cobramatt

Latest progress.

Mike, If its body work and aero thats really my department, If its engine or drivetrain thats Johns department. He and I make a great team but please dont think that I just point my finger and John takes care of everything. We both have been busy on other things and havent been able to work on my stuff lately. I was able to continue the DTM style box flares on the Z this past weekend. I think when this is done it is going to be an incredible aero package.

Just an update shot of what Im doing with the car. Since I widened the body 4" (2" on either side), The IMSA flares are not working. I fabricated another flare that I thought was going to work until I built the new side skirts that house the side pipes. They also add aero and extend under the car where only the tunnel is exposed. This really cleans up the underside incredibly, its great to not have to have exhaust in the way. The new side skirts ended up being a little wider than my new flare extensions so Ive gone back and mocked up with aluminum what I am going to need to make out of fiberglass. These box flares are going to be pretty cool looking but most of all functional. I am pulling aero knowledge from Super GT and DTM to direct the flow of air around the car and create downforce. Take note of the foil at the leading edge of the side skirt, it will increase the downforce there as well. Ive got a few other tricks up my sleeve and as everyone can relate..................Its the neverending build.

None yet....... Just still shaking things down and doing fitment and set up. Slow process and with everything else going on I dont get to spend a lot of time on it right now. Doing some radical things with the body panels...........

Old track, you (185lb ballast) on board, 2:01 was fairly quick for a 45 year old Datsun. I'm guessing that when we get it ironed out this year and visit VIR's new pavement, no passenger, new car. I'm guessing 1:57 or better if the conditions are right. (My personal goal is to break 1:56) As you well know thats quick for any car. This past year in my race on the new pavement I was doing 2:00 flat race pace in the ST2 Vette and the SU Daytona Prototypes were at 1:53 race pace. As usual when I'm up your way we will get together

I am the VP of Operations for MTI Racing and we do our own machine work, engine building, composites work, etc.... I mainly work with Corvettes and GM platform stuff and one of my biggest competitors is LG Motorsports. I have nothing against them as they run a tight ship and we have mutual respect for one another. I (MTI RACING) offer an incredible carbon fiber 3 demensional wing ($4,000) but it is too large for my Datsun. It is made for my World Challenge Corvette. If it would fit thats what I would have. There is no better wing on the market. The one I use and have mounted on my car is an LG Motorsports GT2 wing. It Carbon Fiber, not 3 demential, and costs a fraction ($2,600) of the MTI wing. I have used 1" angle aluminum and intstalled a wicker I made the end plates myself out of a scrap sheet of Carbon Fiber and wrapped the edges of them with the aluminum wicker as well. I did them larger at first thinking that Indy cars have large end plates. After testing data shows the smaller ones work best and have less drag. The uprights are made by us (MTI RACING) in house and I have attached some photos of how we welded them to the frame rails and routed them through the deck lid. The wing uprights remain pinned to the deck lid at all times and when it shuts the holes in the mounting bracket that we made out of chromoly and are welded to the frame rails for ultimate support (the rear fiberglass deck lid would never support a wing at speed) the holes line up in each and you insert a race push to open style pin. The uprights we make have different holes to enable you to chose the rake setting of the rear wing based on the setup conditions of the car. I found that when I added the wing it increased downforce over my previous IMSA 3piece tail by 300%. It also made the car have high speed understeer which was easily cured by adding the front canards. I am very happy with the functional results of the addition of the wing, side skirts, and front canards. Remember that when wings, splitters, dive planes side skirts, etc are added to a car it will definitely add drag. There is a line you have to walk on where do you trim your car out to give you maximum topspeed and be able to add cornering speeds due to added aero. I also remind people that the cars spring rates will normally need to be changed according to what amout of downforce is added. I am in the process of redesigning the side skirts since I have side pipes now. I hope this proves helpful Thank you again for following my build........

When designing the new front clip we did it then. I actually didnt think about how the panels I was having made were going to be whacked at that point. We made it work and in honesty this car has never been about beauty, even thought I always think of her as one the best looking Z's. It's always been about the function of the car. The answer to your question is that the added length is in the front clip. Thank you for your post.........

