94 Rx7 Street/Track build A.K.A. greatwhitebuffalo

[MattKatz]

This thread is missing so many upgraded LS parts....I am confused.

[Jackson1647545504]

This thread is missing so many upgraded LS parts....I am confused.

 

yeah, where is the LS swap?

[Draco-REX]

Looks good. If you want free dry ice for dynamat removal, just order some frozen stuff from Amazon Prime Now. They pack the driver's bag with flat bricks of dry ice they just throw out when they get back. And hell, Ice Cream!

[Smokey]

No LS swap in my near future. I'm not a hater if the swap, but it doesn't make sense for me as they have their own on-track reliability issues. Also in the 3 different LS swap FD's that I've run across at Mid Ohio each one was faster in a straight line but not around the track than me.

[Smokey]

At this point I'm finishing getting the car ready for its first track day. Here are the rear brakes going on. Also put on sakebomb stainless rear brake lines and speed bleeders in the calipers.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/EE28C921-63E9-4D72-B430-027F08DC3758_zpsh0dul4ns.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/99E070B4-B31F-4CE5-A8C2-BCAFC253E169_zpsjnnfqnlv.jpg

 

I also came across the first of expected/unexpected issues. While driving the car and putting some street miles on it, it just died on me. Acted like it ran out of fuel. I got the car home and put a fuel pressure gauge on the feed line, but the car would die and fuel pressure was fine and couldn't find any leaks. Not a fuel issue. Long story short it ended up being a bad idle air sensor that was going apeshit. After the car died one time I could hear it buzzing really loud. Additionally I think the way the wiring harness was running was putting undue pressure on the plug/wiring for the IAC.

 

I ended up getting a used IAC in good condition and moving the wiring harness which seems to have taken care of the problem so far.

 

Additionally I have an annoying exhaust leak at the catback connection. I've made it a bit better by running a thicker metal gasket

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/1FB029E5-FB04-44C3-8A68-6EEFA9C37935_zps7qlowlqj.jpg

 

We set the ride heights, and with the help of good friends I was able to borrow some scales and hub stands. We leveled the scales as best we could, set the heights on the car, then corner balanced.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A785F1F8-CFA8-4742-AAD3-5C0052B00CCD_zpspwaunvbz.jpg

 

Finished up with the SSR track setup

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/8A69A24B-0D34-4C35-8238-305B6E57DC1A_zpsapkvp9z1.jpg

 

It came in nice and light even keeping the A/C and P/S. This is with a bit over 1/2 tank of gas without me in it.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A841B11E-BE83-4EF3-B9EC-0FBDC5FDC57A_zpsy71rdouq.jpg

[Smokey]

Came across another last minute issue. After corner balancing I was heading to get the car aligned the night before going to the first event....I'm afraid it's always last minute with my schedule. I had put in the new CL brake pads. Well about halfway there I started hearing a knocking noise that had me pull over worried. I couldn't find anything loose, so I went on. At the alignment we looked under the car and couldn't find anything wrong either. As it turns out the CL brake pads are smaller than the Hawks I normally run and they were flopping around in the calipers making the noise. Here's a video. When the noise goes away it's when I push on the brakes and push the pads against the rotor.

 

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/th_99998D14-B4CD-4B93-88D7-B51E73BADDCD_zpsqjm8p6wd.mp4

 

This was annoying to say the least and not the end of it, but for now I put the Hawks back in the front and it got rid of the noise.

[Smokey]

At this point there has been a lot done even if it's not all captured in photos. Here's the rundown of the punch list up to the first event:

 

Get custom battery tray made

· Remove front bumper cover and fender liners

· Remove stock motor/trans

· CLEAN the engine bay

· Head shielding on trans tunnel

· Powder coat seats and ceramic coat downpipe

· Install motor and trans

· Remove radio and wiring

 

Motor refresh/install checklist:

 

· Spray in the fogging oil I never freaking put in there. Better late than never and should hopefully help during startup.

· Remove upper intake – remove and re-seal any block-off plates, clean IAC and throttle body. Obtain and replace the little throttle body coolant lines that are going to be a pain to do any other time.

· Remove rats nest –good time to replace the old silicone lines done by D-bag. Also will test solenoids and replace as necessary.

