'95 F-150 track ready street beast

[CamaroAJ]

Funny you mention this, and thank you for bringing it up. Andrew and I went back and forth for almost half a day when he told me this monster existed. I had just received the C7 fan and I was concerned the smaller shroud wouldn't be enough. I came within 30 seconds of returning the C7 fan in favor of the CTS-V unit. They both offer the same features (Spal brand, speed flaps, plug, low price, etc.), but the CTS-V fan definitely comes very close to being a perfect fit for my radiator core. Had I known about it up front I would have easily gone with that. Maybe down the line I'll swap if too good of a deal comes up, but this C7 fan has already been VERY impressive. I did make sure to leave enough length on my wires to reach just in case.



The other day I drove around town for food and had the AC blasting on a 111 degree day. The highest temp I saw the entire time was 197 and it came straight back to average 193-195 for the rest of the drive. Fan speed still never went over 65%. These modern pwm controlled fans are incredibly good at maintaining stable temps! I don't baby this thing when I take it out either.

Dewitts takes one and modifies it to fit their shroud to replaced the C7 fan with so theres that. The C7 has some cooling issues, but its not because of the fan or radiator. It doesn't have very good air flow from the front and add in the condenser and heat exchanger and you get a C7 Z06 that over heats on track days. The draw back you have with that fan in your car now is it does't cover the whole surface which makes some hot spots in the core. You could build a bigger shroud for your C7 fan to save money. They do sell the rubber flaps to add to it so the air blows through when driving and the fan off. Seeing as you're only at 65% PWM you should be ok, the hood vents are really helping out there too. Start stop traffic with the A/C on would be something to double check as well, I've seen lots of cars that are fine with normal driving and some aggressive driving get hot in traffic.

[Sbeck09]

Dewitts takes one and modifies it to fit their shroud to replaced the C7 fan with so theres that. The C7 has some cooling issues, but its not because of the fan or radiator. It doesn't have very good air flow from the front and add in the condenser and heat exchanger and you get a C7 Z06 that over heats on track days. The draw back you have with that fan in your car now is it does't cover the whole surface which makes some hot spots in the core. You could build a bigger shroud for your C7 fan to save money. They do sell the rubber flaps to add to it so the air blows through when driving and the fan off. Seeing as you're only at 65% pwm you should be ok, the hood vents are really helping out there too. Start stop traffic with the A/C on would be something to double check as well, I've seen lots of cars that are fine with normal driving and some aggressive driving get hot in traffic.

That Detwitts fan is insane in a good way, but at about $1000 it is far more expensive. I know the C7 cooling issues are most commonly from hard driving and I feel like the Z06 heat exchanger is a big part of it. The NA cars run all the same equipment without the cooling problems. This one of the 3 main reasons you won't see me running any boost.

I also agree about the potential for hot spots in the radiator. That was my primary concern about sticking to this C7 fan. Luckily my CTS is in the intake base so the reading is the engine water temperature, not the radiator. Even though I likely have hotter spots in the radiator, the overall result is exactly what I wanted - a lower average engine temp.

For any of you reading this and thinking about the same thing or dealing with similar issues, yes, I agree that the bigger radiator cores most of us have would be perfect for the CTS-V fan. If I was starting this project over that is what I would buy. Then call Andrew and hire him to program it along with doing your Holley EFI tuning!

[Sbeck09]

wow! Looks good. Did you do something with color of your car?

Not yet. Fresh color is most likely going to have to wait until I get back from the Pro Touring Truck Shootout in KY. I'm out of time with 29 days to go and the last couple things for functionality gotta come first. That means make a few vanity panels in the interior to seal out the last of the hot air and create front end ducting to the coolers.

[CamaroAJ]

That Detwitts fan is insane in a good way, but at about $1000 it is far more expensive. I know the C7 cooling issues are most commonly from hard driving and I feel like the Z06 heat exchanger is a big part of it. The NA cars run all the same equipment without the cooling problems. This one of the 3 main reasons you won't see me running any boost.

