Land Speed LS

I still might go for slotted. I don't really need that for a daily driver but this is a good deal and with the kind of analysis you give to everything, if you think they are quality pieces, I have no qualms about buying the set if it's cheaper than some decent solid rotors and pads. Don't worry about me holding you responsible if they fail though. ;)

I do intend to install braided lines and flush the fluid when I replace the brakes. I just have to figure out which rotor(s) is pulsing on my LS. :mad:
 
You can buy 'factory' rotors on ebay for $20+---but add the shipping. For a little bit of analysis, can you feel the pulsing in the steering wheel? If so, the problem's in the front. On the other hand, if the pulsing is pronounced but no SW problem, the bad rotor must be in the back. I have had warped rotors before, and the wear pattern on the swept surface will make the bad rotor obvious. And a crack (my first!) is even more obvious.

I'm highly satisfied with what I got for my money. And I'm doing some research to find the best 'bang for the buck' in regard to SS braid hoses.
 
I don't want to derail your thread anymore w/ my brake issues. I don't feel it through the wheel but definitely through the pedal. I'll try to take a look at the wear patterns to see which one might be the culprit.

I've had Russell and Goodridge lines before with great results from both. I don't remember since it's been a while but I think I recall finding Goodridge lines for the LS somewhere for a decent price. Looks like LSKoncepts has StopTech lines but the price seems steep to me.
 
Goodridge doesn't list lines for the LS, and, as you said, Stop Tech is VERY proud of theirs. I'm, at present, exploring the idea of acquiring the fittings for the ends and using generic hoses in between. It'll be necessary to cover them with shrink tube and then wind on SS support springs, but it'll likely be the least expensive way to go.

More after I dig a little bit.

KS
 
Two bits of progress. First, I've done a 'verbal handshake' on a deal to acquire a front cradle and suspension. I should have it in hand within a couple of weeks. I'll rebuild the entire assembly to ease the swap when I replace the engine and trans later in the winter.

This'll also give me a 'spare' front brake hose to use as a model for creating more economical SS braid/teflon hoses. More anon!

KS
 
Elbow Room

Yesterday I moved my '63 F-100 ICB from the garage to back by the fence. That makes it possible to make room in the garage to be able to work in there while there's snow on the ground.

Now with some rearrangement of the other stored stuff, I'll be able to make some progress on the other stuff besides the engine that I'm working on.

KS
 
Nice. So you think you'll get it up and running by spring? Like you mentioned in another thread I believe
 
As has been said, "I can't guarantee that the sun will come up tomorrow---but it always has!" It's my intention to go to Maxton for the next meet, in May.

Somewhere around here I posted a list of the major stuff that'll need to be done to be ready to race. Now, if the new business just does well enough to make it possible to bleed off enough money, and leave me with enough time to get the work done---.:):)

We'll see!!

KS
 
Advances

As mentioned above, I recently bought an '01 Sport front end from 66coupe. I actually picked it up yesterday.

I have two reasons for acquiring this hardware. The first is that I intend to get the new engine all together and mounted to the 'cradle' that's part of this front structure to facilitate the 'quick in-'n'-out' that'll go from running car to running car---without rushing---over a couple of days time. I'll go through this front suspension in preparation for the swap, and have all new stuff when I finish the job.

The second reason to get this package is so that I'll have comparison parts ready to hand. I now have front brake hoses so that I can measure both the banjo fitting on the one end, and a way to check the thread size on the other end. (As you may know, the only 'catalog' source for pre-made SS braid hoses seems to be Stop-Tech, and they're VERY proud of theirs. It'll probably cost about half as much if I buy generic lengths of hose and screw-on fittings. This same philosophy will be of great help in getting final measurements on shock mounts for the Koni coil-overs, and other items that'll require some fabrication, such as caliper mounts.

KS
 
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Fuel System Upgrade

While waiting for the cold weather to moderate, (It was zero last night not considering the wind chill) I've been spending some time on the 'phone with various tech departments. I started from the position that I'd need a fuel systen capable of flowing enough gasoline to feed 1K of HP.