· Remove injectors, send to be cleaned and get new o-rings

· Remove turbos – will need to have Kyle port the wastegate on the new 99 spec turbos and may have him resurface the gasket surfaces while at it.

· Remove lower intake, install new metal intake gasket. Remove and re-seal any block off plates.

· Replace oil injectors and make sure air atomization lines are still there (haven’t verified previously) and oil lines are clear.

· Replace water pump with newer better flowing unit ***research if need sealant or just gasket?***

· Remove oil pan, scrape/clean all surfaces, install new pan with sealant. **remove silicone from mount holes, run tap thru holes**

· Modify stock aluminum motor mount arm to accept new motor mounts, and install with pan/brace.

· Replace primary injector diffusers – they get brittle over time and can break and kill a motor.

· Clean up primary and secondary fuel rails.

· Replace Fuel Pump Damper with new factory unit – these fail and cause engine fires – replace rubber fuel lines

· Remove the flywheel and clutch

· Replace rear main oil seal and re-torque the engine studs

· Reinstall flywheel and clutch – need to figure out how to torque them down and not break engine stand.

· Remove/install pilot bearing and seal, re-grease

· Cleanup and re-seal oil filler neck (either RTV or new o-ring or both).

· Clean up grunge around the motor

· Replace oil sender

· Apply DEI gold foil to LIM (turbo side) and bottom of UIM.

· Reinstall intake manifolds, fuel rails, and injectors

· Reinstall turbos (fogging oil) and manifolds. May need to change manifold depending on fit (trouble getting turbos on last time think a stud might be crooked).

· Test solenoids, replace any that are faulty

· Create ground wire for motor locations and install

· need to place coolant sender in TB coolant line **do this with motor out if possible**

· Replace silicon vacuum lines

 

 

Motor startup checklist:

· Change plugs, install new plug wires

· Mount/install the HKS twinpower ignition amplifier and hook it up to the coil harness

· Mount up the A/C

· Hook up the power/battery harness on all of the driver’s side engine/accessories

· Run the wiring harness into the interior of the passenger side – mount the PFC and attach the commander even if it’s not permanently installed.

· Mount the turbo manifold, tap the holes, put in the studs, mount the turbos with new gaskets. **see if you need more downpipe studs/nuts**

· Hook up fuel lines to motor

· Fuel setup install – line/fittings purchased. Need to fix fuel pump electrical connector, need to solder additional ground for fuel pump.

· Oil cooler install

· Install radiator and fans

· Install front sway bar (shares supports of radiator)

· Clean up the P/S pump, mount, hook up additional cooler,

· Install the y-pipe, air-pump idler pulley

· Install battery and tray

· Remove UIM, prime fuel system, check for leaks

· Install UIM vacuum lines and new gasket – torque

· Remove old diff

· Change fuel filter while diff is out

· Install diff, PPF, and driveshaft

· Install downpipe, midpipe and exhaust

· Install air pump idler pulley and belts

· Install shifter with oil in housing and new gasket.

· Bleed slave cyl

· Add oil, coolant, p/s fluid, diff fluid, trans fluid – new crush washer on diff/trans plugs

· Remove EGI fuse and crank to build oil pressure – check oil level and add as needed when the coolers get filled

· Fill p/s fluid and bleed with car off (key on)

· Add coolant, bleed, and start the motor….hope nothing blows up.

 

 

First test drive list:

· Remove exhaust

· Install banzai trans brace

· Install other chassis braces – need to replace or fix PPF/diff rear brace.

· Hook up front sway bar

· Install intercooler and duct.

· fine tune idle via PFC idle learn procedure.

· Remove rear suspension and paint/seal rear wheel wells.

· Reinstall rear suspension

· Install adjustable rear sway bar endlinks – make sure they’re not damaged.

· Tuck up and protect wire harness that runs above front wheels.

· Figure out where to mount catch can

· Install intakes

· Install front bumper,

· install fender liners

· install hood

· mount wheels

 

 

Track prep list:

· create/install updated ground wires

· Replace front and rear sway bar rod ends

· trim plastic below oil coolers and fit

· seal gaps around radiator/condenser – new foam on under panel?

· Install new exhaust gaskets at midpipe & catback to try to eliminate leaks

· Figure out power steering cooler mounting/lines – also figure out if using stock cooling line or moving.

