1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

[carbuff]

I assure you that this site was responsible for plenty of my expenditures during the build process... :G-Dub:

[Flash68]

I assure you that this site was responsible for plenty of my expenditures during the build process... :G-Dub:

It was Rob and Weld's fault... I was an innocent bystander.

[RussMurco]

No doubt in my mind, I've been around here long enough to notice who the antagonists are!!!
:poke:

[FETorino]

Great news she is finally on the road. :thumbsup:

When do the new seats and 335s arrive? :stirthepot: :cheers:

[68LS1]

It was Rob and Weld's fault... I was an innocent bystander.

Sure you were :D

Bryan, very pleased for you. :thumbsup:

[andrewb70]

Great to see the car running!

I had a chance to monitor the AITs using a bluetooth adapter for the OBDII port and the Torque application.

When going down the highway, the AIT is about 6-7 degrees above ambient. The temps go up fairly quickly with the car idling in traffic, but they drop quickly once moving again.

Andrew

[carbuff]

Great news she is finally on the road. :thumbsup:

When do the new seats and 335s arrive? :stirthepot: :cheers:

Partial update on this. I hoped to update this way before now, but...

After scouring the country, and with help from Weld and Sieg even, I could only come up with a single seat that I wanted to use. I had focused in on the Recaro Cross Sportster as my replacement. This unit has a base without the side bolsters, which was way more comfortable for me. I found one in Eugene, OR, and Sieg was gracious enough to go check it out in person for me! Thanx again!!!

Unfortunately, the packaging and shipping cost on this thing were ridiculous. And even worse, the Recaro dealers were telling me 9 - 12 weeks to get the corresponding passenger side seat, as they are only manufactured in Germany. That wasn't working for me...

So after some soul searching and opening up my options, I have changed my selection to the Recaro Specialist M instead of the Sportster. From what I have read, that seat actually sits a little lower than the Sportster, which will be good for me. The 'M' also has a flat base, which again works better for me. And, perhaps most importantly, Recaro has them in stock, so I can get them quickly. I just completed the order, and they should be here next Thursday. I'm sure Eric will have my mounts made by Friday. ;)

On another front... I spent Wednesday night rewiring my Fan relays. The Holley ECU wouldn't handle the combination of the AC and coolant temp fan control the way I expected, so I needed to add a couple of relays to the system. That was fun, as it was all tucked up under the dash and I had worked so hard to keep it all clean. Thankfully I was able to do it without too much pain (although my back and sides might disagree with that statement!).

Eric has been working on the new front spoiler. That will be mostly wrapped up this weekend. It looks good on the car, and we're working on a design to add a splitter and perhaps some canards which will bolt-on to experiment with on different track days.

Now, about those 335's... :twak: :action-smiley-027: :hitaxeonthehead: :bigun2:

[carbuff]

Great to see the car running!

I had a chance to monitor the AITs using a bluetooth adapter for the OBDII port and the Torque application.

When going down the highway, the AIT is about 6-7 degrees above ambient. The temps go up fairly quickly with the car idling in traffic, but they drop quickly once moving again.

Andrew

I'll plan to do some measurements on these this weekend. I expect we'll have another 97-98 degree day here, so it will be interesting to see what the ATS shows. I expect some longer duration tuning rides to start dialing things in. :)

[Ron in SoCal]

Seig is the official Lateral-G seat checker. I have first hand experience with this...:sieg:

[Sieg]

Seig is the official Lateral-G seat checker. I have first hand experience with this...:sieg:
Hmmm, this trend is bothering.

Bryan - Too bad that seat situation didn't work out.

[carbuff]

Hmmm, this trend is bothering.

Bryan - Too bad that seat situation didn't work out.

I know... It became ridiculous with shipping though! The cheapest option we found, insured at least, was $240. Then the packaging was going to easily put that over $300. For just one seat!

On the seats I just purchased, I'm getting a pair of them shipped via UPS for $109 from California to here. Just goes to show the power in bulk purchasing.

[Sieg]

I know... It became ridiculous with shipping though! The cheapest option we found, insured at least, was $240. Then the packaging was going to easily put that over $300. For just one seat!

On the seats I just purchased, I'm getting a pair of them shipped via UPS for $109 from California to here. Just goes to show the power in bulk purchasing.

The big boy have negotiated contracts and the little people pay for it. :(

Amazon Prime shipping rates is one good example, Summit Racing also.

Glad you have them on the way. :thumbsup:

[Flash68]

You keep changing stuff and all that Bry and I might be finished before you. Now wouldn't that be embarrassing. :whenitsdone:

315's FTW. :peepwall:

[carbuff]

Dude! Harsh... ;)

I'm driving tomorrow, damnit! Gonna spend some quality time with a laptop and the car, we'll see how my tuning skills are.

[qnitro]

Awesome Video, I think I was actually on that road before.. I flew into Dallas to pic up a 911 Carerra S from Park Place Porsche‎.. and were on that road..

So before I write up the details, I'll give you all what you want. :)

bfopjcxZcq4

That was Eric driving and me in the passenger seat. It's hard to hold a cell phone steady I discovered while riding...

Now for the details. First, for Dave and Rob, you'll be happy to know that we replaced the factory parking brake cable setup with a Lokar setup. So that big C-clip that was hanging under the torque arm is gone. One less thing for me to catch on a speed bump.

While I was out of town last weekend, and then sick with a cold/allergies last week, Eric wrapped up most of the little things we had left to do (including the shaker filter above), the brake cable kit, installing the replacement hood struts, adjusting the ride height / suspension alignment, replaced the thermostat (that may not have been necessary in hindsight, but we know it's ok now), re-installing the DSE wiper kit, charging the AC, and the other small things on our punch list.

So yesterday I went to the shop, armed with a new ECU setup after a bunch of research, and we set to work. We put the new air cleaner on, adjusted the ride height one more time with me sitting in the car, and did another bolt-check. So we fired it up and backed it out of the garage with my laptop connected, and started looking at the gauges. The first thing we noticed is that it had a lean stumble when I hit the throttle. I did some adjusting in the acceleration enrichment tables, and that made it much better. Then we started adjusting the idle, as it was hunting quite a bit. We opened up the throttle blades a bit, richened up the mixture, and again, big improvement. We did a few more tweaks, and finally decided it was ready to drive.

Eric locked up the shop, and off we went. I'm definitely still getting used to it, but there is a lot of power available underfoot. I'm certain that I never had it fully WOT, but we both got on it a bit. The clutch is very touchy, but I'm getting better with it. The steering is TIGHT! And the ride feels great so far. We drove on and off the highway, so we were up to speed, and some speeding up and slowing down, and everything seems good so far.

After I drove for a while, I pulled over and told Eric to drive it back. He can't just work on it, he deserves some of the fun too. I think he liked it. When we got back, he got out and his hands were shaking. I take that as a sign of approval. :)

We're mostly done with the car at this point. The one big task remaining is to build a front spoiler, which Eric is working on now. I need to order a set of harnesses for the inside, which will be on the way this week. We should probably finish up our list soon, so I expect to bring her home and start driving her more. Just in time for the Texas summer... :confused59: At least the AC seems to work pretty well!

[carbuff]

Awesome Video, I think I was actually on that road before.. I flew into Dallas to pic up a 911 Carerra S from Park Place Porsche‎.. and were on that road..

Actually, that was shot here in Austin. Highway 183 feeder road, just in case that's what you were thinking... ;)

[carbuff]

Eric sent me a pretty cool shot of her last night outside of his shop. It's a little dark, but you can see the front spoiler which he built.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg.html)

Here are a few more before it was painted. I was a little worried about how it was going to look in the silver, but it turned out great!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_07_zpsb5439b04.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_07_zpsb5439b04.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_10_zpsc8c3c501.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_10_zpsc8c3c501.jpg.html)

And the big belly pan he made which attaches to the subframe crossmember and the spoiler:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_12_zpsd4e6a7ca.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0626_12_zpsd4e6a7ca.jpg.html)

I'll get more pictures this weekend showing it painted.

[FETorino]

Eric sent me a pretty cool shot of her last night outside of his shop. It's a little dark, but you can see the front spoiler which he built.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg.html)

.

Love that 2nd gen early TA body style.:thumbsup: If you could just pick a BBQ spot.

[68LS1]

Love that 2nd gen early TA body style.:thumbsup: If you could just pick a BBQ spot.

Looking good Bryan

Did I hear something about a BBQ in Austin :excited:

Salt Lick was quite good, but they struggled to keep up with drinks for the 320 Aussies there :D

[Rick D]

Eric sent me a pretty cool shot of her last night outside of his shop. It's a little dark, but you can see the front spoiler which he built.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130625_210839_zps3e05d2ed.jpg.html)

That's the money shot right there! :thumbsup: this turned out fantastic Bryan! Great job to you and Eric!

[Flash68]

Ok I will quit with the 315 comments (Rob will continue anyway) because that spoiler and bellypan look KILLER. Those are great finishing touches. :trophy-1302:

[carbuff]

Ok I will quit with the 315 comments

:woot:

(Rob will continue anyway)

:bang:

Those are great finishing touches. :trophy-1302:

I agree! This was design two, the first one didn't work out as well as we hoped, but I'm happy with this! At some point, assuming that I do enough events to warrant it, we have plans to add an actual splitter, and possibly some canards on the sides. As it is though, I'm worried about how long it will take to scrap this one up. I want to drive to work, and my office is in a hilly area with simply no good way to get in. I told Eric that I hope he made a template for this thing... :confused59:

[gerno]

Looking good. If you aren't having issues getting out of the driveway at Eric's shop then I think you should be ok in 90% of Austin. I haven't run into any huge issues with my car but did have to raise mine a little for more suspension travel. Mines lower but then again it has no front spoiler yet.

Have you scheduled your first tack day yet? It's only 102 this week, perfect time to test out the cooling system....

[GregWeld]

....... I am so hungry.....

[carbuff]

Looking good. If you aren't having issues getting out of the driveway at Eric's shop then I think you should be ok in 90% of Austin. I haven't run into any huge issues with my car but did have to raise mine a little for more suspension travel. Mines lower but then again it has no front spoiler yet.

Have you scheduled your first tack day yet? It's only 102 this week, perfect time to test out the cooling system....

The C63 is pretty low too, and I've driven a few C5's and C6's, so I'm definitely used to the low spots! We have some brutal speed bumps here too! Thankfully none in my building at work or home, but that work entry would be tough! We'll find out soon enough!

No definite plans on a track day yet. Are you enjoying the events around here?

Interestingly, we built a block-off plate for the oil cooler for when I run on the street. It's not allowing the oil to heat up enough, in the couple of drives that I've done so far. And that's with 99* temps! I'm keeping a close eye on that...

[carbuff]

....... I am so hungry.....

:beathorse

There's some dinner for ya... ;)

[carbuff]

#$^%!# !@# _)( _!@# #%(*@#$ @#_$)(#@$ :bigun2: :bigun2: :bigun2:

Today started out as a good Saturday... I drove up to Eric's shop and pulled the car out to go get the front end alignment checked. I didn't really want anyone to change it, because Eric and I took measurements ourselves and thought it was pretty close. I just wanted to check that we were right.

Sure enough, it was almost dead on (kudos to Jake!). The toe is a little off, but we knew that. One side has about 1/2* more caster than the other, and that's ok. The camber was dead on with me sitting in it, and the thrust angle is almost perfect too. Great!

So I left that place and drove to a friend's who is about a mile away. He wanted to see it, so we went for a quick ride. All's well, we come back to his place and sit around and chat for a while. And while doing so, the car is sitting in the hot Texas sun (it's 106* here today) for an hour.

When I come out, my hood is buckled up about 2" in the middle!!! WHAT?!?!

Eric and I have been fighting about 1/2" of bend, and we've been adjusting and trying to get it to settle down. Apparently it was the hood hinge struts which were causing it, even though we weren't convinced of that. So I hopped in the car and drove back to his shop to get it in the shade and release the pressure. When we did, we could see where the 'support' (I use that word loosely) that runs front to back was buckling right in front of the hood hinge. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I was so pissed off that I just left. I'm supposed to drive the car to meet up with some car buds tonight for them to see it. Eric pulled out the struts, and at least it appears to sit down mostly, but it's still bowed at this point. I absolutely do not want to have to replace the hood, between getting it, painting it, and getting another stripe kit for it, that will cost a small fortune. And I certainly wouldn't replace it with another VFN is this is going to happen again.

This feels appropriate about now:

:bur2:

[Sieg]

Keh79PwevBE

You need a couple really cold beers!

[carbuff]

That's about what I felt like doing today! I don't think fiberglass will respond quite as well to the sledge though. :headspin:

[garickman]

How is the hood looking after two days? Was it damaged beyond repair? I was thinking of using a VFN hood on my build but I am having second thoughts now.

[Vince@Meanstreets]

That's about what I felt like doing today! I don't think fiberglass will respond quite as well to the sledge though. :headspin:

Hey Bryan,

You know its going to happen with the pressure supports. What I like to do is glass in a pair metal spar supports length wise to keep the hood flat.

Hinges with correct geometry should have zero upwards pressure when collapsed.

[carbuff]

At this point, it looks like I'm going to replace the hood. The two supports are creased, just front of the hinges. I don't know that those can be fixed. We could potentially reinforce the areas, but I'm not sure that will be enough.

Vince, I was wondering about that also, the pressure. I'm thinking we need to pull the hood and see what happens when we compress the hinges. I have the Fesler hinges, I've had them for about 2 years, so I don't know if the design has been revised or not. I did swap out the struts since the ones I had wouldn't hold the hood up, thus these are stronger. But they "feel" right regarding the pressure it takes to close the hood.

The direct sun definitely heated things up to the point it softened, which started the problem... An expensive lessen. :( I'm going to touch base with Albert about his carbon hoods and get his thoughts on this type of problem with them...

[Vince@Meanstreets]

At this point, it looks like I'm going to replace the hood. The two supports are creased, just front of the hinges. I don't know that those can be fixed. We could potentially reinforce the areas, but I'm not sure that will be enough.

Vince, I was wondering about that also, the pressure. I'm thinking we need to pull the hood and see what happens when we compress the hinges. I have the Fesler hinges, I've had them for about 2 years, so I don't know if the design has been revised or not. I did swap out the struts since the ones I had wouldn't hold the hood up, thus these are stronger. But they "feel" right regarding the pressure it takes to close the hood.

The direct sun definitely heated things up to the point it softened, which started the problem... An expensive lessen. :( I'm going to touch base with Albert about his carbon hoods and get his thoughts on this type of problem with them...
With the hood strut shut should not take any effort to hold down...on my Ringbrothers version it was held compressed with a small tie strap.


I have fixed cracked ones in the past.

Do a couple cuts before and after the damaged sections. You can then push down on the hood to match the fender line. You may have to support the front higher.
I made a conture gauge that spans the whole length of the hood out of 3/4" plywood that matches the fender and hood conture perfectly( just did a trace on one side with the fender then cut it with a jig saw). Clamp it at a few spots then you can add a metal spar (aluminum rectangular tubing works well) and fiber glass mat and resin the underside while clamped in the conture gauge.

On the spar you can cut the glass hood supports and fit them in to sit flush. Its a bit or work but Erik seems like he can handle it.

Going with one of Alberts CF units would be good too.

Let me know if you do get rid of the hood. I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands. :D

[carbuff]

Looks like we discovered the reason for the hood issue today. Eric and I removed the hood and did some measuring on the angle of the hood hinges. It seems in the effort to get the back of the hood down, the hinge was basically "bottomed out" and pointing upward. So we were putting the hood in a bind when we were closing it. Thus, when it got hot out in the sun, the bind caused the supports to give way.

:bang:

Self-inflicted wound here... We were able to adjust the hinges with the hood removed so that they sat down more naturally, and when we reinstalled the hood, it lays down much better (except for the leftover bow in the middle).

Eric thinks he can cut into the channel that forms the support and reinforce it with some aluminum, then re-glass over it to make it looks ok. That sounds better than having to acquire a new hood and having it repainted! So I'll let him have the car back next week to start on that. I stole it from him for the weekend to drive around and "tune" a bit. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. :)

[carbuff]

Speaking of tuning. Yes, I drove around for a good while today. I want to get some time on the engine, and do some more tuning as well. I'm still learning the Holley EFI setup, but so far I really like it! The biggest obstacle is just knowing what to tell the system to do, and discovering what the engine likes and what it doesn't.

It's idling great at 800 rpm. At cruise RPM I have it requesting about 14.5:1 AFR, and that seems to be working pretty well. I have a little hiccup on the spark advance when suddenly stomping the throttle under heavy load, but I'm working on that one. I also noticed that I have some knock retard during WOT, and I'm going to have to pay more attention to that. I have 2 knock sensors attached, but some tuning may be required before those are really reliable (I don't hear any pinging, but the sensors seem to).

