STANG KILLA SS goes "racin"
05-09-2017, 06:34 PM
#181
well before buying it, i had heard alot that the C6 seats were crap, and after doing some track time in them they were right.
ive been eyeing some cheap race seats on ebay for a few months, i wanted fixed position fiberglass seats. but sadly when i was finally ready to buy the ones i wanted(NRG) were sold out everywhere.
but these "Invictus" seats poped up that hadnt shown up in any of my previous searches. the shoulder area was a little narrower than i would have preferred. these also came with the side mounts which i wanted. most of the side mounts i saw sold separately were in the $125+ range per seat
i liked what i saw and the dimensions fit so i offered them $175 per seat and they immediately accepted.
when they came in i was happy with the quality.
i took some measurements and drew up a design in CAD for the mounting rails. i kept them low as possible as id read helmet/roof room was an issue.
picked up some 2" X 1/8" steel and after two evenings had the rails made.
kept the rails super low. the rail and bolt head actually touch the carpet. mounted with grade 8s.
painted
mounted
i was out of time and money before the next track weekend, so didnt go to harness's yet. picked up these seatbelt extenders to use as buckles to bolt to the cars floor.
unfortunatly when i tried to bend the hardened steel male buckle it snapped when i went past 35-40 degrees. so i welded them up at about 50-55 degrees to clear the seat rails. bolted them to the floor and worked perfect!
in! after these pics i unbolted the shoulder harness and ran it threw the upper harness hole. i didnt like not feeling the strap on my shoulder.
best news is i got no dash lights or chimes with the stock buckles and electrical connections no longer existing. i was worried about that. i do have an airbag light from the missing/unpluged seat airbags.
also i have a good 1-2" of helmet clearance with the roof.
Weights:
Stock driver seat with air bag, motor, and rails : 49lbs
stock passenger seat with airbag and rails : 39 lbs
Invictus seat with homemade rails : 22 lbs
total weight savings : 44 lbs
ive been eyeing some cheap race seats on ebay for a few months, i wanted fixed position fiberglass seats. but sadly when i was finally ready to buy the ones i wanted(NRG) were sold out everywhere.
but these "Invictus" seats poped up that hadnt shown up in any of my previous searches. the shoulder area was a little narrower than i would have preferred. these also came with the side mounts which i wanted. most of the side mounts i saw sold separately were in the $125+ range per seat
i liked what i saw and the dimensions fit so i offered them $175 per seat and they immediately accepted.
when they came in i was happy with the quality.
i took some measurements and drew up a design in CAD for the mounting rails. i kept them low as possible as id read helmet/roof room was an issue.
picked up some 2" X 1/8" steel and after two evenings had the rails made.
kept the rails super low. the rail and bolt head actually touch the carpet. mounted with grade 8s.
painted
mounted
i was out of time and money before the next track weekend, so didnt go to harness's yet. picked up these seatbelt extenders to use as buckles to bolt to the cars floor.
unfortunatly when i tried to bend the hardened steel male buckle it snapped when i went past 35-40 degrees. so i welded them up at about 50-55 degrees to clear the seat rails. bolted them to the floor and worked perfect!
in! after these pics i unbolted the shoulder harness and ran it threw the upper harness hole. i didnt like not feeling the strap on my shoulder.
best news is i got no dash lights or chimes with the stock buckles and electrical connections no longer existing. i was worried about that. i do have an airbag light from the missing/unpluged seat airbags.
also i have a good 1-2" of helmet clearance with the roof.
Weights:
Stock driver seat with air bag, motor, and rails : 49lbs
stock passenger seat with airbag and rails : 39 lbs
Invictus seat with homemade rails : 22 lbs
total weight savings : 44 lbs
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 07-22-2017 at 07:07 PM.
05-11-2017, 01:56 PM
#184
I'm iffy on using those seats with road racing. Autocross, sure.
IMO a quality seat/harness/harness bar is first on my list before getting on the track.
I'm running Corbeau Forza fixed back seat, which were on the cheaper end of a name brand seat.
IMO a quality seat/harness/harness bar is first on my list before getting on the track.
I'm running Corbeau Forza fixed back seat, which were on the cheaper end of a name brand seat.
