Carl,

Did you upgrade the magna charger?

The TVS1900 has been on since October 2010.

Carl, very good write up! I am subscribed also. If you need any help with this project feel free to give me a holler, I am in Whittier CA, not too far:-) Best of luck, great story, and a much belated thank you to your father for his service:thumbsup:

Brakes. Someone once told me "You have to stop before you can go." The One Lap makes for many different needs in a car, and brakes are no different. They need to function reliably on big, high-speed road courses like Daytona and VIR, but still be able to stop the car on the highway while stone cold.

Over the years I've had reasonably good luck with the basic performance of the braking system. At times the pedal was too touchy or too hard, but the stopping capability had been well suited for most events and street driving. One Lap is a different deal, so a phone call to Tobin at Kore3 was in order. Tobin had given good advice in the past as to proper parts selection and setup, and he has real-world experience with using the parts he sells.

Like much of the Camaro build many of the parts are budget friendly. The front calipers are C5 that were purchased new from a member advertising in the For Sale section, supported by Kore3 mounting brackets and hardware. The rears are all early 4th-gen Z28. Though not what I would really like to have, they have served well, but my reliability-centric brain has been going over everything in the car, so the front hubs, bearings, spindles, calipers, and pads are all up for inspection, rebuilding, and upgrading.

The first was to inspect the spindles for damage and wear, and fortunately they were in good condition. The hubs however were OE GM hubs purchased years ago used. Though they appeared to be in good condition there was no way to tell without additional inspection methods to determine if there were any other concerns. It was time to upgrade to a set of aluminum hubs with new bearings and hardware. The Kore3 hubs come black anodized to resist corrosion, tapped for ARP studs, have the bearing races installed, and include a sealed dust cap. All that made installation prep very easy.

http://imageshack.us/a/img27/8922/dsc02660gp.jpg

Another item discussed with Tobin was the use of a solid spacer to set the bearing preload. By using the spacer spacer kit, which includes a variety of shims, the preload of the hub can be set to a target endplay.

http://imageshack.us/a/img842/7476/dsc02658bw.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img27/4884/dsc02663hp.jpg

In this case Tobin suggested 0.0015" based on real-world experience. This is very important since the thermal expansion rate of the aluminum hub and the steel spindle shaft are different. Plus, the hub is outer ring rotation, so the bearing cups and hub will be hotter than the spindle shaft as well. Setting the preload takes a bit more work than just turning the nut and setting a cotter pin, but the result is a much more controlled. There is very little wheel movement when completed. Below is how the endplay was measured using a dial indicator set on the caliper bracket.

http://imageshack.us/a/img17/6123/dsc02664t.jpg



With that done attention was then set on the calipers. Brake fluid heating occurs from the transfer of heat from the brake pad backing into the caliper piston. There are various ways to help reduce the heat transfer, and one of them is to change the caliper piston material that does not transfer heat as quickly as the OE aluminum piston. Doug Rippie Motorsports sells stainless pistons that fit the bill and requires no other changes. Add in a new set of $8 caliper piston and dust seals and the calipers are good to go.

http://imageshack.us/a/img51/7233/dsc02650sa.jpg

The pads proved to be more difficult to deal with. During October testing at Buttonwillow we used on the advice of Tobin a Hawk DTC30 pad. Tobin warned that the DTC30 needs heat to work well, so when cold they take additional pedal effort. On the track and warmed up they were great, but when cold they did not work well. We're going to go back to the Hawk HP+, which have worked well on the street and track. We won't be doing 20-minute sessions on any of the tracks were going to so there's no big concern, but there will be more testing before we hit the road for South Bend. Though some might consider the DTC30 testing a failure, I consider it a success. Tobin's words rung true, the cold stopping capability is not acceptable for me, so we move back to what we know.

The front rotors are C5, but they are a super-beefy DBA part that Tobin recommended. They are serious pieces. If I hurt these things the rest of the car will likely be on fire.

http://imageshack.us/a/img820/4323/dsc02665u.jpg

The master cylinder now on the car is a manual 7/8" standard from a 1995 Dodge Spirit (Thanks JR.) Though the pedal travel is a bit longer than what I would like the effort and feedback are good.

