Lateral-g Forums - Ethyl's Twins - Precision 6266 and 408 Ci

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- - Ethyl's Twins - Precision 6266 and 408 Ci (https://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php?t=42820)

So there have been times in the last 10 years I actually thought we would get Ethyl together and start driving the piss out of her. During those times I entertain myself with ideas of things I would like to do. One thing I have been working on for a couple of years is a more business like and functional console that accommodates the reverse manual shift pattern of the TH400. I do not or am not able to drink anything in the car, mostly because of the 250 lbs springs on the coil overs which require a mouthpiece when driving on Texas concrete roads. So right off the bat the cup holders had to go. Got rid of them a few years ago but the console lacked the functionality I wanted. Even the nice looking M6 shift boots really bug me since you cannot tell what the transmission is doing in a glance. So I got hold of Brian Kilduff and picked up once of his fantastic Lighting Rod shifters. I thought the multi-lever shifter was cool, because [bold]"race car."[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psgk5geuvu.jpg

The unit is as solid as a piece of construction gear. I swear you would expect a D8 Caterpillar shifter to be this strong. The unit was mainly made to stand alone though Brian does sell consoles. He doesn't provide anything that can be sculpted into the existing console lines, his consoles are just folded aluminum tunnels. I like the unpolished aluminum look but after fires and all the horse**** we've come through I didn't have the heart or coin to ask Steve to make it work. So I just started the project myself. I had already been working on the console looking for ideas on electronics, switches, and so forth. In early versions I tried to use ABS Plastic to form a replacement for the shift boot.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps33d21d75.jpg

Right away the window switches were a problem. The switch box is huge under the console. I would have loved to have scrapped the OEM Switches and put my own in..

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psamafb8gp.jpg

At one point the panel hosted the fire suppression handles as well as the electronics.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...ole-32-640.jpg

Unable to overcome the switches, the earlier versions envisioned a quick release panel that the new switches would be put in (Transbrake and Lineloc). This way they would be accessible with the 1/4 turn fastener. That was used early on and eventually the carbon fiber replacement for the cup holders came to host the Leash Boost Control Display.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf2cd893d.jpg

So I picked up the Kilduff and started trying to figure how to integrate it since it wasn't an easy swap. In one version I built my own sheetmetal console,

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psb9aomgxl.jpg

Wrestling with the Kilduff and fabricating the necessary components was sort of fun. I sure wish I could lay fiberglass or carbon fiber.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps9d2ykhtu.jpg

Eventually I have decided I have to cut the OEM Console. Didn't want to do it but didn't cut enough to hurt the structural integrity of it. First I mocked up the base cover with cardboard and fitted it so the console trim piece would still snap in. One of th3e difficult things about that trim piece is that they seem to have designed it so nothing else would work with it, lots of curves. I just straightened them out some.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psfbqudcaa.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psgn0onj8h.jpg

Eventually I even cut the center trim brace on the trim piece.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psmaqps2yx.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psoid8hi6l.jpg

Fitment seems pretty good and gear shifter travel seems to be okay. Ther is adequate room to mount the electronics behind the shifter, including the Leash Boost control window which I am really considering moving above the Radio or in the hole the radio will leave. I am using aluminum as the base. Haven't decided on the thickness but will probably have it as thick as I can and still snap the console trim back in place.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psmsj255xe.jpg

Here are a few shots with the shift levers in different positions.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pssfage0ay.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pswqqojoce.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psdbqyrjpk.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psrb9m1gpe.jpg

[bold]Park[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psszz2bx7c.jpg

[bold]Reverse[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psuljahrqr.jpg

[bold]Neutral[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psk2shnvxl.jpg

[bold]First[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pssdod8xun.jpg

[bold]Second[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pswpnm9emu.jpg

[bold]Third[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psut1nwgst.jpg

[bold]1-2 Shift[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxuvhatar.jpg

[bold]2-3 Shift[/bold]

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxhz9mdve.jpg

Moving forward I will decide what to make the final console plate from and probably have a good CNC shop to etch/engrave the appropriate markings on the unit. I intend to have the engraving go completely through the face so I can have lights under the console that will serve to be read better in the dark.

