TweakIt Racing's LS1 FD NASA TTS/ST2 Track Car Build

[Brent]

orginal thread from 08:
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...ead.php?t=5385

While it's not a rotary, it's still an FD and most of the stuff is still applicable.

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Post from around Aug 09:

Around November 08, I was just getting back to Afghanistan from my two weeks of Mid Tour leave and on a track/car high. I was browsing the forum and saw an ebay link to a gutted and caged LS1 FD project. Just by looking at it, I knew the owner had to be building it with a Rob and Big Al. My car and Rob's car have alot of the same main components, minus the engine of course.

I picked it up for a really good deal knowing I could part it out and make a pretty good profit, but decided to keep it instead. I really liked the cage in the car and with the car having most of the main components, I decided to finish the project and see how I like it. Since I wasn't going to be home for a while, and I originally wanted the car to be complete by the time I made it back to the states, I sent it to TweakIt Racing(Dan Chadwick/Brian Johns) who are very good friends of mine. I changed my plans after that and we have been taking our time. With my track schedule and Dan's AutoX schedule, the car took a backseat this summer/fall.

The car came with a ton of brand new stuff Here is a run down of some of the stuff that came with it(all of it is brand new) Here is the original listing from previous owner:

hinson super cars v8 conversion pacakge
subframe
transmission brace
torque arm
drive shift

ls1 v8 fully rebulit 0 miles(built for track use)
t56 transmission
stop tech st 40 big brake kit
atl fuel cell(22gal... can you say enduro here I come )
magnum racing seat
tein flex coilovers
tein edfc unit for flex coilovers
sparco quick release steering system
seibon carbon hood
front bumper
tilton pedal assembly
remote cable ajuster
front and rear sway bar (racing beat)
full race cage
painted car new but does have some scatches
hinson radiator (premium)
hinson headers
ls1 harness w/switch panel

That isn't a full list, but that was a good start. I have since picked up a few more things. Here are the larger items:
-Seibon Carbon Fiber Hatch w/ RE-A Carbon Fiber wing(currently getting my money's worth on the silver car)
-Accusump.. track essential for piece of mind IMO
-Tripoint Front Sway Bar with Widefoot Sway Bar Mounts and bronze bushings
-Maval converted full Manual Rack(really helps you feel what the car is doing)
-ATL surge tank and pump for fuel cell
-18x10 CCW Classics(currently on the silver car as well). I am prob. going to run these in the beginning, but I have since picked up another set of CCW Classics that are 17x10 and 17x12 which will allow me to run a 335 in the rear to help handle the extra torque the LS1 brings as well as keep the cost of tires down a little being they are 17's. That also means I will be adding Pettit Rear fender flares eventually. Haven't decided on the front flares though


They gutted everything in the car... almost too much. They gutted the rear hatch, doors, and CF hood to where they are just the exterior shell and of course everything on the inside. I'm fine with most of that as the cage is very stout, but the hatch would not support the glass I'm fairly certain(already have the new hatch though so problem solved). They also did things like cut the front bumper/radiator support(which I purchased and will have welded back on) basically leaving my fiberglass bumper as the only thing between the outside world and my engine bay... and the rear bumper reinforcement rebar(which will be going back on the car). I expect the car will weigh around 2400lbs... so prob. more like 2500-2600lbs

Here are some pictures of it. There really isn't too much left to do to it. We have to figure out some wiring, route the fuel lines, put the battery in, exhaust from headers back, and a couple of other minor things.

A few of the previous owners pictures from the listing:







And after I got it home:

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Ugly headlights that came with the car... but they will save me around 20lbs on each corner:

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

I'll post some updates as time permits. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the track as I've done 35 track days so far this summer/fall in my rotary FD :runaway:.

Brent[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Update from 11/03/09

The car is coming along and I'm hoping to have it completed by the end of the year, although I'm not in a rush as my goal is Mid January as my first event will be the NASA event at CMP in Feb. most likely. The harness that came with the car was reconfigured by the previous owner and after trying to identify it(many wires had been replaced as well as certain things were not in their correct location) I've decided to pick up one from Rod Tech(hopefully). I've emailed them a couple of times and have not received a response.

The brake system is now done pending pressurizing the system and checking for leaks. Here are a few pictures of the system and the lines Dan and Brian fabricated:





The 99+ larger brake duct/shields are a perfect fit for the stoptech's


Fuel system is getting there. The pump, in tank surge tank, and fuel cell are complete, hardlines going from the fuel cell to engine bay are made, and now need to connect the fuel cell to the lines and the lines to the fuel rails. The lines are ran on the inside passengerside of the car after thinking about it long and hard(that's what she said). We came to the conclusion that it would be safer running covered lines inside opposed to under the car due to the possibility or crushing/ puncturing the lines due to several different scenerio's. Here are all the fittings left to connect the dots



Battery relocation is coming very soon as well. I purchased a Optima Red Top and a box to put it in, but I realized when it showed up that the box is waaaay too big to fit where the bins use to be. Oh well, we'll make one.