The brake fluid will be the NAPA heavy-duty fluid that I've always used. The fluid has only boiled at one event that was really hard on the brakes. Since that time the front caliper and caliper piston material have changed. Add in some brake ducting and fluid boiling should not be a factor.

During testing in October Jon and I did six 20-minute sessions on the big course at Buttonwillow. The only thing we did to the car was put in fuel. The brakes worked well without ducting, so that should help to offset the change to the HP+ pad.

Up next, safety harnesses, hardware, and HANS

The Deist harnesses that were in the Camaro were the traditional five-point type with a "Ball Buster" submarine belt. There were several problems with them that needed to be addressed. First, the submarine belt was not attached properly, hence making it more of a liability instead of a safety device. Second, they were awful to adjust, being almost impossible to make some adjustments. Third, they were not set up for a HANS device.

Since the car is both a street and fun track day car it would be nice to have twin restraint systems, a simple three-point inertia-reel retractable for street and a multi-point harness for track. Fitting both at the same time is a bit difficult since there's not a lot of room to put multiple mounting points for harness systems. Like many things having two brains work on something is better than one, and Jon came up with an idea that worked out great.

The first thing to choose was what type of harness is desired. In Jon's C5 he uses an aftermarket kit that mounts a six-point harness mounted in a Formula style where the sub belts wrap around the legs and clip to the same area as the lap belt. The advantage to the Formula mount is that no hole is needed in the seat. If a racing seat was used, where the seat bottom is thinner and better suited for bottom mount, then the mount would have been under the seat. So, a Schroth six-point HANS type harness was ordered. The harness is nice for multiple drivers since not only do they adjust easily, but there is also a handle on the adjusters.

http://imageshack.us/a/img832/7638/dsc02742qh.jpg

Jon and I are close enough in size to allow sharing of a HANS device. In the C5 the shoulder belt does not seat well into the HANS belt channels. The channels are intended to be used with a 2" wide belt. The Schroth shoulder belts are a hybrid design where the belt on the chest is 3", then reduces to a 2" belt for the HANS. I'm surprised there are not more designs like this because it makes so much sense. I really wanted to buy a harness from one of the OLoA sponsors but they did not offer this design.



Mounting the belts to the floor was where two brains worked better than one. The bracket kit in the C5 is from Brey-Krause. It includes a driver and passenger side bracket kit. Jon did not use the passenger brackets, and to my good fortune they almost fell into the Camaro. Both brackets needed the floor bolt holes opened up by 0.062" to fit the OE shoulder bolt, and the outboard bracket needed just a bit of non-structural relief to allow it to properly rotate. Even the three-point retractable went over the top of these brackets with no fuss. It clears the door and the outboard side and aligns just right to the seat bottom/back hinge point for both. For the transit stages we'll just unclip or lay the harness off to the side and use the retracts. If I was starting a completely new build a different direction would likely be used, but this was an easier than expected modification. Now I have to buy Jon a new set of belt anchors......

Inboard bracket
http://imageshack.us/a/img716/5651/dsc02743cj.jpg

Outboard bracket
http://imageshack.us/a/img28/4558/dsc02745sq.jpg

Inside clip between console and seat
http://imageshack.us/a/img152/2471/dsc02746ot.jpg

We'll have to sit on the sub belt adjusters while on-track but they are not uncomfortable. We're using a piece of carpet anti-slip foam to lay on seat before getting in. This also helps hold us in the seat as well.

One of the rules of One Lap is that one must carry everything in the car or a trailer. The Three Amigos (James, Jimi, and I) are going to do a bit of parts and tools sharing, but there’s still not a lot of room in a 1st-gen. So, out came the rear seat to make more luggage space. The carpet was replaced when the electrical was installed, so to keep costs down we re-used the the aft-half from the old carpet set to cover the exposed floor. Besides the seat belt holes, it fits pretty darn well. A bit of heat to remold and it’s good to go.

http://imageshack.us/a/img577/7985/dsc02740z.jpg

Jon and I also devised a way to store the removable harness bar so that the seats can be reclined during the transit stages. By Day 4 Mary will be wanting to swap transit seats.

http://imageshack.us/a/img27/9408/dsc02737wf.jpg

Jon has used up a bunch of his nine lives, several of them while I was around, so he must use a HANS device to protect his neck. Since I want to stick around too, and the chances of an off-track encounter are higher during One Lap than on typical track days, we are going to share a HANS for this trip. I’ll get one after One Lap, but we both fit in the same size and it will require less space than to back them both.

http://imageshack.us/a/img405/7715/hansu.jpg

"It fits, no problem!" Yeah right.

