Ok guys, here are some pictures and a little story about how we build our cars. I have been trying to get a camera loaned to me to take more pics but it hasn't happened. As soon as I can get my hands on one I will take more and post them up here.
Our first three cars were bought off the showroom floor, then converted. #61 was a flood car from Katrina. #60 was a car we had that we kept street legal (barely) for quite a while before turning it into a full race car.
Before each car gets a cage, they get completely stripped down to a bare shell. This takes about 2 days with 2-3 guys working on it. Sound deadening and water proofing gunk is taken out. Holes are cut in the tunnel over the fuel tank for the Grand-Am fueling system. Other holes in the car that we won't be needing get filled in - I.E. front firewall hole used to route A/C and Heater lines through.
Tip: Get some dry ice, and use a block of it at a time to freeze the stuff - hit it with a hammer and it shatters and you just pick the stuff up and throw away!
Then every seam in the car gets spot welded for stiffness. After that the cage gets built and put in. Our most recent cage (Cars #61 and #60) allows for a passenger seat since we rent the cars out to new drivers that need in-car instruction.
Then the whole car gets painted. We use Rhino-Liner in the footwells and underside of the car for some sound deadening and good durability.
Pictures at this point:
Also while getting the cage installed the fabricator cuts notches out of the ridge udnerneath the driver's seat so that we can mount the driver's seat super super low using a custom bracket.
While at the fabricators / cage installers shop / paint shop we start getting many of our custom components made (entirely out of aluminum). Water reservoir, pulleys, thermostat housing (just modifications to the stock one), Switch panel for the dashboard, mounting bracket for the AiM Dash, custom Ron Davis radiator, fueling system using a modified stock tank, rear firewall, seat brackets, battery box, our cold air intake, and fire resistant shifter boot. Also our custom front bumper bar, with radiator ducting and oil cooler brackets. And then our carbon fiber headlight replacements. Also, a ballast box gets made that mounts in place of a passenger seat, and allows for the cool suit cooler to be mounted on top of it.
All the parts that we fabricate get a nice coat or two of flat black primer. Any other pieces that we use from the original car such as the brake booster / master cylinder, etc. get cleaned and painted as well.
When we get the car back from the paint shop it is on a stand without any subframes / wheels / etc. We leave it that way for quite a while as we start building it.
Door latches and handles go in. Weatherstripping and rear windows go in. Rear stock bumper goes on and the racing trunk latches go on. The side mirrors go on, and a larger rear view mirror gets mounted to the roll cage. A quick release steering wheel hub gets welded onto the steering column. The pedals for the driver go in along with the brake booster and fluid reservoir, and the dash goes in with the switch panel. A fuse block goes in behind the switch panel but we don't wire anything up yet. The E-brake handle goes in (only used for transport).
We then start working on the fire system, using a SafeCraft fire bottle, and A/N Startlite line. One nozzle for the driver's feet, one for the trunk, and one for the engine bay.
In the engine bay, the ABS unit, Fuse Block, PCM and Battery boxes go in. The custom water reservoir goes in. We mount the CV Products remote oil filter housing that accepts the Fram HP-1 oil filter. The Fuel filter and Fuel pressure sensor are installed in place.
Underneath the car, we start running hard brake lines and fuel line (using the Startlite hose for the fuel line). We also run AiM sensor extension wires for transmission and differential temperature sensors.
We mount up the bumper bar and ducting. We then mount the Setrab oil coolers and run the oil lines.
In the trunk, we mount the dry-break system and run the fuel tubes to the tank. We run the check valve (a valve that allows the tank to breath but closes in case of rollover) line and send it down through the floor. The taillights go in and we run the wires for the taillights and wheel speed sensors. We run the wires through the quarter panel supports and into the cockpit that way, and hide them between the roll cage and rocker panel. The the rear firewall gets installed over the assembled fuel system to protect the driver / passenger should a fire break out in the trunk. We use the stock fuel pump with an auxiliary pump on the passenger side to pump fuel over to the driver's side. Then we attach Startlite hose to it and run it underneath the car up to the engine bay.
At this point the driver's and passenger seats get put in and the seat belts get put in. The passenger's seat and belts may get taken out depending on the next event for the car, however.
The windshield and rear glass get put in whenever the glass company can find the time to come do it (lol).
Around this time we've started running out of things that we can do while the car is on the stand, so we move the chassis over to the lift. Once we do this the differential gets rebuilt with a 512 gearset and Cusco limited slip differential. The rear coilovers (either Koni Spec double adjustable or JIC Single adjustable or JRZ triple adustable, depending on the car's application) are installed. The rear subframe is installed into the car, then the differential, and then all of the rear suspension is built. Half-shafts, hubs, control arms, and brake calipers are all stock. We run stainless steel braided soft brake lines, Racing Brake 2 piece slotted rotors, and Cobalt Friction racing brake pads. At this point the E-brake gets hooked the rest of the way up, and we are done with that end of the car until the very end of the build.
Now it's time for the motor (very sorry I don't have any pics right now!). Our motors are rebuilt at MazMart in Atlanta, and have the ReMedy water pumps which are then machined and matched to each motor for us. They also come with provisions for the A/N line oil system. Our mechanics here are very quick at turning short blocks into long blocks, and have it done in around an hour. Equal-length exhaust headers go on, and then we set the motor onto the sub-frame outside of the car. At this point we bolt up a transmission.
Then the whole assembly goes under the car and the chassis gets set down on top of the subframe. A couple nuts and bolts go in an voila! The car now has a motor! Water lines are then made and installed, and the oil lines are hooked up the rest of the way.
And now for the time consuming part: wiring the car. We begin stripping down the stock wiring harnesses, removing everything we don't need. The engine harness stays the same. The engine bay and under dash harnesses get very stripped though. And we make our own trunk harness (nothing electrical back there but taillights and wheel speed sensors). AiM Sensor wires (for analog inputs; fuel pressure, oil temp, oil pressure) are run into the cockpit and plugged into the AiM dash. Then we put our wiring harness in place and start wrapping it to make it look nice. The PCM goes in. The radiator fan gets put in. And then the Kill Switch solenoid is installed and wired up.
Underneath the dash all the switches (Master [2 of them], Ignition, Start button, Fan, Fuel pump, cool suit, and Wipers) are wired up and the AiM dash is installed and hooked up. Then we install the GPS unit for the AiM, and install wiring and antenna for the radio.
After everything is in the engine bay looks something like this:
ROAR RX-8 Grand Am Koni ST Car
I need door bars....
Linear Mode
