race firebird

[Ripper]

Well, haven't been posting here very much for a couple of years, but I thought I would show you what I spend my spare time on:

This is my Pontiac Firebird 74:


It's not as "pro-touring" as many other cars in here. I'm not that much for show or bling ;) I like function before form...

It's built to be used mostly at the track, but since the tracks are pretty spread out here in Sweden, some comfort was nessecary..
It will be updated with a roll cage and a three link rear suspension during the summer.

I'm currently building a fuel injected, dry sumped pontiac 400 this winter and will try to update here if you guys are interested.

Will add a spec of it this weekend.

Ok, I admit, there's some bling here and there on it...



you can see more info on my web page www.propontiac.com

More plans for the summer includes A032 tires

[jeffandre]

Ripper,
Your ride keeps getting better and better, a very nice example of a real world car that will be driven hard. Cool ideas on weight savings too. I'll keep checking back as the year progresses to learn more and to hear about any track successes you have. What happened to your foot? Hope it heals well.

[C4Bird]

Lot a different places to shave weight if you look for them, like your ideas. I'd like to see the injected dry sump poncho when it gets done. I have a 455 I'd like to do the same..... Car looks great!
-Nate

[F70t/a]

Ripper car looks great. Do you know what it weights?

[Ripper]

Thanks for the comments!

It weights 1590 kg with driver and full tank, that should be 3533 lbs.

This is not so very light, but I just started the light weight project. I will manufacture a glass fiber hood, rear lid, front&rear bumpers and some other parts in the future, doors will be lightened etc.
I'll also shave some weight of the engine, move it further back for better wd.
The 3-link swap will also save some good weight.
Anyway, all the parts that I modify today, will also be modified with weight in mind..

wd is 57/43 today. Goal for the summer is 52/48 and 3300 lbs with driver and full tank, which isn't impossible at all. (the front seats will be moved back a bit)
I would love to have more than 50% of the weight over the rear wheels, but that will be kind of hard to achieve.

Jeff: I injured a ligament and some articular cartilage (not sure of the words) in my foot two weeks ago and I'm currently walking with crutches. I will do that for one more week, and after that, I'll be able to start walking (very carefully) again. It won't be fully healed for another 6 months... Of course was it the right foot, so driving is kind of hard.

[Ripper]

Ok, here's my what I'm driving:

Front end:
"stock" frame, seam welded, zinc plated and powder coated black.
Energy suspension poly urethane bushings in control arms with grease... things.... ;)
Revalved shocks for current springs - Koni Classic's. Also low speed motion is valved different than stock.
upper control arm lowered app 9/16" for increased camber gain (sorry, but I can't answer for what the new camber curve is since my car-folder got stolen on a train a year ago or so...)
2° negative camber, 5.5° caster and currently 0" toe, these numbers change though...
springs: 1200 lbs/in tru coil with speedwaymotors spring adjusters.
sprung to 2.2 Hz
1.25" re-heat treated sway bar with, shortened end links so it could be mounted parallell to the ground.
C4 330 mm discs with C5 calipers and Hawk performance HB247 pads
Russel braided brake lines
Ducts in front keeps the brakes cool through 4" hoses.
17x8.5" wheels with 255x40 17" Good Year tires (they suck...)
reworked steering box with lowered pressure.

rear end:
10 bolted axle, 4.56:1 and 60% limited slip.
Hotchkis 175 lbs/in leafs (1.3 Hz) together with revalved Koni Classic's
front leafmounted raised 3/4"
C4 discs and calipers with stock pads.
wilwood proportitionalvalve for adjusting balance

Drive line:
Engine: Pontiac 400, rebuilding in progress
clutch: hays flywheel lightened to 19 lbs (stock 30 lbs), centerforce pressure plate
T-56 transmission, shortened throw, longer shifter closer to the steering wheel.
drive shaft: 44.5" 3.5" used nascar from musclemotorsports.
Engine set back 1" (I know, it's not much... but it took me 2 hrs to make, and the drive shaft was 1" too short... :rolleyes5 )

Interior:
Momo RS2 seats bolted to the floor, non adjustable.
5 point harnesses
remoable momo steering wheel
shortened flasher stick (it was in the way during "inspired driving")
auto meter instruments
speedometer replaced with cycle computer showing lap timer, average speed, max speed etc
custom made centerconsole, is supposed to contain all necessary swithces since I can't reach the instrument panel.
door shells and instrument panel in carbon fibre
2 fire-extinguishers mounted in strategic positions
sun glasses
no stereo or AC.
power windows will be removed too...

That was about it I think...

[yody]

how are your harness;s mounted

[Ripper]

how are your harness;s mounted

The fifth point is attatched in the floor below the seat.
the waist in stock location and same for the upper (which is a Y-point) - the stock roof location until I get the cage in, then the upper part will be strapped around the cage.

[jeffandre]

Ripper,
A few more questions:

1) Why did you lower your UCA mounts 9/16"? How did you do it? Any guesses as to what your previous camber setting range was and what your current one is? Did this change affect your caster range as well? I am thinking of going with longer upper ball joints, which I believe will do some of the same things your idea did, but I am open to moving my upper control arm mounts to wherever I need to in order to have about the same alignment settings you have (plus or minus a small amount depending upon actual driving effects).

