Aaron Cake

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The snow will be arriving soon in Southwestern Ontario. In fact it's already snowed once just a few days before Hallowe'en. What's up with that? As I just put the car away for the winter last weekend I figured it was a good time to make another short update thread about what's going on with the project. This is a quick and dirty thread with only a few pictures of some of the miscellaneous work done over the summer. Most of it covers fabrication of a rear strut bar.

We left off in the previous thread with the installation of the center console trim, vents and switches. This followed the installation of the interior including full Dynamat coverage, new carpets, new sport seats and all new trim. There are still a few loose ends to tie up though. The serial port needs to be installed in the dash to allow programming of the Microtech, that shift **** is horrid, and there's a hole where an ashtray should be.



First I made a small male to male 9 pin serial cable. I just used two serial ports from old computer cases. The motherboard side connector was cut off and the wires were soldered together. I could have been a bit more elegant by using crimp on DB9 connectors from the electronics store and a bit of ribbon cable, but really, there are two massive boxes of these connectors at our computer shop so I just grabbed a hand full before leaving one night. If anyone wants 10,000 DB9 serial motherboard cables, let me know.



After a minor adjustment to the mounting holes, the DB9 connector was mounted in the dash. Behind the console it plugged into a 9 pin serial cable I had previously ran.

I guess I don't have a picture of the new ash tray but I'm sure we all know what an S4 FC ash tray looks like. The original that came with the car had been used to...gasp!...hold ashes so it was no longer in decent shape. The sun faded the top of the door and the orange lettering was worn off the latch. It could not be easily saved so I purchased a new one at the dealer. It was $65 well spent. The old shift **** has been replaced as well with my classic 8-ball.



OK, time for some fun stuff. After long last I purchased a TIG welder and thus had a whole new world of material choices available instead of just plain old steel. As a first project I decided to fabricate an aluminum rear strut bar. The first step was to figure out the shape for the mounting flanges.

Apparently the inner surface of the rear strut towers is a very irregular shape. The logical place to start is with a cardboard template so it can be easily trimmed to fit.



I then transferred the template shape to some 1/4" 6061 aluminum.

Aaron Cake

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The center hole was drilled with a large 4" hole saw. There's nothing like a huge hole saw to test out a drill. I had recently purchased a new 18V Li-Ion Mastercraft Maximum cordless drill and this was the first major task I put it through. Drilling that hole took just a bit less then one battery pack so needless to say I was impressed. The rest of the flange was cut out using the jigsaw and then any minor adjustments were made using a file. A second flange was cut for the other strut tower as well.



A little bit of work with the jigsaw was necessary to make space in the speaker tower for the bar to pass through. The idea is to keep the bar as centered on the shock as possible so the only force it needs to withstand is compression or tension. This is only a two point bar so I didn't need to drill holes in the floor. A three point bar would have been better but I didn't want to give up the cargo area. Going to three points would cut the hatch area in half and cause me annoyance when I needed to carry something.



It took a little filing and adjustment of the bolt holes to get the flange sitting perfectly in the shock tower. Such is the case with hand fabricated parts. I took the opportunity to also draw the shape up in CAD so the machine shop can easily reproduce with a laser cutter, just in case.



The bar was then measured and cut. Here it's just lying in place. I used 1.5" SCH 10 aluminum pipe, because it was convenient to pick up at the metal store. They didn't have tubing with enough wall thickness in stock.



Once the bar was lined up, a few tacks held it in place. For the first time I have welded aluminum in three years, I picked a hell of a project. Getting the TIG torch into the confined space while trying to bend over the car, operate the foot pedal, handle the filler rod and fill the big gap between the round bar and flange was a little more difficult then I had imagined. I think I may have used more tungsten then filler. Note that I cut notches in the bottom of the bar so it sat flat on the flange.

Aaron Cake

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Here's the alignment of the bar. You can also see the notch out of the end allowing to sit flat. There's still a good amount of area that needs to be filled by weld though.



I then brought the bar out of the wind and rain into the garage for final welding. As I may have mentioned before, the environment in my garage is not great for TIG welding. Minimal space makes finding a comfortable position an exercise in frustration. Next on my list of purchases is a simple stool, because standing and trying to weld something sitting at waist level isn't fun.



With the bar welded, I cleaned it up a bit on the wire wheel and then upholstered it with leftover material from the carpet. ACC had thoughtfully included the two squares cut from the storage bin area as extra, so I cut them into strips and wound them around the bar. Permatex spray adhesive secured the material. I think it came out rather well. Could have been better, but it's good enough. Now I just need to find two maroon speaker covers in good shape (Mazda no longer stocks them).



And that's it for this update. It was nice for a change to spend the whole summer driving the car instead of building it. As much as I enjoy working on it, the whole point is so that it can be driven. Every time I sit down, turn the key and listen to the engine fire up it's nice to know that it's due to my own hard work and is something I alone have been responsible for creating.