· Figure out way to install intake heat shield/box.

· Install water injection and mount in trunk – need to test injection system and find issue and replace as needed.

· Remove steering wheel/airbag

· Install hub and steering wheel

· Install bigger rear rotors and caliper spacers – clean up calipers

· Install rear stainless brake lines and speed bleeders in rear calipers – bleed system.

· Install boost and coolant temp gauges

· Install M/C brace

· Remove factory driver’s seat

· Install interior plastics

· Install race seats and harnesses

· Get Nittos mounted on SSRs – check wheels for cracks –

· Mount SSRs

· Set ride heights

· Corner balance

· Alignment

· Road test

· install track pads

[Smokey]

also...that sweet power steering cooler? damned if I didn't run the lines in a way that would push the underpanel away from the radiator...so it had to go. For now I'm just running upgraded Joe Gibbs power steering fluid in the stock setup. Same unfortunately goes for the brake cooling ducts, I used to run the hoses up to the front next to the radiator, and now the stock power steering line runs thru there...so no cooling hoses at the moment.

 

One last touch before I can be ready to set out on the first track day. Gotta keep the right mindset

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7976D61D-E3E3-4133-8990-47A27FB6BBC5_zpsq0aupdrh.jpg

 

Loaded up and ready to roll

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/533EB621-7B87-43F5-882E-323B43918048_zps97yekrbr.jpg

[Smokey]

First track day: NNJR at Mid Ohio. Not only was there a TON of stuff changed on the car to get it to this point, but this is also my first time back on track in a year, and it's the anniversary event of my wreck at Mid Ohio..haha. Just need to face that demon head on. That being said I'm not driving in the rain! hahaha.

 

Friday went well. Got the car up to speed over a few sessions. I was having a problem with the rear brake pads shuddering and holding more temp (100+ degrees) than the fronts. Those stupid CL brakes were hanging up. I swapped to my back up Hawks at lunch and the problem went away.

 

Saturday...it rained....HARD...and pretty much all day. I picked up a student in a Mini Cooper S who was running BFG R1's and had never driven in the rain at Mid Ohio..haha. We went out one session to prove we could do it, and then we were done for the day.

 

When you're at the track, you gotta go in style right?

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/55C01AF5-1C8D-4F26-A116-7683FF805803_zpskntg8rxg.jpg

 

Errr...except that's my steel trailer in the foreground...There's always some crazy money at Porsche Club events, but that guy was cool as crap. German guy that owns Spiegler brake lines out of Dayton.

 

Sunday I started having a problem with the car cutting power in left hand corners that were proceeded by a right hander. It started with places like under the Honda bridge and then got worse. Seemed like fuel starvation, but I looked at other things.

 

Found this bolt loose on the alternator. Wasn't the issue and I think normal shake-down crap.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A6ED90B6-24FD-44D5-AC72-623E7A27C08A_zpsin60nvwe.jpg

 

I tried disconnecting the water injection and a couple of other things, but nothing to avail. Something with the fuel setup. I could completely fill the tank and it'd stop, but only for about 5-6 laps before it'd come back which was annoying.

 

Overall though the weekend was positive. I was able to put about 150 track miles on the car and the fuel issue was the only glaring issue and the suspension, brakes (after pad change), and motor otherwise were holding up well.

[Smokey]

Track day 2 punch list:

*Nut and bolt check every major suspension and brake component

· Check for leaks clean up or tighten as necessary

· Figure out which pads to run – going to CL front/rear to try again

· Grind/file rear pads to ensure plenty of fit. Drill holes and run factory v-springs

· Flush all fluid with fresh Ferodo race fluid

· Modify fender liners to put mesh for back of oil coolers as well as opening for fender vent

· Test temp sender – test – found out bad – replace with new unit

· Figure out if removing fuel solution or what the next steps are for power cutting out?

· Put in water wetter

· Bleed cooling system and test temp gauge

 

 

I've been having a problem with my temp gauge. I ordered Speedhut gauges and put them in and the boost gauge works great. THe temp gauge is run thru the throttle body coolant line and was reading WAY low. I had to always look at my PFC for the proper temp which is annoying and takes my eyes off of the track. I tested the sender using boiling water and it was definitely off on the reading by like 25 degrees. I got a new sender from the company after a long back and forth. Got the new sender installed and the gauge is better now, but still reads about 10 degrees low. I can much more easily compensate for that on the fly, but still not ideal. It'll go back to the list of things to work on when I get time.

