Bummer dude! Glad no personal injury. Can you look at the footage frame by frame to see what it might have been?
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Bummer dude! Glad no personal injury. Can you look at the footage frame by frame to see what it might have been?
33 Hot Rod Stage 1, Gen.2 ordered 11/11/2021 started June 12, 2022, LS3 E-Rod crate engine, Tremec TKX, 8.8 WITH 3.55 Ratio and limited slip with 31 spline axles.17X8 and18x10 Race Star wheels wrapped in Conti Extreme contact DWS tires, Mustang Cobra brakes all around. Electric PS and AC. Hard top, electric windows and bike fenders. First Start 5/31/2023. Go-Kart 6/2/2023.
Some people have tried.. seems most likely it’s a big tire fragment from the Semi that’s parked a 1/4mile down the road..
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Ok, I'm baaaaaack!
After my recent "adventure" I was lucky enough to score a complete Deluxe setup (aka "32" grill and radiator) from Frank, who was so on the ball that I swear he was already at the UPS store the next day when I said "hell yeah". Kudos to "Just 1 more" for helping me out.
My smashed radiator was a stock FFR 33 setup with an Ebay radiator and some aluminum bracketry I made to fit, so I knew there was going to be some fabrication required, even though this was a deluxe kit. I have a Gen 1 first of all (the deluxe wasn't an option) so I assume the brackets are different nowadays. Secondly, more importantly, I have my radiator tipped back at 19º to match the side panel body line and make it more swoopy.
I got the package from UPS on Wednesday and had some shopping to do. First, there's only one bung in the bottom of the radiator (my old one had 3!) so I have to use that for temp sensor.. but it was smaller 1/4npt so I had to order that. Second, there's NO RADIATOR CAP! wth? So I ordered an inline Moroso one to put in the top hose for now (you'll see why).
In the meantime I started mocking it all up. Didn't take much to modify the brackets to fit, chopped some off, laid them over a bit. Mocked up the 19º slope and it all started to look pretty nice.. and then I noticed that because the radiator is like a foot shorter than the old one, the bottom hose goes straight into the chassis. At least where I have it placed, and sloped, the hose goes RIGHT where the horns are bolted to the chassis plate that joins the rear of the LCA bolts.
Right here:
cut-here.jpg
Moving the horns was easy, I moved them to the front of the chassis, below the radiator, but still behind the shell. But the chassis wasn't going anywhere, so.. I cut it out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The plate is welded all around the main chassis, so I figured that part was superfluous so I waved it goodbye. The radiator hose fit nicely through the gap left there.
Here we are, all better.
all-better.jpg
This is the only part I don't like.. for obvious reasons. Looks like a** and annoying that you can't effectively bleed it. So next month when I'm installing my new motor I'll get a cap welded to the top of the radiator. But surprisingly, this works well enough.
temp-cap.jpg
I removed the temp sensor from the block, then filled the radiator until the motor was full, then put the sensor back in. Then filled rad as much as I could and threw the hose on. There's going to be air in there but I've run it through 4 full heat cycles (thermostat open, hot enough for fan to come on, etc) and a "spirited drive" that this will be good enough for the race next weekend.
Oh.. I did find more damage from the semi-tire. It had hit the front lower bodywork just in front of the door. Nothing visible but I noticed the door sounded different today. Just more rattly. When I looked, all these rivets were sheared! They look normal, but none were attached to chassis.
sheared.png
For some strength, I replaced them with a strip of aluminum.
better.jpg
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
My fastest run today - everything was working great. Could always do with one more run of course - but today we were cut to 4 instead of 5 without warning!
My gopro 12 quality is incredible if you compare to my dashcam that I normally use. duh! The image stabilization and 4k quality is amazing.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
That's awesome James, looked like a tight course
James, Have you been playing with the QA1 compression and rebound settings? Curious where you've settled at?
Last edited by Just 1 More; 03-19-2024 at 02:58 PM.
I haven’t yet. I did some initial setting up and then we had a winter break with no racing. Then the accident and now only two weeks until the new engine and the next race only a week after that! I suspect I’m not going to be focused on them for a while.
Having said that, I’m very happy with the setup right now.
