So my question is, will the addition of this air from a different direction be helpful or damaging to cooling?
So my question is, will the addition of this air from a different direction be helpful or damaging to cooling?
I think I understand. I don't think the air direction is going to matter as much as air pressure. Your hood is vented, right? So you're creating positive pressure in front of the rad and negative pressure behind it. What could happen is that the lower duct adds more pressure than the smaller ducts behind the bumper and simply cancels those out.
Jack, maybe try posting your question in this thread (Aerodynamics forum): https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/aerodynamics-presented-nine-lives-racing/anyone-have-aero-questions/152845/page1/
Finally felt good enough to get in the shop. Several moves forward. 
i built up some windshield braces to stop the flex.
I installed new sending unit and water temp gauge.
Ed Higginbotham came by and popped holes in my radiator shroud for extra coolness. I will tie that in tomorrow. This will be interesting to watch.
I got my new Wilwood rotor mount plates but they take the t-nut style bolt assemblies. Speedway has them in stock so buttoning up the rear and finishing the brakes will be a job for evenings this week.
I thought about leaving the old plates on but when I took a closer look, I think these would haunt me. Somebody really let it rip on this guy. I think waiting for the new nut/bolt set is the right move.
one thing I won't get to is swapping the masters. Currently 1", my Spares are 3/4"..HalfFast has convinced me (using actual math) that I should have gone 7/8". I'm booked most evenings this week so...we will see. If it is awful, I will swap the 3/4" at the track.
There is still a long list, but it was a good day. Nice to get out there again.
Well, now you'll have floating rotors. Halffast was trying to convince me to use the T-nut slots on my adapters but paying almost $60 per wheel for the set of nuts/bolts is not attractive.
Progress looks good. Can't wait for SP!
jimgood said:Well, now you'll have floating rotors. Halffast was trying to convince me to use the T-nut slots on my adapters but paying almost $60 per wheel for the set of nuts/bolts is not attractive.
Progress looks good. Can't wait for SP!
Hey now, I simply pointed out the opportunity :).
I want to do the conversion myself, But the $$ is stopping me too.
I didn't want to do the conversion but there's no stopping this train now! The fronts already floated ....now my rears are equally buoyant.
You'll probably be able to tell if the 3/4" master will work before loading for the track. After bleeding and depressing the pedal a few times, stand hard on the pedal with both feet and you'll probably have your answer. If your leg is too short or pedal runs out of travel, switch back. Another option might be to change the pedal ratio if you won't run out of travel in the master.
NOT A TA said:You'll probably be able to tell if the 3/4" master will work before loading for the track. After bleeding and depressing the pedal a few times, stand hard on the pedal with both feet and you'll probably have your answer. If your leg is too short or pedal runs out of travel, switch back. Another option might be to change the pedal ratio if you won't run out of travel in the master.
I had to look up "pedal ratio", and learned something. Makes sense. I'm going to probably leave the masters because I am getting into time compression. But this is something I can do in an evening in the paddock if required.
Everything except the rear brakes are checked off...waiting on parts.
Tonight I prep the bus and load tools.
Tuesday is brake night.
Wednesday I meet my new Grandaughter!!!!
Thursday night we load the cars and roll.
So...the brake parts came! Wednesday night I got to meet my new grandaughter and hang out with my oldest son and his wife...and my wife was kind enough to drive and let me sleep cause I'd pulled some late nights and was about to do two more.
Wednesday night I put new rotor mounts and rotors in, checked the fuel pumps again, bled the coolant and started packing tools.
Ed Higginbotham came over and we loaded trailers and the bus...Thursday morning I pulled the bus and his Spec3 to work while he pulled my car behind my f350.
Only minor issues with the bus which was relieving since I did not do my normal extensive springtime recommissioning.
The car ran well. No issues with the new fuel system. I jumped between the two pumps a few times to make sure all was well. The engine coolant at the hottest got to 210 but seemed happy.
Jim Goodwin and I are entering the tube frame adventure together after running ST6 together for several years. We paddocked together and gridded together. He and I ran very similar times, with him edging me out by .04 or so for fastest lap. We were both in the 1.22's which is off pace for a win but heading in the right direction.
The Camaro was tracking well on the straights ...very stable. On my last session I started getting some significant understeer in 1 and 5. I would have made a rear sway adjustment for the next session were it not for a breaking u joint/drive shaft which gave me a wrecker ride and allowed me to crew for Ed and Jim Saturday.
Ed's adventures were more extensive, so head to his thread for that saga when he posts.
The car is a blast to drive . The faster I go, the more fun it is. It is a surprisingly easy car to drive as well. I expect to get at least 3 more seconds off a lap at SP (1.19) and would like to see 5 (1.17). We shall see!
Safety loop did its job and kept the drive shaft out of the oil lines. I can't believe how munched that hole is.
I dropped the driveshaft off with Deren this morning...he should have it ready on my return trip north next Saturday. Shop day is scheduled for April 30 to give the car a good look with some friends.