 

The big question outstanding for track day 2 was would the car run hot with the A/C? June track day would put that to the first real test. Temps were ok in May, but the ambient wasn't very hot either. To help as best as I could I did 2 things. Put in water wetter and made sure I'm running about 70/30 water/coolant mix. Then I opened up holes in the fender liners to vent the oil coolers better.

 

Rotaries utilize oil for cooling/temp control much more than piston engines, so that's why big dual oil coolers are important. I have great ducts from the bumper to the coolers, but behind that there are coolant/washer tanks and then a plastic fender liner. The factory fender vent is supposed to pull air from behind the oil cooler, over the fender and out the functional vent. I just don't think that was flowing enough for big aftermarket coolers, so I cut out the fender liners and put in stainless mesh. I also did the same for the fender vent side to help flow through the wheel well

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BD0CE4F5-4F66-4760-A225-E095A78D84B4_zpslz5bsrkp.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7B114B17-212C-4548-BD68-19B23A7B453C_zpswt8madms.jpg

[Smokey]

Other things I changed up for the 2nd track day: The car is a bit squirrely under heavy braking. To fight this I tightened up the front shocks to keep it from diving as hard under braking, but then got a front end push, so I softened up the front sway for the 2nd event.

 

I also wanted to try to run the damn CL brake pads. I went back and forth with the vendor about the issues with the pads, but in the end they couldn't take them back because they were used. They made it up to me by cutting me a good deal on the Ferodo pads I wanted to try out anyway as well as a set of replacement AP rotors.\http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/732027E8-1D47-425F-992A-156D096347E6_zpssfjme13m.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DD717E79-166E-41A6-9F15-D795528C8DA5_zps6nzq7u1t.jpg

I also got 3 bottles of Ferodo racing brake fluid to try in the deal. SO far it seems nice, pretty similar to the Motul RBF I used to run. The only goofy thing is that it's much darker than other fluids I've used so it looks dirty in the reservoir, but I can deal with that.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/257C0411-1CA0-429E-8EA5-B510264ABDC6_zpsvfckjtnk.jpg

 

For the fuel issues I opened the tank and found that the feed line from the tank to the fuel pump was disconnected, so I put it back on. Used a fuel injection line clamp and clamped that sucker down.

 

I also modified the rear CL brake pads to use. They didn't have the provisions fo the stock v-springs so I drilled holes for them, and then filed the edges to make sure they didn't hang up in the caliper/carrier.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DCCE14E2-D810-4BA1-9412-78FB7D8BBEAB_zpsa3fyx4gc.jpg

 

Also during the May event my intake temps got higher than I had experienced in the past, so I was also going to try out something different:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/67B086EE-AE40-42DC-9FB8-6AB7C382ACD5_zpstqn64sl6.jpg

 

I don't intend to run 50/50, but my thought is to run a smaller amount like 15-20% meth to bring down IAT's.

[Smokey]

2nd track event. OVRPCA @ Mid Ohio. 3 day weekend with Friday being advanced and instructors. Start running Friday morning and the CL brake pads are finally working...but the fuel issue rears its head on the 2nd session...DOH. I tried messing with the ignition but I was just lying to myself. It was the fuel issue.

 

So I made a choice and towed it home at lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon messing with the fuel system. The same line had come off again. Previously I didn't think to question WHY it came off. I think there were 2 issues. One is that the bulkhead fitting was loose so that the line could move around. The 2nd is that the clamp wasn't wide enough and would allow the line to slip off.

 

The good news is that I was able to get it back together and working and back up there Saturday. The tank seems to be working and I could run and have fun.

 

Saturday was hot too with ambient temps in the high 80s touching 90 so I put to test the meth with the IATs and the cooling system. The meth mix did work and as expected and helped keep IATs steady. The cooling system ran right up against my personal threshold for temps, but didn't go over. So the A/C will get one more chance in July's event to see how it goes.

