"Ray's AKA demonfire's XR4Ti build up"

Documenting your big project with photos/videos? Have photos/videos to share of anything Merkur related? Place your links to photos and videos here. Please - Merkurs and Merkur-related pictures only. Cosworths welcome!!
Carlisle and event related pictures are to be placed in the relevant section under 'Events'.
Post Reply
Merkur Club web site
smoke3006
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:48 am
Location: CT

"Ray's AKA demonfire's XR4Ti build up"

Post by smoke3006 »

Ray's been posting the progress of his XR for awhile now on another site.
I'm just moving his posts from there to here (as requested by others here)
Going to take awhile so to start things off:


XR4Ti Build Progress - 10/9/04

Well, some of you know that i was getting this... soon to be hopefully rebuilt and running car. But for now, here are some pics. here is this past spring.

where she was
Image
Image

no that's not rust, just stuff that is built up on the paint.

Image

this used to be my mom's car (well my father's but she drove it). in 10/95, the motor lost compression and had some electrical problems. almost 9 years to the day. they parked it, put it on blocks, and basically forgot about it.

so, i've been watching this car sit since i was 15, and i've wanted it since well before that.



so...

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image



so we flatbed her to her new home, which will be under my deck until we get her running and such. but i couldn't let a car like this sit, that dirty.

surprisingly, most of the algal accumulation came off easy.

Image
Image
Image

last night i checked the trunk and floors, and no water
vacuumed the car, cleaned out a bunch of garbage (for instance, coupons that expired in 93. seriously. 93.)

put coolant in the coolant reservoir, and checked to see if the motor was frozen.

nope. she moves pretty easy, and the coolant, when you are turning the motor by hand (with a wrench, silly) seems to circulate. nice. even the hoses seem in good shape.

WTF? how could this be? lol.
sam
'86 Regency Red Metallic XR4Ti -Blood Monkey

Cure your fever:
http://www.morecowbell.dj/
smoke3006
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:48 am
Location: CT

Post by smoke3006 »

10/10/04
Compression Check Results:

Cylinder 1 - 130 PSI
Cylinder 2 - 90 PSI
Cylinder 3 - 100 PSI
Cylinder 4 - 10 PSI

Yes, 10. Not 100.
Today Did that, replaced some fuel line that was shot, as well as some vacuum (boost? ) line, got new plugs, gapped them to 0.034", installed new cap and rotor.

Tomorrow gonna do the fuel filter (fun) and maybe start on pulling the head, but i think i'll save that till next weekend.

edit: time to give BAT a call. gonna order the competition head gasket, belt for the alternator / water pump, and a timing belt with tensioner.


10/18/04
teardown pics.
mostly so i remember where lines go.

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

what do you think?
sam
'86 Regency Red Metallic XR4Ti -Blood Monkey

Cure your fever:
http://www.morecowbell.dj/
smoke3006
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:48 am
Location: CT

Post by smoke3006 »

10/18/04
valve cover, upper and lower intake manifold, thermostat housing, coolant manifold, turbo up pipe painted.
Image
sam
'86 Regency Red Metallic XR4Ti -Blood Monkey

Cure your fever:
http://www.morecowbell.dj/
User avatar
Ray
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
Location: CT, USA

Post by Ray »

11.4.04

Image
Image
Image

Head pics of install...

Image
Image
Image
Image

Interior:

before...

Image

and now (not done yet)
Image
cover is held on with 3m surebonder spray adhesive. it will not slide. ever.

Tail of the car before...
Image

and now

Image
Image


Once i figure out the timing, i should have her running. Then i have to find out where i can fit this monster FMIC i got... (volvo IC, 23" x 17" core, 29" at inlet, 2.5" inlet / outlet.... 1" thick. ugh. gonna be a squeeze)


4.9.05

Image

repainted side trim, tinted tails...

mocked up the intercooler mounting after removal of the AC system
Image

yes, that's the IC. no, that's not the radiator. Yes, it's big.



Image
and here is my super custom K&N filter that is just sitting over the stock air tube. adds at least 509q28348905a;a hp.


2.4.06
Car's been sleeping for winter, but here are some pics (exterior pics from november, race bucket, turbo timer, etc, from today)
it's been nice out so i made a panel for the turbo timer and installed that. put the battery in, tested it out (works great, i like it), let it warm up, shut down, etc.
anyway

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

2.6.06
just made myself a rear strut bar.
my first venture in aluminum construction. i much prefer welding steel.
Image

Image

Image
i still need to put two bolts thru the floorpan for the lower support, but that's basically it.

next up...