First I talked to Walbro, since the Lincoln LS fuel tank is designed to take a Walbro-design pump. Carl in their engineering department told me that they have nothing in their line-up that would do the job and even if I were to modify in such a way as to use two of their highest-flow pumps, I'd probably not have a satisfactory package.

So I got in touch with Aeromotive. We developed a plan and here're the basic components:

1. Aeromotive 1000-series pump installed in-tank. First it'll be necessary to remove the factory article and gut it in such a way as to leave only the lower shell and the float/fuel level sender.
2. The 'bulkhead', the flat plastic plate held to the top of the tank by the blue lock-ring, will be duplicated in aluminum. The pump will be attached to the underside with an extension of -10 SS-braid fuel line going to the bottom of the tank inside the retained sump housing. The bulkhead will also have provision for the extension from the 'jet-pump' in the driver's-side tank, the return, and of course the electrics.
3. The factory fuel line will be replaced with -10 teflon SS-braid into the engine compartment where it will link with a boost-referenced regulator. The extension from the regulator will go to the fuel rails, with a -8 return to the tank.

As I've commented in previous posts, the methanol system is designed in much the same way, with a five gallon fuel cell in the trunk and a re-circulating system. It'll be modified so as to make it functional to provide the alcohol as the fuel for the 'spray' system and to be boost-triggered to provide chemical intercooling and octane enhancement.

Your comments, questions and observations are, as always, very welcome!

KS
 
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Those of you who only rarely get over to the MK VIII side will probably find some degree of amusement at the back-and-forth you'll find in the thread about creating an 'articulate' sentence. ENJOY!!!

KS
 
Key To The Treasure Room

Anyone who hasn't gone through the post in the regular LS forum regarding the 650 HP engine used in the Trans-Am series by Rocket Sports Racing should surely go there and absorb the information presented.

I had occasion to discuss with the Honcho there the Land Speed racing that has been the main topic in this thread from the beginning. The folks there have very kindly offered to be a major source of technical advice in our engine building effort.

And most importantly, to let me wander the aisles of their equipment store on a buying expedition for specialty parts from their racing effort.

I was told, for instance, that the plastic intake manifold for my Jag AJ27 engine would probably be maxed-out by the time the turbos are making between 15 and 20 pounds of boost. The answer to the problem is to make use of the manifold from an Aston Martin. Since it's an aluminium casting, it's not only of greater capacity, it's much more rigid.

I'll be visiting their establishment toward the end of March, after they get back from the Sebring Race. More at that time!

KS
 
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cammerfe said:
I've had an annoying pulsing in my brakes for long enough that I decided to do something about it even though I'm short of both time and money. I assume it's a warped rotor.

I went on ebay and found rotors and pads from topbrakes_net. They've just arrived and I was enough impressed to make note of it here. I got all four rotors and a set of ceramic pads for $209, shipped.

Observations:
Zinc coated---neatly applied, probably by an electrodeposition process, since all surfaces including the insides of the ventilation are coated.
Seem to be Blanchard/parallel-ground
Through-drilling and slotting is done with a swirl pattern and is directional so that all rotors are marked as right and left.

I'm going to take time to at least do the fronts this weekend. And while I have the wheels off, I'll give them a comprehensive cleaning and use the caliper paint kit that's been on a bench in the garage for several months.

I intend to go to Wilwood brakes---probably 14" because I believe that's as big as will go inside 18" wheels. But that'll be part of an all-inclusive brake upgrade this next summer, as necessary for higher speeds at Maxton. At that time I'll also go to 5/8ths wheel studs which will require re-boring the hubs and modifying or replacing the wheels.

KS
Click to expand...

what was the name of the ebay seller or could you post a link of these rotors and pads ?
 
Brakes Source

Google topbrakes_net or just go to ebay and put in the same information. They still have the same deal as mentioned above.

KS
 
Brakes Again

Since I did the brakes five months ago, and there seems to be a continuing round of questions regarding parts and sources, I thought it proper to note that since I installed the brakes mentioned first at the top of this page, there have been NO ISSUES.

The car just stops when you press the pedal. The brakes don't make any noise, and don't seem to make enough dust to be noticeable.

