Speedster's SST Camaro Build Thread [COTW 9/13/10]

[Cali_Camaro_SS]

Yes plz, and I will be there for my promised ride in the beast.
Still got my free ticket pass for that ride

But good with it and thats great that hes gonna come out him self to put it in.

Cant wait to see it again! GL!!!

[4xchamp]

Glad to hear the Speedster tranny is ready . Man , you have a lot of really cool advanced projects going on . Do you ever rest ?
I fired the 416 LS3 yesterday and all seems well , just too darn lean under boost . I'll be off to the dyno tuner after some break in miles .
My really big news is the Chris is finally going for integral fuel tanks , engines are at machine shop and drives being freshened .
I'm undecided on the co ckpit though . I do have my original laminated F16 canopies and tub however recent events have me reconsidering . My drop into the hull open top canopied enclosure from 1989 was and in some ways still is an advanced safety structure , however I'm no engineer . Now , being 20 something years wiser I'm researching my options .
Good luck with the car next week .

[SSE 4 2SS]

B, great news.. I have everything crossed that the SST is on it's way East in short order... Have fun at PRI...

My nine inch with the Wavetrac and 3.07 gears will hopefully be in route this coming week... I can't wait to have a bullet proof driveline and finally be able to launch it... We are still prepping for the mile... More on that later...

[4thGen427CI]

Hey Bruce I don't wanna turn your thread into one of those big debates. But what is your opinion on having a full cage in a daily driver car? I've been reading up a lot and can't decide on a right or wrong decision. I've heard its plenty more dangerous when you put steel close to your head in a crash. And also heard, if your wearing a harness you should be fine. Just wanting your opinion or what your thought are since you got a full cage.

[speedster]

Originally Posted by GTAHVIT

Thanks Chris. Really can't wait to finally get it home. See ya at PRI. Thank You !!

Originally Posted by Darth_Emma

Hehe! I love it!


This is great news, Bruce! I'm so glad that the tranny is ready. Get that video camera battery charged. We want to see and hear your beast while street tuning!

Yeah, we won't make the same mistake twice and not have the video rolling. Something about once the rpm starts going past 7000, the blood starts pumping and you aren't thinking video...

Originally Posted by Mercuryman

Nice! Finally!

B. We tore into the Pumpkin Ale for Thanksgiving. You have a bunch of converts here in Florida. Thank You !!

Originally Posted by andredmg

+1 YES VIDEO WITH SOUND he he...

Yes, we will make sure there is sound. No lip synch here...lol

Originally Posted by UF4LIFE102SS

Still here ready to head north! Hope it works B.

Once it gets to east coast, will call...

Originally Posted by Cali_Camaro_SS

Yes plz, and I will be there for my promised ride in the beast. Still got my free ticket pass for that ride

But good with it and thats great that hes gonna come out him self to put it in. Cant wait to see it again! GL!!!

Yes, we will ruin some tires together out there...

Originally Posted by 4xchamp

Glad to hear the Speedster tranny is ready . Man , you have a lot of really cool advanced projects going on . Do you ever rest ? Sometimes...
I fired the 416 LS3 yesterday and all seems well , just too darn lean under boost . I'll be off to the dyno tuner after some break in miles . Just be nice until you can run fatter. Don't want you melting any thing...
My really big news is the Chris is finally going for integral fuel tanks , engines are at machine shop and drives being freshened .
I'm undecided on the co ckpit though . I do have my original laminated F16 canopies and tub however recent events have me reconsidering . My drop into the hull open top canopied enclosure from 1989 was and in some ways still is an advanced safety structure , however I'm no engineer . Now , being 20 something years wiser I'm researching my options .
Good luck with the car next week .

Very cool on the Chris Cat. Send or post pics if you can. That hull is a classic.

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

B, great news.. I have everything crossed that the SST is on it's way East in short order... Have fun at PRI... You betcha.

My nine inch with the Wavetrac and 3.07 gears will hopefully be in route this coming week... I can't wait to have a bullet proof driveline and finally be able to launch it... We are still prepping for the mile... More on that later...

It will be so nice that you can hammer away and not even have to think about the rearend. The wavetrac is one tough unit. Can't wait until you and Brandi hit the mile. You will be flying...

Originally Posted by 4thGen427CI

Hey Bruce I don't wanna turn your thread into one of those big debates. But what is your opinion on having a full cage in a daily driver car? I've been reading up a lot and can't decide on a right or wrong decision. I've heard its plenty more dangerous when you put steel close to your head in a crash. And also heard, if your wearing a harness you should be fine. Just wanting your opinion or what your thought are since you got a full cage.

This is opinion only, so take it FWIW:

I have owned multiple street legal cars with full cages in them. If your car is fast enough to warrant having a cage then by all means run one.

If your car is not quite that fast, then it is your choice if you want it for safety. But safety means two things - at the track - rollover/driver/crash protection (sans helmet); - on the street - you must use 5 point harnesses and SFI padding anywhere you (and your passengers) heads could come into contact with it. Try hitting yourself in the head with a hammer if you want to get a feel for an unpadded bar. The biggest thing is to make sure your harnesses won't let you impact a bar. If you are tall or have tall passengers, gotta have double padding. SFI underneath covered by a thicker non-SFI pad. (The non-SFI pad is a lot softer for initial impact and then the SFI absorbs the rest)

[SSE 4 2SS]

If I can add a caveat to this about the full cage on the street and the five point harness... Some states don't allow the harness on the street.. They say it's too restrictive for outward view... check your local regulations.. But certainly the double padding on the bars your head can reach. I'm also looking to get seats that allow me to sit lower so I'm not as much at risk on the streets...

