And so the fun begins... [Archive]

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James OLC

03-09-2009, 09:34 PM

After 1,600 miles, 27 hours, 3 blizzards and 1 trailer tire... the fun begins...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/bakersfield%20day%201.jpg
Ironworks Speed & Kustom, Bakersfield, CA... March 9th, 2009

awr68

03-09-2009, 09:38 PM

Now what are you up to?

class67

03-09-2009, 09:46 PM

Damn....I like that car :thumbsup:

James OLC

03-09-2009, 09:47 PM

Now what are you up to?

Tomorrow... probably spend the morning doing another nut and bolt rehash on the lift before finding out if the brakes and transmission are going to behave...

then... put some miles on the car in Sunny California...

...maybe a change of tires... and some more fun...

until the weekend... when I'm looking forward to seeing if "I suck less" on the autocross in Costa Mesa...

then... we'll see...

ironworks

03-09-2009, 09:49 PM

I thought we were installing a transaxle and tube chassis, before saturday.

Nova to Camaro count now- 4 to 5

awr68

03-09-2009, 09:50 PM

Sounds like a great plan....enjoy!! :cheers:

James OLC

03-09-2009, 09:52 PM

Rodger, it's not a secret if you post it first...

novanutcase

03-09-2009, 09:57 PM

I just got off the phone with Rodger!

DAMMIT JAMES! You're throwing off the zen that is Ironworks! It used to be a nice balance of Novas and Camaros and now you've thrown off that balance!:lol:

Welcome to the Ironworks family! Your screwed!!:lol:

John

James OLC

03-09-2009, 10:03 PM

novanutcase

03-09-2009, 10:18 PM

John...

Your car is AMAZING... pictures do not do it justice. There is so much about it... I was just blown away. :hail:

As far as upsetting the balance... well... that many Nova's in one place can't be healthy anyways...

LOL! OK....the camaro gauntlet has been thrown down!:mad: Calling all Ironworks Nova owners...............:lol:

Thanks James! I've heard nothing but good things about you from Rodger!

John

GHOSTDANCER

03-09-2009, 10:42 PM

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :cheers:

Damn True

03-09-2009, 10:49 PM

As far as upsetting the balance... well... that many Nova's in one place can't be healthy anyways...

:lol: :cheers:

nice

tones2SS

03-10-2009, 07:49 AM

That is a GORGEOUS car!!!:thumbsup: :cheers:

Aschle

03-10-2009, 08:36 AM

That is a GORGEOUS car!!!:thumbsup: :cheers:

X 2 !!! :thumbsup:

3SuperSports

03-10-2009, 09:44 AM

Beautiful Camaro.:thumbsup:

Steve1968LS2

03-10-2009, 10:01 AM

Ohh.. SoCal will soon be thick with 67/68 first gen Camaros!

It should be fun watching people confuse our cars at the events.. lol

Kendall Burleson

03-10-2009, 10:02 AM

Killer ride:cool: :cool:

Aschle

03-10-2009, 11:57 AM

Ohh.. SoCal will soon be thick with 67/68 first gen Camaros!

It should be fun watching people confuse our cars at the events.. lol

Funny you mention that, at first glance I thought to myself... Bad Penny got some new shoes... Then realized it was another car alltogether...

You both have some insane rides ! Congrats to you both !!

Jason

Spiffav8

03-10-2009, 12:06 PM

Rodger, it's not a secret if you post it first...

LMAO! :lol:

VP23271

03-10-2009, 01:03 PM

That is a long haul! Hope everything comes together with the t-56 and brakes. Looking forward to seeing you run the car in Costa Mesa.

James OLC

03-10-2009, 08:13 PM

Long day... I think that I might have found one of my transmission issues today and definately found a brake issue.

Tomorrow I have to log some miles to be sure.

Hat's off to Rodger and everybody at Ironworks... awesome hospitality and great support. It's really appreciated and badly needed.

ironworks

03-11-2009, 11:20 AM

Man this car hauls major ass. James is working out a few minior issues but man she runs and stops hard. You should hear how good the car sounds when He does a drives by or Flys by the shop at like 85 mph. MAN

Nice Car James, Don't worry about the black marks out front, when they are 12" wide that is COOL.

monza

03-11-2009, 11:51 AM

Very cool James. Hope the drive down was not to bad? Ironworks looks like a badass place to hang and do some wrenching, lucky you. Now go burn some rubber...

Mean 69

03-11-2009, 01:25 PM

Steve1968LS2

03-11-2009, 02:54 PM

Jimmy, could not find anything specific to the break in process for the Black Gold Differential. Only thing I could find states that you should use "good" lube such as the Redline High Impact. No additives unless you use ordinary lube. Might just need to put some miles on it and then assess the deal. Good to chat with you today, looking forward to buying you adult beverages this weekend, drive safe and have fun 'til then.

Mark

Hey Mark, we will be shooting two cars tomorrow in Fontana.. and both have LD three-links! lol.. go figure.

Jim's car and Stiller's '69

We were going to do testing but the track bumped us so it's just a photo shoot this time.

You coming to Costa Mesa?

camaro2nv

03-11-2009, 03:52 PM

I just love this car! Just AWESOME!

Mean 69

03-11-2009, 04:08 PM

Steve1968LS2

03-11-2009, 04:48 PM

Steve, I will be going up see the Costa Mesa show, most likely on Saturday. When are you going to be smushing cones? Do you have an idea of when Jim will be running in the Mighty Muscle event, he wasn't sure when he'd be driving in anger. I'd like to be there for that portion, obviously!

Highjack: Jeff's car came out really nice, I still don't care for the wheels, but I love the interior work he did on the car. Obviously the work that BOS did is outstanding too. Funny, Jeff was my first customer, Jim was my second!

See you this weekend!!
Mark

I will be abusing cones all day long. The Mighty Muscle (I think) is held throughout the day.

Love Jeff's car, the wheels aren't my style but they are nice and the whole car has a cool "street machine" vibe but with a killer suspension. He really did a nice job on the rear seat with the three link.

You can take Penny for a spin.. I will be running the cheepo spoiler this time :)

James OLC

03-11-2009, 09:30 PM

Another long day - finished the nut and bolt, played with ride height, fiddled with the dash, made some minor exhaust tweaks, and ultimately put some really fun miles on the car.

There are still some lingering issues that I need to figure out (like a pesky vibration that comes in at 57 mph but is all gone by about 75) but nothing that seems to be major.

Looking forward to Fontana tomorrow and a cruise up the PCH Friday and then Costa Mesa for the weekend. I can't promise that I'll set the world on fire but at the very least it should be memorable.

camcojb

03-11-2009, 10:13 PM

have a great time James.:thumbsup:

Jody

Flash68

03-11-2009, 11:03 PM

Such a gorgeous Camaro....

98ssnova

03-11-2009, 11:49 PM

Payton King

03-12-2009, 06:00 AM

If it is speed sensetive vibration...at the speeds you speak of regardless of gear or RPM it is a tire ballance issue.