05-15-2017, 06:36 PM
#185
headed back to the track last weekend and got to try the latest round of mods. hood vent and seats.
hood vent:
the vent did work and helped a bit with cooling but not a huge difference. at when stopped you can defiantly see the heat pouring out of it. it took a tad longer to get to the uncomfortable water/oil temps. and allowed me to run at the top of that range a bit longer, but im guessing no more than a 5-10 degree difference in MAX temps before i did a cool down lap. conditions were identical at 85 ambient before and after. not sure if the cooling effects would be more pronounced on a 100* day. i do fell like it helped with the front end aero lift though. between the hood vent, and removing the air dam i really didnt feel the dancing i was getting before from the front end at top speed.
seats:
seats and mounts did great. super solid. the lower portion of the seat really held me in place very well. but as i suspected the narrower (than most race seats) shoulder width didnt hold my upper body as good as i would have liked in hard cornering. better than stock, but i still had to hang on pretty good, and my shoulders were sore as hell from it.
the place was more packed than id ever seen it. with lots of new cars. including this Superlite SL-C. must have been a new car shake down because he was off pace all weekend. i thought the nitto Envos were an odd choice for such a high end car. LS3 powered.
this guy also showed up. i think he was lost
Lap times:
with my previous issues with the lap timer, i moved my phone to a suction mount in the windshield. this seemed to solve the issues, i was getting consistent lap times/gps signal.
Saturday it said i was running fastest of 1:57s, and by sunday my tires were gone, this was there 4th and final weekend. but it said sunday i was running bests of 1:58s. i was really have to tip toe exits sunday. felt like it would spin at any time applying power.
however when i came home to look threw all the gopro footage i was only seeing bests of 1:59s. i think it may be time for an external gps sensor.
however there was one lap showing a 4 second difference in the start/finish times on the gopro so i ran it threw my editing program and did frame by frame start and finish and it said i ran a 1:56!
i couldnt believe it. thats 4 seconds faster than my best ever in the camaro.
i dont have it confirmed by gps timer, but at this point i have more faith in the footage than the timer. sadly the timer wasnt running during this session.
this is that lap.
and for the first time ever the vette lasted the entire weekend without breaking anything! super stoked about that. shes finally getting there. had a blast.
1 weekend of fun = 3 hours of rubber scrubbing....
hood vent:
the vent did work and helped a bit with cooling but not a huge difference. at when stopped you can defiantly see the heat pouring out of it. it took a tad longer to get to the uncomfortable water/oil temps. and allowed me to run at the top of that range a bit longer, but im guessing no more than a 5-10 degree difference in MAX temps before i did a cool down lap. conditions were identical at 85 ambient before and after. not sure if the cooling effects would be more pronounced on a 100* day. i do fell like it helped with the front end aero lift though. between the hood vent, and removing the air dam i really didnt feel the dancing i was getting before from the front end at top speed.
seats:
seats and mounts did great. super solid. the lower portion of the seat really held me in place very well. but as i suspected the narrower (than most race seats) shoulder width didnt hold my upper body as good as i would have liked in hard cornering. better than stock, but i still had to hang on pretty good, and my shoulders were sore as hell from it.
the place was more packed than id ever seen it. with lots of new cars. including this Superlite SL-C. must have been a new car shake down because he was off pace all weekend. i thought the nitto Envos were an odd choice for such a high end car. LS3 powered.
this guy also showed up. i think he was lost
Lap times:
with my previous issues with the lap timer, i moved my phone to a suction mount in the windshield. this seemed to solve the issues, i was getting consistent lap times/gps signal.
Saturday it said i was running fastest of 1:57s, and by sunday my tires were gone, this was there 4th and final weekend. but it said sunday i was running bests of 1:58s. i was really have to tip toe exits sunday. felt like it would spin at any time applying power.
however when i came home to look threw all the gopro footage i was only seeing bests of 1:59s. i think it may be time for an external gps sensor.
however there was one lap showing a 4 second difference in the start/finish times on the gopro so i ran it threw my editing program and did frame by frame start and finish and it said i ran a 1:56!
i couldnt believe it. thats 4 seconds faster than my best ever in the camaro.
i dont have it confirmed by gps timer, but at this point i have more faith in the footage than the timer. sadly the timer wasnt running during this session.
this is that lap.
and for the first time ever the vette lasted the entire weekend without breaking anything! super stoked about that. shes finally getting there. had a blast.
1 weekend of fun = 3 hours of rubber scrubbing....
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 07-22-2017 at 07:15 PM.
05-20-2017, 12:00 PM
#187
Could that mesh on your bumper be hurting air flow for cooling? Just looking at the stock mesh, it(the stock piece) looks bigger.
