SCCA EMod MGB GT V12 Build

Thanks and your dear wife should make her presence known(EMopen) in a large way next season.....very smooth   

My testing sites are limited so today I got up early to watch the F1 race live then took the race car to my business and drove around my parking lot before anybody arrived. Internet research suggested that negative numbers on the torque map increase engine braking when throttle is cut and I wanted to test that. I spent 2.5 hours messing with numbers and trying them out and I now have a map with great throttle response, engine braking, smooth power delivery and lots of power. I also tested a reduced power map for slippery conditions and that one works pretty well, too. I also solved a braking issue we had so I'm pretty excited about that, too. Here's a pic from the last local event.

Did the local constabulary happen to wander by to observe what you were up to during those 2.5hrs?  

759NRNG said:

Did the local constabulary happen to wander by to observe what you were up to during those 2.5hrs?  

No, but I had a ready made answer: "This is my parking lot and I'm zoned M2 Industrial, which means I can make as much noise as I want until 11:00 PM"

And is there a ytube video sharing all this ricocheting raucousness perchance?  

In reply to 759NRNG :

No YouTube video from that day, it was far too boring. I am putting together a video from work I'm doing now. Here's a sneak peak picture

I don't know what happened to my post, it was definitely here but disappeared. The only benefit of having a 7 month long winter is that I can take my time and make improvements to the car. Here is the first installment Winter Improvements Part 1

Scuze my language,  but that thing is just plain badass.  7 months of winter? I'd have to move and I dont like heat (I'm in Alabama)

In reply to Justjim75 :

Thanks :) I hope it's even more badass after dropping weight and making a few more improvements to aero and cooling

In reply to loosecannon :

Have you given any thought to replacing the fiberglass with carbon fiber?  It wouldn’t be that expensive  and it’s definitely a DIY job.   For ultimate strength to weight you’d need to use prepeg and an autoclave. But carbon cloth and resin with a squeegee should knock at least 1/2 the weight while making it slightly stronger.  

In reply to frenchyd :

Yes, I follow Street Bandito on YouTube and they are building an all carbon fiber 240z and it all looks very do-able. I have looked at the cost of doing my car in CF and it's just too much money right now, even if I do it all myself. I also contacted the company that made my body kit. They offer the whole kit in CF but it's too much money, especially considering how few pounds are saved by switching. It works out to $100/lb USD so by the time I pay the exchange rate and taxes, it's $150/lb. It may be something I do some day but not right now.

In reply to loosecannon :My last carbon fiber purchase enough carbon fiber to replicate your whole body would cost less than $1000, that includes the  fiberglass Matt to make the molds, resin, release agent, etc.  

not included would be  the wax.  I just use furniture wax high in carnuba since I don’t want any cleaners. I buy it at my local hardware store.  Nor a pair of sharp pinking shears needed to cut the carbon cloth.  

 Properly done it’s not messy. Smelly but not messy.  The original parts will come out shiny but Undamaged so you can keep them For spares. 

 I just use a couple of layers of fiberglass Matt making what’s called a splash mold. Good only for a few parts.  

In reply to frenchyd :

What weave of CF did you use and where did you get it? I looked at Fibre Glast for supplies and one 5 meter roll of Cf is $250. I am definitely interested in doing the car in CF but just bought a few other bits for the car so my budget is tight.

In reply to loosecannon :

I’ll have to dig up the receipt, I’ve got it but locating it will be a challenge. 

I looked with my other receipts and it’s not here. I may have to go down and do a thread count.  The help you. 

More work done today. I got all the old tubes cut out of the front and started welding in the new ones. It is working out much better than expected and I will be able to take more weight out than I thought. Winter Improvements Part 2

Awesome on the vids.....and I assume this exercise affords you more flexibility with ballast placement and the cross weight 'two-step' eh?  If I were to somehow acquire your discarded tubes I might erect a metal sculpture of P  here in Decker Prairie.....