Brakes are a sort of negative thing anyway. We only notice them when they DON'T work. And mine are working just fine, thanks!!!

KS
 
RSR---The Ultimate Source For All Things Jaguar

I spent the afternoon today at the RSR shop in Lansing. As I noted above, the guys in their engine section have agreed to be a tech source for my Land Speed effort. In furtherance of that goal, I brought back with me a number of parts. I now have:

1. Two sets of cam blanks
2. Two sets of all the associated hardware
A. Two sets of chains
B. Two sets of chain sprockets (both ends)
c. Two sets of tensioners
D. Two sets of chain guides
3. A set of main studs
4. Dry-sump pan
And some miscellaneous hardware such as an improved water pump and a fabricated cooling manifold.

The Aston Martin intake manifold, in cast aluminium, is very likely too tall to be used without altering the hood. I'll have to take some measurements, and will likely use the Jaguar composite intake manifold to start with. If it won't hold the ultimate boost I expect to use...we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
 
It's great to see you still make advancements to your project.
 
Scant, but real, progress!

Alax7 said:
It's great to see you still make advancements to your project.
Click to expand...

Trying to get this new business endeavor properly up and running so I can quit eating beans and get the LS show back on the road is still a major pain. But we do make some progress albeit slowly. Thanks for your good wishes!!

KS
 
Race Block From RSR

I've just had an extended discussion with Tony Gentilozzi at RSR regarding the changes they incorporated into the race block they use in their endeavors. The improvements are as follows:

1. Stronger alloy used for the basic casting
2. Thicker decks
3. Minor improvements to water jackets
4. Changes to oil galleries to facilitate the use of the dry-sump-oriented bed plate
5. Bosses for motor mounts deleted---they use motor plates to locate the engine.
6. Main bulkheads re-sized to take Ford 'Boss 302' main bearings. Doing so both slows the surface speed of the crank-bearing interface, it also makes possible the use of 'race' bearings.

Since I have an AJ27 block all prepped, I intend, at this point, to carry on as I have planned. The load of 'spray' and 'boost' only lasts for about 30 seconds in ECTA racing---a different load situation entirely for the necessity of running for as much as 24 hours under load as is done in endurance road racing. Time will tell! But it is nice to have a 'Plan B'.

KS
 
Answer to PM---

I just got a PM question that was so pointed that I've chosen to answer it here.

-----------------INSTALLATION OF A JAG ENGINE IN AN LS------------

Physically, the substitution of a Jag AJ engine in substitution for the 3.9 AJ that came in our LSs is no major trick. Aside from such things as relocation of the oil filter and other mundane-nesses, it should be a weekend worth of work.

The trick comes in the marrying of the electronics. But if you treat the Jag engine as if it were a 3.9, and be sure to use LS-style sensors, you'll be far in the direction of seamlessness. You may have to do such things as physically 'cork' the oil passages that operate the variable cam timing and eliminate the sensor-actuator 'bits', but the supercharged versions of the Jag don't use VCT anyway.

And you'll need to use a custom tune, but the guys at SCT tell me that that's something they are capable of.

I'll be happy to answer specific questions either here or by PM

KS
 
Dry Sump Oiling Systems

I’ve been discussing dry sump oil systems with Lee Hite (Hite337) and we agreed that the information should go here.

(And I actually tried to post this information here last night and then the site---or perhaps my computer---burped and ate the whole thing. So this is a second attempt)

For any who might not be familiar, a dry sump system is different than the lay-out that comes in our cars in that instead of an oil pump inside the engine, it’s hung on the outside and driven by a belt system. The ‘oil pan’ is very shallow and only consists of a surface with vanes and directors to channel the oil to the ‘passenger’ side where it is collected by fittings that are hooked to large stainless braid hoses and drawn through scavenge sections in the pump and directed to an oil tank that’s configured so as to de-aerate the oil as it’s collected and direct it through another SS braid hose back to the pressure section on the pump.

