Draco-REX

Sure! Link away.

It should be. I haven't pushed it yet because I don't know where it's limits are or how it will behave when pushed beyond. I want to get it to an AutoX so I can let it all hang out.

Does the route include the Triple Nickel?

I should take a picture of the door opening. The door bars are above the sill, reducing the tiny door opening by 4 inches or so. Luckily the A-pillar bar is perfect for grabbing. I bet a normal Exige or Elise would be a piece of cake to climb into now. Heh

It's funny, I was at work the other day and had an epiphany about climbing in and out. It just like putting on a helmet. It's awkward and uncomfortable doing it, but once inside it is *relatively* comfortable.

Some good suggestions. Thanks. Good examples start mid 50s. Mine is modified and definitely tracked pretty hard. (Found some "klag" between the body panels yesterday) So I was able to get it much lower.

Thanks everyone. I need to set up an appt with Northend Wrench and have them give the alignment a good look. But first some research. It is. GO KART is taken. But BUZZBOX isn't... I may just go generic though. This generation uses a Toyota 2ZZGE engine. A previous owner added a basic Katana supercharger.

Worked on the Exige today. Attached a front tow loop and installed Sector 111 TALLrails. The rear loop will go on later when I have more time, and a lug-bolt tool. The new seating position is fantastic. I'm looking through the center of the windshield instead of the top, and the seat is more comfortable now. I can also fit with a helmet on and still have a finger or two of room. But I also discovered that the wrong bolts were used when the lap belts were installed. I thought the seat was too tight on my hips, but I was actually being stabbed by the seatbelt bolts. Picked up the correct ones and the pain is gone. I don't know who did the interior work on this car, but he/she was a hack. I'm finding lots of questionable choices and janky work, including discovering that a captive nut that holds the roof on was busted loose. So now I cna't take the roof off unless I cut the bolt and replace the roof. This will be a bit of a project. But I think I'm going to enjoy it. Oh well, no car is perfect. Driving it is a lot of fun. The on-center feel of the steering is a bit vague and the brakes grab before the pedal firms up. I'm looking into the steering, it might just be alignment, but I think the brake feel issue is due to the stock M/C trying to drive 4 big 4-piston calipers. When I was out I finally took some pics. It saw a little rain so it could use a cleaning, but these should be enough to tide me over until I do more with the car.

Essentially they are a genus of hawk. They often hunt IN forests, so they are extremely nimble. Seemed appropriate. I think the previous owner removed that button, I'll look for it again. Honestly, I hope so. This is the first mid-engined car I've ever driven. I expect the Exige to drive nearly the opposite of how I drive my RallyX cars, so I'm hoping it will help me learn to be smoother. Between the two, I want to widen my techniques. Should be fun.

First Event! This was a tighter course without any real straights. I was also still on the original suspension and snow tires. Result: 1st! Also had FTD. Having been almost a year since I last raced RallyX, I was definitely rusty. The morning heat I was over driving the car and certainly could have done better. The afternoon course was faster, but I was able to reign myself in and keep the car under better control. Ultimately, ZB out-drive me today, but I'm working the kinks out. Too bad next event our cars won't be as comparable, since I want to get the suspension done. The car was very good. Grip was good, power was exceptional. It's already faster than my old Modified class car. The rear was a bit loose for my taste, however. The stock sway bars are still on the car and connected. Usually I remove them for RallyX for maximum traction. But I was thinking about learning to drive the car with them on because videos I watched of past National events showed a lot of slalom-like sections. Sways would let me transfer weight left/right faster, making it easier to get through a slalom. But I've always really liked the feel of this chassis without sways. Maybe I'll just disconnect the rear sway.. So far, this car has been a complete success. I can't wait to drive it with the new suspension mods and tires.