Image

2.22.06

heh, thanks sam

Image

Image

Image


3.24.06

Well, suspension is well underway. sorry for the poor quality images - my camera is ... lacking.

Details -

oem setup is something like 97lb/in front springs, rears are a little more.


new setup -

hypercoil 500lb/in front coilover
hypercoil 850lb/in rear
koni yellows
powerflex bushings
nylon steering rack, inner and outer STA bushings (rear control arms)
mc2racing rear diff mount (1lb - aluminum and polyurethane)

anyway, onto the pics


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

yes, that's nylon
Image


3.26.06

little bit of chassis stiffness...

Image

i welded some plates to the front, as well, to make it more rigid to the chassis...

Image

Image

Image



rear suspension...
Image

and new stance. yes i know the rear tires set in too far - they're focus wheels with focus offset. i put some hubcentric spacers in the front with longer ARP wheel studs.


Image

4.5.06

no explanation needed. new FMIC

Image

aluminum flat stock, a cutter, a vice for the bends, and stainless hardware. also clearance to radiator.
Image"http://www.roadtrippin.org/"

new charge piping from our new sponsor, racing solutions (nice stuff), all mandrel, test fit, cut, tacked, test fit, welded, painted. ignore the mess. yes i know i have too much ****.

Image

and installed
Image

Image

again, radiator clearance
Image

my baby's new grin
Image


also completed --

all new wheel bearings / races/ rear brakes (and wheel cylinders / hardware) - courtesy of mc2racing.
synthetic wheel bearing grease


4.28.06

Progress pics

Relocation of battery pics
Image

Image

Image

Thanks drew for the dist block.



Focus pedals fit merkurs. Schwing! i can actually heel/toe now.
Image


Heat shield for the filter...
Image




And rubber (thanks schnack for the tires, autoXchick for the wheels)
Image

Image


For Those Who Ponder Pinch? :lol:

Image


first autoX
5.1.06
only pic so far of saturday's event
Image


Image

Image

you can see a fairly clean run, versus a not so clean run. tried a different rear tire pressure. didn't work. and they changed the course btwn that run and the one i had before (note: it's where i killed the cones).

:lol:

8.11.06


here are the pics of recent progress. next up is cleaning the interior (grinding, cutting, and welding makes a mess) then painting hte whole shebang white.


t5 to bellhousing junction
Image

clutch cable thru bellhousing - had to cut steel on bracket (seen) to fit cable
Image

clutch pivot from cable to fork (two views)
Image

Image

had to cut about 2" of steel in front of the shifter plate, and about 1/2" to the dirvers side to fit the t5 shifter
Image

used a mustang driveshaft - so here is the adapter
Image

all of this and i wanted a harness bar, and while i was at it, a cross bar. this took a while (mostly test fitting, grinding, test fitting). wanted it to mate really nicely. the plate is 16ga stainless on the rear pickup.

harness bar
Image

Image

this shows the angle of the harness bar to the seat harness points - shouldn't have a problem with spinal compression with this angle
Image

cross bar rear mount
Image

top mount (i like how it says momo in the rearview)
Image

and the whole thing - before you comment , YES i just ordered new lift struts.
Image

current status is the raw steel is painted. this weekend /next week i'm going to clean, mask off the car, and paint the rest of that crap white (not the rear brace i like it shiny)

10.14.06
Just an update:

limited slip is in, i'm going to miss the whining sound my other diff made, but it's okay, hopefully i get more grip. Race season is drawing to a close with me STILL troubleshooting a vibration i've had since the t5 install. Yes i'm working with some XR people but have yet to find a solution. trying a couple things this afternoon, if that doesn't work then i'll co-drive someone else's car @ tomorrow's event. a reputable guy out in seattle (john vanlandingham) is confident it's the t5 crossmember (basically it's just a flat piece of steel) that is the culprit, and i'm likely to believe him as he kinda knows his way around these cars. but, sadly, that wont be ready before tomorrow.