The car drives great! I had the windows up and the AC going today. While it won't make the car "cold", it was definitely comfortable. The car is surprisingly a little louder than I expected, but not obnoxiously so. It rolls down the highway in 6th gear very happily so far too. The suspension feels very smooth, and it has great straight-line traction so far!

I hope to get her on a chassis dyno in the next few weeks and do some more WOT tuning. Hard to know what is really helping or not when running the street.

Oh, Eric installed the new Recaros which I purchased this week too! I will try to take some pictures tomorrow. They definitely aren't as "sporty" as the Sparcos were (as in, they don't have the 'hold you in place' supports), but they are going to be much more comfortable for longer drives. Once I get the harnesses in, I shouldn't be going anywhere... ;)

[GregWeld]

:ttiwop:

[FETorino]

:ttiwop:

Hinges
Seats
Seat mounts?
On road pictures

Anything?

[carbuff]

You will have to enjoy this one for the moment... :) I'm headed out in her now and will get some this afternoon!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/fuelpressure_zps8b78fc9c.gif (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/fuelpressure_zps8b78fc9c.gif.html)

[carbuff]

Pictures! :)

First, the new seats. These are the Recaro Specialists M. Eric made new mounts to mount them as low as possible. I can definitely feel a difference in the height to my head/headliner. These don't quite have as much bolstering as the Sparcos did, but they are very comfortable for me.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_02_zps1ca239bf.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_02_zps1ca239bf.jpg.html)

The driver's side mounting plate:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_03_zps2a2d0563.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_03_zps2a2d0563.jpg.html)

The clearance to the side where the adjuster is. Plenty of room:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_04_zps97f0339f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_04_zps97f0339f.jpg.html)

Clearance to the harness bar:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_05_zps52af8b1b.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_05_zps52af8b1b.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_06_zpsb75d2913.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_06_zpsb75d2913.jpg.html)

Folded up. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_07_zps5d5bca35.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_07_zps5d5bca35.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Here are a couple of pictures of the 'bow' in the hood. This is after removing the struts, this is what's left now that needs to be fixed:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_08_zpse80fc226.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_08_zpse80fc226.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_09_zps4d6d0658.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_09_zps4d6d0658.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

And a few shots from the rooftop:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_11_zps8ca4978c.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_11_zps8ca4978c.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_13_zpseab48cc9.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_13_zpseab48cc9.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_15_zps6b192bdb.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_15_zps6b192bdb.jpg.html)

Closeup of the spoiler:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_16_zps6f395206.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_16_zps6f395206.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

And finally, a couple of the 'creases' in the support structure of the hood that need to be fixed:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_17_zpsd7b4852f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_17_zpsd7b4852f.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_20_zps289db300.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_20_zps289db300.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_18_zpsa025b9e9.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0707_18_zpsa025b9e9.jpg.html)

[glassman]

I am glad you posted the pics of the specialist m's, i have an older set for mine and i'm not that happy with them, they are too wide and a little stiff. My roll bar is going in soon and once i'm harnessed in i'm sure thell feel different.

Are yours new?
I used the morse brackets and they fit well and low...

Mike

[Flash68]

Dude, that thing is looking sweet!! I really dig the spoiler too. That Eric got some skillz. :thumbsup:

[Vince@Meanstreets]

looks great bryan. all good on the hood now?

[carbuff]

I am glad you posted the pics of the specialist m's, i have an older set for mine and i'm not that happy with them, they are too wide and a little stiff. My roll bar is going in soon and once i'm harnessed in i'm sure thell feel different.

Are yours new?
I used the morse brackets and they fit well and low...

Mike

These seats are new, I bought them 2 weeks ago. :) I used the flat sliders, and Eric made a set of mounting adapters to get them as low as possible. There is more headroom for me now, and for longer drives, they are definitely more comfortable for me!

Not a great picture, but I snapped it this morning before I took them to the powder coater. It's upside down, the bend contours to the floor to keep it low, and the 1" spacer on the right side is the back where the slider mounts. The chamfered hole towards the left is the front slider mounting hole. The other 4 holes are to mount the bracket to the floor using the factory seat mount holes.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/seat_bracket_zps51fb93a1.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/seat_bracket_zps51fb93a1.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Dude, that thing is looking sweet!! I really dig the spoiler too. That Eric got some skillz. :thumbsup:

Yep! :welder:

[carbuff]

looks great bryan. all good on the hood now?

Not yet. We have it laying down better after some major hinge adjustments. (you can see it's still not flat in the pictures above) Now we are going to cut into the fiberglass supports, add some aluminum, build a form which matches the fender contour, and try to force the hood back to that shape. We think it's better than replacing the hood, and Eric is convinced he can do it without damage and making it look good. So that is next week's goal...

At the end of the day, I think we are going to have to take the blame for this. While the VFN is definitely not 'strong' in the front-to-back support areas, we caused most of our own problem by getting the hinges into the wrong angle. But the hood shouldn't have 'collapsed' the way it did either in my opinion.

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Not yet. We have it laying down better after some major hinge adjustments. (you can see it's still not flat in the pictures above) Now we are going to cut into the fiberglass supports, add some aluminum, build a form which matches the fender contour, and try to force the hood back to that shape. We think it's better than replacing the hood, and Eric is convinced he can do it without damage and making it look good. So that is next week's goal...

At the end of the day, I think we are going to have to take the blame for this. While the VFN is definitely not 'strong' in the front-to-back support areas, we caused most of our own problem by getting the hinges into the wrong angle. But the hood shouldn't have 'collapsed' the way it did either in my opinion.

yeah you should be good. Lots of blue tape, topped off with yellow.

I have done painted hoods before and you just have to be carefull with the resin.

It happens, at least it wasnt cause you forgot to hook the areo catches before you took it down the interstate. :sieg:

[carbuff]

Work continues on TOW now that SW's T/A is wrapped up. Eric is in the process of repairing the hood. This weekend he built a form to clamp the hood to, then cut out the damaged fiberglass support areas that buckled (1 side at the time). He then epoxy bonded in some aluminum channels which he bent to reinforce the support. Those will be set tomorrow, and the fiberglass work will begin. Hopefully that's going to solve the problem without requiring a hood replacement!

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon installing the Vaporworx PWM controller for the fuel pump. What seemingly should have taken me an hour took me 5, because I was trying to hide the wiring. And working in the front part of the trunk is a real pain! But, it's installed, wired, and plumbed (except for tightening all of the fittings). We'll test it out next weekend.

Eric and I discovered last week that my alternator had died. No idea why, it was new with my Wegner drive kit. So I ordered a replacement, except I missed a digit on the part number, and received the wrong one. I'll be ordering yet another tomorrow to solve that problem.

Now on to the big task we've had to take on. When we put the car up on stands last week to determine where the banging sounds under the car were coming from (had to be exhaust, but we couldn't determine why, since it's so solid), Eric found that the torque arm / locating bars on the rear axle housing had allowed the housing to rotate. It's a bit hard to explain without seeing it, but the torque arm had rotated to the point where it was touching the bottom of the housing, and I'm guessing that the torque from the housing trying to twist actually caused the bars which come off the side of the TA to bend.

After Eric and I starred at it for a while, we could see why this might happen based on the original JRS design. Jake has since changed the mounting points of the 2 arms from a single shear that is in parallel to the rotation of the axles to a double shear setup that is perpendicular to them. Additionally, rather than using the 2 bars from the TA to the top of the housing to control the pinion angle, he now uses a mount from the TA directly to the pinion support. That mount will actually triangulate the support instead of having points top and bottom which can allow rotation (my analysis, not Jake's).

So anyway, Eric called Jake on Tuesday, and Jake got the pieces together which we needed to convert to the newer design on the way to us. As of yesterday, Eric had cut out the old arms and tacked up the new ones along with the pinion support. It's all coming out this week to be final welded on a table instead of upside down installed in the car.

If all goes well, everything should be back together this week, and we'll get her back on the road next weekend.

Oh, and we also found our noises during this. Two separate ones actually, which correlated to what I thought I was hearing. The first was from one of the over-the-axle pipes rubbing on the Watt's link crossmember, when the axle housing moved backwards. It pushed the pipe into the crossmember, because there is very little space under there. The second is one of the pipes running through the tunnel is hitting the seat belt bolt. D'oh! Easy fix, just didn't see it coming when we assembled it all before the belts were in. :)

I don't have any pictures of the hood work, but here are some pictures of the PWM controller and the torque arm work...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_01_zps8e965091.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_01_zps8e965091.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_05_zps99e5d78f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_05_zps99e5d78f.jpg.html)

Eric built this shelf which folds up and is bolted in place vertically to hide the speakers, canisters, and amp. It was a perfect mounting spot for the PWM controller:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_06_zps92457ef9.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_06_zps92457ef9.jpg.html)

Plumbed into the fuel line near the tank:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_07_zps07deac07.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_07_zps07deac07.jpg.html)

Wiring through the floor:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_10_zpsd6c99b29.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_10_zpsd6c99b29.jpg.html)

Replacement arms:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_12_zpsb9d846b7.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_12_zpsb9d846b7.jpg.html)

Pinion support mount:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_14_zpsfa6438a7.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_14_zpsfa6438a7.jpg.html)

Back together, ready for welding:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_15_zpse0d357eb.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0728_15_zpse0d357eb.jpg.html)

[GregWeld]

You can review all of that and go over the pics and stuff while noshing on some ribs at The Salt Lick. It'll help you through all of these engineering exercises.







HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA




Looks good Bryan!!!

[Flash68]

Looks good Bryan... you guys keep tackling those little gremlins as they come at ya like spider monkeys. :D

[tazzz2_ca]

Nicely done Bryan,,,,, the car is going to be a huge source of enjoyment once you get past those pesky little "sorting out" issues... I'll look forward to seeing you at some events next year..

[carbuff]

Thanx guys! As you both know, these projects always give you little 'tests' when you think you're finally done with them. We will knock them out, and I can't wait to get her out on the road!

[Sieg]

You're gaining on it Bryan! She's looking good. :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

TOW got to come home yesterday! I worked with Eric for a little while on Saturday trying to get the hood aligned as best we cool. What should be simple ends up being an exercise in frustration trying to understand how moving the hood hinge causes unexpected results in the hood alignment. We had to shift the front sheetmetal a bit as well to get the final alignment right on.

Over the last few weeks, Eric has fixed the hood, replaced the brackets on the rear axle housing for the torque arm, replaced the side tubes on the TA itself, fixed a few rattles we had under the car, stopped the AC freon leak and recharged the system, replaced the seats, and touched up a bunch of rock chips that were in the car. You know, basic punch list stuff. :) So far, everything seems good except for some gear whine in the 3rd member. I'm going to give it a little more time, and then call up Strange to discuss it with them. Definitely annoying!

For my part, I installed the new Vaporwerx fuel pump controller which seems to be working well. I haven't had a chance to connect up the laptop and run some WOT runs, but I will do that this week. Hopefully no more falling fuel pressure at high RPM.

This morning I drove her to work for the first time. What a great feeling to be out and about driving this project after almost 4 years of planning, collecting parts, and actual work on the car! While I still have a couple of small things left to do, I can do them anytime. I'm sure I'll head back to Eric's for round two of punch-list items, but I expect smooth sailing for a while now!!!

Thanx to everyone along the way who has offered advice, answered questions, and even poked and prodded once in a while (that W guy who shall remain nameless). Now that she's on the road, I'm sure there will be a new round of questions as I work to dial it all in. Tuning, engine, suspension, and brakes, are next on the list.

[GregWeld]

Strange will just laugh at you on the gear whine.... They sell race pieces... and it's just part of the deal. At least that's what they told me on the Nomad - which has their aluminum 9"....

[lil427z]

Looking good Bryan .
Rick k;)

[jr2226]

I have been following this build. Really classy looking bird not over done. Great job!

[carbuff]

TOW is loaded up and ready for her first road trip this afternoon! I'm driving up to Fort Worth today for the Good Guys show this weekend. Since I have about 400 miles on her to date, I'll easily double that this weekend, so she will get a good shakedown!

Not a lot else has been happening other than driving lately. Eric did a few little cleanup tasks (leaking AC fitting, remade one of the fuel lines) recently, but that's it. I've been tuning the ECU, and I'm realizing that I had it set up a good bit rich in the normal driving ranges. I'm slowly leaning it out, and so far that's working pretty well. I'll get to collect a lot of data this week and see how she responds.

Hopefully I will see a few of you at the track this weekend! I'll try to remember to take a few pictures myself as well...

[GregWeld]

Don't forget to grab some ribs at The Salt Lick before you head out of town!

[Sieg]

Good luck Bryan! :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

You coming down and need me to bring you some of that jerky that Salt Lick calls ribs? ;)

[carbuff]

We made it! 3 and a half hours, running 70-80 MPH, and here I am! I'm registered and checked into the hotel, and everything went perfectly. The car is starting to quiet down just a touch as a little carbon builds up in the exhaust, and the gear whine had moderated a little (although it is still there, it was less noticeable as I got above 75 MPH). But on the whole, an excellent drive!

The one issue I have is my gas mileage was pretty pathetic, but I'm blaming that on a rich mixture. I'm working on that today, so I'll get another shot at it on the way back.

Looking forward to a great weekend!

[GregWeld]

You coming down and need me to bring you some of that jerky that Salt Lick calls ribs? ;)




Love ya buddy! Glad to hear you had an uneventful trip! That's a big stress reliever...


Don't run 'er too fat and wash down the cylinder walls and ruin that ring seal! Light throttle cruise -- maybe 15ish A/F's?? What are you seeing?? And how much timing do you have dialed in at that light throttle light load cursing??

[carbuff]

You got that right! While I have all the confidence in the world in the work that Eric and I have done, until you put her on the road and drive her, you never really know what might happen! Thankfully, everything has been great so far!

I've been slowly creeping up the AFR in the part throttle cruise states. I started around 14:1, and that was too rich (I would get out of the car smelling like fuel). For the drive up today, I was around 15:1 I believe. I've now bumped it up to 16:1, and slowly decrease it as the map sensor shows less vacuum. I've been reading the Holley forums to get a feel for what I should target, and this seems like the right range.

As for the timing, when I'm in the pure 'cruise' state, I'm running between 40 and 45* of advance. I drop that down again to the mid-30's as I get a little less vacuum. I'm running around 25* at idle, and I jump to max of 33* at WOT. Since I haven't been on a chassis dyno yet, I'm not sure where the WOT numbers should be, but I am running a knock sensor and I can monitor it in the Holley SW. I have seen it pull timing when I could hear a ping, so at a gross level at least, it's working. :)

As always, I'm open to critique if you have other thoughts. I just got back from dinner (if you ever get to TMS, you must eat at Babe's Fried Chicken!) and it seemed to like the leaner cruise conditions, although I think I heard a little lean pop when I touched the throttle. The Holley SW has all sorts of adjustments for TPS and MAP enrichment, so some experimenting with those will probably take care of it.

[GregWeld]

Oh --- I'm no tuning guru -- was really just wondering aloud as if we were having a conversation.


Personally - I hate the blanket statement "just give the motor what it wants"... REALLY -- how do I know what it wants?? LOL


Tuning EFI is a black art.... Maybe it's why I love the self tuning versions where all I have to do is set timing and pick three different A/F rations - Idle/cruise/WOT.... done....


I think transitions are the hardest part to work out.... is the A/F to lean - or do I need to add fuel via the accel fuel table (everyone calls it something), or is it timing? UGH --- so much info. I know you're good at the info part -- it's in your DNA.


I do know this --- I was so busy trying to tune every little cell perfectly -- and the "tuners" give the maps big overall blocks of info... and when I finally did that -- things got easier.

Why haven't you done a dyno with a good tuner like bringing in Mike Morris??

[FETorino]

You coming down and need me to bring you some of that jerky that Salt Lick calls ribs? ;)

I'll pretend I didn't see this.....


We made it! 3 and a half hours, running 70-80 MPH, and here I am! I'm registered and checked into the hotel, and everything went perfectly. The car is starting to quiet down just a touch as a little carbon builds up in the exhaust, and the gear whine had moderated a little (although it is still there, it was less noticeable as I got above 75 MPH). But on the whole, an excellent drive!

The one issue I have is my gas mileage was pretty pathetic, but I'm blaming that on a rich mixture. I'm working on that today, so I'll get another shot at it on the way back.

Looking forward to a great weekend!

Congratulations. What a great feeling to make a long road trip with no issues.:thumbsup:

Is tomorrow the first time you've really gotten to drive it like you stole it?