Here are my current settings though:
Front: c2 r4
Rear: c3 r5
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Now I'm back and recovered from my marathon motor swap trip, it's time to post about it here!
We left Austin on Tuesday with the car on a rented trailer, for a 16hr drive to Atlanta. It was a long day, we left at 3:30am!
2024-03-11 18.02.37.jpg
Wednesday morning we headed out to the shop. First job was to remove the motor from the 55 chevy it has been in since the early nineties. They've modified the intakes over the years, even with a blower at one point, but the motor hasn't been out of the car for 30 years. The motor bottom end was properly built with steel crank, pink rods, AFR heads - no need to touch any of that. Cam runs out at 6800, but engine can rev to 7500. (I later set my shift light at 6400, but no rev limiter)
It took us all day to disconnect and remove the motor - slower than we expected! But by end of the first day it was on the engine stand.
2024-03-13 10.57.52.jpg 2024-03-14 11.11.32.jpg
We took a trip to the local Summit Racing that evening and bought a bunch of parts. We reused my intake and carb, but had to buy a new oil pan, noisy gear drive (something I've always wanted) and a new 3.73 gear set (changed from my stock 3.27). Plus gaskets and some misc. Total was ~$1,000.
2024-03-13 17.58.19.jpg
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Day 2..
My first job was to remove my motor, while my friend worked on the new one, removing oil pan, swapping gear drive, cleaning up.
2024-03-14 07.24.20.jpg
You can see the original builder's name written on the crank from 30 years ago - the current owner's brother Alex. Also the "pink" rods.
2024-03-14 13.02.40.jpg
This second day was just as long and hard - we thought removing from my car would be easier with all the access, but it wasn't! We removed with the transmission attached and the tight tunnel made it tricky. But we got there!
End of day two we had the new motor buttoned up with my intake, carb, new oil pan and transmission attached. The clutch showed virtually no wear btw. This pic is the closest I have to end of day 2:
2024-03-14 13.24.23.jpg
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Day 3, the last day.
We had an assembled motor, so put it into the car. This part was easy.. by then we'd learned how best to do it, took under an hour to get it back in.
2024-03-15 06.54.25.jpg
Then it was adding radiator back, re-plumbing everything, timing, headers, etc etc. I experimented with a few alternator brackets but ended up with the factory header setup.. rock solid and easy. Got a 15555 belt, but have a 15557 on order for some extra wiggle.
Filled with PennGrade 10w40 green oil, added NGK R5671A-7 plugs at 50". Fired right up! Noisy as hell.. perfect! I've never had a SBC that can rev to 7500, let me tell you it is quite something. Changes the way you drive, and that gear drive whine.. wow.
The motor is a beast. I don't know what you guys with 500+ hp think, but this 400-430hp motor built to rev like this is kinda insane.
2024-03-15 16.04.49.jpg
There were two problems though.
1. I melted the electric fan.. literally. I tie-wrapped a wire to the fan cover, and although I spin-tested it, somehow the tie wrap moved to a position where the fan stopped. We smelled "something bad," but it took a minute to track it down. The fan and wiring were (literally) toast by then. Put in a new one!
2. This next one took longer and wasn't fixed until I got home after another 16hr drive on Saturday. The passenger side of the motor was covered in a fine mist of oil. Dripping from everywhere. Even the windshield had so much oil on it I couldn't see through it. Easy, right? Nope. I could not find the leak. Even the SHOCK was covered in oil.. how? That's a foot in front of the motor! In hindsight it makes sense, but took us a while. A racing friend from the local autocross club suggested something that made no sense to me. "Put a bolt in the top mounting hole on front of the engine". That was a blank hole for the 55 engine mount, now not used. But guess what.. the motor was issuing a very fine high-pressure mist from that "blank hole" above 4000 rpm. You'd never see it. Added a bolt, and DONE!
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
So with the rear ratio of 3.73 and the more hp (probably up from 250-270 to 400-430, pretty significant jump) AND revs up from 5200 to ~7000 - it's a very different car. At idle (now at ~1050rpm) it sounds evil.
When driving, it feels like the difference between a 9mm and a 12 gauge slug.
I can't wait to race it on Saturday - my next autocross.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
James,
Glad it's working out and coming together. Should be great fun.