Next up - (sean you'll like this) - so anyway i saw that gene had made fox mustang camber plates fit... so of course, i ordered some as i would love to be able to do that as well. basically you cut the top off the strut towers under the hood, weld and reinforce plates... slot and cut the plates to fit the camber plates, and voila.



it's really funny, when someone asks what's done to the car, etc etc etc, but all they wanna know is "how much power" do i make - when the answer is, enough. no i dont need more. no i haven't really considered adding more power. yes i've been working on making it stick better. no the brakes are still stock (but new). yes, they kinda suck. no, i wont do a burnout. yes, if you come next weekend i'll take you for a fun run at the track. no, you have to race that day. yes, you need a helmet.

*lol*

10.16.06

at the end of our long straight i was deep into 3rd gear. fast course.

CART has their images up
Image

Image



10.20.06
Thanks (a big thanks) to Gene for much inspiration.

Basically i bought 1/4" plate (top) and 1/8" x 1.25" flat stock (riser)

Then i mapped out the area (still havne't cut the car) with some measurements, transferred to cardboard. Note: Koni spring perches (that i cut off for the coilovers) are 6" around, used that for my circle. then, referencing gene's pics, i marked my slot. Cut them with an oxy torch (first time, i know i need to finish cleaning up the cuts), ground that out, then went to town with the flat stock.

anyway, pics.

Image

Image

Image [/SIZE]

Image

10.21.06

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

11.6.06
[QUOTE=hEaT]Pics I took that are in the vid:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Pics would have come out better if there was more light out. Next time.[/QUOTE]

1.3.07
Big VAM from a TC, painted black (i have to keep my theme!)
Image

LA3 all repinned and the new wires run
Image
wideband o2 gauge
Image
Motor mounts
Image
Image
You can see the wideband o2 sensor behind the mount in this pic
Image

3.16.07

first here we have the new pulleys sitting next to the old. i was also suprised at the size difference.
Image

water pump pulley comparo:
Image

crank pulley comparo:
Image



here is looking down at the crank (left side/ pass side). i notice now maybe i should have cleaned / painted the water pump. decided against it. reference sticker on back window. then again, dirt has mass...
Image

same thing, another view.
Image

cossie replica ABS hood vents:
Here's a funny little aside: So i cut big holes out of my hood. Then i painted the vents with krylon fusion white and stuck em on the car. noticed that krylon fusion white wasn't even close to merkur white. oh well, i thought. anyway, so i figured i'd redo it. so i took a piece of hood and a roll of blue painters tape down to advance auto, and taped off the piece with little swatches left. tested a bunch of different whites. one customer was looking at me really odd (the guys there didn't mind at all). so anyway i told the customer "I cut a piece of hood off to match color." he replied "wow... hardcore..." heh. anyway it's duplicolor bright white cc. and yes i riveted it on.


Image

Image

Image



in addition, my RT615's came in last night but i didn't take a picture of unmounted tires. it's snowing now so no real progress today probably.

3.18.07

so one of my sway bar bracket bolts was stripped. went out and got some nice grade 10.9 bolts. found out that the nut (on the frame rail, inner) was helicoiled and THAT was stripped.

Out came the cutting tools.

Couple notes:
1. that was a bitch to weld. no comments on the welds. i couldn't see exactly what i was doing and i couldn't fit under the dash with my mask so it was a closed eye type thing.
2. the mud / dirt / etc under the car is from an off course at waterford last year. no, i haven't cleaned under the car since then. I sprayed mud probably 30 feet behind me when i went off track, sideways. whoopsie.

anyway, pics.

first we have the offending bolt sitting next to the offending helicoil.
Image

next, looking thru holes i cut in the floor at the offending nut that was stripped out.
Image

another view, to give an idea of location.
Image

welded. well, partially. finished after this pic, used the camera to see what was left. lol
Image

another view.
Image

ahhh, finally with studs. anyone who's ever had to remount these brackets CURSES the bolts. not anymore.

**side note - you need to slightly slot the holes on the support bar outwards**
Image

another view.
Image

and another. ignore the mud.
Image

mind you this was done on a gravel driveway with packed snow / ice on it. not the most comfortable.



3.30.07

what a conglomeration...

16 x 7 mustang pony wheels (22mm ET)
SVT focus rotors
2003 Mustang GT calipers
Gonna need custom brackets, but here is mockup.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image



forgive the crappy quality my camera sucks @ twilight.

