SLC 24 Howard Jones

[Howard Jones]

Well, I think I have a big advantage because I am not building a street version. I also don't have much of a engine management issue. Set float levels, set idle circuit, set idle revs, set timing, drive. Ought to be about an hour.

That said I still have a lot to do.

Here's a few of the car with the center-section back on for trial fit of roof scoop ducting. Fits good. The last one you can barely see the scoop exit onto the air-filter. The others are of the ducting up in the roll cage and the first two are the side scoop expansion with the bodywork back together. This is what a SLC looks like without a rear window.

 

[Jack]

Howard, it's your fault!
You made me make a mold and a part from the lexan back window. Looking at ventilation options for it. Have not 'glassed it in yet as there may be another
version as I get narrowed in on the vents.

 

[Dave]

BTW: We are not even sure Dave HAS a car....never seen it. No proof it's real....

Can't say I have one either. Been too long since I've spent any time with it.

 

[Jim Craik]

Howard,

I was catching up with some of your recent posts, and the photos you just posted. That really looks great, the enlarged side scoop looks just right and I like the way it accents the front exit opening.

Well done!

 

[Howard Jones]

Completed the front and rear body latch pockets. I had done the tops earlier but needed to get the center section on and indexed to the front and rear clips before I marked and cut out the bottom holes so I could bond in the pockets.

Good ol Plexus epoxy again. After a bit of bondo to blend in the fit lines they look like they were in the original body molds.

Why did I do this? Well I am pretty anal about things blowing off the car like bodywork so I figure a little redundancy is in order. I am going to use either the areo catches or a good ol pin and clip at all four corners of the car in addition to the side latches. Much like my GT40. I am going for the same result. Never had a rear body clip fly off my 40......


I know it doesn't look all that super-car bling bling but it's a track car after all.

 

[Doc Kaler]

Once again....very nice job Howard! I'll be using external Aerocatches as well.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Howard, one thing to remember is that the tail cannot hinge open with the doors closed....that was designed to be a safety precaution and prevent the "blow over" accidents so prevelant with the GT40 tail...

We went to great lengths to hide the latches on the SL-C and not have external pockets...jeezzz.....:cry:

We use two aero catches on the nose and four surface mounted ones on the tail of the race car...but that does not hinge..its a lift off panel.

Many pro grade race cars use the Aerocatches too...they work great but must be kept lubed with graphite type spray..

 

[Alex]

Howard, one thing to remember is that the tail cannot hinge open with the doors closed....that was designed to be a safety precaution and prevent the "blow over" accidents so prevelant with the GT40 tail...

We went to great lengths to hide the latches on the SL-C and not have external pockets...jeezzz.....:cry:

We use two aero catches on the nose and four surface mounted ones on the tail of the race car...but that does not hinge..its a lift off panel.

Many pro grade race cars use the Aerocatches too...they work great but must be kept lubed with graphite type spray..

Real men use quick release pins to hold down the front and rear clips ... weight savings + no need for graphite spray, jajajajajajjaja =)

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

wait and see.....

 

[Alex]

wait and see.....

confidence.....I haz it
(it has a thick mounting plate the pin head head rests on that evenly distribute stress, and where it goes up into the clip I've bonded a stainless steel plate to the clip so the pin balls sit on the stainless plate...the load is spread out over a greater area than the aero catches, so if this fails I'd imagine the aero catches would also fail)

 

[Howard Jones]

Fran I understand your pain. Here you go and design a beautiful car and that old fart starts cutting it all up and uses ancient horse buggy technology on it.

I'm old.....I like what I know works. And I don't want to do things twice. My GT40 uses this type of redundant body hold downs and baring a complete F up on my part, cannot come off. I like the part about proven cannot come off, better than I like sleek unobscured body lines.

Don't worry it will be pretty too. After all, her father is Frankenstein! There's a good natured rib for ya buddy.

