1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

[carbuff]

I've been really lax about posting updates here, I'm way behind on the car. But I thought I would share this picture from my weekend at COTA in early March. That weekend caused some carnage for TOW, but it sure was a fun track to drive! Doing lots of this:



Eventually led to this after 2 days:



Kinda scary, but thankfully it all turned out ok. I've replaced the drilled rotors with these for the future:

[carbuff]

Before COTA, and in prep for the upcoming GG event in Fort Worth, I also installed this to help cure my power steering woes (thanx Mr. Sutton!):



I also did some of this:



and this:



and this:



after installing these:



In case it's not obvious, that's 4x 315x30x18 Rival S's. Unfortunately, I did not roll the very edge of the inner fender lip on the passenger side (I had no actual clearance issues, so I thought), and when I hit a bad bump in the street while turning, I did this:



One 3 mile old BFG Rival S 315 down the drain... I had already purchased a pair of 275's, so I put those back on instead, and that's what I'm running now.

[carbuff]

The bad news in all of this is that not only did I break a brake rotor at COTA, it seems I also hurt the engine. I spent a ton of time, brain power, and money trying to diagnose what has gone wrong, but at this point, it must be something internal. I'm at a point where my hot oil pressure is much lower than it used to be (before COTA), and the engine simply won't run right (my Holley O2 readings are all over the place, not quite as stable at idle, and some stumbling). So next weekend, the engine is coming back out for a teardown. While deciding what to do, I stumbled on this:



So TOW is getting a small upgrade. It's a sleeved LS block, which will have a 4.155" bore giving me a CID of 434". I'm moving most of my internals over (need pistons), heads, intake, etc. The biggest struggle I'm having is what to do about my oiling system. I added the Accusump last year, and while everything seemed ok, of all damned things, the pressure switch that actually enables the unit has died. Discovered that during the COTA weekend. Doesn't do me a lot of good if the unit can't actuate!

I've done a ton of research about adding a dry sump to the car. I've managed to solve almost all of the hard hurdles, but at this point, it just doesn't seem feasible. So, instead, I'm going to bump the oil pump, get rid of the pressure switch and use the Holley to actuate the Accusump, and look at a few other things per the engine builder's suggestions. I discovered this weekend that my pushrods were not restricted, meaning I was pumping more oil to the valve covers than I needed (so new pushrods will be ordered). I'm also changing oil per a conversation with Ron Sutton from RedLine to Lucas products.

[waynieZ]

When it rains it pours! I'm glad you found the rotor and the problem with the tire before you were back on the track.

[cpd004]

Is the reservoir adapted to the pump you already had or was it complete with pump?

[Panteracer]

Bryan,
Sorry to hear about the Motor... I have had many problems
with Pontiac motors in the past and hope mine is resolved now
was thinking the Ls motors were bullet proof but I guess not

Car does look great on the track
Wondering why brakes actually cracked.. I have had checking
on the Pantera when they have had a lot of time on them.. maybe crossdrilling....14" rotors??? I am still deciding on my new brakes maybe
the Aero Wilwoods... time will tell

Finally looking at your car's weight 3942... I was at 3710 and
taking a bunch off the front and hoping to be in the 3350 range
Hopefully I can weigh mine this weekend
I have a 5 point roll bar, no ac or heat.. glass front end and hood now

Bob

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by cpd004

Is the reservoir adapted to the pump you already had or was it complete with pump?

I replaced the pump and reservoir, purchased as a unit through Sutton. Higher pressure unit, which would help with the bigger tires I was trying to run. I REALLY want to replace the rack, but Ron tells me that no one makes a really strong replacement rack for the Thunderbird / Mustang II fitment. I will probably get an extra one to keep on hand once I do get those big tires mounted...

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by Panteracer

Bryan,
Sorry to hear about the Motor... I have had many problems
with Pontiac motors in the past and hope mine is resolved now
was thinking the Ls motors were bullet proof but I guess not

The LS motors don't like long sweeping turns (what motor does I guess). It's easy to suck the pan dry. I confirmed today that I don't have restricted diameter pushrods, which I thought I did, so that didn't help either. I'm told you can have up to 2 quarts of oil in the valve covers (hard to believe it's that much, but I've been told that from 2 sources). So I need to do all I can to limit that.

Originally Posted by Panteracer

Car does look great on the track
Wondering why brakes actually cracked..

Heat, I'm sure. COTA is a fast track, and TOW is heavy. 3900# plus slowing from 120-130 down to 45 at 2 points on the track is a lot of heat. And I'm not exactly nice to brakes. There is also limited cooling to them currently (I'm thinking about ways to improve that). But the drilled rotors were probably a bad idea for a big track. I had them all apart the week before COTA, and I didn't see a single stress crack at the holes. Now, every hole has one! Front and rear...

Originally Posted by Panteracer

Finally looking at your car's weight 3942... I was at 3710 and taking a bunch off the front and hoping to be in the 3350 range Hopefully I can weigh mine this weekend I have a 5 point roll bar, no ac or heat.. glass front end and hood now

You are definitely getting some weight off the front. I'm a big guy (260-ish), so that doesn't help. I only have the fiberglass hood, I'd like to replace the nose as well like you did. That's 60-70 pounds right there, plus those heavy mounts. I didn't build this car with weight in mind though, it was built as a driver / Pro-Tourer. I need to build another one that's more racecar.

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by waynieZ

When it rains it pours! I'm glad you found the rotor and the problem with the tire before you were back on the track.

Me too! I had gone to a parking lot and done some skid pad type testing, and everything was fine. But hitting something like a pothole did it in.

The Rivals are wider at the tread edge than the Falkens were. I had used the rear 315 Falkens for testing before making the jump, and all seemed fine. If I had just rolled the inner edge a bit, I would have been ok. It was a sick feeling when it happened...

[Panteracer]

Bryan,
I wasn't thinking when I saw your car weight
Now I know you have your weight included for corner weighing
I was not counting my weight and I am no little guy either
at 240lbs so our car weights are closer

Bob