Project Update for August 21st, 2015: Its been almost 3 months without an update, and while we have knocked out a few things on the C4, mostly we have just been waiting for the rebuilt motor to arrive. We're less than 2 weeks from NASA Nationals East and I had hoped by now to have the motor in, a few race weekends of tuning under our belts, and ready to go to VIR "fangs out". But a big delay on the motor has crushed our hopes and dreams a bit, heh. Read below to find out where we are on this project.
But first, in celebration of Grassroots Motorsports magazine's annual "Wear Your Helmet To Work Day" (Aug 21, 2015), I give you our submission we took this morning at Vorshlag. This shows almost everyone here "working" on the 69 Camaro Pro Touring / Track Car we're building for a customer (latest update here). That was fun and GRM shared our picture at the top of their page of submissions on Facebook. Installing an intake manifold on the roof like a pro? I think we nailed it.
The Best Laid Plans...
So back in early May I had hoped for a quick 2-4 week turn around on the very basic rebuild on the 24 year old LT1 motor. Paid up front to help speed things along at the machine shop, too. I really wanted to make the June NASA event at Hallett, because if I could have made that event (and scored points both days) we could have salvaged a chance at winning TTC in the Texas region season points battle. We only get 4 "drops" for the year in region, and with the issues we had at MSR-Cresson in March I didn't get any points either day, so that's 2 drops. Then we missed the "last ever" NASA event at TWS in April (we ran the TT3 Mustang for one last time), so that's 2 more TTC drops. Making Hallett would keep us in the points...
Nope, that deadline came and went. Its been 14 weeks since the motor shipped out to the machine shop, but I keep hearing "pretty soon". Pretty disappointed, and if the motor doesn't arrive in the next handful of days we miss NASA Nationals East (13 days from today). We are moving forward with every hope that the motor shows up, then we can thrash to get the drivetrain reinstalled, get the dyno tune re-checked, install the new Peterson oil catch can (below), then rush out to ECR or another local track for some shake down testing. If it looks good there, then we'll pack up and tow 17 hours to VIR for NASA Nationals East September 4-6, 2015.
But seeing that we would have to leave in less than 13 days, and I have no motor, I kind of doubt we will make it. Some valuable lessons learned, mostly "take your motor out the day after it breaks" and "use a local engine builder" who is close enough to knock on their door. Daily. Oh well, fingers still crossed. Let's go ahead and cover the work we've done in the past 3 months to this car. Even if the motor returns after Nationals is over, we will still try to make the 2 remaining NASA Texas events for 2015, just to see how it does in TTC before the chassis is re-classed in 2016 (likely to TTB or even TT1/2/3).
Did want to give a shout out and congrats to Dave Schotz. He took his TTC C4 (built at the same time as our's) to the 2015 NASA Nationals West a few weeks ago and won both PTC ant TTC in his Corvette. He also took the wins in PTC and TTB in his 4th gen Firebird. That's 4 championships in one weekend! Way to go Dave.
The fact that he won TTC/PTC in a C4 pretty much guarantees that the car will be re-classed next year. So that's not good news for us if we miss NASA East this year. We had one shot...
Old Shocks Rebuilt and Reinstalled
If you couldn't tell from my last post where I discussed the "the 5 Point Mystery Internet Protest", I didn't agree with many of the items that were ruled against this car - ruled upon sight unseen, after being protested by a competitor with their name withheld. Oh well, now we all know what to expect when you race in the same class as the _____. (you can fill in the blank)
We got to spend $450 getting the 24 year old factory Delco-Bilsteins rebuilt by Bilstein-USA. Since we paid for a rush it only took 5 weeks to get them back, hoping that the motor would arrive in that time. Money well spent - these sat around for only 2 more months before we even installed them.
Biggest difference in the OEM vs OEM replacement Bilstein dampers sets? Blue vs Black dust boots. #CheaterShocks
We made sure to get documentation from Bilstein, showing that they only replaced the seals and wear items. The original shocks' shims and pistons were left alone. But who cares? Nobody believes anything they read on the internet anymore. These pictures are probably only good for use against me in a future internet protest, hehe.