Cary, I'll have it on the scales tomorrow hopefully if not within a few weeks. I'm dying to know what our weight is now as well. I've attached a few more build photos. 1. Notice the new front clip geometry. We tied it into the old chromolly frame rails we had added in the past for chassis strength. 2. Take note of how far back against the fire wall and how much lower we were able to mount the engine. cg should be greatly improved. 3. I designed the new front clip to have a quick release plate to make it where if I hit something, like a wall, It should give at this point and break free hopefully not damaging/bending the majority of the front clip cradle. This is right behind the gnose. (not that I ever hit walls BTW) The last time I wrecked it at Road Atlanta in T4 I hit the wall going 83mph per the data. The tie rod bolt sheared off and I had no steering input. That was the second time that had happened, first time was at CMP and I didnt hit anything. The new Howe stock car suspension solves that. 4. As you can see I am standing on the removable chromolly nose cage, I'm 180lbs., and it is quite strong. This is the brace for the splitter and as we all know the true rule of thumb is that if it going to make 180lbs of downforce or more, it should support at least that weight. 5. Ive included a shot of the profile where you clearly see where the new CF body panels, that are based on oem wheelbase, are repositioned for clearance. The car will be going to the Classic Livery of Atlanta (a good sponsor to have) to rework the flares and provide a better fit and finish. I have a very detailed plan in my head of how I want it to perform but depend on input from some key people. Function over form is the key......... 6. With the removal of all the front chassis. The front clip deffinitely weighs less and the CF body panels weigh less as well. So Im thinking we probably lost close to 150 lbs. 7. The lowering of the engine, the fuel cell, the ARE tank, the battery and the cool suit will really lower the cg. 8. A good friend who drives for Alex Job Racing in the WeatherTech Porsche was looking at it and said that they lengthen the wheelbase on their cars by 1/2" and it makes a huge difference. Leh said that out of everything we have done that the extra wheelbase is the single most important improvement on the whole car. To go from 90.7" to 94.5" is major. It almost makes the fact that the body panels dont fit anymore taste a little better. 9. The CF panels are so light its hard to describe. Ive included a picture of me holding the cowl hood up with my pinky. Thanks again for following my HybridZ build............

Some spy shots of the new MTI Racing GTZ racecar........(she's been out of comission for 16 months now) new carbon fiber wide body new MTI built LS7 427 race engine w/ more hp (650rwhp) new 102 throttle body and 102 LSX fast intake new V5 race cam new ARE drysump and Razor pump new tube frame front clip new upper and lower control arm Howe suspension new MTI Machine custom CNC hats and AP Racing brake caliper brackets new adjustable Bilstein coil overs new Howe spindles and hubs new side pipes and custom headers new PPG dogring T56 transmission We widened the cars track width 4" We lengthened the cars wheelbase by 4" New 2" wider CF rear flares we dropped the fuel cell by 10" relocated the ARE dry sump tank to passenger floorboard at firewall relocated the battery to passenger floorboard relocated cool suit cooler to passenger floorboard new radiator new GT style air box from grill to hood new heat exchanger new CF cowl hood new CF rear spoiler (same wing) we changed the degree of rake in the nose for better downforce aero new splitter/undertray redesigned the opening in the gnose to decrease the drag new window net (the old one had expired) installed seat bracket to recertify the FIA RACETECH seat GET READY................

Until I get her wrapped again, She's definitely white.......