I also agree about the potential for hot spots in the radiator. That was my primary concern about sticking to this C7 fan. Luckily my CTS is in the intake base so the reading is the engine water temperature, not the radiator. Even though I likely have hotter spots in the radiator, the overall result is exactly what I wanted - a lower average engine temp.

For any of you reading this and thinking about the same thing or dealing with similar issues, yes, I agree that the bigger radiator cores most of us have would be perfect for the CTS-V fan. If I was starting this project over that is what I would buy. Then call Andrew and hire him to program it along with doing your Holley EFI tuning!

Yeah its for sure expensive. Thats why I bought a CTS-V fan and modified it and made my own upper shroud. I'm running boost, but I'm running a oil cooler for a heat exchanger ducted off the side so there is nothing blocking my condenser and radiator.

I think if you build a box for your radiator and modify your fan housing you should have more then enough fan to keep it cool. The trick is to get it sealed off so it doesn't suck air from around the radiator instead of through it.

[Sbeck09]

Wow it's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks. I do about 9-10hrs at my day job then out to the shop for about 6hrs. I'm ready for some kind of vacation.

Ok so with the Pro Touring Truck Shootout quickly approaching I needed a trailer to make the 1760 mile tow each way. Turns out aluminum trailers are hard to find in-stock right now and backorders are about 16 weeks, but luckily I found a local place with 2 left. Due to the limited tow capacity of my RV I had to go as light as possible.



That meant I had the ability to now get there so the truck needed a few things to really be ready to compete. First up was the intake. When I first got it running I just shoved on a cone filter and moved onto other things. Well with the summer heat and now badass fan I needed to stop sucking in crazy hot air. So I made a quick CAI to help a bit.



Then I needed to tackle front air management. I believe with the position of the radiator and bumper that about 70% of the air coming through the bumper actually goes under truck since it will want to follow the path of least resistance. That should further assist everything working optimally at speed.

So I started off with my favorite template material, Ram Board.



After a couple long evenings of fitting and cutting I got the result I was looking for.



Then that made me want to help reduce the potential for debris to take out my radiator so I decided it would be smart to just make covers for all the bumper openings.



I think that is a massive improvement and only adds 3lbs. Win-win.

While I had the truck down for these items the steering arms starting nagging at my brain again. Even though the modifications I made way back have worked pretty well, I still haven't had much Ackermann and the outer heims are maxed during full droop. Unfortunately the ONE guy that used to make correct front-steer arms stopped 6yrs ago and absolutely refuses to make them or send me CNC files even if I pay. So I decided I would order the TRZ arms and see if I could mill them down and create Ackermann since theirs have dead zero.



Ah if only it were that easy. If you pay attention you can see it just kisses the barrel of my 18" wheels. So I started to cut them shorter and make it work, but spending $200 to them modify them when I could modify my steel arms for free got the better of me.

So this past Saturday my friend Tanner came by and helped A LOT with correcting the Camaro arms. Remember, these are the ridetech tall spindles. Looking back, there was probably better options, but they are all significantly more expensive. Now I definitely have Ackermann and it all clears with some room to spare. And yes, we were very careful when welding these. they are forged steel and I beveled 70% of the thickness before we welded them together. Tanner actually welded, ground down the weld about 1/3 of the way and made another pass. Then we let them very slowly cool. My mind will blow if these don't hold up.

Just to show that there was no porosity or anything like that, here are the arms just after I 120 grit flapper-wheeled them clean. I did not reduce the size of the arm at all, only ground the surface of the weld flush, just like before.




While those were cooling and then drying from paint I started back to operation: polish a turd. This truck was a daily beater for the old man (detailed more in the intro) so the clear coat is chipping badly and there is plenty of dents and dings. I'm not spending too much time perfecting those. Mainly popping out the big stuff and then painting. One area I've wanted to paint was the bed. I considered just using black paint, but it turns out you can get bedliner in a spray can. So I tried it.