Good luck tomorrow.:cheers:

[rickpaw]

Have fun this weekend. Was thinking of going up, but plans changed. Maybe next year.

[carbuff]

Day 1 is in the books... I'm tired, sunburned, and my feet are killing me. But it sure was a fun day. :)

I haven't driving an autocross course since 2002 when I competed at the RSE even in Bristol. Before that, I did exactly 2 events in preparation for the RSE event. So to say that I'm a novice would be a bit of an understatement. :)

With that, I got to the track about 8:15 this morning and found my spot in the auto-x pits. Apparently you have to get there much earlier to get a better spot, I'll remember that for next time. The guy parked next to me was racing his 33/34 3-window coupe, and apparently at the FW event last year, that car ran the second fastest time overall, only bested by the Summit Crusher Camaro. He was very helpful for a newbie like me. :)

We passed through inspection and went out to walk the track. They have laid out a different course here this year, apparently due to someone (I hear rumors it was Bret, but I'm not sure) blowing through the stop zone and hitting a wall. Still, it's a 65 - 75 second course, and it's a lot of fun. Even though I'm no expert, I have a pretty decent feel for the right lines to take.

I got run 1 in around 10:00. 74.5 seconds, and that puts me into 5th place in class of about 25 in the muscle car category. Fastest time in the first round was a 72.0, I think by a second driver in the Crusher car. She was quick, and as I recall, leads the class at the end of the day. I didn't hit anything, and I discovered that first gear is where I want to be most of the course.

Second run was a good improvement, as was typical across the board. 72.5 for me, 70.0 for the group leader. I was trying to watch the Pro-class drivers, how they were taking the line, and I was reminded that one particular corner sets up such that going slower will be faster. I told myself the next run I would do that. Oh, I also has an awesome 180* tire spinning entrance into the first turn during this run, which several people came over and commented on afterwards. I downshifted into that 180* turn, and when I hit the gas, I just lit 'em up. I never lifted, steered through it, and off I went. That was fun!

So run 3, I concentrated really hard on a couple of specific turns, and I was rewarded with a 70.8 second run! Unfortunately, I didn't make a full stop in the stop zone, so that time won't count. And that sucks, because it was my best run of the day and would have kept me in 5th place! I just completely locked up the tires in the stop zone and didn't modulate enough to stop the car... :(

Angry about run 3, and knowing that run 4 was likely my last, I was determined to make amends. Oops... I completely overdrove one of the 180* turns, and knocked out 2 or 3 cones. I knew I had one under the front of the car, and I contemplated backing up to get off it, but I decided what the hell, I'm already out this run, so I kept on going. I decided to try more 2nd gear through the rest of the course, and that was a mistake! WAY too much speed through the middle of the track, but I managed not to hit another cone. I came back around with my tail tucked between my legs, but at the same time, I had a blast! At least I know the limit of that corner now...

My only issue of the day, and one I'm still scratching my head about, was after run #3, we found what appears to be a puddle of oil on the pan under the front of the motor. By look and smell, it appears to be oil. But I have no clue where it came from. We looked at all of the fittings, the catch can, the power steering hoses, pump, rack, oil pan, and nothing is wet. The only thing we noticed was the boots at the end of the steering rack had slid off, but unless the rack pushed fluid out of the end seals, I don't think it could come from there. I'm baffled... I wiped everything down before run 4, and after that run and the drive to the hotel, I don't see a drop anywhere. Nothing seems to be overfilled either, so I don't know where it came from. I will be keeping a watch for this going forward.

I was able to meet several fellow Lat-G members today, and hopefully tomorrow I will get to meet a few more. I was busy talking about the car and prepping for the runs today, so I didn't get to wander around the rest of the show at all. I did get over to the Ridetech booth to weigh the car, and it is pretty darned well balanced. 52/48, and a total of 3806 pounds with me in it and a full tank of gas. That puts the car itself around 3550 or so. I need to go on a diet... :) Side to side was within 20 pounds front and rear also...

TOW did great for her first time out, I'm looking forward to doing more of these now that I have a car I can do it with again!!!

[carbuff]

Congratulations. What a great feeling to make a long road trip with no issues.:thumbsup:

Thanx!

Is tomorrow the first time you've really gotten to drive it like you stole it?

Good luck tomorrow.:cheers:

It is... I left Austin with just under 400 miles on the speedo, I'm around 630 now. So I'm just past all of my break-ins. :) I was going to do a driving school at one of the local tracks (not COTA) 2 weeks ago, but it rained all weekend, so I didn't go. I will be doing that soon though, some big-track time!

[carbuff]

Tuning EFI is a black art....

Agreed, but I actually enjoy it. Getting the main/cruise and WOT sections inline really isn't that hard, but as you allude to, the tip-in type issues are a bit of a chore. It's fun to learn though!

Why haven't you done a dyno with a good tuner like bringing in Mike Morris??

Apparently I missed the memo that this was an option? Does Mike travel 'on-demand' so to speak? I need to investigate this!

[Flash68]

Bryan, that is impressive for first time out in the new ride! Nice job and good luck tmrw. :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Bryan, that is impressive for first time out in the new ride! Nice job and good luck tmrw. :thumbsup:

Thanx! I look forward to better understanding the dynamics / issues with suspension setup now that I have a car I can play with! :)

BTW, I briefly met Brett today also. He was standing in line in front of me at the food counter at lunch time. His car is pretty darned fast on the course as well!

[carbuff]

Day two is all wrapped up now. We managed to avoid rain all day, until 6:00 when I was at dinner at least, so the auto-x went off without a hitch.

It was MUCH cooler today, and most cars reflected that with slower times. I got in 4 runs again today, and none were faster than my 70.8 with the blown stop yesterday, but my last run of the day was a 71.6, which was good enough for 6th place out of the group of 45 or so (that's what the announcer said) in the Street Machine class.

Again, TOW did great, but I do have a small problem. It looks like I may have lost a seal in the steering rack, although that's not confirmed yet. I think that the boots on each end of the rack are not supposed to have fluid in there, but for some reason, there is a crossover tube that came out which has some kind of oil (which must be PS fluid) coming out of it. It looks like that tube just connects the 2 boots, and my guess would be that it is there to equalize the air in the boots side to side so that as one compresses and the other expands, the air just moves side to side. Anyway, my pump is losing fluid, so this must be the issue. I'm glad I threw the extra quart I had into the trunk before I left on the trip!

I've had a blast driving this weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more. I need to spend some time driving the car to get used to it and then I can start experimenting with the setup. I have a lot to learn, but based on my results, I have a good base from which to start! :)

The Fort Worth GG was a great show. The turnout today was great given the weather projection. I was able to check out several of the cars which made the Road Trip from California to Austin as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

[Flash68]

Great weekend! Only minor issues... always a good thing... will be anxious to see how your steering deal plays out.

as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

As much work as on your shaker project? :poke:

[GrabberGT]

Day two is all wrapped up now. We managed to avoid rain all day, until 6:00 when I was at dinner at least, so the auto-x went off without a hitch.

It was MUCH cooler today, and most cars reflected that with slower times. I got in 4 runs again today, and none were faster than my 70.8 with the blown stop yesterday, but my last run of the day was a 71.6, which was good enough for 6th place out of the group of 45 or so (that's what the announcer said) in the Street Machine class.

Again, TOW did great, but I do have a small problem. It looks like I may have lost a seal in the steering rack, although that's not confirmed yet. I think that the boots on each end of the rack are not supposed to have fluid in there, but for some reason, there is a crossover tube that came out which has some kind of oil (which must be PS fluid) coming out of it. It looks like that tube just connects the 2 boots, and my guess would be that it is there to equalize the air in the boots side to side so that as one compresses and the other expands, the air just moves side to side. Anyway, my pump is losing fluid, so this must be the issue. I'm glad I threw the extra quart I had into the trunk before I left on the trip!

I've had a blast driving this weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more. I need to spend some time driving the car to get used to it and then I can start experimenting with the setup. I have a lot to learn, but based on my results, I have a good base from which to start! :)

The Fort Worth GG was a great show. The turnout today was great given the weather projection. I was able to check out several of the cars which made the Road Trip from California to Austin as well as spend some time looking over the 'pro' cars. Some serious work on those cars!

I didnt realize that was you over there. I did take note of the serious machinery you brought to the event. Very nice car. Your last run had me sweating. I had been in 5th place for most of the event and you almost knocked me off the board at the end of the day. In the spring, get there by 8 and come park up with the rest of us.

Hope you come out in the morning. You'll get more runs in.

[carbuff]

As much work as on your shaker project? :poke:

There was no vehicle there with that much work on it!

Funny enough, someone with a T/A project actually commented to me that he liked how I did the shaker, with the 'retro' look from the drilled holes that we then closed back off. I hated to admit that was an experiment that didn't work out... ;)

[carbuff]

I didnt realize that was you over there. I did take note of the serious machinery you brought to the event. Very nice car. Your last run had me sweating. I had been in 5th place for most of the event and you almost knocked me off the board at the end of the day. In the spring, get there by 8 and come park up with the rest of us.

Hope you come out in the morning. You'll get more runs in.

Chris,

I actually walked over to your car a couple of times, I recognized it from here. One time I didn't see you, and the other you were talking to someone, so I never got to catch you. I did actually put down a better time yesterday, but I blew the stop so the time didn't count. Never was able to match it again, but that last run was a definite improvement for me today! Next time... ;)

I've heard mixed accounts of what tomorrow morning will be like since it's an open day. At this point I'm thinking I may not push my luck on the steering rack, but I may stop by for a little while anyway before leaving town. If so, I'll make sure to say Hi.

I also heard mixed stories on the 'parking' situation. I was there early enough today that there were several empty slots closer to you, but it was my understanding that we were supposed to set back up where we were on Friday so I did. I guess some people didn't come back today, as there were a number of different cars in front of me. Next time I'll know better...

[Ron in SoCal]

Hey Bry...glad you had fun and hope the rack holds up! Did you get a chance to make any adjustments to your set up and if so how'd that work out?

Cheers,

[glassman]

Hey Bryan, it was nice meeting you on Friday, i never got a chance to make it back saturday as my car got trailered home. On the seals, when you do the pinion shaft seals (cause thats most likely what it is) use radiator clamps instead of the zip ties on the boots, the only thing that will help do is keep it cleaner under The car.......mike

[carbuff]

Mike,

I agree, I'll use a better clamp than the zip-tie to lock the boots on.

I've never replaced anything on a rack before. Is it possible to just replace the seals, or do I need to replace the whole rack?

Good to meet you as well, hope the trip home goes well!

[carbuff]

Hey Bry...glad you had fun and hope the rack holds up! Did you get a chance to make any adjustments to your set up and if so how'd that work out?

Cheers,

Ron,

The only things I tried were air pressure and shock adjustment. I can honestly say that I have no ide if either made any real difference. :) The weather was changing through the 2 days, and since I'm so new to the car and autocrossing, I wasn't consistent enough to know if the changes helped or hurt.

The overall standings were posted up this afternoon, and I'm pretty stoked to finish where I did. I'm still steaming a little over my blown stop zone which killed my best run, but 6th out of that group is pretty darned good! Especially given the cars and drivers in front of me.

[GregWeld]

An unofficial "quote" --- "I ate at The Salt Lick last night... and man am I smokin' fast today!"






Class Name Year Make Model Best Time Points
PRO Roger Burman 70 Chevy Camaro 65.268 11
PRO Rob McGregor 69 Chevy C-10 65.576 10
PRO Josh Leisinger 70 Chevy Camaro 66.54 9
PRO Brett Cambell 67 Chevy Camaro 67.555 8
PRO Kevin Miller 69 Chevy Camaro 67.71 7
PRO Bret Voelkel 33 Ford 67.719 6
PRO Josh Leisinger 70 Chevy C-10 67.89 0
PRO Jason Brady 67 Chevy Camaro 67.918 5
PRO Greg Schneider 67 Chevy Camaro 68.511 4
PRO Chris Smith 67 Chevy C-10 68.952 3
PRO James Crosby 33 Ford 69.107 2
PRO Jimi Day 67 Chevy Camaro 70.165 1
PRO Cheryl Herrick 63 Chevy Corvette 73.546 1

SM Mike DuSold 67 Chevy Camaro 67.533 PRO
SM Terry Neuville 68 Chevy Camaro 68.47
SM Blanton Payne 67 Mini 68.959
SM Karen Leisinger 70 Chevy Camaro 69.426
SM Chris Moore 72 Ford Maverick 71.536
SM Bryan Cope 71 Pontiac Firebird 72.474
SM Sammy Rizotto 65 Ford Cobra 73.072
SM Jeff Peoples 72 Buick GS 73.392
SM Brian Kellison 64 Pontiac GTO 73.705
SM Andy King 71 Chevy Camaro 73.983
SM Kevin Daigle 65 Ford Cobra 74.207
SM Jack Webster 65 Chevy Corvair 74.691
SM Sammy Rizotto 67 Chevy Chevelle 75.671
SM Mark Burrow 70 Chevy Camaro 75.873
SM Mark Major 69 Chevy Camaro 76.617
SM Sid Tracy 69 Pontiac Firebird 76.714
SM Don Montgomery 69 Plymouth Valiant 77.988
SM Reggie Noland 69 Chevy Camaro 78.566
SM Frank Manzare 71 Chevy Camaro 78.71
SM Wayne Walker 65 Ford Mustang 79.185
SM Jerry Coleman 67 Ford Mustang 79.193
SM Patrick Nixon 66 Ford Mustang 79.411
SM Mike Viehe Jr. 69 Chevy Camaro 79.957
SM Josh Banko 65 Chevy Chevelle 80.154
SM Craig Boesch 68 Mercury Cougar 80.727
SM Justin Day 69 Pontiac Firebird 80.735
SM Lance Howlett 68 Ford Mustang 81.125
SM David Roeber 71 Ford Mustang 81.261
SM Rob Wechler 69 Chevy Camaro 82.799
SM Gary Murphy 68 Ford Mustang 82.902
SM Joseph Van Hooser 72 MG Midget 83.181
SM Jonathan Kethley 67 Chevy Camaro 83.534
SM Adam Issa 70 Plymouth Cuda 83.848
SM Keith Brogdon 55 Chevy Bel Air 84.49
SM Jimmy Shaw 67 Chevy Nova 84.208
SM Brent Coleman 68 Chevy Chevelle 85.093
SM Rocky Stephens 65 Oldsmobile F-85 86.093
SM Darrell Balmer 67 Pontiac Firebird 86.845
SM Kevin Smith 69 VW Bug 86.796
SM Brad Morrison 69 Chevy Chevelle 88.248
SM Bob Reddich 70 Pontiac Firebird 89.742
SM Danny Barboza 61 Chevy Corvette 92.678
SM Jim Nungesser 56 Chevy Bel Air 101.398
SM Jody Parker 69 Chevy Camaro
SM Skip Walls 69 Chevy Camaro
SM Francis Nowak 67 Ford Mustang

TRK Andy Halliburton 70 Chevy El Camino 71.784 PRO
TRK Duke Roddy 65 Chevy C-10 72.016
TRK Karen Leisinger 70 Chevy C-10 74.521
TRK Paul Bennett 69 Chevy C-10 77.425
TRK Brandon Carter 72 Dodge D-100 77.622
TRK Jim Nagy 70 Chevy C-10 80.476
TRK Lee Jones 7 Chevy C-10 81.008
TRK Richard Holeman 49 Chevy Suburban 84.995
TRK Eric Anderson 66 Chevy El Camino 85.783
TRK Jesse Renfrow 53 Chevy 3100 86.654
TRK Sammy Rizzotto 72 Chevy C-10 87.309
TRK Chuck Feirchild 57 Chevy P/U 88.837
TRK Thomas Mitchell 36 Ford P/U 92.83

HR Morgan Martin 30 Ford Model A 72.633 PRO
HR Wade Faustman 34 Ford 75.985
HR Stan Martin 30 Ford Model A 77.705
HR Lee Thompson 36 Chevy 82.462
HR Jim Dewberry 31 Ford 82.634
HR Steve Tate 32 Chevy 93.434