In reply to 759NRNG :

I wish I had the luxury of using ballast but the car is a little portly for that. Things are looking good for a decent weight loss but because of tire sizes, I am still shooting for a 55% rear weight balance.I hammered straight the old side aluminum and placed it against the new frame by the front wheels, it looks really good. 

loosecannon said:

In reply to frenchyd :

What weave of CF did you use and where did you get it? I looked at Fibre Glast for supplies and one 5 meter roll of Cf is $250. I am definitely interested in doing the car in CF but just bought a few other bits for the car so my budget is tight.

That place is pretty expensive for CF cloth.  You can get it a lot cheaper elsewhere:

http://www.uscomposites.com/carbonpage.html

These guys have it for $32/yd for +5 yards.

For broad surfaces you could use Plain Weave 5.7 oz 3K cloth.  For your more complex curves, you can swap for 2x2 Twill.  Plan on about .010" thickness per layer. 

They have heavier cloth that would build up a thicker laminate in fewer layer.  It's much cheaper "by the pound", though I've not done any laminating with 11 or 20 oz cloth.  Might be hard to work with.  Vacuum bagging works very well, and is worth learning.

In reply to USERNAMETAKEN :

Thanks for the info, I'll check the place out and think about dabbling in CF 

Vacuum bagging is fun! I work for a surfboard builder and we do a lot of vacuum bagging. One guy I work with does vacuum infusion which is a pretty cool technique that works for molded parts. I'm not a huge fan of carbon. It's a royal pain to work with. It's very stiff cloth to work around curves and easy to sand through when you're finishing. I'd rather work with regular E or Warp fiberglass any day. Plus fiberglass is much cheaper. My friend who builds custom skim and wakesurfers says he only offers carbon because he makes money off it, not because it makes for a better product.

loosecannon said:

In reply to 759NRNG :

I wish I had the luxury of using ballast but the car is a little portly for that. Things are looking good for a decent weight loss but because of tire sizes, I am still shooting for a 55% rear weight balance.I hammered straight the old side aluminum and placed it against the new frame by the front wheels, it looks really good. 

That was quick....is the front motor mount in also?

In reply to loosecannon :

Vacuum bagging adds significantly to the costs.  Both material and equipment. 

There are tricks and techniques you can use when getting into tight corners like around your taillights. ( which are the only tight curves to worry about on an MGB ) 

the warmer the carbon the easier it will conform. 

Pre cut everything 

the thinner, lighter weave works best for complex curves.  Then the heavier weave can be used to reinforce the main portion.  Remember to use a new really sharp pinking shears and cut the complex pieces first. 

I will use a foam backing block to force the cloth into tight curves. I shape the foam to exactly as possible fit in the mold. Those  areas I don’t squeegee the excess resin out.   Then I clamp, weight, or brace the foam block in place over the freshly laid carbon fiber.  You can either seal the backing foam block with wax or use wax paper to release the foam after you pull the part from the mold.  

Speaking of molds use the cheapest chopped matt to make your molds with. I use only two or three layers for a splash mold where I plan on only one or two parts.  

I will often make a cheap fiberglass chopper gun part first to work out areas where it might be complex or I’m not 100% sure it will release.  Plus once I’m done I’ll put the cheap part back in the mold to protect the mold ( and some of my light splash molds are really flimsy)  but only rarely have I had to make a second part. 

In reply to 759NRNG :

No, that was just to see how it would look. I'm working on the front engine mount today

loosecannon said:

In reply to USERNAMETAKEN :

Thanks for the info, I'll check the place out and think about dabbling in CF 

"Fiberglass and Other Composite Materials" by Forbes Aird is a very good primer on the subject.  My copy is the old one from 1996, but it looks like he updated it in 2006.

When I worked in aerospace composites, I'd have all the new out-of-school engineers read the book when they started.  Would give them an idea of what we were up to and how it all worked.

Vacuum bagging does add some expense and does add some complexity, but the parts are vastly better quality.  If you've got a vacuum pump or a vac ejector (aka a/c evacuation system) then you're well on your way to doing vac bags.

Silly cost is when you add pre-pregs and ovens!  But the results there are pretty awesome too!

In reply to TVR Scott :

Just ordered the book, thanks