I like it! Little tricky to spray and I highly doubt it would hold up to daily abuse, but for this it is perfect. Funny enough, half my class at PTTS doesn't even have a bed floor. I can still haul stuff while hauling ass.

Finally for this update, I got the DBW (drive by wire) conversion done. Andrew talked me into this about 3 months ago, but I've never taken the time to make a bracket and run the wiring. Took an afternoon to do, but I made the GM pedal bolt to the factory spot nice and rigid.



I will admit it's a little closer to the brake pedal than I intended, but it works well and heel-toe is stupid easy. Andrew worked his magic for idle and ramping. Seriously...if you run Holley EFI, hiring Andrew is VERY worth it. This truck starts, runs, and drives as good as any modern vehicle. Only I now have 520 gas guzzling horsepower on tap with room to grow.

Keep an eye out for the next update with a wrap and new wheel reveal!

[loudandproud]

Wow it's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks. I do about 9-10hrs at my day job then out to the shop for about 6hrs. I'm ready for some kind of vacation.

Ok so with the Pro Touring Truck Shootout quickly approaching I needed a trailer to make the 1760 mile tow each way. Turns out aluminum trailers are hard to find in-stock right now and backorders are about 16 weeks, but luckily I found a local place with 2 left. Due to the limited tow capacity of my RV I had to go as light as possible.



That meant I had the ability to now get there so the truck needed a few things to really be ready to compete. First up was the intake. When I first got it running I just shoved on a cone filter and moved onto other things. Well with the summer heat and now badass fan I needed to stop sucking in crazy hot air. So I made a quick CAI to help a bit.



Then I needed to tackle front air management. I believe with the position of the radiator and bumper that about 70% of the air coming through the bumper actually goes under truck since it will want to follow the path of least resistance. That should further assist everything working optimally at speed.

So I started off with my favorite template material, Ram Board.



After a couple long evenings of fitting and cutting I got the result I was looking for.



Then that made me want to help reduce the potential for debris to take out my radiator so I decided it would be smart to just make covers for all the bumper openings.



I think that is a massive improvement and only adds 3lbs. Win-win.

While I had the truck down for these items the steering arms starting nagging at my brain again. Even though the modifications I made way back have worked pretty well, I still haven't had much Ackermann and the outer heims are maxed during full droop. Unfortunately the ONE guy that used to make correct front-steer arms stopped 6yrs ago and absolutely refuses to make them or send me CNC files even if I pay. So I decided I would order the TRZ arms and see if I could mill them down and create Ackermann since theirs have dead zero.



Ah if only it were that easy. If you pay attention you can see it just kisses the barrel of my 18" wheels. So I started to cut them shorter and make it work, but spending $200 to them modify them when I could modify my steel arms for free got the better of me.

So this past Saturday my friend Tanner came by and helped A LOT with correcting the Camaro arms. Remember, these are the ridetech tall spindles. Looking back, there was probably better options, but they are all significantly more expensive. Now I definitely have Ackermann and it all clears with some room to spare. And yes, we were very careful when welding these. they are forged steel and I beveled 70% of the thickness before we welded them together. Tanner actually welded, ground down the weld about 1/3 of the way and made another pass. Then we let them very slowly cool. My mind will blow if these don't hold up.

Just to show that there was no porosity or anything like that, here are the arms just after I 120 grit flapper-wheeled them clean. I did not reduce the size of the arm at all, only ground the surface of the weld flush, just like before.




While those were cooling and then drying from paint I started back to operation: polish a turd. This truck was a daily beater for the old man (detailed more in the intro) so the clear coat is chipping badly and there is plenty of dents and dings. I'm not spending too much time perfecting those. Mainly popping out the big stuff and then painting. One area I've wanted to paint was the bed. I considered just using black paint, but it turns out you can get bedliner in a spray can. So I tried it.



