put the LS1-KART on a lift yesterday to try and get resolution on an exhaust leak that has been driving me crazy since day 1. it leaks out both the two-bolt flanges between the straight pipes under the trans tunnel and the over axle hoops. the standard foil type gasket i put in when i started the project let exhaust out the bottom on both pipes and the softer gasket i tried yesterday was loose on the bottom when i tightened the bolts. i am getting pretty close to taking the welder to that joint since i dont really even need now that i added a 3-bolt flange above the axle.. anyway, here are pics from the dark side..
In reply to buzzboy :
I'm a fan of no sways on an autocross car. Wreck Racing's Honda Insight has no sways. With a car as light and low CG as ours or a c5-kart, the springs alone are plenty stiff. Of course one may be needed if there's a terrible imbalance in stiffness, but you'll never need more than a single small bar.
In reply to wraith :
will not disagree, they are the way to go.
If the fasteners are long enough, I'd try stacking gaskets.
think i might have solved my exhaust leak issue.... the flanges being aftermarket to aftermarket contributed to the trouble of finding ideal gaskets. the man behind the napa counter suggested this
when i saw the size of it i thought for sure no way am i buying that much for 2 flanges. but it was only $13!! its got a foil core and cut pretty easily with heavy duty scissors and bimetal jigsaw. pretty sure this sheet is a lifetime supply. i made 4 gaskets, doubled up on install and slathered the permatex copper stuff on both sides. leaks are gone. finally. anyway, posting for yalls awareness of this product!!
been working on it for weeks, off and on. finally done with the engine cover.
1.Great build, at first I was not sure about the look of the hood, but now I like it, kinda has a MadMax thing to it with all those rivets....
Would it ruin it to spray the surface of the hood with bed liner?
2.PAREIDOLIA
GRM Word of the Day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
(Look the front of your car closely....has an evil grin)
Like the hood in general, the wart, not so much.
759NRNG
SuperDork
2/19/18 9:23 a.m.
Me thinks the 'WART' adds character to this character 
In reply to Agent98 :
1-thanks! i like the rivets. roof-like panel will feature them too...
2-cant say, nor spell it!
wart? ouch. i was thinking more like mailbox. potentially to be skinned in beer cans...
'nother pic from first autocross...
This looks incredibly fun. How much weight was saved going to the kart style? Regardless, the completely open feel must be amazing!
In reply to josolanes :
its a riot. about 800lbs. yea, the open wheel, open cockpit feel is awesome. maintenance is night and day easier too!
cant explain why, but it was a good weekend for the continuing part our efforts, cleared another $350. bringing my net income(after fees and shipping) to $2950!
Love the build and i am sure it is fun.......now have a question for you how much negative camber do you have in the back..... the reason i am asking is because it looks like it it could use some more just a thought.
Keep up the good work
Blazer#178
759NRNG
SuperDork
2/19/18 6:17 p.m.
'WARTS' with a beer can skin are kool.... I have way weird 'PBR cans are art 16oz from a 2016 contest'.....kinda psychedelic....can mail it to you if you so desire
Even if it's not technically functional, you should make it into a scoop with a cover plate.
In reply to Blazer178 :
its set to 0.9deg currently, which is the max the passenger side would get to. i thought more camber would be needed back there too, and in time it might. but observations from the first autox event were the outer edge of the tire wasnt getting scrubbed to death like i thought it would.... but now i have removed the rear sway bar, so we will see this weekend... to get more rear camber i would have to get creative. i dont see any easy solutions.
In reply to 759NRNG :
nice. i think the wart will be short livved. still pretty sure the radiator is going aft sometime this year. which would mean the intake doesnt have to be pointed up. i have fabricated the rear wings legs with enough clearance in between to fit the radiator...
rothwem
New Reader
2/20/18 10:35 a.m.
Pardon my newness here, but this build is awesome. I think an LS1-Kart would be an awesome addition to my life.
A couple questions/critiques though-
-Do those ratchet straps flap in the wind? I beat the hell out of the paint on the side of my trailer by leaving the ratchet mechanism exposed to the wind. I'm thinking that some metal straps with wing nuts or maybe some sort of hood pin arrangement might work better.
-That dash in the middle...was there no way to get it in front of the driver? I guess you don't really need to look at it much while driving because #racecar...but its really the only "thrown together" looking thing on the car. Everything else is "hacked" looking, but intentional looking.
In reply to rothwem :
thanks much!
i have only had it up to 50mph with the hood on so far... no flappage at that speed, but on the highway i have the same concern. i was actually planning to go the stud and wing nut route, but then thought up the strap arrangement. thinking it would be quicker to fab and quicker to remove/install. time will tell!
the gauge cluster move to the middle was necessary bc of the limited height options for the roll cage cross bar, low enough to be at dash level, but high enough to use the tilt column.... it fully obstructs the gauge cluster original location. agree, i didnt spend much time with mounting it, maybe someday i will surround it wil Al sheet, similar to the passenger footwell area. i think longterm i want to go with a smaller aftermarket OBDII plug-in type that takes up a lot less real estate!
Go_Gators said:
Does anybody else think this looks like it's in the air?