I have now cut in the window controls, transbrake, line loc, Two step, and HPTuners Dongle left to figure out. Also fire suppression pulls.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxps52u9x.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pseuvgh7fa.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxps52u9x.jpg

Thanks John, I certainly enjoyed meeting you and talking with you. I am very sorry we did not have the time to get in the shop and maybe to the track. On the other hand perhaps we can at some point in the future. I am wrestling with two options on the shifter. One is the exposed plate as I have shown and ther would be a modified variant. The good news is I can put anything I want on it as long as I can get it drawn. This is the direction I am going but I have a variant with a smooth polished plate covering the entire surface.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pskwxmz3m2.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pssefiznop.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psoqhazkjk.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxb5mxms2.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...pskwxmz3m2.jpg

I've seen those shifters for years but could never figure out how they work? During a normal run do you shift using all three levers? If so, why does the smallest lever allow all 3 gears to be selected?

The smaller gear is just like a normal automatic shifter with standard gear selectors. If for instance I did not have a reverse manual valve body, I could put the snall lever in 3rd and let the automatic transmission shift itself (for instance they make 4 speed models as well). On the other hand, when I put the small shifter in 1st, it cocks, or arms the two other shifters, ie 1-2 and 2-3 rods. Cocked or armed means they are in the forward position. the 1-2 will shift from 1 to 2 when pulled back one click (which is all it will travel). At that point the transmission is in 2nd. Pulling the 2-3 lever shifts it to third, and down shifting is opposite. The example here is with a standard valve body not reverse manual.

So we are going back together now. Chris at GForce has upgraded my axles to the newer Outlaw axles with the billet cv's and stubs since we have been running his original stubs and axles for nearly 5 years now without issue. We sent the Pumpkin to Strange and had them go through and refresh the S-Trac. It was one of the original S-Tracs they sold and there was some wear on some of the washers. Since the unit has a lifetime warranty they upgraded it free of charge. While they had it all apart I went ahead and put a 3.25 gear in it. Brand new gear cost $189 with $100 of labor to install it (this is the reason I went with the 9 inch).

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psy32bvcjh.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psgkbp1ton.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psedkrxtt3.jpg

Life After Ethyl

Picked up Kit 075 from Bill Ondo in Portage Indiana last Friday. I had noticed the kit for sale on this forum while studying and planning to purchase a new kit. Bill's work caught my eye as he has fabricated some first class alternatives to standard installs. Things that particularly impressed me were mods he made to the fuel line, installing an external fuel pump, his own fabrication of the hydraulic clutch system and several other detailed items that I felt made this kit special.

Challenge now is to make it mine. Bill recommended we go back to the start and go through it item by item and I think we will follow his advice. We got the car to the shop Sunday and have off loaded it now. We are starting an inventory of all parts on or off of the car. There is no proper way to start this thread without a shout out to Bill and his lovely wife Karin. They were gracious and helpful. It is a real pleasure to take this kit and build it following in his footsteps. Bill was also quite clear that I should put a lot of my own self into the build, and I intend to. I am not by myself on this one either.

My team consists of my wife who worked with me to determine what I was looking for and the encouragement to go out for kit 075 in lieu of a new kit from the factory. The rest of the team consists of the guys at SNL Performance in Haslett Texas, including Steve and Loyd the owners, January, Jacob, Brian, and Daniel the SNL staff. James Karger LSTuner, will ultimately get involved down the road. Finally, it would be hard for anyone that didn't know us to appreciate Ethyl, who made a good deal of this possible. Ethyl was my first return to high performance cars in nearly35 years and the second GTO I owned.

In the same fashion people ask us if our 33's are kit cars, a lot of them also said Ethyl wasn't a real GTO. We built Ethyl over a 10 year period from a mild street performance ride that was comfortable for the morning commute, to a purpose built focused drag car that was knocking on the door for some impressive accomplishments. On the day Ethyl died she had a 434 Ci LSx motor with twin 6767 double ball bearing turbos making 1256 rwhp and 1504 rwtq on E85. That power was channeled through an FTi Stage 5 TH400 and a GForce1320 9" Ford IRS with a Mosier Pumpkin and Strange S-Trac Diff running 3.25 gears. On that day we were getting ready to go back to the track for our first sub 8 second passes. Loose gravel, skinny tires, and a Ford F350 towing a gooseneck trailer ended all that. Even so, the performance built and custom fabricated components off the car contributed heavily to this build we are starting now. Our initial intent was to put the Ford 9 inch, TH400 and LSx in a 33 but the new school motor would not let us run in the old Fuel Altered Classes so we decided to just enjoy the FFR 33 Ford build and have fun with the car.

So here was Ethyl on her best day

Here is Bill and Karin with the Hot Rod

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psrpdhsw0e.jpg

Here is Steve and Loyd as we picked the car up
http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psuuc04g7w.jpg

Here is the Hot Rod in it's new home
http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psftqbteyv.jpg

Here is My Best Friend and I with the Hot Rod
http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...psfgn3owvj.jpg