[JusticePete]

and always make certain your shoulder belts are mounted high enough that they do not draw down on impact.

[speedster]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

If I can add a caveat to this about the full cage on the street and the five point harness... Some states don't allow the harness on the street.. They say it's too restrictive for outward view... check your local regulations.. But certainly the double padding on the bars your head can reach. I'm also looking to get seats that allow me to sit lower so I'm not as much at risk on the streets...

Interesting about the outward view...

Originally Posted by JusticePete

and always make certain your shoulder belts are mounted high enough that they do not draw down on impact.

Absolutely. More than a few racers have had permanent spinal compression issues resulting from incorrect belt placement. The rulebook allows 25 degrees from horizontal based on driver's shoulder height. Personal preference is 10.

[4thGen427CI]

Originally Posted by speedster

This is opinion only, so take it FWIW:

I have owned multiple street legal cars with full cages in them. If your car is fast enough to warrant having a cage then by all means run one.

If your car is not quite that fast, then it is your choice if you want it for safety. But safety means two things - at the track - rollover/driver/crash protection (sans helmet); - on the street - you must use 5 point harnesses and SFI padding anywhere you (and your passengers) heads could come into contact with it. Try hitting yourself in the head with a hammer if you want to get a feel for an unpadded bar. The biggest thing is to make sure your harnesses won't let you impact a bar. If you are tall or have tall passengers, gotta have double padding. SFI underneath covered by a thicker non-SFI pad. (The non-SFI pad is a lot softer for initial impact and then the SFI absorbs the rest)

Sounds like a great idea, once I start modding I'm definitely getting a full cage to save some money.

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

If I can add a caveat to this about the full cage on the street and the five point harness... Some states don't allow the harness on the street.. They say it's too restrictive for outward view... check your local regulations.. But certainly the double padding on the bars your head can reach. I'm also looking to get seats that allow me to sit lower so I'm not as much at risk on the streets...

Yeah I was thinking of getting some light weight seats that I can adjust to keep the passenger and mine's head as much away as I can. I'll have to look into that harness regulation.

Originally Posted by JusticePete

and always make certain your shoulder belts are mounted high enough that they do not draw down on impact.

So mount them like an inch or more above where the top of my shoulders will be? If I were to get into an accident they would just hold me in place and not smash my back down.

Thanks for all the comments guys,

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by 4thGen427CI

Sounds like a great idea, once I start modding I'm definitely getting a full cage to save some money.



Yeah I was thinking of getting some light weight seats that I can adjust to keep the passenger and mine's head as much away as I can. I'll have to look into that harness regulation.



So mount them like an inch or more above where the top of my shoulders will be? If I were to get into an accident they would just hold me in place and not smash my back down.

Thanks for all the comments guys,

No, you want them just below the tops of your shoulders.... Above and they allow for upward body movement allowing your head to get into the roof... Too far down, if you have a frontal impact, your body weight going forward will collapse the seat back and bend your back in a way it isn't designed to bend... The harness shoulder restraints should be just below shoulder height, and like was posted, no greater than a 25 degrees from horizontal, though like B, I want mine to be closer to ten... A lot of this is based on how tall the driver is and how low or high the seat is..... Please do not have the mounts above your shoulder height...

[4thGen427CI]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

No, you want them just below the tops of your shoulders.... Above and they allow for upward body movement allowing your head to get into the roof... Too far down, if you have a frontal impact, your body weight going forward will collapse the seat back and bend your back in a way it isn't designed to bend... The harness shoulder restraints should be just below shoulder height, and like was posted, no greater than a 25 degrees from horizontal, though like B, I want mine to be closer to ten... A lot of this is based on how tall the driver is and how low or high the seat is..... Please do not have the mounts above your shoulder height...

Really didn't think that one through my bad.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by 4thGen427CI

Really didn't think that one through my bad.

Not a problem... Thats why we try to help each other...

[4xchamp]

Very cool on the Chris Cat. Send or post pics if you can. That hull is a classic.

Bruce , thanks for the offer , as you are well aware I'm boat crazy and feel these Chris's and Shadows are the first real high speed roughwater cats ! To me it's the COPO Camaro of the marine world .
Here are some action shots and a change of pace for the C5 guys .
I'm going to toss up some shots of the reconstruction process when I can figure out how to pull shots from the galleries my boat builders sent . We went all vaccuum bagged foam , epoxy then detailed and clear coated the entire inside grid work and bulkheads shedding almost 500 lbs in the process . It's a work of art for what it is .
I just sold my 42 Fountain , will play with the Chris for a while but plan on a cat like yours in a couple or few years . Hopefully when I'm prepared there will be a nice pre-owned out there at a fair price .
I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting you at one of the Offshore races next season .
Keep up the good work on all your fronts .

[Dznts]