clarkspeed

I have measured all the hard points for input into software. I use a program called Susprog3d. There are others out there. I think I have every hard point measured to within 2 or 3 mm. It is difficult and time consuming but the chassis diagram from the FSM does help a little if you have stock chassis points. So why invest all this time any money? If you study suspension design, there are certain targets you want to hit. Some critical are suspension frequency, roll angle, F/R stiffness %, and roll center. I have a good idea of where I want these based on study and past experience. Taking all the measurements and putting into software will let me know where I am. Even if I did not know what I wanted, going through the process at least let's me know where I am and any changes can be documented and reversed along with a possible direction to pursue.. Bottom line, if I get this right, it will save countless hours of testing time on the track. For example, I took a wild guess on my sway bar rates when I bought the bars. And the arm length is just what I needed to make it fit. I needed this all just to mock up the suspension. After I got all the data input, I think I am much closer to a desired roll rate and F/R stiffness than I thought. I believe I can at least start testing with current rates. And if I purchase a few extra springs or bars I know which way to go. Springs at $60-70ea and roll bars at 100-150ea are relatively cheap, if you have a plan for what you want. I have been ask before "can you give me your measurements". There are a few problems with that. I spent a lot of time doing it and perfecting my methods, every car is different, and most importantly, doing it yourself is about the only way to understand what you are doing. If someone just gave me the numbers, I would be lost forever. However with that said, if anyone is trying something similar with Susprog3d software or an alternative, I am more than happy to provide guidance. I have been working with my own developed Excel based system to make it more simple, but I just don't have enough time to finish it.

It's the stuff used to coat internal windings of electric motors. Developed many years ago and hot rodders picked up on it to coat internal engine blocks. Sheds oil well and encapsulates casting flash forever. That's what I bought it for and it works well, but it is expensive. I'm not building many engines now and was amazed it still looked great after all these years. Again, why not? Otherwise it will sit another few years. Durable finish is an understatement. A good idea I found for suspension is stainless steel spray paint. Steel it is the brand. Kind of a dull silver finish but again, durable as hell and easy to apply. It also is expensive, but doesnt take a lot of product to fully cover so it goes way longer than say a color spray paint. I bought a couple cans to use, but since everything else is silver or black I wanted a different color for the unsprung stuff.

I was going to resurrect this thread soon also. Once I pull the chassis off the roterssere I plan to measure every component I install. I have a set of digital corner weight scales that seem pretty accurate.

First I have seen this thread. Very ambitious. Good luck and glad to see you finally got back to your dream car.

No picture updates. 2 tasks before I take it off roterssire. I am measuring all the suspension points to put into my simulation software program. If I play this right, all future adjustments will be predictable and repeatable. Trying to get all the points within a couple mm. It is much easier now than on the ground. And the last thing will be painting suspension parts. I debated over this for weeks on end. I just could not decide. I ended up choosing a 10 Yr old+ can of red Glyptal I had sitting on the shelf I had used for some block coatings way back when. It stirred out like new, flows out beautiful to reduce brush strokes, durable as hell, looked great on my sample part, and essentially free. Problem solved.

I don't know what I am doing? Is that a good answer? I usually shoot cars just like you are doing. Having painted 3 or 4 like that, I decided to try something different. My last car was painted a battleship grey which came out great. For interiors, I usually shoot a straight cheap industrial urethane (no UV protection), with hardner, no primer. But I don't usually shoot over so much bare metal as you have. I did some research on the Google and found a log of drag racers using the hammer tone paint to good effect. Plus I had some mental pictures of a titanium color interior. The hammer tone is easy to brush, easy to match spray, durable, and super easy to touch up. So I thought why not a 2 tone? Not really much more difficult. What did I learn? Shooting the interior with a gun is still best way to go. But the 2 coat rattle can spray hammertone on my interior panels came out decent and seems durable. And easy to touch up if needed. But not as "nice" a finish as I would like. IF you want to do the cage in a different color, I HIGHLY recommend the brush on hammertone. For some reason it lays down perfect on the curved surfaces. And you don't have to mask off anything. On the downside, I think the brush on only comes in silver, grey, and black.

I like to think out of the box!

Motorsport Auto buys the Konigs in bulk and puts them on sale often. I am really concentrating on rotational weight with this build. I think it is the secret sauce for a Z car. I think about Greg's EP car with those tiny brakes, 15x7 wheels, and lightweight slick tires. I'm just trying to move that needle just a little more with my looser rules.

Well that looks damn sturdy. The best firewall mount structure I have ever seen. A lot of people watch these restoration shows on TV now. As long as the welds are solid they will look great after paint. I'm sure you grind off the blobs like I do. Got the floor pan in tonight. Now I need to paint and assemble the suspension.