Keith, I enjoyed the day and I'm here to tell you that you were probably one of the top 5 fastest amateur drivers on track. You dont learn that in a WalMart parking lot. Your car finally has brakes.........WOW what a difference that makes. You allowed me to Coach you, not so much instruct you and that is what I enjoy. You have the car control skills, it just takes someone who can encourage and push you closer to the edge without going over. You did great and I look forward to many more sessions. The smoother you are with the least amount of input........The faster you can go. Your lap times were faster than my advanced student that wanted to show me how fast his car was (I think he was showing me how to floor it between turns) and how he was surprised when they didn't give him "solo" status to begin with. It was his first time at AMP (probably the most technical track in the SE) and I just happend to be his instructor (I hold the track record in a sports car 1:23.2, so what would I know). He would rather let his ego drive than be teachable and possibly learn something. I didnt bother telling him about how I have a driving coach that goes to every race with me. Like I said, What would I know. You come to the track preparred to absorb any and all information that can lead to you becoming a better overall driver on a road course. Whether it is information from me or whomever............That is the why you continue to lower your lap times and in the process somehow push the envelope more while driving with more confidense and control. It was my pleasure.

A few from Road Atlanta.

Just some new shots from the last outing. Much to do on sorting the car out on track. Much to much to enter it into a race at this point. Will keep you posted.

Lets make sure we have back up pads and I'm sure your fluid is of new high quality. You can buy a Long-acre concave mirror that will solve all your problems. I have an old style 5 panel Wink mirror Ill give you if you need one. You would just have to fab some brackets. My car will be at Z Nationals for sure. It wont be running as it is way too loud. I will be competing, HOPEFULLY, this coming week at Road Atlanta in the NASA National Championships. The car is coming along nicely and here are some secret spy shots. Really done some new and exciting things up front by laying the radiator down and venting the hood GT style. Its hard to notice from these shots but we changed the rake on the hood considerably. The whole front nose is much more agressive and aerodynamic. More pictures to come. I have 5 working days to have the car on track.

Progress on the rebuild.......... Custom headers made and I am going to box in side pipes to get the heat out from under the car better and therre is no room in the tunnel. The new T56 tranny is bigger than the TKO600. This was the best option. I might go back and splice in a burns muffler but I just want to hear it on track like this first.

Keith, That trap has always been there. Remember that is looking back up the straight at T15 T16. That is the final track out pit. It doesn't do much if you are at full speed as I have gone through it and totalled my Corvette in the tire barrier at 130mph impact. My data shows where my speed actually increased when I went off......It had been raining for days and the track was green and the sand was very packed and not raked or furrowed. You mean that Sand Trap?

Some great pictures from the shoot.

Hey guys, My car is being featured in this months Import Tuner magazine. It is going to be the last issue of this publication as it along with numerous others have been put out of circulation. Go grab a copy as it really is a great article.

Car is coming out of paint and body next week and the back to the shop to put her back together. I'm trying like hell to get her ready for the NASA National Championships at Road Atlanta in August.

Mike, I appreciate you checking. Its in paint and body as we speak. Motor is back together with the upgrades. Tranny is back together from a break down, clean and inspect. I was able to meet with Leh Keen yesterday and go over the car. He's a good friend and has helped with his input over the years and knows the car well. He was very appreciative in all the changes and was really looking forward to seeing it back out on track. He has helped me in the past in testing, (note: always accept the assistance of a multiple Grand Am champion if they are offering help). He said when the time comes he would like to see what it can do as well if I needed help. It will be at Classic Livery of Atlanta for another few weeks, then back to MTI to put her internals back together, off to get her new wrap, then testing. That being said.................means I dont have a ******* clue as to when I'll have her back. I am really hoping to do the UTCC at VIR with her. Thats really pushing it though.

SHow and track most likely. My car will not be on track as it is too loud for AMP, db is 98 and my car is probably 105. I might bring my Corvette just to run.

Sounds like a plan. Lets get Mike down for this get together.

I'm good for Z Nationals but it doesn't seem as if we are going to be able to do any more track stuff at AMP that weekend.

I checked the members schedule and it is showing that there are private events for Fri. Sat and Sun. I am not sure that there is any way to get on track if the track is closed for private functions. Lets check to see who is at Road Atlanta that weekend. Matt

Keith and Mike, Lets try and get everyone within reasonable distance to make this one. I am very good friends with the Z1 guys and anything I can do to help them I will do. Lets get a Hybrid Z contingency there and on track.