What's next? Well, I have a few more plans before I can consider this phase of the project complete. I need to fix the blasted oil leak at the front hub. Since I need to pull the front cover and pan for some oiling mods that won't be a huge problem. I will be fabricating a new fuel tank from stainless steel as my existing tank is worn and somewhere has a tiny pinhole which causes fuel stink to escape, but not fuel. A sump will be included on the new tank as well so I don't have to worry about the pump sucking air at low fuel levels. I may also add another resonator to the exhaust for just a bit more quiet.

Oh yeah, one other thing, and possibly the moment everyone has been waiting for a long time. I broke my transmission! Yes, my NA transmission is broken. All it took was two years and over 400 wheel HP, but it's finally showing signs of wear. The 3rd weekend of October, a few of us local owners (dj55b, immanuel__7, Snrub) went down to St. Thomas Dragway for a bit of Friday night fun. Being late in the season, the track was nearly deserted compared to the summer. But as well, the track temps were cold. Traction was not going to happen. My first run was an agonizing 14.37 with tire spin in every gear. At any amount of throttle it was just a flurry of spin and wheel hop. Next run I warmed the tires up a bit and pulled a 13.74. Not great, but better. The final run (yes, final) I made full use of the burn box before pulling to the line. The car hooked well, but still not well enough to pull off a better 60 foot time then 2.2. Light throttle through first gear got me going until I hammered it in 2nd and didn't let up until we crossed the line. As the temperature had dropped several more degrees by that time, the car was pulling hard when the upper gears allowed it to actually put the power to the ground...A bit too hard in fact. As I pulled away from the timing booth (ET was 13.31) I heard the transmission whining. I looked over at Snrub in the passenger seat and said "I think I broke my transmission". I called it a night at that point but dj55b and immanuel__7 kept going until the track closed.

Some damage has been done, I guess to the cluster shaft. I have a decent whine in 1st and 2nd, which goes away in the higher gears. The car is still drivable and I continued to drive it until this past weekend, so the transmission is not dead. Aside from the whine it seems fully functional so I wouldn't hesitate to continue to drive the car if the weather would allow it. We're facing snow anytime so I decided last weekend was the last decent weekend in which to put the car away.

Do I care that the transmission is broken? Not really. Had to happen at some point. This winter I'll have a bit more space in which to work so I'll fix it up at that point. A transmission swap is in order, but not to a TII unit and not with another NA unit. You'll have to wait until the spring to get the details. At the same time I deal with the transmission I'll also install a much needed LSD rear end. Time to stop messing around with tire fires whenever I hit the throttle.

Snrub

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I like that strut bar setup, very nicely done.

Aaron, post your MPH 1/4 mile times for the other readers.

I was in Aaron's car for his 1/4 mile runs. The traction issues are really wild. For instance in his best run he managed to keep traction in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, but then lost it in forth. It's hard to believe until you witness it.

Syritis

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be careful of that camophlauged bar i predict someone hitting their head on it

84stock

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A posi would make a big big difference. As for a trans, ideally a built c4 auto with a good converter and a trans brake would shave a ton off at the track (no boost loss on the shift, and great launches with full spool)........................

TD07

I'm sorry Aaron I wasnt going to say anything but..........

That was the best you could do for the strut tower bar? Pretty lame. I expected alot better. Your one piece design means you had to cut the snot out of the speaker towers, why not weld some gussets to the flanges to attach the actual bar, you know like every commercial bar we see? And carpeting the bar? A little elbow grease would have that thing gleaming and polished to perfection. It just reminded me of that idiot a few years back that was making front and rear braces out of rebar.

Sorry I can't imagine I'm the only one that was dissapointed by the effort.

Aaron Cake

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97.99 (lame, spinning every gear), 104.85 (a bit better I guess), 108.98 (that was a 13.7 second run according to the timing shed. If it had not screwed up, it would have been 12.8).

Anyone in the trunk who could hit their head on the bar would already be tied down and handcuffed, so it probably won't be an issue.

Automatic?! That ain't going to happen.

Interestingly, the problem is controlling spool at launch. I need to feather the clutch and throttle in 1st otherwise I'm launching under boost and it's nothing but tire spin.

I'm probably going with a T-5 transmission.

The reason they do that is for convenience of installation. Also to prevent massive backlash from people complaining that the bar doesn't fit their bent up car (remember the CP Racing strut bars?). Adding a bolt to a strut bar is akin to bolting together a roll cage. It totally destroys the rigidity of the bar and makes a pivot point. If I was to bolt each end in with one bolt (I can't make a huge flange or it wouldn't pass through a small hole in the tower) then that creates an awesome pivot point, rendering the bar useless. Now, if I extend the mounting flange in the tower up a bit so I can put a bolt in the front and one in the back, I've now created a lever which takes considerable gusseting. It makes the flange very hard to install into the tower, probably kills the possibility of mounting a speaker and creates a huge lever which then multiplies the force of the tower moving. It moves one pivot point into another pivot point, making the bar a lot less effective.

This bar is, however, a prototype. My new design will have a significantly stronger flange, differently shaped bar and optional three point arms.

