The Official IDB Racing Pikes Peak International Hill Climb build thread

[civicious]

Got the rear subframe all welded up, we boxed in the two mounting ears and then seam welded the rest of the subframe. Also finished up the rear lower control arms, we ran out of metal scrap that we were using to fill everything in and on top of that the welder started running low on gas towards the end, so forgive the bubblegum boo boo welds. I hit the freshly sanded/welded spots with some primer since we'll be going back over and sandblasting and/or powerwashing the entire underside of the car prior to the final reassembly once the cage is finished, so this is just a temporary coat. I also want to make sure everything bolts up, lines up, fits right, and works properly with everything being welded up - so in case I have to go back and make any additional modifications or adjustments I won't have to ruin a fresh 'good' finish.

Also fudged up a bit earlier in the build - I didn't think ahead and pressed the rear trailing arm bearings out before we got ready to weld, and I was concerned about the spot for the bearing warping under heat while welding, so I went ahead and pressed the new Turner bearings in - they seem fine, but I'm most likely going to go ahead and get another set and press them in just to make sure they're A-OK.

Heck yes. I'm super excited, I never imagined the car would be this far along by now. Heck, I didn't think I was going to be able to have suspension or bodywork before March...another shout out to a few of my sponsors - Sarto Racing and Ground Control - for coming through and making stuff happen!! Now that I've got everything here for the suspension, bodywork, and undercar, we'll be spending the day tomorrow getting all the suspension and brakes bolted up and the bodywork final-fitted; from there the bodywork will go off to the paint shop and the car will go to the fab shop to have the cage put in...and then we'll tear it all back down, finish seam welding the chassis, paint the inside and underside of the chassis, and then put her back together!

Woot!!!

 

[civicious]

Got her all bolted together today!

Keep in mind, she's not clean yet - we've yet to tear it completely back down, strip the bottom, finish seam welding, and paint the chassis. This is just an initial test-fitting, if you will!

We've still got to put her on the scales and adjust the suspension and set the alignment, so none of the suspension bolts are more than finger tight. Plenty enough to roll her outside and give her some air!

Now if only the damn cage would show up!

 

[civicious]

Cage is here!

Tires are here, too!

 

[SlushboxTeggy]

I love these wheels.

I wonder if you can get these in other sizes.... like 4x100-16/17...

 

[civicious]

Got the suspension finished up, and took her to our friendly neighbors at Houston Z to get a 'preliminary' alignment done. Granted things are going to change a good bit, and we'll be putting it on the scales and doing another 'real' alignment once we have the cage in and the car all together; this is just so we can roll it around while we get the cage in and the chassis finished over the next week

Tomorrow, we start on the cage!

 

[phunky.buddha]

yum

 

[Briansol]

awesome man.

are you running any fire supression set up? is it required?

 

[B16]

Why did you run such a small width wheel and crazy spacers?

Otherwise looking pretty good!

 

[civicious]

awesome man.

are you running any fire supression set up? is it required?

I've gotta get two fire extinguishers and mount them in the cabin; they 'recommend' running a full fire suppression system, but that just isn't in the budget for now.

Why did you run such a small width wheel and crazy spacers?

Otherwise looking pretty good!

I'm actually glad I ended up going with this width wheel, I wouldn't have been able to fit a 10". The spacers are to fit the wheels out into the widebody fenders (see below)...

A few updates, got the bodywork back from paint today and got it fitted up...I decided that I think I WILL go with the rear bumper cover after all, as I initially intended. Makes the car look 'complete'. I'm also concerned about the Pikes Peak rulebook only allowing 932 square inches of additional vertical panels for the Time Attack 1 class, and running the rear 'open' with a huge diffuser as I initially intended is going to blow WAY past the allotted aerodynamic real estate. I'll have it over to paint on Friday, and hopefully have it back early next week. My buddy Nick from Nick's Custom Detailing out of Dallas is coming down next week to do some crazy cool paint cleanup / refreshing / restoration to make the dull, old Cosmos Schwarz look new and shiny like the newly painted stuff! He's done this sort of work on several cars for us in the past, and it's INSANE what someone with the right knowledge and skills combined with proper equipment can do to dull, old paint! Our graphics should be in by then, so as soon as Nick is finished makin' it shiny, we'll get it all stickered up!