I like it! Little tricky to spray and I highly doubt it would hold up to daily abuse, but for this it is perfect. Funny enough, half my class at PTTS doesn't even have a bed floor. I can still haul stuff while hauling ass.

Finally for this update, I got the DBW (drive by wire) conversion done. Andrew talked me into this about 3 months ago, but I've never taken the time to make a bracket and run the wiring. Took an afternoon to do, but I made the GM pedal bolt to the factory spot nice and rigid.



I will admit it's a little closer to the brake pedal than I intended, but it works well and heel-toe is stupid easy. Andrew worked his magic for idle and ramping. Seriously...if you run Holley EFI, hiring Andrew is VERY worth it. This truck starts, runs, and drives as good as any modern vehicle. Only I now have 520 gas guzzling horsepower on tap with room to grow.

Keep an eye out for the next update with a wrap and new wheel reveal!

This is sick. Im glad to see someone else spending so much time and money on one of these trucks. People look at me crazy when I tell them I'm building an OBS chevy lol, glad to see i have a ford cousin doing the same.

[Sbeck09]

This is sick. Im glad to see someone else spending so much time and money on one of these trucks. People look at me crazy when I tell them I'm building an OBS chevy lol, glad to see i have a ford cousin doing the same.

Thanks! It's a bit nauseating to realize how much time (about 1200hrs) and money is in a truck that someone wouldn't even give $3,000 for when stock. For me it has been about learning and experimenting. Plus I do love the wild looks I get when people ask me what's done and I start in on the massive list. It's hard for people to wrap their head around building a truck for this purpose and I've always been a fan of odd builds with real thought.

Yours has been fun to follow too, especially with the DCT developments. Building the frame yourself was a smart move. I would have saved about 200lbs off the truck and 3-5 months of build time if I had just built a frame from scratch. I think you'll have a sweet advantage over many of the OBS builds as a result.

The truck game is growing really fast these days and it feels cool to be a part of it. Now we are getting events like the Pro Touring Truck Shootout that cater the event and classes to what the trucks can do which should further shine a light on this realm.

[Sbeck09]

Hey everyone,

With the growth of the trucks in this segment it was only a matter of time before an event was born solely in our interest. I realize many people still think building a truck to do car things is silly, but you probably wouldn't have come this far in my thread if you do.

A bit over a year ago such an event was born and I couldn't miss out!



So for those of you that want to see the new, beautified version of this truck FINALLY competing you can tune in live this weekend. I am hoping we can start doing more of these events in more places in the future. To show support I've made the nearly 1800 mile tow. I'll share more on the final updates to the truck and the results when I have time after the event. I wanted to wait until everyone showed up for the reveal. I think you will all be VERY surprised.

And no, we ain't even close to done. I had to pick the most important pieces to accomplish before loading up. Hopefully myself and my other 80 crazy truck building friends can provide ample motorsport entertainment for some of you this weekend. I've already seen that I'm one of the biggest ****-talkers and absolutely the "class clown."

[Sbeck09]

Wow what a weekend and really what a trip overall! I would say that Arnie and the crew did a kickass job putting on the Protouring Truck Shootout. Everyone, including me, is already planning on attending the next one when it is announced later on. Seriously, if you like grassroots motorsport events and seeing cool old trucks getting beat on, this is a MUST attend event.

Ok so for how the truck did. In a word, impressive! Remember, this was the first real competitive beating the truck has had (thanks Covid). It didn't miss a beat all weekend. I think the biggest thanks has to go out to Andrew. His tuning brilliance on Holley EFI systems has this motor happy as can be. I saw the 6600 rpm rev limiter a couple times and absolutely used every bit of RPM I had all weekend. Sure, Duffee Motorsports built a solid motor, but you can kill anything with bad tuning and this little Ford just ate. And even in this VERY safe tune provided this truck was viciously fast....when I had traction.

