My Garage Imaginarium

My doormat only says "Go Away," but the desperate republican solicitors just won't grasp the benefits of Hooked on Phonics.

There's that, and apparently I'm too cheap, as I thought the relatively affordable Russell AN crap (which theoretically dangerous fuel leaks forced me to buy) seemed to be quite an upgrade from the stuff that came free with my $30.00 eBay regulator.  Standards . . .

In reply to rustomatic :

It's probably more like that Simpson's episode where Homer tells Lisa: "Just because I don't care, it doesn't mean I don't understand."

They're pretty much the same as long as it's name brand, Aeroquip is still the original and the best in some ways. Like they and maybe Earl's are probably the only AN fitting manufacturer who use 7075 and 2024 aluminum, as specified by the military for the Army/Navy standard (I actually found this out when I wanted to weld together a turbo drain by mangling some fittings, and called the manufacturers to check what things are made of). But they're the originals after all. The others pretty much all use 6061 but it's more than good enough for what we do and for power steering and brake hoses I wouldn't use aluminum anyway.

The only issue I've ever had with AN stuff was when I originally did my fuel system with Aeroquip PTFE, they only went up to -8 and the A1000 pump I was using called for minimum -10 feed. The only -10 PTFE I could find at the time was from the same China source that made the silicone elbows, siliconeintakes.com, they introduced a PTFE line. Those stupid things leaked from the swivel joint of the hose end. But other than that, the main reason I use Vibrant is that they have everything I need. The fact that their HQ is local and I know a bunch of their guys personally helps, and I dig the all black theme.

A big part of what makes this build super cool is the fact that you are using good parts, but not applying them to a six-figure carcass.  It keeps the performance identity in check (as opposed to the gold medallion/Miami Beach effect).  I remember pondering the benefits of a cheap-o turbo for months, then restrained myself into buying a Borg-Warner, which wasn't super-dollars, but it was significantly more than popular eBay-level options (which frequently cause unsurprising catastrophes); no problems ensued.  The battle with AN fittings took way too long, but in most cases, the cheap was definitely not worth the pain, as low-dollar tools frequently teach.  Onward and upward with the good stuff!

In reply to rustomatic :

Thanks! Yeah, while it would be nice, I don't have any problems with excess budget, that's part of the reason it's taking so long. In the grand scheme, a more expensive turbo or ECU is relatively small fries in the context of the hours it takes to make and install everything else. Not that I'd want to pay someone to do it since learning how is the whole point, ahead of what the car ever actually does or doesn't do, but that's a big reason why I've been able to afford to use some cool parts, because all I need to pay for is the parts, the rest is on me. I still have Bosch Motorsport ABS on the list but that's a $9200 bill and that's a tough one to save up for. Spending a few hundred bucks or even a grand here and there on other things allows me to do much larger and more fun projects (like the fuel cell), so that piggy bank remains pretty dry. One day...

I though E46 M3 had really really good ABS that folks could retrofit....is the motorsport product that much better?  MK60 swaps, I could have sworn, were like $12-1500.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Teves-MK60-ABS-Swap-Conversion-Kit-from-E46-M3-/223752832368

stylngle2003 said:

I though E46 M3 had really really good ABS that folks could retrofit....is the motorsport product that much better?  MK60 swaps, I could have sworn, were like $12-1500.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Teves-MK60-ABS-Swap-Conversion-Kit-from-E46-M3-/223752832368

You're right, and there are guys who will program these Teves units to have very motorsport friendly intrusion thresholds but it's still not on the same page as Bosch Motorsport. The full (not clubsport) M5 kit especially is a very special bugger - in addition to allowing you to rotate the car while in ABS, it has various extra algorithms like downforce compensation. This is the system that Johnny OConnell talked about in his GTLM cars where it's almost impossible for a human to do better, the most you can ever hope to do is do as well. I actually used to not be a believer in ABS like all fuhraze kids, especially being exposed to street car ABS but he put it in a way that really clicked, and this was before learning all the cool trickery of the Motorsport unit - you may be the greatest driver who ever lived but you have one brake pedal, and you are braking as hard as the wheel with the lowest grip can handle. The ABS computer has 4 brake pedals.

BigD said:

you may be the greatest driver who ever lived but you have one brake pedal, and you are braking as hard as the wheel with the lowest grip can handle. The ABS computer has 4 brake pedals.

preach!

Quick update of the progress so far.

Trunk is done, fuel cell is in, everything's plumbed and wired. Still waiting on the pump controller so I can't start it yet. InjectorDynamics is very picky with any corner case issues but those have all been solved, so now it's all about COVID supply issues. I'm told mine will be the first production unit (currently Beta testers are getting the latest versions before they're rolled out).

Added a baffled breather to the powersteering reservoir and installed the 712 rack.

And for Christmas, I got myself scope creep, and Eastwood's roll-on epoxy and urethane primer system

Started on the diffuser too, welded the 3 parts together

Killer work as always. Interested to see how you mount the air jacks. I've never had a good look at any on a car.

AxeHealey said:

Killer work as always. Interested to see how you mount the air jacks. I've never had a good look at any on a car.

Thank you! It would have definitely been easier if I was building the chassis from scratch as I would have just tied them to the A and B pillar posts of the cage. It's not really an option anymore but I'm going to approximate it. In both cases, the jacks will live in a tube and the tube will be tied to the floor via plate at the bottom, and triangulated up top to anything beefy I can reasonably reach and weld to - likely the frame rail at the front and the roll cage hoop at the rear.

These have the additional pain of being very chunky because they're designed to work with normal air pressure (90-120psi). Typical airjacks are meant to work off 300psi so you need to drag around a high pressure gas cylinder, instead of a harborfreight compressor. But as a result they're normally much thinner since you don't need so much piston surface area.

Made a plate for mockup but turned out so good I think I'm going to use it. The tube for the jack will extend from the plate, and then plate to triangulate and reinforce it, and maybe a brace over to the frame rail from the tube.

Air jacks, awesome!!

Made and mounted the bulkhead for the airjacks. Instead of a fancy and expensive lance setup, these just take an ordinary quick disconnect air coupling. Behind the nozzle is also a ball valve I can reach from the driver's door, so I can pump up the car, close it, disconnect the air, and then open it to drop the car.

My buddy is machining me sleeves to weld into the car for the jack bodies, so I moved on to the fenders to finish them off and start bodywork.

Welded out the seams on the driver's fender and sanded them down, ready for filler and primer.

Started on the passenger side but first need to box off the exhaust passthrough. Ran out of MIG gas, so unspooled MIG wire and fired up the TIG. Way more work than necessary but at least I don't have to grind it down.

I'm still alive, honest. Getting close, the new hot cams made the idle E36 M3 enough that it pushed me over the edge and I converted the car to DBW. So now rather than having a low rich idle and high hot, I'll actually have control over it. Now I need to do the rear bodywork and off to the dyno. The Eastwood roll on epoxy and urethane primer makes it so much nicer for garage monkeys like yours truly, because I only have to go full hazmat for the color. Airjacks are amazing btw.

Mean and beautiful!

I've said it before (maybe multiple times) but I love this car and the work that you do. 

AxeHealey said:

I've said it before (maybe multiple times) but I love this car and the work that you do. 

Yupppp!!!

Of all the over the top things in this build...the air jacks have to be near the top of the list, which is a funny thing considering just how extreme the rest of the car is. I suppose that's because air jacks speak to a serious race intent balanced with utility? 

Can't wait to see this thing back outside and running. 

 Thanks guys, you're too kind!

Mezzanine said:

Of all the over the top things in this build...the air jacks have to be near the top of the list, which is a funny thing considering just how extreme the rest of the car is. I suppose that's because air jacks speak to a serious race intent balanced with utility? 

Can't wait to see this thing back outside and running. 

Yeah it's funny I had the same reaction, feeling guilty installing them, like trying to bang Adrian before Rocky has sealed the deal, and I thought about why - they're pretty simple pneumatic cylinders that are easy to install for anyone who's played with a glue gun (aka MIG). I think it's just because you never see these on anything but top shelf pro racecars. Kind of like the way you, or at least I, feel douchey putting on a full racing safety outfit to go lapping, even though fire doesn't care that it's just lapping and my street car has stock rubber lines and plastic gas tank, while the racecar has a full cage, fire system, FIA cert bladder fuel cell and teflon fuel lines that will survive a nuclear blast.

Looking great as usual.  Painting car parts red is a good cover for what's obviously a blood-spattered murder room.

Nader said:

Looking great as usual.  Painting car parts red is a good cover for what's obviously a blood-spattered murder room.

Oh there were looks from passing neighbors. It fully looked like a Dexter episode from the street.

Can't wait to see this thing back together on the ground with the air dam installed. But first, bootywork.

This is excellence.  This is also why I need to get me to a track day again some time soon, because this is the only level (of motorhead mania) that really gets me these days.  Thank you for continuing!

Oh, and I switched directly from carbonator to DBW (LS) several years ago on my own dimwit hotrod, and it's been perfect ever since--most def an upgrade, especially with tuning ability.

rustomatic said:

This is excellence.  This is also why I need to get me to a track day again some time soon, because this is the only level (of motorhead mania) that really gets me these days.  Thank you for continuing!

Thank you! Consider my impostor syndrome officially triggered.

Oh, and I switched directly from carbonator to DBW (LS) several years ago on my own dimwit hotrod, and it's been perfect ever since--most def an upgrade, especially with tuning ability.

Yep, while having actual idle control is the primary motivation, the giant throttle body is also very non-linear, especially at lower boost levels. So with the DBW I can add some exponential to the response curve at lower MAP.

Getting close! Aiming to get it on track at the end of October, need to dyno it first. The big step is done, now to paint the inside of the openings/slats, finish up some odds and ends and then get it tuned.

My floor has upgraded from pink to red too. I intended to spare my floor by laying down tarp on the floor too but it was almost a disaster while doing the front panels, as after the first coat the tarp started sticking to my feet. So for the rear I let it eat.