Brian M's SL-C Turnkey Build Thread

Scott

Lifetime Supporter
Brian.

The engine looks good. Have you validated that your induction will fit under the SL-C's window? It looks like the rear is going to be really close.

Given how high the inlet is you probably won't need to modify the rear hoop on the roll cage which saves work. You'll need a 120+ degree tube to relocate the throttle body. My engine also came with a LS7 throttle body and it's size caused packaging issues. I replaced it with a LT5 throttle body (all of the LT throttle bodies are smaller). Here's a few pictures of what I did:

I had to modify the rear hoop which is an easy change. However it's going to make the passenger seatbelts complex to implement.
1626352461910.png


ls7 on top and LT5 on bottom
1626352625614.png
 
Brian.

The engine looks good. Have you validated that your induction will fit under the SL-C's window? It looks like the rear is going to be really close.

Given how high the inlet is you probably won't need to modify the rear hoop on the roll cage which saves work. You'll need a 120+ degree tube to relocate the throttle body. My engine also came with a LS7 throttle body and it's size caused packaging issues. I replaced it with a LT5 throttle body (all of the LT throttle bodies are smaller). Here's a few pictures of what I did:

I had to modify the rear hoop which is an easy change. However it's going to make the passenger seatbelts complex to implement.
View attachment 116307

ls7 on top and LT5 on bottom
View attachment 116308
Scott. Great question on fitment. I had my engine builder (Steve at Proformanceunlimited) talk with Fran specifically about the clearance needed under the rear clam window. Steve my engine builder assured me based on the discussion with Fran that this air has intake would fit. So I can only hope that he understood what Fran was telling him. Fingers crossed
 
However it's going to make the passenger seatbelts complex to implement.
Looks like you could weld some steel plate to the cabin side of your hoop modification. Would add rigidity to the modified area which would get the hoop a lot closer to the original integrity, plus give you belt anchor point options.
 
Update - I visited the RCR shop a few weeks ago and talked with Fran on a couple of topics. Scott called it!! Fran doesn't think the air intake will fit easily. Additionally due to my exhaust (which I posted in post #8) I will need to have a little extra room under the rear clam and also said that I will likely need a custom splitter.

So I was originally planning to do the Race Tail but given the above, Fran recommended that we go with the Street Tail and just cut out the back to be similar to the Race Tail and then he will have his guys make the splitter

So having all of that considered it helped put a few decisions on the table which I promptly made.
1. Switched to the Street Tail
2. Selected a my Tail lights (2021 Toyota Supra - Ordered them from the Toyota Parts store and had them Delivered to RCR)
I did a LOT of research on these lights and actually went to a Toyota Parts dealership and looked at the assembly before I purchased them to see just how much curve there was in the Light. The line where of the tail light fixture attaches to the car is actually perfectly straight. Yes the red plastic cover has "some" curve to the fixture itself is actually perfectly straight.
3. Talked with Brad (who Fran selected to do my custom body work) and we talked about what the rear will look like. I sketched up a few options in PPT that I shared with Brad to see which would be easiest for him AND luckily he recommended the Option that I liked the best. Note - Thank you to Scott who posted many renderings which I augmented with my PowerPoint skills. Brad and I also noted that we don't think the exhaust will exit where I have it on the sketch below.

SLC Rear Street Tail Design Option 3.png


Brad now has the body at his shop and is doing the full fitment/adjustment. I stopped by Brad's shop last week and we spent an hour reviewing the custom body work. We roughly mapped out where the hood vent and when vents will be placed and the general shape etc...
 
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Scott

Lifetime Supporter
Those tail lights have a fair amount of front-to-back curve in them which won't be easy to blend into the flat vertical face on the SL-C.
 

Joel K

Supporter
Update - I visited the RCR shop a few weeks ago and talked with Fran on a couple of topics. Scott called it!! Fran doesn't think the air intake will fit easily. Additionally due to my exhaust (which I posted in post #8) I will need to have a little extra room under the rear clam and also said that I will likely need a custom splitter.

