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Had to brush up on my coding skillz, but I'm ready to test out this HUD speedo in the car. It's an Arduino Nano and Adafruit 7-segment display that reads off the VSS. I'm testing it with a cheap signal generator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEcd_wnYqEg
Where are you planning on stashing the display?
I'm gonna stick it close to the bottom of the windshield most likely.Quote:
Originally Posted by shownomercy
A friend cut me a deal on some old parts. They're 1.7 ratio NSA Scorpions, 7/16" ARP studs, guideplates, and a set of stock heads with a Crane 10308-1 kit on it. He went a little ape on the rockers with the belt sander in order to clear the studs, but he ran it that way for years with no issues. I still have to finish grinding the backs by the pushrod cups to clear the stock valvecovers though.
Attachment 40012
Didn't want to run the Crane kit because I think the pressures might be a little too much for the stock timing chain at 130k, so I picked up a cheap set of Howard's 98212 springs with in intent of pulling the dampers out and running them with the stock retainers/locks.
Attachment 40015
I installed the springs on one bank, but I took a closer look at the stock retainers and found some ugly stuff. I can't tell if what I'm looking at are stress cracks from years of abuse, or just imperfections from manufacturing. I compared the stock retainers to another set of stock retainers from a pair of 561 heads I had sitting on the shelf. There weren't as many surface imperfections because they appear polished, but I found a hairline crack on one of them upon closer inspection. They're only about .056-58" thick where the spring sits, whereas most aftermarket stuff is .080+.
Figured it was time to stop being a cheapass, so I ordered Comp 742-16 retainers and 601-16 locks. Hopefully the installed height comes out fine and I don't have to shim anything, pull the seals, etc.
Attachment 40013
Attachment 40014
@joelster I'll be running an autox + track sprint at Pocono on 8/14 if you're interested. This is assuming the valvetrain goes together smoothly, which I'll know monday when the retainers/locks get here.
Pocono raceway as in the one in Long pond PA ya?
Also, oooof on that clearance, is that really required? First time I have read about it
Yeah, that's the one. Same place I ran the track night and a few other autox events. Always a great time going there because the people are really relaxed (unlike NJMP and their billion rules).Quote:
Originally Posted by shownomercy
Attachment 40016
And I think the Scorpions always require more work because they're pretty fat compared to other rockers. I have the same exact rockers on my Roadmaster and had to do the same thing, although I didn't overdo-it and my handiwork was way cleaner lol.
So the Comp retainers I ordered lowered the install height to 1.7" which was the opposite of what I wanted. Even +0.050 locks wouldn't push the installed height high enough, so I gave up and installed the Crane duals. I found that using stock locks in the Crane kit pushed the installed height up another 0.025" which dropped the spring pressure a tiny bit.
I also drafted a tune and did some logging to make sure the rockers weren't causing any false knock. Never logged this car before and just assumed it was healthy because I previously raced my friend's LS1 z28 vert and won by a small margin. It always felt kinda sluggish to me though, but I chalked it up to the fact that my other cars have way more power and gear.
Anyway, the datalog showed that the right bank was running consistently lean with BLMs in the low 130's to 140. Swapped out the OEM O2 sensors and saw the same phenomenon. Checked the right bank header primaries with an infrared temp gun and noticed that the cyl #4 temp was considerably lower than the rest. Also ran a cylinder strength test in EEhack that showed cyl #4 as being unusually strong, so I pulled the #4 injector plug with the car running and the idle didn't change one bit. I then tried actuating the #4 injector manually with some alligator clips hooked up to the battery and couldn't get it to click, whereas all the other injectors on the car did. Thing was definitely stuck because I swapped the injector out for another stock one and BAM, it feels like I gained 50whp. No more goofy BLM issues and the car drives better than it ever did, especially under 1.5k. I think I've been running on 7/8 this whole time (deja vu).
Ran the car at an autox/track sprint event at Pocono yesterday and it did great. I only ran about a second slower than my friend's Mustang on RE71R's, even with my crap tires. Really gotta work on my downshifting though as I screw up occasionally and let the clutch loose too quick. I've never experienced axle hop before so that was a first. I might try to figure out a way to reconfigure the pedals so I can attempt to heel/toe downshift, or at least extend the throttle pedal over so I can blip it with the side of my foot during hard braking.
I think I also figured out the secret with these cars is to run the rear tire pressure 5-10psi lower in the rear than the front. Even pressure on all 4's seems to make the back very squirrely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeNssuCKqho
Next event is a track night at NJMP later in the month, then another at Pocono next month. Might try to cram another event in before the year ends.
