C4 challenge car

In reply to Crazier :

In the next to last pic - see the fitting the oil pressure switch is threaded into? See the bolt head at the end of it? That’s where the oil pressure sending unit goes. It’s not used by the ecu though, it’s only for the digital dash display. 

So someone neutered it...

Put an inline spark checker on it and took a video. Showed the guy at O'Reilly's and he thinks the spark is too yellow.

Too yellow? In the tester?

Yeah, that didn't really make sense to me. But what do I know?

Well. I "hopefully" have a buddy coming on Wednesday to help me set the timing. 

Theinstructions above are clear enough, but having never done it, I don't want to do it alone. 

Plusit will be more fun with some one to hang out with.

Had it running and idleing today, played with the distributor a bit and had to put a dime in the throttle linkage.

My buddy thinks that the distributor is one tooth off, and we didn't have all the proper tools today, so we plan to do it Sunday.

We also think there is a rogue vacuum leak and that the gas is sour. Hope to have it road Worthy by Monday!

In reply to Crazier :

Awesome progress!

When that thing finally fired up I was grinning like an idiot. One of the lifters was ticking pretty bad, we may have to swap it out with one from the junkyard.

The headers are so Rusty and crusty. I think they may have to go. I have some stock manifolds, but I am not sure if swapping back will mess up the tune, as it was tuned for long tubes.

As a bonus, if it is finally all the way mobile, I can get it out of where it's at and maybe take a couple good pics in the daylight.

In reply to Crazier :

If they headers aren’t leaking definitely keep them, they’re a documented improvement over the stock manifolds. 

Over the last few weeks any time I was not working on my car or doing things required for daily life I have been all over the internet, learning, thinkin debating.

Some things have come into focus: I am in over my head. I can't afford a dedicated race car. Even the low budget for the challenge is more than I can "throw away".

So this car has to be a "street car" that races, not a 'race car" that streets. And I will have to use it as a daily driver in the summer.

A roll cage is now out of the question I will have to see if he will swap it for some of the goodies I turned down or at least a discount on them,or I will have to sell/trade it.

Some of my plans just aren't going to work (some that I have yet to mention here because they are crazy) or they will have to be reengineered.

I won't likely be able to make it to 2018 and 2019 as planned (2018 just for fun and 2019 after it's finished) 2019 is a better bet.

Running 12 lbs of boost on race days is probably an overly optimistic goal without a bigger budget for tuning or computer upgrades. The hyperutectic pistons just won't tolerate even a single lean condition under boost. I suppose finding some used forged pistons is not totally impossible either.

I have therefore revised my goals to 400 HP and 2900 pounds. Though if I came up with a real good deal on a used cam 450 could be back on the table.

I need to learn the rules for roll bars and "chasis stiffening" can i run a roll bar and a "hoop" along the windshield with the roll bar tied to the rear suspension and the "windshield hoop' run to the front suspension? Because if I then reinforced my targa top with tube and bolted it to the other "hoops" it would stiffening things up nicely. And if I picked up a factory x brace from a 90 Very I think it would come out very stiff.

Does a roll bar have to be certified like a roll cage does? Or can I just Fab one up and run it, and if so what diameter or thinness can I run? And where can it have welds? I found a tube chassis dune buggy I can get for scrap, and may be able to repurpose it.

Oh, as far as the headers go, long tube headers and turbo chargers are not the best combo.

In reply to Crazier :

Ah, I missed the plans for a turbo. 

Its way too easy to get in over your head, so good for you on figuring out realistic goals before you’re in too deep. 

The roll bar/cage rules are set by NHRA, but I believe it explains them pretty well in the Challenge rules. 

Speaking of the Challenge, are you focused more on autox, drags, or both? Because the one thing that’ll help you get better autox times is having the right tires. Having 400hp vs. 300hp May move you up a couple spots, but it won’t do you much good without the tires first. 

Rear end won't take a hard launch, so auto x will probably be my best event.

That being said... My focus is on having a car I will love to drive, and that I can run both kinds of raves with.

I've never raced, but it has been a desire for as long as I can remember.

Consensuu seems to be nittos, 

I've been searching and searching for info on recalibration of a procharger FMU, with no luck! Because I'm dumb and I didn't know that it's an ATI procharger.

Armed with that tidbit the installation manual was easy to find, and now I know that they are adjustable and I don't need to recalibrate it. As long as it works, useing it won't use up any of my budget other than lines/conectors as it has LT1 style quick conectors.

Every other forum where i mentions FMU results in instant and heated flames about cheaping out, bandaid fixes and grenade building.

Now I either need to buy part of the electronics from Dave, or I need to find anouty budget way to monitor air/fuel ratios and I should have no trouble dialing In a "safe" though not "perfect" set up that will run a bit rich.

In reply to Crazier :

Well, “tools” that are used for tuning, but not in the car during the event are budget-exempt. So if you can get it tuned & are confident it won’t go lean during a days’ worth of flogging, you could remove the gauge(s) for the Challenge. 

Well, that would make me a little nervous. I guess I will get what I "need" and then make a choice down the line when I know what my budget looks like a little closer to completion.

I have only spent about $50 on little parts to get the intake and ignition swaps finished, but I have no idea what little parts are going to be required for the turbo.

I do know that I need a few 'big ticket" items and I would like to make some attempt at fixing the body damage and throwing some primer on. 

