SCCA EMod MGB GT V12 Build

edizzle89 said:

loosecannon said:

I just love watching CNC machines in action. I got my front shock mount pieces cut, here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Y9s_xOPQIA?rel=0&showinfo=0

 

where do you have your CNC machine work done? I'm looking into having something made and i'm looking for good places to have it done for a decent price.

There are places on the internet, who will cut out parts based on a CAD design file.

I have been thinking about buying a cutting table but don't have enough work to justify it and don't have the space. So I am teaching myself some CAD design, starting with 2D stuff.

In reply to loosecannon :

Doh!

Unless the quote I get is unreasonable, I'm just going to recreate it out of steel and get it powdercoated so it looks nice.

It's a small victory but I moved the air cleaner to eliminate the 90 degree bend in the tubing. It removed a few pounds of tubing and brackets so that's a bonus. I added a little splash shield to keep debris off the air cleaner. Before and after picture.

Had a small victory today. As you know, I had a Variloc differential in the car and it never worked correctly. I sent it back to the manufacturer and after asking for it to be fixed under warranty, all I got was radio silence. No returned e-mail, phone calls or anything. Well, today I got an e-mail with an apology and offer to fix free of charge and I couldn't be happier. I already have a Torsen installed in the car but may give the rebuilt Variloc diff another try this season.

The Variloc affords you....a better side to side traction control (quicker engagement)????

In reply to 759NRNG :

A Variloc diff is supposed to be superior for it's adjustability, I can change how it locks up under acceleration and deceleration. This is a good tuning tool and Jeff Kiesel spends a great deal of time tuning his Cusco diff, which is very similar to the Variloc. I might be able to make the Torsen work but it is generally agreed that a narrow, high powered car is difficult to keep the inside rear tire from spinning.

I finally have a front shock mount on the car which means the car is back on the ground

Video here: Building a front shock mount

I wanted to know my center of gravity so there is a process for figuring this out

Finding Cg

The front shock mount is truly a work of art, well done........but IMHO it needs additional front to rear gusseting from the top of  the original frame tubes to the the upright portions......yes weight /CG is the 800# Gorilla in the room ,but when your front wheels 'TOE' way in due to a structural failure, the season gets that much longer........just sayin'.....pullin' for ya bro !!!

In reply to 759NRNG :

You can't see it in the pics or video but I attached a brace from the steering box mount to the back of the shock mount. I don't know if it will be enough but I'm going to try it and figure out a way of testing the flex. 

In reply to loosecannon :

Just watched your CG video.  I'm assuming you weighed with driver?  I'll have to measure see what the Ranger's is in comparison.

In reply to JGRAHAM :

Yes, I was sitting in the car but I did not have the fiberglass fenders on

Did Mr Sutton comment on the length of your front control arms?

I have fancied building longer arms for my Volvo project.

Not that I'm at the point that I want to redo anything before I have a running car, but watching this recent round of updates has been interesting.

I have the Performance Trends software, and the guidance of some really fast people who have built my chassis before, so I'm thinking I'm headed the right direction.  The software cost money, but so far the advice has been free - what made you take the leap to paying for advice (hiring Ron), and, if you don't mind, could you give me an idea of a ballpark cost for his work?

I ask because I would see his name come up a lot of pro-touring forums, and to be honest, for a while I saw his work and said "it's good, but these guys are all just fat rich guys with first gen Camaros that will never turn a wheel in anger, so he probably don't have to be that good."  Folks like you going to him for help has, at least in my eyes, beefed up his resume.

Sutton has worked in many disciplines for many race teams and has contributed to many wins.

The ProTouring crowd has too much money to ignore.

I have read a lot of Ron's stuff on other forums and don't see him up on a soap box saying his way is the only way or that he is a suspension god. I see a guy who has been there and done that, I also see a guy who is willing to share his experience and answer questions straight out in public forums. Which is rare! He doesn't say your doing it wrong, he explains what he would do and why so you can see for yourself the how and why.

What I see is good, sound, and logical advice and would follow that advice without hesitation. 

Gimp said:

Not that I'm at the point that I want to redo anything before I have a running car, but watching this recent round of updates has been interesting.