Can't wait for you to get the car sorted out and start beating on it.

Mean 69

03-12-2009, 02:11 PM

You can take Penny for a spin.. I will be running the cheepo spoiler this time

Do I need to bring my helmet? Guessing it'll be a small, low speed course, given the venue and number of spectators. Cheapo spoiler? Heck, I can break one of those just as easily as a nice one! :cool:

M

Mr.Ron-06

03-12-2009, 03:53 PM

Speaking of spoilers, does someone fabricate (and sell) the sheet metal type adjustable ones like on James Camaro?

Thanks,
Ron

Steve1968LS2

03-12-2009, 09:44 PM

We shot the car today for Camaro Performers at California Speedway.

Here's a shot not good enough for the magazine as a teaser. :)

http://i42.tinypic.com/25tdn2s.jpg

Beautiful Car!

Spiffav8

03-12-2009, 11:02 PM

http://i42.tinypic.com/25tdn2s.jpg

Awesome!

James OLC

03-13-2009, 12:29 PM

It was a really fun experience at California Speedway yesterday with Steve. I think that we made his job a little bit tougher since part of our job was to direct the light where he needed it - unfortunately, it's been six months since we last saw real sun and we were slightly confused by it...

As ususal, a touch of new car drama with the '67 when I blew a fuse trying to roll both windows up at the same time :faint: - sigh...

Not wanting to rist taking anything away from Steve - my favorite picture of the day (as taken by my wife) and new desktop background:

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/socal%20ps1.jpg

It was another long day but we're finally in Newport and getting ready for a cruise down to Huntington before the Goodguys show tomorrow.

We'll be somewhere between the Mighty Muscle corral and the autocross all weekend.

tones2SS

03-13-2009, 01:06 PM

James, that is one beautiful car.:hail:
ENJOY!!!:cheers:

James OLC

03-13-2009, 04:54 PM

Definately enjoing it today. :cool:

Went for a nice 50 mile cruise up the Pacific Coast Highway in the middle of the afternoon with no issues (aside from my 57 mph vibration). Temperature never got over 185 - which is a nice change from my old dinosaur big and small blocks. It's still having a fast idle issue but I think that is because of my redneck IAT sensor location.

Nice way to end the week... now bring on the weekend... I'm tired of feathering first and second gear!

James OLC

03-13-2009, 05:35 PM

Some random parking lot shots from today (and yes, I forgot almost everything Steve taught me yesterday, especially wrt the front wheel)...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/socal%20hotel%201.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/socel%20hotel%202.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/socal%20hotel%203.jpg

srh3trinity

03-13-2009, 06:09 PM

Very nice, like the color and I have always liked HRE's.

tony byram

03-13-2009, 06:36 PM

James, that car of yours is absolutely beautiful. Great color too. What kind, and what sizes are your wheels and tires? Just beautiful. :hail:

98ssnova

03-13-2009, 11:58 PM

Wanna build a 72 NOVA HAHA just kidding unless you want to. Congrats on the ink that I'm sure is on its way.

skatinjay27

03-14-2009, 12:39 AM

man james...I never get tired of seeing your car! for me its deffinatly the baddest 67-68 there is!!!1:thumbsup:

tony byram

03-14-2009, 01:48 AM

Jay thats a sharp looking second gen youve got there too:thumbsup:

Steve1968LS2

03-14-2009, 06:12 PM

Your wheel is turned perfect if your shooting a tire advertisement.. lol

Wish the weather was a sunny today and as always your car looks great.

James OLC

03-14-2009, 06:15 PM

Your wheel is turned perfect if your shooting a tire advertisement.. lol

Wish the weather was a sunny today and as always your car looks great.

After another day like today I might need to do some advertising for a tire company... at least I have a start.

Thanks buddy, maybe tomorrow we'll have some sun...

sjakes

03-14-2009, 06:29 PM

Can I ask did you fabricate the front and rear spoilers? If not where did you get them? I'm looking for something along that very line for my 68 Trans Am Race Replica I'm building.

Thanks

James OLC

03-14-2009, 06:56 PM

The rear spoiler came from Jake's and we fabricated the front spoiler and splitter ourselves.

syborg tt

03-15-2009, 05:08 AM

I agree it sounds like a tire balance issue.

However I would check for a bent wheel.

The car looks Awesome.

James OLC

03-15-2009, 10:02 PM

After reviewing some video from todays autocross and taking Mark (Lateral Dynamics), Jon (Best of Show), and David Pozzi for some quick spins, I think that there might be an issue with the rear end... sigh

It's going to take a bit more sorting out but I was pleased with my times on the autocross course so it's not 'terminal' at this point - more like teething pains.

Payton King

03-16-2009, 06:10 AM

I heard on the video? Are you running a locker in the rear?

ironworks

03-16-2009, 07:41 AM

James Congrats on the Muscle Car Finalist award. You deserve it. Your car is totally amazing, The fit and finish and details never end and the fact you have and will continue to use it for what it is for. You and the car were really progressing in the Autocross this weekend. I had a great time hangin out last week and Your welcome to come back to wrench on your ride any time. I guess when you get back to Calgary, I will see you on Iracing since the camaro will be vacationing in Sunny Southern California.

Congrats and drive safe.

Rodger

James OLC

04-21-2009, 07:05 AM

And so the fun continues...

There is some really cool stuff coming up for the Camaro over the next month so I thought I should probably bring this post up to date with our 'progress' since Costa Mesa...

We resolved a couple of problems and found a couple of new issues at the autocross in Costa Mesa...

The good news is that the transmission problem seems to be resolved - both the clutch and the TOB are behaving themselves.

Unresolved... the brakes are better than they were at Spring Mountain but they are still less than 100%.

The bad news is that the car has developed an irregular miss. It's popping through the exhaust every once and a while... seems like a plug issue but I don't think it's major.

Really new... and really bad... was an exciting new sound that rally bstood out in some of the on car videos from the event... a fairly regular but inconsistent "whack whack whack" noise from under the car... which turned out to be

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/shop%20060.jpg

There was some significant deflection (one thing or a combination? the jury is out) in the front corners. Although there is lots of static clearance it seems that under dynamic conditions the bolt attaching the tie rod end to the steering arm is grazing (to put it mildly) the inside lip of the wheel.

HRE wound up rehooping the fronts and giving some additional clearance on the inside. In the future some ZR1 hubs may be the order of the day)

***
When I got to Best of Show in San Marcos I found that three plug wires had hit the exhaust and were intermittently shorting out. Three bad plugs - three bad wires. I was able to piece together some replacement wires with a small block ford set that Steve had brought for D!ck and reusing the LSx colil ends from the old wires. A bit of a bandaid but it should be functional for now.

tones2SS

04-21-2009, 07:09 AM

James OLC

04-21-2009, 07:10 AM

Thanks to the help of everybody at Best of Show Coachworks we were able to get the car to the Goodguys show in Del Mar where we were fortunate to be able to split our time between the OPTIMA Batteries display and the autocross course...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/del%20mar%201.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/del%20mar%202.jpg

I had the chance to get a lot of time on the Autocross course on Friday and Saturday...