Last edited by 89ThirdGenCamaro3310; 05-21-2017 at 10:56 AM.
06-08-2017, 06:06 PM
#189
was doing some research on high end coolant, and found out water is the best coolant there is. (i was embarrassed i had no clue about this) so i flushed the radiator 3-4 times to get all the orange Dex-cool out. i also fell for the commercial for the "as seen on tv" hyper lube/coolant additive. it was only $7 so i figured why not.
i also removed the baffle under the bumper on the Z to the radiator seen here
wanted to add some bottom breathing like an Fbody, so i picked up some aluminum sheet and got to cutting and bending. sadly i could only find .025" sheet locally. wasnt sure if it was gonna help or hurt but i was gonna find out. u can just see the rad and oil cooler
sadly as suspected the .025" sheet aluminum stood no chance against 150mph winds. just bent back.
the good news is the radiator flush/water did some good. i saw 10-30* cooler temps depending on time of day, and how hard i pushed. ambient temps were even 5* hotter.
Took everyones advice and ran the belts (lap and shoulder) threw the seat holes. while i had them out i took the buckles to a upholstery shop and had them sewed together so there was no chance of them slipping/sliding.
picked up a new set of tires, which meant cleaning out the rubber inside the rims
headed to the track last weekend.
Saturday after lunch the brakes and tires were cooled off, i pushed hard immediately and ran twin 1:56s on my first two outlaps!
these are those laps. i also added an external microphone to the gopro right above the license plate.
on the second lap i ran a 1:56.3. i really think im capable of a 1:55.x on that lap i got in too deep into T10 and slide the front tires and had to wait to recover, and also had to delay getting on power for the front stretch to get around a lemons car.
saturday night we got major storms there. couldnt get into the track until nearly 11am sunday. tunnel had almost 3' of water in it.
sunday afternoon i had a bird fly in front of me in turn 10. couldnt see if he came out or not once i passed. well on the next lap i saw his body laying there on track. really bummed me out and has been bothering me since.
i also removed the baffle under the bumper on the Z to the radiator seen here
wanted to add some bottom breathing like an Fbody, so i picked up some aluminum sheet and got to cutting and bending. sadly i could only find .025" sheet locally. wasnt sure if it was gonna help or hurt but i was gonna find out. u can just see the rad and oil cooler
sadly as suspected the .025" sheet aluminum stood no chance against 150mph winds. just bent back.
the good news is the radiator flush/water did some good. i saw 10-30* cooler temps depending on time of day, and how hard i pushed. ambient temps were even 5* hotter.
Took everyones advice and ran the belts (lap and shoulder) threw the seat holes. while i had them out i took the buckles to a upholstery shop and had them sewed together so there was no chance of them slipping/sliding.
picked up a new set of tires, which meant cleaning out the rubber inside the rims
headed to the track last weekend.
Saturday after lunch the brakes and tires were cooled off, i pushed hard immediately and ran twin 1:56s on my first two outlaps!
these are those laps. i also added an external microphone to the gopro right above the license plate.
on the second lap i ran a 1:56.3. i really think im capable of a 1:55.x on that lap i got in too deep into T10 and slide the front tires and had to wait to recover, and also had to delay getting on power for the front stretch to get around a lemons car.
saturday night we got major storms there. couldnt get into the track until nearly 11am sunday. tunnel had almost 3' of water in it.
sunday afternoon i had a bird fly in front of me in turn 10. couldnt see if he came out or not once i passed. well on the next lap i saw his body laying there on track. really bummed me out and has been bothering me since.
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 07-22-2017 at 07:19 PM.
06-08-2017, 06:30 PM
#190
10 Second Club
I really like seeing your updates dude! Keep up the good work!
06-09-2017, 08:34 AM
#191
I think once you get into serious racing sanctions, you can't run coolant. I believe they make you run "water wetter" or something so if something happens it will evaporate off the track.
06-13-2017, 06:52 PM
#193
also while i was there, was offered a ride in a Radical SR3!
about 1300 lbs and 200 hp. (hyabusa motor)
unfortunately i didnt hit the button on the gopro hard enough so it never recorded. i did get my helmet cam footage though.
he did mention he would have to get used to my weight, adding 200 lbs to a only 1300 lb car is a huge percentage so i believe him.
there was no warm up or cool down, he just went straight to business.
no words or video can describe this damn thing. every thing i know about cars and physics went right out the window. insanely capable was an understatement. it must make as much downforce as it weighs because there were no laws of physics, centrifical force, momentum, or gravity in that damn thing. he could be fully side loaded cornering so hard, and at any time slam on the brakes or swerve in tigher and it would just stick.
