I went to the cruz in and Blu Balls just looks so bad ass! Amazing how awesome it looks in person. :hail: One of my favorets and I cant believe I seen it in person!

Is Blu Balz hometown Memphis? That's my neck of the woods. This is an awesome car and would love to check it out in person

Congrats to Karl. Impressive performance in his new car!

Nice going Karl! :thumbsup:

Yah way to go :cheers: Where Todd now :P

Awesome Karl!

MEMPHIS?!? How in the world did Memphis get mentioned in the BB thread?

Congrats..

What a great feeling being that it was his first event..

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

First of all, great job Karl and Cris....:thumbsup:

Didn't Karl drive the car at MATS in Vegas a month or so ago?

Thanks guys. I knew Cris gave me a heck of a weapon, but I wasn't expecting things to go so well this weekend, especially with all the trouble I had at MATS adjusting to the extra HP. I was still having a hard time being smooth with the throttle on the autox, and when I wasn't, the car was a real handful. I probably hit more cones this weekend, than I hit in all the events combined last year. :lol: Anyway, at least now I have a car that can keep up.
Thanks Cris!:thumbsup:

Not bad Karl, there was some good drivers in sorted cars at that event, so placing that well is very impressive. :thumbsup:

I just back late last nite from the Mid-West.. I had a blast up their.. I meet a bunch of great people & had alot of action racing with BB.. Karl even let me take it out on the road course! That was the one last place I had not driven the car..

We got the car working good... The last things we did too it with the Pilot SS & 18x10.50 front wheels made the car grip much better on the front.. All I had to adjust this weekend was air pressures & rear sway bar..

Cris,

Which Sparco seats did you use in this car? I tried searching, but didn't see the model anywhere...

Thanx!

Ok Ron.. Let me be more specific.. :lol:

It was Karls first event @ a American Street Car Series...

Your welcome Karl! Now comes the fun stuff after a race.. Cleaning & detailing the car.. :lol:


Karl ordered the seats & had them drop shipped to the shop.. I need to get the part # from him so that I can order another set.. When I have that info I will shoot that over to you..

That video was mostly very early on the 1st day. We discovered after about 6 runs that the rear brake bias was too high. Before we got on the autox, we were on the road course, and I was have trouble with the back end trying to come around under braking, finally sliding off course at the end of the front straight. I didn't have a clue what was going on until I got to the autox, and kept feeling the back end still coming around. You can see it happening in the final chicanes before the finish line. A little is helpful, but a lot slows u down. I was telling Cris what it was doing, and he says too much rear brake, and dialed some out. We immediately got faster. When we went back out on the road course we picked up about 3 or 4 seconds.

Bryan, those are the sparco 505s. I had been thinking about going to the evo or pro 2000s, but after this weekend I'm not in any hurry to change. They really held me in place on the track and are infinitely adjustable for the street.

Thanx Karl! I thought that might be the ones, but wasn't sure. I ran the old "Super Sport" model in my last Camaro, and I liked them except that they sat too high (with the brackets that I used).

I sure wish there was a place that I could go to sit in seats from the different manufacturers for fitting, but that's a topic for another thread... :)

Car looks great, congrats again!

MATS was more of a "Test and Tune" instead of something respective of the autocrosses we run nowadays and you appeared to handle that extra HP just fine!!

Congrats on the fine placings and especially happy you're enjoying your car now.

Polishing compound is gonna be your new best friend ... :D

Mary Pozzi

Just teasing you boss. The outing was very impressive! :thumbsup:

wow! :thumbsup:

Good job guys! So was it the Car or the Driver that made it into 1st place! :D

Dam Cris, you must be feeling good with an outcome like that on what is essentially a "new" car! Top notch work man is paying off!

