The track car

[25Horseplay]

Just shift when the valves float!

[oxbrain]

That is the plan for now. The wiring has been modified quite a bit to put the cluster in the center and the ecu over on the passenger side. I have to check and make sure the wire for the tach wasn't cut. If it's intact I'd like to find a tach cluster and throw it in.

I also have to wire a battery disconnect switch. Right now it's set up so the "key" is on whenever the battery is connected. There is a switch for the fuel pump and a lever for the starter. The battery is also on the passenger side floor, so I either need to replace it with a sealed battery or build a box for it.

[Festy46]

I just watched a video from last year's race there. You definitely want the Aspire brakes and get the best rotors and pads you can find. You are really going to use up a set of brakes. As far as a windshield, use wire mesh with some down bars for support if the rules will allow it. It's going to be hot and the breeze hitting you in the face will feel good. Take a look at some of our in-car videos to see how we used the wire mesh. http://www.sdfcomputers.com/festivavids.HTM

[oxbrain]

We are planning on EBC yellowstuff for pads. I expect those will last the full race, but I'm bringing a second set of pads and rotors just incase.

I'll show those videos to my teammates. I still have to do a lot of checking to see what we can use for a windshield and stay within the rules. I know one of my teammates has said he doesn't want to be looking through wire. I think just the vertical bars would be fine. Small stuff I'm not too worried about, since we'll be wearing full face helmets. Big stuff could still hurt a lot, so the bars will help there.

[htchbck]

don't worry about running a switch for the fan, the fan runs whenever the fan thermostat wire isn't grounded to the block (thats what the thermostat does, it grounds the wire when the car is running cold, and breaks the ground when its hot)... just unplug the fan thermostat wire (on the water neck) and put a cap on the wire and you're good to go, the fan will run whenever the key is in the "on" position... for a race I doubt you'll want to be running without a fan much of the time anyway, it gets pretty warm out there I'd imagine

[kabbage]

The switch takes like 5 minutes to put in. I like the additional control.

[Dave G]

I'd think you hardly need the fan at all - moving (fast) all the time...

[oxbrain]

I'm going to wire up a fan switch as a backup to the temp switch. I don't expect to need it, but it's better to spend the time now than be sorry at the track. Unplugging the switch works fine, but it means stopping, which slows us down.

[htchbck]

Unplugging the switch works fine, but it means stopping, which slows us down

I was meaning just unplug the switch before the race and leave it unplugged. I don't even have a fan temp sensor for my silver car right now cause I have an aspire water neck on it and there's no hole for the temp sensor on it. Fan runs all the time, but the car still heats/runs just fine. I can definitely understand why you would want a little more control in a race setting though.

[htchbck]

one other thing, if you wanted a real cheap and easy way to get a tach, just find a tach out of any of the mazdas... they are all three wire and just plug the wires into three holes on the cluster plugs. I don't remember which wires goto which holes on the plugs, but if ya want I'll find out, I have a diagram drawn up somewhere... if you did that you could mount the tach anywhere you wanted it

[oxbrain]

That would work. Do you know if the water and fuel guages are the same? Right now, all we really need are temp, fuel, and tach. The speedo cable has been disconnected and I don't see us needing it.

[project b6t]

get a rubber block, take the shocks off, measure the hight needed, drill a hole and put some rubber blocks on the shocks... good old solid suspension! hahahah

aspire brakes would be the best improvment by far.

[htchbck]

no idea about fuel and temp guages, I've never tried hooking those up from another car. all I know is that the speedos and tachos from proteges and 323 will work

[yvanlavoie20]

alternator

if you can put a bigger pulley on alternator to unleash some parasitic power consumption and add a switch to cut alternator when full throttle .
easy and it let 2 to 5 hp to the wheel without breaking the rules...

yvan

[DuritzCrows17]

Re: alternator

if you can put a bigger pulley on alternator to unleash some parasitic power consumption and add a switch to cut alternator when full throttle .
easy and it let 2 to 5 hp to the wheel without breaking the rules...

yvan

I like that, good idea. I'v never heard of it or seen it before, do you have any pictures? I am really interested in that.