Taken by Hotchkis who were are behind the Autocross 110%... and a great bunch of guys to boot
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b307/inkahntrol/NotPenny01.jpg

Taken by the guys at RideTech (www.ridetech.com (http://www.ridetech.com/more/))
http://www.ridetech.com/more/wp-content/gallery/jpeg/goodguys%20delmar%2009%20037.jpg

And, not unexpectedly, a couple more issues came to light...

On Friday we found that the front end was too tight to the wheel - the ride height settled a bit over time (or so it would appear) - and the front tire got cut up by a fender bolt. Nothing disasterous and we were able to raise the ride height.

On Saturday we found that one of the valve stems worked loose over two days of abuse (it was new following the rehoop earlier that week). Luckily the tire went flat at the end of my last run... close call but again nothing disasterous.

The best news... no more whack whack whack.

The car is at an undisclosed location in Norther California getting an adjustable rear bar fabbed up from a stock Hotchkis peice as well as some select other improvements at Pozzi Racing.

Spring rates are going up... ride height is going up... bump steer is being fixed up... some new safety and communications gear is being installed... and some other, undisclosed, improvements are coming.

Next up... the Streets of Willow and a couple of open track days.

And then... ?

camcojb

04-21-2009, 07:43 AM

ironworks

04-21-2009, 07:58 AM

And Then, And Then, and Then...... NO More "and then" Just tell everyone you will be going back to the indoor show car seen.....

Looking forward to seeing the Camaro at Willow Springs very soon.

Rodger

James OLC

04-21-2009, 03:44 PM

that's great James, getting it all sorted is part of the process. You'll end up with a completely dialed in car, much more so than most guys who don't push and use their cars as hard as you do.

Congrats!

Jody

Thanks Jody, it gets better every time we take it out and I am sure that it will be twice the car that it was two weeks ago with the new bar, springs, alignment, and ride height. Willow Springs should be a great test next weekend.

And Then, And Then, and Then...... NO More "and then" Just tell everyone you will be going back to the indoor show car seen.....

Looking forward to seeing the Camaro at Willow Springs very soon.

Rodger

Dude... that hurts... especially coming from the guy who is going to a "detailing course" Saturday while we're out on the road course...

ironworks

04-21-2009, 04:03 PM

Dude... that hurts... especially coming from the guy who is going to a "detailing course" Saturday while we're out on the road course...

Hay what can I say Corporate sponsorship will do wonders to a guy, Just kick me if you see my with any kind of collared shirt that is tucked in, Then I need an real ass kicking.

I know your not an indoor show car guy, but hay you left the door open. I heard from your corporate sponsor today, I'm sure you will be doing something for them soon also.

:D Hi, My name is James and I own the "BAD WHEAT PENNY " from Canada A and I love ______ batteries.:D

Steve1968LS2

04-21-2009, 04:21 PM

Hay what can I say Corporate sponsorship will do wonders to a guy, Just kick me if you see my with any kind of collared shirt that is tucked in, Then I need an real ass kicking.

I know your not an indoor show car guy, but hay you left the door open. I heard from your corporate sponsor today, I'm sure you will be doing something for them soon also.

:D Hi, My name is James and I own the "BAD WHEAT PENNY " from Canada A and I love ______ batteries.:D

Jim's going to start sporting "sponsor" patches all over his clothes.. May should be a busy month for the One Lap Camaro.. :yes:

James OLC

04-22-2009, 06:58 AM

Yeah... May is going to a big month... it would be a lot easier if everything wasn't 2000 miles away.
I could use a couple more of those patches... they really do help take away some of the pain.

04-22-2009, 08:41 AM

James,
What is the main problem with the brakes?

Steve1968LS2

04-22-2009, 11:08 AM

Yeah... May is going to a big month... it would be a lot easier if everything wasn't 2000 miles away.
I could use a couple more of those patches... they really do help take away some of the pain.

Well, your case of Torco "super oil" should be there today or tomorrow.. I will ask them for a patch ;)

James OLC

04-22-2009, 11:46 AM

Very cool... :thumbsup:
make sure you send me a jpg of their logo (along with that paperwork) before you leave.

James OLC

04-22-2009, 11:52 AM

James,
What is the main problem with the brakes?

I don't know for sure yet if there is a 'main' problem or just a couple of little problems or things that need to be better adjusted. The brakes are there but they are definately not exceeding my expectations if you get my drift. We are going to rebleed the system and change out the fluid and I want to look at the pedal travel length (which, like the clutch might have been adjusted too far inboard) and I need a place to work on the bias adjustment.

We'll see... just more things to get 'right'.

04-22-2009, 12:01 PM

I don't know for sure yet if there is a 'main' problem or just a couple of little problems or things that need to be better adjusted. The brakes are there but they are definately not exceeding my expectations if you get my drift. We are going to rebleed the system and change out the fluid and I want to look at the pedal travel length (which, like the clutch might have been adjusted too far inboard) and I need a place to work on the bias adjustment.

We'll see... just more things to get 'right'.

I would also have high expectations of AP brakes. I hope you get the car sorted out.

James OLC

04-22-2009, 12:12 PM

I don't think that the AP's are anything short of awesome brakes... but to be realistic, any time that you build something from scratch you're (at least I am) going to have teething issues - sometimes obvious ones, sometimes subtle ones. It could be as simple as too aggressive pads and not enough heat... it could be physical bias... or it could be MC sizing.

Regarless, we'll get them sorted out soon :)

lizzie01

04-24-2009, 11:07 AM

That car is simply gorgeous! Whatever I say would do no justice to that blessed thing. Made my car looks like those crap you buy from junk shops. I am so envious :)

Payton King

04-27-2009, 07:45 AM

front and rear, pedal ratio, piston sizes and pads?

James OLC

04-27-2009, 09:31 AM

Master Cylinders (front and rear) are 13/16" bore
Pedal Ratio is 6.25:1
Pads are Mintex Xtreme (which appear to want higher temps)

Payton King

04-27-2009, 10:02 AM

twin set-up. With a 6:1 ratio I ended up with a 5/8 on the front and 3/4 on the rear. There is plenty of fluid volume, so do not let someone scare you off with that. With gauges at the calipers, I am developing 1200 psi on front and 1100 psi on the rear with about 100 lbs of leg pressure, which is a hard push. I am running Wilwood 6 psitons up front and 4 pistons in the rear.

Because of brake bias you want the rear master to usually one size larger(more volume, less pressure) than the front to keep the rears from locking first, then use the balance bar to fine tune.

Where I think the size is sometimes missed, assuming the balance bar is set neatural in the center, your leg pressure is being divided by 2. Each system is different and you will need to play with the sizes to get it just right. Huge rear tires and smaller fronts may take the same size front and rear to get maxium braking out to the car.

