Mikelly

Pics from our experience yesterday!

Yesterday I left my home at 0450 and drove to VIR. I arrived at about 0810 and was at Garage #8 by 0815. I met Matt Isbell for the first time face to face and I was in the car and on the hot pits well before 0900. Matt is a hell of a racecar driver and he knows his car well. He has a support crew and a teammate, and they number 2 mechanics, a crew chief and a fellow racer in his red camaro. After introductions it is obvious immediately that they have a LOT of fun at Matt's expense. I can't mentio all of it here because the thread would get locked, for sure! Matt has been to VIR twice before, and has managed some very respectable times. His best was a 2:04 lap on full course. That is not a slow lap by any stretch but after viewing his video and making lots of notes, I could possibly help him dip into the 1:5xs. Our session was his first in a year, so we'd be knocking off the cobb webs. But I was also facing poor weather conditions and rain would surely be here by some point mid day. So, knowing Matt is not a shrinking violet and knowing that I am not, can two "A" type personalities live in the cockpit of a racecar for 30 minutes without getting them killed and meeting all objectives? Hell YES!!! On the out lap Matt and I are talking and getting our strategy for the session. I'm pointing out my concern spots, the aim points on entry and exit, the mistakes others will surely make, and then we start working up to speed. It takes 3 laps to get his tires up to operating temps and in that three laps we are going pretty fast. The car is twitching up front under heavy braking, but otherwise doesn't feel bad. There is some minimal popousing of the suspension, but they will eventually dial all of that out. Our session consists of me yelling in his ear not to lift, where to "get on it" and when to brake. VIR is spooky and if you don't know the secret sauce to getting around it, you will leave tons of time on the table. In Matt's 30 minutes with me he has already dropped 2 seconds. He's still unsure of going flat out thru the esses, or braking at 2 on the back straight, but it'll click. He's starting to get T10, T11/12, and he understands where I want him to trail brake in T14/14A. Next session out he hits 2:00:xx. That is serious times and well within my goal for him. However, after experiencing his hand work, foot work, and the potential of the car and the team, I am more than confident we are leaving time on the table. Then the rains come. So off to lunch we go. I try to get his team mate and one of their competitors up to speed best I can with video and visual, but both of those guys will have a tough race on both Saturday and Sunday because both are really having a hard time of it. This is actually a valuable lesson and one I will take into my own racing. Matt was smart enough to get a local to come coach him. He was even smarter to put a seat in the passenger side and move DOWN to HPDE3 and away from his competitors so I could get in the car with him and coach from the passenger seat. They were running in the racers open practice, and couldn't follow the fast line Matt was (quickly) learning. Most important of all, Matt, An instructor and racer was willing to let a complete stranger instruct him on what works, what doesn't and what can get you into trouble. During his teammates wet session a BMW experienced the undulation of the snake and ended up in the left side tirewall exiting T6. It was an excellent teaching moment for everyone in our garage and I was able to walk them back thru the notes I had provided Matt weeks before on that very section. So Matt's last session of the day comes at 1PM and the track is still wet. It's drying, but boy is it still damp on hoosiers. So off he goes and off I go to south Paddock with David Allen (lurker here) to watch from south paddock. Matt is looking good, but there seems to be much more traffic now than before. Some new arrivals must have shown up. So after his session I find that he actuall was still running 2:01s even with a moist track and heavy traffic. Our boy is gonna do well. We watch open practice for a nother session and I quickly see a lot of competitors largely making the same exact mistakes Matt was making in the beginning. Lifting or braking into the esses, not trusting the gators (in the dry), racing a bizaar mix of DE and "other" lines that just eat up additional tarmac. Not Matt. He's been shown the way, and he's using it, and using it well. I'll await Matt's post race experience and will hope for the best. I want to thank Matt for the chance to work with him. He is one hell of a guy and he knows that car well. His hand/foot work is impressive and he can wheel a car very well. I sorely needed the distraction from the government shutdown (My company is shut down due to this mess and I'm hemoraging cash) and the current stresses of life. So a day away from all that was what I truly needed. Wish I coulda stayed a few more days! I'll post some pics shortly! Mike

I have decided to head down to VIR for the day tomorrow morning. Gonna hang with Matt Isbell and go for a few laps!! Mike