Attachment 178538

While I didn't place like I would have on Saturday, I dropped 13.3 seconds over 7 laps for a best of 47.1 seconds while my class average was about 45 seconds. The FTD that day was Rob Mcgregor (No Limit Engineering) in Hellboy with a 40.1 second lap. On Sunday I struggled to nail my braking zone for the Speed N Stop and only got a best of 18.8 seconds while FTD was 15.3 seconds. But I don't look at this as bad at all. On my first time in such an experimental build I was seeing huge reductions in time and I was learning the limits of both myself and the hardware.





There is some items I want to change, but they are minimal. I want to up the spring rate all around since the best grip I had all weekend was with my shocks totally turned up (thanks Jesse from Level 7 for the pointers). Currently I run 550 front and 450 rear. I'm going to put the 550s on the rear and jump up to an 800 front. I also want to pull out a bit of rear camber to help with straight line bite since I ran this event with it set at 2.0 degrees and I don't think I needed it that aggressive. I suspect there is some other changes I can make since my biggest complaint was a mid-corner push that I am still noticing even on the street. I'll be reaching out to some of my circle for assistance.

NCM Motorsports Park has a 103db limit for sound and a ton of guys got popped for it all weekend. Somehow I didn't so that was a nice surprise because I had to be close. Seems like most of the issue was with the builds running big cams and side exit exhausts. So bear that in mind if you are building something with side exit exhaust. I will avoid discussing my immense irritation with these sound restrictions at a RACETRACK.



And I can't forget the National Corvette Museum being just for us after our Drive-ability cruise. Super cool experience since I've never even been to KY. Learned a few things about some of the designers and engineers that I never knew along with the fun of seeing the new sinkhole exhibit too. And experiencing it all with a bunch of guys that are into cars too definitely helps. Coolest thing to see all these crazy trucks taking over the front of the museum too.





Now I'm in the heart of West Virginia on my way to visit family in MD. After stopping to rest, I took the truck off the trailer and had to drive some of these twisty roads in the area. I'm not going stupid aggressive, but it's super fun to play around a little. I don't think anyone around here has seen something this wild since everywhere I go the truck draws a crowd. Even had some mustangs trying to race me on the highway....none have won currently.

[frink84]

NCM Motorsports Park has a 103db limit for sound and a ton of guys got popped for it all weekend. Somehow I didn't so that was a nice surprise because I had to be close. Seems like most of the issue was with the builds running big cams and side exit exhausts. So bear that in mind if you are building something with side exit exhaust. I will avoid discussing my immense irritation with these sound restrictions at a RACETRACK.

Thank those NIMBY assholes who buy cheap property close to the racetrack then complain about the noise! Be happy its such a high limit, back when I lived in socal, the limit at the local autox was like 93db and most of the CAM class got popped at one time or another for sound.

[Sbeck09]

Thank those NIMBY assholes who buy cheap property close to the racetrack then complain about the noise! Be happy its such a high limit, back when I lived in socal, the limit at the local autox was like 93db and most of the CAM class got popped at one time or another for sound.

Apparently Laguna Sega is down to 90db now and every single person I know that has been there in the past year has been popped. Really sucks because I have always wanted to run that track, but I know I'm in for frustration if I go there. And that is just one example. Stuff like that is the biggest reason you guys never saw/heard of me testing in CA prior to Bowling Green. I want to focus on getting suspension data, not some short-sighted Karen fussing about her home being built within earshot of a track. That will kill these tracks in the long run because guys will give up going there to race on the weekend.

Fortunately it looks like the fall racing season in AZ is loading up so I'll have a number of events to be at starting within a month of returning home. As always, I'll share everything I can here so some of you can apply those lessons to your own builds.

[SSLance]

Bring your extra mufflers for any event at AMP, 96db max at 50' and they will test before you can run.

I don't think it makes any sense either as the facility is literally at the end of Luke Air Force base's runway...but its better than not having a place to race like on a lot of other places around the Country.

