Car's almost ready for next year again.

[Shaman]

Let's see...

I've done the following, just for interest.

o installed new rear diff, traction and right turns work again...

o fixed center console, which came unclipped... :)

o replaced u-joints which were noisy as hell

o replaced tranny... ugh

o did a motor leakdown + coolant pressurization, thumbs up

Still to come before April:

o lightweight seats

o removal of airbags

o better mounting of the fire extinguisher

o much larger griffin aftermarket radiator

o complete brake

[Dave]

I can SOOOOO relate to this post. Of course I'm dealing in 4 cylinders instead of 8, but man oh man do I ever have a long list of things that still need to get done.

How about:

-finish breaking in the new engine (rebuilt about a month ago)
- re-dyno tune the engine to be sure fuel and ignition are optimal
- install oil cooler
- install oil pressure and oil temp gauges
- fix gas tank seal
- rebuild fuel pressure regulator
- re-intall camber adjustable front upper control arms (they rub)
- finish off front half of rollcage(?)
- replace racing bucket with something that doesn't kill my back
- fiberglass hood(?)
- and on, and on, and on...

I'm poor but happy,
Dave

[Shaman]

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.

- install oil temp guage
- install reverse-cooling electric water pump (20hp, 18# savings, 2 degrees of timing)
- install oil cooler
- pressurize testes to 38#
- fix current temperature guage

Urf. Any tips on a seat that doesn't murder me on the street, but doesn't weight 40 pounds like my current ones?

[Dave]

I like the look of the Momo Acropolis (or Thousand Lakes for those of us of larger behinds) or the Sparco Pro2000. Both appear to have considerably more padding than my Corbeau Forza (which is a entry level tube-frame bucket), but of course you get what you pay for. The Momo and Sparco seats I like are about twice the money (around $800) of my basic Corbeau. Nothin' a little pimpin' won't cure :P Or then there's the Recaro SPG's...that'll take a lot of pimpin' to afford but damn those things look comfy and light. There's tons of other seat manufacturers out there, like Kirkey and OMP. I think your best bet is try sitting in as many of these as you can find and decide what fits you best. Of course finding shops with these in stock is really the tricky part. I think Mantis Racing in Oakville stocks some Momo seats, RT Motorsports in North York stocks a whole range of Corbeau, and JRP in Mississauga and Kennedy Hi-Fi in Scarborough stock some Sparcos. Solo 1 sponsor CSC Racing stocks Kirkey and OMP. That's about all I can think of locally (for me), though obviously I have no clue what's out your way.

As for weight, a basic tube-frame seat like my Corbeau weighs about 16 lbs. while a fibreglass backed seat like the Momo or Sparco weigh about 10-12 lbs. and you can get carbonfibre versions of these that weigh under 10 lbs. If you go with two of these in place of your stock seats, you'll be saving in the area of 50-60 lbs. Not too shabby. And of course you get the added benefit of being truly snugged into the cockpit so that there's no fighting to stay in the seat which I certainly find a problem in any of the stock seats I've raced in.

My only advice would be spend a bit more now and get a well padded seat rather than chincing out on a tubeframe seat like I did. If the car was race-only, I really wouldn't care but since I can't afford a trailer and tow vehicle yet I really need something that will prevent spinal assault, so next summer I'm really going to have to upgrade.

Dave

[Shaman]

Thanks Dave, I appreciate it. I think I'll check out Kirkey @ CSC and also some Momo seats. I'll get my car down to 3250 pounds yet, without compromising the interior or taking out the valence crush zones, I swear.

Oh yeah:

o move battery back up front and get a lightweight
o buy a set of lightweight wheels that won't kill a budget
o work most flab off the gut

Forgot those ones. Those moves alone will take 110 pounds off my car. 15 pounds for wiring and box, 30 pounds for battery, ~12 pounds for the wheels, 50 pounds for the flab.

3250# might not be as silly as it seems, even partially caged.

P.S. I ran a 11.84@128.7 (@ Shannonville) on my Victoracers with 36# of air in them this fall. If I can get power down this year with the new Torsen rear and get the car to turn with an extra one degree of negative camber and four degrees of caster that I was missing this year with the prototype lower control arm design, I should be able to make it hustle pretty good. And getting my brakes sorted will make a big difference, too.

Don't tell me what the Civic weighs. I don't wanna know. :)

[DECH_92]

Hi Shaman
So you are going to put your battery back in the front.
I was just about to put mine in the trunk, to get some weight of the front. Wow you figure the cables were 15lbs. I was going to use 00 ga. and run both + & - all the way.

Any chance you have a Moroso battery box for sale?

And I hope I can get a ride in your beast next year.

Hope everyone had fun at the party.

[Shaman]

No problemo. I'm sure you can get a ride in it.

I have a nice strong aluminum box in the rear, plus mounting kit, and the cabling is a heavy guage copper. I wouldn't doubt if 15 pounds is conservative.

[Brent]

11.84, holy f*** thats fast Steve.

Things to do after I am sure I won't be layed off;

- replace cracked transaxle housing
- rebuild transaxle
- install LSD (in transaxle not driver)
- install new clutch and aluminum flywheel
- bore block, lighten crank, install forged rods and 12.5:1 pistons
- port head and intake mani real good
- install lumpy cams
- install new suspension bushings
- install new coil overs and camber plates
- install bigger front brakes
- install wheels that will fit new brakes and coilovers
- install biggest Hoosiers I can fit under my Neon
- hire lawyer after my wife leaves

With all this I just might be able to see Steves tail lights at the end of the 1/4 mile, maybe.