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Yesterday, we changed the the Valley cover to a vented one as well as added an LS6 intake. That's one of the advantages of sharing a shop with Jerry, the owner of VetteSport and a Club Racer/AutoXer... good advice on engine stuff and parts available immediately. "yeah, let's do the valley cover and intake" "there is one on the engine right over there you can have for $XX". In order to make it work on my engine, we had to cut off the area you see in the picture:

Everything went smoothly and installed the new valley cover and intake.
Old and new one for comparison:


I had been very nervous about the weight distribution of the car. I was afraid it was going to be front heavy since everything in the rear had been removed. We finally put it on the scales a few weeks ago with all the main components on the car. It weighed 2254lbs dry with almost perfect weight distribution. It was a great relief! To give you an idea of how aggressive the car has been gutted, here is a picture of the door:


A little better pictureof the cage in the rear:


I think I have the exhaust sorted as well. I have the hinson y pipe and had been trying to figure out the last part of the exhaust and had planned to just put a turn down shortly after the y pipe. Well, I sold one of my other FD's as a roller and was pulling the engine, tranny, exhaust, etc... out of it last week. When I pulled the exhaust off, Dan noticed that it had a more aggressive bend than a normal FD catback. Looks like it is going to fit nicely around the fuel cell and everything else.

That's it for now.

Brent

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Update from this weekend:

Well, the last few weeks have been up and down... and all around. I ended up purchasing the Improved Racing oil pan baffle to also help with the oil issue these cars on the road course. The engine had to come back out to put it in. That was no big deal as nothing was attached to it yet. The transmission was already out to make remote bleeders for it. The first hiccup occurred when I purchased the wrong baffle from Improved Racing. I am very glad I purchased the baffle(otherwise I prob. wouldn't of pulled the engine and oil pan to notice I didn't have a windage tray). Mostly because it allowed me to see the bottom end of the engine. I've now seen the top and bottom of the engine and it looks like it's going to be a good engine. I also verified that is was balanced and the components used. I also discovered when the oil pan was off that the previous owner had not put a windage tray on when he was putting the engine back together after getting it back in short block form. I only assume that he was going to go back and put one in. I have now been through everything in the car with the exception of the rearend(which will be opened up to change the 4.1 to 3.9). Here is how the car sat on Friday morning:


Engine and Tranny out:



New Baffle test fit... it fit much better than the other one(the wrong one I ordered... haha):


With windage tray :


Bottom End:


Engine back in:



Fuel system is finished minus mounting the fuel filter in the bracket. Dan did a great job on it and I'm very pleased with how clean everything is. I also really like the black fittings opposed to the red/blue ones that everyone seems to use.



Vent:

Dan securing one of his brackets he made:

[Brent]

orginal thread from 08:
http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...ead.php?t=5385

While it's not a rotary, it's still an FD and most of the stuff is still applicable.

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Post from around Aug 09:

Around November 08, I was just getting back to Afghanistan from my two weeks of Mid Tour leave and on a track/car high. I was browsing the forum and saw an ebay link to a gutted and caged LS1 FD project. Just by looking at it, I knew the owner had to be building it with a Rob and Big Al. My car and Rob's car have alot of the same main components, minus the engine of course.

I picked it up for a really good deal knowing I could part it out and make a pretty good profit, but decided to keep it instead. I really liked the cage in the car and with the car having most of the main components, I decided to finish the project and see how I like it. Since I wasn't going to be home for a while, and I originally wanted the car to be complete by the time I made it back to the states, I sent it to TweakIt Racing(Dan Chadwick/Brian Johns) who are very good friends of mine. I changed my plans after that and we have been taking our time. With my track schedule and Dan's AutoX schedule, the car took a backseat this summer/fall.

The car came with a ton of brand new stuff Here is a run down of some of the stuff that came with it(all of it is brand new) Here is the original listing from previous owner:

hinson super cars v8 conversion pacakge
subframe
transmission brace
torque arm
drive shift

ls1 v8 fully rebulit 0 miles(built for track use)
t56 transmission
stop tech st 40 big brake kit
atl fuel cell(22gal... can you say enduro here I come )
magnum racing seat
tein flex coilovers
tein edfc unit for flex coilovers
sparco quick release steering system
seibon carbon hood
front bumper
tilton pedal assembly
remote cable ajuster
front and rear sway bar (racing beat)
full race cage
painted car new but does have some scatches
hinson radiator (premium)
hinson headers
ls1 harness w/switch panel

That isn't a full list, but that was a good start. I have since picked up a few more things. Here are the larger items:
-Seibon Carbon Fiber Hatch w/ RE-A Carbon Fiber wing(currently getting my money's worth on the silver car)
-Accusump.. track essential for piece of mind IMO
-Tripoint Front Sway Bar with Widefoot Sway Bar Mounts and bronze bushings
-Maval converted full Manual Rack(really helps you feel what the car is doing)
-ATL surge tank and pump for fuel cell
-18x10 CCW Classics(currently on the silver car as well). I am prob. going to run these in the beginning, but I have since picked up another set of CCW Classics that are 17x10 and 17x12 which will allow me to run a 335 in the rear to help handle the extra torque the LS1 brings as well as keep the cost of tires down a little being they are 17's. That also means I will be adding Pettit Rear fender flares eventually. Haven't decided on the front flares though


