My RF-94 F1000 Project

[RussMcB]

The engine cover came out pretty good. I'm happy, & taking pictures before it starts cracking ... :-).

[RussMcB]

These are to provide a little support for the outside diffuser edges. They also help make the rear wing sturdier.

Sean says with these on the car it's pretty important that I don't go flying off the road backwards. I'd hafta agree.

[RussMcB]

Finally got my car on scales.

With everything bolted on and a small amount of fuel - 844 lb.

With me on board - 1014 lb. (race min per rules is 1,000 lb.)

Several people contacted me recently to ask about the weight of my car, wondering about this factor of a converted car. As I built it, weight was not my biggest concern, so this is a pleasant surprise not to be much heavier than min. Of course, it would be better if ballast was required, but I'm not complaining.

The car's weight is a chunk less than with the Pinto/Hewland, so it should be noticeably quicker (I hope).

[VehDyn]

Great job, Russ. The car looks great!

[Purple Frog]

Russ,
Please consider this in good humor. I'm looking over your rear wing endplates. and wondering...
I have always thought you did not want them firmly connected to the diffuser. Because road shocks into the diffuser go directly up into the wing and its supporting hardware. Especially at a course like Road Atlanta where 'running the curbs' is the ticket to speed. Or that occasional off course agricultural trip. Performance-wise on the track, It can create an upward force transmitted to the chassis without benefit of going through the dampers.

Many "hang" the diffusers. Many times with cables on the outer edges. So that they can not move down past a set point, but if forces push them up they give way to the forces.

Just an observation. No big deal.

Other than that I praise you for a job well done, and on schedule. Jolly good show!

[carnut169]

Bravo Senior Russ!

Pretty damm impressive for a non professional to completely build a one-off car. The car looks great. You should be proud.

[RussMcB]

Thanks, Frog. I appreciate the input. Good points. Maybe I'll rethink.

Russ,
Please consider this in good humor. I'm looking over your rear wing endplates. and wondering...
I have always thought you did not want them firmly connected to the diffuser. Because road shocks into the diffuser go directly up into the wing and its supporting hardware. Especially at a course like Road Atlanta where 'running the curbs' is the ticket to speed. Or that occasional off course agricultural trip. Performance-wise on the track, It can create an upward force transmitted to the chassis without benefit of going through the dampers.

Many "hang" the diffusers. Many times with cables on the outer edges. So that they can not move down past a set point, but if forces push them up they give way to the forces.

Just an observation. No big deal.

Other than that I praise you for a job well done, and on schedule. Jolly good show!

Sean, thanks for the compliments. I think we should give Van Diemen a little credit for giving me a base to start with. My car is pretty much unaltered from the roll hoop forward, and I tried to keep suspension pick up points in the same places. It's overwhelming to think of guys building completely new cars from scratch.

[RussMcB]

As you know, a race car is never done, so this is what we're going to the track with. I had hoped to add some vinyl striping but that will have to be a winter project.

I'm cautiously optimistic. I got all of the major things crossed off my list. My last few test drives in my neighborhood went smoothly. I know there are a thousand things that might go wrong but we're crossing our fingers, hoping we and all ARRC competitors have a safe, fun weekend with minimal problems.

[Stan Clayton]

Awesome Russ...just awesome!

And have fun at the ARRC...!

[RussMcB]

Right side picture shows my new header and Lamda sensor for AIM logger.

The left side picture shows components I moved out of the engine bay to the sidepod area (low pressure pump & remote oil filter). That gave me more room for the header and got those things away from the heat.

I'm headed for Roebling Road Friday for a test day, and if that goes well, the national race.

[Stan Clayton]

That's really sano looking, Russ...congrats on some fine work!

[jerry freeman]

Just wanted to know if that was an aluminum shield only without any special foil or anything around the muffler. Let us know how it works. Looks great. Good luck with the test.

Jerry

[RussMcB]

Just wanted to know if that was an aluminum shield only without any special foil or anything around the muffler. Let us know how it works. Looks great. Good luck with the test.