There are some constants in life. It seems like aftermarket parts are one of them. It's expected that aftermarket parts don't fit right. Maybe it's just me and an over sensitivity to wanting things reasonably correct.

To make the long transit stages a bit more comfortable, and to upgrade the on-track ergonomics, some drivers compartment changes were made. The first was the steering wheel. The Grant wheel was the right size, both in diameter and grip, but it was too slippery and the wrong color. I really like the OLC Momo wheel with the Alcantara covering, so off to the Google search I went and found http://www.leatherwheels.com/. Though Alcantara is not his normal gig, Chris Scow assured he could do the job. When the wheel was done Chris called and said he was a bit disappointed in the work since there was a wrinkle on the back of one of the spokes. It seems that Alcantara stretches more in one direction than another (single vs. dual bias), hence making it more difficult to fit the complex curves. After getting it back I could hardly find a flaw. The workmanship is fantastic and the price reasonable. Now that it is the right color, is much easier to grip, and has the alignment stripe, it's like a whole new wheel. It’s one of those things that made me think, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”

http://imageshack.us/a/img713/769/steeringwheelt.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img845/4789/dsc02667xu.jpg

Next up was to replace the aging stock steering column with a tilt version. A new Ididit column was ordered along with a new Ididit rag joint. Cris at JCG painted the column red to better match the interior.

So it would seem that installing the new rag joint and column hardware should be all that's needed to finish this up, right? It’s a 1st-gen Camaro, unmolested, and the stock steering column fit fine. Not for me. While installing the new column with the rag joint in the only position it could go, the underdash mouting bracket would not line up. Everything was too long. Do I have the right rag joint? According to the catalog and Ididit's customer service, yes. It must be something with the car. Ummm, then why does the stock column, and a second stock column, fit fine? Ugh....

So, out comes the saw to cut down the exposed spline length to shorten the column length, then make a new set screw landing zone. OK, should be good to go, it's late and I want this thing in. Great, it goes in and fits lengthwise! Now, let's tighten the rag joint bolts. Uhhh, why does the flexible rag squeeze out so much? Why are there not compression stops like the stock and DSE rag joint that were on the car? Where are the safety pins that allow steering control even if both fasteners fall out? Ugh.....

After dissecting the Ididit and DSE parts it was found that a marriage of the two could be easily done. By using the side that fits the DSE steering box along with the side that fits the Ididit column, a hybrid joint could be made that has all of the proper installation and safety features. Even the DSE heavy duty flexible rag (far better than the Ididit part) could be used.

http://imageshack.us/a/img26/355/dsc02727gh.jpg

All right, we're ready to go, put the column in, it fits and the rag joint bolts up correctly. Now let's install the firewall seal. Hummm, how come there is so much space around the seal. Uhhh, is it because the column diameter is smaller than stock. What, not even the same diameter? No additional seal or spacer to make up the difference? Nothing. In talking with others this is a normal thing for this column. Ugh....

So here's the new spacer that was needed to make the column the same diameter as the other 500,000 or so 67-8 Camaros that were built. A saw split was used to make installation easier. A dab of silicone will seal up any leaks.

http://imageshack.us/a/img826/5696/dsc02724fk.jpg

Finally, it fits! Maybe as I get older I'm willing to deal with less, but it's tasks like these that make enthusiasts not to enthusiastic about products. Is it really that hard?

Rant off.

The other part added to the car is the new dead pedal. It's big but non-intrusive. The high-beam switch had to be moved to under the clutch pedal but it's still reasonably easy to get to. A guard will be added to keep from kicking the flasher module. The skidtape came from an ebay skateboard shop. A clutch pedal stop is also in there. The accelerator pedal was modified with a piece of aluminum so that some rev-matching can be done.

http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7514/dsc02764t.jpg

In all it's a nicer place to sit, especially with the reworked gauges and steering wheel.