Great that you found the dead cylinder and freed up some ponies. The downshift axle hop and tire pressure discussion sound so familiar! I definitely still struggle with the heel-toe DS and get axle hop every now and then. I missed a heel-toe at a track day and tried axle hop at 80 mph once... not fun.
For tire pressures, I run about 30 psi front and 28 rear on my R888's. I was running way to high for a long time and giving up a lot of grip. I could probably back down even more on the rear but it gets hard to control the softer they get.
I talked to my friend's cousin who has an LS7 4th gen about his heel/toe technique and he told me it's near impossible with the stock pedal setup. Dude is a PCA instructor and a really good driver, so I trust his judgement. He's going to send me a 3d printed pedal extension for the throttle at cost to try out.Quote:
Originally Posted by rentedmule
Are you running 10.5's or 11+ wide wheels on the car with the 315s? Guessing a 10.5 might need a few more psi than on a wider rim or else it might get too washy. I also have a rod ended panhard and the rear of the car is very unforgiving and tighter than the front, so dropping the pressure on them gave me more margin before it snaps loose. I was running ~33F/27R cold and it seemed to induce a little understeer at the limit.
Pic of me sliding with the tires too aired up, I missed the cone by a hair.
Wish they gave points for style lol.
Attachment 40017
damn driftersQuote:
Originally Posted by Catmaigne
just go full tilton pedal box
Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
I'm running C4 ZR1 reps in 17x11.
I used Sullivan Racing pedal covers and spaced the throttle up to get it closer to level with the brake. I found it helped a lot with heel-toe but a driving instructor who did some laps in the car felt they were really close together - I haven't driven many decent track cars so I don't really know what the benchmark is. I think the biggest problem with the car now is driver-related. I don't get many opportunities to practice H-T downshifts, even in auto-x events - most of our races are on tight courses where I only shift up to 2nd going into the finish box.
Since I couldn't keep up with all the other dudes in CAMT last event, I dumped the 265 RE71r's I was saving for next season on Craigslist and turned a big profit in the process. I was the only guy in my class with a tire under 315, so it's time to get more meat on the car. I'm replacing the 18x9.5's with a square set of 18x10.5's and am picking up a set of 315 RT615k+'s. The 615 isn't the fastest tire of the 200tw bunch, but I need something that's CAMT legal and will last longer than the RT660, Rivals, and AO52 on a road course so I can get plenty of track time in. The Hankook RS4 is what I really wanted, but they don't make a size wider than 285 that I can use.
Currently shopping for wheels. I test fitted a friend's 18x10.5 C5z rep with +58mm offset on my car and it's damn close with a 3mm clearance from caliper to spokes. The OEWheels version is +56mm offset, so that might buy me another 2mm. Gonna order one in black to test fit, otherwise I'll have to grab more expensive C6 or C7 ZR1 wheels.
Attachment 40018
Pic of a 315/30r18 Falken on 18x10.5's for reference. Those vette sizes seem to run slightly narrow and don't bulge.
Attachment 40019
The 615 is going to be a compromize for road course and auto-x. It will get the job done but you'll be over a second behind in auto-x to the CAM-T guys and even further behind in the road course stuff. Its tough to have 1 tire that can do everything well. It would make more sense to have a really good road race tire and when you do auto-x get a co-driver so you can keep more heat in it.
I should say the tires are more like triple duty rather than dual duty because I have to drive them on the street in addition to autox and track days. The R888R would be my go to if Toyo upped the treadwear rating to match all the other cheater 200's, but I'll get stuck in ESP with the current rating where everyone is running DOT slicks and be even less competitive. Really wish Hankook or Maxxis had a 315 endurance tire, because I'd be all over that in a heartbeat. Continental has the new Force tire, but there's no info out there, they're expensive @$400/ea, and the tread depth is shorter than the Falkens.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelster
I'm not too far behind the other guys in CAMT at the moment and I was already faster than more than half the CAMC guys, even with cheapo 275 Federals. I'm hoping the RT615k+ compound is a step up from the Federal RS-Pro in addition to having an extra 1" of rubber on the ground per tire. Might switch to CAMC to upset some of the late model guys, including my friend with his coyote mustang.
I'm doing UMI King of the Mountain this week. I'm not sure if I'll make the night show though. Theres a lot of talent here. After that I have 1 more important local race and then its travel time! How many more Pocono autocross races are left?
The last one is 9/18: https://www.motorsportreg.com/events...n-penna-140937Quote:
Originally Posted by joelster
Will watch the weather the week before and register late if it's clear.
For tires, have you heard of John Berget Racing Tires? They sell scrub race tires for dirt cheap - a lot of local guys buy their Hoosier A and R7's from them. They don't ship to Canada so we rely on guys picking them up at the border but I'm sure they ship withing the US. I decided on 17" wheels because their prices on 315/35-17 A7's are crazy cheap.