So I was originally planning to do the Race Tail but given the above, Fran recommended that we go with the Street Tail and just cut out the back to be similar to the Race Tail and then he will have his guys make the splitter

So having all of that considered it helped put a few decisions on the table which I promptly made.
1. Switched to the Street Tail
2. Selected a my Tail lights (2021 Toyota Supra - Ordered them from the Toyota Parts store and had them Delivered to RCR)
3. Talked with Brad (who Fran selected to do my custom body work) and we talked about what the rear will look like. I sketched up a few options in PPT that I shared with Brad to see which would be easiest for him AND luckily he recommended the Option that I liked the best. Note - Thank you to Scott who posted many renderings which I augmented with my PowerPoint skills. Brad and I also noted that we don't think the exhaust will exit where I have it on the sketch below.

View attachment 117127

Brad now has the body at his shop and is doing the full fitment/adjustment. I stopped by Brad's shop last week and we spent an hour reviewing the custom body work. We roughly mapped out where the hood vent and when vents will be placed and the general shape etc...

Very cool process Brian. I like the design very much. Interested to see what Brad comes up with.
 
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Additional Update -
To store my car I needed to add a 1 car garage to my existing 2 car garage. Unfortunately, due to zoning, offsets, and lot lines I was limited to exactly 10' which makes for a very tight garage space. So I wanted to see if I can get a 360 Birds Eye view camera system that would help me in the pulling in or out of my garage. Also with the front splitter, I would also like to see how close I am to curbs so that I don't accidently crunch my carbon fiber splitter. Sooo.... After a lot of research I finally chose which Camera would be best.

I chose the Amazon.com: weivision Super Hd 1080P Car 360 Degree Bird View Surround System DVR Record Backup Camera Parking Monitoring with Sony Sensor: Automotive

Why did I choose this one:
1. This company actually lets you replace the car graphic with your ACTUAL car. That was HUGE in my decision making process. It made it feel more OEM.
2. The Price was very low
3. They had really strong user feedback
4. They responded very quickly to question that I posed via Amazon.
5. It will integrate with my the LCD center console system that Tino at LCD Dash system is building for me which is why the OEM feel in #1 was really important.

So it arrived a few weeks ago and I was finally able to do a full system Test last weekend using the actual measurements of where the cameras will go on the car.

NOTE - Basically every company will tell you that there system won't work if 1 of the cameras is significantly lower than the others. So you will see in the pictures below, that I positioned the cameras where they will be on the car and the pictures worked really well. Fingers crossed when they actually get positioned on the car.

JOEL - thank you so much for providing the measurements.

When looking at the cameras below - the cameras are tiny and barely visible on the front, rear, left and right "props". And given that I don't actually have my car nor my center console LCD screen, I just used a TV. Also - the power was provided by a spliced lap top PC cord.

If you look at the TV, you will see in the pictures below that it gives great actual video feed from the front camera (shown on the right side of the TV) and a pretty darn good Birds Eye view around the entire car (shown in the Left side of the TV). I believe that this will be a much better pictures when the car is on a road, driveway, etc.. it won't have nearly as many complex pictures to weave to get

360 Birds Eye view camera system test 1.jpg

360 Birds Eye view camera system test 2.jpg

360 Birds Eye view camera system test 3.jpg
 
Scott - I did a LOT of research on these lights and actually went to a Toyota Parts dealership and looked at the assembly before I purchased them to see just how much curve there was in the Light. The line where of the tail light fixture attaches to the car is actually perfectly straight. Yes the red plastic cover has "some" curve to the fixture itself is actually perfectly straight.

While I was at Brad's shop last week, we tested them in the actual slot for the Tail Lights and confirmed that they will work nicely. The only consideration we have now is as Brad puts it..."how proud do we want the tail lights to be"...meaning if we want them to be embedded flush or sticking out some.
 
Are you going to run side markers? I believe on the Supra they stick out so they can be seen by drivers approaching from the side of the car.
 
Small update - doing what I can while the Body work and build continues. I decided to go with the following VIN from
www.lasvegascustomengraving.com . I had them custom design and then make two VIN plates and shipped to Fran at RCR for a total cost of $82. They were super easy to work with and it came out amazingly well. (Although I haven't actually held them yet). The black is a gloss black.

VIN Meeker - Superlite FINAL - Masked.jpg



I am going to have RCR place the VIN plate on the Chassis in this location. The other VIN plate will be affixed to the door like most cars.
Rolling Chassis with VIN Placement Inked_LI.jpg
 
BTW - I fully realize the my posts are a lot more boring that the other build posts that I am watching in envy. However, I know that my patience and availability don't allow me to do what most of you are doing. My hats off to you all!!!
 