Put a set of gauges on and get a reading. I would size the front down to 3/4 and leave the 13/16 and see if it gets any better. You should be able to lock the fronts with 1000 or so psi.

I am not familiar with the pad, but it may be a combination of not enough pressure along with the pad. If it is a track pad it will kill your rotors if you are not generating enough heat. I would get a set with a compound you can use on the street and maybe autocross and save those for open track stuff.

Not that it is the same but I have BP-10's for the street and a set of "b" pads for track days.

I can tell you I have messed with mine for at least a year to get it right. Numerous phone calls and hours spent on calculators. Ron (guy with the 68 and the twin turbo mustang motor) runs 3/4 front and rear on his dual set-up.

James OLC

05-06-2009, 12:59 PM

Wow – what a great weekend!

It’s hard to put the last five days into words but I’ll take a shot at doing it justice.

As many of you know, after the Goodguys show in Del Mar, the Camaro went home with David and Mary Pozzi for some much needed tweaking. The car was coming around but there were still some suspension setup issues that needed to be addressed – a rear bar being first and foremost on the list of must dos – and the Pozzis were the more than up for the task. When I got to California on Wednesday the new rate adjustable rear bar (a modified Hotchkis second gen piece) was in place and ready to go and we were going to finish up a couple of things Thursday and leave for Willow Springs mid day on Friday. That was the plan…

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/rear%20bar.JPG

Thursday and Friday we made wholesale changes to the suspension tuning. David picked out some new springs – stiffening the car up front and rear – and we added proper bump rubbers to the shocks for some added protection. We reset bump steer up front, adding “some” additional spacing between the steering arm and the end links.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/bump%20steer.JPG

We increased the ride height by ¾” of an inch front and back and corner balanced the car properly (for what it’s worth, we wound up with a 49.7% cross weight and 54 / 46 % front to rear). Finally we aligned the car and completed a nut and bolt inspection, (which necessitated a minor, last minute tweak)…

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/clearance2.jpg

…eventually giving the car a clean bill of health for the weekend. At 9 pm on Friday we loaded up the trailer and, after a quick dinner and a couple of hours of sleep, we hit the road at 2 am for the 6 hour drive to Willow Springs.

Despite all of us being completely bagged, the drive to the track was smooth sailing. Mary made it to the track first with the car and had it though tech when David and I arrived in the motor home – with about 5 minutes to spare before the drivers meeting.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%201.JPG

James OLC

05-06-2009, 01:00 PM

After filling the car with some 100 octane race fuel David took the first lap of the weekend in the ‘beginner’ group (sorry about that David)

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sat%20MP%201.JPG

and came back with a big grin and suggested only a minor adjustment to the brake bias.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%202.JPG

I was up next and after getting settled in the car had only a brief moment of panic and frustration when, upon turning the key – absolutely nothing happened. After some quick diagnosis – made a bunch easier thanks to the self diagnostics of the ISIS system – found that I had knocked some relays loose when I was adjusting the brakes. The rest of the day was as close to “flawless” as I could have hoped.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sat%20MP%202.JPG

David and I continued to alternate sessions, making minor brake and ride height adjustments through the day (Mary thought the car looked like a “backwards stinkbug” when the front end came up onto the straightaway).

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sat%20MP%203.JPG

The only hiccup for me occurred in the final session of the day – as I approached the rumble strips on the far end of the track the car ‘hesitated’ briefly; it wasn’t much but I pulled off a couple laps early to try to see if there was a problem. Nothing was obvious so we parked the car and called it a day.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Street%20of%20Willow.JPG

James OLC

05-06-2009, 01:00 PM

I took the opportunity that evening to walk the track and make some more detailed notes on lines and how far I thought I could push things here and there. There are a lot of elevation changes on the track so some things were a little deceptive from inside the car. Finally (ok, it was 8 o’clock) I retired to the trailer and called it a day.

Sunday morning was more of the same. Up bright and early (just barely beating Carl and Chad) and back onto the car. There was one point that morning, as everyone was getting settled at the track, when First Gens probably outnumbered any other group in the pits – I had never seen so many great cars together in one place outside a show – it was really cool. Back to business - fill with gas again, drop the car another ¼”, dial in a little more rear brake and back on the track.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sun%201.JPG

Since we were lapping most of the red group we moved up to the intermediate group which gave us a chance to play tag with Carl and his awesome ’68.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sun%202.JPG

For the most part Sunday was a repeat of Saturday – no real problems but a lot of fun. I did have a nagging warning light coming on throughout the day and seemed to be a little bit slower than I had been on Saturday but I couldn’t see anything wrong on the dash so kept an eye on it and continued until the last session. There were three outings in a row where Carl and I seemed to be in a world of our own out there – we were swapping spots every few laps and pushing each other every lap, passing Mustangs, ‘Vettes and everything else we could get around like they weren’t even there. It was honestly the most fun that I have had in the OneLap car since the day I started the project.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%20Sun%203.JPG

In kind of a repeat of the previous day, the last session ended a bit early for me… I was noticing that the warning lights were becoming more frequent and the car was hesitating more often. There was also a bit of a noise coming from the front end that I couldn’t put my finger on so, after nearly looping it once on the straight and finding it difficult to keep up to Carl and Rocco, I reluctantly pulled into the pits and called it a weekend.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/WillowSprings/Willow%204.JPG

It didn’t take long to find the first problem… with the car running the dash was showing less than11.5 volts – definitely not enough to keep an LS engine happy. Monday we found the other minor issue of the day – the front brakes were dragging (a lot). It turns out that the last bias adjustment took the front pushrod just slightly out of its comfort zone and the MC wasn’t fully releasing the front brakes – hence the squeak and the sudden desire for the back end of the car to try to pass the now slower front of the car. Likewise, the charging problem was traced to a failed regulator in the alternator.

SO… trying to shorten a really long story…

Thank you so much to David and Mary for their help, hospitality, and patience. David’s mentoring, advice, and input helped me a ton both in setting up the car as well as driving it and seeing where improvements can be made. Mary’s enthusiasm, drive, and screaming (including the incredible hissing gopher incident) went a long way to help maintain focus and make the weekend an overwhelming success.

The car is now getting prepped for the Nevada Open Road Challenge next week. Repairs have been made to the brake bias and the alternator and a couple of subtle improvements are being worked in.

Thanks again to everybody and to the LA Shelby Club for putting on an awesome event. Hopefully we have an opportunity to do it again sometime soon.

James OLC

05-06-2009, 01:01 PM

And some video from Sunday - mostly chasing Carl around...

SplitterVision with Carl (Camaro) and Rocco (Mustang)
X4VaoaSe8V4

Vent Windows... gotta love 'em...
9WSXCyQykCc

05-06-2009, 01:45 PM

WOW! You had one hell of a weekend. What lap times did you run compared to David? Good luck in the SilverState :thumbsup:

syborg tt

05-06-2009, 02:02 PM

the car looks awesome.