 

The fuel system troubles weren't completely over. While the system was working, it wasn't working as well as I would have hoped. Went out a session starting a bit under 1/2 tank, and couldn't finish the session without fuel slosh issues.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/D18BF950-77CF-4D79-A7C7-10D2C5F42CA4_zpspbhdnky3.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/18776D7E-97BD-4F59-B796-788E8BB7B4B8_zpstv4vzdut.jpg

 

If I keep the tank on the top half it still works just fine which is a definite improvement from where I was before, but still annoying.

 

I was at least able to have fun with the car. Here I'm playing around in the A group. Once I cleared the e46 race car I was able to run some high 1:40s. That's good news to me as I know that I'm leaving some time on the table and there's a :39 in the car I just need to get it. Likely won't be until fall as the track slows in the summer when it's hot/greasy, but at least I'm on the right track.

[ItzaME]

Car looks great! Picked up a '94 last week

[carl1647545492]

You don't need no air thats what windows are for

[Trouble Maker]

If this is a track focused car, why put the v-springs in at all?

 

Isn't fuel starvation under 1/2 a tank during high lat-g a known issue on FDs?

Edited July 5, 2016 by Trouble Maker

[Smokey]

If this is a track focused car, why put the v-springs in at all?

 

Isn't fuel starvation under 1/2 a tank during high lat-g a known issue on FDs?

 

I tried the pads without the v-springs and they hung up, wouldn't fully release, ran hot, and caused judders. As soon as I swapped back to the Hawks which had the provisions for the v-springs it went away. Now, it could have just been that the backing plate was too big (the opinion of the vendor) and when I filed down the edges that it fixed it, but every other set of race pads I've run on the car (multiple Hawk and Carbotech compounds) have had the holes and worked fine....I'm going with that.

 

After drilling the holes, filing the edges, and running the v-springs they worked great!

 

Yes, fuel slosh/starvation is a known issue on stock FD tanks which is the entire reason I'm going thru the painful iterations with this in-tank solution. I'm going to have to open back up the tank again before this next event which I'm not happy about, but we'll see how it shakes out.

[Aaron]

What event are you guys doing next at Mid Ohio?

[Smokey]

Still need to figure that out. Perhaps Sept 9-11 with ARPCA or Sept 30-Oct 2 with NORPCA. Maybe both, but we're on vacation for a week right in between those so it'll make car prep difficult.

[Smokey]

Did confirm that we're going to Watkins Glen Aug 26-28 with Metro NY PCA so I'm looking forward to that.

[Smokey]

well....I'm a bit behind on this. I've been busy working on and driving the car...that happens I suppose. I'll try to bring us up to speed on the ever-continuing science experiment that is having a Rx7 track car.

[Smokey]

So when we last left off it was after the 2nd event for the car in June. Next event was Audi Club @ Mid Ohio in July. This was going to be the big test for the cooling system and if I could keep A/C. It was going to be sunny, mid-90s temp, and strong humidity. I also had some things I needed to fix/update as always.

 

After my last session in June I realized something when I came off of the track.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/1F015112-6987-471A-BEF8-0CD2BF6D63AC_zpsdzat1c5u.jpg

 

I had sprung a leak from my passenger oil cooler. Thankfully it wasn't getting on anything other than the car and I didn't put fluid on the track, but I'd need to remedy that before the next event.

 

I was also killing my LF tire hammering it into the keyhole and carousel and needed to flip it on the rim

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/12860FF2-6A54-4D3C-BFAC-CB4E9385BAB4_zps5mjtdagl.jpg

 

I was also STILL having fuel starve issues and when I opened the tank I was having trouble keeping the fuel pump feed line connected. I think the barb I received just wasn't good enough at holding it.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/05AB9E32-86B1-463F-B6EF-181A5EA81E7E_zpssse35wf0.jpg

 

Here was the fuel level at the start of a session, and then the fuel level after I had issues and came in with fuel starve. I just don't think it was working correctly because that line was coming loose (not fully off, but loose)

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/D18BF950-77CF-4D79-A7C7-10D2C5F42CA4_zpspbhdnky3.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/18776D7E-97BD-4F59-B796-788E8BB7B4B8_zpstv4vzdut.jpg

 

I want it to work better than that.

 

I'm also going to try out yet another catch can solution in effort to cut down on needing to empty that thing after ever session.