Jason

Thanks Jason! As Karl gets more seat time & make some more adjustments to it.. We will be able to keep up in front of the pack.. :unibrow:

Cris, read your issues w/wheel simulator, sorry to hear about that. On another note, you think I could borrow Blu Balz for a couple of weeks, just want to let you know ahead of time, can't promise I'll have it back to you in one piece:lol: Truely though you're a good guy for going the extra mile w/people. I always live by the give everyone a chance, sometimes it doesn't always work out as intended and they don't get another but it doesnt stop me from staying the path and trusting people. Your lucky I don't live next door to you, I'd be over everyday picking your brain, love your craftsmanship and builds:yes: .
Good luck

Thanks for the props Lenie! & if you lived next door I would keep my doors locked.. :lol:

Blu Balz is back in CA! At the Mid West Muscle Car Challenge the car showed us its strengths & weaknesses.. Unfortunately we will not be making Good Guys Columbus & the PHR Shootout but we will be ready for Motorstate Challenge…


The one thing that we have not been able to keep from losing in the car was ring & pinions.. Discussed this with Kyle @ DSE & this is what we came up with as a solution… Heat has been our enemy.. but @ the time upgrade to something that is more for racing purposes…

C&R Racing has introduced current NASCAR Ford 9” technology for the Pro-Touring and Track Day customers. Starting with an investment cast nodular housing that is almost 8 pounds lighter than a standard case. Ring & Pinions are ISF® Process (Isotropic Superfinish Process) by REM Chemicals for reductions in friction, heat build up , power loss, noise and increases longevity. C&R also utilizes our in house 9” Dyno which measures heat, hot & cold rolling torque , final backlash and is checked for noise. It also allows us to ship 9” already broken-in so it is ready to run when you receive it.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2521.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2522.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2523.jpg

Another issue I kept having was the radiator… So we upgraded to a Dewitt’s C6 Corvette radiator with fans.. The radiator now mounts as C6 Corvette would mount with grommets…

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2528.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2529.jpg

Quite a few cars @ Mid West Muscle Car Challenge were leaking fuel from the fuel vents… So we tore all the fuel system apart & put in a new aluminum fuel tank from Rick’s to save weight & be able to weld on a tank with no fumes in it.. plus we are venting the rear end & fuel tank with these new tanks we built… also venting @ the highest point on the fuel tank… The filler…

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2532.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2526.jpg

While we had the whole rear section of the car apart… We made a change to the pannard bar to make it adjustable for our roll height..

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2524.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2531.jpg

Another thing I tried out was fitting 305-30-19 on a 19x11 on the front… I got to drive the car with these tires… You can tell the car bites more… But @ this time we cannot run them for events due to rubbing… I will make the changes later to make it work…

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2505.jpg

Nice upgrades Cris :thumbsup: How big are the current front tires? I thought when you widened the front fenders you went with a bigger tire?

what issues did you have with the radiator and can you give us some details on the install?

Welding on a fuel tank is super simple.... the key is to wash it with SIMPLE GREEN - twice - (Just rinsing with water is not good enough since we all know oil (gasoline) and water do not mix!) - Rinse with water... a couple times..... and before welding drop several pieces of DRY ICE into the tank. When dry ice "melts" it vaporizes directly into CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)... which is non explosive (same gas that we weld with) and it displaces all the oxygen in the tank... :cheers:

Can you provide any more information on this setup? I looked on the C&R website, but I didn't find much above your paste above and the gear options. No other pictures either.

I'm curious as to how you plumb this setup? Maybe I missed it, but I only see one hose fitting. Does the other go into the housing somewhere? The bottom perhaps?

Any idea on pricing of these? Are you a dealer for them? Again, I didn't see any pricing on their site.

I haven't purchased a center section yet, and while I wasn't sold on the idea of running a cooler, it just seems like a good idea. I'm actually surprised that more cars here don't have them. How are you plumbing/locating the cooler itself?

Thanx!

And a couple of other question. In the first picture, is that a vacuum pump running off of the cog-belt? Did you make that setup?

And in the second picture, what is that item hanging from the crossmember? Is it a pump or a filter of some sort?

