cobramatt

Here are a few solo hot laps, a little more on pace but still in traffic. Matt

This weekend was a Chin Event at Barber Motorsports Park. I wanted to get some practice in for the upcoming Z National in a few weeks. I met so many great people and Chin really does do a great job in running the event. A guy named Joe, who has been road racing for the past 20 years in GT1, had built a "71 Camaro full tube frame race car complete with a Grand Am LS7 race engine putting out around 700 hp. It was the best looking Camaro I've ever seen. EVER......... It has an Alabama licence plate on it and I asked,"How the hell did you get a tag for this car?". He said in Alabama for $25 you can put a tag on just about anything. We went out for a few sessions but my video chip maxed out and I didnt get the footage. It was epic.......The control tower marshals came up and thanked us for such a cool show of Vintage cars blowing past everything on the track. Made me feel special enough. Check out this video of when I first came up on him on the front straight and the lead follow that insued. I cant wait for someone to give me crap about missing my shift at 2:39........... Matt

Chad forwarded these to me tonight. He certainly has an eye for beauty. In three weeks I will be at The Z Nationals at Barber MotorSports Park in Alabama, running my car with the famous GTP and GTU z cars of the past, the new 370 Nismo Z's on the continental Tire WC circuit, and some other z's that raced at one point or another. I have Chad going as well and I am sure this will be the shoot that I have been dreaming of. I am hoping that my car is at least competetive on the track with all these factory race developed cars. It will be a good test for sure. I really like the one with the empty track in the background..............it's in the chicane that is inspired by the Nurbergring. Some people have said, was I aware that my front left comes off the ground all the way around the turn. I guess seeing is believing. Matt

I want to take a second and thank Chad Burnette for all the incredible pictures he takes at all the different tracks in the SouthEast. I know there are a few screen savers out there, well he is the one who should get all the credit. He took this a few weeks ago and I have no idea how this works but the car was going 160mph and in the picture the car is static and the background is blurry. Isnt it supposed to be the other way around??? Very Cool............. If anyone is in the SouthEast and wanted a true professional to do a personal shoot or trackside shoot I highly recommend his work. BTW........He doesn't work for free. Matt

This controlled substance is commonly referred to as "Weekend Therapy" in the medical community. I am a recreational user and certainly not addicted..................... I have also re-named my cars, thier new names are Utter and Denial. Matt

I would have to go back and look to get the exact part # for the pedal assembly. It is the Tilton assembly that has the remote reservoirs for the master cylinder. This way you get rid of the old bulky MC under the hood. It is a tight sqeeze but I changed the gas pedal as well to a floor mounted rather than hanging pedal. It is custom design we make in house, $150. It allows me to roll my right foot while heel toe. The brake and gas pedals were to far apart before because the steering column got in the way. If you need me to take some up close pictures of the foot box / pedals let me know. You are using the same brakes as i did so there wont be an issue there. I need to let you know when the time comes, what pads I use. The wilwoods that come with it, I didnt like. The car is so light that it was hard keeping heat in them. I replaced with Carbotech. I'll need to look as to the exact #pad. I am glad to help in any way I can. You also want to chime in on my thread because I check it more often than I do the ones Ive commented on. Good luck, Matt

Same as the Splitter. Carbon Fiber I need to talk to you. I was watching the video of you and Mike at VIR and the rear of your car seems very planted. I know that your rear flares are different than mine. I have those same ones from Brian but didnt put them on since we already had two sets of CCW's and the offset doesnt work with the wider flares. Your's are about 1.5 inches wider than mine. I however was impressed by the way the car squatted in the corners. I am very happy with my car, dont get me wrong, I just want it to be the absolute best it can be. I am not going to rip these flares off and start over but if there was anything that I think could be better would be the stance in the rear. What size rims and tires are you running in the rear? You and Mike need to find time to come down here and bring your toys and we can play. I think that would make for some incredible video. Matt

I also wanted to post a picture of her going into the trailer. They say that your aero package is just about right when it wont go in the trailer and you cant get a jack under it. Id say this is either genius or just plain dumb luck. You can probably get a few pieces of notebook paper under the nose when shes going in. I take absolutely no credit................thats just Dumb Luck. Matt

