree
Compared to the C6Z the BMW is a good car to learn how to maintain momentum.
I suggest your next race car should be a race car not a modified production car.
Bet you would like a TA-2 car, bias ply slicks and 500hp, safer, faster and easy to work on.
Or find an old TA car (my favorite).
I suggest your next race car should be a race car not a modified production car.
Bet you would like a TA-2 car, bias ply slicks and 500hp, safer, faster and easy to work on.
Or find an old TA car (my favorite).
01-02-2022, 03:25 PM
#353
Well the whole point of buying the M3 endurance car was for the WRL 8 hour races at COTA.
Sadly registration for the WRL COTA race opened while we were driving home from Daytona...and sold out in 18 minutes
Two weeks out from the race i messaged my buddy Matt Peterson to see if he was gonna be racing there, to come out and help and hang out. He wasnt racing that event but had a freind with a similiar C5 that possibly had an open seat. Some emailing and zoom interview later, i was on the team! couldnt believe it. such last minute as the cota race is the biggest of the year, seats are rarely available.
Day 1.
With the Manual Brakes and loose rear i never could get comfortable. hell i looped it 3 times on my first lap. Decided right then and there i would back down and just do slow safe laps all weekend, returning a perfect car for my teammates to get into. and thats exactly what i did. didnt even use 2nd gear and tip toed into braking zones and threw corners. just make clean laps, stay out of wrecks. ended up going 4 wide on the back stretch on the first lap of my first stint.
after lunch the car broke the pulley off the water pump, put us in the garage for a couple hours.
during my stint we started loosing the throttlebody and the car would go into reduced power mode. 1500 rpm only. a power cycle at first would bring it back to life. oddly it always happened in T11, the lowest rpm turn on the circuit. during the end of day 1 we started having fuel issues. overheating the system.
never comfortable with the manual brakes and loose rear i putted around just keeping the car safe for my teammates.
Day 2
we repaired the throttle body, and added some ice bags over the fuel lift pumps to help keep them cool, as well as adding some fresh air vents. this seemed to have the car back working. however we had lost the tach. no longer working.
we had some troubles at the end of sunday again. i cant remember what. maybe fuel again. we got it patched back together with just 20 minutes left to go in the race. after the weekend wed had we just wanted to finish. taking the checkered actually felt like quiet an accomplishment. all of us were cheering and stoked.
The Team!
Huge thanks to Kaz and KBT Racing for the opportunity!
Sadly registration for the WRL COTA race opened while we were driving home from Daytona...and sold out in 18 minutes
Two weeks out from the race i messaged my buddy Matt Peterson to see if he was gonna be racing there, to come out and help and hang out. He wasnt racing that event but had a freind with a similiar C5 that possibly had an open seat. Some emailing and zoom interview later, i was on the team! couldnt believe it. such last minute as the cota race is the biggest of the year, seats are rarely available.
Day 1.
With the Manual Brakes and loose rear i never could get comfortable. hell i looped it 3 times on my first lap. Decided right then and there i would back down and just do slow safe laps all weekend, returning a perfect car for my teammates to get into. and thats exactly what i did. didnt even use 2nd gear and tip toed into braking zones and threw corners. just make clean laps, stay out of wrecks. ended up going 4 wide on the back stretch on the first lap of my first stint.
after lunch the car broke the pulley off the water pump, put us in the garage for a couple hours.
during my stint we started loosing the throttlebody and the car would go into reduced power mode. 1500 rpm only. a power cycle at first would bring it back to life. oddly it always happened in T11, the lowest rpm turn on the circuit. during the end of day 1 we started having fuel issues. overheating the system.
never comfortable with the manual brakes and loose rear i putted around just keeping the car safe for my teammates.
Day 2
we repaired the throttle body, and added some ice bags over the fuel lift pumps to help keep them cool, as well as adding some fresh air vents. this seemed to have the car back working. however we had lost the tach. no longer working.
we had some troubles at the end of sunday again. i cant remember what. maybe fuel again. we got it patched back together with just 20 minutes left to go in the race. after the weekend wed had we just wanted to finish. taking the checkered actually felt like quiet an accomplishment. all of us were cheering and stoked.
The Team!
Huge thanks to Kaz and KBT Racing for the opportunity!
The following 2 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
Passmenow (01-03-2022), rentedmule (01-03-2022)
01-23-2022, 10:53 AM
#355
New project!
After keeping an eye on the market for about a year, I came across this S2000 on craigslist that had already been gutted and LS swapped. couldnt pass it up. stock they were going for $22-25k.
i paid $8600 for this one running and driving.
needs plenty of work, but there bones are all there. has a iron 5.3L, fbody T-56, Import Muscle swap kit, GTO ecu, and a Tahoe Harness. Honda Harness completely removed.
car was rear ended. but no damage. it just wrinkled bumper below drivers tail light. didnt even break taillight. didnt touch frame. previous owner trimmed bumper (damage)
Deconstruction has begun, then things escalated quickly!
After keeping an eye on the market for about a year, I came across this S2000 on craigslist that had already been gutted and LS swapped. couldnt pass it up. stock they were going for $22-25k.
i paid $8600 for this one running and driving.
needs plenty of work, but there bones are all there. has a iron 5.3L, fbody T-56, Import Muscle swap kit, GTO ecu, and a Tahoe Harness. Honda Harness completely removed.
car was rear ended. but no damage. it just wrinkled bumper below drivers tail light. didnt even break taillight. didnt touch frame. previous owner trimmed bumper (damage)
Deconstruction has begun, then things escalated quickly!