One question... With all the detail your putting into this... How can you possibly stand to have floor mats that far off in color??!?!:hairpullout:


http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7514/dsc02764t.jpg

Factory reproduction! It looks a lot worse in the photos than real life.

I hope so! Cuz it looks like it would match the orange houndstooth quite nicely in the photo. :D

Carl, this is such a cool project on many levels. Many reasonably budget friendly items here too.

The steering wheel, reclining seat, pedal mods .... :trophy-1302:

After all the great ideas he shared with you and everybody else, this is the best you could come up with?:headscratch:

Carl, you always find a unique way to make the best of things, economically. Kudos to you. I've learned my lesson......:lol:

Hopefully you are the only one that missed the humor I attempted to portray in my post... If not. please append an LOL to it.

I was not trying to take anything away from the incredible message and journey this project represents nor was I trying to discount the really cool tech being shared with the group. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Sorry for taking so long to come back in here. Furiously working to get things done is an understatement.

For about the past three weeks the car has been mechanically completed. There are some things that need to get done before we go but none of them are deal killers. There's no stopping now.

Given that we might have to fix just about anything on the road I've taken as many specialized tools and parts that I can reasonably fit in the car. That means having the packing done, lists made, and working out of that load and add to it. Here's how much stuff can be fitted into a 1st-gen trunk even when there's a battery in the way. That's a full-size spare rim and tire that Jimi can share if needed.

http://imageshack.us/a/img577/581/imagekor.jpg

All 248lbs of it fits, and there's a small hydraulic jack that Jon brought over that we crammed in there as well. That makes 300lbs in the trunk. The back seat will be for our clothes, driving gear, electronics, food/drinks, etc. We trial packed that on Thursday at Buttonwillow and we're good to go.

Testing is also complete on the new 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports. We were fortunate that during the testing late last month with James at Buttonwillow that we could do do skidpad and track tire temperature testing. The fronts were super easy and took about 20 minutes to dial in, including a small camber change. Final temperatures were within 5* across the face of the tire. The rears are different story. Even after dropping to 22psi hot both sides were 20* hot in the middle. Jon Hotchkis made a dash over to the TRD trailer that was there (setting up cars for the Long Beach Gran Prix) and discussed this dilemma with them. Seems many of the modern tires are built and intended for independant suspension cars that have camber gain. When they are put on a stick axle they get confused. We ended up selecting a pressure 5psi lower for the rear vs. the front.

http://imageshack.us/a/img515/6895/imagetnx.jpg

The guys from Fox came out and did some tuning on the Hotchkis shocks at Buttonwillow as well. These guys are magicians. They watched the car on-track and described that same things I felt. After a few R&R's for each end of the car the shock package is much better and the car much more composed. Here's a few of the parts they worked on.

http://imageshack.us/a/img834/6403/imagebkt.jpg

Thanks a ton to the guys at Fox. They worked on James' car as well to get the RideTech shock and spring package on OLC dialed in.

On Thursday one of the biggest changes on the car went on. Cris at JCG worked overtime to get this work of art done in time for the OLoA. We're securing it with Hotchkis hood pins as well for a second measure of security. Nobody wants it to come off at speed during our run at Daytona or VIR. The stripes will be taken care of tomorrow.

http://imageshack.us/a/img24/9039/imageloy.jpg

All of yesterday was spent on refurbishing the brakes. New pads front and rear, and new Kore3 DBA rotors up front. The rear calipers were rebuilt (three years and a boatload of track days = it's time) and the entire system flushed. Here's my frugal (meaning I'm too cheap to buy a real bleeder) vacuum brake bleeder. It's a small pump and a Tostitos salsa jar. It's not pretty, but it works well.

http://imageshack.us/a/img6/6484/imagedkst.jpg

And finally, human preparation. All of us have been studying the tracks we are going to. There are nine different tracks/configurations we will be running. To say it's difficult and intimidating to learn them is an understatement. Fortunately for Daytona and VIR, iRacing has those tracks in all of the configurations we'll be running. Jon bought a Logitech G27 for practice, I liked it, and bought one as well. The day after is showed up the OLoA teamed up with IRacing to offer competitors a free three-month subscription to iRacing for free! Timing is everything. It may not be the real thing but it sure is a lot easier to learn the corners and car placement than by just studying a track map.