Since the rain held off, I was able to get some seat time. Love it. It's going to need some tweaking, but it's great as it is. I really want to get this out to an AutoX so I can find out how it behaves when pushed. Took a quick pic today. Not a very good one.. Maybe some better ones Sunday. Meet Goshawk:

Actually I fit in it just fine. There's a surprising amount of room inside, just climbing in and out is a gymnastic event. No, the reason why I haven't been able to drive it much has come down to timing and weather. I drove it a little when I was looking at it, then I had to wait for delivery. So I missed all the nice days this week. It finally arrived yesterday. But it was after my lunch break so I only got to drive it home. And then it started raining. I was going to drive it today, but the forecast said rain and thunderstorms all day... *sigh* Then tonight I have to prep the RallyX car because: Can't. I have a RallyX tomorrow. I'll need to be on site by 8am. It'll be another couple weeks before I can get to a C&C. So I'll be able to drive it Saturday evening. At least Sunday is looking good. I hope to log some time in it then and maybe drive it to work Monday before even more rain comes.

Yup! Though I don't plan to be too anal about weight; I need to "add lightness" to myself as well. Looking more closeley at it, the cage itself is pretty well built, but getting it to fit in the interior wasn't done as well. When I'm installing the new seat rails, I'm going to go through the interior and see what can be improved/fixed or replaced. This car was certainly someone's track rat, and it was treated as such. What I'm finding interesting is that as I'm looking at the interior and finding stuff I don't like, I'm actually looking forward to fixing it. I think I'm going to clean and fix up this car and make it nice (for a track car). It would be kind of a change of pace/attitude for me. I'll see how froggy I'm feeling when I do the seat rails, but I might just pull out the whole interior and figure out just what was done and what I want to change/improve. It would be a neat project. Now if only I could get to drive this thing more than just a few miles at a time...

It's here! No pics yet. Stupid rain.. Also performed the first mods: removed the minuscule sun visors and pointless rear view mirror. More to come... It's so TINY!

The V is pretty much as modded as I want (less a few tweaks). It's my DD and long-haul cruiser, so I want to preserve as much of the comfort as I can. The Exige is already heavily modified. All the mods I'm looking at are small tweaks and touches. I have been researching the car a lot the last few days and have downloaded the service manuals. It's a refreshingly simple beast. I can see this being a pretty cool platform for a build if it weren't comparatively expensive. But rust will never really be a problem, and the whole thing can come apart with hand tools. Very neat.

Thanks everyone. It will get a used engine and brought back to stock, then sold. Mods will be sold off as well.

I take that back.....

Thanks. Also for your advice earlier.

It's not a bolt-in. There are a couple with EJs, but it's a swap like any other engine. Since you don't really save any time or trouble going to an EJ over another engine, most who do swaps will choose a different engine. Not to mention, the super charger won't bolt to an EJ either. In other, but related news, I've apparently made my decision. I went up to SwitchCars in Twinsburg to check out the Lotus. http://www.switchcars.com/cars-for-sale/8/2006-lotus-exige-supercharged And I bought it. Doug was great to work with and he worked a pretty good deal for me. Overall I was happy with my experience with SwitchCars. The car itself is very good. The Exige as-is is a minimal little go-kart of a car. This one is even more so. The HVAC has been reduced to just a fan, and the windshield wiper has been removed (I may replace this). Definitely a hard-core ride. The nice thing is that it's fully track-prepped. I want to get to track days more often in the near future, and everything I'd want to do has already been done. The big question was, could I fit my 6'3" carcass inside it comfortably? Surprisingly, the answer is Yes. There's an amazing amount for fore/aft adjustment in the seat. I actually had to move it up a couple notches. So someone taller than me, with that extra height being in the legs, would fit. I even had some room between my head and the roof. However, with a helmet on, I was touching the roof. Good thing the roof comes off. Now, getting IN and OUT of the car is an entirely different matter. I think I figured out the best way to do it, but I still look like a drunk chick trying to sneak under a velvet rope. I may get the hang of it, but I'll never be graceful at it. The steering is a little vague at center and the brakes grab before the pedal tightens up, but I should be able to adjust to it. This should be a fun car to drive. I've always wanted a Lotus due to their focused nature: "Simplify, and add lightness." So I'm looking forward to driving this car. I think it will fill the BRZ's spot very well. If there's one thing I don't like about this car, it's that there really isn't anything I can modify/customize on it. Maybe I'll get the wheels painted something obscenely bright...

