Project "Payback"

[coolwelder62]

Todd, car is looking great and sound's like you are getting it dailed in to be the perfect PT-camaro.

[69x22]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I ordered a set of Hypercoils from Ridetech last week and they came in on Tuesday. As usual, I couldn't wait to get dirty so I went out and got them installed. Hypercoil reccomended a 10" spring instead of the 12" that Alston spec'd originally. He said it would decrease the preload on the spring to achieve ride height along with being close to coil bind at max shock compression. Hopefully I'll have enough adjustment on the ground. Pretty simple job swapping springs on the coil overs. I set the front springs even and about 1/8 extra preload in the LR vs the RR as that's how it was after my corner weighting. I'll set the ride height close and make sure these are the right springs before I corner weight again.




I gave the newly designed shock plates the krylon touch and decided to redesign the tow hooks out back. The last set was a last minute deal for my first road race with redline time attack. I never cared for it so another do over. I ended up buying a set for a BMW with hopes of adapting them. I was hoping for M12 threads and I lucked out since nobody had a clue where I bought them. They have allens on both ends so I could tighten them in place and then a small set screw for backup. The main reason I like two is for tie downs in the trailer. They clear the wheel and shock by enough. I made sure the tow hook will clear the wheel if it decides to swing down. Turned out pretty nice. I've now got my much needed 1/2 of shock travel. Up next is testing.




Before I drop the car on all fours, I am making two other tweaks. Mounting everything solid on these cars sounds great until you drive one. Solid body mounts, solid shock mounts, solid engine mounts, solid steering knuckles, heim joints,etc. Both of my engines have suffered a harmonic vibration between 2700-2900. I can mainly feel it through the steering wheel rowing through the gears putting around town and through the car and steering wheel at say 85-90mph when I hit the rpm range in 5th. So, I'm putting a new steering knuckle in that will cut down on harmonics in the steering wheel. I'm also going to swap the passenger engine mount for a stock interlocking rubber mount. I run 302 Z28 mounts to center the drivetrain. Supposedly it cuts down on vibrations considerably. You know I won't sugar coat it. If I can just get AJ to bring back my picker I'm set.


Even after a gazillion thread pages and 150,000 views, I'm still working towards perfection. While I don't think perfection is possible, every tweak I make improves the car. The list is getting really short and the light is pretty bright. No, I'm not ready to start over.

Hey Todd, that black fuel hose that you are running, is it teflon lined?
Man I appreciate you posting all of the improvments that work on your car, (and all of the stuff that didn't work) it helps some of us in the building stage cut through the chase and save some money on our builds. You always take the time and throw in the detail that people need.

[Vegas69]

Appreciate it guys... Getting out and getting her dirty is still by far the best aspect of building these things for me. I even ran into a hint of snow. My ass would've been puckered driving it down these roads 2 years ago. Now I just have a great time.

I'm not one for secrets. I'm a firm believer in what comes around, goes around. I've made plenty of mistakes plowing the road to where I am today. Many by misguided information out there and upgrading vendors products to work in my world. The harder you push your car, the more miticulous things need to be. A weekend cruise vs. balls to the wall on the track are night and day. Building from scratch has been a larger challenge than I anticipated.

Most of the hose and fittings are Jegs brand. I did use hard 1/2 aluminum line from wheel well to wheel well. I would use teflon lined to be safe. I don't get the fuel smell in the garage and the hoses ae still pliable last time I checked. (Fuel is your main concern) Once again, that info wasn't out there when I started down this road. I'll be keeping a close eye. If I do encounter problems, it will go teflon.

[vinz68]

Lookin good!! Thde tie down hooks look like a great idea.

[waynieZ]

Todd the tiedowns look great. Thats good info on the solid mounts. I'm thinking of using solid body and engine mounts. I want the car to handle but I want it to be decent to drive around town.

[70rs]

Very nice work as usual Todd. I like the new hooks, and the info on the solid mounts is also appreciated.

I'm thinking 2011 is going to be a good year for you and Payback!

[Vegas69]

After the Optima Challenge and reviewing the video I realized how bad I needed a harness. My seats fit me well but I needed to reposition myself mide corner. There is enough to think about with 650 hp under the hood. I called up Ridetech and Rodney and I came up with a plan to get a harness bar in my car. We decided to have him send me the clamps and I could position them and take an eye to eye measurement. Rodney will then weld me up a harness bar and I'll likely paint the center section and leave the ends stainless. I haven't decided if I'll remove the 3 point belts at this point. Or simply use the same anchors and use the race belts only at events. Anyway, after doing some reading I've seen many different maximum belt angles and came across this article and it really makes sense.
http://www.circletrack.com/safety/ct...uidelines.html
The angle of the shoulder harness should be 90 degrees in comparison to your spine angle. I found what I feel is a comfortable driving position. I just need to verify it's approx. 90 degrees. Anybody disagree??

[68protouring454]

around there, but generally from where it goes thru the seat to the cross bar should be no more then 20 degree angle, but you want at least 10 degrees down angle on the harness's.

[Vegas69]

I was expecting a told you so from you Jake. It should be right in the sweet spot where it's mounted now. What belts do you reccomend? Should I bolt them on or wrap?

[Matt@BOS]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I was expecting a told you so from you Jake. It should be right in the sweet spot where it's mounted now. What belts do you reccomend? Should I bolt them on or wrap?

I would bolt them in. I've also got pretty much the exact same setup that you have. Strangely enough, I ended up with a DSE cage with Tiger Cage cross bar mounts. It looks like you've got it all figured out, but if you need pictures, let me know.

Oh, and it's just my personal preference, but I would run a 3pt belt on the street. I always end up driving with only the lap belts for the 4pts connected because you can't move around if enough if you're just out cruising.

Matt