PS... Its a lot of fun smacking loud rowdy racecars with a quiet unassuming streetcar, ask me how I know.

[Sbeck09]

Bring your extra mufflers for any event at AMP, 96db max at 50' and they will test before you can run.

I don't think it makes any sense either as the facility is literally at the end of Luke Air Force base's runway...but its better than not having a place to race like on a lot of other places around the Country.

PS... Its a lot of fun smacking loud rowdy racecars with a quiet unassuming streetcar, ask me how I know.

I personally don't feel like these Borla mufflers are super loud, but at WOT they certainly bark. Guess it's time to buy a decimeter and start checking as part of my pre-race checklist. Good thing I kept the massive Hushpower mufflers I started off with. There is no way I would break a sound limit with those.

I definitely understand the appeal of having a mellow note from a quick car, but I've always loved vehicles that make some noise. Too bad more people don't appreciate that. I'm seriously starting to consider taking the weight penalty of building a secondary branch of my exhaust that is a bit quieter for situations like this. That way I'm covered if I go somewhere and blow sound. Flip a switch and carry on.

[454bug]

I have really enjoyed following your build! You've done a great job of tackling issues one at a time with perseverance! It looks like you were in the minority with a Ford at the event. At least the pictures had a lot more GM vehicles in it. It sounds like your truck has a lot of potential after some tweaking of the setup.

I see you went with DBW. In your CAI picture I still see the cable throttle body. What DBW throttle body did you switch to?

[Sbeck09]

I have really enjoyed following your build! You've done a great job of tackling issues one at a time with perseverance! It looks like you were in the minority with a Ford at the event. At least the pictures had a lot more GM vehicles in it. It sounds like your truck has a lot of potential after some tweaking of the setup.

I see you went with DBW. In your CAI picture I still see the cable throttle body. What DBW throttle body did you switch to?

Thanks! Definitely was the minority at the event. I believe I was one of only 3 fords out of about 50 trucks competing. And all the Ford guys knew exactly who I was. Haha.

I didn't event realize I hadn't shown the engine bay since the DBW stuff was installed. I am using the LS2 throttle body since it matches the largest OEM TB GM ever used on the LS family of engines. Nice budget option at only $100 ish brand new. The Holley EFI system already has the part number listed in the drop down as well making things easier. And for the record, I wish I had done DBW from the beginning. So much better.

[Sbeck09]

For those of you local in AZ running SCCA this weekend, see you there! Just got off the stupid waitlist that I should have never been on in the first place. Event recap to follow. We are doing 2 drivers this weekend so the truck will be properly abused again. I've not had a chance to make any real changes so this should be interesting.

[SSLance]

I thought you were in from the start?

[Sbeck09]

Well looks like I got a little distracted and a bit behind on my event recap.



Overall the truck took 12 runs of abuse and didn't really complain until it was time to load on the trailer.



Unfortunately I never got around to ordering springs until today so I wasn't able to test that change out. AMP is an interesting pad to run since it does have a decent amount of marbles and a few spots that unload the car which I didn't learn well enough early on. Definitely requires excellent throttle control. That being said, it reminds me of running at the Mineral Wells, TX airport with the BMW CCA and that was always a blast.

We had to deal with some unusual restrictions which included a mask on anytime you are out of your vehicle and limiting the attendance to 50 in the morning and 50 in the afternoon. While this allowed a rapid event with each driver getting 6 runs, it totally eliminates the social aspect of the event that I know myself and most others enjoy. But hey, we got to do some racing so that's the upside.



I managed a best of 49.98, but my CAM-T class leader was a low 45. So I have a long way to go to get where I want to be. Luckily there is another event coming up on the 17th where I should have the new parts installed and we can see if that helps. Some people noted that I still seem a bit timid with this thing so I guess I'll have to push harder.