I can't tell you how N V US i am to see you having a good old time with your car. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

Vegas69

05-06-2009, 02:23 PM

Very jealous myself! Car looks great.

customcam

05-06-2009, 05:08 PM

Talk about enjoying yourself with good friends,very cool
and the beast is amazing congrats

GHOSTDANCER

05-06-2009, 06:01 PM

:woot: :woot: :thumbsup:

monza

05-06-2009, 07:32 PM

Hell Ya Dude, thats awesome!! That's what it's all about Hot Rodding in PT style.:bow:

( however the noise from that vent window sure is loud :D )

James OLC

05-10-2009, 09:04 AM

( however the noise from that vent window sure is loud :D )

Your Camaro either has vent windows or does not have vent windows... and you sir, do not have vent windows... :rofl:

Yeah, the poor sound quality of the GoPro camera is second only to it's horrible and erratic battery life. The only place that it seems to sound good is in SplitterVision which shows you how much dead air is at the front of the car. We're going to try to make one or two of them work for the NORC deal but I have my doubt's that the batteries will make it to the end.

Rhino

05-11-2009, 07:57 AM

Your Camaro either has vent windows or does not have vent windows...

I never have been a fan of the vent windows, but after looking at the pics earlier in this thread, I'm starting to warm to them. :thumbsup:
Next you'll have me getting rid of my marker lights!

68protouring454

05-11-2009, 08:21 AM

Your Camaro either has vent windows or does not have vent windows... and you sir, do not have vent windows... :rofl:

Yeah, the poor sound quality of the GoPro camera is second only to it's horrible and erratic battery life. The only place that it seems to sound good is in SplitterVision which shows you how much dead air is at the front of the car. We're going to try to make one or two of them work for the NORC deal but I have my doubt's that the batteries will make it to the end.

go pro tells you to take the gaskets off the front and rear, re install them and the sound will be way better

BBC71Nova

05-11-2009, 09:13 AM

Yeah I picked up a GoPro at SEMA and then we mounted them to the go carts that night at PolePosition :D . Quality was OK but sounds was terrible. Gasket removal does seem like it would help. I was considering jeopardizing the waterproof case and drilling small holes in the case where the mic is. Figure if I ever need it to be near water resistent I'll just cover with tape. If you plan on submerging then that isn't good idea though :-).

John

James OLC

05-12-2009, 06:10 AM

The sound on the GoPro is one issue (and I was leaning towards drilling the case as BBC71Nova was thinking) but the completely unpredictable and seemingly random battery life is really frustrating. Hopefully I can find some AAA that will last 51.429 minutes (+/- some grid and parking time) for the NORC this weekend...

68protouring454

05-12-2009, 06:36 AM

my battery's have been holding up fine, i just set it up so i start it just before i roll out of pit, it also helps to have someone there to start it, so it does not have to sit there and run.
battery life more has to do with the junk battery's being sold these days

James OLC

06-27-2009, 11:47 AM

Well it’s been a while since I updated this post on our spring odyssey so I thought I would do a quick update before I head down to Salinas for another weekend of development, tuning, track time and (hopefully) fun.

As most everybody knows in mid-May we ran the Nevada Open Road Challenge. The infamous Steven Rupp was navigator for our 90 mile blast down Nevada Highway 318 while Dave and Mary Pozzi kept us on the straight and narrow for the weekend – providing invaluable tuning, guidance and moral support.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/NORC%20side.jpg

We completed in the Optima Batteries Half Mile and High Noon Shootouts for fun and on Sunday we finished 4th in our class – 0.37 seconds off of our target time – not bad for a couple of rookies… I won’t repost everything about the event, but do want to say thank you once more to OPTIMA Batteries for sponsoring us in the event and to David and Mary for their help – we couldn’t have done it without them. If you’re interested the complete story of our weekend is here: Back from the Nevada Open Road Challenge... (http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=20742)

James OLC

06-27-2009, 11:48 AM

After the Silver State Classic event our next stop was the Goodguys Rod & Custom event in Pleasanton, CA. This was going to be our first autocross since adding the rear sway bar, increasing the spring rate on all four corners and tweaking the brake bias so we were cautiously optimistic that we were heading in the right direction.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj93/gvanlaar/Auto-x/P1010447.jpg
photo by g_vanlaar

When the dust cleared on Sunday we (both the car and the driver) were both showing improvement – running a low 37 second lap which put us less than a second behind Mary’s winning time in her ’73. We also identified a couple of more places where we can get more out of the car… we’re still pushing in the corners and will increase the rear bar rate to get the car to (hopefully) respond a bit better. We’ve also got too much front brake which is in turn putting too much weight on the front and making the push worse… we’re going to swap master cylinders to try go increase the rear bias. It’s also time to do something about the tuning in the car… Painless has helped us out with a closed loop tune for the MEFI4B and we need to get the idle sorted out before we all lose our minds… it’s been nearly a year… it’s time.

We have also (we think) made some headway with our other ECU related issues and will put our theory to the test next week. If we’re right we should make some power and might have solved our engine cutout problem – we’ll see in a few days.

Next weekend were heading for the American Autocross Series event in Marina, California. David and I will be putting the car through it’s paces on an autocross course that should give us some running room and really let us see how close we are getting on our setup.

James OLC

07-14-2009, 10:44 PM

Well I have been negligent in updating our California adventures since getting back from Marina last week (it sucks when the real world gets in the way) but it was such as blast that I have to take a few minutes to look back on the weekend. It was one of those “working” race weekends that can be both frustrating and rewarding at the same time – fortunately this one ended up being both. With the help of David and Mary we have made great strides in getting the OneLapCamaro closer to being right but going into the weekend we were still fighting an understeer ‘problem’ and were chasing our 60 mph vibration. We also wanted to play with the fuel injection – maybe convert the calibration over to closed loop – and take care of some charging issues that could have been the source of our 149 mph “issue”. We were also trying to play with the brake bias to get a better balance and take some weight off the front end under braking.

Wednesday and most of Thursday was spent switching the rear brake and clutch master cylinders. The clutch was a ¾” bore while the brakes (both front and rear) were 7/8” bore; by switching the two we hoped to get more rear brake bias and maybe help the TOB a bit. After bleeding the brakes and slave we road tested the car on a cruise through Carmel Valley to a local cruise night at the Baja Cantina which is a really cool spot that was really hopping – especially with the GP in town for the weekend. Best part was a nice 80 mile cruise on a beautiful Thursday evening.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/Carmel%20Valley.JPG

Friday was spent trying to isolate some charging issues and some minor rewiring. I tried a couple of different calibrations but couldn’t get the car to idle without hunting in closed loop so we stuck with the original setup – hoping to get some time with a knowledgeable tuner some time in the near future.