Firewall mount was out of the question since it's so thin. Car originally had overhead pedals but when I dropped the floor pan lower they were too high. I thought fabbing a drop bracket to the roll cage cross members at that point would look horrible and add excess weight to make it stiff. So I ended up looking for a floor solution but found I had no room in the back for masters. When I found this one, problems solved and I sold all the overhead mount stuff. What were you doing for pedals? I forgot.

More eye candy tonight. I am so glad I assembled the pedals before putting the floor in. It took me 4 hours to get the MCs correct, set the throttle linkage, and get everything tight. I left access to do this stuff from the topside, but I am sure it would have taken twice as long. Only thing left before I take it off rotisserie is assembling front struts and taking measurements to put into the suspension software.

Greg has an old set of Volks on the EP car and bought a set of Joengblods 3-4 years ago and really likes them. I ran the 15x7 Konig rewinds on the Bob car I sold. No problems. The Mazda crowd runs them extensively. I went a completely different direction, as usual. The olny small diameter development anymore is just for MX5. I bought 15x10 Konig dekagrams from Goodwin racing at 14.5lbs with 1.5" adapters to get the offset correct. The adapters and studs add a little weight back but I think still better than most other custom 15x10 options. Take a look at Goodwin Mazda wheels and that is the 15x7 weights you should be shooting for IMHO. A spec Miata weighs more than a EP Z car. So far, I am the only person I know that will try this. But most EP cars are running a 1" spacer anyway.

For now you need to keep going with what you have. I posted a RC calculator in this forum somewhere. But you need to get everything on the ground first. When it's time to start doing alignments we have lots of helpful "hints".

I think Greg stacks them and welds together. That is simple way and effective. If following his formula, stick with it. My tubular control arms have a spherical bearing with an adjustable tie rod bolt going into the steering arm. On the tube car I'm not sure where the RCs will be so I can adjust where I want.

This community is not what it used to be, but the flame keeps burning. Maybe not as many replies as you might have gotten in the past, but also not as many assholes. Again, all of is that follow you recognize this is a project you are taking the time to make it right and it's not going to disappear unfinished. And keep in mind you could probably message most any other member for advice if you needed.

I have used usedracingtire.com. I think John Borget sell them also. I used another, but can't remember name. Not sure who would be best on those cantilevers. I'm not sure what bodywork you are running. Greg has the Subtle Z kit from ztrix. Those tires have an incredible 9" tread width. If you have any space left over, push out the rims with wheel spacers. I'm running 1.5" on the tube car.

Someone may correct me, but I have applied over metal, primer, and more primer, and fiberglass. I have never had any issues. As long as clean, dry, and not dusty. But the more you apply on top of, the more you depend on the substraight quality. I usually clean with a wax and grease remover and allow to flash before applying.

That is a lot of freaking filler. Tough decision. Ideally you would take out the filler, hammer back to something not so drastic, then re-apply. I always shoot for filler less than 1/8" thick when welding in patches like you are. But those are big areas. I have done a lot of body work but I am no metal expert. I am not convinced I could caress all that to a better position. And filling big areas is not easy. If you are not a pro it can take many hours to get a decent finish. On the other hand, if the filler has not cracked or chunked off you can assume the panel is "stable" and not flexing around when being driven. And if no rust is present, the panels were prepped well before filler applied. In that case, yes just keep going with filler. If you start hammering to get a better surface it will start cracking up. Keep in mind you are building a race car. Most are loaded with filler these days.

I had to put the gussets in after cutting the cross member. It's an OBP floor mount pedal set I think I got through Pegasus. I will have it mounted soon so you can see it. The rack is a square Coleman racing unit with adapters. I think there are some pics earlier in this thread.

That is an interesting thought. I may think about that more for a future project. For this car, the fenders pop off and the strut top falls in your lap after you take the strut nut off. I am going to leave some relatively long flex lines to the brakes so they don't become the only support. I think I can change springs real quick at the track.

Firewall installed with interior panels. Started to weld it but decided to rivet instead. Everything sealed with 3m seam sealer and holes around the cage penetrations blocked with aluminum tape. Can't see any light peeping through. Getting there. I decided to order master cylinders and mount the floor pedals before I place the belly pans. Not required, but I'm lazy and that is what drives efficiently.

Yes, do tell.

And look what the UPS dude brought last week. Some sweet 15x10 wheels that only weigh 14lbs/ea.

Pretty pretty panels. I think this an official milestone. I still have some fab to do once off the rotisserie, but I am now "assembling" a car

Long time since post. Been fairly busy with painting panels. On a separate note, I sold the Bob Leitzinger tribute car to a chap in Salk Lake City. He intends to modify some and run the Peking-Paris rally with his son. Pretty F'ing cool. I hope he makes it. THEN totally by coincidence, I bought a 77 Alfa Spider for my wife to make local trips with. It needs some TLC but has been under a cover for years, wears original paint, dry rotted tires, and 24k miles. I fell in love with it immediately. It is like a slow motorcycle with the top down.