Olof swapped out the "new" $85 Bilsteins replacements for the $450 rebuilt 24 year old Bilsteins in 1.27 hours of non-billable time. They look identical to each other, but we didn't bother to dyno both sets to prove how equally pitiful the two sets felt. I'm sure they are just as floaty as the "new" set was.
This is sufficiently vague as to mean "we can pick when we want a replacement part to be legal". We learned from this ruling and the precedent set that: unless you are using the original, as-delivered factory base trim level shocks on your TT letter car, you should just take 2 points for whatever shocks you have installed. There is no "OEM equivalent" for these mysterious and mythical parts called "dampers". You were warned.
Remove Cage Tubes
Speaking of wasted hours, Olof spent another 2.4 hours taking these roll cage bars out. Yay.....
Again, I completely disagree that these two optional bars forward to the firewall aren't 100% legal (again, without taking points we didn't have). They were installed as no-points tubes to the letter of the rules, but the "unwritten" wording is what got us. They weren't below the top of the tire, which is true - even if that phrase is nowhere in the NASA rule book.
These two optional bars connecting the door bars to the frame on the passenger side weren't legal without taking points. I still think its silly to encourage asymmetrically safe cages, but we pulled those two bars out.
Once the 4 tubes were cut out the flapper wheel on the electric grinder was used to get the stubs of tubes smoothed flat. It took time and made a huge mess, but there's now no sharp edges to catch a driving suit or cut your skin, if snagged. And more importantly, there's no nit-picky visible items to protest. #CheaterCage
Cutting and grinding the cage to get these tubes out made a lot of metal dust, which went everywhere inside the car, so Olof spent another 1.15 hours cleaning out the entire interior. With some oil that was spilled in the floor on the passenger side (when "Old Smokey" was giving its last death throws at the NASA MSR-C event), and piles of metal dust, it made a real mess. But he got it cleaned out and ready for the replacement Cobra Suzuka GT seat - which is here and going in later today.
continued below
But first, in celebration of Grassroots Motorsports magazine's annual "Wear Your Helmet To Work Day" (Aug 21, 2015), I give you our submission we took this morning at Vorshlag. This shows almost everyone here "working" on the 69 Camaro Pro Touring / Track Car we're building for a customer (latest update here). That was fun and GRM shared our picture at the top of their page of submissions on Facebook. Installing an intake manifold on the roof like a pro? I think we nailed it.
The Best Laid Plans...
So back in early May I had hoped for a quick 2-4 week turn around on the very basic rebuild on the 24 year old LT1 motor. Paid up front to help speed things along at the machine shop, too. I really wanted to make the June NASA event at Hallett, because if I could have made that event (and scored points both days) we could have salvaged a chance at winning TTC in the Texas region season points battle. We only get 4 "drops" for the year in region, and with the issues we had at MSR-Cresson in March I didn't get any points either day, so that's 2 drops. Then we missed the "last ever" NASA event at TWS in April (we ran the TT3 Mustang for one last time), so that's 2 more TTC drops. Making Hallett would keep us in the points...
Nope, that deadline came and went. Its been 14 weeks since the motor shipped out to the machine shop, but I keep hearing "pretty soon". Pretty disappointed, and if the motor doesn't arrive in the next handful of days we miss NASA Nationals East (13 days from today). We are moving forward with every hope that the motor shows up, then we can thrash to get the drivetrain reinstalled, get the dyno tune re-checked, install the new Peterson oil catch can (below), then rush out to ECR or another local track for some shake down testing. If it looks good there, then we'll pack up and tow 17 hours to VIR for NASA Nationals East September 4-6, 2015.
But seeing that we would have to leave in less than 13 days, and I have no motor, I kind of doubt we will make it. Some valuable lessons learned, mostly "take your motor out the day after it breaks" and "use a local engine builder" who is close enough to knock on their door. Daily. Oh well, fingers still crossed. Let's go ahead and cover the work we've done in the past 3 months to this car. Even if the motor returns after Nationals is over, we will still try to make the 2 remaining NASA Texas events for 2015, just to see how it does in TTC before the chassis is re-classed in 2016 (likely to TTB or even TT1/2/3).