The reviews I found are mostly good. Even on Rennlist and Ferrarichat. Usually forums are where you find all the dirt.

This would be a different matter if I could see a solution to the problem. Even if it took two used engines and a lot of parts, if I knew the problem would be fixed and would never occur again, I'd do it. That was one reason why I went to the built heads. At that point it looked like the problem was with the springs so I tried to make sure it would never happen again. But then it did.. twice. I don't see that there is a next step towards a solution, so the journey is at an end. If I could be assured that a LS swap would be reliable and that I wouldn't lose functionality, the option would be very high on my list. Tomorrow I'm going to head up to Twinsburg to check out the Exige that Robochan linked. (Going to miss out on what will probably be an awesome C&C.) It should fit the bill, but I think I might not fit inside it with a helmet on. If it turns out that I can fit reasonably, I may jump on the opportunity. Otherwise, I'll have more time to consider other options.

I completely agree. Every step of the way, I've made choices based on making this car the best it can be, I haven't cut corners and went into the mods with the full understanding that I was creating a potential for issues. But I also did all that I could to keep the possibility of those issues to a minimum. What I didn't foresee is that the problem I'd run into is related to the basic design of the engine. I didn't break a rod, crack a ring land, or destroy the transmission; something that I could replace with better stronger components. Instead, the design of the valvetrain has become a weak point. And now, as long as there is a FA20 under that hood, that weakness will be there too. I can't trust this engine. One of my choices was the keep the car and go with a LS swap. But while the engine will be more reliable, I question if I would just be moving the source of the issues from the engine to the electrical system. There are no full swap kits yet. Integrating the LS ECU with the BCM is a one-off thing every time this is done. Wouldn't I be just inviting more headaches and more down time? And you're right about "Chasing Amy". This is definitely a case where it is NOT better to have love then lost. The last day it ran, it was perfect. I've never had a car that responded so well, or that felt so "right" as it did that day. I will be comparing any car I get to fill this spot in my garage to the BRZ on that day. It kills me to walk away from this car. I drive past it every day when I leave or return home and I just can't help slowing down and admiring how it looks. I would love to find a way to keep this car. But can I? Can I drive this car again when I'm constantly worried it will break down? Let's say I started this thread instead by saying the BRZ broke down and I was going to LS swap it? I'm sure there would be a good amount of support, but equally I think there would be a number of replies calling my insane for going for an even MORE complex modification while looking for reliability. I just don't know.

LOL. I prefer not to have a sword of Damocles above my car.

Well, here's the short version: The FA20 rockers aren't actually attached to anything in the head. They sit atop the valve stem and a hollow lifter with oil pressure behind it. On top of the rocker sits the cam. So the only thing holding the rocker in place is spring tension and oil pressure. After the first failure, when we discovered it wasn't due to a pin failure in the rocker was to research other causes. The concensus was that the stock valve springs were on the weaker side. Since earlier that day I had rode the rev limiter a couple times for a second or two, I figured the rocker had worked its way out of place, and then eventually came out later that day when the oil pressure was at its lowest. Since the rocker caused a lot of damage, I had to replace the whole head. In that case, I picked up a set of P&P heads with dual valve springs. Shortly after that repair, not 20 miles or so, a rocker came loose again. Since we knew the valve spring tension wasn't the issue, the only other thing was the lifter. Again, calling around to performance shops that have worked with this engine, we came to the conclusion that the stock oil pump didn't move enough oil at idle, and that in combination with my oil cooler was allowing the lifters to collapse. To combat this, we removed the oil cooler and shimmed the bypas valve to give the oil pressure a bump. (I've been running a heavier oil since the super charger any ways). But again, less than 20 miles later, the engine failed and it sounds just like the previous failure.. That's where I'm at. There's something wrong with the engine either by accident or design, and I'm not going to continue throwing money at it to find out what it is.

Oh nice...