The following 2 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
Passmenow (01-24-2022), Summitracing (03-29-2022)
03-13-2022, 02:34 PM
#357
Part 2
Picked up an Aluminum L33 5.3L. After waiting a month for my local junkyard to find one, my race buddy Matt put me onto Car-Part.com This was the only one available with 138k. Came out of a 06 Silverado 1500 with mild passenger headlight impact.
Truck to Fbody conversion begining. oil pan, pick up tube, windage tray, water pump, intake manifold, Harmonic balancer, alternator bracket, etc etc.
Adding a Improved Racing Pan baffle. i used this exact one on my 00 SS.
i was REALLY blown away that even the windage tray was different from the truck to the car versions. so much so the Fbody pick up tube wouldnt even bolt up to the truck windage tray. so i swapped it out for an Fbody one.
Firewall Fiberglassed to cover the 20 holes and random seperated seams.
Fresh coat of gloss black in the engine bay, did the cowl area too. came out really great for walmart rattle cans.
Fidanza aluminum flywheel 571
The clutch. this ended up being a two week nightmare. i could not find a clutch that would fit this flat 2 dowel flywheel. i had 2 clutches at my house an LS1 clutch and a Ram LS7 clutch. neither fit the 2 dowel pins. so i ordered a new Ram that showed it had the two dowel holes. when it showed up it was nothing like the picture and also didnt fit. so i decided to make a emergency trip to summit racing in dallas to not loose another weekend. Place is HUGE! i brought the flywheel and had them pull 4 clutches that were supposed to fit. the first 3 did not. either had no dowel holes or 3. FINALLY the last clutch they pulled, and ACT was the winner. had the 2 dowel holes and fit perfect. 6 clutches later i finally had a winner. ive never used this brand, as ive only ever seen it used on import builds. but it fit, and sorta appropriate i guess for a "honda"
Motors In!
Build Vid
Picked up an Aluminum L33 5.3L. After waiting a month for my local junkyard to find one, my race buddy Matt put me onto Car-Part.com This was the only one available with 138k. Came out of a 06 Silverado 1500 with mild passenger headlight impact.
Truck to Fbody conversion begining. oil pan, pick up tube, windage tray, water pump, intake manifold, Harmonic balancer, alternator bracket, etc etc.
Adding a Improved Racing Pan baffle. i used this exact one on my 00 SS.
i was REALLY blown away that even the windage tray was different from the truck to the car versions. so much so the Fbody pick up tube wouldnt even bolt up to the truck windage tray. so i swapped it out for an Fbody one.
Firewall Fiberglassed to cover the 20 holes and random seperated seams.
Fresh coat of gloss black in the engine bay, did the cowl area too. came out really great for walmart rattle cans.
Fidanza aluminum flywheel 571
The clutch. this ended up being a two week nightmare. i could not find a clutch that would fit this flat 2 dowel flywheel. i had 2 clutches at my house an LS1 clutch and a Ram LS7 clutch. neither fit the 2 dowel pins. so i ordered a new Ram that showed it had the two dowel holes. when it showed up it was nothing like the picture and also didnt fit. so i decided to make a emergency trip to summit racing in dallas to not loose another weekend. Place is HUGE! i brought the flywheel and had them pull 4 clutches that were supposed to fit. the first 3 did not. either had no dowel holes or 3. FINALLY the last clutch they pulled, and ACT was the winner. had the 2 dowel holes and fit perfect. 6 clutches later i finally had a winner. ive never used this brand, as ive only ever seen it used on import builds. but it fit, and sorta appropriate i guess for a "honda"
Motors In!
Build Vid
The following 3 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
03-29-2022, 03:35 PM
#358
LS1Tech Sponsor
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Ohio, Georgia, Nevada, Texas
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We're liking this LS2000 swap project. Glad we could help with your emergency run to the Arlington store. Of course, it's our biggest store it's in TEXAS! All 700,000 sq. ft. of it including a 32,000 sq. ft. retail superstore! That banner on the wall appears to be a 40-year anniversary banner. Thank you for your continued business. We'll be keeping an eye on this project looking for updates. Keep up the good work!
The following users liked this post:
STANG KILLA SS 2 (04-30-2022)
04-28-2022, 08:42 PM
#359
We're liking this LS2000 swap project. Glad we could help with your emergency run to the Arlington store. Of course, it's our biggest store it's in TEXAS! All 700,000 sq. ft. of it including a 32,000 sq. ft. retail superstore! That banner on the wall appears to be a 40-year anniversary banner. Thank you for your continued business. We'll be keeping an eye on this project looking for updates. Keep up the good work!
this car has a TON of summit parts on it. yall even had the S2000 Wilwood brakes, that not even wilwood had in stock!
great eye on the banner too!
The following users liked this post:
Summitracing (04-29-2022)
04-28-2022, 08:44 PM
#360
Holley Terminator X Max wiring and setup. and other odds and ends to start the new motor and ECU for the first time.
Bent up a center dash switch panel
Oil Cooler Adapter
Took the time to label EVERY single wire in the whole car. no guessing down the road.
Learned a new skill, pinning a new connector. the old one was shot and had raw exposed wires coming out of it
a $50 ebay silverado intake worked perfect as a cold air, goes right into a factory hole in the fender
First time applying power to the holley system. no smoke!
Holley install and first start up!
Bent up a center dash switch panel
Oil Cooler Adapter
Took the time to label EVERY single wire in the whole car. no guessing down the road.
Learned a new skill, pinning a new connector. the old one was shot and had raw exposed wires coming out of it
a $50 ebay silverado intake worked perfect as a cold air, goes right into a factory hole in the fender
First time applying power to the holley system. no smoke!
Holley install and first start up!
The following 2 users liked this post by STANG KILLA SS 2:
Passmenow (04-30-2022), Summitracing (04-29-2022)