My only question is will you have it down in St.Louis in November for the Steve Kan dyno session? I want to see this marvel in person.

 

Yeah Yeah Yeah... The tow hooks have been an issue for me for a while. Originally I didn't want to use any. However, the reality of being IMPOSSIBLE to get the car onto a tow truck without damage if I have a breakdown on the streets without these out weights that. I saw my car being towed before all this body work when I didn't have any tow hooks. They had to use a point behind the front bumper to pull the car. The guy operating the truck knew what he was doing and did everything he could to ease my car onto the truck but the bumper still had to be flexed quite a bit by the tow line. With the way things are now if I didn't have tow hooks theres no way to get the car onto a truck without breaking something. So, I found the most inconspicuous hooks I could find. I didn't want any orange, red, yellow, blue, purple, etc crazy "hey look at me" color tow hooks. So I opted for the SuperNow! raw Aluminum tow hooks because they could be anodized or painted to match the car later.

I'm not done with these tow hooks. I'm gonna make some changes to really improve the look of them.

First the tow hooks are going to be pulled in closer to the bumpers so that about half the loop will be visible. Like this car which happens to use the same hooks(Super Now! car):


Then they will be anodized black or painted body color. Probably paint to match better. What you think?


I know. I wanted that trophy.

4 point ASM with 6 point addon.

I ******* hope so! Otherwise this will be like the third time I missed my Steve Kan tune!

 

Ok Good! Closer without the loop showing so big is MUCH better! And then simply for one reason only I would suggest anodizing, the color match will not be as good but simply for the reason that you already stated, that they are going to get USED, the anodizing will not scrape or rub off, by nature it is a melding type of process chemically that is, paint obviously is just layers of chemicals on top of the material, the first time they would get used the paint would get rubbed off for sure. Also I dont think the anodized black would be that off considering how close the tow hook looks to the bumper in that picture, probably would not even notice it.


C

 

you could powerdercoat those tow hooks the same color as yoru car. nyou cna get powder to match everything.

 

Powder is still a "coating" hence the name, that is why I did not suggest it, anodizing is the ONLY "semi-inexspensive" process that is not a coating but a molecular level bonding, physical aluminum material would have to be removed for the color to be removed, in powder paint and any other type only the color layer can be damaged to remove material and have it look like crap.

 

oh ok. im not sure how strog powder coating is i just heard it was reazy strong and could be color matched thats why i sugested it.

 

Powdercoating is ok, but once it chips you have to remove the part, completely strip the old powdercoat, then re spray the part again, and you can only do the process so many times before the powder just stops sticking to the part.

I agree that anodizing the hooks would be the 'best' option since they will eventually see use, despite how we all would hate to see that big *** vert sitting on the side of the road.

Keep up the progress pics Juice, cant wait to see a finished beast.

 

I have not kept up much as this thread is long as hell, but what's left to do?

 

Interior(Carpet, Seats, Eventually FG dash) reinstall suspension, build & install engine & trans, rewire ecu and lots of electrical stuff, install Racelogic TCS and a shitload of little things.

 

wow, amazing...ive been following this thread the whole time.

 

On Friday I picked up a ton of leftover parts from the shop. Our final order from Mazda came in today. It consisted of a buttload of weather stripping and seals and such. I dropped by the shop this morning to talk with the owner and they were working on installing all that. I picked up my painted & finished mirror shells so I could install the LEDs and mirror assembly. I should have those fully reassembled in the next few days. They think the car will be ready to leave the shop by the end of this week.

 

Keep the tow hooks raw aluminum (or polish them) simply for the fact that they are more visible. Yours and others shins will thank you in the end. I think they look good too.

Fwiw, anodizing will scratch and scrape like any other coating. Also, if you ever need a tow, just use a tow strap and not a hook, that way, you eliminate the worry altogether.

 

what product did you use to undercoat?

 

are those toe tow hooks removable or collapsible?

 

Of course you would, and no anodizing will not scratch and scrape like any other coating only speak when you know what your saying Dave.

 

acutsally he has a point a tow hook would remove some of the aluminum itself seeing as aluminum is a softer metal. now i dont like the polishing idea so much but realy its not our call.

 

When are we gonna see pics with the Teins and the wheels on!