 

Removing the brake backing plates - I have my ducted plates on there, but nowhere to run the hose for the ducts currently, so I figured it'd get more flow if I opened it up.

 

-Change diff fluid, engine oil, and trans fluid.

-change brake pads

-bleed brakes

-put together better radiator ducting - block off all exits so it has to flow thru condenser and radiator. Best chance to keep from overheating.

[Smokey]

Further prep for the July event

 

Still trying to get the catch can better sorted. This time I'm going to a new/different metal oil fill neck with a different baffle design. Also this one has a big -10 vent line. The thought there is that the larger line will not allow pressure to build up and therefore oil will just slosh and not get pumped out.

 

To do that, a bunch of stuff has to come apart

http://s193.photobucket.com/user/kutschca/media/white%20car/F061A726-4C6D-4745-9078-FAA0DF9CCDD8_zpsqoovbuge.jpg.html?sort=3&o=16

 

Here's the neck with the baffle design at the bottom. Really nicely made piece, and better be for the money.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/1B5B9915-EAE9-4B72-952D-7DCEBCA4564F_zps1ispcksl.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/E390D2C7-E87B-4D9E-A51A-4B723DA6F117_zpsa2t1mvqq.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/E73FC53D-A6B4-4C3D-91C2-0F0079DF4D45_zpskaokqzeq.jpg

 

To get it to fit I had to remove the front engine hoist bracket because that's right where the -10 outlet would be. I also used this time to make the last of my home made ground wires and connect it to that point on the engine.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/B756ACB2-C168-4141-A490-18D87625FE75_zpsjxd6aypm.jpg

 

Here you can see the comparison of the new bigger line to the old, and how I routed it to the can

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/68827F02-CEFB-4F86-A1AE-9775EC8FB7ED_zpshnx0yhy5.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5A7F0087-F335-428F-B5D9-A9AB46F14993_zpsbppwrwk6.jpg

 

in the midst of changing pads I found that I had cooked a dust seal on the driver's side rear caliper. I took a donor from one of my old calipers to get me by for now since it was too late to do much else (ALWAYS THE CASE)

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BD528BED-6E2E-4ED7-A8E8-48CEC71FC6DD_zpsoeul1vh8.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BEC2EF49-B189-43E2-BD80-282B5E2BC65A_zpsnaix1aju.jpg

 

I replaced the passenger oil cooler since it was leaking. I used a new 19 row unit from Improved Racing (their brand) and have been very happy with it. I now use their coolers and thermostat for my setup and the only thing original to the Crooked Willow kit are the lines and ducts (which are key).

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/B78F62F8-1135-4B22-9581-9AED749625E3_zpsyxp5722n.jpg

 

Sealed up the ducts on the coolers as best I could

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A17BC611-4E1A-4846-9E3C-BA27CD2AE375_zpsnyrl8xsn.jpg

 

For the July event I was going to run the CL pads up front again and see how much I could get out of them. We were starting about half-life or so. They'd gotten hot as you can see, but nothing crazy and even wear.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/2FA62C4C-7262-417B-8109-BBC340D2BBF6_zps5ieprt1p.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/C2007BC4-E847-44B3-A9EF-4988C7F6614E_zpsmvrsmgef.jpg

 

Here you can see my Janky radiator blockage. I glued sections of foam to the underpanel where air could bypass the radiator to try to force it thru the radiator. As crap as it looks this actually helped along with the opening of the oil cooler vents in the fender liners.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/3686123A-F690-43C9-91C7-6F59E9D99509_zpsbrapwg64.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/6B211D94-A09A-4B12-B5B4-D1DE70EEF919_zpsu79kkc1r.jpg

[Smokey]

July event - Track event 3 for this car: Audi club at Mid Ohio. This event was tons of fun. The student groups weren't all that fast, but the instructor group was fast and fun and had tons of cool shit in there. UNFORTUNATELY I somehow forgot how to work a damn gopro so I don't have any good video. The first day I took it up and the battery was dead...no worries, I'll bring another tomorrow. Went up the next day, put in the new battery....no memory card. I still have never found where that bish went...it's gone. So no video which is a bummer.

