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I have just spent the last four evenings reading through this entire thread. Where to even start on the compliments. I guess it is best summed up by saying freaking awesome! What a great thread. Scott, you have just about everyone fooled that your not an engineer or a machinist. The monkey see - monkey do isn't fooling everyone - you are an incredibly talented man for not being a professional.
While it may not have been quite what you imagined, I'm happy you got to race at Indy. There is always something special about the first time you are on a pro-track where you have watched so many memorable moments. Now you have your own.
I love the way your car looks. The yellow is a great color for an RX-7.
Thanks for the kind words JJ. Not an engineer or a machinist. The machine work and tig welding is by David Long at Santa Fe Garage Automotive Services in Independence, MO based on my drawings/measurements/designs. I did all of the mig welding and fabrication. Yellow has become a favorite color too. This is Chrysler Prowler yellow and is a perfect match for yellow duct tape and the roll plastic I use for air dams.
The story this year has not been very good. I had another third link mount failure that occurred on a muffed down shift (4th to 3rd). Examination of the welding on the 3rd link mount shows that I put a bead next to a seam and not on it. Was kind of a rush job last year between races and shop moves. Anyway, it took out the drive shaft, pinion flange, crush sleeve, exhaust collector, left rear shock and bent the rear end housing (toed it out...allot).
Everything is repaired - third link welded correctly this time - and the axle housing has been straightened by Layne Machine Works in Kansas City. I have one event left this year (Lake Garnett Grand Prix) and I am working on getting the car ready for it.
I have thread envy. Seriously nice work on the car and thread.I just don't understand how you and others do it. Like you have a camera guy and a typist there working the thread up. hell, I'm covered in grease, blood, budweiser and cuss words without a thought of touching the computer. It's guys like you that help guys like me figure **** out. Thank you, seriously.
I had my first successful event last weekend. Success meaning only minor things broke and I was able to be on track for the full event. I liken the car to an sr71. She's rough until you get up to speed then hot damn your in for a fun ride!
I had my first successful event last weekend. Success meaning only minor things broke and I was able to be on track for the full event. I liken the car to an sr71. She's rough until you get up to speed then hot damn your in for a fun ride!
Congrats on the successful event! Didn't make it out, I had to change coils on my V10 van which killed a Saturday. Now focusing on off season updates.
Sorry to hear that. When does your season kick off?
once I get things more sorted I'll probably head up to the track in Memphis, it seems like you mentioned competing there. Maybe we can sync up event schedules sometime, be a fun meet up.
Being as it's been like 10 years since I was involved in any Motorsports all the newer chassis I'm seeing have me a little green with envy. I did feel like the fb was still perfectly capable, I found myself held up by cars that weren't braking as late or as fast though the tighter sections.
Around here, We kick things off March 30-31 at Hallet, Ok, which I think will be a Hoosier Super Tour event. Here is the Mid-States Conference schedule: https://www.scca.com/articles/201085...-tour-schedule I hope to make a few of these races. My wife and I will be making plans soon. Heartland Park in Topeka is a sure thing for me.
I haven't seen the Midiv Schedule yet but I doubt that Memphis on it. We haven't had a race there in several years. In the past we had an early season Regional/National event there but attendance really fell off. I have never driven there but I have crewed and busted tires there a few times back in the 90s
Your track day experience with other cars sounds familiar. No matter how fast they are, modern street cars aren't race cars and they typically can't drive into a corner as deep as a well prepped RX7 or Miata can.
Scott, read the prelims yet? 2" fender flares are in at a 1% weight penalty.
Yep and advanced aero in at +5%. Wrote a letter in support of everything including the flares. Also like that they raised the rear wing so that it just has to be below the roof. Current rule puts the wing 6" below roof height which is blocks my rear view mirror.
Post 230 why do you say the gal se parts are an accident waiting to happen? I assume it's the 1 piece design. I don't think the FC brake swap stuff is available anymore. Any suggestions on working around this issue?
[QUOTE=mustanghammer;11914806]
If I had to do this, the rotors from a GS - GSL with the 4x110 lug pattern is the ones I would use. The GSL-SE rotor/hubs are a failure waiting to happen. [/QUOTE]
Post 230 why do you say the gal se parts are an accident waiting to happen? I assume it's the 1 piece design. I don't think the FC brake swap stuff is available anymore. Any suggestions on working around this issue?
