Autox last weekend, click here to go for a ride!!!

[sy2206]

First of all, I have to give a HUGE THANKS to both Todd Nelson and Polybushings.com(Johnny Spiva). Todd's done a lot of work on the car for us, and as we all know Johnny's parts are second to none!!!!

Last weekend I finally got a chance to take the GLHT for a rip through the cones. We autoxed the car Sat and Sun, and DCTC, which is by far the coolest venue in MN for an autox. Below is a map of the track. Sat was a test-n-tune and Sun was a regional NCCC Corvette club autox. The test-n-tune was cool. Lots of track time. It was a shorter course, about 33-34 second per run, but we got a lot of runs. I think I ran the course 20 times or more on Sat. Sunday's race was awesome! They opened the track up a little bit so we could get a little more speed. That was a good thing for our TII GLHT, as it really hauls the mail in the straights. The course times for Sunday were around 1:02-1:05(62-65 seconds). I finished first place in my class, and 21st overall out of 98 cars. I was the fastest FWD car in the field. Thought you guys might want to check the picts and vids. Enjoy! :)

Picts:

Here's the map of the long course we ran on Sunday.
http://www.turbododge.com/dodge_pictures/files/3/8/7/2/000_0001.jpg

http://www.turbododge.com/dodge_pictures/files/3/8/7/2/100_2246.jpg

http://www.turbododge.com/dodge_pictures/files/3/8/7/2/100_2247.jpg

http://www.turbododge.com/dodge_pictures/files/3/8/7/2/100_2248.jpg

http://www.turbododge.com/dodge_pictures/files/3/8/7/2/100_2249.jpg


Vids:

LF fender view, short course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8N27CNLOLE

LF fender view, short course again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZkhtSZu-DM

In car view, short course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mlTCqRvR3Q

Rear view, short course. Camera is mounted on RR quarter panel. When you watch this vid, it may sound and/or appear as if the third cone in the slalom got hit. That didn't actually happen. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuaClo4hvBI

Roof mount, long course. Lots of wind noise from the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAw7vDdOdok

RR tire view. Long course. Look closely and you'll notice the tire is off the ground quite a bit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY50ZCSiC4s

[kuzman83]

Thats great man, nice work

[Captain Chaos]

Sweet!

[mcsvt]

Looks like a great time. Good job winning your class!

[todd900ss]

That has to be one of the coolest autox course's I have seen. It has been 15 years for me. Can't wait to get back at it. I almost have my t2 GLH ready, but with my son's fall baseball team just starting practice & play may be late fall or spring :(

What class are running in?

[sy2206]

What class are running in?

SM (street modified).

[bgbmxer]

SM (street modified).

what all mods are done to it since ur in that class?

[sy2206]

what all mods are done to it since ur in that class?

Here's the build on the car. There might be a few more things, but this will get us close:

85 GLH Turbo
Converted to TII/568

Stock 85 block, crank, and rods
Ross forged psitons, .020 over

Todd Nelson fully ported/polished swirl head
2mm stainless over sized valves w/ titanium springs
Bronze guides
Roller cam
1-piece intake, ported, w/ 52mm TB
+20% injectors
Ported stock exhaust manifold
Ported stock TII garrett turbo w/ big can actuator and 3" swing valve
3" downpipe and exhaust w/ no cat, side exit
Braided stainless turbo lines
Stock GLHS rad/IC setup w/ aftermarket high flow electric fan
1st gen DSM blow off valve
Adj cam gear
87 TII electronics
Small spline 568 trans w/ quaife LSD
Spec 4-puck ceramic clutch

4-wheel vented disc brakes(the BIG caravan brakes)
Koni coilovers
Polybushings.com suspension bushings, full set
Polybushings.com motor mounts and adjustable dog bone
Polybushings.com 1" rear sway bar(not installed yet)
1.25" Daytona front swaybar
Kosei K1 wheels w/ 205/50/15 Hoosier A6 slicks(dry tires)
Kosei K1 wheels w/ 205/50/15 Falken Azenis(rain tires)