Got the tires mounted / balanced. also got an alignment done and indexed the camber plates. right now at 2.5 degrees negative camber and 2.8 degrees caster (to the rear whatever that is). zero total toe front for now.

had to raise the front of the car about 1.25" or so, but hey, that's why it's adjustable.

overall stance
Image

front tire (it's slightly turned it doesn't stick THAT far out)
Image


rear
Image



4.19.07
Rollin' at altered image customs

figured with the new wheels and tires it was time to MAKE them fit.
as you see the guys there are happy to work on your car... lol

Image

"i dont wanna mess the fender up" ... heh, i said "it's a race car, not a show car!"

in use
Image


not too shabby
Image

so i went home and noticed that a piece of the bumper bracket thingy was too close to the tire and rubbed that a little. out came the safety glasses and the dremel with a cut off wheel. cut maybe 1" x 2" out, nothing structural, just part of the excess stamp.

then came the sand out and clean and tape up and paint. i didn't get pics of that.

so with the arches that bolt to the fenders going on the part that is kinda flat now, how do you make the arches stick? i cut the bottom out so that it just kinda goes on the fender, then tried double sided industrial tape. worked but i didn't know if they would hold. then i thought... hmmmm... and broke out the drill.

Image


industrial!

from the inside. you can see where the oem holes are for the flares. needless to say they would not work anymore.

Image

lowered the car about 2" or so for test purposes (might keep it like this)
Image

Image


4.20.07
long day. got the 300mm SVT focus rotors on and working with the mustang calipers. from what i know i'm the first one to use this setup.

started around 9am clearancing the fenders, cutting away unneeded material that just would cause some rub, then i decided oh what the hell it's only 10:30am i'll mock the brakes up.


that turned into making them work.

needless to say i didn't have brackets to mount the mustang calipers to a merkur knuckle... but i do have a welder, a sawzall, a die grinder, a dremel, a drill, and patience.

so i made my own.

first things first. this is for you lorin:
Image


better pic of the rear stickers (in memory of gary).
Image

Image


early american plates, baby!
Image


so i made some brackets. thsi was the first one. went on an angle and all that. 1" x 1/8" flatstock, tripled up in places. ended up painting the brackets with VHT black caliper paint before final assbly.

Image

Image

that right there is a few hours of measuring, cutting, welding, drilling, tapping (i threaded the holes for the bracket to knuckle as well)

decided to go with an easier to make design for the other side.
Image

Image

Image

and... making the calipers fit.
Image

yes it's all together. yes i'll get pics of the assembled brakes.

4.21.07

anyway i took a couple pics of the installed brakes.

omni you owe me a beer.
Image
Image

4.24.07 - birth of my daughter

5.13.07
Okay so i know a lot of us merkur guys have that always on, sometimes flashing, etc lights in the center stack. Also my lamp failure indicators never seemed to work right after mid last year. so i took out the modules, located above the ECU behind the glove box. This requires removing (sliding) two long C shaped clips off the body to free the panel, then you take the wiring out. I took some pics, as well.

Here we have the offending module boxes.
Image

here we see how they are crimped. to gain access to the boards i just used a screwdriver and bent the metal back a bit.
Image

here is the light control module, i started to already resolder this one. it wasn't in bad shape, but i redid all the points anyway.
Image

another closer view
Image

this one (the other module) was a bit nastier. not only did we have corrosion, two of the lines were broken (fixed in later images)
Image

zoomed out view a little.
Image

another view. at this point i think i had already started to resolder.


Image

resoldering complete. i used some teflon coated 20ga wire to reconnect the pins that had broken leads on the board.
Image

all done. i also sprayed the boards with electronic grade clear coat to protect them for at least another 22 years.
Image


to recrimp the case around the board i just used some vice grips and lightly pressed them back. then i filled the pins for the wiring connector with dielectric grease and resinstalled in the vehicle.

After resintallation, everything works wonderfully.

5.21.07
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

5.26.07
front clip:
Image

and of course...

Image

6.2.07


some air filter heat shield decor...
Image

Image

Image

Poland Springs brand FMIC spray. (vacuum line, water source, air compressor)
Image



7.3.07

Well this was a pain in the ass. Fairly straight forward and simple, but still a pain.