In the meantime, the 'main' part of the cage is finished, and we've finished most of the seam welding spare a few spots on the front of the cabin; when I say 'main' part, I mean the 'basic cage that we need per the rule book to pass tech.' We've still got to add a fuel cell, so I'm holding off on finishing all the additional rear supports and such on the cage until we have the fuel cell in, to make sure that'll fit snugly. We should have the seam welding finished this week, then we've got to clean/prep/prime/paint the inside of the car (going to just go with black). I'll pop some of those photos up as they become available


For now, here's a few quick snaps of the bodywork - still needs some adjusting, and I'm going to have to go a bit lower and wider on the front splitter...but, for the most part, I think it's coming along nicely!

 

[|Chaz|]

Looks fantastic Wil.

 

[double0Si]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm Me likey.

 

[92stoccord]

I think a simpler rear diffuser would be better anyway. Two vertical panels directing flow out from the Underbody with one in the middle to keep any vacuum pockets from developing. If they're 6inches deep on average and You have 3 of them, you have 4 feet of length to play with on each and a bit of wiggle room left on top of that.

 

[B16]

I'm actually glad I ended up going with this width wheel, I wouldn't have been able to fit a 10". The spacers are to fit the wheels out into the widebody fenders (see below)...

I must be missing something... You couldn't go 10" with a different offset and no spacers to fill out the fenders? Is there a strut or control arm in the way?

Car looks fucking tits though

 

[CAFROG]

I must be missing something... You couldn't go 10" with a different offset and no spacers to fill out the fenders? Is there a strut or control arm in the way?

Car looks fucking tits though

I was thinking that too. Maybe the available offsets (for those specific rims) made it a no go?

And yes.....Tits

 

[civicious]

Would've had to go with custom wheels, and I'm just not paying $700 per wheel for something I'm most likely going to bend a few of during practice.

 

[civicious]

Bit more progress today, got the diffuser built and mounted up, and got the bodywork all fitted up and clearanced for the tires. I'm dropping the rear bumper off at paint tomorrow, so hopefully it'll be done in the next few days. I've still gotta make finishing panels for the rear bumper, so pardon the haggardness at the moment - waiting until the bumper is painted to fit them on. Also was able to get the hood cut and get the GT500 scoop mounted, and got the front clip all fastened and tightened and such - it's set up so that it vents from the space between the radiator and the engine, and with the ducting we're building tomorrow it should route just enough air through the main lower opening of the bumper, up through the radiator, and then out of the vent in the hood. Hopefully it works!

 

[civicious]

 

[double0Si]

Crazy how far you've taken it already. Looks so damn good.

 

[92stoccord]

Not sure that's the line I would have chosen through there on the back bumper, but mad respect for how far it's come and how good it looks. I'm a bit curious to see how the hood scoop works. Pretty good idea there. Are you tying in the rear diffuser to the underbody aero panel? Also Jesus how many old mercs do you have around your shop on a given day?

 

[civicious]

The line I cut on the bumper is basically where the original 'feaux diffuser' was - I don't particularly like the line, I kinda wish it came up higher on the sides; but for now, it'll work, and it doesn't look TOO bad...it'll look better once my buddy Tom at Texas Speed & Performance finishes it out and straightens all the crooked-ass sawzall cuts, and once the rest of the trim is all on it. Typically, I'd finish & paint my own bodywork, but I feel like if I've got a sponsor willing to do that for me, fuck it, let 'em have at it

The rear diffuser will be tied into the underbody panels, yes. One thing I'm very confident about is how well the underbody aero is going to work - unfortunately that's one of the things I won't be posting any photos of


I'm one of the few people in this area that actually know how to properly diagnose/repair/restore classic Mercedes, Porsches, and Ferraris, so I typically have a good amount of old school European badassedry at the shop