Project rebirth, FRS - STX and trackday/TTD log

[redlined600]

Few pictures from a couple weeks ago.




Banging curbs

[redlined600]

I preparation for my final event for the year I was assessing thre car a bit.

The re71rs did not fare will this year, I'm thinking of something different for next year. I flipped them to eek out this last event.


The brakes didn't do much better, dust seals are cooked. These will definitely require some tlc before next season.


One new addition I'm excited for is an AIM solo 2 dl. Unfortunately I won't get to use it this year, but I can get familiar with the software over the winter.



Heading up to BIR for one last event. Forecast looks dry but very cold.

[redlined600]

Came across some TrackNight in America pictures from August?

[redlined600]

Just got back from BIR, what an interesting trip.
First off, it was cold, this picture says it all. It's the first time I've driven on track while snowing, So cold it took a whole lap for the RE71Rs to heat up, double


All in all it was fun and I got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while.

I also got to meet Ross Bentley, which was really cool. A guy that has coached some amazing drivers and he's helping dial in a bunch of nobody's. Fun stuff!

Here is my best lap for the day. I have no delusions that it's fast in any way but given the temp, I'm ok with it. Pretty much *****footing through 1 and 2.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrIfaNPbWpY&t=3s[/ame]

[redlined600]

One thing I've been struggling with is starting my gopro while belted in. After some research I found a decent solution. With a momentary switch I can turn on the Gopro. With the gopro in "one touch" mode it will automatically start recording. There is also an output that shows when the camera is "on", this will illuminate the button. Below is a mockup, I'll rewire it and mount the button in my dash next spring.


Also, no more Uhauls. While storing it will be a major pain, I'm stoked to have a trailer to call my own, setup how I want. Should be 700+ lbs lighter than a Uhaul. The trailer will be a bit of a project of its own but it's a solid start, mostly little things like mounting d-rings/tie-down points and adding a breakaway, ect. I'd also like to make the drivers fender removable.


It will be a long cold winter.

[redlined600]

An update is long overdue. I spent a lot of time working on the trailer and not enough on the car this year but still some fun progress.

First saga of the trailer.

After looking it over I found a bunch of weight could go, I cut out 65lbs plus another hundred removing the ramps.


Then I rewired the whole thing
Added a junction box, break-away, and all new wiring (including solder sleeves at the joints)




Then, the first time I took it out the wire bundle pulled under the hitch and got pinched on the driveway. I made it about 5 blocks before the brakes locked up. :-(



I was really thankful now that I had installed the junction box because it made replacing the wire bundle easy.

Literally the next time I tried to use the trailer I made it about 4 miles before catastrophe struck. One of the drums fractured and fell into the tire taking out both. Without bad luck I'd have no luck :-( :-(
Yes, parts are missing (actually one of the shoes is still laying on the side of the road 4 months later)




At this point I'm all in. All new brakes, hubs wheels and tires. I'd say there is nothing left to go wrong but I don't want to jinx it. I have since towed roughly 800 trouble free miles since then.


Lastly, one criteria for buying a trailer was that loading would be as painless as possible. To that end, DO YOU EVEN RAMP BRO, 7 ft long. No more wood!!!

[redlined600]

Now on to some more fun car stuff.
Earlier in the summer I went up to BIR for a standing start time attack. Rained half the day but dried up for the time attack.


Competition wasn't very strong in my class so it's a bit of a hollow victory but at least my kids think I kick ass.



Off to Road America again


I got to do something that I wanted to do for a while, which is drive the original course through town (Elkhart Lake) from the 50s. They even named a turn after me. The city did a nice job of marking all the turns.



Made my way around the grounds at night, beautiful (wish I had a nicer camera with)

[redlined600]

The only mod that made it on the car this year was a wing.

No turning back now.


Does this wing make my ass look big?


I made it back up to BIR with the wing and no splitter. It did exactly like I though it might, and that is push like crazy. It needs a splitter bad.
however, I did take 2 seconds off my previous best, and I think there is at least another second, with a splitter and fresh tires.


To circle back on a previous post, the AIM solo2 has been working awesome, well worth it.

[TMF]

Looking good man! I got my splitter on and will be "testing" it this weekend at NASA Champs at Mid-O. Hit me up and I'll let you know how it is with the big wang.

BTW, what AOA were you running? I had mine at about 0 degrees, maybe even a little negative, and it didn't push too bad at Mid-O in the high speed turns (vmin on T1 is about 83 mph) and was excellent at low speeds. BIR does have a much faster high speed turn though (T2...I'm guessing your vmin is above 90, maybe even 100), so I'm guessing that is where you felt the push?

[redlined600]

I tried 0 to -2.8* aoa. It pretty much pushed everywhere but turn 12, I was able to get it neutral ish there with some shock settings. It's possible the push was tires falling off but even still I was able to drop some time from my previous best. It definitely needs something to balance the wing.

[arkanist]

Love this build. Quick question about the seats, do you sit noticably lower than you did stock? I need a couple inches to clear a helmet w/ stock seats and am trying to find a good aftermarket setup. If it is lower, what brackets / mounts are you using?

Thanks!

[redlined600]

Originally Posted by arkanist

Love this build. Quick question about the seats, do you sit noticably lower than you did stock? I need a couple inches to clear a helmet w/ stock seats and am trying to find a good aftermarket setup. If it is lower, what brackets / mounts are you using?

Thanks!

Thanks.

Yes, they are much lower(probably 2 inches if I had to guess.). I made my own brackets since the seats are old bottom mounts. Sliders are just off the shelf with mounting tabs welded to them. Probably not helpful for you since almost all seats are side mount now. New seats are on the short list for purchase.

[redlined600]

It's been a long time since I've updated and a bunch has changed. The 'Rona really screwed things up this year so I didn't get a whole lot of seat time. Made 3 events and was scheduled for a 4th but actually caught Covid and couldn't go.
Over the winter I built a Sim setup. Right after this picture I flipped the pedals to top mount. I just use it with my PS4 so it's not too serious.


Springtime upgrades!!!
I added some RacerX front endlinks.


Cut a hole in the hood.


Made some gurney flappers


Finished product, more pictures later on.

[redlined600]

Started working on a splitter, it's strong! I had two criteria, it had to be easily (relatively) removable and no external support rods.



Current aero package


Still need to make some wheel deflectors.

Since I have a hood vent I switched to perrin intake to allow for more air flow