Saturday morning it was up bright and early and off to the Marina Airport to run with the American Autocross Series. Mary led the way on a typical overcast morning on the peninsula…

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/On%20our%20way%20to%20AAS.JPG

I had known going into the weekend that we were up against some still competition – running in the C Prepared class. As one of only two cars in the class on street tires it was immediately apparent that we were up against some stiff competition. The class was dominated by early Camaros and Mustangs which were built to do not much more than dominate autocrosses. Amongst our competition was TAZ – the awesome ’67 Camaro featured by Steve in Camaro Performers a couple of months ago – who was typical of the cars in the class – 2,100ish lbs, huge fender flares to accommodate 13” slicks front and rear, and a gnarly sounding small block. VERY COOL!

The great thing for us was that our goal was to sort the suspension out first and have fun second. The great thing about the American Autocross Series is that you can get a ton of runs in and can have multiple drivers. On Saturday David and I shared the driving duties – making 5 runs each in the morning and afternoon. At one point we were hot lapping the Camaro so quickly that we weren’t even shutting the car down between runs – one of us would hop out, we would check tire pressure and the other would hop in to get buckled up to make a run.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/AAS%201.JPG

In the morning, we started with no major changes besides the brakes which proved to be a great improvement. The pedal was still really stiff but we were finally able to get a very good balance between the front and the rear and it really helped to eliminate most of our issues while braking before coming into the corners. The car was still understeering badly with the front tires chattering badly in the sharper turns. At lunch we decided it was time to play with the rear sway bar (which David had modified to be adjustable) and upped the rear rate.

Heading out in the afternoon the difference was immediately evident – a bunch of understeer was gone but now the rear end was ‘a touch on the free side’. With the front end behaving better I eventually got myself into trouble, looping the car in what was looking like a great run (ok – the first couple of turns were going great – but it was there). The back end was just so free that the least amount of throttle would get you really out of shape. Making matters worse, as the day warmed up (and due to the fact that we were keeping the car running almost all the time) the engine temps were rising, hovering around 200 degrees. Not enough to be worried about, but enough to cause some detonation when combined with the ‘high octane’ California premium unleaded. With the GP going on that day, Laguna was not an option for getting some race gas. Fortunately MuscleCarJohn came to the rescue with 5 gallons of 110 octane low lead (thanks again John!) and we were able to blend and solve that problem.

Saturday night was frustrating as we discussed what we needed to do to get the car sorted. I was frustrated at my driving – which I thought was getting better but the spin had killed most of my confidence – and we were all frustrated at the car. We went to bed with no obvious solution.

James OLC

07-14-2009, 10:48 PM

Sunday morning was another early start. Just as we were getting ready to hit the road and head to the airport, David suggests changing the mounting point for the Watts Link – raising it up one position. His thought was that the roll center for the first gen was fairly high on the front (seemingly much higher than Mary’s second gen) and that maybe by raising the roll center in the back the car would be better balanced. The change took about 10 minutes and then we were off.

Sunday we were running the course in the opposite direction as we had on Saturday and I was first up. I got down the first stretch of zig zags and came into the first long 180 degree sweeper – our nemesis the day before - and as I accelerated out I think I probably shouted a little Woo Hoo as the car rotated like never before and practically shot out of the turn. There was still a little bit of understeer but nothing like the day before and best of all, the rear end was no longer loose. One bolt – 10 minutes – and it was like being in another car.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/AAS%202.JPG

Once again we were hot lapping the car but this time every run was better and better for everyone. I admit that I looped the car again, this time in the final 180 degree sweeper, but it was my own fault – I had gone through the slalom at nearly 60 mph and had neglected to get the car adequately whoa’d up in the turn and when it got out of shape I tried to power through it and lost the battle.

In the afternoon Mary and I were taking turns in the car and, as before, were getting faster as the day went on. On one of the last runs of the day Mary went around the course, finished what was her best run of the day, and immediately pulled back up to the staring line. She was nodding her head and shaking her fist and when the flag dropped she was off on an even better pass. When she got back she got into the staging lane so we could make our last switch of the day… “I got this thing figured out!” she exclaimed, “there’s a 41 in it – go get it.” Well, I’m obviously no Mary and I didn’t get the 41 but I did get a rewarding 42 and change for my best of the day.

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/AAS%20Mary.JPG

Then the dust settled on Sunday it was a completely different story than the day before. The car was working well and we had learned a ton. We made great improvements and ultimately were mid pack in C Prepared – turning faster times than some of the cars that had seemed so ominous the day before. All told we made 40 passes with the car and opened the hood twice – both time more out of a sense of duty than a real need. Mechanically the car performed flawlessly and the handling and setup was coming our way. There’s more there and we’re already chasing it…

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/AAS%20Marina/AAS%20Last.JPG

As always, thank you so much to Dave and Mary. Thanks to John for the gas - it was great to meet you and see your garage! True – it was a pleasure to finally meet you, hopefully we can get together again next time I come down.

That’s all for now – the adventure will continue next month (I hope) when the AAS returns to Marina…

James OLC

07-14-2009, 10:57 PM

Some YouTube Videos…

Saturday Roof Mount
hOX6YBzlsjY

Saturday SplitterVision
8dpXtDb8S78

Sunday Mounted on the Side
UjETWRXXmsU

Sunday SplitterVision
NgqlYpyMayI

GregWeld

07-15-2009, 07:34 AM

buickfunnycar.com

07-15-2009, 08:44 AM

Great writeup James,car was working much better on Sunday.
Dave's still making changes chasing that elusive extra 10th...heading in the right direction now.

Glad I was able to help you out with the fuel...;)

awr68

07-15-2009, 09:22 AM

That was as fun read, James! Thanks for the pics, vid, and writeup!! Good to hear the car is getting sorted out and that you are having fun with it!

Question:
If you get the car dialed in for auto-x, how will that affect the big track...can a car be setup to do both well?

Bow Tie 67

07-15-2009, 11:19 AM

Good job to all, I love the last pic and its placement in your writeup. Like riding off into the sunset. :yes:

monza

07-15-2009, 11:42 AM

Super cool! Love the Videos:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

James OLC

07-15-2009, 04:02 PM

Am I just missing something - or are the tires "chattering" in left turns and only squealing in right hand turns...

I can't tell if it's the camera angle - being able to see the rim rather than just the back of the tire... AND I certainly don't know if this means anything or not -- just an observation rather than a "helpful hint".

Car is just killer!! Good story too! I felt I was there with you.

Thanks Greg. I don't know if it matters or not - or if it's real or not - but it's an interesting observation. Something more to think about - thanks.

Great writeup James,car was working much better on Sunday.
Dave's still making changes chasing that elusive extra 10th...heading in the right direction now.

Glad I was able to help you out with the fuel...;)

John - thanks again so much - saved by bacon! Great meeting you and your wife. Next time bring her out (and one of your cars - no excuse for not having enough time to get it ready) and she can come for a lap in the OLC.

That was as fun read, James! Thanks for the pics, vid, and writeup!! Good to hear the car is getting sorted out and that you are having fun with it!

Question:
If you get the car dialed in for auto-x, how will that affect the big track...can a car be setup to do both well?