3/8" stainless braided fuel lines
Russell fittings
turbojoe 0.550" ID fuel rail
proflow 25-75psi 1:1 boost reference raise rail
etc.

this winter i might send my car to the fab shop to have an aluminum fuel cell made up, and to finish the roll cage. (halo, a pillar, thru firewall to front shock towers.- now accepting donations :lol: )


I still need to fab up a mount for the regulator. going to just go with some aluminum flat stock or something.
anyway, pics.
Image

Image

Image

Image


8.31.07


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

wheels got some paint too.

clean with dish detergent, wetsand with 400 grit, preclean with paint precleaner, tape, clean again, self etch prime, then a few coats of white.
Image

Image

Image


9.11.07
The buzzing / rattling sound is the lenscap on the harness bar. Sorry.

First run recorded is my second run, which was also my worst time. I think i also recorded runs 4 and 5. The 5th was my best by about 0.8 seconds (you can see if you watch i was a lot more ... throttle judicious.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BmJvQ4kvaY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyUcUdbeDk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfihEYm8TFU

Image

Image



10.4.07
couple new pics of the new rear end stance, and some of my baby wearing her new favorite shirt (thanks sam) :)

Image

Image


break out your "awwwwww" face...

here's my daughter in the race bucket
Image

Image

Image



11.11.07

Was able to mount the cooler where john said. sits right in front of my charge cooler so that's convienent. Had to rotate the spin on plate for the block up and back to get the lines able to clear random things like the engine, the dizzy, and the dipstick.

Now, IN is the upper port and OUT is the bottom port, right? (upper being out on the side)


Also, while installing this we (Sam) found that the bolt holding the oem water cooling unit on was very not that tight (ie, loose), which would do a lot to explain why that side of my engine was always covered in oil.

Also found out that using this plate required the use of a shorter filter, as the normal merkur one (which is also used on like every ford truck since 197x) and taurus's, tempos, etc etc etc, so we had to switch to a v8 filter from a mustang, crown vic, or any other ford V8


Pics to follow.


here is the angle we had to rotate the plate so that the lines were able to go on
Image

another view
Image

another view again
Image

here is the oil cooler and intercooler
Image

here is the "return" line from the cooler
Image

random picture of the lines
Image


1.9.08
It may be winter (which, btw, kris is something you should know about), but i'm still doing a few things...

Messed with the exhaust the other day, (pics to follow, provided it works out, it might not)

and just got these precious little gems in...


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


1.13.08

got some progress made today before we get a foot or so of snow.
operating with no garage leaves me a victim to the elements.

factory lower reciever
Image

factory shock tower (inside). this was cleaned up a bit by removing the underbody coating (dremel) then self etch primed and painted flat black. will have to grind out a little more i think tho.
Image

getting started on the lower reciever. moved the attachment point up and out to clearance the spring and damper. also ground out some of the STA (just part of the pinch) for clearance. steel is 1.25" x .125" flat stock, which i doubled up.
Image


installed. note lower strap to STA for extra bracing. would like some input on whether or not this is strong enough. it looks strong enough but i might add a vertical brace as well.
Image

camera focused on my driveway, but this shows another angle.
Image

crappy out of focus picture of the lower strap brace.
Image

pass side with the damper mounted.
Image

showing the amount of gap in the bolt. this will be rectified with a washer, or a nylon washer, or extra steel welded in.
Image

looking up, showing clearance to the fender wall. this was massaged with a hammer. by moving the lower mount to where i did, i ganed enough room to not have to cut the fenders. score.
Image

another view. mockup was done with joe's (hEaT's) front coilover spring, which has the exact same OD of the springs i will be using. (3.560") no problems.
Image

inside was braced with more flat stock, square tubing, and more flat stock. the square tubing was notched to fit the damper top snug, then the flat stock that goes around the damper top was bent, then hammered into a curve to fit the shape. this will add a lot of strength, plus eliminates a lot of void. took a while, but i think it came out nice. the flat stock extends past the factory weld on each side, and is seam welded throughout.
Image

other side.
Image

thoughts? opinions? things i need to do that i missed? i have no problem adding more support, but after 8 hours straight on no food i was kinda beat by the end of the day.



1.16.08

Lower reciever not quite done yet, but i moved the upper mounting location a little out, and down. This gives more fender clearance, and allows the springs to fully seat. The holes were reinforced with some 0.125" steel that was welded in.

In addition, the springs came in today, which are hypercoil 2.5" ID 12" long 325lb/in springs (thanks mc2racing!) and i dont anticipate any clearance problems. btwn 1/8 and 1/4" clearance at full droop, which is when the springs are closest to the fenders. As shown, the springs are at pretty close to max height. I just set them like this as i am not going to be driving the car for at least 3 more months.

