Author Topic: Modified sports C5 corvette  (Read 21254 times)

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Offline javajoe79

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Modified sports C5 corvette
« on: October 20, 2008, 06:24:50 PM »
Well initially the plan was to build an all out motor for our first venture. Now we will just go our first time with a standard cube corvette motor. 600hp or so. Running in CGMS. Maybe CFMS with some spray. Then just work our way up motor wise from there. I will build the car, safety wise, to go as fast as we ever will.
  I found some motor plates for LSx motors so we will plate the front. Then I would like the mid mount to also be the firewall. I am thinking 3/16" ss plate. If you are familiar with the corvette, the torque tube bolts to the bellhousing about where a firewall would go. So I would sandwich the firewall in between the bellhousing and the torque tube.
 I plan to remove the entire stock floor, tunnel  footwells and firewall. Replace the floor with thick plate, 1/2" ??????anyone?, and the firewall will attach directly to the floor at the bottom. I built the firewall flat on our world challenge and grandam cars and it provides alot of extra room in the engine compartment for turbos, headers, sump tank, piping etc.
 With the tunnel gone from the interior it gives more room to build a good cage around the driver. I am thinking  about a similar treatment for the rear bulkhead as I described for the firewall.
 That's enough for now I guess.

 I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Especially from you guys that have been around this a long time.

thanks

Chris
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
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Offline Freud

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2008, 06:33:25 PM »
Is your avatar fpto of the 44 Quaker State car?

FREUD
Since '63

Offline Jonny Hotnuts

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2008, 06:39:24 PM »
Why so thick?

If you are talking about 1/2" plate steel the thing would weigh (est.) 700+ pounds to cover the area you suggest.

I used 1/4" 5052 alum plate braced 14" OC for the driver side and 3/16 stainless for the passenger floor.

My firewall is double walled with a 1/16" factory covered and doubled with a 3/16 plate separated by 1/2" and filled with ceramic fiber cloth.


jonny_hotnuts@hotmail.com

"Sometimes it is impossible to deal with her, but most of the time she is very sweet, and if you caress her properly she will sing beautifully."
*Andres Segovia
(when Im not working on the car, I am ususally playing classical guitar)

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2008, 06:41:40 PM »
Is your avatar fpto of the 44 Quaker State car?

FREUD
The Group 44 Triumph TR8 trans am/IMSA car.
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
615-210-1605

https://www.facebook.com/CoffeyFabrication

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2008, 06:46:14 PM »
Why so thick?

If you are talking about 1/2" plate steel the thing would weigh (est.) 700+ pounds to cover the area you suggest.

I used 1/4" 5052 alum plate braced 14" OC for the driver side and 3/16 stainless for the passenger floor.

My firewall is double walled with a 1/16" factory covered and doubled with a 3/16 plate separated by 1/2" and filled with ceramic fiber cloth.



For ballast mainly. Doug Odom did the same thing, I just don't remember how thick he said. We want it to weigh alot. Not sure yet if that would put too much weight towards the back. Maybe it should be thinner then add neede weight up front?
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
615-210-1605

https://www.facebook.com/CoffeyFabrication

Offline doug odom

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2008, 07:10:23 PM »
C5 Vette; I used 3/16 CR steel plate for the firewall, floor and rear bulkhead. Ready to race without driver car weighted 3076lbs. LF 715  RF 735   LR 805   RR 821 with zero ballast. Sitting on 4 air bags it ran straight and smooth to 202mph. Planning on taking it to El Mirage next month and see if it likes dirt.
Doug Odom in big ditch

How old would you be now if you didn't know how old you are?
If you can't race it or take it to bed - it ain't worth having.

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2008, 07:19:29 PM »
 I guess I thought you had said 3/8". :| Airbags huh? Care to share more about that setup?
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
615-210-1605

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Offline doug odom

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2008, 10:16:28 PM »
The rear is a modified NASCAR Cup type truck arm only very short because it does not move up and down much. The air bags are set very much like you would set up a 5" coil spring but the air bag does not raise or lower the car. It just isolates the vibrations and makes a comfortable ride. The ride height is set with 1/4" shims between the trailing arm and frame.
The front is a straight axle with shims to also set the ride height. That way the suspension geometry  changes very little compared to the frame ride height.
Doug Odom in big ditch

How old would you be now if you didn't know how old you are?
If you can't race it or take it to bed - it ain't worth having.