Yup, there's just something special about 7,000. I shouldn't but...
Jim
2016 Mk4 Challenge Car, IRS, 3.31 Torsen, RDI Aluminum 427w, AFR 225s, Vic Jr. ProSystems 780 HP, TKO-600 w/Liberty mods. Forward cage. Levy 6/4 piston Wilwoods. Not completed yet, will be a streetable track car.
2004 Superformance MkIII #1855, 2007 Superformance MkIII #2584 purchased in 2012 both sold.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Seems we have very similar setups, i'm 401hp with a 3:73 gears. Except mines a 700R4 w/3500 stall. I'm looking forward to see how the new horses work with your driving skills.
Congrats on the upgrade, this sure is a fun hobby
Great story Jim, 3 day marathon is right, all exciting but I'm sure tiring too.
I'm sure it will be a blast to drive but squirely too, so obviously be careful
Jim
33 Hot Rod w/ 302 & Tremec T5; paint color is 68 Ford Mustang GT LimeGold
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...s-Build-Thread
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Nice run, looked smooth & fast.
How's the new motor? Meeting expectations?
Jim
2016 Mk4 Challenge Car, IRS, 3.31 Torsen, RDI Aluminum 427w, AFR 225s, Vic Jr. ProSystems 780 HP, TKO-600 w/Liberty mods. Forward cage. Levy 6/4 piston Wilwoods. Not completed yet, will be a streetable track car.
2004 Superformance MkIII #1855, 2007 Superformance MkIII #2584 purchased in 2012 both sold.
The new motor is fast! Ironically I was quite slow at the race as I had no idea how the car would run so was quite tentative and only running about 70%.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
I missed #3 even being in Australia for a few weeks, but event #4 was quite something - it was 150 miles away at Beeville, which is where they do the Texas Mile event I believe - an absolutely massive abandoned airfield that used to house B24-B29's (again, so I'm told). The runways were enormous - perhaps 100m wide? This course used an area where two runways crossed, and times ranged from 70sec (ridiculous race cars) to 120sec (novices). It was a looooong course to remember!
I had a lot of fun using the new power and rev range. The drive there and back was almost equally fun - 300 miles in a car that seems to spit flames nowadays.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Steering.. again.
So we've had a few threads on steering improvements, and many of us have tried a few different options. Well, I went through it again, this time with the full expectation that I was going to do something radical. Spoiler alert - it didn't work out that way
I started out thinking; I can make my steering go straight to the rack. Maybe two joints! I was quite convinced, but the longer you look at it, the more you realize that you just can't. It's SO CLOSE, though. I was going to rotate the rack so the spline pointed up by adding a wedge spacer. Then I placed a rod as below.
2024-04-07 10.56.15.jpg 2024-04-07 10.56.09.jpg 2024-04-07 10.55.57.jpg
I also tried a different way - behind the headers and straight through the firewall. They were close, and if I'd done this when building the car maybe you could tweak enough to make it work, but not in a built car.
I was quite disappointed!
So I went back to basics, what am I trying to fix? The answer - continually loosening joints. I've been through this cycle a few times. You start off with tight joints, and after 6-12 months the slop is back. The steering wheel moves up to an inch before anything happens at the rack.
I've seen a few theories, but digging in myself I didn't want to use other folks' assumptions. I wanted to find the slop. I measured the rotation at the wheel. Then I clamped on a piece of aluminum to the d-bar just before and after each joint, all the way through to the rack. The aluminum bar was the steering wheel radius. I measured the movement at each point, to pinpoint exactly where the movement changed.
I found two things.
The first was that the rack spline joint at the very end was again sloppy. The splines (on the joint) just get worn out by the hardened rack spline. But these are $30 joints so my practical and very simple solution - just replace that last joint once a year! I replaced my joint overnight from amazon. Done - and that was half the slop. Let's not fight it - treat it as a maintenance item.
Secondly, as I measured the slop, it was not the FFR joints themselves that had the movement, it was the D-bar-to-joint interface. This was very surprising to me - I assumed the UJ part of the joint was wearing out - not the case. The d-bar was rotating inside the joint, and the grub screw did nothing to stop it. In other words, if you clamped the joint you can feel the d-bar moving inside it.
