My Ride(s) Pics of

Brad Roberts · 07-28-2002, 04:54 PM

Some of you know me..some of you dont want to know me..lol

Those who follow along with my escapades know that we build race cars and some decent street cars.

Well.. my tube car is now painted and track worthy. The graphics have not been applied but I will send pics later after they get laid onto the car.

Enjoy, and feel free to fire away with the questions.

Oh.. when I say TUBE car. It was NOT a 914 to start with. It was built on a jig. The only pieces on the car that are 914: Windshield hoop for SCCA rules. Front and rear control arms. The piece for the tailights (our latest car doesnt have the rear steel in them)

B

JayDarden · 07-28-2002, 05:07 PM

What kind of stereo . . . Just kidding. Whats she weigh? Have you made any hot laps yet - how does it handle compared to a well prepped original?

neilca · 07-28-2002, 06:12 PM

Very nice piece! I assume this is a GT-2 car. Post some more detail shots without the body work.
Thanks,
neilca

Brad Roberts · 07-28-2002, 06:33 PM

The car weighs 1950 with a full tank of gas (12gal.)

First pass out with the injection tuned correctlyielded a 2:03 at Thunderhill. GT2 class record is a 1:57.9 set by a person who has won the Runoffs 2-3 times in his Factory sponsored Toyota.

So.. 2:03 with NO chassis tuning and a mediocre driver running a stock 3.0 and a stock 901 gearbox (Guard LSD at 80%) is pretty damn stout. The race engine will have 310-315 hp or about 90hp more than we have now. Basically it has a trainer engine right now.

We have a open test day this coming Tuesday back at Thill and I will actually dial in the suspension and play with different springs and sway bar settings.

The car pictured was actually used in a add for Excellence magazine back in 96/97

URY914 · URY914's Garage

The fenders appear to overhang the tires about 3". Do you run a wider wheel or different offset to correct this?

campbellcj · 07-28-2002, 08:12 PM

Looks sweet B, I can't wait to check it out in person sometime soon.

Brad Roberts · 07-28-2002, 10:23 PM

URY,

The Sheridan Fiberglass was designed for 14inch rear tires.

Our class called for 10inch tires all the way around until this year when they allowed us to run 12in wide in the rear.

The wheels in the pictures are practice tires and dont have the same offset as the rims we normally run.

We will purchase 12's soon. The problem is: 380$ apiece for the 10 inch tires and 425$ apiece for the 12's.. plus you have to buy a min. of 3 sets of the 12's and you end up with 12 front wheels as the current rears would become useless.

I wish Roger sold a narrower rear fender, but he doesnt and we really dont mind. The front fenders cut the air for the rears.. so there is nothing to be gained areodynamically buy reducing the size of the rears.

Did you notice that the front track is 6 inches wider than the rear even though it has exactly the same wheels front/rear ??

B

J P Stein · 07-28-2002, 11:31 PM

Very nice, Brad.
Are you driving?
When are you coming up to Portland?

Brad Roberts · 11:57 PM

I'm driving it, but not in SCCA yet. Just open track days and some NASA events. My partner Scott has run it with a new race group called PRC based in our area. I really cant swing the tires right now..still working on purchasing a certain large company.

This season is all about testing and tuning before the real engine and tranny are installed.

Wait until you see the graphics. The side numbers will be 4 inches bigger also.

B

campbellcj · 07-29-2002, 12:23 PM

B - do you have the 'wide' or 'standard' Sheridan rear? His site says the 'standard' is set up for 10" wheels. I definitely hear what you're saying about the wheel and tire budget...that's a big hit to swallow.

J P Stein · 07-29-2002, 12:36 PM

Hey, I like it just the way it is.

Brad Roberts · 07-31-2002, 12:37 PM

We use the wide body kit on 90% of the cars. We do have one narrow body kit on a car right now. The fit and finish is above anything you will find on the market right now.

B

Brad Roberts · 07-31-2002, 01:59 PM

On the grid for the POC/PRC race.

B

rdvnac · rdvnac's Garage

That grid shot is a very, very nice pic, Brad. Thanks for posting it. Think I found some new wallpaper for a while.

Brad Roberts · 07-31-2002, 03:34 PM

I have a whole bunch of professional shots that where just done a few weeks ago that arrived on my desk today.

I'll post a link to them when I get them moved over to the site.

We are really excited about this car and what its capable of.

I had a pro licesned driver (races GT3R's with ALMS) drive the car yesterday at a ThunderHill open track day. He was amazed at our handling and braking characteristics.

We will be stepping up the front springs by 50lbs on each side and playing with the rebound dampening on the rear shocks. The car doesnt like to come down softly and stable after being unweighted and most of our NorCal tracks have good elevation changes (think corkscrew at Laguna.. 8 story drop)

B

sharper · 08-01-2002, 07:07 AM

Does anyone have any written plans for a tube frame 914? I have a somewhat rusted chasis that would be a perfect candidate for creating a tube frame race car but I wouldn't even have a clue how to go about doing it.

John2kx · John2kx's Garage

Brad,

That last pic is killer! My bride is wondering why I've been holding my crotch all morning. I gotta get me one of those!!!!!

John

sammyg2 · 08-01-2002, 12:29 PM

Does that thing have a cup holder? :-)

I had to read half way through the thread before I realized who the originator was. Howz the new business going?

Jeroen · 08-01-2002, 04:43 PM

A W S O M E ! ! !

Post more pics please...

Cheers,

Jeroen

John2kx · John2kx's Garage

Brad,

Your car has caused visions of grafting some flares on my 914. Do you have any pics of a 914 with what I would call street version flares similar to yours? I've been to various websites but the pics I've seen lack detail, color or the right angles.

I'm also wanting to retain my hood, lights and maybe front bumper. What options are available for the front other than the 916 look?

Does the rear suspension need attention when going above a certain width? My car will live on the streets.

Regards,

John