They gutted everything in the car... almost too much. They gutted the rear hatch, doors, and CF hood to where they are just the exterior shell and of course everything on the inside. I'm fine with most of that as the cage is very stout, but the hatch would not support the glass I'm fairly certain(already have the new hatch though so problem solved). They also did things like cut the front bumper/radiator support(which I purchased and will have welded back on) basically leaving my fiberglass bumper as the only thing between the outside world and my engine bay... and the rear bumper reinforcement rebar(which will be going back on the car). I expect the car will weigh around 2400lbs... so prob. more like 2500-2600lbs

Here are some pictures of it. There really isn't too much left to do to it. We have to figure out some wiring, route the fuel lines, put the battery in, exhaust from headers back, and a couple of other minor things.

A few of the previous owners pictures from the listing:







And after I got it home:

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Ugly headlights that came with the car... but they will save me around 20lbs on each corner:

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

I'll post some updates as time permits. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the track as I've done 35 track days so far this summer/fall in my rotary FD :runaway:.

Brent[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Update from 11/03/09

The car is coming along and I'm hoping to have it completed by the end of the year, although I'm not in a rush as my goal is Mid January as my first event will be the NASA event at CMP in Feb. most likely. The harness that came with the car was reconfigured by the previous owner and after trying to identify it(many wires had been replaced as well as certain things were not in their correct location) I've decided to pick up one from Rod Tech(hopefully). I've emailed them a couple of times and have not received a response.

The brake system is now done pending pressurizing the system and checking for leaks. Here are a few pictures of the system and the lines Dan and Brian fabricated:





The 99+ larger brake duct/shields are a perfect fit for the stoptech's


Fuel system is getting there. The pump, in tank surge tank, and fuel cell are complete, hardlines going from the fuel cell to engine bay are made, and now need to connect the fuel cell to the lines and the lines to the fuel rails. The lines are ran on the inside passengerside of the car after thinking about it long and hard(that's what she said). We came to the conclusion that it would be safer running covered lines inside opposed to under the car due to the possibility or crushing/ puncturing the lines due to several different scenerio's. Here are all the fittings left to connect the dots



Battery relocation is coming very soon as well. I purchased a Optima Red Top and a box to put it in, but I realized when it showed up that the box is waaaay too big to fit where the bins use to be. Oh well, we'll make one.

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Yesterday, we changed the the Valley cover to a vented one as well as added an LS6 intake. That's one of the advantages of sharing a shop with Jerry, the owner of VetteSport and a Club Racer/AutoXer... good advice on engine stuff and parts available immediately. "yeah, let's do the valley cover and intake" "there is one on the engine right over there you can have for $XX". In order to make it work on my engine, we had to cut off the area you see in the picture:

Everything went smoothly and installed the new valley cover and intake.
Old and new one for comparison:


I had been very nervous about the weight distribution of the car. I was afraid it was going to be front heavy since everything in the rear had been removed. We finally put it on the scales a few weeks ago with all the main components on the car. It weighed 2254lbs dry with almost perfect weight distribution. It was a great relief! To give you an idea of how aggressive the car has been gutted, here is a picture of the door:


A little better pictureof the cage in the rear:


I think I have the exhaust sorted as well. I have the hinson y pipe and had been trying to figure out the last part of the exhaust and had planned to just put a turn down shortly after the y pipe. Well, I sold one of my other FD's as a roller and was pulling the engine, tranny, exhaust, etc... out of it last week. When I pulled the exhaust off, Dan noticed that it had a more aggressive bend than a normal FD catback. Looks like it is going to fit nicely around the fuel cell and everything else.

That's it for now.

Brent

Originally Posted by Brent Dalton

Update from this weekend:

Well, the last few weeks have been up and down... and all around. I ended up purchasing the Improved Racing oil pan baffle to also help with the oil issue these cars on the road course. The engine had to come back out to put it in. That was no big deal as nothing was attached to it yet. The transmission was already out to make remote bleeders for it. The first hiccup occurred when I purchased the wrong baffle from Improved Racing. I am very glad I purchased the baffle(otherwise I prob. wouldn't of pulled the engine and oil pan to notice I didn't have a windage tray). Mostly because it allowed me to see the bottom end of the engine. I've now seen the top and bottom of the engine and it looks like it's going to be a good engine. I also verified that is was balanced and the components used. I also discovered when the oil pan was off that the previous owner had not put a windage tray on when he was putting the engine back together after getting it back in short block form. I only assume that he was going to go back and put one in. I have now been through everything in the car with the exception of the rearend(which will be opened up to change the 4.1 to 3.9). Here is how the car sat on Friday morning:


Engine and Tranny out:



New Baffle test fit... it fit much better than the other one(the wrong one I ordered... haha):


With windage tray :


Bottom End:


Engine back in:



Fuel system is finished minus mounting the fuel filter in the bracket. Dan did a great job on it and I'm very pleased with how clean everything is. I also really like the black fittings opposed to the red/blue ones that everyone seems to use.



Vent:

Dan securing one of his brackets he made: