Based on my experience with Kaiser wheels from my FSAE days they probably weren't all that round to start with, but that does stink.
Based on my experience with Kaiser wheels from my FSAE days they probably weren't all that round to start with, but that does stink.
A friend who does dirt track/roundy round stuff suggested I do Weld for the next set as they hold up better in his experience.
Figured out a trick with the Kaiser's, they come apart ala split rims. Fronts are together and reassembled on the tires. Rears were mounted by radial tire in silver spring, who have earned a very strong recommendation from me. A tire shop that understands race tires, a new concept to me.
Need to install the centers in the rear wheels, then I'll have pics with the new rubber.
Aligned adding lots of caster and changed the front and rear motion ratios stiffening the rear and softening the front. Scaled the car, 825 with more than 4 gallons of gas, so right in line. Need to take more pics, just been rushing to get it done for next weekend.
2nd event in the books.
I make it to the event and while pulling the car out of the trailer I discover that the rims hit the lower control arms limiting steering lock enough that I cant run that way. So, off with the new and back on with the old roadrace setup. More than a bit let down that all the work amounted to nothing on that front.
Since the last event, replaced all rubber pucks, changed motion rations (stiffer rear, softer front), Aligned (3 degrees camber 9 degrees caster), and corner balanced the car (its 823 lbs with me and 4 gallons of gas).
Event was at Blue Crab Stadium in Waldorf, which was sealed at the end of last year.
Car worked well! balance was MUCH MUCH better and I could actually rotate the rear some under certain circumstances. I was still 2 seconds off FTD (exocet), but I am not 100%ing the car quite yet. Brake bias needs work. I have the balance set full rear and I am still locking fronts, which is making corner entry difficult. Also, I am still geared for roadrace and I am told that the car will be much more responsive with autox gears.
MAN this thing is FUN.
Digging into the lower control arm issue, I have a set of spares and I can modify them to make the wheels work without compromising anything. Only problem is that they are 4130 Chromoly and I dont have a TIG. In talks with a friend with a welding business to help me out, I need to order some metal to make new tabs, as the modification is basically knocking off some tabs and moving them a half inch.
I am not gunning to be at full speed out of the gates, I am taking the process slowly. I went faster every run in the car and the smallest drop was still over a half second. The driving position takes some getting used to. You cant just jump in this and be fast.
For right now, the event was so windy that the trailer's roof vent fractured. Fortunately, my shop is large enough I just put the whole trailer inside while I fix that and address some other things on the trailer, like painting the galvanized roof that was starting to show rust spots.
https://www.facebook.com/bob.macdonald.779/videos/2533543686678008/
(video is of first run where I was taking it easy, I later went 4 seconds faster than that)
3rd event report.
Work since last event; mostly on the trailer... (replace roof vent, paint hinges, paint roof). For the car: ordered parts and getting ducks in a row for what needs doing to be faster. I adjusted the final drive belt tension, gassed it up, and charged the battery.
Results: 8th out of 108 entries. 3 out of the 7 entries that beat me in raw time are in fact only two cars, both are nationally relevant DP cars. the others, a very well prepped caterham, a Lotus Exige, an Exocet, and a very very well driven Subaru STI (edged me by 6 100ths). I was 1.7 seconds off FTD which was in a nationally relevant DP car with a driver who has a national championship. (He also finished 2nd in XP in a DP Miata last year)
We still have work to do. I am still on the roadrace tires that came with the car that are years old, and narrow in the front. With the narrow fronts, solid rear axle (no differential), and brake bias, I can either brake OR steer, not both. I am also still geared for 150mph. Excuses, excuses... Truth is, on top of those, you have to swallow many brave pills to be fast in this car. I am just getting to the point of comfortable.
To do list.
Next event : July 6th Capital Driving Club at Waldorf.
If anyone is watching this thread and thinks this looks like fun, theres a SCREAMING deal on a car on the facebook group "SCCA F500 & FModified" right now...
racer F500
$2,500 Now Contact Seller
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
I have a road racer F500 up for sale. It is a 1996 KBS Mk8.5 . Body work has all been redone, needs some finishing touches and paint. The body was just worn out, not a major accident. I will sell it with a lift and a set of rains, an old set of slicks and a third set of wheels. It has an Aim MyChron4 dash and the 493 Rotax engine. New battery. With some minor work and a new set of belts, it should be ready for the track easily. These belts would be fine for autocross as far as I know. $2500.
In reply to Apexcarver :
Holy crap that is a steal. I wish I had room and time for that.
Finally got this done... gear ratio changed / chain drive installed. I still need to fabricate a chain guard, but thats not going to be too bad.
Ratio changed from 3:1 to 5:1, top speed from 150 to about 90 for autocross.
It took a little while with a slidehammer to get everything off to do it. the belt gear was on the inboard side of the carrier, so it all had to come off.
I'm glad it seems to be a smooth path to getting it sorted. It looks & sounds really cool on track.
What is it like driving? What is scary about it? I remember something about the aluminum crash structure & safety reg changes/rollover risk with tricky track situations. Watching it on video makes it look pretty composed.