Tomorrow is an exciting day for Team HFC. The next set of photos should have her in livery, minus the OLoA specific decals.

Looking good Carl!!!


Plan your work and work your plan! :D :thumbsup:

Looking good Carl!
We wish all of the Vintage American teams the best of luck and safe travel.
The hood looks great! Great blend of form and function that should serve you well.
I might have to copy that vacuum pump setup for work and home. I have a few decommisioned 120v prime assist vacuum pumps that ran fine but lacked reliable suction to stay in their intended service.

True that Greg. I've made laminated cards, attached with a permanent lanyard, for each of the bags. There's also a master laminated card that has the content of each bag and an alphabetical listing. My wife thinks I'm nuts (she's right more often than me) but if something breaks at night in the middle of nowhere I don't want to add to the stress of the situation by scrambling to find tools, parts, cleaners, etc.

Thanks Robert!

Good luck Carl. :thumbsup:

Somewhere along the way that list/tag system is going to save time and yes, stress both of which are precious luxuries in an event like this... I can only imagine.

I would hope there is different colored tags or items are organized together for purpose when possible? I have to admit I saw those matching Craftsman bags and immediately thought of my spastic searching of the two I have when that tool I need and know I brought eludes me to the bottom... only to find it was in the other bag in an external pocket. Right where I wisely put it so I wouldn't have to dig.

Odds are the act of making the lists and sorting it all to the Nth degree has engrained much familiarity to memory along the way as well, another great idea!

Disclaimer, as evidenced by the 2nd paragraph avoid taking packing advice from me.:innocent:

That's part of the reason for working out of the packed kit for all work done on the car for the past month or so. Familiarity and additions. And yes, parts are grouped, but I may not be the one working on the car, or I may not be around for some reason, or Jimi or James might need something.

I likely have 10X more stuff than what's needed. It's like an insurance policy, you hope you don't ever need it. If you don't have it, it will be needed.

Thank you Jody!

It's been a pretty emotional few days. Engines, brakes, wiring, etc. are not what makes a car. What it stirs in us emotionally does. The graphics going on the car did that for me. It's the culmination of almost a year of planning, preparation, and a sense of trying to give back.

Without further ado, the 2013 Honor Flight Camaro.

http://imageshack.us/a/img841/2112/h...camaroside.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img825/7677/h...camarologo.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img42/4140/ho...amarorlogo.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/5625/h...marotrunkl.jpg

Larry Callahan came over with his camera gear and ladder. We made our way over to a local parking lot and did our best magazine photo dude impression. We'll keep our day jobs. Muchas Gracias amigo (those last three words will be very ironic in a short time..... ;-)))

We're as ready as can be, just a few small things to attend to this weekend and she ships via L.A. Prep on Monday.

Car looks great Carl. Wish all you guys luck, should be a great adventure.

Graphics look great Carl. Good Luck!

How sweet is that!


You're going to have a hoot Carl.... just remember to savor the moments. I'm sure on a trip like this it will be too easy to get caught up in the competitive aspects... so try to just suck it all in. Killer tracks - great friends, new and old, and all the scenery along the way. It'll be epic!

Carl - The car looks awesome, best of luck and good times. :thumbsup:

The graphics, mods to the front end, new hood, and 18” wheels. It all really came together… the car looks great Carl :thumbsup:

Now all the hard work is done… enjoy the experience and goodluck!

Looks awesome Carl. A great tribute indeed. Hope you enjoy the heck out of the upcoming experience and kick some butt along the way.

Fresh Wallpaper pics!

Keeping you and the cause in mind, she really looks great! Very tastefully done to say the least.

Robert

WOW looking great!

I really look forward to seeing this car "in the tin" Carl.

Going through some last minute hassles myself but am optimistic that once I hit the road for OLOA .... the stresses, disappointments and delays will be forgotten.

C ya soon.

Have a great trip my friend! Look forward to hearing all about it when you return :thumbsup:

Looking forward to meeting you and your dad in South Bend. Don't sweat the cosmetics. OLoA ain't no car show.