This sort of arrangement does several things.
First, it makes possible a much greater volume of oil without requiring a deep pan.
Second, the shallow pan makes for a shorter engine from top to bottom. This is good because it un-complicates the fitting of the belly-pan required by the class in which I race at Maxton. Alternately, I can lower the engine in the chassis and have more room for the Aston Martin intake manifold that may be required for the turbo installation. The only alternative is to alter the hood.
Third, the extra oil helps cool the engine.
Fourth, the scavenge sections in the oil pump, mentioned above, create a vacuum in the crankcase. This is of so much help in a turbo ‘d engine because it helps ring seal to such an extent that one might easily see a fifty horsepower or more improvement in power.

These are the major benefits to the use of a dry-sump system. The only drawbacks would be in the cost and complication involved. My dry-sump pan is a stainless steel fabrication that came from RSR. The pump is a Barnes unit, and the tank will most likely come from Moroso. A final benefit is that I can cycle the oil to the turbos by proper plumbing from the pump pressure section and the return from a scavenge section.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome!

KS
 
Thanks for the info. The thought of turning my 2000 sport into a strip only car and staying with the 3.9 has me lying awake at night building it in my head. As of right now it is only in the planning stages. Anyone (with enuf $) can drop a 4.6 in the LS and cram mods down its throat to make it fast. But...keeping the 3.9 is a more complex, and rewarding task IMO. My plans to do this are only considerations at this point. I want to gather as much info as possible on every performance mod I can think of thats been done to the LS and determine what the best combo will be for rme. 30-50 HP from a dry sump oil system will be well worth the time and trouble no matter what mods I decide to do. I can fabricate the pan, tank and the pump brackets myself so this will save some $. The pump can be located where my hydraulic fan pump was. Then its a matter of a belt, pulleys and plumbing.

So I am assuming you are going to change the entire pan, upper and lower, which is what I had in mind and with the design of our factory pan it will be considerably smaller than the factory pan. Great for your belly pan but not really a benefit for my application

My main concern is the timing chain tensioners. I believe they provide tension due to oil pressure going thru them. I have not had a chance to measure the factory oil pressure but I will have to do that at some point to determine what pressure I'll need to run the dry sump system. I dont know if its possible to over-pressurize the tensioners and cause premature failure due to the plastic guides that contact the chains being over stressed. What are you thoughts on this?

Again, thanks for the info.
 
A couple of points.

First, in order to get an extra fifty HP from a dry sump system, it's likely that the engine would need to be making upwards of a thousand horsepower anyway, and be supercharged in some manner. It's the internal boost-bleed-off that the vacuum from the dry sump would be alleviating. However, you will get a useful increase even if NA. Witness the mechanical vacuum pumps used on serious drag cars which use a wet-sump system.

What seems to be the upper portion of the sump is actually a main-bearing girdle, or 'bed plate' that serves the same purpose as the set of main bearing caps on a more conventional engine. The cast sump or pan does have a small, transmission-size stamped pan attached to the front part and it's these last two parts, one cast aluminium and the other stamped sheet metal that are replaced by the one-piece dry sump pan from RSR.

The chain tensioning mechanism is designed to operate correctly with normal oil pressure. Although it's possible to adjust pressure with a dry sump system, there's no reason to depart from factory parameters.

KS
 
Dogbones

There has been an on-going discussion in the regular forum about what to do with the end links for sway bars. One of the suggestions was from a display ad that showed the use of a set of specialized Heim joints to make adjustable links. I said there that it should be possible to make your own from over-the-counter Heims and save a bunch of money.

The discussion got me thinking about the last serious suspension upgrade I did, on a Fox Mustang. I was working with Rancho, and one of the things they suggested was the use of 'dogbones'. These are fabricated from 1/4 inch stock and are simply poly-urethane bushed lengths of steel made up to join the swaybar ends to the anchor points. Because of the size and shape of the Rancho bar, it was ultimately necessary to make the dogbones offset.

Such extra work would not be necessary for the LS. All you'd need to do is to get the 1/4 inch stock and go through the Energy Suspension catalog to pick out the proper bushings. A bolt through the bushing with a pair of nuts and appropriate washers to hold things properly and you'd be all set.

If you wanted to be more aggressive, it would be easily possible to use Delrin barstock to make your bushings.

KS
 
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