4-point welded in roll bar
Fairly gutted interior
A/C removed
Stereo removed
HVAC removed(the entire heater box assembly is gone)
Bolt in front strut tower
Welded in rear strut tower bar
Battery relocated to spare tire well

I think thats covers it fairly well. I'm sure there's a couple little things I can't think of, but that should give a general idea. There's no huge parts on it, it's just a very good combo. Keep in mind, in autox it's not about horsepower, it's suspension. Don't get me wrong, HP and especially TQ are good, but you'll go faster with big suspension parts, then big engine parts. Big FMIC's and huge turbo's slow you down in this type of racing. There were definately some lower HP cars that were faster then me. We're running 16psi right now, which is pretty conservative considering the build. We all know it would take 22+ psi all day long, but it just creates more of a traction issue than anything. On 16psi, it has PLENTY of power on the track. It spools VERY quickly, which is perfect for an autox car.

In street mod(SM), your allowed to run any drivetrain that came factory in the same make and configuration of car. So an SRT4 motor in a GLH would be legal, as both engine and car are transverse mounted FWD Dodge cars. A viper engine or hemi in a GLH would not be allowed. Suspension mods are unlimited, so anything goes, but it must attach to the car in the original mounting points. So tubolar A-arms or a custom tubular rear trailer arm are fair game. Brakes and wheels/tires are unlimited. You are limited to 1 power adder(turbo or supercharger). Nitrous is not allowed. Engine mods are unlimited. Trans swaps are permited, but as w/ engine swaps, they must come from the same make and drivetrain configuration. Here's the kicker..... The car MUST have the stock dashboard, working doors(you cant weld them shut and slide in the window), current registration including plates/tabs, and be 100% street legal. Hence the name of the class, STREET MOD. Our car is registered as a MN Collector, so it is emissions exempt(so we can legally run no cat), and it does have working horn, wipers, and turn signals. ;) The biggest competition we see in this class, turbo'd and supercharged Miata's and highly modded E36 M3's. There is also a list of eligable cars, so your car has to be on that list to even run in this class. If we really wanted to get serious and go race with the big dogs at the SCCA national events, the car would definately need some more work. More weight reduction(lexan windows, and cut the framework out of the doors, ect.), and some tubular suspension stuff would be sweet also. However, for what we do with the car, it is plenty fast. There is a long list of badass cars that ran slower then we did. Included in that list, a few Z06 Vette's, an 02 Viper RT/10, Porsche 911, SRT4 ACR, Mustang GT, Mini Cooper S, STi, EVO's, and so on. I have the entire race results here. I'll see if I can scan them and put 'em up here.

[Chad T]

Those vids are great! Makes me want to go auto-x again. Thanks for posting those Mark!

[Darkwolf]

Nice coarse. Need to get one of those cameras.

[bgbmxer]

[QUOTE=sy2206;548303]Here's the build on the car. There might be a few more things, but this will get us close:

85 GLH Turbo
Converted to TII/568

Stock 85 block, crank, and rods
Ross forged psitons, .020 over

Todd Nelson fully ported/polished swirl head
2mm stainless over sized valves w/ titanium springs
Bronze guides
Roller cam
1-piece intake, ported, w/ 52mm TB
+20% injectors
Ported stock exhaust manifold
Ported stock TII garrett turbo w/ big can actuator and 3" swing valve
3" downpipe and exhaust w/ no cat, side exit
Braided stainless turbo lines
Stock GLHS rad/IC setup w/ aftermarket high flow electric fan
1st gen DSM blow off valve
Adj cam gear
87 TII electronics
Small spline 568 trans w/ quaife LSD
Spec 4-puck ceramic clutch

4-wheel vented disc brakes(the BIG caravan brakes)
Koni coilovers
Polybushings.com suspension bushings, full set
Polybushings.com motor mounts and adjustable dog bone
Polybushings.com 1" rear sway bar(not installed yet)
1.25" Daytona front swaybar
Kosei K1 wheels w/ 205/50/15 Hoosier A6 slicks(dry tires)
Kosei K1 wheels w/ 205/50/15 Falken Azenis(rain tires)

4-point welded in roll bar
Fairly gutted interior
A/C removed
Stereo removed
HVAC removed(the entire heater box assembly is gone)
Bolt in front strut tower
Welded in rear strut tower bar
Battery relocated to spare tire well

i think i will be in street mod also but im not sure. my build is in the project section if you have any sugjestions i would appreciate them seeing as im going to be doing the same kind of stuff with my 86 sc. check out the pictures of the k frame and see if u like them.

