Went down to NJ back in November to drop some things off and check in on progress

 

I got to hang out with Ihor in the engine building room for the day - that was really something

Ihor - thank you for your hospitality and patience talking me through the process

 

 

My next trip down to NJ should be in April once the snow, salt and sand clears for some break in miles





Hoarding continues

Peter and I have been going back and forth on a well balanced brake setup, swapping calculations, and finally landed on something good

Fronts are here and the matching / balanced rears are in the works (thanks Heath, Peter, and Rich).

Maou? Overkill? Sure - brake failure is not an option. With my next battle version being lighter and much more powerful than what I have been running for the past two decades, I am erring on the side of overdoing it

















Took the JRZ's out to grab some measurements for Hahn on something he has in the works.

My numbers were off but I got the full stroke numbers from the Netherlands and the Drawings as Built from Tim Olsen

 

My friend Klay asked me back in November if I wanted to play hooky on a Monday and join him at Palmer Motorsports Park for a private event

Oh, and he offered to let me drive his 991.2 GT3 RS Weissach

How do you say no to that?!












The car is so well balanced on power, braking, and handling - perfection!


Took a ride in a 1 of 200 GT2 RS Club Sport with an amateur Porsche Cup racer. Funny how safe you feel going well into the 150's when your strapped in and low slung between a full roll cage

 

Great group of guys all pushing for personal bests

Skeleton crew for flaggers, but everyone was safe and respectful

Open track format was great too. Might run some of these events for test and tune and dialing things in on the FD before hopping back into time trials















Alright, switching gears over to ice climbing to distract me while I wait for my car







Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Merry Krampus, and wishing you all a healthy and happy 2023!

Cheers!

 

I might be switching platforms, but I'm def going to be continuing to watch this build thread. Keep living the dream man!

 

Are you able to share any more details on the AP brake setup front and rear?

 

Awesome pics and updates. Thanks for all the detailed photos on your build !!!

 

Thanks Ben - back at you with your build


Absolutely

The front is an AP 9660 6-piston with 27.0mm x2 / 31.8 x2 / 38.1mm x2 pistons (RH -2S4L & LH -3S4L) at a decent for a six piston 6.1lbs (compare to an Endless Mono 6 at 6.5lbs). Check out the electroless nickel plating if you're considering a set - they look pretty good!







Pad thickness on the CP3905D54 size is a thick 18.0mm, with good options from Ferodo (leaning towards DS2500), Hawk (a few different DTC options), Endless (leaning towards CC-Rg), Pagid (leaning RSC3), or PFC (leaning PFC11)



The front AP J hook rotors are 355mmx32mm CP7177-211GC at 16.1lbs





The matching AP Pro 5000R 4-piston rear kit is still under wraps for viability and finalized details. The ideal for front to rear balance is a 9451 with a 25.4mm x2 and 28.6mm x2 4-piston caliper with a 340mm rotor

I am holding an Endless Racing 4 with 27mm x2 and 32mm x2 pistons with a 332mm rotor as a less ideal on balance (comparable to a 9450) back pocket rear kit if the matching AP doesn't get off the ground. I will at least match the finish to the AP's but will regret that spares take 3 months to come in from Japan, but at least the full caliper won't have to come off for swapping pads


These little binkers have served me well






but I don't think these will hurt (photo SBG)

 

Last day off, and my wife and daughter are out with the mouse on ice while the little man and I do some errands around the house. A few follow ups



I regretfully sold this 2001 transmission and the RE Amemiya shifter to a good home on the west coast








Shifted like butter, but sadly made it's way out the door


Visual for future me on where I want to be - the car goes where your eyes go




Personal better understanding of springs in a few applications


Nothing crazy here, just some back and forth with Shawn and Turbosmart Australia on trying to understand the contents of their new TS-0620-4012

I opened the box and the contents differed from the listing, so I was wondering what exactly I had... Running the wrong spring could have had catastrophic consequences


The red outer 14psi is fitted in the actuator, while the pink middle 7psi, and inner grey 5psi and black 3psi are included in the box

Swapped the red 14 for a pink middle and black inner - 10psi total to start to hold a modest low setting to start adjusting the boost trim against


Made my own chart for reference, not that I will be seeing many of these iterations









I was considering another set of springs while having many other pokers in the fire, and was talking with Heath on a set of Swifts (Eibach, Hypercos, Swift - everyone has their personal preference, and my experience is limited to Eibach and Tein).