The first failure of a component yet was one of the hard lines (Hydraulic Fluid Transfer Line) fail on the power steering rack right after my final run causing it to puke all the fluid on the ground....yay. I figured it was just an o-ring that failed since this rack was bought brand new. Nope, the line seems to have cracked under the nut somehow and I found the only set left in the US until December. Let's hope it arrives on time. I believe there has always been air bubbles in the power steering system due to a design flaw with the CVF reservoir. I also ordered a Woodward swirl pot to cure that issue. I suspect the rapid fluctuations in pressure caused by the bubbles could have caused this line to wear itself thin enough to crack, but that's just a theory.

[SSLance]

Looks good in the pics! Can't wait to ride in it in a couple weeks.

[Sbeck09]

The inevitable finally happened. I had a part fail that made the truck undrivable.



It's kinda hard to see, but there is a little black line right at the flare which is actually a hairline crack. Turns out this POURS power steering fluid when you have 1000 psi of pressure going through the rack...imagine that. I originally thought it was just the o-ring, but obviously that was wishful thinking.

So for over a week after the event I searched all over for those stupid hardlines that allows the rack to be powered. Turns out mine is a really strange size and I had zero luck. For the record these are called Hydraulic Fluid Transfer Lines. Not all manufacturers make replacements. So in a single act of desparation I got out my flare tool and used the wrong dies to make the right flare. TA DA!!! Whew...glad that's over.



So what would cause this? I think my power steering fluid reservoir, that came with my serpentine kit, has always frothed the fluid resulting in air bubbles. The pump has always made that classic whining noise so I believe that stressed the flare at it's weakest point from the constant pressure fluctuations. Recently I've come to love Swirl Pots so I went looking and stumbled onto the fact that Woodward makes one themselves. Well I love my Woodward steering column so it was easy to trust their engineering again.





The saddle mount was something I had to make. You can buy theirs very similar to this, but i would have needed to modify it anyway. Plus I still needs lots of AL welding practice. It's a SUPER nice piece and seems to be working flawlessly. Comes with the AN fittings installed so you just plumb it and filler er up. If you look close there is an inner and outer layer with a screen in between so the returning fluid has ample time to settle before being drawn back down into the pump. It's always far quieter than before and the steering feels much better too. Another win in the books.

Next up was to address my failed AeroCatch hood latch system. I know, I know, everyone else seems to love them. I just haven't had a good experience at all. Mine have constantly bound up needing a little wiggling at best before finally having the internal slider just break. Maybe the intense UV from the sun broke down the plastic extra fast? Who knows, but I needed something better so I could more easily use my hood. Especially when making shock changes since that's the easiest way to reach the front clickers. I decided that an all metal solution would suit me best here.



Noticed this style of pin on some rally cars and knew I had to have it. Keeps the pin captured so you can't lose it, but makes it super easy to use and is made of aluminum with a stainless steel pin. The black plate underneath was how I covered the hole left by the AeroCatches and so far it seems to be exactly the solution I hoped it would. I can now open the hood in about 5 seconds taking my sweet time.

Final steps was to swap spring rates, do a valve check, weld on a real oil fill cap, and do an oil change. As of this maintenance the truck had exactly 500 miles on the odometer. Definitely wish that number was higher, but this year has been exceptionally busy for me and I do have multiple other toys to add miles on as well.



Every single valve was dead on spec per my engine builder's instructions. Nothing looks like it's wearing funny and this really has been a quiet motor for being solid roller. VERY happy!



Long overdue oil fill cap. Found these with the threaded bung and it's exactly what I was looking for. Now oil changes are less of a pain (been filling through the breather at the back of the valve cover).

For the spring rate changes, I went from 550 lb/in fronts to 800 and moved the 550's to the rear replacing my 475 lb/in springs. Overall the ride doesn't feel any harsher and hopefully this helps me dial out some of the mid corner push I've been getting.

For those of you going to AMP for SCCA Saturday, see you there!!!