Video From WSIR 8-13/14

[JonB69FB]

Hi guys, I'm still alive.



I took the Firebird out to a two day event at Willow Springs with SpeedVentures last weekend. The car worked pretty damned well.

I was running a ton of new parts this time out to the track:
- Ford 9" rearend w/TruTrac diff and my custom-build aluminum breather tank
- Lee Power Steering PS pump/reservoir, Earl's PS cooler
- Hydratech brake booster and new Wilwood rear brakes
- Bilstein shocks from Steve @ RCD

All the new parts held up fantastically. Anyway, here's the video:

http://www.firebirdofdoom.com/video/...r0813-1405.wmv

Unfortunately one of the freeze plugs at the back of the block has started weeping slightly (and only after I'd stop running), so I'm going to have to pull the motor out and fix it before I get back to the track. Don't want to blow the plug out at 100+ mph or anything.

[shmoov69]

VERY NICE!! I am envious!!

[Damn True]

Bit of push at the top of the hill?

[JonB69FB]

Bit of push at the top of the hill?

It was pushing pretty badly on the exit of turn 4, but I think it's my line. This was my first time ever at the big track and there are some areas I haven't figured out yet.

The car also got very, very light over the crest in turn 6. I was lifting there to try to keep the front end on the ground, but I suspect if I run through 5 a little wider I might be able to take 6 straighter and faster.

[NovaPwr]

Nice video, that looked like a lot of fun! Dave

Hi guys, I'm still alive.

I took the Firebird out to a two day event at Willow Springs with SpeedVentures last weekend. The car worked pretty damned well.

I was running a ton of new parts this time out to the track:
- Ford 9" rearend w/TruTrac diff and my custom-build aluminum breather tank
- Lee Power Steering PS pump/reservoir, Earl's PS cooler
- Hydratech brake booster and new Wilwood rear brakes
- Bilstein shocks from Steve @ RCD

All the new parts held up fantastically. Anyway, here's the video:

http://www.firebirdofdoom.com/video/...r0813-1405.wmv

Unfortunately one of the freeze plugs at the back of the block has started weeping slightly (and only after I'd stop running), so I'm going to have to pull the motor out and fix it before I get back to the track. Don't want to blow the plug out at 100+ mph or anything.

[harshman]

Dammit!!! I wanna play, I wanna play I wanna friggin’ play!!!! I could watch these videos forever. Thanks, I’m spent.

[alcino]

What's that top right guage for? That needle is going crazy.

Next time you go out to the track can you post it here. Maybe I can take out my car too and see yours in action.

Alcino

[JonB69FB]

It's the fuel pressure gauge, and it goes crazy like that whenever it gets an air bubble in the line going to the isolator. Usually it works itself out after a few minutes or so but sometimes it takes forever to get the bubble out.

[CAMAROBOY69]

Awesome videos combined into 1. Its amazing how much slower our cars look on the track from the inside view. In real life it is much faster. 110mph looks like 50mph from inside. I learned that after a few events I attended. Your car looked great!!!

[Damn True]

It was pushing pretty badly on the exit of turn 4, but I think it's my line. This was my first time ever at the big track and there are some areas I haven't figured out yet.

The car also got very, very light over the crest in turn 6. I was lifting there to try to keep the front end on the ground, but I suspect if I run through 5 a little wider I might be able to take 6 straighter and faster.

Very cool. Please keep us updated with the learning process and any changes you make to the car to achieve them.

BTW, were you able to diagnose the reason that the victoracer came unstuck? Were they the "R" compound auto-x tire?

[JonB69FB]

I just wore the tire(s) out. This is the 3rd track day on this set of tires, and there's also 2 AutoXs and a couple hundred miles of street driving on them. I was planning on changing them after this event anyway.

Yes, they are "r" compounds. I'd like to buy a set of 17x10" CCWs, run a set of full slicks, and put street tires back on my 16" GTA repops, but I can't afford it right now.

Either way the car's gonna have to sit for a while before I can get around to replacing the freeze plug--my garage is currently occupied by a soon-to-be-racer Civic Si.

[CarlC]

Jon,

Your turn 4 line is the same that the WSIR instructor suggested to me. He also had me taking 5 entry far to the right and a late apex, setting the hump at 6 up a little better for our heavyweights.

Seems the pump and HB held up. What are your impressions?

Nice vids.