Did want to give a shout out and congrats to Dave Schotz. He took his TTC C4 (built at the same time as our's) to the 2015 NASA Nationals West a few weeks ago and won both PTC ant TTC in his Corvette. He also took the wins in PTC and TTB in his 4th gen Firebird. That's 4 championships in one weekend! Way to go Dave.
The fact that he won TTC/PTC in a C4 pretty much guarantees that the car will be re-classed next year. So that's not good news for us if we miss NASA East this year. We had one shot...
Old Shocks Rebuilt and Reinstalled
If you couldn't tell from my last post where I discussed the "the 5 Point Mystery Internet Protest", I didn't agree with many of the items that were ruled against this car - ruled upon sight unseen, after being protested by a competitor with their name withheld. Oh well, now we all know what to expect when you race in the same class as the _____. (you can fill in the blank)
We got to spend $450 getting the 24 year old factory Delco-Bilsteins rebuilt by Bilstein-USA. Since we paid for a rush it only took 5 weeks to get them back, hoping that the motor would arrive in that time. Money well spent - these sat around for only 2 more months before we even installed them.
Biggest difference in the OEM vs OEM replacement Bilstein dampers sets? Blue vs Black dust boots. #CheaterShocks
We made sure to get documentation from Bilstein, showing that they only replaced the seals and wear items. The original shocks' shims and pistons were left alone. But who cares? Nobody believes anything they read on the internet anymore. These pictures are probably only good for use against me in a future internet protest, hehe.
Olof swapped out the "new" $85 Bilsteins replacements for the $450 rebuilt 24 year old Bilsteins in 1.27 hours of non-billable time. They look identical to each other, but we didn't bother to dyno both sets to prove how equally pitiful the two sets felt. I'm sure they are just as floaty as the "new" set was.
8.5 BTM (Base Trim Model) Definition, Updating and Backdating Rules
For the purposes of NASA TT Modification Points assessments, the term BTM will be defined as follows: Any part that is identical in size, shape, and functional characteristics compared to the part that originally came on the vehicle, from the manufacturer, as a standard feature of the base trim model as it is listed in section 8.2 Base Classifications (factory options and specialty model parts are considered non-BTM) or is listed as a standard replacement part by the manufacturer (OEM).
Some parts that are produced by aftermarket manufacturers as generic replacement parts may not require a points assessment provided that: they are the same size and shape, and have the same functional characteristics as the BTM part, and that they provide no significant improvement in performance, longevity, or reliability. If it is determined in impound that such a part does not meet the above description, the driver may be disqualified. Consultation with the Regional TT Director prior to competition is advised for any driver using a vehicle with replacement parts that fall under this exception.
This is sufficiently vague as to mean "we can pick when we want a replacement part to be legal". We learned from this ruling and the precedent set that: unless you are using the original, as-delivered factory base trim level shocks on your TT letter car, you should just take 2 points for whatever shocks you have installed. There is no "OEM equivalent" for these mysterious and mythical parts called "dampers". You were warned.
Remove Cage Tubes
Speaking of wasted hours, Olof spent another 2.4 hours taking these roll cage bars out. Yay.....
Again, I completely disagree that these two optional bars forward to the firewall aren't 100% legal (again, without taking points we didn't have). They were installed as no-points tubes to the letter of the rules, but the "unwritten" wording is what got us. They weren't below the top of the tire, which is true - even if that phrase is nowhere in the NASA rule book.
These two optional bars connecting the door bars to the frame on the passenger side weren't legal without taking points. I still think its silly to encourage asymmetrically safe cages, but we pulled those two bars out.
Once the 4 tubes were cut out the flapper wheel on the electric grinder was used to get the stubs of tubes smoothed flat. It took time and made a huge mess, but there's now no sharp edges to catch a driving suit or cut your skin, if snagged. And more importantly, there's no nit-picky visible items to protest. #CheaterCage
Cutting and grinding the cage to get these tubes out made a lot of metal dust, which went everywhere inside the car, so Olof spent another 1.15 hours cleaning out the entire interior. With some oil that was spilled in the floor on the passenger side (when "Old Smokey" was giving its last death throws at the NASA MSR-C event), and piles of metal dust, it made a real mess. But he got it cleaned out and ready for the replacement Cobra Suzuka GT seat - which is here and going in later today.
continued below