I think I see the start of a crack at the base of the drive shaft hoop. Make sure it is restored to function as well as it did this time.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Thank you...I will get in there and make sure we are tight. Good eye. Update, looks like buying the ends for aluminum driveshafts is not so much a thing. Deren is suggesting g I just by a new shaft. Which means either cheap-ish steel or not so cheap carbon fiber. Shopping and comparing.
Have you determined why the U joint went?
In reply to NOT A TA :
I have been out of town this week, so I don't have the pieces at hand...but I've been thinking about it and have spoken to an extremely experienced late model team owner/builder.
I assumed that at some point I had taken the trans yoke off and not set the snap ring correctly. That is still a possibility.
My friend thinks it could have gone simply due to age, wear and an unknown number of laps and torquing.
The u-joint parts are scattered down the front straight at Summit Point. The end cap is really mauled. I can see where it terminally failed, but I don't have the forensic skills to say why.
Off topic, my assistant opened a package yesterday at my office and sent me a pic. Thank you very much! I'm going to find a great use for the gift and will post here.
jh36 said:In reply to TurnerX19 :
Thank you...I will get in there and make sure we are tight. Good eye. Update, looks like buying the ends for aluminum driveshafts is not so much a thing. Deren is suggesting g I just by a new shaft. Which means either cheap-ish steel or not so cheap carbon fiber. Shopping and comparing.
The "defect" in the image was a piece of grass. I will clean everything up this weekend and verify. But it looks ok.
When the driveshaft let go, I had to get a flat tow back to my paddock. When they dropped the car, liquid came out. I feared it was trans fluid but it appeared to be water. It had been dry and the car stays inside so no real chance for water to hide. Today I popped the radiator reservoir and it was dry...I put about 1 cup in and it came up to level. So, why would tilting them car on a roll back cause coolant to come out of a pressurized system? Or, some other idea?
Additional water expansion from heat soak going from full throttle to full stop without even a cool down lap?
Also check your brake pads & rotors. Hopefully you didn't hold the car with the brake after stopping. BTDT
In reply to NOT A TA :
I have btdt also...I THINK I have a good habit of not doing that but brakes will be on the check list for sure Saturday. By the way, the new floating rear system seems to have worked well for the car. No issues with the new rotor plate setup.
So, i may be taking a very Similar dive. Going to go look at an ex Winston cup car friday to put back together as an hpde/hillclimb car.
What sources, other than here, are you using for information and research on these things and the hardware in them? What about suppliers?
I k ow this thing will need completely hone through, but never having done anything with a full tube frame racecar its all new.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
You're in for a fascinating journey. Most of my education has come from jh36 and HalfFast and just looking my car over, identifying parts and looking them up online. All of these sites have been helpful in some way or another, either by looking at their catalogs to see what's common or their technical data:
CircleTrackWarehouse.com, SpeedwayMotors.com, JoesRacing.com, TigerRearEnd.com, GforceTransmissions.com, PitStopUSA.com, HoweRacing.com, SummitRacing.com, PortCityRaceCars.com, ColemanRacing.com, JonesRacingProducts.com
Find out everything you can about the car from the seller, including the engine builder, previous owner(s). Even that probably won't be enough unless they kept meticulous maintenance logs.
Good luck and post about it here!
Dusterbd13-michael said:So, i may be taking a very Similar dive. Going to go look at an ex Winston cup car friday to put back together as an hpde/hillclimb car.
What sources, other than here, are you using for information and research on these things and the hardware in them? What about suppliers?
I k ow this thing will need completely hone through, but never having done anything with a full tube frame racecar its all new.
One of the interesting things I found on my late model journey is while each of these cars are a little different, in their lane, the parts are remarkably similar.
Example, I have a "wide 5" setup like Jim. All the wear parts are the same regardless of who made them. Winters, and Wilwood hubs all take the same bearings for instance. I am 3 years into it, and have learned a lot. Don't hesitate to reach out. I have learned a lot, and have a great resource, a pro TransAm crew chief. His help has been invaluable.
Fantastic. Thanks y'all! You guys are actually the main reason i went this way.
Car is a roller with completely unknown history. So it will definitely be an adventure and learning curve
Will post a new thread when its on the trailer and the deal is done.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Woo hoo! Exciting!! I'm catching up here...this forum has been a great resource..you will attract a support group, and I will sure be part of that.
I will add Coleman Racing to Jim's list. They seem to be a smaller manufacturer with genuine enthusiasm and great pricing and customer service.
Get to know some local circle track racers and find out who their "guy" is and find him. I did just that and John Emory in DE has been a fantastic resource.
As JG moves down the road with the GRM tubeframe project, we will all benefit from his investigations and discoveries.
edit...just saw Jim mentioned Coleman. I just bought my driveshaft from them which was a great experience so they are front of mind for me. Jegs and Speedway have also been solid.
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