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2008, 10:45:00 PM »
Interesting. We are planning on staying IRS and IFS for that matter for now. What class is your car in?
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
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Offline doug odom

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2008, 10:17:33 AM »
GT. Class   under Pop Motorsports
Doug Odom in big ditch

How old would you be now if you didn't know how old you are?
If you can't race it or take it to bed - it ain't worth having.

Offline Jonny Hotnuts

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2008, 12:39:42 PM »
While just my opinion, I would suggest building the car so that ballast weight can be added if and where it’s needed.

I have nothing but respect for Doug but I think even 3/8" steel plate is a tad overkill for secondary flooring....unless you have a large unsupported span distance between ends of the plate.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After READING what Doug said I see that he mentioned that he used 3/16"!

I remember now why my teachers would scream "pay attention Hotnuts" everyday!

ALSO:


Recently I saw some demos of anti slip steel finishes from a vendor. THere was one finish that I really thought would make a good floor for a car. It was a sheet of steel that had thousands of tiny balls imbedded into the surface, much like the balls from welding splatter. The guy told me it was used in rendering houses and meat processing facilities as it was the only surface that was truly affective at preventing slips with the large amount of fat on the floors.

I found that grip tape on our secondary flooring really helps in getting in and out of the car. Once salt gets on the floor it is very slippery but now my grip tape is wearing off.

It is just a suggestion but you might want to look into a textured surface to help getting in (and over the side bar) you car.

This rendering house beaded surface is what I will use in my next project.

-JH




jonny_hotnuts@hotmail.com

"Sometimes it is impossible to deal with her, but most of the time she is very sweet, and if you caress her properly she will sing beautifully."
*Andres Segovia
(when Im not working on the car, I am ususally playing classical guitar)

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2008, 08:34:48 PM »
 I can agree on adding ballast later which I think would be needed even with a 1000lb floor. My thoughts on this were that I would need ballast later so why not put it as low as I can while at the same time making a real stiff floor? Also the floor would serve as a mounting surface for the ice tank eventually and that will be heavy. I was thinking that if the floor was thick it could just be tapped to bolt things to it, ice tank, charge cooler, fire bottle, battery, etc. If we eventually want to try and go 300 I would like the car to weigh 5000lbs or so.
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
615-210-1605

https://www.facebook.com/CoffeyFabrication

Offline Jonny Hotnuts

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2008, 12:31:10 PM »
It is clear that you have thought this out and I wont argue with the concept, keeping weight low and having a solid place to mount stuff is great. *(you can also integrate the heavy flooring into the cage to make the drivers area potentially safer.)

The only thing I would like to say about it is just be sure that the location you will be adding the non removable weight is where you want it. Because my car is a mid-engine I added things like a second battery (in front of the front wheels) and water tank far up front not because I wanted too, but it was to help the weight distribution to compensate for the majority of weight being rearward. If the non removable ballast is not located in the correct place you could get into a situation where you have to add weight somewhere you didnt intend to level things out.

I would think you would be fine with where you propose to put the weight given the layout of the vette.
Others considering the same thing might not be.

-JH


Lets see some pix!
jonny_hotnuts@hotmail.com

"Sometimes it is impossible to deal with her, but most of the time she is very sweet, and if you caress her properly she will sing beautifully."
*Andres Segovia
(when Im not working on the car, I am ususally playing classical guitar)

Offline javajoe79

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2008, 11:37:28 PM »
 Good point and it was my only concern that it might put too much weight rearward. As I have read I want the CG in front of the center of pressure. On our road race cars, they end up about 49/51 without ballast. So with the heavy plate as the floor, roughly in the middle of the chassis, it shouldn't change that. Then I can add weight as needed to get the distribution correct.
Coffey Fabrication and Race Prep
313 Wilhagan Rd Nashville, TN 37217
615-210-1605

https://www.facebook.com/CoffeyFabrication

Offline bvillercr

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Re: Modified sports C5 corvette
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2008, 12:16:13 AM »
Good point and it was my only concern that it might put too much weight rearward. As I have read I want the CG in front of the center of pressure. On our road race cars, they end up about 49/51 without ballast. So with the heavy plate as the floor, roughly in the middle of the chassis, it shouldn't change that. Then I can add weight as needed to get the distribution correct.

Are you going to move the engine back for more traction?  I believe you can in Mod sports. :-)