 

Ever heard of a Ferrari 333SP? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_333_SP

 

There was one at the event. Has to be one of the coolest vehicles I've seen at a track event ever. Sounds like a 90s F1 car, runs real race gas (rare these days) and is FAST. We were out in a session with him and I pointed him coming out of the keyhole and never lifted...he had me gapped by the kink...that's fast. Talked to the guy too and he was super cool. Really wish I would have had that video.

 

The event overall was good and well run.

 

This investment in the side-wall for my canopy may have been some of the best money I spent all year..haha

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/1D549E5B-A706-47A9-B30F-FED891222636_zpswdh4ua0p.jpg

 

 

STILL had problems with the fuel system. This time the line wasn't coming off, but it still wasn't running as low as I'd like. The good news is that as long as I kept the tank on the top 1/2 (easier said than done in a car getting 4mpg) it was fine and I finished the weekend without further trouble.

 

Also...the new catch can system did not make an improvement...bummer...back to the drawing board.

 

I had a new issue in that the water/meth worked awesome in keeping intake temps down, but seemed to cause the system to draw more vacuum than previous and was sucking the tank in on itself collapsing it and then losing prime on the pump

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/58AA843E-CBF6-48A5-9369-9743F7E5C323_zpsv0vkiqlp.jpg

See those crumpled-in sides? not supposed to be like that. Good news is that drilling a VERY small hole in the cap relieved this issue and we solved it at the track.

 

I also had some brake fluid creeping out of the M/C reservoir and getting onto the booster. Nothing catastrophic, but will order a new cap to try to fix this.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/8257459E-3A02-420A-8DB0-1CE2BEB2F10F_zps7xgkjfsi.jpg

 

I had made it all of the weekend with the car staying ok temp wise. I'd gotten up to 102C with my student in the car and making a full session, but that was ok to me. 105C was my limit where I'd have to back off and it's too hot. Then the last session they combined instructors and advanced students. I was chasing behind 2 Audi R8s. Evidently the owner of the R8 I was behind did not option the mirrors on it and couldn't see me wanting to pass. I followed him completely nose to tail for a lap before my car went too hot to 106C....bummer. It's a rare circumstance for sure, but in my mind that's a failure of the cooling system and the A/C has to go!

 

I backed off for 3/4 of a lap and the temps came back down quickly. As I was going slower on the back straight I pointed by a guy in a 996 Turbo on slicks that I had been playing around with all weekend. I couldn't help myself and decided to give chase. :gabe:

 

I caught him and we had a great time going back and forth. Then Andy was slowing down and did the same thing when we passed him! the 3 of us got to play around for a few laps and it was honestly the most fun I've had at the track in years. Sometimes I need to remember it's not all about lap times and more about driving and having fun with it.

 

The guy later shared the video from his car, but since it's his I won't be posting it here as it's not mine to share. There will be more in the future though so don't worry.

[Smokey]

Track day 4 prep: In August my brother and I were going to Watkins Glen. This was a big step for the FD as Mid Ohio is close enough if there's an issue I can go home and get parts/etc.

 

First up was poly sway bar bushings. I run an aftermarket Tri-Point front swaybar. It's great, but had been clunking more and more for the past few events. Hopefully the bushings will reduce the clunk. No pictures, it's pretty standard fare here.

 

Differential - The unit out of the silver car was in this car and it was functioning fine, but at highway speeds and no load it was making a really bad noise. I was concerned that it might fail at Watkins and I didn't want that, so I'd be swapping it with the stock 60k mile unit from the white car.

 

Got the unit out of the car - I had forgotten how much crap needs to come out to do this. Not very hard, but time consuming and annoying.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/C8E03C80-296B-406F-B03B-30BEC81E32F1_zps4tqaugi9.jpg

 

Here's a shot under the car with the diff, driveshaft, and PPF out of the car. Pretty clean under there which I'm happy about.