Jerry

Yes, you're right. Just aluminum. That area has no bodywork covering it, and I hope to have decent airflow, so I'm not as worried about that. My bigger concerns are in front of the engine and on the left side where all the wires are. I have heat shields and some naca ducts feeding air into those areas.

[cparsons]

the word WOW comes to mind. Go on, just keep raising the bar higher and higher! Very nice work.

[RussMcB]

Thanks, Chuck. I appreciate that.

I don't think I'm doing anything too special. I'm sure that just about everyone in here, especially F1000 builders, take pride in their work. You really don't have a choice if you want to increase the chances that the car will be reliable and perform well. I'm crossing my fingers and anxiously looking forward to driving without worrying about the car. I hope that's not a pipe dream. We'll see.

[Messenger Racing]

Lookin' Good Russ. I am just a few steps behind you with my F1000/DSR and can really appreciate your labor (and learn from it).

BTW, got to hear mine run for the first time this weekend.

Hope to see you and your creation in action.

JM

[RussMcB]

Lookin' Good Russ. I am just a few steps behind you with my F1000/DSR and can really appreciate your labor (and learn from it).

BTW, got to hear mine run for the first time this weekend.

Hope to see you and your creation in action.

JM

Congratulations on your progress. It must've been great to hear it run.

I remember first hearing Sean's engine in his RF96 a couple of years ago. It was awesome. That was one of the moments that got me excited about F1000 (along with hearing him go thru T1 at Rd Atl a few weeks later). Compared to the 2L Pinto engine, the RPM's climbed so fast when the throttle was blipped, and the sound was great. Very high cool factor.

[RussMcB]

My car is almost all back together again after an engine change. My original engine lost the internal alternator and did minor damage. I was ready to swap in my spare engine, but a leak down test showed a couple of bent exhaust valves. A little disappointing, but not really considering how cheap these engines were (ebay). We removed the head and installed two new valves.

Of course, while the car was apart it was hard not to tackle a few improvements. I added two oil temp senders - one before and one after the cooler. I changed the engine crankcase breathing, so no more oil can be sucked into the air box again, making me think I've blown a motor.

I completely changed my clutch linkage. Version 1 was a combination of hydraulic and cable. It was okay, but a simple, single cable set-up seemed better. (At this point, I can think of at least three of you saying, "Russ, I told you that a long time ago." :-).

To have easy adjustability (without disconnecting the clutch cable at either end - a pain), the front cable housing mount can slide forward and back.

Next race is Carolina Motorsports Park, a double regional. I hope the car, me and the ambulance make it through without too much drama ...

[sidmuse]

I witnessed a guy spray CRC 556 on a set of points on a running motorcycle; then ran a water hose over them,& the engine never even sputtered ! It has great water displacing properties for waterproofing wiring/ignitions.

[RussMcB]

Hmm. Not sure what that post is related to ...

Anyway, back to the latest news. I've finally redone the shifter. As with everything I do, I tried to use something I already had in the garage, and in this case, it was reusing the VD shifter in a different way. The original mounting allowed side movement for the H pattern, and had a sloppy ball-in-socket connection. I welded the front part solid and bolted it to the chassis, and added tabs to shifter rod to connect the cable end. My welding skills are still lacking, but they're at least good enough to fab simple mounts from scratch.

The new linkage feels way batter than before (in the garage, anyway). It is short and stubbier than I'd like, but I can screw on a longer knob later if needed.

That was the last major change needed for my next race next weekend. Now I only have the dozens of regular tasks to do to prepare. :-).

[Tom Sprecher]

Maybe the post is a bot. The shifter looks great and that style shifter always felt way sloppy so it looks like you accomplished a couple of issues at once.

Except for the short, stubby knob but I heard you've learned to accept that.

Let's hop on the bikes and go to Scotty's this afternoon to check out his progress.

[formulasuper]

Maybe the post is a bot. The shifter looks great and that style shifter always felt way sloppy so it looks like you accomplished a couple of issues at once.

Except for the short, stubby knob but I heard you've learned to accept that.

Let's hop on the bikes and go to Scotty's this afternoon to check out his progress.