Its weird to me to see an autocross on a Saturday but that works out well. I have a local race the next day in Buffalo NY. I will watch the weather too. I'm sure some of my friends will be there. Peachey brothers and a few others.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catmaigne
I'll have to keep them in mind if I ever upgrade to big boy tires, wondering how much it would be after shipping for 315/30r18's.Quote:
Originally Posted by rentedmule
So I did a track night @ NJMP Lightning. Really realllllly like the course, it's full of blind corners and sweepers. I think I'm going to need a baffled oil pan though as the oil pressure would get wonky around turn 7 (past the bridge) if I downshifted and kept the revs up. At corner exit, the pressure would dip to 20psi on the gauge and take a second to build back up as I'm going flat out in 3rd, so I started grannying it in 4th the whole way instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDcD6UkqfLQ
I ordered some 18x10.5 C5z reps to test out and there was even less clearance than my friend's higher offset reps. Back to JEGS they go.
I think the next wheel I'm going to try are 18x10.5 Stingrays (CV27A, non dished version).
Attachment 40022
Also found a bitchin deal on a new Kevko 1091RR road race oil pan, so I'll swap that in over the winter.
We're taking advantage of the extended weekend and hitting an autocross in NH. Based out of Canaan. I watched a video and it looks like half road course half autocross. Not a lot of cars entered and the hotels are outrageous but I like racing with new people. Its 7 hours each way for us. Just hoping that the weather stays clear. So far it says 76 and sunny.
Here's the link: https://www.motorsportreg.com/index....A1DF6F32C3F13B
Damn, that's about 7 hours for me also which is too much. Really trying to get a tow rig in the coming years so I can travel farther. Sounds like a cool course though.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelster
Decided to stay with the C5z reps, run a small spacer, and add extended Moser wheel studs. Got the tires mounted today and did a test fit. I want to raise the front end a tad with some washers under the shock mount (like BMR SA002, but for cheapasses like me) and do some fender rolling or grinding to the inner lip.
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Hows the weather looking for Saturday?
It's looking questionable right now. 40% chance of rain but hopefully the forecast clears up in a few days. They decided to make it a double event for the same price. Would really suck if it gets washed out.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelster
I'll wait until Thursday to make my decision. Just got 2 new trailer tires. Ordered Vorshlag camber plates too but I won't have them installed by then though.
Did another track night @ Pocono. Shaved 7 seconds off my previous best and got to chase a bunch of corvettes around in earlier sessions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKGpQuzPA7o
Great videos! Almost 130 down the straight. Check your fuel level needle in the hard turns, it's fluctuating by over 1/2 a tank!
Holy crap, just noticed that. Guess I need to bring some extra gas or get a baffled tank.Quote:
Originally Posted by rentedmule
Weather improved so I registered for saturdayQuote:
Originally Posted by joelster
The forecast I've been looking at shows 75%+ after 1pm.
I'm seeing 25% chance of rain on Accuweather and 40% from the Weather Channel. I think the morning will definitely be dry which is good because the event starts early and heats move fast (track is constantly hot, even during worker changeover). Hoping the afternoon clears up. I'm going to a concert in Stroudsburg the night before so I'll be going regardless.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelster
I guess call it tomorrow or Friday morning. Definitely worth the trip because their courses are always fast and 70-80s.
Just registered. Looks like 6 cars in CAMC so thats good.
Theres a few names in there that I recognize. Geoff Wolpert is there in his Escort GT. He's a maniac lol. That car will be on 3 wheels the entire time. He just sold his Z06. Also theres a Denis guy in a crazy fast Nissan 240sx. Has huge aero great power and big Hoosiers. He will be one of the fastest vehicles there. I talked to Eric Peachey and he might be there with his Viper. His brother Justin just broke his Z06 so I'm not sure if he's going or what he'll be driving if he shows.
Got to our hotel at 10:15. There's a few Porsche's here an M2 and an IROC. Checked the registration and it's at 111 cars. That's pretty good. Some heavy hitters in there as well especially in B-Street.
I'm missing my bench-racing fix - any updates or race vids?
I did a 2-day event last weekend. Nice weather day 1 followed by rain on day 2. I had a co-driver as well. We went 1-3 both days. The guy that came in 2nd behind me is a multi time national champion. He was driving my friends car which was not optimal lol. Otherwaise he probably would have smoked me. Heres a video from day 1. Was my last run of the day. Did a big controlled drift at the 1:30 mark that probably cost me a few tenths plus a few other random slides.
https://youtu.be/qIgGcxpVrYE
That noise - love it!