We were talking about getting a better understanding of what I had to see where I should go first. Took the set back out over the holiday break to take stock


The spring rates out of the box are more in line with what I had in mind - I should have known Tim Olsen and the crew at JRZ in the Netherlands knew better than that


My mistake was in mistaking my tender springs for helper springs

Helper Spring The Helper Spring is designed to keep the main spring seated when the suspension is completely unloaded. The installation of a Helper Spring has no effect on the suspension characteristics of the vehicle
Tender Spring Tender Springs are used in conjuction with a main coilover spring when a softer initial rate is desired. Unline Helper Springs, Tenders have rate which will affect the handling characteristics of a car.


And good old math with the tender's relative spring rate being:
(Tender Spring Rate x Main Spring Rate) / (Tender Spring Rate + Main Spring Rate)

means my 150lb TENDER springs add an EXTRA 115.4lbs | 2.1Kg rear and 121.9lbs | 2.2Kg front

to the 500lbs | 8.9Kg rear and 600lbs | 11.6Kg front main springs











All that together, I have combined spring rates of
Front 771.9 lbs/inch | 13.8 Kg/mm
Rear 615.4 lbs/inch | 11.0 Kg/mm

and stroke at
Front 127mm
Rear 132mm


Not a bad place to start while throwing in stiffer front aero, stickier offset 295/265 tires, and wherever we land on a conservative for the long run power track setting...

...you know, cause it's always easier trying to balance many changing variables at once


This, however...



will need some homework / research, and time on the scales to ensure I don't have many hours of stupidity lost with a spanner wrench


Engine should be getting accessorised and dropped in over the next few weeks

Other little things en route while I wait


Happy New Year!

 

Rear stroke looks nice and big. Do you know how that compare to stock or other setups?

 

Interesting pair of new driving shoes...

 

Honestly not sure of stock or comparable lengths / stroke

For the first time in my life, the internet has let me down on finding an answer to your reasonable question, so I went old school and hit the books to see if I could find stock numbers

Unfortunately I couldn't find the numbers on first take but will report back if I find something


Books - remember these?! These were worth dusting off and taking down








I assume you're talking about my Shorty's motorsports?!

That with the kid's laugh, ben & jerrys, rock climbing, and my Virginia pen pal are the only things keeping me sane with my empty garage


Thumbing through the books for my latest assignment - recognize anyone or anything here?! Cheers Gordon!




FOLLOWUP
A KYB "stock" replacement strut has 5.5in / 139.7mm stroke length in the rear and 5.2in / 132.1mm stroke length in the front

My set of RS Pro 3's as built have (0.3in) / (7.7mm) / (5.5%) less stroke length in the rear and (0.2in) / (5.1mm) / (3.9%) less stroke length in the front

 

The shifter and trans will get put to good use, sir.

 

Absolutely Nader - making that funk the P-funk, gettin' your FD series 8 funked up

Please keep me posted on the FD and memoriam FC build - best of luck



Relatively on topic of the S8 transmission with my initial build goal for it when I bought it from Lucky7, and to get these pictures off my phone and in an easier to digest view

Gear ratios, bench racing, and math


Mike, Carlos, Peter and I were discussing gears and transmission swaps and the OS Giken gear set came up

Having gone with the 4.777 ring and pinion, it seems I may have missed my mark slightly on these gear ratios for my home track with estimated 145 top speed, and no interest in fully running out the gears albeit with machined "insurance" inside for higher shift points...

Mike liked the 4.100 and OS Giken for his setup and track

I will rerun with Liberty for posterity - if I stopped being a noob, I am sure this math has already been done elsewhere on the forum, but I'll keep the calculator constant for consistency


OS Giken Gear Set - good looking piece of kit with the strengthened main shaft, retains OEM 4th gear



Gear / OS Giken / OEM
1st: 2.578 / 3.483
2nd: 1.772 / 2.015
3rd: 1.289 / 1.391
4th: 1.000 / 1.000
5th: 0.821 / 0.719


I am going to leave these charts here for future me's "problem" to solve - too much on my project plate / not enough FD in my garage as it is