I've been following this thread and love the car. Was never a fan of super wide kits, but I must admit, she is brilliant! I wouldn't drive her, but I sure as **** would stare at her fat *** all day long!!!!!!

 

You don't need an interior to get tuned. All the other stuff is needed though. Damned fuel injection! Good luck man.

 

Online stats say the diablo vt 6.0 is ~80 inches wide not including the mirrors ~86.6 with the mirrors. I believe the rear fenders of my vert are ~76 inches.

I don't really want them to be that visible though. I think I'll be able to pull them close enough to the body to not have to worry about busting up my shin too much.

Don't remember, will find out.

Well they are bolted to the frame so I guess that would be considered removable if you were to unbolt them?

I forgot to mention the interior shop is making me a new top. The carpet is already pulled from the car and I have a molded kit to just install. Everything being done at the upholstery shop is basically just plug and play except for the top.

Probably in a couple weeks. It all depends on when the body shop is finally done and how fast the upholstery shop can get their job done. Once that is done suspension and drivetrain are on the top of the list.

And why wouldn't you drive it?

I've seen anodized stuff scratch before. Was probably just standard anodizing though.

Hard Anodizing is the ticket.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hard-anodizing.htm

http://www.calphalon.com/calphalon/c...+does+it+do%3F

"Hard-Anodized aluminum is 30% harder than stainless steel."
"Hard anodizing also yields a product resistant to harsh weather, salt sprays and abrasive machining processes. Aluminum processed by hard anodizing can be only a few points away from the hardness of diamonds."
"Hard anodizing shares many characteristics with sulfuric anodizing, but the two processes have clearly different results. Hard anodizing creates a much thicker aluminum oxide surface with a stronger bond to the original aluminum layer."

Hard Anodized Black it is!

 

Listen twerp, go find yourself any anodized aluminum and put a metal hook on it and apply 1500+ lbs of pressure such as a tow hook might see. It will scratch. Hard or soft, it doesn't matter.

How many race cars have I worked on that have anodized aluminum parts?
I assure you, more than you as I did it for a living for many years.

Have you even assembled or turned and -an fitting before?

 

dp

 

First of all, I doubt it, highly, you are not the ******* master of all things, you just aren't, and for that matter neither am I, but I do know when to not open my mouth and just spout out **** for no reason, you however do not. For some reason you have had it out for me talking mad **** EVERY time I speak you have some smart *** bullshit reply and to be quite honest I dont take kindly to it, bet you wouldnt talk so much **** in person dude, bet a million on it.

Now for the relevant information, hard and regular anodizing, REGARDLESS of your wrench monkey *** turning AN fitting self or not DOES NOT SCRATCH, now if you are referring to scratching MATERIAL completely off that is an ENTIRELY different story and one I covered if you used your eyeballs and READ what I said earlier.

Powder VS Anodizing, powder is a COATING and can be scratched off anodizing is a molecular process that bonds color and material TO the original prepared aluminum which CAN NOT BE SCRATCHED OFF.

Anodizing, or anodising, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts.

Anodization changes the microscopic texture of the surface and can change the crystal structure of the metal near the surface.

Talk to ANY anodizer and they will explain this to you in infinite detail, which I have done and also have spoken to MANY MANY people that are much smarter than you and I about this at length, hours upon hours reading and yes turning my OWN ******* wrenches on powder, anodizing, clearing, polishing, you name it if it has covered or changed a metal surface in relation to a Car, a Computer or a Home I have probably touched it and dealt with it.

As for your apparent personal issue with responding in some catty *** shitty way EVERY time I speak TO JUICE by the way stop, if you want to be a ******** do it in PRIVATE to me privately, period.

 

 

I was doing some reading on hard anodizing earlier today and I came across some info that said that it increased the thermal conductivity. I had been thinking about anodizing my new Vmount IC before this. I wonder if it would make a measurable difference in intake temps.

 

From what I read I dont think so, I was considering doing the same thing, to be honest I think there are ALOT of other things that would be better/worse for the overall heat/intake temp levels.

Although as a side note my last personal FMIC I did in a polish look ceramic and it turned out real nice, the only downside to that is that your welds/bends better look CLEAN CLEAN because the ceramic mirror finish shows everything imperfection wise, but......obviously ceramic is the way to go for temp keeping the heat out/in whatever, but anodizing would look so nice and I think the 1-2deg difference would be worth it.