Car looks great Carl! Have fun out there! :flag2:

Camaro looks great with the new mods, good luck Carl!

My wife and I traveled to the Memorials a few years back and it was one of the touching places I have ever been. When my children get older we plan to go back as a family.

Carl Everything about this car is Awesome from the dedication to the actual build.

And please tell your Father thank you very much.

Thank you Marty. I'm planning the same trip for my family as well. Everyone should go to D.C. and visit at least once in their lives.

So it's almost go-time for Team HFC, but first the car has to get to South Bend, IN from Southern California. With the help of Jon Barrett at Kahn Media, we were fortunate to secure a place for the Honor Flight Camaro and the One Lap Camaro with LA Prep, one of the premier automotive transport companies in the world. http://www.laprepinc.com With their headquarters only an hour from home, it made the choice easy.

When I pulled up on Monday to drop off the car there were some unexpected surprises waiting. The Patron Tequilla ALMS teams were there performing a post-race teardown/reassembly on their cars which finished first and second at the Long Beach Gran Prix last weekend. These cars are phenomenal pieces of engineering, and super reliable. It's pretty cool seeing some very high tech carbon lays right next to a stock-block engine from a Honda Pilot that provides the motivation. The mechanics got a kick out of OLC and HFC as well.

The owner of LA Prep, Jim, is an ex Cannonballer. He last did it in 1979 and made it from Connecticut to Los Angeles in 36 hours. He was in first place until they heard over the CB radio that the road through Flagstaff was closed, and that changed their route. It was a setup by one of their competitors by which the truckers made the CB call on the road closure. Heck, they hired an Italian chef to ride in the back seat and make sandwiches!

Here's the car going on the trailer just over the OLC.


http://imageshack.us/a/img29/7996/laprepload.jpg

Though the car is gone preparations continue. YouTube is my friend for all of the tracks and IRacing does help some for Daytona and VIR, but it's still not the same. My co-driver Jon is pretty nervous as it's his first time having to deal with something like the OLoA. Though we would likely fare better points/position wise if only one of us drove each track, hence learning from the morning sessions and doing better in the afternoon, if Jon want to drive then he's in. It's a long trip to just ride shotgun when the blood is boiling to drive.

Another thing that has been on my mind is the personal side of the story. Last year James brought a stuffed toy that made the whole journey that he gave to his daughter Eve. For the HFC we're going to reach back in time and borrow some good fortune.

I vivdly remember my Dad telling me that if I ever joined the army he would kill me (figure of speach.) He may not have liked the army, but he was fiercely proud of the 3rd Infantry Division in which he served. He was also the sentimental and superstitious type, and carried around something for good luck every day of his life. So for the HFC these two momentos of his will joining us on the OLoA.

https://lateral-g.net/temp/imageyec.jpg

The patch is one of two that he had in a box along with all of his ribbons, pins, stripes, etc. from his time in the army. The rabbits foot he talked about with me only once, but he carried that overseas the whole time he was there. I'm hoping that there some luck still waiting to get out.

On Thursday Jon and I fly to Midway in Chicago to meet with Mary and James and pick up the cars. HFC is in pretty good shape from a graphics standpoint so it should be easier for us. Sticking up a whole car and getting it right takes more time than one would think.

Best of luck!!!

They made it! Good luck guys and stay safe.


https://lateral-g.net/temp/onelap.jpg

That pic get's my heart pumping!

Good luck guys!

Yup, we made it one piece but it is cold! It's 45* out now, and earlier when Robert McGaffin was shooting the cars with the wind blowing....BURRRRRR!

No major concerns with any of the cars. I think all three of us are going to dive under the cars for a few minutes tomorrow to make a few small adjustments. It's stickers, registration/tech inspection, etc. so it's an easy day. If everyone would please do their best no-rain La Bamba dance moves tonight it would be greatly appreciated.

Wherever we go the cars are like Rockstars out here. Jimi's going to have to get a can of anti-stalking spray for the AMX!

We'll be posting as we can but often comminications can be limited, and uploading photos for hosting/posting does not always work well.

Thank you all for your support. We are really looking forward to this coming week. There are some AWESOME cars here. Can you say a 0-100mph in 5.9 seconds GTR?