gnosez

When you get a chance try a set of Toyo RA-1s. Much, much better than those 888s. Makes a real difference in the corners.

I love those gnose Zs and would love to build a GTU Bob Sharp car. Fifteen inch rear wheels make my heart beat faster.

No carnage. That's the one that didn't snap. The rod end was the same one used in the restoration of the 1991 Ferrari IMSA car and it held up just fine. As to the added strengthening parts, that particular LCA was built in the South St. Datsun dealership which was also the home of Bob Sharp Racing. Those LCAs saw service in the C- Production and GTU S30 body race cars. I figured while it may have been overkill, it was them not me that the added 5lbs per must of seemed worth it at the time. The front sway bar was likely in the 1.25 to 1.5-inch range. I have several of them in labeled tubes.

Due to the rules set forth by the vintage race groups (SVRA, VRG, etc.), 15 inch tires are available from many tire companies. I am required to run a non-slick so I opt to use Toyo RA-1s (the 888s are not worth the money and are like running on ice skates). The RAs are good out of the package and get better with time, until they aren't. Good in the rain as well. Of course if a 15-inch wheel won't fit over your brake caliper, it's 16s which I run on the street Z (245/45/16 on 16X8 BBS rims).

I have added a photo of the LCA we built (failed) and a few of the BSR LCA I have. Note on the BSR LCA it has been opened up to allow the end link to be attached. The front sway bar was inserted in a tube that was welded into the engine bay rails. The gussets and connections added 5 lbs more to each side. The end at the crossmember pivot point was cut back and the front lip was trimmed to avoid hitting the rotors.

I've made a reminder in my calendar (June 12, 2017) to look for your post of an on-track experience. Nice to see all those ideas, big and small come together. Congrads!!!

When I get back this weekend I'll get the one arm that broke out of storage and take some pictures along with the BSR LCA

Not sure who's rod ends we used for the custom LCAs but it wasn't some cheap knockoff. I'll look when I get back home.

We got a prototype set from someone we trust and then we made a set of our own. Both failed within 5 laps under heavy braking. I have the TTT LCAs on my street Z which sits at under 6 inches (less than 3 inches at the edge of the AZ Z oil pan) and have not had Any issues with it at all and it uses the raised pickup point which the race car is not allowed to use. The race car uses a stock LCA with the delrin adjustable bushing. I have one of the original BSR modified LCAs and they gusseted the top and bottom plus pressed in a ball bushing. It weights nearly 5 lbs per side more than a stock part. Considering they drilled 3/16th holes in the inner door pulls that 10 lbs was worth it to them. Both the race car and the street Z have the heim jointed outer tie rods as I had the same problem with the geometry/replacing the inners. Over 30 track days and 15,000 on the street Z without an inner rod replacement.

I have no problem holding a line (even less when I get to use the 15X10 wheels and Hoosiers) and my tail doesn't wag which could imply I'm not pushing myself hard enough, so I'm going to concentrate on other things first.

Jon, other than having a heim joint snap going down the straight doing 90mph, the suspension and front end has been without issue through the last 10 years. It is regularly aligned, checked and rechecked. The bumpsteer was checked last year but I confess it might not have been as accurate as say the ones down by John Coffey. I had JR Mitchell, a former BSR crew member and the builder of the 280ZTT V8 race car drive it and all he said was add an 1/8-inch to the rear toe and that it either needed another 50 hp or less weight. So, if I have not had an experience like you, what would an adjusted bumpsteer front suspension (if it actually needed to be adjusted) do for my current ride? What would I feel different about the turn in or under braking?

I can't say I have ever had an emergency lane change or handling issue that was caused by bouncing the car (up or down). Once I put the race car back together later this spring (engine, tranny and diff) I will corner balance, align and check the bumpsteer I have been sectioning my times now that I have an Aim Solo and tying that to the GoPro made seeing the error of my ways much easier. Getting better tire temp data is this year's project. That and growing bigger balls.

Since I am restricted by SVRA rules on moving the pivot point of the LCAs there is very little I can do other than adding spacers on the struts. Maybe I'm missing something and one of you knows how I can make adjustments that fit the rules. That said, I readily agree that improving my driving would have a greater impact than any bumpsteer corrections.

John, can I ask how those 40 plus hours translate into say a noticeable change in lap times, driver confidence, etc.? If it's worth doing, then I'll carve out the time from some part of my already short sleep cycle.

It would be nice if my L28 would spin my DS to 10,000rpm

Those front engine bay strut bars can be adjusted to move in and out. I am making an assumption that one could control some portion of the weight movement by doing so. The BSR and BRE cars all had welded braces so nothing could be done with those other than to move internal items, like engines and such.

Interesting corner balance numbers. The usual problem is getting weight moved to the Right Front. Back in the day it has been mentioned that new motor mounts were made to allow the SCCA engine to be moved over more than an inch to the right and back about 3/4-inch. Legal? NFW. Lessons learned, leave the battery up front and make sure the fuel cell is as far right as possible. Total body weight is spot on for a caged car with an interior, driver and fuel. I assume the corner balancing was done with the sway bars and strut bars disconnected to start. Nice looking set-up and forget what anyone says about your exhaust noise. I love it.

I ended up drilling a few holes in the top of the gland nut and welded two tabs on the strut tub itself. Then I wire tied it up before each race. Nothing like a drooping strut in the middle of a race.

I'd be interested as well.

I have the engine spec report (325+hp) that BSR submitted to SCCA back in the day. It'll take me a few days to get back home and then scan and post them. The 1970 #33 car had Solex triples with a very machined E31 head. That head and carbs will be mounted next month on a new block containing NOS Cogsworth pistons that came with the head and carbs. The old block had a very small crack in the cylinder wall causing it to overheat when ambient temps got over 80 degrees. It made 300hp@crank and was 13.5:1 on 110 fuel. Have a meeting with JR Mitchell tomorrow to discuss gearing for the Preston 5-psd dogleg/dog ring tranny. Bob never used one nor did Paul until he drove the '79 280ZX. JR worked for Bob in the race shop as did his wife and JR was the lead on the development of the 280ZXTT.

Seems you might be a real candidate for a dog leg tranny. That way you would never be anywhere near Reverse during a race. R 2 4 I I I 1 3 5

No, that is not the Victory spoiler but rather the actual Bob Sharp spoiler which is more upright and a bit higher. There is no cut out for the hatch lock since the race car didn't have one.

There's this one used on the 260 and 280 Bob Sharp cars. It's taller than the BRE version. The original whale tail produced a large amount of downforce which both the drivers and pit crew liked.

R180 SX diff (raised K on the top of the diff) has 4.375 gearing w/115mm ring. Order a Quaife and you won't have to worry about clutch packs or heat. Warrantied for life whether you use it on the street or track.

Sorry for the late reply but for what its worth, the Bob Sharp race cars had a pipe welded into the engine bay frame rails and the sway bar was placed inside. I have a few of the solid and hollow core bars that came with a truck load of bits and pieces from the 240, 280 and ZX race cars. That pipe tied the front end together, got the bar out from under the frame and made it easier to work on the suspension and oil pump