Corners where im slaming on the brakes, turning in, coasting to apex, and gently apply throttle on apex, he was doing foot to the floor and just steering!
I now know why he wears a carbon fiber helmet, head restraints, and a full containment sent. i litterally could not hold my head up it corners SO damn hard, i had to hold onto my helmet and head the entire run with my arm. by the last two laps my neck was hurting pretty damn bad, but i smiled right threw it.
as any good driver the first thing i noticed he used every last inch of the track everywhere no matter what the consequences were. at the end of the straight i run 150mph, with all that down force he was toping out at 120mph. but that didnt matter he did most of the infeild damn near flat out. on a perfect lap i run 1:56, on a perfect lap he runs 1:39s! 17 seconds faster despite the 30 mph handicap on the straight.
i just cant discribe it, i didnt know that was physically possible by a machine.
heres the vid. in the last two laps(9 minute mark) i could feel he was pushing harder, and you can see us come up on two C5s and see the grip/performance difference. just insane.
about 1300 lbs and 200 hp. (hyabusa motor)
unfortunately i didnt hit the button on the gopro hard enough so it never recorded. i did get my helmet cam footage though.
he did mention he would have to get used to my weight, adding 200 lbs to a only 1300 lb car is a huge percentage so i believe him.
there was no warm up or cool down, he just went straight to business.
no words or video can describe this damn thing. every thing i know about cars and physics went right out the window. insanely capable was an understatement. it must make as much downforce as it weighs because there were no laws of physics, centrifical force, momentum, or gravity in that damn thing. he could be fully side loaded cornering so hard, and at any time slam on the brakes or swerve in tigher and it would just stick.
Corners where im slaming on the brakes, turning in, coasting to apex, and gently apply throttle on apex, he was doing foot to the floor and just steering!
I now know why he wears a carbon fiber helmet, head restraints, and a full containment sent. i litterally could not hold my head up it corners SO damn hard, i had to hold onto my helmet and head the entire run with my arm. by the last two laps my neck was hurting pretty damn bad, but i smiled right threw it.
as any good driver the first thing i noticed he used every last inch of the track everywhere no matter what the consequences were. at the end of the straight i run 150mph, with all that down force he was toping out at 120mph. but that didnt matter he did most of the infeild damn near flat out. on a perfect lap i run 1:56, on a perfect lap he runs 1:39s! 17 seconds faster despite the 30 mph handicap on the straight.
i just cant discribe it, i didnt know that was physically possible by a machine.
heres the vid. in the last two laps(9 minute mark) i could feel he was pushing harder, and you can see us come up on two C5s and see the grip/performance difference. just insane.
07-18-2017, 07:09 PM
#194
my stock exhaust/mufflers broke an internal weld on the drivers side as was rattleing and vibrating like crazy. found a used B&B bullet exhaust on the forums and picked it up and installed it. the muffler is actually the tiny bullet at the top of the hump, the large canister is just a hollow resonator to eliminate the high pitches from the exhaust note.
also picked up a Dewitts radiator, twice as thick. has built in trans cooler like factory, but opted not to get the built in oil cooler after talking with other racers. to keep it seperate air to oil cooler.
stock rad removed, last pic i took
also remade my under bumper rad scoop, this time out of .06 aluminum.
made a redneck sheetmetal brake by bolting it to my bench with some angle alum.
unfortunately after the rad install and refilling the system, ironically the car over heated and we found out why.
melted center plug on the fan controller, a common problem on these cars, and had no airflow threw the new rad.
so i removed the stock plug, and not wanting it to keep happening i installed individual spade connectors for the 3 wires.
new spades and extensions on the fan controller side. yes thats dual 12G speaker wire
connected with fan motor side and heat shrinked
that fixed that and fans fired right up. still need to get the fan tune turned down though.
then i had a code after the rad/exhaust install and had also lost reverse gear somehow. p0449 "Evap Emissions control vent valve/solenoid circuit" which happens to be right near the exhaust in the back. spent two days under the car only to find one nicked wire, not cut, but insulation nicked. 3rd day i googled it. turns out the #13 fuse controls both the "evap vent valve solenoid" AND the reverse lock out. you guessed it, was blown when i nicked that wire putting in the exhaust. frustrating couple days, but an easy fix in the end remedying both.