[todd900ss]

What rate springs are you using?

[DodgeZ]

Anyway I can get a copy of the videos?

[sy2206]

Nice coarse. Need to get one of those cameras.

LOL, the funny thing is, it's a fairly cheaper Kodak digital camera, nothing fancy at all. I think it was under $200 at Best Buy. Most digital camers have the ability to record up to 2 mins of video. So we figured what the hell, lets try it. And they turned out great! For a mount, I got a huge suction cup, the ones auto glass guys use for installing windshields. It's like a 5" diameter custion cup with a handle on it. I drilled a hole in the handle first. Stick the suction cup on the side of the car, and used a thumb screw, through the hole, into the threaded insert on the bottom of the camera. You could make this camera mount in 3 minutes, and really the only cost is the suction cup.

[sy2206]

What rate springs are you using?

To be honest with you, I don't remember. I'm sure Todd knows, maybe he'll chime in. Or I'm sure my dad has it in the pile of paperwork somewhere...

[black86glhs]

LOL, the funny thing is, it's a fairly cheaper Kodak digital camera, nothing fancy at all. I think it was under $200 at Best Buy. Most digital camers have the ability to record up to 2 mins of video. So we figured what the hell, lets try it. And they turned out great! For a mount, I got a huge suction cup, the ones auto glass guys use for installing windshields. It's like a 5" diameter custion cup with a handle on it. I drilled a hole in the handle first. Stick the suction cup on the side of the car, and used a thumb screw, through the hole, into the threaded insert on the bottom of the camera. You could make this camera mount in 3 minutes, and really the only cost is the suction cup.

We talked about this at school. Those vids came out awesome and the mount is so simple, yet works so well.

[turbojerk]

Sweet vid's!!!!

Looks like you could use a set of more supportive racing seat in that thing. Seem as if you're doing alot of rolling around side to side in the factory seat....

T

[4 l-bodies]

Sweet vid's!!!!

Looks like you could use a set of more supportive racing seat in that thing. Seem as if you're doing alot of rolling around side to side in the factory seat....

T
I'll chime in here. Well The car had an aluminum racing seat with several point harness in it. Huge side bolsters to hold you in place. The problem... You couldn't hardly get in and out of the car. I'm not a big guy and I could barely get in the car. The solution was to put a quick connect steering wheel in the car. Okay now you could get in, but it was still a challenge. NOT street friendly for sure! Then the next issue was with a helmet on, Mark's dad's head was on the roof of the car. Tough to drive if you can't fit in the car!
Took out the racing seat and put the Omni seats back in. Gained 1.5-2.0" headroom by putting Charger seat tracks on the Omni seats. Okay making progress. Jack now fits fine in the car. With the addition of the quick connect steering wheel came other issues. Obviously you can't leave the turn signal stalk in the car if you don't have the steering wheel there. Well you could, but the first time trying to get in the car, and you would either break the stalk off, or impale yourself on it. The stalk was removed when the quick connect wheel was installed. Okay now we had no rear parking lights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, wipers, flashers. Now because this car was going to be street legal, we needed to add those back in. Easier said than done!
So the lesson is be careful what you wish for when wanting more lateral support. I am sure you could make something work using either the stock Omni seats or something else, especially with the cage in the car. You better do your homework when going down that road.
As far as the spring rates, I can't remember. 400/300 lbs. seems to ring a bell though. I think the spring rates are printed on the springs as part of their part #, if memory serves me. All I know is they are really stiff! I have LRE or MP autocross springs on all my cars, and they are WAY stiffer than those. Maybe Jack can check that out.
I'm happy that the car is up and running and working well. It was fun to see a 25 year old car being still very competitive on the track, and just as much fun looking at people checking out the car in the pits trying to figure out why that car runs like it does. Lots of people scratching their heads!
Todd