We have an ok setup for the bick track (at least with respect to the rear bar) so hopefully we'll be able to adjust between setups depending on venue. Next up will be another autocross at Marina if they have it - then off to either Buttonwillow or Thinderhill so that should be a good test.

nvr2fst

07-15-2009, 07:14 PM

Nice write up and u tube, James

James OLC

12-27-2009, 10:25 PM

So we're spending the holidays with David and Mary in sunny California (at this point, if it's not snowing it's close enough to being sunny for me) and trying to have some fun with the OLC while continuing on our development path. Hellwig was kind enough to build us some new sway bars which we have on the car now and on Christmas we started on some more mundane modifications...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/coil%20relocate.jpg

...preparing the car of the 2010 One Lap of America (in the long term) and a couple of local autocrossed in the short term.

Saturday we headed out to Marina to run with the Lockheed Sports Car Club in an entertaining but challenging autocross.

The day started out cold with low cload and rain threatening most of the day
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/camaro%20reflection.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%201.jpg

and eventually the rains did come
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%202.jpg

Autocrossing in the rain... I think Mary said it best... I'm glad it's you and not me. Funny thing is though, I think all of our best times came in the rain
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%203.jpg

James OLC

12-27-2009, 10:33 PM

Mary was there - of course - in her '73

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%20Mary%201.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%20Mary%202.jpg

As was our friend Linda
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/LSCC%20Linda.jpg

James OLC

12-27-2009, 11:02 PM

some video...

SplitterVision - David driving
vST3XNDiFA8

a little bit higher perspective with me at the wheel
kffqyje2H80

and speaking of the wheel
xGyhlLDbRy8

It was a fun day and the drive home in the rain made it all the more entertaining. We've still got some work to do on the car this week in preparation for our next autocross on January 1st - a new master for the rear brakes is waiting to be installed to fine tune the bias and I want to hook up the O2 sensors and tweak the ECM a touch... plus a little bit more adjustment on the suspension is coming.

But before we head to the track we're going to get some quality time in... Steve is heading down tomorrow and we're going to hit the highway and head down towards Big Sur and Hearst Castle. Should be a blast - we'll be in the Camaro, Steve will be cruising in the 2010 and Mary is still debating between the '73 and the '02...

Bow Tie 67

12-28-2009, 07:31 AM

I like the last video, it gives a good perspective of how much the tire contact patch moves while cornering.

James, have you kicked around the idea of adding an inlet tube to help straighten out your intake air and reduce IAT? I'll assume your running speed density as I see no room for a MAF senor.

awr68

12-28-2009, 06:16 PM

James, when did you move the coils to the valve covers....weren't they mounted near the x-member?

I LOVE that this car gets USED!! :thumbsup:

nvr2fst

12-28-2009, 07:45 PM

James
Nice way to spend the holidays. Better than shoveling up North. Looks like everything has been improving and performing well.
Between you, Penny and Todd (vegas69) I cant keep track of the changes and updates you guys do on a monthly basis. All for the better. Gees, Im just looking forward to get mine off the chassis table
Dave

Vegas69

12-28-2009, 10:02 PM

That's the way to spend a Christmas. :thumbsup:

Moose

12-29-2009, 09:48 AM

Not to get to far off subject, but which go pro do you use? I'm close to buying one, and now they have the HD version with rechargeable batterys. just wondering your thoughts..

Mike

buickfunnycar.com

12-29-2009, 10:12 AM

Mary's not driving a orange '70 Z/28 is she...?:_paranoid

70rs

12-29-2009, 10:47 AM

Mary's not driving a orange '70 Z/28 is she...?:_paranoid

It's a red '73

buickfunnycar.com

12-29-2009, 11:20 AM

It's a red '73

No I know,lol...my '70 Z is being stored in one of their buildings.:unibrow:

Aschle

12-29-2009, 08:09 PM

Where is the next autocross? I would like to spectate if possible....? I'd love to meet up if it is doable...

Jason

mpozziCPL

12-29-2009, 08:20 PM

Where is the next autocross? I would like to spectate if possible....? I'd love to meet up if it is doable...

Jason

If it's not pouring buckets of the wet stuff, New Years Day at the Marina Airport (near Monterey). You're welcome to come on up and ride shotgun. We all may do a flogfest on the '02 SS if it's raining as the OLC isn't rain-friendly (no wipers).

Hey John ... your '70 did really good but some of that nice paint came off when I used lacquer thinner on the pylon marks ... :rofl: (just kidding).

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

buickfunnycar.com

12-30-2009, 09:18 AM

If it's not pouring buckets of the wet stuff, New Years Day at the Marina Airport (near Monterey). You're welcome to come on up and ride shotgun. We all may do a flogfest on the '02 SS if it's raining as the OLC isn't rain-friendly (no wipers).

Hey John ... your '70 did really good but some of that nice paint came off when I used lacquer thinner on the pylon marks ... :rofl: (just kidding).

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

LOL,you guys are back in town I'm guessing...how was Big Sur & Hearst Castle?Pictures...?:unibrow:
I'll call you later...

James OLC

12-30-2009, 11:35 AM

Awesome...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/IMG_5401%20beach%203.jpg

more later

buickfunnycar.com

12-30-2009, 11:41 AM

Awesome...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/IMG_5401%20beach%203.jpg

more later

Awesome James,looks very familar:yes: ...I'm in SF Sat but will try to hook up with you guys on Friday.:thumbsup:

Aschle

12-30-2009, 06:44 PM

What time on Friday? I will probably head up there for the day !

K, Just got the green light from my wife to head up... ! Thanks guys/ gal :woot:

Jason

buickfunnycar.com

12-31-2009, 09:50 AM

What time on Friday? I will probably head up there for the day !

K, Just got the green light from my wife to head up... ! Thanks guys/ gal :woot:

Jason

Pretty sure it's early AM and all day long.:yes:

Aschle

12-31-2009, 09:57 AM

OK, I will head up there tomorrow morning... :D

Can one of you PM me a phone # in case I get lost somehow? Thanks!

Jason

buickfunnycar.com

12-31-2009, 11:48 AM

OK, I will head up there tomorrow morning... :D

Can one of you PM me a phone # in case I get lost somehow? Thanks!

Jason

I'll send you mine Jason.:yes:

PS:Jason,CLEAR YOUR BOX...IT'S FULL.

Aschle

12-31-2009, 12:20 PM

I'll send you mine Jason.:yes:

PS:Jason,CLEAR YOUR BOX...IT'S FULL.

Done... Sorry :D

Jason

buickfunnycar.com

12-31-2009, 01:05 PM

Done... Sorry :D

Jason

done...hope to see you there.

James OLC

12-31-2009, 02:57 PM

We're almost ready for tomorrow - just one more tweak to the new rear bar from Hellwig and we should be good to go. We changed out the rear brake MC with an 0.700" bore unit from the old 0.750" which should allow us some improved rear bias and the O2 sensors are rewired and in... so provided they don't feed back into the ECU (like they did when wired according to the instructions) we should be good to convert over to closed loop to see how it likes that.