Drivers side upper reciever (yes, plates are welded on both sides). note the slight change in location.
Image

Pass side
Image

Pass side with spring installed
Image

Pass side clearance is more than it looks, camera angle makes it look tighter
Image

Drivers side spring installed:
Image

And clearance:
Image


1.17.08

I know this must not be exciting to most people, but apparently it takes a lot of work to make coilovers work in the rear of the car, and be strong enough for track use...

Anyway...

Made the other brace.

First, here is where i am working on the car. Note: I have a wicked nasty head cold and i feel like complete ass, but i'm home sick and i cant sit still.

Image

Now, i made some braces that triangulate the mount. On the inside is a piece of steel that is seam welded to box everythign in. I welded that to the brace on the bench, and the welds came out uber nice. rolled dime perfect looking. Put it on the car and i couldn't get the gun in there easily, plus i could barely see, so i went in blind and shot more weld than god at it. Overkill doesn't always look pretty, but it's strong.

Image

Image

note how the brace is recessed to allow bolt access. This little step would have been easy to miss and would have made removing that bolt really fun.
Image

And for giggles, i made this last week. Remove three nuts (the bolts are welded in) and voila. open downpipe. It dumps under the mid / front of the pass door.
Image



4.7.08

first (members only) event yesterday. car is much more controllable now.

Image

Image

having a lot of trouble getting the power to the ground - a decent bit of wheelspin. oh well, right?


4.16.08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS9psAWQzlg


4.28.08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa-WDs__JLs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6lMh4ydYyA

matt did do better than me - but i have to say, only by 0.012 seconds, and i did shave another 0.150 off on the fun run. my first three runs sucked, i simply wasn't on my game, couldn't tie it together.


as for my codriver, who seems to be excelling at an amazing rate - decided to turn the fun run with him into a "FUN RUN" as balls out resulted in a couple spins. yes, twice. on the same run.

heh. no, no video, but i kinda wish we got that.

and yeah no more lifting inner rear. kinda looks like we're "Almost" back to lifting inner front.

some few pics. of my codriver.

Image

Image

Image

and the "team" (we're on the right. )
Image



5.5.08

some more pics courtesy of NETC

3.3 degrees of front camber looks interesting i guess... (2.5 in the rear static)

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image




that's it so far.
Last edited by Ray on Tue May 13, 2008 7:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
User avatar
Stealth_xr
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 404
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:50 am
Location: Terryville,CT
Contact:

Post by Stealth_xr »

looking good keep up the good work.
anglin
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 2449
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Post by anglin »

Oh snap! Now thread exists! Looks like Sam gave this project a swift kick in the pants. There are so many damn pictures on this page that it killed my home PC. I had to wait until I got to school to view the whole thing (1GB RAM vs. 0.256 GB RAM).
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
User avatar
Ray
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
Location: CT, USA

Post by Ray »

yeah, i probably should have not put quite so many pics in. forgot that ... well it takes forever to load. probably pissed off EVERYONE who's viewed the thread.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
hEaT
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 3880
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 10:12 pm
Location: USA

Post by hEaT »

Just make them multiple replies so it splits it up over a few pages.
Frag
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 2256
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2003 12:41 am
Location: Seattle, Wa
Contact:

Post by Frag »

I started a similar thread on our local PHPbb forum. It's chock full of pics like this one. Since the forum is hosted on a low bandwidth connection I used [url] instead of [img] to link to them. That way the connection wouldn't get over saturated when viewing that thread since you have to click on each link to view the pic. You might try the same.
:)
User avatar
MerlinMerkur
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 1184
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:52 am
Location: Columbia, SC

Post by MerlinMerkur »

I like it!
Gives me at least a couple ideas too..

You said you had 3.3* front camber and 2.2ish rear (stock)? I saw you chalked the tires too, how did they rub out?
Stay flat in corners? What sway bar are you using fr/rr?
I think you said you had 225/45/50?-16's Falken 615s on 16X7s?

How's 500lb fronts off track? if you drive it on the "road".
OH one last thing lol...
Did you look into regulations for SCCA about that roll-cage you put in as to there specs for say club racing or maybe NSA HPDE events?
Does that work? How did they "check" it? I cant seem to get a clear answer from anyone on it...

Sorry lol, Im just fine tuning mine for AXing and would like to know what not to waste time and money on! Seems you've done all my work for me!