Ok. Running, idleing, even moving around the garage under it's own power.

Still some pretty harsh valvetrain noise on the passenger side. Pulled the valve cover last night (what a pain, have to take off the AC bracket and tensioner pulley first) and tightened up the rocker we suspected of having a bad lifter and the noise improved quite a bit.

So now we will pull the cover again and reset the lash for the whole passenger side and hopefully I will be done dinking around with it for a bit and can drive it for a while.

I am pretty excited to see what difference the intake swap makes. The heads are now the most restrictive part of the assembly.

Based on other swaps I've seen Dyno sheets on, I should pick up 50+ HP up top and increase the rpm range from 4800 to 5800 (6500 really but that's to high for my combo) the trade off is losing some torque down low, but all that does is make the tires spin, and even if I could hook up that much the rear end wouldn't live.

I am hoping for 300 horse NA.

In reply to Crazier :

Good news!

Removed the AC and heat "box" from the engine compartment. Sold the AC guts for $75.

There is a LOT more room on the passenger side now, and if there is enough space to stay five inches away from the gas line I think I may be able to put my turbo there.

I may be making a 1200 mile round trip joyride this weekend. I did not get the roll cage stuff with the car and I found a guy with a roll caged car he was going to scrap.

If I'm lucky I can cut out the "roll bar" part of the roll cage and reuse it. Also has a dirty but useable lexan back window for next to nothing.

He said he has a "lot" of misc parts that he will give me and "some" other parts he will sell real cheap to clear up space.

I only ended up spending $1500 on the car without the cage or the electronics for the turbo. I am thinking I should go and buy as many of the parts as I may be even remotely able to use and maybe a few extra for the purposes of potential trades.

In reply to Crazier :

Absolutely. If it’s not junk, buy everything you can afford. Then you can sort out what goes on the car, gets sold & recouped, or just hangs around for possible future use. 

I think I just scored a free or at least budget neutral Dana 44.

Details are being worked out, but essentially I went to pick up free parts and looked at a d36 for a friend while I was there. D36 was apparently not in good shape and was heading for the scraper. 

After asking the deal with the 36 he asks if we were interested in the 44 and of course we are but can't afford it. I told him "I know what he wants to pay and I won't insult you"

So I go back to cutting up the roll cage and he goes back to his yardwork, and then he stops and says something about his neibors and having too much junk and something else but all I heard was "right now I'd take $400"

I had $300 on me for a potential 36 buy so I called my bud and asked him if he wants the 44 and of course he didn't say no and I had to go to the ATM.

On the 11.5 hour ride home, I call him and he is regretting the purchase, too much money, wrong gear ratio, and he will never "need" a 44.

So I'm like, fine, trade me for my d36 and without missing a beat he is like, "ok but you have to make me a smokin deal on intake parts" ( he is working on a low rider truck frame with Corvette suspension and he has a 400 block he wants to put a TPI on and wants to trade me for my extra stealth ram but I have been planning to sell it for cash to help hit my recoup maximum)

So, the D44 with 3.45 gears, adjustable sway bar, Polly bushings and braided brake lines sits in the back of my sister's van along with my haul of "free" (cost me a 6 pack) parts.

Cost to me is my current rear end and essentially a "credit" towards the other trade. Meaning, I have to trade it to him now and not sell it.

The "free" parts are a whole other story and will be deserving of a separate post with pics.

[URL=http://s1156.photobucket.com/user/rbates74/media/Screenshot_2018-08-19-16-57-59_zpspn7fokbv.png.html][/URL]

In reply to Crazier :

Score!

Free parts, from memory.

Roll cage (cut down to roll bar) Battery relocation box, Aluminum racing seat and semi padded cover, interior door panels, "fender panels" power steering pump, carbon fiber top designed to be used with a roll cage and removal of the halo, two targa "skins" one 3/16 lexan rear window, two 3/16 lexan windsheilds, 2 sets of Bilstein "used for two or three races" shocks, harness and ecm for an l98" 5 used guages (don't remember which ones) two 17x9.5 rims and one 17x11 rim (all with some damage but usable) and a "softer" spring, some other small things as well. (I need to find another 17x11 rim, that thing is a MONSTER)

Parts were posted on Corvetteforum.com some for free, some for a 6 pack.

There was a ton more stuff for free, but I only had so much room, and a bunch more for sale CHEAP but between the gas and the tolls to get out there I was pretty tapped.

i am still unsure of the direction I am going in as far as placement of the turbo and if I want to fix the body or strip it off these transactions further muddy the water.

No pics yet, I have very little money for gas until I get that $100 back I'm totally broke, so I'm not going to drive out and unload the parts till later in the week.

Heck, I'm not sure I am even going to run a turbo, Chuck has been trying to trade me a cam for the spare intake and then I would try to trade the turbo set up for some bargain heads.

Would net me my 450 HP goals easy with a new tune on my chip. Without the uncertainty of the turbo set up.

Don't even need to be aluminum heads, swapping the turbo for iron heads would be close to an even swap for weight.

There is a little aluminum bottle with bungs welded up to it to serve as the coolant fill tank. It's got a dent in it from the wreck but I think it will still hold. It's cute and small and light. I think I have to use it.

Is there anyone running a full cage Vette in the challenge? I don't think I can use any of these tops without going to a full cage and I don't want to do that.