Yes, the #05 Ralt/Suzuki has the fresh 06' Busa 1300 installed & being preped for the Memorial Monster double SARRC at CMP next weekend. Looking forward to getting back on track after putting on a brillant fireworks display at the ARRC last November.

[RussMcB]

Here is a picture that shows a few recent changes.

The lower cockpit side panels are aluminum now, rather than part of the big slab fiberglass body panel. Two benefits are: 1) Easier to seal ducting to coolers, and 2) cockpit side panel bodywork removal is much easier. They were a pain.

The oil cooler intake ducting is completely sealed. The radiator has been moved backwards a few inches to allow room for the bigger oil cooler.

The fiberglass sidepod is being modified to accept Mike Devins' larger intake (like he made for Coop's car). That required a new wood floor.

I was struggling to figure out how to create a lower pressure on the back side of the left radiator. I decided a couple of electric fans would be the best plan for assuring airflow. I'm not thrilled about added more weight, but it will be good peace of mind.

[Sean Maisey]

Russ,

Your mileage may vary, but my experience with electric fans has not been positive. They really only work at VERY low speeds and while idling in the pits (likeor during a black flag period). Under racing conditions they actually impede flow.

I recently bought a new Stihl commercial grade leaf blower evan with it's big gas motor, it can only move a very small volume of air at anything like 125mph...

I like the idea of putting the cooler in front of the radiator. What spec/size is that you are using?

Regards,
Sean

[RussMcB]

Russ,

Your mileage may vary, but my experience with electric fans has not been positive. They really only work at VERY low speeds and while idling in the pits (likeor during a black flag period). Under racing conditions they actually impede flow.

I recently bought a new Stihl commercial grade leaf blower evan with it's big gas motor, it can only move a very small volume of air at anything like 125mph...

I like the idea of putting the cooler in front of the radiator. What spec/size is that you are using?

Regards,
Sean

I got my cooler from BAT (http://www.batinc.net/coolers.htm). It's the 115 series (narrow), 50 row. It was the biggest I could find and fit with the side inlets.

I've heard about fans impeding air flow, but, at this point, I'm not concerned. I'm more worried about the back side not having a great enough pressure differential. I just don't think the fans could really block so much air that they'd cause a problem. They'll still be allowing a steady flow of air flow. Maybe I need to hear more about exactly what bad might happen with fans.

I have heard a few people say fans helped their issues.

If this doesn't work, I'll try whole new sidepods.

[Wright D]

Russ,

We have found that adding a very small gurney flap (0.2 in or smaller) to the back of the side pod, where the air exits, can make a huge difference. You do pay a bit of a drag penalty, but it is not terrible. We use them on short, low speed tracks here in Phoenix. We run them when the ambient temp is over 105, and average track speed is under 60mph. Gurney flaps are a lot lighter then a fan, and are easy to put on and take off. The best part is the driver doesn't have to remember to turn them on.....

If the fans, new inlets and/or gurneys don't work, and you do want to go the whole new side pod rout, I think that the ones we have molded up for the new phoenix car would be pretty easy to fit onto you car. Especially with all of the fab skills you have

Your duct work looks quite nice, and I love the oil cooler choice.

[Tom Sprecher]

Do something like this.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...usscropped.jpg

Wizzy and kills 2-3 birds with one stone.



Image from Race Car Aerodynamics: Designing For Speed by Joeseph Katz

[Wright D]

Be careful when putting barge boards onto your car. When I ran them on the CFD model for our new F1K.08 they had an adverse affect on cooling flow. They did however reduce front tier drag……

[Bill Maisey]

I see that your new car has chimneys. Is this a cooling measure? I would think that there is a big drag factor? What did your CFD model tell you?

[Wright D]

The chimneys work on a couple of different levels. They dump air into a low pressure region created by the front tiers and front wing vortex. Adding air at this point helps to recover some drag. The shape of the chimneys also helps direct air around the rear tiers.

It took a lot of work to get the chimneys to function properly. Barge boards can be made to work as well, you just have to be willing to try lots of different versions untill you get the best results.