SS Terry Neuville 13 Chevy Camaro 71.803
SS Terry Fair 11 Ford Mustang 71.824
SS Aaron Sockwell 13 Ford Mustang 72.592
SS Lloyd Collins 12 Ford Mustang 73.196
SS Blanton Payne 10 Hyundia Genesis 73.295
SS Gilbert Crouch 96 Chevy Corvette 76.204
SS Mike Mahalik 87 Buick Grand Nat. 77.082
SS David Tedesco 11 Chevy Corvette 78.338
SS Frank Manzare 10 Chevy Camaro 78.927
SS Earl Bingham 05' Ford Mustang 79.569
SS Daavid Moderow 00' Ford Mustang 79.758
SS Paul Welch 78 Pontiac Trans Am 79.802
SS Terri Neuville 13 Chevy Camaro 80.523
SS Rick Sink 12 Ford Mustang 80.581
SS Hunter Mahan 01' Ford Mustang 80.921
SS Greg Scherer 78 Pontiac Trans Am 80.958
SS David Maxwell 89 Ford Mustang 81.376
SS Eddie Hughes 10 Chevy Camaro 81.521
SS Ken Kelley 13 Dodge Challenger 81.522
SS John Patrick 10 Chevy Camaro 81.528
SS Bryan Higgins 05' Cadillac CTS 81.861
SS Jakey Sampson 10 Chevy Camaro 81.999
SS John Lea 08' Ford Mustang 82.163
SS Jason Marascio 05' Chevy Silverado 85.327
SS Matt Waldridge 79 Chevy Camaro 86.629
SS Beth McGrath 13 Ford Mustang 87.726
SS Marshal Womack 90 Chevy Corvette 88.192
SS Joey Tamburin 12 Cadillac CTSV
SS Jim Nagy 11 Chevy Corvette

PRO Name Points Finals
PRO Rob MacGregor 73.5 IN
PRO Roger Burman 65.5 IN
PRO Mike Maier 43
PRO Bret Voelkel-RideTech 42
PRO Josh Leisinger 41
PRO Kyle Tucker-Detroit Speed 38
PRO Stacy Tucker-Detroit Speed 27
PRO Brett Campbell 26
PRO Tim McGilton - JetHot 23
PRO Chris Smith 22
PRO Ryan Mathews - Detroit Speed 21 IN
PRO Brian Hobaugh 19 IN
PRO Kevin Miller 18 OUT
PRO Brian Finch 17 OUT
PRO Jeff Schwartz 15 IN
PRO Larry Woo 15 IN
PRO Jason Brady-Ridetech 15
PRO Deb McGilton - JetHot 13
PRO Jimi Day - Optima 13
PRO Mary Pozzi 11 IN
PRO Dany Popp 11 IN
PRO Britt Marolf-RideTech 9
PRO Cheryl Herrick - Jet-Hot 8
PRO Greg Thrumond 7
PRO James Crosby-RideTech 6
PRO Greg Schneider-RideTech 5
PRO Matt Buts - Detroit Speed 4
PRO Tom McBride 2 IN
PRO Todd Holdren 1
PRO Aaron Leeper 0
PRO Bob Boileau 0
PRO Craig Johnson 0
PRO Dan Ault 0
PRO David Wheeler 0
PRO Don Chemello 0
PRO George Dias 0
PRO Kurt Janish 0
PRO Lee Thompson 0
PRO Mike Hickman 0
PRO Wayne Milelzeik 0
PRO Bob Cross 0
PRO Tom Colby 0
PRO Chris Jacobs 0
PRO Tyler Gibson 0
PRO Justin Dermody 0
PRO JB Granger 0
PRO Bob Bertelson 0
PRO Bruce Wibracht 0
PRO Dale Schwartz 0
PRO Mike DuSold 0 IN
PRO Andy Haliburton 0
PRO Morgan Martin 0

Finals Brian Hobaugh 65 Chevy Corvette S-AZ
Finals Roger Burman 70 Chevy Camaro S-TX
Finals Mary Pozzi 72 Chevy Camaro Del Mar
Finals Tom McBride 68 Chevy Camaro Nashville
Finals Rob MacGregor 69 Chevy C-10 Colorado
Finals Larry Woo 68 Chevy Camaro Mass
Finals Jeff Schwartz 65 Pontiac Tempest Des M.
Finals Danny Popp 72 Chevy Corvette Columbus
Finals Ryan Mathews 70 Chevy Camaro Indy
Finals Mike DuSold 67 Chevy Camaro F-TX

[carbuff]

An unofficial "quote" --- "I ate at The Salt Lick last night... and man am I smokin' fast today!"

Love you man! :)

Actually, I ate at Babe's Fried Chicken that night, and dang it was good stuff! You have 2 choices: fried chicken or fried steak. Sides are family style, and good stuff! That place is always busy when the GG events come to town, so thankfully I got there early.

SM Bryan Cope 71 Pontiac Firebird 72.474

Such a fun event, but I'm still a bit frustrated that I had 2 runs better than that which didn't count. My 70.8 was the blown stop, and the 71.6 was after the 3:30 cutoff for times on Saturday. Not sure why they stopped counting times after letting part of the group run, but it wouldn't matter as that wasn't quite enough to bump me up a spot anyway. That little Maverick was just a bit faster than me that day. :thumbsup:

On a related note, I found out that the local Autocross group held a run at the Harris Hill raceway last weekend, the one that RTTA was held at. Looks like they were running the full course, but with cone obstacles set up to keep the speeds in check and a few slaloms as well. I'll definitely be hitting that event next time they do it! :excited:

[RussMurco]

Great job!!!
Was this your first event with this car?

[carbuff]

Thanx! Yes, it was my first show/competition/etc. I left home with about 400 miles on her and came back with about 850. :)

[RussMurco]

Fresh car, driver new to autocross AND the fresh car, barely broken in and still get's into the top ten in an event? That's a WIN all day long!
:trophy-1302:

[68LS1]

Thanx! Yes, it was my first show/competition/etc. I left home with about 400 miles on her and came back with about 850. :)

Great job all round mate, got to be very happy.

[joerob727]

[QUOTE=carbuff;509264]

Actually, I ate at Babe's Fried Chicken that night, and dang it was good stuff! You have 2 choices: fried chicken or fried steak. Sides are family style, and good stuff! That place is always busy when the GG events come to town, so thankfully I got there early.

[QUOTE]

Little known secret (not after this post I'm afraid) Babe's does take out! We call in a big a$$ order and then draw straws to see who makes the run (helps if straws are drawn B-4 cold beverages are passed out). Then hang out in the RV campground and dine by the romantic glow of tail lights.

It was great meeting you and checking out T.O.W. this weekend. Missed you on Sunday but it was great watching you run Friday and Saturday. Not sure what I enjoyed more watching you run or checking your car out in the paddock. I fully expect to see you at or near the top of the leader board next year as you two get better acquainted.

Good luck at Harris Hill road, I'll have to keep an eye out for you at local events.

Joe

[carbuff]

Little known secret (not after this post I'm afraid) Babe's does take out! We call in a big a$$ order and then draw straws to see who makes the run (helps if straws are drawn B-4 cold beverages are passed out). Then hang out in the RV campground and dine by the romantic glow of tail lights.

Funny you say that. As I was waiting, I was noticing the people leaving with the big plastic bags full of food! Thankfully as a party of 1 my wait was short. Good stuff though!

It was great meeting you and checking out T.O.W. this weekend. Missed you on Sunday but it was great watching you run Friday and Saturday. Not sure what I enjoyed more watching you run or checking your car out in the paddock. I fully expect to see you at or near the top of the leader board next year as you two get better acquainted.

Good luck at Harris Hill road, I'll have to keep an eye out for you at local events.

Joe

Thanx! Good to meet you as well... I ended up hitting the road early Sunday morning to get back to Austin before the traffic on 35 got busy, so I didn't get to the track. With the leaking PS rack, I didn't want to take any chances, but I hated not to come back out!

Turns out that Spokes, the local auto-cross club, was running one of there 2 annual events at H2R while we were in Fort Worth. Looks like it was a good course, so I definitely want to do that in the future.

Look forward to catching up again in FW next year!

[carbuff]

Thanx to Ridetech, TOW was weighed this weekend. Here are the results. Pretty well balanced for setting the ride height with a tape measure! Credit goes to Eric for the setup, I just sat in the car while he did the measuring. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/tow_weight_zps396a8fed.gif (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/tow_weight_zps396a8fed.gif.html)

[carbuff]

TOW got a new steering rack yesterday. I took her over to Eric's shop and dropped the pan under the spoiler/rack. We scratched our heads for a while because I had added RedLine synthetic PS fluid when we put everything together, but the fluid on the pan was green. It looked like motor oil, but there was none to be found coming from the engine.

Then I pulled a boot off of one end of the rack. After almost being doused by fluid, it was then obvious that the rack was the problem. As best we could tell, the rack comes prefilled with a green fluid, and apparently there is a ton of it in there. I mean a TON! We must have dumped a gallon of the stuff on the floor during the swap. Everytime we thought we were done, out came more.

The swap went smoothly for the most part (fluid spills notwithstanding). To get the rack out on the JRS subframe you have to remove the front LCA support, which just adds some extra time. And it's a bit harder to get to the steering u-joints with the front sheetmetal in place. But I got it done. This job took about 2x as long as I expected, so we were in a bit of a hurry to get the toe set, but we got it close enough and I drove her home. I'll get her to a shop for an alignment this week, and we should be good to drive for a while.

It's still a bit of a mystery why/how this rack failed. I did add some turn restrictors to the rack to keep the wheels from hitting the LCA's, but I cannot see why that would have caused any issues. It looks like they just bottom out against a solid metal flange. Hopefully this won't happen again in the near future! If so, I'll have to look at the PS pump. I do have a volume restrictor in there (from Wegner), so it is supposed to be balanced to the rack I'm using.

Most everything else looks pretty good under the car. We may have a small leak on the rear end housing, but it was hard to tell if it was fluid that blew back from the PS rack or not. I cleaned it all up and will check it again after a few more miles.

[glassman]

Thought so. Most likely a defective/poorly installed seal from the factory. Just another gremlin in our 2nd gens. I heard they dont have these problems on 1st gen's lol.....

Seriously though, glad you got it takin care of and just the loss of a 1/2 day or so and shes up and runnin.

Now go drive that baby the way she wants too!!!! Till the next thing breaks,

I plan on breakin sh$t for the next couple of years and just weedin out the bad stuff....

What was the inch of your steering wheel? 14 or 15?

Mike

[carbuff]

Mike,

I think this is the one I have:

http://www.sparcousa.com/product/r-323

I just walked down and measured it, and it's 13.5" outside diameter. Depending on how they measure, that's probably about right since the 330mm translated to about 13".

I'm sure I will break something else before it's all said and done. Hopefully not soon though. I need to arrange an alignment this week, then I'll start driving her pretty regularly!

[glassman]

Alignments nice and all, but once that thing is dialed i bet your going to eat up two sets of tires a year :thumbsup:

thanx for checking on that wheel size, gonna order me up one.

Went to one of my customers today, he had a Ferrari California in the garage and he was sayin "wow, this thing really eats up tires" so i looked down at the tread wear rating "140", then i rubbed my thumb across the rubber, almost like chewing gum....sic car....

[carbuff]

Waking up this old thread... I have my first track day scheduled for tomorrow with TOW. We have a local track called The Driveway that does schools at various levels. I haven't been there before, so this should be fun. It's an all day school, there will be 9 participants from what I was told.

And in typical Austin fashion, we have all sorts of closures around here due to the 'ice' storm (that never happened), and I'll be on the track with 68* degree weather tomorrow. :)

[gerno]

Which track are you headed to?

[Flash68]

Right on. Don't forgot your GoPro so we can see/hear some action. :bigun2:

[carbuff]

Driveway (http://www.drivewayaustin.com/driving-school/foundations-of-road-racing)

Unfortunately I don't have a GoPro yet! :( I need to pick one up this year...

[gerno]

Which track are you headed to?


Nevermind, was thinking Drivers Edge, not the driveway. Maybe I'll stop by there tomorrow and check the place out.

[carbuff]

So... Yesterday I got my first real shot at doing what I have wanted to do since I started planning to build TOW many years ago. A full-on track day! There is a track outside of Austin that is owned and operated by a full-time racer in the World Challenge series (previously in the Grand Am series until this season), racing a Lotus Evora. They've had the track open for 8 years, and they do regular schools and private lessons for those interested. $500 gets you a 4-hour private lesson with an instructor, and probably all of the track time you can stand during that day...

After you pass through 2-levels of their school, you become qualified to come out for open track sessions on any day they have them. Which is basically any day they don't have a school scheduled. I'm going to find a day to do the private lesson in the next couple of months so that I am qualified to do the open days soon.

TOW did great for most of the day! There were 8 of us there for the class, and during most of the day, we ran in groups of 4. Here's part of the crowd:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/IMG_20140208_095915_zpstsl9mvax.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/IMG_20140208_095915_zpstsl9mvax.jpg.html)

'13 Grand Sport, '13 Boss 302, Carrera 4s, Ferrari California (gorgeous car!), and not pictures were a Mercedes ML550 (yes, an SUV), a newer Shelby Mustang (the supercharged version), and this (just for you, Weld!):

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/IMG_20140208_130043_zpsdtnbgs33.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/IMG_20140208_130043_zpsdtnbgs33.jpg.html)

And the Ferrari:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/IMG_20140208_101931_zps9gkbut1i.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/IMG_20140208_101931_zps9gkbut1i.jpg.html)

The track is a 0.7 mile course with 7 turns. There are 2 high-speed sustained left handers, an off-camber right hander, a decreasing radius long turn, and a straightaway. It's a fun and pretty technical track for its size.

http://www.drivewayaustin.com/images/tracks/shortcourse.jpg

You never know what to expect with a class like this. 3 of the guys were doing it from gifts they had received, 2 (the Ferrari and Boss) were young guys (the Ferrari is the guy's mother's car!), and a couple of us who seemed to take it pretty seriously. The R8 driver was one who did. We were in opposite groups, so I got to watch him drive. The car sounded like a boat going down the straight (it is the V8 version), but it sure was smooth around the track.

Anyway, long story short, I put 52 miles on the car, which means about 70-75 laps. The best time of the day was when I was a passenger of the School's chief instructor (who is also the current driver of the WC Lotus). He could throw TOW around and do stuff that I definitely wasn't comfortable doing myself. They guys watching were saying he was carrying the left front tire after we used a curb to get through a turn, but they couldn't get a picture for me. That's too bad...

I discovered that I suck at heel-toe shifting/braking, even though I thought I was pretty decent at it. I only shifted twice on the track, and the downshift was at a tricky spot going into the tightest turn, so I struggled with the timing. During my last session, I just left her in 3rd gear and did a lot better with the line. The problem I had then was I kept catching people. I pulled into the pits 3 times to separate myself from the other drivers, as I was a bit faster than they were... (the Ferrari, Boss, and Porsche were in my group, and the Boss was the one I didn't pass, but I was catching him)

I got a little feedback from Scott, the WC driver, on the car setup. He felt she is well balanced, and he suggested that I soften up the front shocks a bit, but otherwise said she felt good. I personally was struggle with the power brakes some, I couldn't modulate them well, but that's also me getting used to the car. That got better during the day. The other thing is the accelerator pedal is a bit twitchy, and both drivers that drove with me in the car had to get used to that also.

The only thing that was a problem was my oil pressure light came on during my last session. I noticed it during one of the long left handers. I looked at the gauge, and I had pressure, but it was low. So I backed her down and took it easy the rest of the session. I was concerned this could be a problem with my oil pan, but when I checked the level today, I discovered that it's low about a quart. Not sure why, there are no leaks, but I haven't checked my catch can yet. So I topped it off today and will keep an eye on it.

TOW didn't escape completely unscathed unfortunately... I managed to take out 3 cones during the day, the same one twice exiting the turn onto the front straight. :) The second time was a bit ugly, I completely blew turn 7 and went way wide. Actually straddled the rumple strip on the outside and clobbered the cone there. I'm thankful that Eric used Plasticote on the front spoiler, some minor touchup may be required. ;) Also put a cone rash on the lower fender, but it should buff out...

It's interesting how sore I am today after the day of driving. I have a blister on my hand, and my back and hips are sore from keeping myself in place. But I don't care, it was a complete blast, and I cannot wait to get out there again!!!

More of these days to come, and soon! I have an auto-x next weekend at an airport, which should be a fun course, then another one at a different road course (the one that RTTA came to 2 years ago), then GG in Fort Worth. So the next track day will come after that...

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Go Go Go!!!! thats Great, beat em up....


"have a blister on my hand, and my back and hips are sore"

Sounds like some of the guys on the site after a Saturday night alone.

[68LS1]

Sounds like a great day Bryan

Enjoyment, the name of the game

[GregWeld]

Did they have The Salt Lick BBQ Lunch truck there?



Bryan ---- Happy for you man! Track driving is a complete hoot.... so glad you're hooked.


Will I see you at GGuys Fort Worth show? Or USCA the following weekend?

[carbuff]

I'm planning to be at the GG show, but unfortunately I already had a commitment for the USCA weekend. I'm really bummed I will miss that event, but it can't be helped. I have my hotel reservation for GG, and plan to drive in to town on Thursday afternoon...