Thanx again. Love this car! :)

Rick- We have had 295 on the front but when we went with the Pilot SS we had to change to a 285 but it is on a 10.5 wheel.. We can get a 295 in the Pilot SS but would need to run a 19 on the wheel... I just don't have the time to massage the fenders a bit more to run the 305's for MotorState..




Randy- The Auto Rad radiator was not designed to be mounted on a angle like we tried the first time so we were busting the top row of lines on the radiator.. So when we decided to make changes we went with a radiator that we can buy off the shelf.. A stock C6 Corvette radiator will mount in place if we needed it too.. All the mounting components are C6 except the expansion tank... The lower radiator hose is C6 Corvette & the top one is one cut up to accept the expansion tank...

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2535.jpg

Thank you for the information Greg! I will make sure to use it when I have tank to weld on..

This is new third member option that DSE will be offering as an upgrade to the current Moser unit they sell.. I was the first to buy one from DSE.. so I only have my pricing on it.. When I have it I will pass it on to you.. They have been running it on one of the test cars with positive results...

I will post pics of the install in a few days when I get it done.. The pump is built into the front pinion & is driven when the car is moving.. plumbing is simple.. Just have to find a mounting location for the cooler...


The vaccum pump kit is by GZ Motorsports.. & works great!

The item hanging is a Canton oil thermostat.. That also works bitching! I have a cover that we built for it so that no cones in the way of it..

wicked build Cris, you guys go above and beyond for the customer

I like these new upgrades! I was planning on REM polishing my gear sets when I upgrade to a new manual transmission in my car since we do this process at my work. I was wondering when I would see REM being mentioned on this forum. Looks good!

I tried to stop by the shop a couple weeks ago when I was down at Wilwood but I called and no one picked up. You guys ever have open house get togethers?

-Dave

i have a question about the fuel tanks. do you know what the weight difference was from the ss to the aluminum tank? i didnt know ricks made a aluminum version of there tanks.

and that car :thumbsup: :hail:

Ricks just recently started making them within the last 6 months or so. I do not know the exact difference but it is quite a bit.

Dave- Sorry to hear that we missed you.. I usually don't answer the shop phone because I am always out in the shop working.. I have not had a open house in while.. We have been super busy lately but I have something new coming up... Our timing equipment just showed up... I will be hosting a "JCG TEST & TUNE/Autocross" event once a month starting late July.. This was the only I could get a bunch seat time ASAP! :D ... I will post details later about this .. Their are a few guys on this board that have been to my Test & Tunes... & you get a bunch of runs in one day... The event will only be limited to 20 cars per day...

PM & will get you my cell # so that you can call me the next time you are in area...

Maybe you can share some information on the REM process...



I asked Hector from Rick's yesterday what the weight difference is & he said it was about 34 to 36 weight difference...

Finished testing & tuning yesterday! getting the car clean, new tires mounted, change fluids, & nut/bolt check... Leaving tonight to South Haven MI tonight to the Motorstate Challenge.. it a good thing that Guy Ankeny is making that 40 hr drive with me!

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2557.jpg

Have fun! :_paranoid

Looking good Cris, have a safe trip, and good luck :thumbsup:

Blu Balz even looks good while on a lift without tires! ...my car would be kinda scary from that view.

Machining leaves high and low spots on gear faces which cause localized hot spots that stress the material at those points. This can lead to pitting or cracks. REM polishing is a process that uses chemicals and stones in an agitator to remove high spots left from the machining process and smooth the surfaces out as if they have been broken in. Since we do race transaxles we do this process on gear sets, ring & pinion's, diff gears, side gears, sliders, slider hubs etc. We have also done some engine components for customers.

The process takes about 8hr's. I believe the performance benefits from the process only take about 6hrs to complete however the extra 2hrs gives the parts a chrome appearance which people associate with REM. I don't personally have data on efficiency gains or extended longevity of parts however you can definitely feel the difference when rotating a transmission by hand or shifting it while it's on the bench.
.... I'm sure there is more info on wikipedia. :)

-Dave

Thanks Dave for explaining the REM process.... I just got back from Motorstate & is nice to drive BB without howling gears..