Have fun with the new gearing, hope it continues getting faster & more fun to drive
In reply to hvoxi :
Well, keep in mind that the video was my first feel out run of the day, I later went 4 seconds faster. (An eternity in autox) Truth is that with the solid rear axle it's a bit of a pitch and catch car that you need to slide a bit to be fast. It's very responsive, but getting a feel for that in a car you are laying down in takes awhile. Plus, remember, your ass is literally maybe two inches off the ground. It's amazing fun and better every event with every improvement made. I really really can't wait to have the wider tires on there and get these old ones off.
One thing I am doing for the next event that should help some is adding a thicker steering wheel spacer that will move the wheel back two inches so I have better leverage. My arms were a bit straight.
Chain woes...
So you can see the chain on there but not linked... I needed a half link to make things work right. Turns out that theres a difference between 520 chain and 520H (who knew?). So the half link didnt fit.
Order another chain from Amazon in a rush, upon revew today the way the listing is worded the chain is shorter than I thought, so that will be a return.
Also upon further review, the 520H chain (that I cant find a half link for at all) is only rated for something like 30hp on a motorcycle... yeah.. that wont work at all...
I'm going to a motorcycle shop this evening to sort this all out and get what I need. Costs be damned. (as in I will be cursing them as I pull out the debit card)
Another event in! still waiting for results.
Helmet camera wrote corrupted files, so no joy there. A photog stuck a camera on board, so I cant wait to see those.
Went pretty well, the regear worked and the car was snappier on the throttle. I actually spun the car once (was able to continue just fine). NEED to get the new and wider tires on there. I never really got on the right line, so there was more in it.
Apexcarver said:Figured out a trick with the Kaiser's, they come apart ala split rims. Fronts are together and reassembled on the tires. Rears were mounted by radial tire in silver spring, who have earned a very strong recommendation from me. A tire shop that understands race tires, a new concept to me.
Need to install the centers in the rear wheels, then I'll have pics with the new rubber.
Aligned adding lots of caster and changed the front and rear motion ratios stiffening the rear and softening the front. Scaled the car, 825 with more than 4 gallons of gas, so right in line. Need to take more pics, just been rushing to get it done for next weekend.
Radial Tire has been the go-to place for performance tires for decades.
Are you running with Capital Driving Club?
I missed the last one but should be in Winchester on the 27th.
I'm an organizer with them. I won't be making Winchester, it's two hours away and I have a one year old baby.
So, there was another autocross on Aug 24th. I loaded up and I towed out, unloaded the car and as I was pulling into the area that the organizers with more serious racecars grid/paddock, it stalls. I was able to get it to start, but not able to keep it running, so I didnt get any runs out of it. Wound up co-driving an awesome DP miata (which as I type 2 friends are running at nats, finishing day one just out of the trophies) so I cant say the day was a complete bust.
Hunting intermittant problems always sucks.
It would start and run, but didnt want to stay running. It would just stop reacting to the throttle and die.
Thus began the troubleshooting.
Dont you hate it when you go deeper down the rabbit hole than you needed to? Feel kinda dumb, but we have ALL been there.
One thing is that I am really thinking about eventually redoing all of the wiring on the car. Nicely loomed and labeled wires with a good fuse block might be helpful in the future...
Figured out what I need to make the new rims work and its not a new LCA, but a spacer. I have a CAD drawing with a local machine shop for a quote to make it after Emachine shop Quoted $550 (funny part, adding more parts is only $20 or so more) so the setup price is STEEP there. Hopefully a local shop can beat that, if not, well, I have a line on a lathe that might be able to make it for not much more than Emachine would charge me.
Any luck getting it running again??
In reply to jfryjfry :
TL;DR of a few posts ago, turned out to be a screw fell out of a connection on the master switch. Good now.
I always like hearing a snowmobile at an autocross event! Detroit region used to have a few F500s at events I attended years back. They were great fun to see and hear on course.
wawazat said:I always like hearing a snowmobile at an autocross event! Detroit region used to have a few F500s at events I attended years back. They were great fun to see and hear on course.
LOL! you sir are the exception, they actually get some hate for the sound, to the extent some call it the most annoying sound in autocross. (personally, we have some FRS/BRZs with blatty exhausts I find truely awful)
appreciate the love though.
Swapped the rear master from 1 inch to 3/4inch for more rear brake force. We will see if this improves things, the F500 group had a few people chime in using the same calipers I do with this setup.
Another autocross in the books...
Got one run in, mostly feeling out the brake change and not quite fully pushing it yet. Launched for the second run and shortly after start heard a krunk! and the engine freewheel with no acceleration. Immediately shut off and coasted off the course.
https://www.facebook.com/12421594/videos/10114493278071485/
The rear axle sprocket hub gave up the ghost. I havent had a chance to tear it apart yet, but I think the axle is fine and I just need a new hub, which is only $35.
My neighbor offered a codrive to finish out the day in his LS powered FD RX7. Tons of fun, like a mustang, but with suspension manners. He also has a line on an independant machinist who can likely give me a better quote on my wheel spacers so I can run the new tires. The ones on the car now are really old and hard, so I am pretty sure that is a ton of whats holding me/the car back.
Yeahhh, thats broken!
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