I have the Performance Trends software, and the guidance of some really fast people who have built my chassis before, so I'm thinking I'm headed the right direction.  The software cost money, but so far the advice has been free - what made you take the leap to paying for advice (hiring Ron), and, if you don't mind, could you give me an idea of a ballpark cost for his work?

I ask because I would see his name come up a lot of pro-touring forums, and to be honest, for a while I saw his work and said "it's good, but these guys are all just fat rich guys with first gen Camaros that will never turn a wheel in anger, so he probably don't have to be that good."  Folks like you going to him for help has, at least in my eyes, beefed up his resume.

I got the help of Ron Sutton because I just don't have enough opportunities to test the car and sort the problems out. Example: I built this version of the car and did a whole bunch of runs at local events in early 2016. The car was fantastic and I would get FTD by 2 or 3 seconds, then I went to Lincoln. The car would lift and spin the inside tire like crazy and I couldn't put the power down so I finished out of the trophies. I went home and worked on it all winter to try and solve the problem. I moved the fuel cell, battery, intercooler and radiator to get a better weight balance, installed stiffer springs and waited for spring to arrive. My wife and I drove down the 10 hours to Lincoln for a local event where I immediately blew up the motor because the car still had wheelspin but cornered harder and the extra G's starved the rods of oil. Two weeks later, with a junkyard motor in the car we were back in Lincoln for Springnationals where I had my best finish in EM with a 3rd place, but I still had wheelspin when turning and the shifting was terrible. Worked all summer on the car, improving the shifting, replacing the differential and rebuilding the motor then went to Nationals in September. Still had terrible wheelspin when turning, still had poor shifting and these things cost me a trophy again. Running the car locally doesn't reveal any problems because we run on a narrow, bumpy, asphalt runway that has no sweepers and is low grip. I only find issues when I go to Lincoln and I can only go there twice a year. The car has the right power, weight balance, Cg, tires, wheelbase and basic suspension design so why does it have this terrible wheelspin problem? With enough time testing on concrete, I would figure it out eventually but I just can't get enough time on a high grip surface with sweepers. Ron Sutton has several packages for sorting out your race car but I chose his #40  Full Front & Rear Suspension, Geometry & Steering Plus Suspension Strategy & Handling Balance - Optimization  and the cost was $499. If you do not already use the Performance Trends program, you may have to purchase that as well but I already had my car all done in PT so I just had to send him the file. He has many different packages and you can find them here: Ron Sutton Race Tech packages

In reply to bentwrench, he did ask why I had such long control arms and when I said I wanted good camber gain and minimal roll center movement, he said those were good reasons.

Just ran across something relevant, an article on MotoIQ where Mike Kojima mentions the purpose of diffuser strakes:

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/4732/Project-Porsche-991-GT3-RS-Improving-the-Aero-with-a-911R-Rear-Diffuser.aspx

In reply to bentwrench :

I certainly wasn't trying to knock Ron.  I just find it interesting that the first I heard of him was on the pro-touring forums, and quite honestly, those places tend to sell a lot of snake oil (like $400 hood pins and $1000 rear spoilers that just look cool).  I appreciate your perspective on him.

In reply to loosecannon :

That is way more reasonable, price wise, than I expected.  I can see myself going this route later in my car's development cycle.

What your saying about testing makes a lot of sense.  I'm out on the east coast, so the Lincoln concrete is a long ways away, and that's where I need to be my fastest.  Thanks for sharing.

I bought some dimple dies so I could make some brackets lighter but still strong and today I tried them out on my seat.

Nice !!

I needs dimple dies

What set ya got and how much?

In reply to fasted58 :

I got these ones Dimple Die Set on Amazon for $360.00 and am very impressed

Dimples ROCK!!! you keep this up and you're gonna have to add more plates........  Saw MazD Seth today at a local swap meet and your name came up (mostly cuz of me)in conversation and we're pullin' for ya bro!!!!

In reply to loosecannon :

Nice work on the dimple dies.  I ended up ordering the swag offroad set myself.  I don't have a very wide mouth press and wanted to be able to use a through bolt method.

I'm a little scared I might turn everything into swiss cheese once they arrive!

Nothing is safe from the dimple die