 

[Howard Jones]

After I went and installed my body pin backing plates I discovered that the rear "beer can holders" are way inboard from where I would think they look good. Too close to the cockpit vertical sail. I wanted then outboard in the center of the top of the fender and rear of the door opening.

I guess I could have simply moved them over but then what would I do with the can holder? Cut em out!

Then I was looking at the rear spider mounts. There is one per side in a little pocket. The bottom of the pocket is supposed to sit on the chassis shoulder along side the rear roll over bar. I don't think this is enough pad area to prevent cracking and it's not deep enough to sit on the chassis anyway. Stacking some washers up under it only leaves a gap that will need to be sealed later so I decided to fix this all at one time.

I made the saddle on the inside of the body a bit bigger than the chassis spot it needs to rest on, and added a 1/4" piece of alum to the top of the chassis to fill most of the gap. I can add a thin piece of alum as a shim when I put the body back on for a final fit measure.

In the pictures you can see all of the changes to the rear of the spider. The bigger air scoop, side latch pocket, and improved mounting pad, along with the removed beer can holder.

The other pictures are of the upper door henge installations. I filled the depression in the bodywork with fiberglass paste made with resin and microballoons. I like this better that bondo when the spot must bear a load. I also made some small load plates for the inside.

It would be tight but I think I could remove the henge with the spider on the car if I had to. I sure never want to!

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Howard...they are not mounting pads....they were original pockets for slam style body latches ....we decided against them early on and use the invisibly located Aerolatches under the body sides...
Have you hung the doors and checked for trouble free hinging with the hinge reveal on the roof filled in?..the relief is there to make sure that our customers can properly locate the upper hinge during the build...same goes for the one on the door too.

 

[Howard Jones]

Hi Fran, I kept the front beer car holders, just deleted the rears. I have to watch my girlish figure! The doors fit fine. I just wanted a nice flat mounting surface. On the door itself I left the pocket for the henge. Actually I think they are easy to make work compaired to my ol GTD.

Does #1 have a inclosed bottom? I mean a cover on the bottom of the car?

 

[Mesa]

I think Howard is asking if the 01 race car has a completely enclosed floor - front to back.
Thanks for coming over to the car cave and hanging out Saturday Howard. That was fun.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Guys...we have a removable floor section under the engine bay....we have run with and without...also with and without the rear diffuser...
One negative side effect is higher engine bay temps with the floor inplace...

 

[Doc Kaler]

Fran,

Any "positive" findings with the engine pan in place?

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Doc,

TBH we made so many tweeks during the first season I cant say that the flat floor contributed/detracted too much from our performance....season two will be much more about fine tuning as we learned alot about the bigger setup options during season one.

Season two will comprise of more power, bigger brakes...similar in size to the street SL-C set up...we only ran 13 inch rotors on the race car last year.
We will run much more aggressive aero packaging too....
So in short ..more corner speed and more straight away speed with later braking capability too....should be fun.

 

[Howard Jones]

Fran, My interest in the engine room floor is to add some rigidity to the rear bodywork that the scoops are in. I was thinking of extending the the engine room floor back to the trailing edge of the spider in front of the rear wheels. Maybe I'll stop there until I can see some engine temps.

If the diffuser is going to be anything other than a rear body mount it will need a flat bottom all the way back to the inlets.

Where is the best spot to mount the engine oil cooler? Did you guys try running lines to the front of the car and mounting a cooler in the nose? Where in the best airflow in the rear? In front of one of the side scoops?

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

If you want add some flat aluminum from the lower angled chassis rails out to the body and call it good...that will provide any amount of rigidity you may require...

FYI...When we run the racecar without the rear engine bay floor we have no extra support and have suffered no ill effects...and we have rubbed with other cars from time to time...

We run the oil coolers at the very back of the car....engine and trans..one either side of the transaxle...and oil cooling is not an issue at all....in fact we ran the 13 hr with no trans cooler...just a pump to circulate the oil.

The race car diffuser is nothing like the street car....we run the street tail too...not the race tail.