Joel K

Supporter
Brian, I very much enjoy reading your posts. Please continue to do so.

Regards Brian

Ditto to what Brian said, you are doing some very unique things with the custom rear end, titanium muffler system, and electronics to name a few. These build threads are as much about sharing the passion for our builds as well as the build process.

Looking forward to see your future updates!
 
He all I know it has been a long time since I have posted. The reason is that I have still waiting for my car to start. I ordered my Turnkey Build in May of 2020 and I am approaching 2 years with only moderate progress mostly only on the body. I stopped by the shop this week and talked to Fran. He committed to getting my go-cart stage completed by the end of April give that the rest of the body work is contingent on the go-kart stage being completed.

Per the design I have had pretty radical work done on the front clam which is now complete. It looks absolutely amazing and I love the work that Brad has down thus far. See below

Note - you can see the hinges and the original part of the clam connected to the hinge. That will vertical fiberglass piece will be pained black so that it disappears from your eye vs the beautiful red fin that I added to each side.

In the meantime - while I have been waiting for my SLC to be completed...I purchased a 56 Chevy Bel Air that I am having completely restomoded. I ordered a 572 crate engine for the 56 and got the dyno and pics yesterday when it was completed. If folks want to see that I can also post a few pics ;)


Hood Front vent 63.jpg


Hood Front vent 76.jpg
 
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Jim Albright

Supporter
He all I know it has been a long time since I have posted. The reason is that I have still waiting for my car to start I ordered my Turnkey Build in May of 2020 and I am approaching 2 years with only moderate progress on the body. I stopped by the shop this week and talked to Fran. He committed to getting my go-cart stage completed by the end of April as the rest of the body work is contingent on the go-kart stage being completed.

Per the design I have had pretty radical work done on the front clam which is now complete. It looks absolutely amazing. See below

Note - you can see the hinges and the original part of the clam connected to the hinge. That will vertical fiberglass piece will be pained black so that it disappears from your eye vs the beautiful red fin that I added to each side.

In the meantime - while I have been waiting for my SLC to be completed...I purchased a 56 Chevy Bel Air that I am having completely restomoded. I ordered a 572 crate engine for the 56 and got the dyno and pics yesterday when it was completed. If folks want to see that I can also post a few pics ;)


View attachment 121655

View attachment 121656
Love to see the restomod pics! I know how you feel with the waiting, as I ordered my turnkey minus in Jan 2020 and am still waiting for Butch to finish it up. To quote a familiar Tom Petty lyric "the waiting is the hardest part"
 
Love to see the restomod pics! I know how you feel with the waiting, as I ordered my turnkey minus in Jan 2020 and am still waiting for Butch to finish it up. To quote a familiar Tom Petty lyric "the waiting is the hardest part"
As an interlude to the SLC- the 56 Chevy Bel Air was purchased in December via On-Line Auction. The Price was right but when I received it I realized that I wanted to modify it to make it more family drivable. The car had a 454 Big Block Chevy and a 3 Speed Automatic. It was a LOT of fun to drive from 0 to 55 but was horrible to drive at 55-70 on the highway. And the Cam in the 454 was not producing adequate vacuum to effectively operate the power brakes which made it a bit scary for highway driving or even sudden stop light stops with cars in front of you. The 454 was also blowing a little oil....

....So I decided to restomod it with:
  • Skip White Performance 572 crate engine ----> Check out the 40 second dyno video
  • Holley Sniper Electronic Fuel Injection
  • ATF 4L80E special built transmission with 750 ft/LB torque converter
  • New 25 gallon gas tank with 340 L/H EFI fuel pump.
  • Burning River Power Rack & Pinion Steering
  • Wilwood Hydraulic Power Disc Brakes to all 4 corners
  • Entropy Radiator with dual fans - This was a Piece of ART
  • Restomod A/C system
  • and New tilt Steering column, Steering Wheel, and Digital Dash

Here are a few pictures
Brian Meeker's Skip White Performance 572 Crate Engine completed 1a.jpg

1648320909117.jpeg

56 Chevy Bel Air 2.jpg
56 Chevy Bel Air 3.jpg
 
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