Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[manta22]

Well, Mike, I'd like to drive it on a road course, too. The term "Modified Sports" doesn't mean the same to me as it does to the rule book.

I found a cross-threaded #3AN fitting in my brake plumbing and replaced it. Those 3AN fittings are much easier to cross-thread than any others that I've used.

The front brakes are OK but as I feared, the rear caliper seals are leaking so it's time to order some new seals. My calipers are the later 928 S4 calipers with new-style seals and 36 & 44mm pistons. Now to find some at a reasonable price...


Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

I found the seals & dust boots at Paragon and placed an order. Fortunately the caliper bores and pistons are perfect. The pistons are hard anodized aluminum so there was no rust!


Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

I stripped & cleaned the rear calipers in a solution of hot water and Dawn dishwashing detergent, which works pretty well. I had run out of Brake-Kleen so I improvised. After rinsing them thoroughly and blowing out any remaining water with compressed air, I set them aside to dry while I downloaded a bunch of Microsoft updates to the shop computer.

I put the metric-to-AN3 adapter into the calipers using Loctite Hydraulic Sealant to avoid leaks in the pipe thread- like metric thread in the caliper bodies.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[tauruck]

The metric to imperial stuff must drive you nuts?.
Are those AN3 threads Aluminum?.

I've seen a bunch of stripped threads on those over here and the guy that specializes in them doesn't take prisoners. You'll pay!!!!!!.

I'd love to visit with you. I understand your build. Had some experience with a C2 car that went to Le Mans.
Your's is a complicated kinda land based airplane project.

I love it.

[fordboy628]

The metric to imperial stuff must drive you nuts?.
Are those AN3 threads Aluminum?.

I've seen a bunch of stripped threads on those over here and the guy that specializes in them doesn't take prisoners. You'll pay!!!!!!.

I'd love to visit with you. I understand your build. Had some experience with a C2 car that went to Le Mans.
Your's is a complicated kinda land based airplane project.

I love it.

My thought is that Neil's build has Penske Racing Turbo-Panzer quality.   I saw the originals up close and personal.  Current Nascar stuff comes close, depending on the team.   But for my money, the Penske Can-Am and Indy cars were/are the highest quality preparation I've ever seen.   Not bad results either . . . . . . . .

 
Fordboy

[manta22]

Well, thanks, Mike & Fordboy.

Back in my Can- Am days, we did compete with Penske's 917-30. Bob's M8C could out-brake & out-corner the Porsche but at the exit, Donohue's Porsche produced a very loud "BANG" from the turbo and he was gone down the straight.

Yes, Mike- the bulkhead fitting was an AN3 aluminum but the tube fitting was steel. I think the AN3 fittings are so easy to cross-thread because of their fine thread, 3/8-24 if I remember right. I'd prefer to use all steel or all aluminum but I couldn't find everything I needed in one or the other.

Maybe some of the things I learned back in my Airframe & Power Plant classes have helped me build this thing.

Regards, Neil

[Stainless1]

Neil, from what I've seen you paid pretty good attention in the A part of A & P    If the P is half as good you should be a happy racer when you see Dan.
 

[manta22]

Thanks, Bob. I took that course at a local community college long ago but I still have the books. I really recommend the Aircraft & Powerplant Mechanics course to racers, it has lots of valuable information that is applicable to airplanes but also to race cars.

Today I ran an oil pressure line from where the port is on a SBC mounted mid-engine up to the oil pressure gauge in the instrument panel. I'm using 1/4" Parker Nylo- Seal tubing. This is a high grade Nylon and is really tough but, as additional protection against chafing where the tubing passes through a hole in a panel, I put a sleeve over it. The sleeve is heat-shrink tubing that has a meltable inner wall so it should not slip.

I tried a short piece as an experiment to see if the adhesive liner would stick to the tubing and to see if there was any softening of the tubing due to the heat gun. I'll post a few pictures.

[MattGuzzetta]

Neil,
I may be noticing the hole edge before you have covered it, here is a link to McMaster Carr with the rubber edge material that would make a good protector for the tubing as well as your covering.....

  http://www.mcmaster.com/#flexible-strip-grommets/=xfyej5 

 I like to overkill on safety stuff when possible.  We need more pics of the car to see how it is coming, this is one of my favorite stops on the forum.....nice work!

Matt Guzzetta

[WOODY@DDLLC]

Also: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/grommetedging.php

Or Google: caterpillar grommets.

[manta22]

Thanks, Woody & Matt.

I discovered those caterpillar grommets at Aircraft Spruce last week and just haven't ordered them yet. They should work nicely for larger holes but not for small ones. In the "olden days" we took a piece or rubber tubing, split it lengthwise down one side and wrapped that around the edge of a hole to protect wires & hoses from chaffing. This new stuff should be far better.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[MattGuzzetta]

Gee Neil, we both must claim the "olden days" as we used to split tubing for edge covering as well!  It did work well...

Matt

[manta22]

My fuel call fill plate had only a fill, pickup, and a vent that included a ball check roll-over valve-- no fuel return port. I'll need one to return fuel from the pressure regulator/bypass, so I took off the fill plate to add that port. It is a good thing I did; the fuel pickup inside the tank is at the opposite end from where I thought it would be. The pickup hose curved back to the end that is away from where the fitting is.

I drilled a 9/16" hole in the steel plate and added an AN8 bulkhead fitting, using the conventional O-ring and grooved nut to seal the hole. I was surprised that fuel-Safe sealed their holes on the outside by placing nylon washers under the bolt heads and fittings rather than on the inside with O-rings. They work, just different. Since the top plate seals against the cell with a rubber/cork gasket, I used a torque wrench to tighten all the 1/4-28 bolts to 40 in-lbs to insure they are clamping the gasket uniformly.

Now I need to re-work the holes in the side pod aluminum panel for the added return port. Onward....

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Peter Jack]

"It is a good thing I did; the fuel pickup inside the tank is at the opposite end from where I thought it would be." I think that has something to do with one of the "Laws of Racing" and is closely related to the assume or A$$-u-me corrollary.  

Pete

[manta22]

Good point, Pete.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