About port matching... if the intake manifold port dumps into a larger intake port don't sweat the matching to much. On a short track engine flow velocity is more important than volume and it adds a little turbulence.

I have a couple Saginaw 3 speed manual transmissions for the car. I doubt I will have the block machined as I still can see a bit of cross hatching left. I plan to simply break the glaze and use it as is (unless I find some other issues). I need to contact KB to find out what diameter their standard 4.000 bore pistons are as the Summits that are in it are too loose. The Summts measure 3.994/3.995 yet still have the annular machining marks in them.... I think they must be a bad batch?

The heads have some nasty ledges protruding into the incoming flow from the intake (approximately 1/8" in places) .... It will be pretty simple however to break/match those edges. I know the 500cfm Holley is not ideal, but at the relatively low numbers I am after, it should be ok for now. Really trying to keep this low budget this first season to keep my wife from flipping out even worse than she already is. ;):D

I have a roller cam Vortec 5.7 (350) sitting in my shop and if I find that I really get obsessed with this racing game, I will probably sink some more serious dough in it maybe for next year.... My present engine would become a spare/backup. The only problem with the Vortec heads are that there is really no legal cast iron intake being produced that will bolt on.

Not all 500 cfm carbs are equal. This is a good Item to own several of! race teams in carb limit classes are known to have crates full. anytime you can find them buy them and a dyno will prove the winner.

The PO had messed with this Holley carb and when I bought the car, it would not idle. No doubt I will have to go through the carb. If I get another carb it will be a 4 barrel but I would also have to get a different intake manifold..... For now, I will give this one a try. Previous owner claimed the car had plenty of power even with the wider racing tires he was allowed to race at his track (not that his opinion holds much value after seeing some of the cobbing he did on the car.

Tim,
For 1700 bucks you can't buy the tubing, so have fun with it. Just make the cockpit and foot box safe, fix any bad welds, and any tubing that could penatrate the driver area if broken or bend. Make sure the steering column has a collapsible geometery or shaft. Get and or improve the seat/ belts and add lateral head restrant. Also, seal up the rear bulkhead to isolate the fuel cell.

After 21 years working at the same place as a special machine designer, I took a job at different company much closer to home. Major stress for me, but I have been finding a bit of time to work on the front end of the car.

I added shock mounts and hidden adjustable weight jacks for the front springs then I resealed the steering box and altered it's mounting location slightly. I wire brushed the whole nasty front end and primed/painted it. Not my normal quality of prep/epoxy prime/urethane top coat, but the cheap "tractor paint" looks MUCH better than the car did when I first pulled it in the shop. ;) Might just respray the rest of the chassis too once I get the rear end suspension mounts finished.




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We had no idea, Tim, that you were going to achieve this level of detail and thoroughness.:rolleyes:

Yep.... the half@ssed workmanship is kind of embarrassing. ;)

Tim,

Congrats on the new position! Hope its what you want in life!

Looking good... hope the new job goes well.

When you get the race car back on its shoes, roll it outside on a sunny day and shoot a pic of it with the 924 parked alongside. :)

It has been slow going lately due to new job stress..... That said, I cleaned up, straightened and painted 3 regular wheels and a beadlock for the right rear. Bought some 255/60/15 class legal tires and a 245/60/15 for the left rear (for stagger) and mounted them up. I will still need to buy one new beadlock and a couple tires for spares.

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I removed the leaf springs and leaf spring perches from my axle and cleaned then painted it. I temporarily installed the 3 bar suspension set-up that came with the car and had the builder of last years class championship car come over to give me some advice..... He agreed with me that the geometry was not very good and he gave me some suggestions on how to improve it that made sense to me. Today I started cutting the "fake" rear frame arches off (previous owner raced in a class that required stock frame and he cheated by skinning this cars rectangular tube frame with some stock frame pieces) and will then slightly modify what is left to give me better upper spring weight jack screw mounting positions (they will be adjustable fore/aft). I will also add additional structure to allow height adjustment of the front of the swingarms and I will be making adjustable perches (fore/aft adjustment) for mounting the lower portion of the rear coil springs on the rear end. It is a bunch of dirty work, but in the end, I am very confident that my car's chassis/suspension will be capable of competing with the best cars in the class. I really lucked out when I hooked up with the local class champion car builder who himself is a class champion racing UMP late models. He cut his teeth in racing by building and racing bombers like mine at the track I will be racing at.

Rear end with poor geometry spring/bar perches installed.
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Fake frame skins on driver side still to be surgically removed.
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Exposed right side of original rectangular frame.... Will clean this up and modify
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Some of what is left of the mayhem complete with 2008 newspaper and bondo
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I enjoy progress threads with pictures of the build!

Thanks for the update.


KT

Figured out what bar length and wheelbase I wanted. The car was 108" wheelbase, but the class allows a 104" minimum. I am going to end up about 105" which will help to get some more weight to the rear using less lead ballast.

I cut up some bar stock and drilled a bunch of holes on a radius that matches my bar length at ride height. I added a new vertical frame member and spliced the cut off diagonal into it.

Still need to make my fore/aft adjustable upper spring weight jack screw mounts.


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You realize that you must post videos when you race this thing right?

I think this is more about the car and less about racing it. ;):D

I will race it.... I will race it hard. It is just going to be awhile as I have projects stacking up deep on me.

You are right so far Zeke, but it will be fun if Tim decides to take us along for the ride once he hits the track. Should we all pitch in on a Go Pro for Tim just to make sure?
Cool project Tim. think your wife would come around if you get her fitted for a driving suit and put her name on the roof too. She might turn out to be quick.

Cheers Richard

Agree with Zeke... was thinking the same earlier today!

You need to finish this thing so all these people doing cross-country trips can plan to come through your town on Saturday night and watch you sling mud and trade paint.

I know... I know... you guys think I will never finish this damn thing. I have a huge list of stuff that needs done other than this race car. I have two airplanes that will each need a bunch of hours, wife's car needs struts/brakes, 911 needs service, daily driver 924S needs AC work and some body repair, mower needs work, daughter's car needs service, shop needs cleaned for a reunion my wife is planning, cafe bike needs service etc etc.

All that said, I did finally wrap up the new rear suspension which finally frees my lift up to catch up on daily driver maintenance. I am kind of starting to think I may not get the car completed until near the end of summer. :(



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