Been working on side skirts..........didn't want to post any pictures until I had a better idea of what we were doing. First picture is just mock up. This is what I'm taking to the track tomorrow. We am going to actually make them bigger as these were designed without the rear wheel on. After we put the wheel on I realized there is another 3" that I can bring it out and have even more surface area for the air to sit on. This is why we dont design with the expensive stuff. We also installed two new hood pins in the middle of the hood as it was bowing up from the high pressure. Very secure now. I'm going to cut a hole in the cowl next week and make a trap door to be able to access the pedal reservoirs. We also put an additional hole in the uprights so be able to adjust in a little more rear downforce. We adjusted the bump steer. The front right had 1" of play left front was pretty bad too. The rear was almost dead on. It is now within a 1000th of an inch in front. You think that make it a little more stable at high speed???? Ya Think......... Matt

You can check out a few threads that will help. Mike Kelly's z car project Great track car build and my thread (My ultimate dream LSGTZ) something like that. We both have spent years building these cars and your reading the theads could very well keep you from having to learn certain things over for yourself. Dont re invent the wheel. If you ever have a question dont hesitate to ask. Matt

BTW: I found your YouTube stuff and subscribed. One question, The Mark you are following at VIR, is that the Mark in N. Carolina? I want to know because his rear suspension and flares look fantastic. It looks very planted in the corners. Something I've been fighting. Want to verify what his set up is exactly. Matt

She thanks you for the compliment. I guess she qualifies......... If you want to check out the build thread in members projects, copy this in the browser My Dream LS7GTZ.......project underway Matt

I think it is sometimes funny when I read old posts about "will an LS setup in a 240 turn or cant keep up with a 200 hp SCCA ITS prepped car" Well, just for the record.................My car turns like a 600 hp go cart and runs in an unlimited division based on lap times with pretty good results. 6 wins in 6 races this year. Not bad for a 45 year old Vintage banger. No disrespect. Just thought it was funny. Matt

When I made the decision to go with the LS setup it wasn't because I tripped over one and fell on it. I asked just about every racer I knew and got their input on what has worked for them and weighed the options. After much due diligence it was clear that the LS was the way to go. All the parts work together, they are affordable, it makes great power, and mostly it seemed that the majority of people I spoke with refered to it as the best small block ever designed. I dont know if you knew this but I was a FORD guy all the way. It took a lot for me to even consider a Bow Tie product. It is obvious to me after all the sweat put into my current setup and the race results we have had since the switch, that I made the right choice. Just my opinion............... If you need any help with questions regarding any LS combination, I have some of the best guys in the business on my team, dont hesitate to call. BTW: You said you have "fallen back in love with the Datsun", I assure you that it is very rewarding to give chase and even overcome some pretty nice German engineering. You need to come down to Atlanta and we can take my Datsun to AMP and I'll let you drive it. I dont make that offer often, but I think it would give you good insite on what direction to go. Matt 404-218-0588

You had me there for a few seconds. There have been times where I actually think that there was some sort of Devine Intervention on stuff I dont know how that happened or what I was going to do. Only to wake up the next day to a completely different set of circumstances. Glad to hear this is only a slight setback and maybe even a blessing. Matt

Sorry to hear. Lets keep our spirits high and find some good in all this. DAMN........ Matt

I have never taken the Z to a car show primarily because she is not a show car and not street legal. This past Sunday is our monthly get together at Caffiene and Octane. Over 1000 cars usually show up for the cruise in. AMP now has a corral of members that park together and they asked if I would join them. I trailered the Z up there and was amazed at the attention she recieved sitting next to all these supercars. I was happy for her as she loves to steal the spotlight. I also left her hood off so she could show off her muscles. Matt

http://www.znationals.com/ I am actually going to Barber on the 21st and 22nd with Chin Motorsports. Then the Z nationals two weeks after that. The car show on Saturday at Z1 is truely awesome. There will be 800 Z cars in one place. Not as many 240's as id like to see but still fun. I will be headed out to Alabama after the show and spend the night in Birmingham. Matt

Schedule has changed a little down here. The NASA event at AMP has been cancelled. I have also signed up to run at Barber in the Chin Event in a few weeks. Here's the big news......... Z Nationals at Barber Motorsports Park at the end of the month, where everyone on this forum should be at, they are putting a professional run group together. I guess they have me confused with someone else as they have asked me to be a part of it in my car. Nissan Motors will be bringing the 370Z's from the Contenental Tire Challenge, The 300z IMSA cars will be there, they are also bringing the IMSA GTP car and running it on the track, thats my all time favorite and fastest Z of all time. That car sits in a private collection museum all year. I will have every Smarty cam / Go Pro etc... I can get my hands on running when that goes down. It might be my ultimate day at the track. Me, My Car, and a bunch of famous Z cars all at Barber Motorsports Park. I'm dreaming...... Matt