[bgbmxer]

[QUOTE=4 l-bodies;550515]I'll chime in here. Well The car had an aluminum racing seat with several point harness in it. Huge side bolsters to hold you in place. The problem... You couldn't hardly get in and out of the car. I'm not a big guy and I could barely get in the car. The solution was to put a quick connect steering wheel in the car. Okay now you could get in, but it was still a challenge. NOT street friendly for sure! Then the next issue was with a helmet on, Mark's dad's head was on the roof of the car. Tough to drive if you can't fit in the car!
Took out the racing seat and put the Omni seats back in. Gained 1.5-2.0" headroom by putting Charger seat tracks on the Omni seats. Okay making progress. Jack now fits fine in the car. With the addition of the quick connect steering wheel came other issues. Obviously you can't leave the turn signal stalk in the car if you don't have the steering wheel there. Well you could, but the first time trying to get in the car, and you would either break the stalk off, or impale yourself on it. The stalk was removed when the quick connect wheel was installed. Okay now we had no rear parking lights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, wipers, flashers. Now because this car was going to be street legal, we needed to add those back in. Easier said than done!
So the lesson is be careful what you wish for when wanting more lateral support. I am sure you could make something work using either the stock Omni seats or something else, especially with the cage in the car. You better do your homework when going down that road.


im a skinny white boy and im 5'7 tall so i can squeze ariound the cage to get in athough it will be an extreme pita.

i would not have thought about the turn signal lever being in the way though. i have broken that off and dont even have a cage in yet. any other advise is appreciated as well

[Darkwolf]

LOL, the funny thing is, it's a fairly cheaper Kodak digital camera, nothing fancy at all. I think it was under $200 at Best Buy. Most digital camers have the ability to record up to 2 mins of video. So we figured what the hell, lets try it. And they turned out great! For a mount, I got a huge suction cup, the ones auto glass guys use for installing windshields. It's like a 5" diameter custion cup with a handle on it. I drilled a hole in the handle first. Stick the suction cup on the side of the car, and used a thumb screw, through the hole, into the threaded insert on the bottom of the camera. You could make this camera mount in 3 minutes, and really the only cost is the suction cup.

Sweet. I have a cheap Kodak digital camera that takes vids so I may just have to try that :). Just didn't think it would work worth a damn for that. Are you using any software to get rid of vibrations?

[sy2206]

Sweet. I have a cheap Kodak digital camera that takes vids so I may just have to try that :). Just didn't think it would work worth a damn for that. Are you using any software to get rid of vibrations?

Nope, nothing! Just pulled the SD card from the camera, and loaded them on youtube.com :)

[turbojerk]

I'll chime in here. Well The car had an aluminum racing seat with several point harness in it. Huge side bolsters to hold you in place. The problem... You couldn't hardly get in and out of the car. I'm not a big guy and I could barely get in the car. The solution was to put a quick connect steering wheel in the car. Okay now you could get in, but it was still a challenge. NOT street friendly for sure! Then the next issue was with a helmet on, Mark's dad's head was on the roof of the car. Tough to drive if you can't fit in the car!


I assume that you had a Kirkey or similar before right??

I recommend using these seats. They keep you in place, sit WAY lower than factor seats, adapt easily to factory seat tracks and are comfortable enough to use on the streets. I've had a lot of seat time in these seats and my back side is kewl with them...

Corbeau Forza II's

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2390621334_69b1b141e9_b.jpg

[1986GLH]

Hey Mark, that is a great looking car. Wish I could have seen it run, from what Todd said it sounds like it was a pretty great time.

[sy2206]

Hey Mark, that is a great looking car. Wish I could have seen it run, from what Todd said it sounds like it was a pretty great time.

Yeah, I gave Todd a ride and he was screamin like a litte girl the whole time!:p J/K.

[bgbmxer]

Yeah, I gave Todd a ride and he was screamin like a litte girl the whole time!:p J/K.

so what mods would you do to make this thing competitive on the national level?