Looking forward:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/6B97918A-2986-4EC4-A494-B95C01E722D4_zpsenv0hvag.jpg

looking back:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/F6052768-DB8B-44CD-A9DC-1B24CE236AAD_zps3y2f03dp.jpg

 

For the swap I'd be changing over the Greddy cover and mount with poly bushings to the new unit. The Greddy cover allows about an extra quart of oil which is nice for cooling/heat capacity. Sealed it up with my favorite HondaBond HT...use that crap on everything you'd want to use silicone for.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5EAC98C3-B778-40C5-9DE3-63C0B35FBAB3_zpswlfio6jn.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A3FE5357-2FED-40C1-9554-E527FB65FE01_zpsuyjhuma4.jpg

All sealed up

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/2E30FE2E-1BA6-4672-87BE-350C3E6C6108_zpsmbrkyrxa.jpg

 

Not to forget my janky nature...this is why I don't fabricate things that I want to use on the track..haha. I needed to hold the axles/hubs away from the diff so I could pull it out and put the new one back in. Looked around for options in the garage and decided on this fine tool...pizza box..haha

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/68D0854D-02EB-48EF-BFA3-B7C3A2501DCE_zpsrjvsfjmd.jpg

Shit worked fine too...I'm sure Clay will love it.

 

Next up was fuel system. I was done messing around with the in-tank surge setup for now. It's a sweet idea, but I just kept having issues. I'm going back to the "old" setup which was the factory metal plate that goes over the fuel pump tray in the stock tank. It effectively makes a small surge tank out of the bigger tray.

 

Here you can see the fuel line that was coming off the surge tank setup again. Turns out the line was torn which is why I was getting air bubbles.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/C09BD6B3-6978-4249-B42E-BD6B5EB9AFB4_zpsk6voxqh6.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/79A1D46E-4103-47C9-BA9E-375E855FDB9B_zpsyyxpewug.jpg

 

Here's the plate I went back to for the setup to help hold fuel near the pump pickup. The fuel pump, sock, and return lines all go down in the open oval space.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/B6E59EF7-1605-43C2-B5B1-BFB58A6ABC97_zpsdk3g8cx7.jpg

[Smokey]

Next up was the A/C, unfortunately it was time to go. It's a shame to remove a well working R12 system, but it's a track car first and it has to be able to maintain temperature on the track.

 

I had Auto Assets pull the R12 out of the system so I wasn't a complete ass and dumping it into the atmosphere. Then came removal: Lots of the engine bay had to come apart again. Intake, intercooler, throttle elbow so that I could get all of the lines out. The good news is that removing the condenser and lines allowed me to put back on the better working primary turbo intake elbow that I couldn't run before.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/13C8226F-D6B3-4753-93A8-20A7BD242C11_zpsco46eixr.jpg

 

I left the evaporator box under the dash for now and just plugged it off. Perhaps if I get ambitious in the future I'll pull it out, but for now it wasn't worth the effort. Here's the stuff that was taken out and it gave me roughly 22lbs of weight savings.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/35642F79-F2FF-422C-A2CB-0031BA43DF4E_zpssj3s29ji.jpg

 

I also took the time to clean/oil the K&N filters for the intake while everything was apart as they were nasty. I also had to get a new belt to run without the A/C but keep the P/S.

 

Next up was the next great idea on the catch can. The next theory was to try to vent from the passenger side of the motor. From the factory, the only vents are on the stock fill neck on the driver's side of the motor. During long/hard right hand turns (keyhole and carousel) the oil sloshes up the fill neck and gets pumped out into the catch can. Supposedly all of the guys who go single turbo use one of the oil vents (unused if going single) as an additional vent on the passenger side and it cures all catch can issues. So, armed with that knowledge, but still running twin turbos I thought I could create a vent on one of the oil vents and hope that it has low enough flow to allow some venting.

Here's the stock oil return/drain on the secondary turbo:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/16C2ED66-F022-4016-B67E-5ACB3D21A0D0_zpskixl9yc9.jpg

 

Here's the line modified with a -6 AN fitting welded on by Tinman.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DC8F71B3-51C1-4ECF-83DE-8E9B7CDE9849_zpsboos2b4u.jpg

 

Here it is fitted on the car, and then with the line hooked up to it.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A3A2748C-E5BC-4D56-ADE4-24E3EE34C5EB_zpswj78k5dq.jpg

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A4DD8AEE-1D3B-413C-AE85-852B31651CA0_zpsrvoojx3r.jpg

 

I later added DEI cool tube around the AN hose to protect it from the heat from the downpipe. The line got routed above the trans and around the back of the motor. The catch can was drilled and ran the -6 line to the other side of the can.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/C02A983C-DD9C-4246-BDD6-AD80A90821F7_zpshlmasevh.jpg