Luke duke is a NEWB again... Pro-Street FC Build

[luke duke]

Got the car out of the garage to take a few pics with the camera.

[luke duke]

[luke duke]

The ground clearance saga continues....

As you can see in this pic I have serious ground clearance issues.

 

The guy who back-halfed my car took very little time planning and just got the regular nova/mustang/camaro style techniques to this build. The very first bar he put in this car is the low hanging ladder bar crossmember. I can't imagine the logic behind the the first bar being put in a race car taking away 5+ inches of ground clearance.

I took the car back to him twice and asked him both times to fix it to which he declared "it will mess up the structure of the car". 
So I replaced it yesterday. It came out pretty good. It is now even with the frame rails and ladder bar brackets. Jacked the car up by the new xmembet after I built it do I guess it will hold! 

I will add some pics after I get the welds ground down and painted.

The other issue I have it that when dude put the tubs in the car he didn't give me as much room as I wanted. They are plenty wide as I can fit a maximum of a 13" wide tread slick (14.5 at the widest of sidewall) but I wish I had mote height so I can get the car as low as I would like.

I really like the way the car sits in this picture...

BUT the car had 31x10.5w tires at this point and the tires were sitting on the tubs and would not even turn. I have a good idea of how I can fix this and actually lose weight in the process! 

The tires on the car now are 295/65/15 drag radials. I am planning on cutting the tubs out (a large portion of them at least) and replacing them with carbon fiber that will fill in from the down bars to the quarter pannel trim (which is already carbon).
The following pic Is of the driverside wheel tub.

I am planning on fitting a piece of carbon on between the down bar (long vertical bar) and cutting it at the angle of the diagonal bar. This would give me at least a few more inches based on the angle of the diagonal bar. That bar is flush with the top of the tub where it meets the down bar but this shouldn't be an issue as the indide of the tire is around 5" from the inside of the wheel tub.

Then hopefully I can put this thing on the ground and drive it that way too!   
 
 

[RTRx7]

Looks sweet man.

[digitalsolo]

That's quite the project, sir.    Looking forward to seeing this thing haul ass.   

[luke duke]

That's quite the project, sir.    Looking forward to seeing this thing haul ass.   

thanks brother, the aim I had for this car from the beginning was a street worthy car with the look and weight of a pro mod while having a mild enough motor to drive anywhere. I think it's getting there, at this point I'm just waiting for $$$$ for parts. There is still plenty of ideas I have for this thing but time and money are almost as hard to come by as motivation.

[luke duke]

Afew shots of the master cyl setup.....

[luke duke]

I wanted the lightest radiator setup possible. This is what I came up with:

Sirocco radiator with plastic tanks ( >8lbs!)






carbon fiber radiator mounts.

The pictures aren't very clear, I took these with the iPod trying to test picture quality. The lower mounts are 2ply carbon fiber rivited together. Alot stronger than I thought it would be. I have 3/8" rubber between all the mounting tabs. The radiator neck was long enough to slip the mount on and screw the cap on. Thoughts? 

[spacevomit]

Just as long as you know that a radiator with plastic end tanks should be replaced periodically (if relatively infrequently).

[digitalsolo]

That darn sure out to be a light setup.   What are you planning for a fan?

Do you see any street time in this thing?

I don't see any reason plastic end tanks are a problem, every OE car I know of has plastic end tanks.

[spacevomit]

That darn sure out to be a light setup.   What are you planning for a fan?

Do you see any street time in this thing?

I don't see any reason plastic end tanks are a problem, every OE car I know of has plastic end tanks.

Because at some point, they become brittle, so they will break if not replaced, maybe at an inopportune time. However we are talking like many 10s of thousands of miles or more, hardly a foremost concern for a racecar. More a problem for the street cars that see long term neglect. So, if it's lighter, then in the final analysis, I'm not arguing against it, just something to remember in a few years maybe.

[luke duke]

That darn sure out to be a light setup.   What are you planning for a fan?

Do you see any street time in this thing?

I don't see any reason plastic end tanks are a problem, every OE car I know of has plastic end tanks.

Because at some point, they become brittle, so they will break if not replaced, maybe at an inopportune time. However we are talking like many 10s of thousands of miles or more, hardly a foremost concern for a racecar. More a problem for the street cars that see long term neglect. So, if it's lighter, then in the final analysis, I'm not arguing against it, just something to remember in a few years maybe.

I think it will be ok for a while. Cars like mine will receive plenty of maintanace and updates. The current plan is to crank the motor up and make enough street miles and passes to deem the motor as reliable and safe.. Then it will recieve a 76MM and a Z06 cam/springs. It should be able to stay coolas I will be running E 85 for fuel.

Pro Street is what I'm after and I think so far I've hit the setup dead on. I think my plans for power should net me with 8.99 from a car capable of driving 100 miles one way ( with E85 pumps Being the limiting factor)  withno issues.

[luke skyjakcer]

Took some time to make the shroud for the radiator. i was going to use carbon fiber but i had this piece of lexan that was about the right size. This is MR10 lexan with aluminum ends pieces. hoping to have a pair of 10" fans here soon soo i can place them on the shroud. On to the pics!>>>>>>>

[luke skyjakcer]

got my fans in tonight. these proform fans are advertised @ 1000 CFM each. they were $55 each. i am still a little skeptical about the high CFM rating but they fit pretty nice so we will see how they work.

This whole radiator setup with mounts weighed in at 12lbs 8oz.!! im pretty pleased considering the weight of the two fans.

Opinions welcome!

[atli126]

wow great job, that front looks way better!!