~TE
~Travis
87.5 Mono XR- LA3, FMIC, Adj Cam, Gillis, CAI/Cone, +15% rates - Koni adj, Coss frnt/rr sways, rr brc., Ported manis, 3" DP w/dualz, PBRs, rear disks and enough gadjets and switches to make Batman jealous! And more comin! Speak up.
User avatar
Ray
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
Location: CT, USA

Post by Ray »

MerlinMerkur wrote:I like it!
Gives me at least a couple ideas too..

You said you had 3.3* front camber and 2.2ish rear (stock)? I saw you chalked the tires too, how did they rub out?
Stay flat in corners? What sway bar are you using fr/rr?
I think you said you had 225/45/50?-16's Falken 615s on 16X7s?
camber seems to be working really well. the tires dont rub out past the imaginary line that you dont want to pass, if that makes sense. i should take some pictures of the tires to give an idea.

Flat in corners - yes. if you look at the pics - the inner tires are starting to lift and there is nearly no roll.

Stock swaybars front / rear. might upgrade to the 16mm rear bar but for now the car is very well balanced.

tires are 225/50/16 azenis RT615s. a little tall. a little big. some modifications were necessary to the front bumper, plastic covers over the rockers. had to roll the fenders in the front, and cut a little out of the inner fender in the rear (the lip) then add more material in. i would recommend a 215/45/16 to not mod the bodywork at all.
MerlinMerkur wrote:
How's 500lb fronts off track? if you drive it on the "road".
OH one last thing lol...
Did you look into regulations for SCCA about that roll-cage you put in as to there specs for say club racing or maybe NSA HPDE events?
Does that work? How did they "check" it? I cant seem to get a clear answer from anyone on it...

Sorry lol, Im just fine tuning mine for AXing and would like to know what not to waste time and money on! Seems you've done all my work for me!

~TE
The car isn't the most comfortable on the street. It's livable. The minimalist race bucket is more of a headache than the suspension. That and the floorboards get pretty hot during summer days.

The "cage" is simply an autopower 4 pt bolt in kit that i welded in, added a harness bar and cross brace to. It would NOT pass tech as the main hoop's bend is more than 190*, or damned close to it, the cross brace goes from top drivers to shock, not to lower pass, and there is no halo bar or a pillar bars. If i decide to get into w2w racing i'd need to have another built. Already have a shop lined up but $'s are limited and that's more of an expense than i'm willing to spend right now since i'm only autoXing.

edit
as for some more information as to the setup and "feel":

Like i said in the other thread - the ride height right now is a balancing act of sorts. With the non-coilover rears i lifted inner front - even on street tires (615's). This was great for pictures but mid corner when the tire lifted you would dive into understeer, then the tire would come back down, get more grip, and the rear would step out - fast. Fun as hell. Not the fastest way.

So i revised the rear suspension after some long discussion with anglin and grayon, settled on spring rates and lengths, and dampers. The dampers are QA1 Carerra 4/4s, threaded body, 25.5" expanded, 15.5" collapsed.

First couple outings with the new rear felt amazing. Car cornered really well with no hints of that snap oversteer from last season. Unfortunately, analyzing the videos showed why - the rear inner was lifting. This also explained the complete lack of corner exit traction. Decided to just try lowering the rear (12.5" from fender lip to center of axle nut). This fixed that problem - the car was a little more prone to oversteer (power on) and is neutral on power slightly on mid corner. Trailbraking is not necessary but can help to adjust attitude on corner entry. The angle of the vehicle mid corner is almost immediately adjustable with the throttle. Now, the front ALMOST lifts, but doesnt. Seems i'm getting close to the "sweet spot". I know i still need to corner balance the car.

That all being said, the existing setup proves to do very well in tight transitions, sweepers (be careful with the throttle, heh), etc.

With the camber up front, of my complete lack of braking adjustment, the fronts are super easy to lock. That's the thing i really have to watch out for.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
yottabit
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:49 am
Location: Nashua, NH

Post by yottabit »

Very cool and inspirational! Glad you took the time to put this thread together for us.
User avatar
Ray
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am
Location: CT, USA

Post by Ray »

Test fitting the slicks, plus the cutest model in the world posed on my car.


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

(yes i was right with her the whole time)
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT
http://www.cartct.com
anglin
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 2449
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:20 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Post by anglin »

Awesome pics! I'm really liking the development that this car is going through. With those race compound tires... do I need to finish that sentence? Mmmm.
Anglin email: - anglin at mc2racing.com
www.mc2racing.com
hEaT
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 3880
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 10:12 pm
Location: USA

Post by hEaT »

Car looks awesome with those Motegis.
Post Reply