And they didn't serve Salt Lick, but they did serve us BBQ for lunch (it was better... :smiley_smack: ). No pictures though...

Sounds like some of the guys on the site after a Saturday night alone.

Harsh! :)

[GregWeld]

Great!! I'll be there early as well. I'll leave Laguna Seca on the 10th and move across until I get there -- should only take me a couple days -- and I have 4 to get there and still be early. I just hope they'll let me park the rig somewhere around the grounds there for the show.

[gerno]

I'm jealous.....Car looked and sounded great on the track. I guess I should have been a better friend and taken a few pics.

Is it a SPOKES event you're attending at the San Marcos airport?

[Flash68]

Awesome Bryan. It's a slippery slope now. :headspin:

Maybe an accusump in your future....


I guess I should have been a better friend and taken a few pics.



:bitchslap:

[GregWeld]

Maybe an accusump in your future....




I think it's likely to be air cleaner related. :>)



Seriously though -- anyone running on a track should have a track pan -- or accusump -- or both... Doesn't take very long to pull a g -- and have that oil climbing the pan/block wall.

[carbuff]

Is it a SPOKES event you're attending at the San Marcos airport?

Sure is! :) I hope the current weather forecast holds... 75* for Sunday!

[carbuff]

I think it's likely to be air cleaner related. :>)

:twak:

Seriously though -- anyone running on a track should have a track pan -- or accusump -- or both... Doesn't take very long to pull a g -- and have that oil climbing the pan/block wall.

I do have a track pan: a Canton, although I cannot recall the part number at the moment... It's a baffled setup. I recall considering an Accusump, but decided against it. I'll keep a close eye on it in the future, but I think it was simply due to a low level. Reading up some on LS1TECH, it seems that many recommend overfilling the LS's. Not sure I'm completely on-board with that...

I'm glad I put that red LED right in front of me on the dash though!

[Panteracer]

Bryan
Glad you got to run the bird
They do burn some oil when you
are hammering them
Good to see it is not a trailer queen
Have fun with it

I hope to refire my firebird this weekend

Panteracer NorCal Bob

[carbuff]

Thanx Bob! Definitely not a trailer queen. I built her to drive her! :)

Good luck with yours this weekend!

[Payton King]

are bad about pumping all the oil up top. May want to try some restrictive push rods.

[GregWeld]

I think the car worked better before you "modded" it..... LOL OH MAN!









And a few pictures of the interesting work that had been done to the car prior to my receiving it:



http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_1026.jpg

[carbuff]

Ha! Man, it's crazy what some people will do... Shadetree mechanics at their best! :sarcasm_smiley:

I wasn't aware of the issue with LS's pumping all the oil up out of the pan. I'll look into the pushrods. Interesting...

[Flash68]

I think the car worked better before you "modded" it..... LOL OH MAN!

Looks like the same guy who tackled the air cleaner project. :lostmarbles:

[GregWeld]

Looks like the same guy who tackled the air cleaner project. :lostmarbles:



I kind of like the adjustability of the cotter key and cable arrangement... Hadn't seen that one before!


That is an actual shot of Bryan's car by the way. Perhaps pre "The mystery Salt Lick incident", you and Rob and Rodger and I discussed at length - that's so greatly affected his taste buds.

But my thinking is that an "eye" for food --- is also probably the same "eye" that bought this project Firebird. Ya think??



Sorry Bryan --- I just couldn't pass up just one more time of busting your danglers. :lol: :lol:

[WSSix]

Really glad you had fun beating on the car. Enjoy yourself!

[carbuff]

But my thinking is that an "eye" for food --- is also probably the same "eye" that bought this project Firebird. Ya think??

That picture actually came from the red car, the original one that I disassembled, and then sold when I moved. You'd think I would learn, after having done this 4 times now, but I bought this one from pictures only. It's amazing what a person will tell you to sell a car. :\

Sorry Bryan --- I just couldn't pass up just one more time of busting your danglers. :lol: :lol:

Yeah yeah. Love you guys! :)

[carbuff]

I picked up TOW today after she received from TLC from Eric. I have a list of things to do, but I also have an auto-x tomorrow, so Eric squeezed her in for a day to do some of the quicker items.


Replace the steering rack with a 'new' unit from AGR
Check the clutch hydraulics (the engagement has been getting higher)
Check the brakes, they felt a little soft after my school last weekend


As you may recall, at the Fall FW GG event, I blew a seal in the steering rack I had. I replaced it with a remanufactured unit from PepBoys. While it 'worked' ok, I was never happy with the feel. I just wasn't "right". When Eric pulled it out, he noticed that the poly bushings looked like they were 'moving'. I'm not sure why, the mounting bolts were tight, but he said the bushings looked worn inside.

Today when I drove it after the swap, it was night and day difference! The old rack felt sloppy, but this rack feels like the car felt when I first drove it after all of the work. So whether it was an issue with the reman rack, the bushings, or something else, all I know is that it's MUCH more responsive now to steering input. I like it...

Eric found that the fitting on the clutch master cylinder was leaking, and when he tried to snug it up, it just spun the threads. The reservoir was almost empty, so we definitely had a leak there. He was able to drill out the threads and go 1 size larger, and that solved that problem. Clutch again feels much better, engagement is lower as it should be.

Finally, there was a slight leak at one of the brake fittings that looks like it let a little air into the system. Tightened that up and bled the brakes. Again, they felt better afterwards.

He also discovered that the rear axle was not perfectly aligned to the car, making the thrust angle be off a little. Strangely, but alignment shops the car has been to told me it was just barely off, but not enough to worry about. But the car has always had a slight pull to the right. Well, after he fixed this and did a string alignment on the front toe, the car is tracking down the road straighter than it ever has.

So round one of the little touchups are complete, and the car feels great. He gave her a bolt check also while he was down there, and things look good. We're going to try and tackle some of the exhaust clearance issues next week. I think we are going to try and use oval piping from the headers all the way past the torque arm crossmember, replacing the 3" collector on the headers with an oval one instead. It's the only way we're going to get the clearance I want.

Looking forward to the auto-x tomorrow. This is a serious group of locals, and there are 140 cars registered for the event. I'm curious to see what the cross-section of cars will be.

[gerno]

Glad to hear you got everything straightened out. Have fun tomorrow, I'm jealous I can't join you.

[68LS1]

I picked up TOW today after she received from TLC from Eric. I have a list of things to do, but I also have an auto-x tomorrow, so Eric squeezed her in for a day to do some of the quicker items.


Replace the steering rack with a 'new' unit from AGR
Check the clutch hydraulics (the engagement has been getting higher)
Check the brakes, they felt a little soft after my school last weekend


As you may recall, at the Fall FW GG event, I blew a seal in the steering rack I had. I replaced it with a remanufactured unit from PepBoys. While it 'worked' ok, I was never happy with the feel. I just wasn't "right". When Eric pulled it out, he noticed that the poly bushings looked like they were 'moving'. I'm not sure why, the mounting bolts were tight, but he said the bushings looked worn inside.

Today when I drove it after the swap, it was night and day difference! The old rack felt sloppy, but this rack feels like the car felt when I first drove it after all of the work. So whether it was an issue with the reman rack, the bushings, or something else, all I know is that it's MUCH more responsive now to steering input. I like it...

Eric found that the fitting on the clutch master cylinder was leaking, and when he tried to snug it up, it just spun the threads. The reservoir was almost empty, so we definitely had a leak there. He was able to drill out the threads and go 1 size larger, and that solved that problem. Clutch again feels much better, engagement is lower as it should be.

Finally, there was a slight leak at one of the brake fittings that looks like it let a little air into the system. Tightened that up and bled the brakes. Again, they felt better afterwards.

He also discovered that the rear axle was not perfectly aligned to the car, making the thrust angle be off a little. Strangely, but alignment shops the car has been to told me it was just barely off, but not enough to worry about. But the car has always had a slight pull to the right. Well, after he fixed this and did a string alignment on the front toe, the car is tracking down the road straighter than it ever has.

So round one of the little touchups are complete, and the car feels great. He gave her a bolt check also while he was down there, and things look good. We're going to try and tackle some of the exhaust clearance issues next week. I think we are going to try and use oval piping from the headers all the way past the torque arm crossmember, replacing the 3" collector on the headers with an oval one instead. It's the only way we're going to get the clearance I want.

Looking forward to the auto-x tomorrow. This is a serious group of locals, and there are 140 cars registered for the event. I'm curious to see what the cross-section of cars will be.

Amazing how those small things make the car so much better. Might have to check if Eric is planning a holiday down under.

[FETorino]

Bryan

Good luck tomorrow. If you get a chance try the Salt Lick for dinner. I hear they have great BBQ.

:cheers:

[DOOM]

Wow just went through the whole thread! Outstanding!:king:

[glassman]

Good luck today Bryan!!! Please post pics of others while your waiting to smash those evil cones....
Glad you have an "Eric" in your back pocket, we all know that the world needs more good mechanics...

[carbuff]

Good luck today Bryan!!!

Thanx!

Please post pics of others while your waiting to smash those evil cones....

Unfortunately I didn't get any. There weren't a lot of terribly interesting cars there that this crowd would enjoy. There was a Tesla Model S there. Everyone got a kick out of that car going around the course. The only sounds coming from the tires. :) There were a few Miatas with LS conversions, but I never got to check them out up close.

Glad you have an "Eric" in your back pocket, we all know that the world needs more good mechanics...

Amen, although back pocket might be a stretch. ;) He's been busy lately, which is good for him of course! He does do some great work...

[carbuff]

Wow just went through the whole thread! Outstanding!:king:

Thanx! :cheers:

[carbuff]

So as mentioned above, I made it out for the auto-x today. The morning starts out with crappy misty weather, and it was overcast most of the day. Thankfully the track dried off before I had to make a pass.

I got 4 runs. My first was a 42.7 and my best was a 39.2, so I definitely improved through the day. The fastest run I remember seeing from the day was from an open-wheel Formula Ford style car, and that was a 33.something. Lots of serious auto-crossing Miatas there running all over the place, but between mid-34's and mid 38's for the faster ones.

I wish I had a few more laps to run. I started the day with entirely too much air in the tires, and I was all over the place in my first 2 runs. I dropped a couple of pounds, and the car stuck much better. Dropped again for the last run, and again, improvement. Next time I would start much lower...

TOW did great, the steering rack replacement was a joy on the drive there and back. Not a single problem with the car during or after my runs. In addition to wanting more runs, I would have liked to have watched a session before my runs. I could tell by watching several areas that I could have improved on my line. Aw well, next time.

For anyone that came down to the Run to the Alamo event a couple of years ago, this group's next event is on that track the weekend before GG. Hopefully I will be able to get to it. Eric and I are working on scheduling the next round of work right now...

I'm beat, it was an early morning and a long day. And while I definitely prefer the driving school I did last weekend, this was still a lot of fun. A bunch of people wanted to talk about the car: it's definitely stood out in the sea of Miatas and Subarus which were there! :)

[gerno]

Saw this photo on the SPOKES Facebook page so had to post it up in case you haven't seen it. Looks good...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetkins/12582533185/in/set-72157641099492843

[carbuff]

Yep! :) Wish he had gotten a couple of more pictures, the ones he took are pretty good...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/12582533185_7d1981b2b8.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/kaSLKk)

[gerno]

Where are the pics of the new exhaust? You all ready for the Goodguys trip?

[Panteracer]

yes need to see your exhaust
need to see you run

Mine was broken last week
got fixed yesterday.. pinion bearing
was going out and was thowing parts
in the clutches.. also had to replace
an axle and wheel bearing

Keep the Birds running:relax:

Panteracer Norcal Bob

[carbuff]

No pics unfortunately, but I did make the trip. Picked TOW up last night and drove it around for a while. After a while, I started hearing a strange moaning sound from the back, couldn't nail down what it was, and only once in a while.

So I drove up to Eric's this morning, and we put her up on stands to look for any problems. We did find that the calipers are occasionally touching the rotors, so we spaced those to prevent that problem. We thought that was it, so we buttoned her up and off I went. Got into town a little while ago with no problems, but the sound is still occasionally there. Doesn't seem to be causing any problems, so it will wait until I get back to Austin to investigate.

I'll get some pics next week when we put her back in the air...

[glassman]

Bryan, how did the car fair in that rain? how good did your door glass seals come out?

I'm trying to find oem glass (mines a little scratched up) and i'm on seal set #2 and the OER stuff from Classic and the Soft Seal stuff does't fit real well.

[carbuff]

Mike,

Funny you ask... We definitely got poured on yesterday in FW. And unfortunately, I realized that my windows are not sealing well to the upper window seals. I don't blame the seal, I think they are actually GM pieces (I did not replace them during this build), but instead the adjustment of the window itself. At the top of the closing, the glass is kicking in too far and too high at the front, which is causing the back to not seal as well as it should. I need to pull the door panel and adjust it again...

I haven't heard very good things about the reproduction seals either unfortunately which is one reason I didn't pull these. They aren't in great shape, but they should still seal ok given their condition.

I replaced the glass on the car during the build, and I think I ended up with Pilkington pieces if I recall correctly. I'm actually on the hunt for a new windshield now, mine has a crack and needs to be replaced. :( I'll try to get one ordered this week, but they aren't cheap by the time you include shipping...

[carbuff]

TOW and I spent the weekend in Fort Worth at the Good Guys Spring Nationals. As in the fall, I went up primarily to participate in the autocross. Due to the weather, there weren't as many people who actually came out for this event as there were in the fall, so we actually had more runs this time. That came at the cost of not being able to browse the rest of the show though...

TOW again did well until we had an unfortunate problem which hindered her the rest of the weekend. Given the final results, it wouldn't have made a big difference most likely, but probably did cost me a position or two. First, a quick summary of what all was done before this event:


Rebuilt the front half of the exhaust to improve ground clearance
Replace brake pads with Hawk HP+ front and rear
Replaced original 550/300 springs with 700/500
New gas pedal
Removed and services the rear differential (attempt to eliminate gear whine)


The big work was rebuilding the exhaust. Eric did a great job of replacing the 3" round pipes with oval pipe from the collectors to the point past the crossmember when it transitioned back to round. Now, the exhaust it just above the subframe rails, so no more smashing the pipes over speedbumps!

The springs we replaced at Jake's suggestion. I was surprised that the increase rate didn't seems to make the car 'feel' much stiffer when driving. I expected to feel every bump in the road, but that wasn't he case.

The brake pads are definitely different though! It takes a stop or two until they really want to grab, and that can surprise you at first on the street. I have adjusted now, but it took a little driving to get there. I also have adjusted the proportioning valve to even out the front/rear so that I'm not locking up the rears first.

While the car was apart, Eric pulled the 9" chunk and carried it to the local differential shop (we only appear to have 1 that is recommended). They adjusted the pinion depth in an effort to reduce the gear whine I was hearing, and they also found that the main bearings were pitting already. Wasn't too happy with that after just 1400 miles, but better to find it now than later.

We also changed all of the fluids since I was about to hit 1500 miles. Figured it was a good time for that. Redline in the engine now and differential, Mobil 1 in the transmission.

I picked up the car from Eric Wednesday night with a planned Thursday morning departure for FW. After I drove her home, when navigating a parking lot, I noticed a strange sound coming from the back. It wasn't repeatable / consistent, but definitely there. I couldn't figure out what the heck it was, so I touched base with Eric. We decided that I would stop by on my way out of town for a look...

We pulled the rear tires and found what we though was the culprit. It seems that the rear calipers were slightly rubbing against the rotors. We are both a little perplexed as to why this is happening, because when assembled, everything looks centered. But it was clearly obvious when looking at the caliper that they have been rubbing. So Eric shimmed the calipers and we put it all back together, and off I went.

The drive up was uneventful, I made good time with the 75 MPH speeds through central Texas (I may, or may not, have averaged a little better than that). TOW really likes to cruise at just over 80. The gear whine has definitely been reduces, and while not completely gone, is much more tolerable. I adapted to the brakes, and everything else just worked. I did notice that the sound of the exhaust is different now. Neither of us have a good theory as to why, but the car is less raspy now. It's a subtle change, but I like it better now for sure.

Friday was a fun day at the autocross. After 2 runs, I was about 4 seconds between the leaders. I was struggling with a bad push and front tire chatter. While walking around the 'pro' pit area, I noticed someone wearing a JRI sweatshirt, so I walked up and introduced myself. His name was JJ, and he was there working with Kyle, Stacy, Cheryl, and Brian on their setups. I described my car and what I was experiencing, and I asked him for a 'Shocks 101' lesson. He gave me that and then some! We talked for about 30m about how the shocks are affecting my car, about my spring rate combination, and what he thought would help. Interestingly, I was about to adjust my shock settings, but I was going to go the completely opposite direction from what JJ recommended. I'm glad I asked...