[QUOTE=mustanghammer;11914806]
If I had to do this, the rotors from a GS - GSL with the 4x110 lug pattern is the ones I would use. The GSL-SE rotor/hubs are a failure waiting to happen.
[/QUOTE]
Because they are a failure waiting to happen. The GSL/SE rotors crack around the outer bearing and fail with bad results. It has to do with how they are designed/cast.
Charlie Clark at KC Raceware (KC Raceware) developed and sells an aluminum hub/rotor that replaces the GSL/SE piece and is SCCA E Production legal. He can probably make them up with a larger diameter rotor if that is what you want.
The FC kit could be replicated if you can get hub adapter machined, There are recent threads about this in the FB section.
I have a drawing I made based off the old FC brake hub adapters but I feel like I should go look up proper bearing fits before I release it into the wild. Pretty simple part to make on a lathe though.
I have not seen how this is being done but would imagine that the stock spindle pin is machined to fit inside the Speedway spindle and then TIG'd.in to place A loose interpretation of of the EP and STU rules would say this is legal since "struts are free" and the spindle is a part of the strut on an FB....your mileage may vary. Pinto bearings are HUGE compared to the ones used by an FB/FC RX7.
Personally, I think the adapter to fit an FC hub is the way to go. The hubs are cheap and readily available and the adapter strengthens the FB spindle where they break.
Msf racing makes bearing spacers for our cars. They also sell a couple options for hub kits. They make a big bearing kit that uses their spacer, i asked what bearing it uses and didnt get a specific answer. The other hubs just use stock bearings and are considerably cheaper. I wonder if the expensive option is just the spacer and a pinto hub.
edit
it looks like even their regular hub has the option of a spacer and bearing. for 5 to 600 bucks you get a hub, spacer, big bearings and a caliper bracket.
Upgrades for 2019:
Double Adjustable Koni Shocks and Struts
Changed the exhaust from a long primary into a short primary - used a NASCAR surplus 2 into 1 merge (2" into 3") and built everything in stainless
New Willes 2" steel drive shaft with a NASCAR/Mark Williams Jerico front yoke and a Sonnax forged aluminum rear yoke
Added vents to the hood to extract heat and release air from the inner wheel wells. (Hood vents are a newer mod for STU)
Shortened the Slave Cylinder rod to improve geometry on the clutch fork
Most of this stuff seemed to work really well, especially the double adjustable Konis. Unfortunately, the drive shaft was not up to the task and it failed....which is a nice way to say it twisted in half. Before the rear half of the shaft exited the car it beat a number of holes in the tunnel, smashed the exhaust, bent the pinion gear and the pinion flange.
Since then I have had a new 4.78 ring and pinion setup, had a large pinion flange modified to fit the flange adapter and started welding up the tunnel. The new drive shaft is a 3" unit from Coleman Racing products. The advantage of the larger shaft is that I can run straight up 1350 u-joints instead of the 1310/1350 conversion u-joints I have been using. It is also the same drive shaft my friend is using in his EP Rx7 that has a Jerico.
Unfortunately, house (new Furnace/AC) and family (moving in-laws from StL to KC) obligations have gotten in the way of quality shop time. Oh and my wife took a trip to Denver to buy a 24ft enclosed trailer so that sucked up another weekend! I am hoping to make an event in October but I have allot of work to do.
Thank you for the update. Very nice. Would you by chance have the model number for the Koni's you used? I would love to see pictures of the hood vents when you get a chance as well. A nice looking trailer as well.
Thanks. The Struts are 8611-1257 RACE and rear Shocks are part number 8042-1134S from a 94-2004 Mustang. Both are double adjustable. I picked them up used from a racer that went to Penske Shocks and Struts on his EP RX7. They work really well and compared to single adjustable Konis I had been using, they are better in transition. Would be the hot ticket for Autox.
When I get back to the shop I will snap some pics of the hood.
Here are the pictures of the hood vents. The guy that made the hood originally cut 3 sides of the vent and the clamped the hood back in the mold. He then used some wooden wedges to bend the hood to create the openings. Then he molded some carbon fiber on to create the sides of the vent. These are positioned to vent air from under the hood as well as from the wheel wells. The cat's name is Maxine and she lives in the shop. She thinks the vents are purrrrfecttttt.
Very nice. One thing about hood vents, make sure you block the vent intakes In the cowl. My hood vents ended up feeding the drivers compartment quite a bit of hot air. =)
10-03-18, 11:25 PM