2) Is your driveshaft aluminum? With rivet-looking things on the ends? I have a used Nascar shaft too, it is a but short, but when I move the motor back it will be perfect. Of course once I get a new motor and move it back even more I will have to get another one, carbon fiber is a must as I would rather lose the shaft than launch the car or beat up all of my custom work underneath should the shaft break and somehow get outside of the safety loops.

[MrQuick]

Looks good (still) Anders, I think we would all like to see some video of in action at the track! Love the stance

[Ripper]

Jeff:
The front end mod was performed when I was very new to suspension... It was done by a friend of mine which was much more into suspension geometry than I was at that time.
This is how he did though: A jig was fabricated and welded to the sub frame, the mounts were cut of and lowered.
What I can remember, the mod gave me something around 0.7°/10 mm suspension travel, but I'm definitely not sure of that, you better check the geometry before.
I had a folder with measurements, weights and other important info of the car. One day, when I traveled by train, I fell asleep and someone stole my bag (with the folder and some other papers inside). I guess the thief never understood what he got (not much value in those papers...), and I guess they were probably dissapointed (the bag was looking good though!)... That was three years ago, and I haven't had time to recover all the measurements etc, and next time I'll do it, I'll keep a copy somewhere! :rolleyes5

I'm in progress of constructing a new sub frame now, so there won't be more updates on the old one..

About the drive shaft - I was told it was an aluminum version, like this:

But when I got it, it was a steel version...
Oh well, it cost me 50 bucks and balancing the old one would cost app. 250 $ here in Sweden

Hey Vince! Thanks for the comments!! That bumper filler thing you helped me to pay for, it will be mounted this winter.

_______________________
Hopefully I'll pick up the engine parts this weekend and start assembling it!
I'll call my shipping guy tomorrow and ask if the dry sump has arrived yet too..

[Ripper]

Oh yeah, about videos... I did only use it for 2 trackdays, and one auto cross last year (I worked during summer in the other end of Sweden, and the car was parked at home, in the garage during that time). I still don't have a video camera, so it's kind of hard shooting some track movies...
But my friend has a camera, and he has agreed lending it too me this summer

So movies will show up... but not until the summer though..

[Ripper]

Picked up the block, crank etc yesterday.
I've been looking at all the parts closely to see if I could find something wrong, but everything seemes to be ok!

Some pics:
very straight line here:


Here too: :D


These holes are very round and slightly larger than before (.030")


Decked!


balanced


Here too: ;)




The dry sump arrived this weekend. It's a 4-stage Barnes pump (I'll shoot some pics ASAP). It's not a bolt on ;) so some modifications has to be made.
This is where the old oil filter was mounted.

I threw that away and made a adapter for the dry sump connection instead. Never had time to drill a hole for the AN mount, but I'll do that next time instead.

[F70t/a]

Looks great!! Can't wait to see the dry sump

[Piet]

Looks Great!

[Ripper]

Was in the garage yesterday and started the pump project.
Here are a couple of pics of the pump and the work.. You find more info on my site.



A mock up was made out of 1mm aluminum to get a good overview of how it could be mounted. The plan is to attatch it to the timing cover (picture) and to the water pump to get it rigid enough.

Here's the first bracket made out of 12 mm (1/2") aluminum... About the look, I didn't notice it until my garage friend told it looked like a d**k.


pump mounted with first bracket. Block is up side down on this picture. It's mounted on passenger side.


The fluid damper and belt pulley is "mounted" too to make sure that the pump will protrude enough to clear a belt from the crank.



Buying parts from overseas, usually includes american air! I'll save these until summer - it might make the car happier

[BEEBE]

Ripper , I must say , Very Cool Indeed !

[F70t/a]

Looks really good. what do you plan to use for an oil pan?

[Ripper]

long time since last time but during this weekend I managed to spend a couple of hours in the garage!
Work has been concentrated on building the new oil pan..

Block painted!!


Lots of time has been spent on planning where everything should be..
It takes more time than you think to check that parts doesn't interfere with eachother etc.


Bye bye old oil pan


The old pan was cut up, since I needed the bolt pattern (don't think I can manage to create a pan from scratch..) and a profile out of sheet metal was shaped so clearance against engine parts could be checked.


No problem as you can see


I also painted my hydroboost that I just bought.. Will hook it up during early sommer.


After clearance against the engine parts was ok, I put the block in the car to see if the pan or pump interferred with anything. They did... The pump mount has been slightly reworked and the pump was raised 15 mm (that should be something around 9/16").


When everything seemed to be ok, I made a new "pan" out of sheet metal. Since I don't have any exotic tools to make these things.. I have to work with what I have. My parts may not have the best finish, but they surely work!


I then spotwelded it to the old bolt pattern and put it in the car again. I knew it before, but needed to confirm it - it didn't clear the subframe..



It also needed to be notched since the steering parts otherwise would smash it.. Oh well, I guess these are good excuses to build a new subframe



Lot of time has been spent on planning and thinking out the design. I'm satisfied with how it is now. This aluminum sheet will be sliced up to allow oil to reach the bottom as fast as possible. It has also been bent at the left side to catch as much oil from the crank as possible. The right side is also "adjusted" so that as much oil as possible will get beneath the sheet from start.


the front mounting plate for the aluminum sheet was also slightly cut to drain oil from the timing chain and front crank.


I would appreciate some opinions on the dry sump design... Here must be some engine pro's that can guide me?

[MrQuick]

Nice job Anders, coming along.