My next run came down by 3 seconds and landed me in 4th place in the street machine division! It was a huge difference. While I don't run JRI's at the moment, JJ was still willing to offer a lot of advice and suggestions to me. He has won me over as a customer when I'm ready to step up.

I was able to get in 2 more runs on Friday for a total of 5, and I didn't improve on my run, so I ended the day in 4th place. I was behind Terry Neuville (sp?), Kevin Miller, and this crazy little Mini Cooper 'chainsaw' that is apparently driven by a guy who (if I heard this correctly) won in his division at the SCCA Nationals last year in a different car. So I was feeling pretty good about where I was at!

Unfortunately, Saturday was a different story. I had noticed that something didn't feel quite right during my last run on Friday, but I wasn't sure what it was. Saturday morning when I started TOW up to drive to the track, she was very temperamental, not running smoothly. I thought it was just the cool weather, so I drove on. I lined up for my first run, and while it felt pretty good, the time wasn't there. Everyone seemed to be 1/2 - 1 second faster that morning that Friday, but I was 2 seconds off. At one point I felt the car buck on the course, I thought that maybe I had just hit the throttle wrong. But the day continued this way. I was never able to get close to my best Friday run, and each run was progressively worse. Once while idling in line, TOW just died. That has never happened before. So I knew something was wrong.

The rains rolled in at 1:00 as I was 3rd in line for my next run, so I only got 5 for the day. I packed my things and headed back to the hotel to wait out the downpour. When it was time for dinner I headed out (it was still raining), and that's when the real problem started showing up. I could barely drive her. When I hit 3rd gear, she was missing and stuttering. I limped back to the motel and grabbed my laptop. When I started the car, everything looked ok, so I went out for a drive again. Same thing: stutter, backfire, stumble. But the gauges looked fine?

Very long story short, I finally deduced that I must have lost the O2 sensor. So I disabled closed loop mode, and voila! TOW drove just fine. Thankfully the base tune is in reasonable shape to drive ok. I just sure wish I had figured this out before Saturday night so that I could have had a better chance to move up during the Saturday autocross runs!

I decided to hit the road early this morning to start the trek back to Austin just in case I had any trouble. TOW did great, the base tune was just fine for the drive home. I again made good time, and after a few miles felt that everything was going to be ok.

I dropped TOW off with Eric this afternoon to remove the exhaust for the ceramic coating. We have a few things to do, first of all determine if there is a wiring problem with the sensor, or if it just died. Eric pulled it this afternoon, and it looks pretty rough (carbon), but that could be the aftereffect of it dying. I'll be ordering a new one tomorrow, and perhaps a second for a future spare.

We're going to swap back the 550 springs in the front, reset the ride height of the car (lower in the front, I want to see if I can survive a lower ride height now that I have clearance), take a look and see if the caliper rubbing is gone on the rear, and a few other little things. We're working out the kinks that a build like this is bound to have. But I have to say, I sure am having fun along the way! While it was frustrating to have the sensor problem, I really enjoyed the drive and the autocross and meeting the fellow Lat-G members this weekend. Even that Weld guy was there. Somehow we made it through 2 full days without a single mention of BBQ. Imagine that... ;)

[71RS/SS396]

Mike,

Funny you ask... We definitely got poured on yesterday in FW. And unfortunately, I realized that my windows are not sealing well to the upper window seals. I don't blame the seal, I think they are actually GM pieces (I did not replace them during this build), but instead the adjustment of the window itself. At the top of the closing, the glass is kicking in too far and too high at the front, which is causing the back to not seal as well as it should. I need to pull the door panel and adjust it again...

I haven't heard very good things about the reproduction seals either unfortunately which is one reason I didn't pull these. They aren't in great shape, but they should still seal ok given their condition.

I replaced the glass on the car during the build, and I think I ended up with Pilkington pieces if I recall correctly. I'm actually on the hunt for a new windshield now, mine has a crack and needs to be replaced. :( I'll try to get one ordered this week, but they aren't cheap by the time you include shipping...

Bryan, this is one of the best descriptions I've seen for the door glass alignment. http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1442321

[rickpaw]

Sounded like you had a great weekend, other than the weather.

[GregWeld]

Mike,

Funny you ask... We definitely got poured on yesterday in FW. And unfortunately, I realized that my windows are not sealing well to the upper window seals. I don't blame the seal, I think they are actually GM pieces (I did not replace them during this build), but instead the adjustment of the window itself. At the top of the closing, the glass is kicking in too far and too high at the front, which is causing the back to not seal as well as it should. I need to pull the door panel and adjust it again...

I haven't heard very good things about the reproduction seals either unfortunately which is one reason I didn't pull these. They aren't in great shape, but they should still seal ok given their condition.

I replaced the glass on the car during the build, and I think I ended up with Pilkington pieces if I recall correctly. I'm actually on the hunt for a new windshield now, mine has a crack and needs to be replaced. :( I'll try to get one ordered this week, but they aren't cheap by the time you include shipping...





In all of my years of adjusting this stuff -- and my early years (actually during the time when this stuff was NEW! UGH) working in a body shop..... we were taught to adjust the windows by putting a dollar bill between the seal and the window... if you could still pull the dollar bill out without tearing it --- that was a good seal. Too tight and you have problems.

[ironworks]

In all of my years of adjusting this stuff -- and my early years (actually during the time when this stuff was NEW! UGH) working in a body shop..... we were taught to adjust the windows by putting a dollar bill between the seal and the window... if you could still pull the dollar bill out without tearing it --- that was a good seal. Too tight and you have problems.

Who can risk tearing a dollar bill in half these days?

[GregWeld]

Who can risk tearing a dollar bill in half these days?




I switched to using 100's..... using the savings from not eating at the good Texas BBQ places.

[ironworks]

I switched to using 100's..... using the savings from not eating at the good Texas BBQ places.


The Salt Lick is over rated, or so I hear.

[glassman]

Bryan, this is one of the best descriptions I've seen for the door glass alignment. http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1442321
\

Tim, I did auto glass for 15 years (Grandpa was auto glass, dad was auto glass & i still do a little, very little, & four cars at Pebble Beach) and our 2nd gen doors are amongst the hardest to adjust. If only OEM GM seals were still around. Thats a good write up on nasty, great place too start. I've been in mine three times and on my second set of seals....

So when you get to do this Bryan, lemme know...p.s. I will be there in Texas again for the finally of the Goodguys Road Trip, and will hopefully be on the autocross there!!!!

On the windshield, just have a local quality shop do it, there pretty easy for them, you should be in the 200 to 250 neighborhood.....

[Panteracer]

Bryan,
sounds like things are starting to come around
on your car....changing the springs in the front
back? Why??

Leaking windows... I am toying with pulling mine
to try to save some weight.. at 3710 lbs something
has to go.. so rain won't matter then

Keep after it... like you said it is all about
having fun and running the car

Panteracer Norcal Bob.. with the 70 TA Clone

[EVO]

Bryan, Awesome firebird you got there. If youre ever driving it down around Seguin, Id love to check it out. I just got a 70 Lucerne blue TA that I plan on resto-modding sometime soon. Come on by anytime.

Evan Q.
413 Beechcraft Lane
Seguin Tx 78155
2106215165

[Flash68]

Great showing Bryan!

So you are switching it to a 550/500 spring setup next? Interesting....

I will be starting out with the Jake suggested 700/500 setup with mine.

[chichirone]

Bryan, a few of us wondered what happened to TOW and you on Sunday. It was down right frigid with the temps and wind so we all just figured you were "smarter" than us and packed up and headed south.

The track was dusty and slippery so more of a drifting event sunday morning but ALOT of fun to just be out there banging around the cones. You missed a pretty killer new gen mustang that had an incredible exhaust, huge wing, bolt on flares that was more race car than street car that won the All American Sunday class. Would have been fun to watch under better conditions but the dude couldn't get the power down.

I hope you get the miss figured out and it is only an O2 sensor. It appears I have a fuel delivery issue. I have a feeling the shop that installed my gas tank installed the wrong part because anytime i dropped below a half tank of gas the hesitation/miss was back. I need to go back and look at my parts list and ensure they bought the correct tank.

I look forward to hang in with ya in the fall and joining TOW with our 73. We will have to get you out to Rodeo Goat in Ft. Worth for a Whiskey Burger and a Moontang. We can even invite Greg!

Glad you made it home safely to Austin. Let me know if you decide to head back up for the USCA event.

[carbuff]

Bryan,
sounds like things are starting to come around
on your car....changing the springs in the front
back? Why??


So you are switching it to a 550/500 spring setup next? Interesting....

I will be starting out with the Jake suggested 700/500 setup with mine.

I actually haven't decided what I'm going to do yet... I'm in a bit of information overload at the moment, and I need track time with the ability to experiment to really know what to do.

I think I have a few things going on that need to be sorted. One thing was that the front end of the car was too high. We just didn't have time to adjust it with me sitting in the car before I left. That, combined with the stiff springs meant that I wasn't getting any decent weight transfer to the front of the car. So my braking and turning both suffered on the tight auto-x course. I was pushing badly in a few turns.

I have a feeling, and I'm still trying to figure this out, that the 700/500 is a perfect recommendation for the bigger tracks that you plan to run Dave. Of course I will do some as well. But I'm thinking that for the small auto-x, a softer spring may be better to get some grip in the front when I'm really slowing the car down.

I met JJ from JRi shocks, and he spent a lot of time talking with me on Friday. He watched me run, and he was the one that noted several of the things that may be wrong. He also commented that I was WAY more sprung than the other cars he was working with (DSE, Hobaugh, others). Of course the suspensions are different, but not THAT different.

I want to experiment with moving the Watt's pivot, and soften back up the front springs. I'm not sure what I'll do with the back yet.

The biggest problem is I have no idea when I'll get to hit a track again. The next local auto-x is at the end of April (at least one I can make). I REALLY wish I could get back to Fort Worth for USCA this weekend, but it's not going to happen.

[carbuff]

Leaking windows... I am toying with pulling mine
to try to save some weight.. at 3710 lbs something has to go.. so rain won't matter then

3838# on Ridetech's scales this time for me... It did have a full tank of gas. Makes me feel even a little better about my auto-x results when I think about how heavy the car is compared to some. :)

Keep after it... like you said it is all about
having fun and running the car

Panteracer Norcal Bob.. with the 70 TA Clone

Exactly! I'm having a blast, other than the little problems... Thankfully there hasn't been anything major, just more annoyances. Makes me happy on the whole with how the project has turned out!

[carbuff]

Bryan, Awesome firebird you got there. If youre ever driving it down around Seguin, Id love to check it out. I just got a 70 Lucerne blue TA that I plan on resto-modding sometime soon. Come on by anytime.

Evan Q.
413 Beechcraft Lane
Seguin Tx 78155
2106215165

Thanx! I may end up down at San Antonio Raceway for a Spokes event at some point. I'm not sure when the next one is, but that will likely be my next event with the car. We should have all the little things sorted soon.

Let's see some pics of that blue TA! :)

[carbuff]

On the windshield, just have a local quality shop do it, there pretty easy for them, you should be in the 200 to 250 neighborhood.....

Thanx for the tips. Can most places still get the glass for these cars? If so, that's exactly what I'll do then!

Look forward to have even more 2nd gens representing in the fall! We need to even out the field a bit with all the first gens there... ;)

[carbuff]

The Salt Lick is over rated, or so I hear.

:disgusted:

[carbuff]

Bryan, a few of us wondered what happened to TOW and you on Sunday. It was down right frigid with the temps and wind so we all just figured you were "smarter" than us and packed up and headed south.

Dunno about smarter, but when I walked out the door of my motel and was smacked in the face with that wind, I was that much more certain of my choice! :)

The track was dusty and slippery so more of a drifting event sunday morning but ALOT of fun to just be out there banging around the cones. You missed a pretty killer new gen mustang that had an incredible exhaust, huge wing, bolt on flares that was more race car than street car that won the All American Sunday class. Would have been fun to watch under better conditions but the dude couldn't get the power down.

I'm sure. As cold as it was, I imagine there wasn't much grip to be found. Those California guys sure got a dose of crazy Texas weather!

I hope you get the miss figured out and it is only an O2 sensor.

I'm pretty sure this one is fouled now... :confused59:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/sensor_zps70874725.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/sensor_zps70874725.jpg.html)

Should be interesting to see the plugs.

It appears I have a fuel delivery issue. I have a feeling the shop that installed my gas tank installed the wrong part because anytime i dropped below a half tank of gas the hesitation/miss was back. I need to go back and look at my parts list and ensure they bought the correct tank.

Oof, good luck. Which tank did they install? That's an odd problem unless you're getting some serious fuel slosh!

I look forward to hang in with ya in the fall and joining TOW with our 73. We will have to get you out to Rodeo Goat in Ft. Worth for a Whiskey Burger and a Moontang. We can even invite Greg!

Glad you made it home safely to Austin. Let me know if you decide to head back up for the USCA event.

Definitely, and thanx! I was pretty nervous about hitting the road, but after a few miles of everything feeling ok, I settled in for the drive. TOW cruises really well between 80 and 85 on the highway. :drive:

[EVO]

Bryan, The dragstrip is only about 10 min from my hangar. Send me a PM or call when you go to the strip. I only have a couple of pics of the TA. I just bought it off of ebay 2 weeks ago. Drove nonstop to SanDiego to pick it up.
I just finished a complete resto mod on a 69 corvette, complete with all C6 goodies and an LSA. Heres a linky:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-general/2971497-69-vert-resto-mod.html

Here's a grainy cell phone shot of the TA after I loaded it up in San Diego

Evan Q.

And now........:topic:

[carbuff]

Nice TA, and nice Vette too! That car turned out very well...

It looks like the next Spokes event is April 27th, so I'll try to be down for that. If you get to Austin, let me know as well.

[carbuff]

There was a guy at the motel where I stayed who came up to me the first day and really liked TOW. He took a bunch of pictures and asked for my email address to send them to me. Turns out he runs a big Instagram site it seems for classic cars. I'm not a big user of Instrgram (I had to hunt down my account info), but I did find the page. Some nice cars here:

http://instagram.com/classicsdaily

Here are some of the pictures he took. They came out really nice!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo1_zps5d2f0636.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo1_zps5d2f0636.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo5_zpsea77d649.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo5_zpsea77d649.jpg.html)

I really like this one:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo3_zpsf8521646.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo3_zpsf8521646.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo7_zps6adff572.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo7_zps6adff572.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo11_zps2512fc55.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo11_zps2512fc55.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo12_zps6754b254.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo12_zps6754b254.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo13_zps599256b4.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo13_zps599256b4.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo14_zps630c8980.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo14_zps630c8980.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo15_zps0f227f5d.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/photo15_zps0f227f5d.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

TOW's in the shop this week getting a little work done, so I thought I would post up this crappy cell phone picture of a couple of recent additions. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140616_204330_zps8fbvczme.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140616_204330_zps8fbvczme.jpg.html)

Eric is hunting down a leak in the AC system, and he informed me today that I apparently broke the circuit in the HP EFI that powers the AC compressor. Oops... I'll go fix that tomorrow. We're also replacing the rod ends in all the suspension links with new units to get ride of a few clunks. I'm switching the poly bushings over to Spohn Del-Spheres also for better LCA articulation. We have a few more little things to do while she's there...

I have more plans for the next couple of months too. :G-Dub:

[GregWeld]

A regular one man economic firestorm you are Bryan!!


Save some dough so you can take Adrienne out to The Salt Lick!

[RussMurco]

My old 3rd gen Camaro was loaded with Spohn stuff, great products!... Been a while, I'll have to check them out again!

Your old fenders are going to good use, even prototyping a new fender vent with them!

Save some dough so you can take Adrienne out to The Salt Lick!

I never made it to Salt Lick last visit but I'd do most anything for some Franklin's BBQ right about now...

[carbuff]

Your old fenders are going to good use, even prototyping a new fender vent with them!

Glad to hear it! :)

I never made it to Salt Lick last visit but I'd do most anything for some Franklin's BBQ right about now...

That 4 hour wait is tough, but Weld has no idea what he REALLY missed. :)

[WSSix]

Glad the car is working out and you're enjoying it, Bryan.

[rat_rod_russell]

Salt Lick? Franklin's BBQ? ..........
Come to Lockhart and Luling and get some real BBQ.


Hit me up next time you head to the Driveway. I'm in between projects but I have a forester with STi Suspension that'll do the job well enough and my buddy Paul is in Georgetown. He has a 81 Vette and a 68 PT Camaro. We'd love to get out there with something more style.