[Mean 69]

Hey Jon, we really need to meet sometime soon, being neighbors and all! Question on the brakes, and HB/Master Cylinder combo. What calipers are you running, and what size M/C bore? How did you like the pedal effort and modulation, was it easy for you to get the amount of brake bite you like? Do you heel-toe (couldn't tell from the vid)?

Great stuff, and good for you for running that little baby.\
Mark

[JonB69FB]

Seems the pump and HB held up. What are your impressions?

Both worked *really* well. You can hear the pump making noise in the video, but it's done that since I first installed it, and never lost assist or anything. Considering I destroyed a pump and steering box every previous time I had the car on the track I'd say that's an improvement.

I really like the hydroboost. It took some getting used to (coming from a manual setup), but it's a big improvement. The car stops much better, and the pedal effort is (obviously) way less, so it's easier to heel-toe. If I had to make up a complaint about it I'd say it's harder to modulate, but I think it's more a function of the light pedal effort than the actual assist.

Mean 69, I'm running a 1.125" bore MC, Wilwood Superlite IIs in front (1.75" pistons), and Wilwood Dynalites in the rear (1.38" pistons). Rotors are vented 12.20" front & rear. I run PFC '01 pads in the front, and Porterfield R4 in the rear. Balance is ok, but I have the proportioning valve on the rears dialed almost all the way out. I'm probably going to go with a less agressive pad in the rear next time I replace them in an effort to better balance the system.

[JonB69FB]

Do you heel-toe (couldn't tell from the vid)?

I do, but with the side of my foot. I rigged up a foot pedal cam the last time I had my RX-7 out at SoWS, and you can see the "technique" in this video:

http://www.firebirdofdoom.com/video/...-session-1.wmv

[CarlC]

Yep, heard it in the vid, and mine makes the same noise. Tom Lee stated that the noise is normal since the stock reservior + fluid acts as a noise damper. John (Torker) has the noise, and he has the Full Monte Lee's setup with pump, reservoir, filter, and steering box. I'm trying to engineer a way to mount the reservoir directly above the pump to keep the feed line as short as possible. The shorter the line, the less the noise.

It's kinda funny, having a passenger along that thinks there's something amis when the pump starts to whine. Then I take them around a turn at warp speeds........

Perhaps a less aggressive pad on both ends will help the modulation. You're already on the big end of the MC size range so perhaps Porterfield can make a set of pads to suit your needs. I wish Mark had a chance to drive mine since the modulation is, IMO, very good.

[Mean 69]

I do, but with the side of my foot.

Got it, same way I (try to) do it. How did you like the pedal feel for this with the HB setup?

Concerning Porterfield, they are awesome. I have some funky Alcon calipers on my car that pads are not readily available for yet. Called three places, first two didn't have anything and didn't even have a part number. Called Wendy at Porterfield, they had the info, had to modify a set of shelf pads, I got them the very next day.

Rear bias is something the dudes at Hoerr told me is interesting, their opinion is that almost all cars are over-rear-braked. I read a tech deal from Tilton that said a good starting point is to run half the total piston area in the back as is run in the front. More to it than that, but...

Great stuff, thanks for sharing.
Mark

[JonB69FB]

Got it, same way I (try to) do it. How did you like the pedal feel for this with the HB setup?

It's ok. Not fantastic, and not as good as the manual setup, but it's much easier to heel-toe, because with the manual brakes I had to have my entire foot on the pedal to stop with any kind of authority. As I drive the car more I'm getting more used to it though--it's worth mentioning that I drove the car for about 8 years with manual brakes so I got quite used to stomping on the pedal pretty hard.

I think Carl is correct in his assertion that a less aggressive pad would be easier to modulate. These PFC 01s have a *ton* of initial bite.

Is Wendy @ Porterfield the one with the valley girl accent? It's extremely confusing talking to someone with that accent about race cars and braking systems. She knows her brake pads though.

[CarlC]

A Valley Girl that can talk brake pads? Don't tease me like that!

[Mean 69]

When I called, and this is a bit embarrasing, she answered the phone. How can I help? I need some brake pads for a custom application. Okay, what is it for? A 69 Camaro, with a set of Alcon monoblock 6 pot calipers. Sure, no problem, those are the custom type pads that are made from the other Alcon pads, right? Uh, yeah. Like, how the heck did you know that?!

I guess she's been doing this thing for a long time. She can drive too.

Back to the pedal feel, I felt like mine was a bit too sensitive, so I went manual. I should have tried a bigger M/C.