GSpeed's 2015 BRZ- SCCA Super Touring Build

[crazyfrenchbiker]

Originally Posted by GSpeed

We haven't built a cage that retains the OEM bar yet, so I can't say with complete confidence how that would go. It's possible to make the A-pillar bars miss the OEM dash bar, as @philooo did, if you want to have both dash bars. I don't see a way to retain HVAC functionality with double knee bars without extensively modifying the HVAC box like he did, however, which was our primary motivation for doing it our way.

A professional fabricator shouldn't have any issues doing a dash bar like ours if you tell them to just reuse the brackets off the OEM dash bar. Mounting steering to the dash bar is somewhat common, we've done that on some BMWs too.

I should have mentioned, I've removed HVAC as well. I'll speak to the fabricator about removing the OEM bar, thanks for you help.

[GSpeed]

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchbiker

I should have mentioned, I've removed HVAC as well. I'll speak to the fabricator about removing the OEM bar, thanks for you help.

Sure, glad we could help!

Just got our car back from paint! Time to start putting it back together.







We're going to go with the VAC mounts for this build and see how we like them. We'll either recommend them to our customers, or make our own version if we deem it necessary.

[philooo]

Beautiful cage design, I am jealous of head clearance ...

How come you guys did not paint the knee bar ? I know you can't see it but it will rust no ?

Looking forward to read your VAC mount review. I don't think anybody has document these on the forum yet.

[GSpeed]

Originally Posted by philooo

How come you guys did not paint the knee bar ? I know you can't see it but it will rust no ?

It's painted, but the paint shop decided not to clear coat it. Not sure why, honestly.

[GSpeed]

Starting the arduous process of reassembling the factory dash harness...

[philooo]

I still see a lot of yellow connectors

FYI, from my experience, every single yellow connector can be removed from the harness. They all go back to the main airbag ECU unit located in front of the gear lever. If you disconnect this box, then all power to these cables is removed and you are safe to cut them out.

On my car I was very cautious and tracked down every single wires on the manual then triple checked. Once the cable is cut on both end, it is surprising easy to pull it out of the main harness without having to open it up.

PS: I highly advise against opening the main harness for cleanup,it would be impossible to match the fit again.

Just my 2 cents in case you go OCD ... But it is perfectly fine to tuck them in, safer and faster I just like it extra clean down there lol

[GSpeed]

The sensors are removed from the chassis, but the dash harness still has them. Like you said, it's not worth the hassle to remove them at this point.

[kravi]

So any news on how the rebuild (or re-assembly, anyway) is going? pics please!

--Me

[GSpeed]

Originally Posted by kravi

So any news on how the rebuild (or re-assembly, anyway) is going? pics please!

--Me

Not much, lately. Been working on this monster pretty hard the last few weeks. Almost done (for this season), then we'll shift our focus back to the BRZ. All we've done to it lately has been re-install the dash.

[GSpeed]

We're finally making some progress again!



We recently hired a second engineer, and his first project to get back into a motorsports mindset is finish up the BRZ rebuild. He'd been working for a large OEM's R&D division, so he's mildly overqualified but handling it well.



Here you can see the trashed tire temp sensor bracket from last summer's off-track excursion that got the cage build going.



All the wiring had been undone and mostly removed in the cabin for the cage build, so naturally we went back through and labeled every single connector to make sure we knew where it went, what it was supposed to be hooked up to, and whether or not it needed to be reattached. Anything worth doing, is worth doing right!

Stay tuned for more updates over the next couple of weeks as we get this thing back on track. First will be some post-cage install baseline runs, then AP Racing front brakes, then E-Force supercharger!

[GSpeed]

Starting to look like a car now. Got a new bumper cover from Hiley Subaru, then had it painted.



The next task on our list is a battery cut off system. Also known as kill switch, master switch, etc. We're going with a 150A solenoid to keep things clean, and save weight. It may not seem like much, but that 2awg battery cable adds up when you've got to run it all over the car to big direct-acting switches.



We decided to tuck it away near the battery under the hood. We're going to keep running the stock battery for a while. This keeps our wiring runs short and harness modifications to a minimum.

We decided to replace the OEM side window defroster with block-off plates for the kill switches. All the ducting was removed from under the dash, with the exception of the windshield defroster. You can see in this picture the wiring ran for the kill switches.



Of course, we had to add a DTM connector for the switches with a heat-shrink label.



The driver's side also has the data connection for the MXL2, once it goes back in.



Passenger side is a little simpler.



We don't have seats installed yet, but it doesn't seem like the driver will have any issues reaching the switch while strapped in.

Next up- center console! You may notice the lack of Velox aero in these pictures. We sort of trashed it with the "off" last summer, and it won't be going back on. The customer wants to run this car in NASA Super Touring ST3, which has a slight penalty for non-OEM aero devices, so we'll be going without for a season or so. That has nothing to do with the Velox products, of course, we still feel like it's a great product and recommend it to our customers.

[philooo]

I need to setup a killswitch on my car very soon, can you share more detail on wiring where are you going to make the cut ? I assume on the positive side. but are you going to connect both OEM wire which are on the positive side to the solenoid ? or some wire will stay hot when the circuit is cut ?

Really nice idea to put the switch on the window defroster location, almost looks OEM

[GSpeed]

Originally Posted by philooo

I need to setup a killswitch on my car very soon, can you share more detail on wiring where are you going to make the cut ? I assume on the positive side. but are you going to connect both OEM wire which are on the positive side to the solenoid ? or some wire will stay hot when the circuit is cut ?

It's a pretty standard method of wiring. Basically, you attach the battery's positive terminal and alternator output to one terminal, and everything else to the other. That way, power is removed from EVERYTHING when the control circuit is opened (switches in series), and as the alternator spins down the battery can still absorb the current and not fry the alternator.

[GSpeed]

Quick update:

Front bumper reinstalled. Looking good again:



Battery cutoff relay finished:



Since the hood latch is removed, we had to get a little creative.



We also moved the gas tank lever to just behind the passenger seat on the B-pillar. Easy to reach from outside the car.



We had to get a little creative with our EPS and body computer mounting:



Since there's a bunch of steel tubing where these things used to mount, we made a mount to clamp to the dash bar. They're held to the mount with industrial grade hook and loop tape. Think super-velcro.

We're sorting through some issues with the VAC floor mount adapters before we can mount our seats, unfortunately. We're in contact with VAC about getting it figured out, so we're going to try and resolve it with them before we post about it here. But that's why the seats aren't in yet.

Thanks for reading!

Jake