Later
-Russell

[windycitychev]

This is one super sweet looking build

[carbuff]

Salt Lick? Franklin's BBQ? ..........
Come to Lockhart and Luling and get some real BBQ.

Funny, 'cause that's exactly what I did, and I haven't heard the end of it! We ended up at Blacks, because Kreuz's was out of BBQ at 7:30 when we got there... The Weld went to the Salt Lick on Sunday night, and you would have thought he found met Elvis or something...

Hit me up next time you head to the Driveway. I'm in between projects but I have a forester with STi Suspension that'll do the job well enough and my buddy Paul is in Georgetown. He has a 81 Vette and a 68 PT Camaro. We'd love to get out there with something more style.

Later
-Russell

I've only done the 1-day group class at the Driveway so far. I want to do their 4-hour private instruction next so that I can be cleared to just show up during open track times. Have you been there before? I bet we can get a few local cars out for a day, that would be fun! I'm also looking at doing the Competition Class down at MSR sometime in the near future...

[carbuff]

This is one super sweet looking build

Thanx! I'm definitely enjoying it... :)

[rickpaw]

We tried to stay in line at Franklin's once and gave up after 1 hr.

Let me know if you'll be at MSR. I'll try to meet up.

[carbuff]

Ha, that's more like a 3-4 hour line, and you better be there around 8:00 - 8:30 am if you want to get through it. When I've gone, we took chairs and breakfast and made a half day of it. It was a novelty to do it once, but not something I'm willing to do regularly, no matter how good it is!

MSR would be in the August/September timeframe, so I'll definitely post it up!

[rickpaw]

Ha, that's more like a 3-4 hour line, and you better be there around 8:00 - 8:30 am if you want to get through it.

MSR would be in the August/September timeframe, so I'll definitely post it up!

Who stands in line for 3-4 hrs for lunch, and still has a day job, or maybe it's their job. :peepwall: Salt Lick was decent. Maybe I'm not a BBQ guy.

Can't wait to see the changes you have coming for the car.

[rat_rod_russell]

I've only done the 1-day group class at the Driveway so far. I want to do their 4-hour private instruction next so that I can be cleared to just show up during open track times. Have you been there before? I bet we can get a few local cars out for a day, that would be fun! I'm also looking at doing the Competition Class down at MSR sometime in the near future...

You should also check with Harris Hills in San Marcos. Its a nice track and much closer.

Paul and I pick random 30 minute track times during the week as the plan. Less wait time that way. I did the special school with Autocross focus in my 57 Chevy. I got 4-5 track secessions in and a fist full of autocross events before I sold that car and the PT-57 wasn't sound enough for a real thrashing when it was running so I'm big time out of practice. Let me know when your going again, I'd love to see this beast in person as well.

Later
-Russell

[carbuff]

I definitely want to run at Harris Hill. I need to investigate it more, but my understanding is that it's a membership-only track. Perhaps they do events there which I don't know about yet though...

[gerno]

I definitely want to run at Harris Hill. I need to investigate it more, but my understanding is that it's a membership-only track. Perhaps they do events there which I don't know about yet though...

The owner of the place I keep my trailer is a local racer who is apparently pretty good. He has a membership to Harris and said I can head out there with him for a nominal fee so I don't have to worry about a membership. Once the LS swap is done I'll see if he can help set something up.

[rat_rod_russell]

The owner of the place I keep my trailer is a local racer who is apparently pretty good. He has a membership to Harris and said I can head out there with him for a nominal fee so I don't have to worry about a membership. Once the LS swap is done I'll see if he can help set something up.

Exactly, If you know someone with a membership then you can be invited as their guest and they will let guys with cool cars do a few events to get them hooked. Like a good drug dealer your first hit is free!

There are also several groups that do track days at Harris Hills and COTA (the F1 track for guys not from Austin) Here are the 2 I know of, they love their Facebook organizations.

https://www.facebook.com/theedgeadventures
and to an extent these guys
https://www.facebook.com/lracademy

From what I can tell The Driveway is the best bang for the buck when it comes to seat time per dollar so after I get my toys sorted I'll be heading that way first and to Harris if I get and invite.

TOW looks killer! I need to get Eric's info from you. I don't have a body / painter I trust so I'd like to pick his brain and it would be nice to know a local shop that does real PT cars as well.

Later
-Russell

[LowNfast]

Spotted! I was just reading thru this thread again today. (One of my favorite cars!)

I'm the crazy guy waving from the blue Z06.



http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/lownfastsonoma/5DA93806-2081-4AC5-B303-B2B38C8D6FD1_zpsibysoobq.jpg (http://s101.photobucket.com/user/lownfastsonoma/media/5DA93806-2081-4AC5-B303-B2B38C8D6FD1_zpsibysoobq.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Ha! Small world... :) I was enjoying the sound of your exhaust while behind you too...

I'm up for two weekends in a row, so lots of highway time for TOW. I'm doing an autocross here tomorrow, and then back up for the GoodGuys show next weekend. If you will be there, stop by and say Hello!

:cheers:

[rat_rod_russell]

Ha! Small world... :) I was enjoying the sound of your exhaust while behind you too...

I'm up for two weekends in a row, so lots of highway time for TOW. I'm doing an autocross here tomorrow, and then back up for the GoodGuys show next weekend. If you will be there, stop by and say Hello!

:cheers:

I'll try to say hi at the Good Guys show. I'll be up poking around. I'm the guy in the top hat and Nerd Rods shirt.

Later
-Russell

[GrabberGT]

Ha! Small world... :) I was enjoying the sound of your exhaust while behind you too...

I'm up for two weekends in a row, so lots of highway time for TOW. I'm doing an autocross here tomorrow, and then back up for the GoodGuys show next weekend. If you will be there, stop by and say Hello!

:cheers:

Hey Bryan. TOW looked great out there this weekend. Everyone commented on how "glued" it appeared. Nice work. Looking forward to another weekend. With the USCA event in Pittsburgh this weekend, I wonder who else is going to show up. Might be a pretty light turnout from the pro's. Might just be the Summit group.

[carbuff]

Thanx Chris! That was a great event... I thought I was going to finish pretty well, but apparently 4 people leap frogged me in the last sessions of the day! Good crowd, and a really fun event!

I hope everything is ok with the Maverick. As I was leaving (I hit the road early to get back to Austin), I thought I saw it being pushed off course. Tell me that wasn't serious and you won't have to miss the GG event again!

Hope to see you this weekend again...

[Panteracer]

Bryan and Chris
Checking to see if you guys
Have run the high banks at Texas world
Speedway. Our Pantera group is going to
Run there next May. They have like 28 panteras
saying they are coming from all parts of the country

Then the developers are going to tear it down...sad

We have one full race Pantera that hits 182mph at 8800 rpm
In fourth gear. They do have a 5 speed

Hoping to make it to that event

Panteracer

[carbuff]

I have not done that yet, but I would like to before they close it next year. I know that Steve (gerno) has run there and really likes it also. I'm hoping he gets his car back together and we can perhaps make a trip there before it's gone. It's not that far away, I just haven't had time to make it this year!

I also want to run COTA. I missed an event there last weekend since I was up in Fort Worth. I will get to one in the near future though...

[gerno]

I have not done that yet, but I would like to before they close it next year. I know that Steve (gerno) has run there and really likes it also. I'm hoping he gets his car back together and we can perhaps make a trip there before it's gone. It's not that far away, I just haven't had time to make it this year!

I also want to run COTA. I missed an event there last weekend since I was up in Fort Worth. I will get to one in the near future though...

It will be together soon...... I have a credit for a Sunday at TWS since last time I was there the axle started making noise. I have to use it before they are gone.

[ONEBAD78TA]

very cool bird

[chichirone]

Bryan, great to see you and "TOW" last weekend. We really enjoyed having you there and glad you had a safe trip up and back to Austin. The car sounded awesome. Next time lets get the TAs together for a group shot.
50553

[chichirone]

50554

[chichirone]

50555

[chichirone]

50558

[chichirone]

See you at GoodGuys this weekend!
50559

[carbuff]

Jay,

Thanx again for putting on a great event! I will certainly do my best to make it up there the next time you put one on. TOW and I feel we can do better. :)

Now, about this weekend. My neighbor noticed the following on TOW tonight:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140930_192553_zpsla8uaflu.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140930_192553_zpsla8uaflu.jpg.html)

I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it's bigger than a nail I believe. Too big to be patched, especially how I drive her.

I immediately started checking online, and it looks like one Discount Tire locally has a pair of the Falkens in the 315's I need for the rear. Since I'm replacing those, I'll also do the fronts in the 275's (which they miraculously also had exactly 1 pair of) to keep the car matched. It sucks to replace them, since they still have good life left, but I'll keep the other 3 for future backups.

So for the moment, I'm still on for GG. Looks like I may be driving through some rain to get there!

[chichirone]

I got you on the list for the next event. It was a blast.

That's a good neighbor! And you are way lucky a local DT has tires that fit IN STOCK!

Drive safe on Thursday and see you Friday at the auto-x. :happy23:

[GrabberGT]

Thanx Chris! That was a great event... I thought I was going to finish pretty well, but apparently 4 people leap frogged me in the last sessions of the day! Good crowd, and a really fun event!

I hope everything is ok with the Maverick. As I was leaving (I hit the road early to get back to Austin), I thought I saw it being pushed off course. Tell me that wasn't serious and you won't have to miss the GG event again!

Hope to see you this weekend again...

Yeah. I needed a little help getting off the course that time which also ended my day. I spun it and somehow shook things violently enough to break my coil bracket. The coil then fell on the Alternator which not only burned a hole in the coil but also shorted out the entire system. So no more runs for me that day. Luckily, autozone is only a couple miles down the road and a new coil, fuse, and an extra large hose clamp was all I needed to drive it home. I've got parts that should show up today to get it back to racing shape. Having the issue was a real bummer though as I was just getting into that confident racing mode again. 45's were well within reach and I had 4 more runs left. If only I raced enough to not need 10+ runs to find my racing persona. This weekend should be different. Let the games begin.:buttkick:

[LowNfast]

Ha! Small world... :) I was enjoying the sound of your exhaust while behind you too...

I'm up for two weekends in a row, so lots of highway time for TOW. I'm doing an autocross here tomorrow, and then back up for the GoodGuys show next weekend. If you will be there, stop by and say Hello!

:cheers:



I will be at GG on saturday, my car is still in the bodyshop so ill have to make the walk of shame into the event this year. But I will make sure to stop by and say hello. Good luck this weekend!

Have you already replaced the tires on tow? I'd be interested in the bad tire, to use for mock up purposes.

[carbuff]

Yeah. I needed a little help getting off the course that time which also ended my day. I spun it and somehow shook things violently enough to break my coil bracket. The coil then fell on the Alternator which not only burned a hole in the coil but also shorted out the entire system. So no more runs for me that day. Luckily, autozone is only a couple miles down the road and a new coil, fuse, and an extra large hose clamp was all I needed to drive it home. I've got parts that should show up today to get it back to racing shape. Having the issue was a real bummer though as I was just getting into that confident racing mode again. 45's were well within reach and I had 4 more runs left. If only I raced enough to not need 10+ runs to find my racing persona. This weekend should be different. Let the games begin.:buttkick:

:bigun2:

Glad to hear it was nothing serious! I was hating seeing the guys pushing the car as I was driving off... It was a shame about Gary's Vette, I liked hearing and seeing him on the course in the Spring. This should be a fun weekend and hopefully a touch cooler outside than last. ;)

I will be at GG on saturday, my car is still in the bodyshop so ill have to make the walk of shame into the event this year. But I will make sure to stop by and say hello. Good luck this weekend!

Have you already replaced the tires on tow? I'd be interested in the bad tire, to use for mock up purposes.

Well, good news on this front (for me at least!). The shop has convinced me that a plug and patch will take care of me. I actually ran around this morning and bought another set of the Falken's, and I then went to another shop to switch them (they have the better machine which doesn't touch the wheel lip). When they took the tire off, it was just a simple nail afterall. It looked worse with the tread bulge, but apparently not.

So I will be returning the tires I just bought and continuing to run the current ones. I'm really glad for that, as they still have over 4/32" tread left! They are wearing better than I thought after 3k miles and a bunch of autocross runs. :)

[Panteracer]

Good to see you guys are running the cars hard
Seems like we always have something to fix
I am chasing an electrical short in mine

Love the Bird and Vega

Panteracer hoping to go to Texas next year

[GrabberGT]

Good to see you guys are running the cars hard
Seems like we always have something to fix
I am chasing an electrical short in mine

Love the Bird and Vega

Panteracer hoping to go to Texas next year

Awww! Seriously? Vega! :slingshot:

[carbuff]

Awww! Seriously? Vega! :slingshot:

I was gonna leave that alone... :secret:

[LowNfast]

Thats great news on saving the tire. Money saved is always good. See you saturday.

[chichirone]

See you guys tomorrow.

Bryan, I hope you made it to Ft. Worth safely and missed most of the rain.

Chris, I can't wait to check out the Vega! :mock: HAHAHA!!! Must be the new hood scoop. LMAO!

[Panteracer]

Chris
Sorry was rushing and wrote vega
and meant maverick

Like I said before I have pic of your car
next to mine at tech last year in Vegas
Hanging on my wall in my shop

Glad to hear you did not hurt it
too bad. Love the color also

Panteracer

[rkleypas]

Saw your car at GG this weekend. It looks great! Looks like it will be a blast. Congrats.

[grendel]

Do you have tow hooks/loops on it?

[carbuff]

Saw your car at GG this weekend. It looks great! Looks like it will be a blast. Congrats.

Thanx! Sorry if you tried to catch me and I was busy prepping the car... We had a quick turnaround in the autocross, so I found myself pretty busy this weekend!

Do you have tow hooks/loops on it?

I have a hook on the front, and 2 on the rear though they are really set up to be tie-downs instead of tow hooks (not easily accessilbe from the rear).

[grendel]

I have a hook on the front, and 2 on the rear though they are really set up to be tie-downs instead of tow hooks (not easily accessilbe from the rear).

Any chance I could get details on them? I am in the planning stages, so parts acquisition mode.

[carbuff]

http://www.racecartowhooks.com/

I bought the blanks and drilled the holes as needed. Then I had them powdercoated black. Pretty simple...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg.html)

[grendel]

http://www.racecartowhooks.com/

I bought the blanks and drilled the holes as needed. Then I had them powdercoated black. Pretty simple...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg.html)


Perfect, thank you.

[Ron Sutton]

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20140808_202936_zpssi8mnl6k.jpg.html)


Hmmm. Purple springs. :)

Don't tell anyone the springs rates front & rear ... or their brain will fry. :lol:

It was fun working with you the last two weekends via text & phone. Seems like you have a good handle on the tuning now & the car's balanced well.

:cheers:

[GregWeld]

Real men run purple....

[OLDFLM]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv273/OLDFLM/269602-PurpleHornies_zps0e962445.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/OLDFLM/media/269602-PurpleHornies_zps0e962445.jpg.html)

I see some Purple marketing magic happening! LOL

[SSLance]

Those black with red writing on them stickers are starting to show up all over the place... :D

[carbuff]

Hmmm. Purple springs. :)

Don't tell anyone the springs rates front & rear ... or their brain will fry. :lol:

Or the fillings in their teeth might rattle out!

It was fun working with you the last two weekends via text & phone. Seems like you have a good handle on the tuning now & the car's balanced well.

:cheers:


Ditto! Thanx again for all of the help. Now to work some more on the driver.

I'm long overdue for a real update in this thread. Several things have been changed/tweaked this summer, so I need to write up a real post. Obviously, I've been working with Ron on some suspension tweaks. I cannot even begin to tell you all how much I've learned from him from our emails and phone conversations. But the most amazing part is the service after the sale. That has been invaluable!

[Ron Sutton]

Real men run purple....

Yup! Real fast men anyway. :)

[silver63c10]

Hi Bryan - I was at the Camaro Club autocross weekend before last and did a bit of drooling over your car but never got a chance to talk to you. My dad and I have the 'loud red 2nd gen' as Jay put it. :confused18:

Seeing all the goodies underneath, I like your car even more. Way cool. Looking forward to seeing you out up here again sometime soon!

Duston

[carbuff]

Hi Bryan - I was at the Camaro Club autocross weekend before last and did a bit of drooling over your car but never got a chance to talk to you. My dad and I have the 'loud red 2nd gen' as Jay put it. :confused18:

Seeing all the goodies underneath, I like your car even more. Way cool. Looking forward to seeing you out up here again sometime soon!

Duston

Duston,

I actually did talk to you and your dad at the NTXCC event. You probably didn't realize it was me, but I came over and looked your Camaro over before the event started. :)

I'll look forward to the next chance to get up for an event again!
Bryan

[LS7 Z/28]

Yup! Real fast men anyway. :)



Are those Draco's Ron?