Back from vacation. I plan to get into the shop today and get prepared for a new round of work on the Zcar. I hope to get the drivers side and the spats in front of the rear tires that will close out the rocker. And of course, I still have a mess from post chumpcar race at VIR that needs to be put away. Parts still laying around... Mike

So as of now the 403 stroker will have a 102 FAST intake and Tbody, 50# injectors, and rails. I plan to run the long tube headers I bought from Keith. and I will be running the ARE drysump oil pan along with the rest of the ARE bits needed to install this setup. I hope to have the motor in an mounted up by December 1st. Tuned and running by the end of January would be an excellent start to a new season in TT with NASA. I could only be so lucky. Mike

So as of now the 403 stroker will have a 102 FAST intake and Tbody, 50# injectors, and rails. I plan to run the long tube headers I bought from Keith. and I will be running the ARE drysump oil pan along with the rest of the ARE bits needed to install this setup. I hope to have the motor in an mounted up by December 1st. Tuned and running by the end of January would be an excellent start to a new season in TT with NASA. I could only be so lucky. Mike

First time outside since some of the aero was done... Mike

LS3 403 is ordered and we should have it in house in about 4 weeks. The LS1 should also be sold tomorrow. Now I just need to move the 383 stroker and then source clutch and the rest of the drysump parts. Mike

Matt, I hope you got my series of suggestions via FB. I cant wait for the 2nd weekend in October. I have been looking at your footage and I like what I see. Cant wait to climb in your passenger seat and go for some laps.

Latest update on the LS3 build... 403 Stroker with Callies Compstar Rods/Crank and SRP pistons. The heads are LS3s that are hand ported, along with a bullet CAM and other bits. Here's some aerocandy while I am at it...

Clarkspeed can you please forward me links when you see those? I would love to grab hold of a current legal spec ITS car...

I would not bother sinking any money into the 2+2 if you want a coupe. Sit and wait. As to the power plant choices, I'd recommend driving it stock first and sorting out the brakes and suspension before you start swapping power plants. Been at this Zcar game since 1987 and I've owned and tracked/autocrossed them on and off for much of that time. So I think my opinion has some merit. Mike

Heads up, The motor is again "officially" for sale, so check the forsale section. I'll also be selling some LS1 bits and pieces. Expect an update on the drivetrain plans in the very near future. Mike

Few more pics... ' Mike

Couple pics of the work in progress on the front lip and side skirts...

You guys probably felt the earth stall a bit today when I worked on the Zcar... It is true, I turned a wrench on the mighty Zedd... More later... Mike

I'll be at NASA VIR in October, hanging out with Matt and the MTI guys. Right now I'm just shopping and getting ideas for a platform. I may jump into othe deep end of the pool over the winter. Mike

That is why I am considering going with the Ford LSD. Mike

shopping racecars, VERY interesting times... Mike

Thanks to a kick in the arse from Matt Isbell, I joined NASA today and may well have my Z at VIR in October... Time is ticking tick tock tick tock....

I hadnt been to a junkyard is many years, until today. My kid asked me to go with him and look for a hood and grill surround for his BMW E36 track car. What a hoot... I was looking at all sorts of parts, remembering back to when I had 18 cents to rub together and the scavenger hunts for Zcar parts I used to take in that very yard. Was a little nostalgic. Lot of fun... I now have some ideas for motor swaps for the chumpcar and possibly a source for some other ideas for the ZCar. Mike

So after all the work on the chumpcar and the resulting race weekend effort, I just didnt have it in me to wrench the Zcar. That said, I came back home to find the motor leaking oil yet again. I will have to remove the motor and resolve the oil pan now. While I am at it, I will go ahead and replace the slave cylinder setup with the threaded collar and hydraulic release bearing setup made by Tilton I have had sitting in my cabinet for a few years. Maybe start on that whole motor pulling next week...Just pulled the chumpcar driveline this evening... Mike

Taking notes, Matt. Glad you uare OK, and glad you are doing the hard research. Mike

Hey man, I've been to that course many many times, as an instructor... I really like that place because it is so much fun. I'll put it on the calendar! Mike

I put the car in the air night before last, running for five minutes with a number of higher RPM revs and didn't find evidence of any oil or coolant. Believe the motor is back together for good until she is replaced in the fall... Mike