I moved the battery to the passenger footbox. I need all the craking amps I can get and I am not about to stick with that liitle Braille POS when it gets cold and you have a little spin and it stalls. Thats the time I will have all 1000 cranking amps from the optima working to turn over the monster under the hood. I cant risk it for a few pounds. I also used to put my cool suit cooler box in the passenger floor until I re installed the passenger seat. I've removed the passenger seat when I went to the track for an event and it takes, seriously an hour, to get it out and even longer to get it back in. I'm just too lazy. I'll leave it in all the time for now and I balanced the car with it in so I guess its there to stay. If I start competeing for anything serious maybe I'll take it out. I'm actually having a real good time giving joyrides at the track. Schedule has changed a little down here. The NASA event at AMP has been cancelled. I have also signed up to run at Barber in the Chin Event in a few weeks. Here's the big news......... Z Nationals at Barber Motorsports Park at the end of the month, where everyone on this forum should be at, they are putting a professional run group together. I guess they have me confused with someone else as they have asked me to be a part of it in my car. Nissan Motors will be bringing the 370Z's from the Contenental Tire Challenge, The 300z IMSA cars will be there, they are also bringing the IMSA GTP car and running it on the track, thats my all time favorite and fastest Z of all time. That car sits in a private collection museum all year. I will have every Smarty cam / Go Pro etc... I can get my hands on running when that goes down. It might be my ultimate day at the track. Me, My Car, and a bunch of famous Z cars all at Barber Motorsports Park. I'm dreaming...... You could always come and bring your car. Matt

Its always nice to start with a fast car. I however wish in retrospect that I had Cliftons car and bought another one as I have changed vertually every piece on the car. I could have had his old car and this one. In most cases I will suggest people looking for track cars to purchase one, after a good inspection, that has already been track prepped. This way you save so much money and you get on track a lot quicker. I originally planned on the same approach but after having missed three races with engine failures (with the original L28 turbo short block) thats when this build took on a completely different path. At that point I created a completly different car that required a complete different approach. I am certainly glad I did as I am overwhelmed with the results. Anyone who has ever been a Z lover or enjoyed the lines of the car or been fortunate enough to watch the IMSA GTU series back in the day would agree that this particular car done in this particular livery with the present setup under race conditions is nothing less than spectacular. I'm not being arogant as it has nothing to do with me. The car gets all the glory, Im am just lucky enough to drive her................ Matt Picture: From Yesterday at Atlanta Motorsports Park / Turn One / Myself and Zeke Massie in his Volvo Race car. (Zeke is a parapeligic and uses total hand controls to operate his race car. Ever hear someone say that a person is "confined" to a wheelchair? They never met Zeke.)

This is what I'm talking about. Just enough of a 1" lip "Gurney" to extend the airflow enough when exiting the car and not too large under the wing to disturb the airflow there. BALANCE IS THE KEY. After a perfect full day at the track with some of my NASA buddies I am so tired I dont have it in me to review all the data tonight. I'm wiped out. I will say that I did change the angle one degree to create a little more in the rear. I unhooked the rear sway bar as well to try and correct some understeer issues. Its just going to take time to get it worked out. We were quick but she's always been quick, I was happy with the front downforce but think we need to spend a lot more time on the rear. I was expecting huge results the first day out, as usual, and didn't really get what I'm after. Let me also point out that AMP is a very technical track and not a high speed track like we run most of the time. Its great for practice but I'm not going to set the car up for it. I might unhook the sway bar to see what happens but thats about it. I'm not a patient man and this is going to really take some time. Matt

I dont know what to say.............................Thats sick. I know I am bias but after racing and owning z's for 30 years and having a vision for this build some time ago, I gotta say, that's the best lookin Z I've ever seen. I'm wondering if Grassroots or a similar magazine would want to do an article on the Ultimate Track Z. Anybody know anybody in the Biz that would be interested??? Matt

I have the Carbon Fiber dive planes just dont have time before Sat. to put them on. I'll gather data without them and then next week with them. This might be a viable way to secure the wing to the frame rail and it not resrict the operation of the hatch. At least not a major operation to open and close it. I'll let you know how it goes. I have to be very careful as I don't want to push too hard, like I did a few weeks ago, testing the envelope of the new aero. BABY steps are difficult for me. Matt

A few more to give perspective and show how we tied into the frame rail. Matt