[Shaman]

Yeah, but these little tracks, you don't really get as much out of the power as you'd think. Now, at the big track @ Mosport - I just about run out of gear... or I did, just before I blew the rear pinion. :mad:

[Dave]

So you had the firebird from hell out at the big track this year? Damn I wish I had my engine together in time to join you! What sort of lap times were you turning in that beast?

Um, lets see, my Civic weighs 2054 stock and I've gutted the interior (shaves about 90 lbs. as of my last bathroom scale test) and added the rear section of a chromoly rollcage that weighs about 40 lbs. So my best guess is about 2000 lbs. even at the moment, though I'd like to shave another 50-100 lbs if I can by going without a passenger seat and replacing the hood with a lightweight fibreglass or carbonfibre version. Of course my 218 pounds of flab doesn't help matters any, but I could easy afford to shave 20 lbs if I could only pry myself away from my computer for an hour a day to get some non-automotive wrenching related exercise :)

Can't wait to get my little puddle jumper out to the drag strip for a little quarter mile fun. From what I'm being told by the import drag guys, my car should be a solid mid to low 12's on drag slicks and a decent driver. I'll be thrilled if I break into the 12's at all considering I don't have a clue about launching techniques for drag racing and I certainly don't have any interest in buying drag slicks or anything of that nature. I'll try it out on r-compounds when I get a chance, just for jollies.

Brent, you building a C/SP monster to come join us Honda freaks? Bring it on baby! :D

I need turns to be happy!

Dave

[Shaman]

You don't need turns for it to be exciting up around 270km/h or so. Or at least... I think I was doing that... the speedometer was buried approaching the uphill @ Mosport and the bump at the top was weighing heavy on my mind... but that track is pretty darned smooth now, it was no problem, and the brakes are cold after that straight. Very cool, but definitely speeds that you have to be respectful of. I don't even remember Sebring or Road Atlanta being that fast, but then my car has more motor now.

Then, the screaming of my rear pinion began on my third lap. :)

I don't have a lap time. I was passing every BMW and Porsche that got in my way once I got more comfortable. I have no idea what that means, because I broke the rear before I could get a stopwatch or a real feeling for my position on the track against faster cars - but I did have one of the Porsche guys tell me that he couldn't hear himself think when I went by him. LOL! I definitely wasn't getting all I could out of corners, I tended to go too wide, being used to the smaller tracks... Mosport doesn't need an aggressively wide approach at track-in, IMHO.

How about you, Dave? Have you spent much time on the big track?

And... 2000 pounds... Eef. Imagine if we could swap motors. That'd be an interesting power:weight ratio.

[Dave]

LS1 V8 powered Honda hatchback! I like your thinking Steve. You pay for it, I'll drive it :P

I haven't been on the big track since I was a teenager hanging out there with my Dad at a Corvette Club lapping day. The track has obviously changed a fair bit since then, so I'll be totally green when I get my little roller skate out on the track. Can't wait to try it though! Caius and I went up there last year to watch a regional race event and man did I ever get the bug bad for that track! It's just so big and sweeping, the way you imagine a high speed Formula 1 track should be.

If you hear of any lapping days coming up in the spring, be sure to post them here! :)

Dave

[Shaman]

Will do. Just a note though... that last lap I was hustling so fast (speed-wise) that some of those sweeping corners didn't feel sweeping at all. It's all relative to your velocity. I'm sure you'll be like me, thinking "damn, couldn't we run that track in solo-1?"

Of course, mistakes on that track often don't end up with a little fender bender.

[DECH_92]

It would be real nice if the main Solo1 Clubs got together and rented the main track at Mosport for a lapping day.
I sure there would be lots of Solo1 guys that would not want to miss the chance of driving on 1 of the best tracks in the world.

I no there are lots of clubs that do run there but there usually
around $300 or more and other clubs only let caged cars out with valid race licience.

[Shaman]

Yeah, I think I paid about $280.

FWIW, going down that hill the first couple of times is an eye opener. :D

[Brent]

Dave,

Yes, I will be in CSP next season. How beastly my neon will be depends on whether people start flying again and airlines start buying planes.
I hope to do it up N/A and give you some competition, should be a good class and a lot of fun. We just need George and Alec to move up to CSP.

[Dave]

Cool stuff Brent! It'll be great to have some more company up in C/SP. Geo and Alec are both going to stay in SS1, and Craig Hayashi just got himself a fancy new Tein suspension so there will be three really fast Type R's in SS1 next season. Should be a fun class to watch!

However, Andre Coriveau is going to turbocharge his Miata so he will likely be keeping us company up in C/SP unless he gets too carried away with the build-up and goes to C-Mod. I'd imagine his goal will be to keep the car SP legal, but I'm not sure on that. I'll have to pick Andre's brain on it a bit more the next time I see him :)

With any luck Robb Smith will have his Teg out in perfect running condition next season too. And of course Hanif and Dave George (top two from C/SP this year) will be back and faster than ever if I know those two guys.

And then there's the wildcard of Adam Hutchison. Adam's been around for years but unfortunately he had a lot of trouble with his turbo build-up on his 240SX so we didn't see much of him this summer. With another winter of development I'm sure he'll have the car out at the track in good working condition and will be giving all of us a run for our money.

So, between you, me, Andre, Robb, Adam, and of course Hanif and Dave George (last years SP 1 and 2 drivers), Matt Cornford, etc, I think we'll have an absolute blast battling it out in C/SP next year.

In all honesty C/SP was a bit off the pace this past summer but I'm certain we'll avoid any propositioning problems next season.
Unless we all blow up our engines (again)...

Dave