The new bars that Hellwig built for us are great - we're awesome on corner entry through midway but we we were still washing out as we got on the power... hopefully a small adjustment will get us where we need to be for tomorrow. New wheels are next - or at the very least a tweak to our HRE's - to fit 275's on the front and 335s out back.

Getting closer every day!

Now... to get the last of the grime off after our last couple of cruises in the rain.

Aschle

12-31-2009, 03:06 PM

I am anxious to meet up with you all tomorrow !!! Is there anything I should bring / expect / etc. ? What is the entry fee for a spectator? If one of you needs a hand doing something, give me a yell, I am more than willing to help out with what I can...

Jason

GregWeld

12-31-2009, 03:24 PM

Hope it works out for you James!

My O2 (wide band) requires "conditioning".... but I'm running an Accel Gen 7 ECM... I can't remember but think I can run narrow band without the conditioning box in-between. Just for what it's worth.

James OLC

12-31-2009, 04:35 PM

We're good to go. We've had the widebands for a while but the ground was feeding back in to the ECU and causing a blip in the TPS sensor data. I rewired the AFX boxes and the car runs great in closed loop now. The test drive was great - brakes are better balanced and the pedal is lot more comfortable now; at some point it might be interesting to see what a smaller MC on the front would do but if I can dial in the bias today it should be great as is. We moved the rear bar up another notch and it seems to like it - that is still a work in progress and until we get on course tomorrow I don't know how close we are.

Jason it will great to see you tomorrow. Dress in layers and bring some food and drink - that should be good. I don't know about fees - I doubt that there will be any for spectating.

One more shot from the road trip...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/dec/OLC%20Cruise%20Beach.jpg

GregWeld

12-31-2009, 05:12 PM

Beautiful!

Aschle

01-01-2010, 11:17 PM

AMAZING is the only word that could begin to desribe the experiance I had today ! James, again, thank you for allowing me to ride in your car, Mary, thank you for taking me on the ride !!!!! Outstanding car, outstanding people, outstanding day ! I am certain we will meet up again in the near future.

Thank you all !

Jason

GregWeld

01-02-2010, 07:21 AM

66LS7

01-02-2010, 08:49 AM

I am so jealous right now!

:lateral: :cheers: :woot:

DITTO!!!

Randy(D&Z Customs LLC.)
[email protected]
1-262-347-9741

James OLC

01-17-2010, 10:04 PM

Well it's been a couple of weeks but I finally got a chance to edit some of the pictures and videos from the rest of the holiday festivities with the Camaro(s)...

After running at the Lockheed Sports Car Club annual Dyers Autocross in Marina (and the entertaining drive home in the rain) we cleaned the cars up and hooked up with Steve Rupp and his lovely wife for a cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway.

Mary, with David riding shotgun, led the way in her '73... here cutting through the Pebble Beach Golf Course on 17 Mile Drive
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/Cruise%20Mary.JPG

with Steve following in Yancy's 2010...
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/Cruise%20Rearview.JPG

We had a couple of cool stops along the way
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/Cuise%201%20stop.JPG

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/Cruise%202%20stop.JPG

Steve even took a couple of moments to do some business
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/Rupp%20Pics.JPG

Awesome cruise and the three cars performed flawlessly. We made our way south through San Simeon (where we got a tour at the Hearst Castle) before settling down in Cambria (where we had a luxurious dinner with takeout from the only place that was open after 11 pm - the Liquor Store). One of the things that we did during the drive was test out the real time GPS tracking system that David and I will be using during the One Lap of America; it worked great and should be a lot of fun during the race - you can see a sample here (http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=184719).

James OLC

01-17-2010, 10:04 PM

After getting back from the cruise we took a day to recover and then got back on tweaking the OLC. We swapped out the rear master cylinder from 0.750" to 0.700" bore which we hoped would give us some badly needed rear brake bias. The Tilton pedal assembly has about 0.125" of bias adjustment and we were turned for maximum rear bias and only barely getting what we wanted. We also tweaked the rear bar some more, hoping to get more rotation and eliminate some of the push that was still hampering us. Hellwig built us some increadible new bars front and rear and thanks to the increast adjustability we were heading in the right direction.

January 1st we were on our way to Marina for the first autocross of the year with the Northern California UFO. We had high hopes that we were closing in on a near ideal setup but knew that the UFO course would be designed for cars a bunch smaller and nimbler than the '67.

The three of us were pretty much hotlapping the car of the morning - David, Mary, and I all took the car out for full session, running in Vintage Street Prepared. I took the first runs...
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/UFO%201%20-%20James.JPG

and was really enouraged.
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/UFO%20Autocross%20-%20James.JPG

David took the second round of runs and ran a 64.21...
http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/UFO%20Autocross%20-%20David.JPG

James OLC

01-17-2010, 10:16 PM

pictures are nice, but video is always better....

SplitterVision with me at the wheel
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SplitterVision with David running the course
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Rooftop
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Fender
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At the end of the day we took three of the top four spots in VSP - Mary first with a 63.02, followed by David in second and me in 4th. The improvements were nothing short of amazing! We are really close on our setup now and are going to try a slightly softer front bar before adding some more rubber front and rear.

Thanks to David and Mary for their hospitality during the holidays! Debbie and I had a great time and it was great to be able to spend some time with friends!

Aschle

01-17-2010, 11:03 PM

I know I have already posted this, but THANK YOU again !!!! I had a blast out there ! Hope to meet up with you all again in the near future !

Jason

buickfunnycar.com

01-18-2010, 09:13 AM

Looking good James...:thumbsup:

James OLC

02-01-2010, 09:32 AM

Since this is about the fun continuing I thought I would post a couple of pics from last Tuesdays Hollywood premier of the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational program which I am sure you all saw on SPEED TV over the weekend:

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/premier%201.JPG

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/premier%202.JPG

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/premier%203.JPG

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/california/premier%204.JPG

It was a great event and we were honored to have been asked to attend!

Now, back to the action...

James OLC

02-01-2010, 09:35 AM

Yesterday David and Mary took the OLC to Marina for the second UFO Autocross of the year. Before heading out David swapped in a new front sway bar that Hellwig bent up for us that was supposed to be about 10% softer than the old bar and (we hoped) was going to balance out the car.

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It worked great! We are almost there on our suspension setup now and the car has never been better!

buickfunnycar.com

02-01-2010, 09:42 AM

Cool pic of you & Billy Gibbons James...:unibrow:

David Pozzi

02-01-2010, 11:14 AM

OLC is finally a balanced handling car!!! This event had some VERY sharp switchbacks but OLC handled them easily. I was beginning to think we'd never get rid of the dreaded understeer we had. :thumbsup:

I couldn't have done it without the help of Dave Wheeler at Hellwig. They made us a beautiful custom adjustable rear bar, along with a tubular front bar.

I think we were 5 seconds faster than the rest of the class, several 240Z's were there. They still think this is Bad Penny.
David