after ignoring everyone telling me my fog light brake ducts wouldnt get cooling because the air is flowing over that area, not into it because its so far around the corner of the nose. well after several track days, i think they were right i wasnt happy with the cooling. so i made some scoops.
im sorta proud of them but watch your shins!
also picked up a Dewitts radiator, twice as thick. has built in trans cooler like factory, but opted not to get the built in oil cooler after talking with other racers. to keep it seperate air to oil cooler.
stock rad removed, last pic i took
also remade my under bumper rad scoop, this time out of .06 aluminum.
made a redneck sheetmetal brake by bolting it to my bench with some angle alum.
unfortunately after the rad install and refilling the system, ironically the car over heated and we found out why.
melted center plug on the fan controller, a common problem on these cars, and had no airflow threw the new rad.
so i removed the stock plug, and not wanting it to keep happening i installed individual spade connectors for the 3 wires.
new spades and extensions on the fan controller side. yes thats dual 12G speaker wire
connected with fan motor side and heat shrinked
that fixed that and fans fired right up. still need to get the fan tune turned down though.
then i had a code after the rad/exhaust install and had also lost reverse gear somehow. p0449 "Evap Emissions control vent valve/solenoid circuit" which happens to be right near the exhaust in the back. spent two days under the car only to find one nicked wire, not cut, but insulation nicked. 3rd day i googled it. turns out the #13 fuse controls both the "evap vent valve solenoid" AND the reverse lock out. you guessed it, was blown when i nicked that wire putting in the exhaust. frustrating couple days, but an easy fix in the end remedying both.
after ignoring everyone telling me my fog light brake ducts wouldnt get cooling because the air is flowing over that area, not into it because its so far around the corner of the nose. well after several track days, i think they were right i wasnt happy with the cooling. so i made some scoops.
im sorta proud of them
but watch your shins!
07-19-2017, 07:08 AM
#195
Remove mesh, get sand-able foam and fiberglass over them. Can make much better/complex shapes than bending sheetmetal in your garage.
I'm doing this for my intake elbow on mt LT1 since I have a custom radiator setup, which prompted a custom CAI and now no off the shelf elbow will work properly.
Also, what about NACA ducts? You did a real nice job on the scoops, but they don't look right and look too awkward IMO.
I'm doing this for my intake elbow on mt LT1 since I have a custom radiator setup, which prompted a custom CAI and now no off the shelf elbow will work properly.
Also, what about NACA ducts? You did a real nice job on the scoops, but they don't look right and look too awkward IMO.
07-25-2017, 02:03 PM
#196
Went back to the track last weekend.
Saturday was a bust. had a bad valve stem/TPMS sensor. cost me most of the day, several trips back and forth from track to discount tire, before finally getting it fixed. Also snapped a wheel stud in the process. by this time the rains from the Hurricane hit and flooded the track.
barely got out of the tunnel with the jeep. water was up to the bumper. ripped off the skid plate.
Sunday all was good!
Radiator
New radiator was doing some good. initial testing was showing about a 20* drop in temps, as a side bonus, with the motor being cooler, the oil temps were 10* cooler too. I didnt pay as much attention in the afternoon when temps rose, but i was definatly able to push harder longer, and recovery was quick. New spade connectors on the fan wires worked flawlessly.
Exhaust
New exhaust sounded great. had several people come up to me and comment on it as well. but its almost too loud. well its not so much the decibles as it is the frequency. it gave a weird feeling in your ear, like a vibration or pressure. with the helmet on it was just barely tolerable with the helmet off it was quite uncomfortable. by the end of the day, even with helmet on, my ears werent happy, they were swolen and hurting. alot of pressure inside my ear drum and couldnt hear ****, but a constant hum.
Brake Ducts
got lots of comments on these. but they worked well. definatly were cooling better. never had an issue. however im still not happy with initial bite and pedal feel. different pads and stainless lines are in the future i think.
Sunday after lunch had one of the most fun sessions ever.
4 of GMs baddest bitches, and 4 even drivers.
C6 Z07 Carbon on Michelin Sport Cup 2s
Z28 on NT01s
C7 Z06 on Pirelli Slicks
C6 Z06 on Rival S's (camera car, me)
Saturday was a bust. had a bad valve stem/TPMS sensor. cost me most of the day, several trips back and forth from track to discount tire, before finally getting it fixed. Also snapped a wheel stud in the process. by this time the rains from the Hurricane hit and flooded the track.
barely got out of the tunnel with the jeep. water was up to the bumper. ripped off the skid plate.
