D Prepared Build Thread

[aMaff]

It's actually pretty modulate-able (I just made that up...), it's just got a much shorter throw than stock, so it's also really easy to stall the damn thing. The solution, obviously, is more revs. Now that it's bedded in some (took it for a short drive on my dead-end street) it's gotten a little more manageable as well. Getting it onto the trailer will take some work, I imagine.

[chiefmg]

Given you are always telling everyone else "more throttle," I can't imagine you will have any difficulties. Nice new word BTW.

[aMaff]

Given you are always telling everyone else "more throttle," I can't imagine you will have any difficulties. Nice new word BTW.

And as much as I tell other people, it's not nearly as much as I tell myself hahaha

[aMaff]

More goodness:







These are 6" backspace which I pretty much knew would be a bit too tight, but spacers are cheap. It's a lot easier to go out than it is to bring them further in haha. Anyway, it looks like I'll need about 1/2" of spacer on each side, narrowing the car a total of an inch, and dropping about 20 lbs in the process. I'll be keeping the Bassetts for eventual hill climb / TT work

[aMaff]

They've got a hair too much backspace however (which I knew going into it), because you can either order 5" or 6"... and it's a lot easier to get a deeper backspace then use spacers (which is the plan).

I THINK I can get away with running only 1/4" of spacer and clearancing the end of the rear upper control arm (ie: non structural), and the square nubs that stick out of the front tie rod ends.

Here's the clearancing that needs to be done to run with a 1/4" spacer. I could run 1/2" without doing this, but narrower = more better in autocross



Fronts to come later today if I have time. Really the fronts only rub on full lock, so it's really a non concern, but I'd rather not worry about it.

[aMaff]

Here's a little story about truth in advertising: Basset Race Wheels advertise their 13x10 Ministock as being 16 lbs. Their actual weight? Uh... more than 16 lb. 25% more than 16 lbs.

Try 20.5 lbs.


I knew they felt heavier than I thought they should, but this ain't close. Fortunately the Reals are actually 11.7 lbs. Compare the weight of the Real wheels with the tires mounted, to the Bassetts by themselves.





So what do these self-indulgent numbers actually mean?

The obvious is 36 lb (9 lb per wheel) of unsprung mass lost. So, that's big, but not super seat-of-the-pants noticeable. It's good, I'll take it.
BUT: as a bonus, between the weight lost on the clutch and flywheel (17 lbs), and the new wheels (18 lbs on the rear axle), I've lost 35 lbs of rotating mass off of the driveline. So, that'll make a difference.

[aMaff]

I just took the car out on my street for a quick spin on the new wheels to check clearance at ride height & make sure nothing was rubbing (as the clutch break in was on the 15s). Nothing is except at extreme full lock up front. We'll see how that holds up on an autocross course. I'm bringing an extra set of spacers this weekend just in case we run into issues.


Holy crap does it scoot. Like... wow. It has significantly woken up the car. I can't want to run this at our 2 events this weekend

[aMaff]

Took some time today to make a couple of small tweaks that ended up paying off big time. We found a much happier tire pressure, and made a 1/4 turn adjustment to the shocks that made the car a world of difference. We also made a few changes too far in the "right" direction that taught us some things we'll likely need to use on the high grip of Lincoln (ie: how to loosen or tighten the car at will with small changes).

The clutch is awesome, despite a couple of stalls. It has woken up the car significantly, in terms of building up a head of steam. And despite those stalls, it's actually not terribly difficult to modulate when you remember that you're dealing with a clutch with a very short throw compared to most. Between that and dropping nearly 10lb at each corner, the car just seems a whole lot happier.

Video from today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlK-5yY-mBU

[aMaff]

All packed up and ready to head out to the big show in Lincoln, NE. SCCA Solo National Championships bound