[RussMcB]

Just thought I'd post a few updates - inexpensive things I've done while waiting for money to get a new engine.

I changed my shift linkage (again). Now it has two cables, so there are simultaneous push-pull forces at the trans. This was on the car at the last race and it felt good.

While the engine was out I made a full heat shield to block heat getting to the fuel cell (and me).

The original version of my rear subframe conversion used a lot of the original Pinto chassis bars, and getting the engine in and out was a pain. I redid the upper side engine mounts, and changed the rear roll hoop brace to be stronger. All of those parts are now removable, making engine changes (which I hope to do less frequently) easier.

I wont go into all the boring details of my latest engine dramas, except to say that the engine cases we were using for the rebuild had issues with journals and weren't usable, at least not without spending mo money. Also, I learned that Kawasaki had a lot of internal parts variables, and you need to match the cases, crankshaft, clutch basket and generator. There are 2-4 variables of each, and only certain combinations work together. It was an expensive lesson. Who knows, my ignorance and parts (mis)matching may have contributed to my past engine problems.

To get back on track, I purchased another used engine (#5!), this time with known history, so hopefully it's good. Plus, I don't have to worry about internal parts compatibility. The engine is "dressed" with dry sump and other racy parts, and ready to drop in this weekend.

[Lincspeed]

Russ - did you find the normal heat cloth on the firewall inadequate? Or did you not have any?

Clark

[RussMcB]

Russ - did you find the normal heat cloth on the firewall inadequate?

I guess I would answer no. There was some reflective material stuck on the panels below the waistline (where the fuel cell is), but I don't think it was doing much. The large aluminum panel I added creates an air space buffer that I'm sure is better than without.

Your car may be different in that I have my engine pretty far forward and the header is close to the bulkhead. That was mainly a result of me trying to leave as many original Pinto bars in place, and they taper inwards towards the rear (too narrow for the engine width).

[glenn cooper]

Clark, I initially had the silver adhesive backed reflective stuff on a thin aluminum sheet, mounted right behind the fuel cell enclosure, from floor to base of roll hoop.
Headers are about 6-7" to the rear.
After the fire at Barber over the summer, the stuff basically came right off.
It was then that I had a heat shield custom made. The size was the same, but it's two sided thin dimpled stainless, w/ some kind of ceramic wool mat sandwiched in the middle. Cost $200. It's a semi-interference fit, has gromets at the corners, and held on there w/ zipties.

Russ, Lookin' good, Main!

[RussMcB]

I'm in a good mood. My latest engine is in the car and running. Good oil pressure and engine compression. I've only run it a few seconds - just enough to make the garage smokey. I need to put wheels on and get it near the garage door and run it some more.

It's been a weird day in Atlanta. It's not often we get a few inches of snow in March. I'm not complaining. It's nice to see everything covered lightly with the white stuff. Very glad it's not the volume a lot of you guys see (and have to shovel). Thank goodness it didn't happen on a weekday or the state would have had to shut down. :-).

[ghickman]

Russ
That's real good news Russ, you deserve some good luck in your direction. Is that your tow rig in the pic. to the right?

Looking forward to seeing you and all the ATL gang at RA this year.

GH

[quartzracer]

Actually looks more like his "work rig." forward red ligts are a give away.

Eric

[RussMcB]

It's a former ambulance, 1990 GMC Topkick, purchased on ebay for $7,200. It's not perfect, but it has a lot of things I like, such as LOTS of storage compartments (inside & out), plenty of torque (Cat diesel), work lights (inside & out) and a bed (home made platform & futon). I considered removing the flashing lights and sirens, but they all work, so thought they might come in handy some day. :-).

I had a F250 that did double duty (daily commuter & tow vehicle), but replaced it with the ambulance and a Miata.

[RobLav]

I hope this engine does it for you Russ.

We got about 6-7" of that white stuff here last night. Times like this I miss the South.

[Jon Jeffords]

We got about 6-7" of that white stuff here last night.

Here in Wisconsin, we refer to six inches of snow as "a dusting."

Makes for perfect road conditions to practice your Scandanavian Flicks.