Car looks great Bryan. I really dig all the improvements.

[silver63c10]

Duston,

I actually did talk to you and your dad at the NTXCC event. You probably didn't realize it was me, but I came over and looked your Camaro over before the event started. :)

I'll look forward to the next chance to get up for an event again!
Bryan

Ah, very good. I'm still pretty pre-occupied running through everything when we bring it out, so try as I might all the conversations from the day start to blend together a bit :lol:

[carbuff]

Are those Draco's Ron?

Car looks great Bryan. I really dig all the improvements.

Yes they are... :) Pretty cool to receive a spring dyno plot when you open the box for these.

Thanx! I need to do an updated writeup on the summer changes to the car...

[chichirone]

Duston, you DO have a loud AND fast red 2nd gen. It's a hoot to watch the beast run the cones. I'm looking forward to getting out to another event with you and your Dad. Hopefully we can talk Bryan into coming back up for the next Camaro Club event in the spring.

Bryan, it was a blast hanging with you last weekend. Amy was stoked she ran her fastest times with you in the car with her. We definitely need to get the TAs together for a photo next time. Can't believe we let the opportunity go right on by us at GG's. Oh well. Next time.

[Ron Sutton]

Are those Draco's Ron?

Car looks great Bryan. I really dig all the improvements.

Hi Casey,

Yes. Those are Draco springs. They're the best spring available to us that's still affordable.

[GregWeld]

Hey Bryan ---

Sorry I didn't have time to get together on this trip to Austin. Between Adrienne being in school half of the day -- and running around with her/for her while we were there we just didn't have much free time. I never even got over to see what SW had in the shop (although we did have dinner).

Have to tell ya -- she LOVES Austin! and has lots of school left - so there will be more trips for us.

[gerno]

Thanks again for letting me drive TOW this weekend, it was a lot of fun. How's the video editing my me tearing up your car going?? You have those go pros figured out yet?????

[carbuff]

Glad you could make it. Steve and I shared driving TOW during the local autocross at COTA yesterday (parking lot, not on the track unfortunately). We each had 5 runs, and we rode with each other each time. It was cool to get a different perspective by riding in my own car on the course. We have different driving styles, and that's what I was hoping for.

We decided at the end of the day that we likely provided the most entertainment for the spectators because we were both blowing the last turn of the end on almost every run (it was a 180* turn). And Steve did his best to wipe out the codes and timing lights at the end too. ;)

I'll have videos up on YouTube tonight. I'm new with a GoPro, so I'm trying to get them into the best format while not being huge. So far they look pretty good.

[carbuff]

Videos are up...

Here is my best run of the day (5th, last) from the top of the car as well as behind the rear tire. The fastest raw run times of the day were in the middle 29-second range. I ran a 34.9 and Steve hit a 35.5. Pretty good for his first time in my car!

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Here are all of my runs:

Bryan's Runs (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5zFhSz6kOP7tYv3O_sceukyjQ0SDND3f)

And here are Steve's runs:

Steve's Runs (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5zFhSz6kOP7mCKuea4fXMMXMnzPPyPTz)

Note the exit on Run5. He will thank me for chopping off his exits from the course on the previous runs. ;)

[rat_rod_russell]

Nice! Didn't know they were running at COTA.

What did Vtec run in the Banshie MX5? Also you should let him take you for a ride in your car. He used to race Trans AM is memory serves and is solid on RWD platform big HP cars. He's got a lot of experiance building and tuning and is an instructor at The Driveway last I checked.

-Russell

[carbuff]

Nice! Didn't know they were running at COTA.

This is the second time they have run there. They use one of the large parking lots for the course (lot H). It's a good spot for the course, since they are having trouble finding good spots around Austin itself.

What did Vtec run in the Banshie MX5? Also you should let him take you for a ride in your car. He used to race Trans AM is memory serves and is solid on RWD platform big HP cars. He's got a lot of experiance building and tuning and is an instructor at The Driveway last I checked.

-Russell

Vitek finished in 2nd place in raw time with a 29.5. That little Miata with the LS is fast! And this is a replacement engine. He grenaded the LS3, so I think this is an LS1 he's running.

Interesting idea about letting him drive. I hadn't thought of that, but I would do it. I've chatted with him some, and he let me use his scales when I was setting up TOW this time. I imagine he would enjoy the chance, he seems to really like TOW. Hmm...

[rat_rod_russell]

Vitek finished in 2nd place in raw time with a 29.5. That little Miata with the LS is fast! And this is a replacement engine. He grenaded the LS3, so I think this is an LS1 he's running.

Interesting idea about letting him drive. I hadn't thought of that, but I would do it. I've chatted with him some, and he let me use his scales when I was setting up TOW this time. I imagine he would enjoy the chance, he seems to really like TOW. Hmm...

If your planning to do the driveway ask Him as well. You'll want him or Bill as your personal instructor. Also his name is spelled Vitek. I keep trying to make him a honda cam in my head for some reason. (Sorry Vitek)

Also, and be ready to be butt hurt, the Banshie has a 5.3L in it now..... teehee, I rode with him in his STi but I've seen the videos of that little MX5 so 2 in raw time doesn't surprise me.

[gerno]

I'd be interested to see what Vitek can do in the car too. That would be fun to watch.

Thanks again for letting my run. Did any of the vids get me taking out the cones or the finish line? How about some tire smoke from coming in too hot? If so you should post up for a lesson of what not to do.

[carbuff]

I'd be interested to see what Vitek can do in the car too. That would be fun to watch.

Or to ride with. :)

Thanks again for letting my run. Did any of the vids get me taking out the cones or the finish line? How about some tire smoke from coming in too hot? If so you should post up for a lesson of what not to do.

I trimmed the vids for you, to save some face. :) But the end of your run #5 is a bit entertaining. I can put up the ones where you got "lost" at the exit also if you like, but I trimmed them off also...

I haven't watched all of the tire runs looking for smoke. Feel free to point it out though. :)

[gerno]

I missed that you posted the link. It's interesting how much less abrupt all the runs look on video than when we were in the car. It's also interating to see the front tire deflect as it is

[carbuff]

Time to bring this thread up to speed, since it really is the place where I document the car...

Since we last spoke, first this happened:

Dropped valve thread (http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=48834)

and while I was repairing that, I started a thread on Accusumps here:

Accusump Plumbing (http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=49321)

and during this time a few other things changed too. Below are the highlights of the new engine combination:


LS7 Block, honed to 4.127"
Callies Dragonslayer 4.000" Stroke crank (from the 402)
Callies Compstar 6.125" Rods with 2.0" journals (from the 402)
Wiseco pistons with 4cc reliefs (~12:1 CR)
TFS GenX LS3 heads, custom ported by Frankenstein Racing Heads
Custom cam by EPS (238/248, .629/.604, 114)
Morel 5315 lifters
Edelbrock Victor Jr. L92 intake, ported by FRH (plenum and port match)
Rocker arms upgraded with Harland Sharp trunions


Those were the big changes, lots of other little things in there too. And while I had it apart, I replaced the clutch also with a Monster LT1-S, their custom-flywheel which uses the new LT1 twin-disk clutch pack on an LS engine.

As noted in the thread above, it was a session of thrashing to get everything together and back into the car and get her ready for the Spring GG event in Fort Worth. I was bolting on parts until late the night before I drove up. But the drive went well, and TOW performed excellently! I finished 3rd in the Street Machine class. The newfound power definitely helped. The driver needs more work though.

This past week has been another thrash session to get the car ready for my first USCA event this weekend. One of the things I have been wanting and needing to do is to have the car dynoed and then tuned. I've had trouble finding anyone who seems to specialize in the Holley HP EFI systems, but I did locate someone about 2 hours from me last week. Turns out he had a slot available on Thursday, which fit perfectly into my schedule as well. So I drove over to his shop and spent about 4 hours between the dyno and street tuning.

Jumping straight to the good stuff, since everyone loves pictures and results:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/TOW427DynoPlotCropped_zpsmgyeknvp.gif (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/TOW427DynoPlotCropped_zpsmgyeknvp.gif.html)

Ignore the red line, that was a timing experiment. The blue line was our final result: 541 HP and 502 ft-lb of torque. Those numbers are through my T56 Magnum and a set of 3.89 Ford 9" gears, which apparently cost a little power. Also this wasn't a DynoJet, but instead a load-bearing DynoCom setup. What I do know is that on this run, she actually laid down 568 HP, but the SAE correction factor brought her back down to the 541 number. Stout!

What I am really enamored with though is that torque curve! It's almost exactly what I had asked for when I had discussions with the various people that contributed to my parts selections. It's broad and consistent, and you can feel it in how the car pulls through the gears.

He attempted to pull all the way to 7k RPM, but for whatever reason the dyno wasn't correctly capturing those last few hundred rpm. You can see how the curve doesn't roll over immediately, but instead carries the power. It's great!

Before taking the car to him, I have done a lot of reading and research on tuning the Holley. I've also worked hard to try and set my fuel and timing tables. Interestingly, he reloaded my tune at the end and did a pull to see how it compared. I was at 532 HP and similar torque to the final runs, meaning my tune was pretty close to his final result. That was pretty cool.

After we dynoed, we drove on the streets for about 45 minutes with him dialing in different areas in the tune. He leans the car out quite a bit, added some part throttle timing, and cleaned up a few other things. I kind of expected him to do work on some other areas of the setup, but he didn't think it was necessary. I do still have some cold and hot start work to do, she doesn't always start right up like she used to with the 402 for some reason.

I drove back up to Fort Worth today with the new tune. The engine definitely felt smoother during the drive with the timing and leaner tune. I also picked up some mileage, a little over 2 MPG vs. where I was. I still don't think I'm optimal there yet, so I'll work on that some more. But that's no small improvement in its own right.

More to tell, but I need sleep now for tomorrow. Just wanted to get these out there to share. :)

[carbuff]

Oh, I forgot to mention, just for GW;

We pulled the shaker off, leaving just the air cleaner in place, to see what the shaker costs me. Only 2 HP, and basically nothing during the rest of the run. I really was shocked by that result, as I figured the shaker would be a big limitation. I was wrong. So, thanx Weld for the suggestion on the foam top air cleaner. It seems to be working pretty well. ;)

[glassman]

Sweeeet!!! Nice set up bry, and thats at the wheels right? Ive got heads and cam coming from TSP, and i'm hoping for 550 at the crank.

Good luck out there tomorrow, i felt like a sheep amongst wolves lol, but had waay fun.

Cheers bud!!!!

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Nice B,

Air cleaners aren't bad, you just have to compensate and usually have to lean it a tad over the chassis dyno tune. Which is what it seems he did. But rich=safe.

[WSSix]

Nice numbers and power curves, Bryan! Have fun with the car. Who did the tunning?

[LowNfast]

Tow looked great out there today, I tried to catch you in the pits but had to head out early.

[Payton King]

You have to be happy with all of your work to actually do what you had hoped. Congrats on a crazy thrash!

[carbuff]

Thanx guys! I am really happy with the numbers and the feel of the car. That flat torque curve feels really good during acceleration!

One of the things I thought about this weekend during the USCA event is that I may consider a rear gear change. As crazy as this sounds, I end up going through 1st and 2nd gears so quickly during acceleration that I don't feel I get to use the full power. By that I mean, if I go full throttle, I have to shift quickly and it can be hard to keep traction. Not a bad problem to have, but I'm also thinking it might help me on some of the autocross courses to have a little more speed on the top of 1st gear. Something to consider...

[carbuff]

Here are videos from most of my GG Autocross runs. I haven't had time to process the ones from the USCA event yet. I have been having some camera-coordination troubles and didn't capture everything I wanted to... :\

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[waynieZ]

Nice Bryan, I felt like I was in the car with you. Thanks for posting.

[carbuff]

Some more time wasters... The full collection is available at:

My USCA Videos (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5zFhSz6kOP4Y0dez8S45ebaMKVNsLflD)

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I didn't manage to capture either of my 'offs' with the Garmin, but I went off at the end of the long straight (too much speed into the first turn) and I spun coming out of the second 180* turn at the opposite end of the track. The course was 3rd and 4th gears for me, downshifting into each 180*, then carrying 4th shortly after exiting. I could have run mostly in third, but I was still being a little gentle on the new engine.

I also improved my line quite a bit in session 5 when I had an instructor, but the battery in the Garmin was dead by then. :( It's lucky for Steve also, or I would have had a great shot of him sitting in turn 1 starring at us coming at him since he went off. ;)

[rickpaw]

It was nice to meet you at the event Bryan. Too bad I didn't have enough time to get more pictures of your car in action.

Car looked great in person.

[carbuff]

Tu,

Good to meet you as well. You need to plan to come up for the Fall GG autocross also. Lots of fun at those events also, although we don't get the cool garage spaces to relax in. ;)

Glad you made it home safely!

[gerno]

It's lucky for Steve also, or I would have had a great shot of him sitting in turn 1 starring at us coming at him since he went off. ;)

I wish someone had some video of me flying off so I can confirm what I think happened was reality. Unfortunately my camera quit too. I know the TV crew has some since I was wired up by them for that session but I doubt I'll be able to get it. I guess I have to see if I made the TV cut.

[carbuff]

Somehow I have a feeling that we will both be on the highlight reel...

I haven't downloaded from my GoPro's yet, so I might have caught my session 1 spin with those. The Garmin videos took a long time to process!

[rickpaw]

Tu,

Good to meet you as well. You need to plan to come up for the Fall GG autocross also. Lots of fun at those events also, although we don't get the cool garage spaces to relax in. ;)

Glad you made it home safely!

I have to pass the fall GG one. I have signed up for Power Tour and Cruisin the Coast this year, so I maxed out my allowance for car related trips. :)

It's one of the down side of being married, and the wife is not into cars.

Tu

[68LS1]

Thanx guys! I am really happy with the numbers and the feel of the car. That flat torque curve feels really good during acceleration!

One of the things I thought about this weekend during the USCA event is that I may consider a rear gear change. As crazy as this sounds, I end up going through 1st and 2nd gears so quickly during acceleration that I don't feel I get to use the full power. By that I mean, if I go full throttle, I have to shift quickly and it can be hard to keep traction. Not a bad problem to have, but I'm also thinking it might help me on some of the autocross courses to have a little more speed on the top of 1st gear. Something to consider...

Bryan are you running a close ratio box? What is your current diff ratio?

[carbuff]

Roger,

Yes I am running the close ratio box. And the diff ratio is 3.89:1. I'm contemplating something around 3.5:1 if I make a change now.

[71RS/SS396]

Thanx guys! I am really happy with the numbers and the feel of the car. That flat torque curve feels really good during acceleration!

One of the things I thought about this weekend during the USCA event is that I may consider a rear gear change. As crazy as this sounds, I end up going through 1st and 2nd gears so quickly during acceleration that I don't feel I get to use the full power. By that I mean, if I go full throttle, I have to shift quickly and it can be hard to keep traction. Not a bad problem to have, but I'm also thinking it might help me on some of the autocross courses to have a little more speed on the top of 1st gear. Something to consider...

You could always change the trans ratios, there is a 2.29 first gear ratio available. I can get to 65 mph @ 7,500 rpm with a 3.89 rear gear in 1st, almost 70 if I wring her out to 8,000. :D

[68LS1]

Roger,

Yes I am running the close ratio box. And the diff ratio is 3.89:1. I'm contemplating something around 3.5:1 if I make a change now.

Thanks, I've also got close ratio with 3.7 going into 2nd gen, hp should be slightly under what you have. I'll be interested to see what you end up doing

The 68 has normal ratio with 4.11, 1st is near useless and 6th is not real nice till 70 mph (which is above any speed limit in my state :))

[carbuff]

Thanks, I've also got close ratio with 3.7 going into 2nd gen, hp should be slightly under what you have. I'll be interested to see what you end up doing

The 68 has normal ratio with 4.11, 1st is near useless and 6th is not real nice till 70 mph (which is above any speed limit in my state :))

In my last car I had a standard ratio T56 (with the 0.50:1 6th gear) and I ran a 4.56:1 rear gear. Of course that engine was a solid roller 377 built to spin 8k rpm.

[carbuff]

You could always change the trans ratios, there is a 2.29 first gear ratio available. I can get to 65 mph @ 7,500 rpm with a 3.89 rear gear in 1st, almost 70 if I wring her out to 8,000. :D

That would solve the auto-cross problem, but I'm running 2700 or so RPM down the highway on road trips right now. I think I'd like to drop that down a bit too, which is why I was thinking of changing the diff. I'm not in a big hurry to change anything after my latest thrash though. ;)