The calculator seemed good - wouldn't mind an audit if anything looks off


4.100 Stock Gear Ratios




4.100 OS Giken Close Ratio Gear Set




4.300 Stock Gear Ratios




4.300 OS Giken Close Ratio Gear Set




4.777 Stock Gear Ratios - where I'm at, albeit on current 285 AD08R's squared vs 265/295's A048's set on standby




4.777 OS Giken Close Ratio Gear Set - option B




Will keep running the numbers, but will really come back to this realistically with conviction sometime next year

 

I ran the OS box back in 2012 briefly before totaling my old VR R1 on NJMP...... sold the trans to a forum member and regretted it ever since. So I took the plunge again and had 'my trans guy' do the build a second time before he retires. It's been sitting in the corner of the garage, maybe reviewing your chart with speeds at 8000 rpm in each gear will motivate me to do it before DGRR

 

Do eet!


All things considered with your VR, did those numbers look relatively in line for you?

 

^ TBD on the OS Giken, Liberty and final drive feel I guess - future me's project to tackle


Ahh I now see what you meant on driving shoes Gordon

I have been rock climbing for over a decade now, and tried some ice climbing this year for the first time.


I went ice climbing up in Mount Washington Valley in January in -20* weather. With proper preparation, I was warm comfortable and had a lot of fun

I did find that the initial set of crampons and axes I had were more a mountaineers set versus proper vertical ice climbing gear














Took up snowshoeing, and picked camping back up

From a 6-person comfort, 3-person 4-season, to a claustrophobic but lightweight bivy









The great outdoors - not quite a racetrack, but a good distraction





Hiked up via Tuckerman and Lion Head

Rain / snow / hail / thunderstorms - it was a thing. Globally small and more of a rocky hill, but nothing to take lightly

 

Not much new to share

Continuation of my hoarding tendencies


356 brake duct cooling panels from Longlife Stockport

I won't need these with how efficient the AP J-hook is designed for cooling and how slow of a driver I will be, but a proper addition with the provisions in place from the onset

As an FYI to others as covered elsewhere on this forum, improper cooling can actually have adverse affects on rotor longevity - see article here












Ducting design beta and some help from the crew at Verus Engineering once the time comes



​​​​​​

 

Parts on standby for a planned overhaul

 

Some extended studs from MSI while I'm at it




They go with the high vis "gun slinging around the pit lane" yellow MSI lug nuts of mine




I don't have a press, so I got crafty at my desk for stud removal and install (see above for how I got crafty with a vice on my IWG75 to swap springs)






















Will have to modify the key locks on the Project Kics if I want to use them again

 

Fender liners for a plan to keep my engine bay clean(er) and keep the track dust, dirt, and marbles out


Had a good conversation with Costas and Carlos on potential adverse affects on these liners and oil cooling - a red flag worth noting

Costas didn't have anything to report on it, but something I'll keep in mind after install






Going with a 929 MC for the BBK. Yes, this is unfortunately a Centric piece and not what I believe is an NLA OEM replacement

Placeholder to pick up (and apparently guinea pig for the FD community) Heath's variable brake booster controller






Some sound advice elsewhere on the forum for a cheap addition for longevity on my oil coolers




A few more pieces for a larger suspension overhaul

 

Alright, some meat to the above potatoes


Some bullsh*t to unpack first


Well, August 2021 came and went on my project - the initial timeline I was given on my build before I dropped it off

April 2022 as promised October of 2021 came and went

April 2023 with my car "being on the lift until finished" as promised in November of 2022 came and went


Long story short, with a lot of frustration and anger, like many others in our small community, I had been continually lied to by Paul well before I dropped my car off. Eventually, the only way I was able to get answers was driving from Massachusetts to New Jersey where you can't ignore a phone call or email, and then he'd lie to my face or give me some some bullsh*t excuse.


Materiality isn't important here - lies are lies, and bullsh*t shouldn't pass at any level

A few friends close to the issue say I have been far too patient. That said, with me into this chapter a significant amount in parts and labor (not including the depreciating chassis) with almost every piece of project management out of my control - take some of the general frustration and anger and amplify it a little bit


I headed down to the shop this past Monday to go over the build with Ihor, and have been assured the bullsh*t will stop with Paul having been fired (good fu*king riddance) with legal action underway


I have been assured my car will be coming back perfect and as I envisioned it

I trust Ihor to deliver.



Okay, onto where this build is at