S550 Road Race Car Build

[Carbon Dynamics]

Sweet build, Rob!

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[S550guy]

Sub'd.

Enjoying the pictures thus far, looking forward to the completed product!

 

[Brent Dalton]

Sub'd. Did you make Sebring?

 

[RobBodle]

Ok...a quick rundown. we got the electronics of the start figured out and fired the car. it was banging and clanking and ugly. turns out 3 pistons were broken. how 3 pistons get broken on a 2k mile motor that ran fine when it was delivered, I don't know.

We had the pistons and bearings replaced and fired it and it backfired and popped and ran like it would on 6 cylinders. Maybe it was the electronics. Took it to the dyno to have the electronics looked at. Answer: it was the engine.

And we were out of time. our workspace was no longer available. I took the car home to my crew chief. he got the car yesterday and found that it was out of time. he fixed that and found no further engine damage.

We spent today finishing the race car. We are beat. If we drove all night we could make qualifying but would be beat still and trying to race. bad recipe. so we sleep and head off tomorrow. We will start in the back for the race on Saturday.

In short we are getting a start when we might should have missed the race. Getting those championship points rather than a DNS is a victory. We will use the race to break the car in. Run as many laps as makes sense. Its a 12 race season and we never hoped for a big result in the first few races anyway.

Keep an eye on instagram for pics of the adventure. Here is one I took last night. No, its not a big race shop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCeJX9LvRA5/?taken-by=rbi16

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Ok...a quick rundown. we got the electronics of the start figured out and fired the car. it was banging and clanking and ugly. turns out 3 pistons were broken. how 3 pistons get broken on a 2k mile motor that ran fine when it was delivered, I don't know.

We had the pistons and bearings replaced and fired it and it backfired and popped and ran like it would on 6 cylinders. Maybe it was the electronics. Took it to the dyno to have the electronics looked at. Answer: it was the engine.

And we were out of time. our workspace was no longer available. I took the car home to my crew chief. he got the car yesterday and found that it was out of time. he fixed that and found no further engine damage.

We spent today finishing the race car. We are beat. If we drove all night we could make qualifying but would be beat still and trying to race. bad recipe. so we sleep and head off tomorrow. We will start in the back for the race on Saturday.

In short we are getting a start when we might should have missed the race. Getting those championship points rather than a DNS is a victory. We will use the race to break the car in. Run as many laps as makes sense. Its a 12 race season and we never hoped for a big result in the first few races anyway.

Keep an eye on instagram for pics of the adventure. Here is one I took last night. No, its not a big race shop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCeJX9LvRA5/?taken-by=rbi16

Best of luck:cheers:

 

[sldghmr]

Looks like something happened...but the important thing is that you were on track!! Trust me, they're going to be mad when you beat them buy 9 or less points!! LOL

 

[RobBodle]

The short story. We made it to Sebring for the Trans Am season opener on race day. We worked all day on the car right up to when I got in to go to the grid. In fact just after I had gotten dressed in my gear the tuner, Adam from Revolution, had just climbed from the car. He installed a basic tune and told me that I would have no ABS because the seat belt module for some reason has to be in the car for the ABS to work and it wasn't.

ABS being off meant that the brake system computer was not going to work and the brakes would not act right at all. Not just fail to prevent locking. The car would jerk side one way or another with each touch of the brakes. I could live with that.

The sensor in that module that the ABS requires also sends data apparently to the electronic steering. Seems that the steering creates more resistance the faster you go. Without it working it didn't adjust from a parked position to high speed. At 80 mph it suddenly became uncontrollable. the slightest pressure on the wheel moved the car. Bad joo joo.

I just couldn't drive it above 70 or 80 mph. So we parked it without regret.

 

[traxiii]

Too bad, cause she looks great. Hope it's an easy fix. Damn black boxes are making everything better and worse depending on what you want to do. I know engine/trans swaps are a PITA because of the anti-theft systems and some of the other modules. Good luck!

 

[RobBodle]

without racing wiring that bypasses all the street car computer sensors and modules there is just no way to avoid these issues. We will work our way thru them.

 

[RobBodle]

Quick update. We have received and plugged in a new air bag module. The ABS light on the dash used to just be on. Now its flashing. It needs programming and calibration we are told.

Joe, crew chief, is getting the door handles to work. We actually didn't have an outside door handle on the car at Sebring.

We returned our borrowed trailer on Wednesday and went to Roush Fenway Racing to see a truck and trailer(a dually and featherlite fromt their show car program. if you want a truck and trailer to move a race car around this is really the place to go. Sort of my little secret.) That deal is in the hands of my bank right now. I sold the Excursion that we used for Sebring yesterday. Anyone want a 2007 Audi A3 SLine Quattro? I am trying to sell that too.

Once I get a new way to haul the car around, we will get it aligned and get it tuned at the dyno. It will be track ready for a proper test at that time.

Next Trans Am race is April 9-10 in Atlanta.

 

[ddozier]

without racing wiring that bypasses all the street car computer sensors and modules there is just no way to avoid these issues. We will work our way thru them.

You will not be the only one that has to work through these issues, If you can keep adding the info to this thread it will help the rest of us out along the way.

Dave

 

[RobBodle]

the control pack should be out in the next year. I would think. that would fix all those kind of issues. but who knows for sure.

 

[RobBodle]

Posted a few pics from today's work working on the airbag module issue and getting the aligment done on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDWFSoYvRGL/?taken-by=rbi16

Bought a new dually and gooseneck from my friends at Roush Fenway Racing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDTpIoDvRHI/?taken-by=rbi16

Also we scaled the car today. 3373lbs dry. No fuel. No driver.

 

[mykrrrr]

Sub'd here and your IG page.

Awesome to see grassroots competitors. :first:

 

[c_reber]

What size is the trailer? Looks like a featherlite. We have a 48', but it's a Pace American and pretty heavy.

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