My solution took some time, but bear with me because it really worked.
I removed the d-bars, all of them, and drilled straight through them, and tapped them. I got longer screws and replaced the grub screws with longer version that went into the d-bar, and held them tight. This changed the feel more than anything I've done before. It's some work to tap those d-bars, but so far so good.
As always, I'll report back in 6 months and tell you if this works long-term over many road/race miles and bumpy roads. Only time will tell. For now I have close to zero slop, and it changes the driving experience.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
That was my first thought - much easier. But it wouldn't work as well - the bolt would not be able to clamp the d-bar in place. It would stop some motion for sure, but the threaded version pulls the d-bar hard against the side of the joint. If you exaggerate the problem, think of the d-bar swimming in a much larger tube, you'll see what I mean
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Faced with configuring steering components, I see OEMs use spline shafts and pinch bolt (female) coupling. I have used that configuration exclusively in RWD and mid-engine and I never have steering shaft loosening issues.
I have seen D-shaft applications for crash-collapse but the engagement surface area is greater than the couplings you have documented. I assume you acknowledge that drilling the shaft reduces cross section and creates a stress riser.
jim
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Weird issue with my speedo.. I plan on calling autometer hotline tomorrow.
The pigtail was yanked out of the transmission sensor when the engine was pulled. We missed one wire to disconnect!
So yesterday I put in the new pigtail.. and there’s no signal getting to the Speedo. When I’m in calibration mode the number stays at zero when the rear wheels are in motion.
So I pulled the sensor out but it doesn’t look broken in any way. It could be but looks perfectly normal. So I went behind the dash and the ground is grounded and the feed wire voltage does change between stationary and moving. And the pigtail is similarly grounded on one wire (the grey).
This all worked before so I guess that the sensor didn’t like being yanked on and broken somehow subtly inside? Yet it generates a voltage signal. Now whether it’s the right one I don’t know. I’m just testing this with a standard 12v dc meter.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Oh and I did run a brand new temporary wire for the signal from pigtail to dash.. no difference
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
I know this probably doesn't help but, I eliminated and chance of a trans sender and went with the Autometer GPS module. Works great https://www.autometer.com/universal-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
I bought a stock GM sender from the local parts store, looks identical. I fitted it tonight and it worked perfectly. Comparing the old to the new, it was twisted 20deg so must have been broken inside.
Calibrating was interesting though - it was outputting twice the signal than the old one - it used be ~43000 per 2 mile, this new one is ~86000.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
James, how often would you say you are using your heater? If you were to built again would you still install the heater?
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage
Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
I have never used it.. ever. Didn’t even finish wiring the switch. With this new engine I didn’t even plumb the water line back in.
So, no, completely pointless. And I drive without windows in the winter.. just wear a coat!
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
My latest autocross at COTA this weekend was both a failure and a triumph Well, not really a failure but my first run was really hard to control, like my car would NOT stop wanting to spin, finally taking out 3 cones and me sheepishly crawling back to the grid. I crawled all over the car trying to see what had broken, only to finally discover that I'd pulled the handbrake on in grid, and kept it on throughout the whole first run.
I rarely use the handbrake, usually just stick it in first. But the grid was on a slight slope and I wanted to warm the engine, so..
So that was run 1:
Then I had a couple of better runs, a 41.7 and a 41.2, but you know.. meh. Fun and all, but slow. The car was fast on the straights, but couldn't make the turns. Look how wide I was on one of these runs:
33 sideways.jpeg
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
But then I had an "ah-ha" moment and realized that my new motor (50% more power, another 2000rpm redline) was simply getting me to the corners too fast to coast around. Sounds dumb I know, but with the old engine I could go around the corners as fast as I could get to them. Now I'm relearning the car, and have to brake much more into each corner. So on the last run I tried that. Hard acceleration followed by hard braking.. and I went from 41.2 to 39.9, which as you can imagine is a huge improvement. It felt slower, more relaxed, but was WAY quicker.
I've been about 85% of top pax for over a year, but with this run I jumped up to 91% of top pax - a massive improvement against the field. I'm pretty stoked, but cannot wait until the next event. We only got 4 runs this meet.
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100
Hopefully you can laugh about it now.. lol
James
FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100