There is no polished anything in my car. The only silver that can be found surrounds the gauges and the stereo. Only two tiny little silver accents in an interior that is black and maroon. A polished bar would clash with the interior, reflect into the rear view, need repolishing every few months, and damage cargo. I mentioned one of the reasons for carpeting the bar was to prevent damage to stuff I may want to put in the hatch. A customers computer that somehow slides into a carpeted bar is undamaged. Not so if hits an aluminum rod (not matter how shiny it may be).

Someone made a strut bar out of rebar?! That link? This I have to see....

TD07

Well I'm glad to hear the bar is a prototype. Listen I understand what your saying about the bolts being a pivot point, but I think it's effects are minimal to say the least. Lots of cars participating in races over seas use them without any complaints. Again I've seen custom made ones from over seas that use a multi component construction. But again it wasnt sheet metal on my car you cut so whatever.

Your right the polished look is personal preference. Yours just reminded me of that jack post in my basement someone wrapped in salvaged **** carpet to complete their half assed basement reno. Again to each there own.

I'll see if I can't find those rebar pics, it was back in the day 6-7 years ago now. Ontario guy of memory serves.

Leigh Adams

who delivers computers in a 400 hp sports car??? that's fast service!!

great work as always Aaron. it's been years since I saw you last.

I'd love to buy a TIG welder sometime.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

I swear I replied to this thread.

anyways


I'm shocked you had traction issues at st. thomas.

I remember last year spinning the tires (245 R compounds) in my FC in 4th gear! I can't even do that on cold unprepared smooth pavement, but somehow I can do it on a hot "prepped" dragstrip!

This fall I was having traction issues in 1st and 2nd in the GTR... it should hook fine in 2nd on dirt.

Nice to see it out though - I'd love to hit up a track day sometime with ya.

Aaron Cake

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I'm not really that worried about cutting the speaker towers. They are there to hold the speaker up, and still do that just fine. To me adding a bolt and the complication necessary doesn't seem like a worthwhile tradeoff.

I always look funny at engine bays where there's a nice polished strut bar (or intercooler piping, or whatever) on top of an engine that totally doesn't match. It's always been odd to me that someone would buy a nice new polished whatever and bolt it up to an engine that still all rough cast aluminum. In the same way that it wouldn't match, the only thing that would make my bar match with the interior is to wrapped in material the same colour of my carpet or black. Black would have been nice, but I didn't have any black vinyl. I can always easily change it in the future.

I'd love to see those.

I've now rented a shop to house my new TIG welder...

Customers know when I arrive because they can hear the "brap.brap.brap......brap.brap.brap...." resonate throughout their building.

I'm not blaming Sparta for the traction issues really. It's an issue of me not having enough tire, an open diff, and cold track temps.

I've spent plenty of time at Sparta watching the "big boys" lay down runs faster then 6 seconds. If they can do that, there are no traction problems.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

when the "big boys" are there, they prep the track.

I cut a 1.583 60' this year at sparta, but it's because the track was hot and sticky. On the spring and fall test and tunes, when the place is empty, it seems like the prep is less than optimal.

But yeah, open diffs + narrow tires = sucks...

get some welds and slicks :P

Aaron Cake

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Sparta isn't keen on prepping the track when there are only 7 cars attending, and I understand why. A cold night with few participants isn't going to allow anyone to set down any records. The track won't warm up, and there's no point wasting traction compound when 2 cars are running in the 13s.

On busy Friday nights before a Saturday event, I've watched Pro 5.0 teams lay down serious runs. In that case, they prep the track and it makes total sense why. 40 cars running and some pros practicing means it's worthwhile for them to keep the track up.

B6T

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Wheres that 4 rotor you had that shaft made for?

dj55b

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rented a shop eh ... need an extra pair of hand ... willing to work for free ... as long as I get to use some equipment I can show off my welding skills

Aaron Cake

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It's sitting on my work bench painted up as a display. I think soon it will hang on the wall. As it was just a test of joining methods, I don't expect it will ever be in an engine. For the 4 rotor project I'm going to use the Precision Engineering kit. I figure I'll spend almost as much in machine work to design my own so I might as well just use theirs and cut the foreplay.

Mainly the shop is for our own amusement and to develop some products. We'll only be working on our own cars. Sorry, not open to the public. Certainly you can come by if you wish, once it's all set up.

dj55b

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send me a pm of where the location's at ... I'll definatly come by and take a look.

B6T

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If you could find, and wanted to spend $1000+ on the 80mm plate from a 20B, and you had a two sided stationary gear (custom made obviously), it would work. Right?

Aaron Cake

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Yep, it should work. I would need to get a stock middle iron and then add a double sided stationary to it. The 20B plate is too thick. While my joining method seem solid I don't think that the test shaft is good enough to last more then a few thousand KMs in an engine. Actual machine work would be needed to make sure the shafts fit perfectly for use.

Cheers!

I thought it was spelled TIINA. For shame on you for not spelling her name correctly.

Aaron Cake

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I took out the extra I a while ago.