Sunday all was good!
Radiator
New radiator was doing some good. initial testing was showing about a 20* drop in temps, as a side bonus, with the motor being cooler, the oil temps were 10* cooler too. I didnt pay as much attention in the afternoon when temps rose, but i was definatly able to push harder longer, and recovery was quick. New spade connectors on the fan wires worked flawlessly.
Exhaust
New exhaust sounded great. had several people come up to me and comment on it as well. but its almost too loud. well its not so much the decibles as it is the frequency. it gave a weird feeling in your ear, like a vibration or pressure. with the helmet on it was just barely tolerable with the helmet off it was quite uncomfortable. by the end of the day, even with helmet on, my ears werent happy, they were swolen and hurting. alot of pressure inside my ear drum and couldnt hear ****, but a constant hum.
Brake Ducts
got lots of comments on these. but they worked well. definatly were cooling better. never had an issue. however im still not happy with initial bite and pedal feel. different pads and stainless lines are in the future i think.
Sunday after lunch had one of the most fun sessions ever.
4 of GMs baddest bitches, and 4 even drivers.
C6 Z07 Carbon on Michelin Sport Cup 2s
Z28 on NT01s
C7 Z06 on Pirelli Slicks
C6 Z06 on Rival S's (camera car, me)
07-26-2017, 01:46 PM
#197
Seems a good solution is the Borla or LG exhaust. You know it's there but it's very tolerable when racing AND meets sound limits. I know multiple people that run Borla or LG on their C5/C6's with some radical HCI E85 setups.
08-22-2017, 10:30 AM
#200
i dont have a torque wrench so i just make my lugs as tight as i can get them with my 18" 1/2" drive. obviously waaaaay too much. i started snaping studs.
sadly on the back of the vette you cant get the studs out because the parking brake and spindle upright are in the way. you have to remove the wheel hub.
new ARP studs #100-7708
also the car came with vinyl tinted taillights. they were pretty dangerous, way to dark and couldnt see any light. instead of paying $250 for LED eagle eye taillights, i decided to make my own for $10.
peeled off the tinted vinyl, then ordered some high gloss black vinyl on ebay. measured the tail lights and offset the circle 1/2" and cut out the black to let the outer ring be the stock transperant red plastic.
Viola! crappy cell phone pic
Headed of to the NCCC autocross in waco and Baylor Stadium
there were alot more serious racers at this one.
had my pressures too low at 32 at first. car was sliding and squelling pretty bad. got them back up to 34 range and was much better.
was insanely hot. heat advisory 102* with no wind.
I was running out of gear at the end of the 3rd parking lot, had to lift a bit early there.
my exhaust poped off again. put it back on twice. then gave up. once i got home i slotted the end of the pipes so the clamps could compress the tube and bite into the other tube on the slip joints.
also got code P0050. 02 sensor heater circuit. luckily i bought this little OBD2 reader i keep in my console for $25 bucks. best tool ever to instantly know whats wrong with the car when away from home. lots of people had good luck with it. i use the free "torque" app to access it and get live data from the car.
my best run
sadly on the back of the vette you cant get the studs out because the parking brake and spindle upright are in the way. you have to remove the wheel hub.
new ARP studs #100-7708
also the car came with vinyl tinted taillights. they were pretty dangerous, way to dark and couldnt see any light. instead of paying $250 for LED eagle eye taillights, i decided to make my own for $10.
peeled off the tinted vinyl, then ordered some high gloss black vinyl on ebay. measured the tail lights and offset the circle 1/2" and cut out the black to let the outer ring be the stock transperant red plastic.
Viola! crappy cell phone pic
Headed of to the NCCC autocross in waco and Baylor Stadium
there were alot more serious racers at this one.
had my pressures too low at 32 at first. car was sliding and squelling pretty bad. got them back up to 34 range and was much better.
was insanely hot. heat advisory 102* with no wind.
I was running out of gear at the end of the 3rd parking lot, had to lift a bit early there.
my exhaust poped off again. put it back on twice. then gave up. once i got home i slotted the end of the pipes so the clamps could compress the tube and bite into the other tube on the slip joints.
also got code P0050. 02 sensor heater circuit. luckily i bought this little OBD2 reader i keep in my console for $25 bucks. best tool ever to instantly know whats wrong with the car when away from home. lots of people had good luck with it. i use the free "torque" app to access it and get live data from the car.
my best run