RAAMaudio ST, street, track, dog hauler, grocery getter, ultra low weight audio.....

[RAAMaudio]

Silver, Recaro, sunroof and NAV, sunroof for the dogs as they need lots of air, NAV because it was in the car when I bought it.
293 miles on the car for the first 6 months of ownership and when I started all this, of the lift a few weeks ago, 1500 miles and 200 minutes all out on a race track, things are going very well indeed

* Means completed

-Means in progress, waiting on parts, etc.....

Power mods:
*GT2560R w/billet compressor (already had the 1st Cyborg, 1st DHM EFR, now the GT)
Ran out of fuel, VDyno showed 308WHP and 265 ft lbs, WMI install in secure wheel well compartment, ordered Cobb 3 port boost control solenoid today as WG not being controlled by stock or EFR supplied unit, I forget which one I am using....
*DHM Race grade catted DP, less snap crackle and pop, less resonance, less noise, I like it but miss the SCP!
*Tial Ext WG back into DP
*Water Cooled WG with custom fittings and hoses to help long term reliability on track driven car
*DHM custom Ext Recric BOV, DIY modded to fit my DIY intake.
*CPE Cold side IC pipe with WMI bung, without Symposer port, heat wrapped.
*DHM tubular bumper and BIG IC which I lowered approx 2 inches to expose more of the other coolers.
-AEM WMI from Tune+ tire well cut out mounted tank and pump in DIY aluminum sealed enclosure,
windshield washer pump installed in WM tank, new underbody front washer hose and WM line to keep them
out of the cabin, will finish the 14th of June, tomorrow
*1 step colder plugs from Tune+
*3" DIY SS exhaust,3" Vband inlet, Vibrant 5" resonator, Borla race muffler Vband attachment, muffler delete
pipe to hear the exhaust better on track, 3" single oval tip(less restrictive and less weight than twin tips
*DIY real CAI, velocity stack in grill, mini keg filter housing, AEM dry filter, 3" ported, heat wrapped IC piping
*Cobb AP with Race Tuner
*Elite Engineering OCC, DIY modded to fit FiST, aluminum check valve added.
-Tune+ tuning just getting going on the new turbo

Cooling:
*Mishimoto MMRAD-T200-94 Celica GT radiator, DIY custom install
*Mishimoto aluminum expansion tank, tapped to fit AN fittings for turbo cooling with SS lines.
*Setrab dual pass oil cooler offset to passenger side, 40% of outlet flows to engine bay instead of into other
coolers, Mocal Tstat plate, heat wrapped push on hoses, AN fittings.
*Grill opened up for full air flow
*Radiator support sections opened up for more flow
*ABS sheet molded to seal IC, main grill, radiator, maximum flow through the coolers
*Water wetter with 25% or less antifreeze so more distilled water(winter mix in place now)
-Alternator heat shield and air ducting in progress

Drivetrain:
*DIY drivers side transaxle mount with DIY light weight top cover and urethane filled
*DIY passenger side engine mount, DIY urethane filled.
*Cobb Rear Engine Mount
*Quaife LSD, DIY install
*Motul 300 gear lube
*DIY shifter cable mount bushings, cut and realigned mount
*DIY short shifter very short and precise throws
*DIY shifter mount in console raised and stiffened, 2.75" lift

Brakes:
*Front 11.75" DIY/Fastbrakes, 6 piston Wilwood BBK for 15" wheels, GT rotors, SS lines
*Rear, 11" DIY kes 4 piston Wilwood BBK with integrated Fastbrakes parking brake levers, GT rotors, SS lines,
new 6061 mounts just completed
*Wilwood BP-10 street pads
*Carbotech XP12 Front XP8 rear track pads
*Castrol SRF brake fluid, the best!
-DIY Brake ducts fed from center of splitter

Suspension/steering:
*4x100 DIY bolt pattern re-bore for more wheel options, first to do this to the FiST
*Gun Runner aluminum steering rack bushings
*DIY modified E36 rear 5-way adjustable rear sway bar(will test and use as needed, or not)
*BC Racing coilovers, 8/7k Swift spring upgrade just installed
*PowerFlex urethane bushings in full suspension and front sway bar.
*DIY rear axle mod, -1.9 camber, 0 toe, by cutting and re-welding knuckle mounts
*Front camber set to -2.5 by modifying strut towers(wheels to wide to do it at the strut/knuckle bolts)
*Steeda adjustable front sway bar links
*ARP wheel studs
*Roll center and bump steer correction checked, no adjustments needed.
-Corner weigh and balance.


Wheels and tires, all wheels are 4x100
*(4)15x9 Konig Helix 13.4lbs, roll formed, BFG 225/45/15 Rival S for street
*(6)15x9 Konig Helix 13.4lbs, roll formed, Toyo RA1 DOT race tires, 225/45/15 on all four corners
*(4)15x8 949 Racing 6UL, roll formed, 11.4lbs each, 205/50/15 Neo Gen AS tires, 31lbs per corner!
-Considering 15x10 front 6ul with 245 race tires for the track, 15x9 rears with 225 tires.
*Fender rolling to fit wide wheels and tires
*Gorilla short, open end security lug nuts, very low weight
--------------
*(4)15x9 Konig Dial In 12.8 lbs, roll formed (selling)
*(4)17x7 Konig Feather, 16.8lbs (selling)

Interior: 175 lbs removed so far
-Autometer 3 way programmable shift light, set up to keep from over revving on short straights, etc....
*No Pistons SS dead pedal
*Rear seat delete
*Spare tire and jack delete
*Halatron fire extinguisher at base of drivers seat, close to grab it if ever needed
*Alumalite rear cargo wall, aluminum framework, very low weight, very strong.
*Alumalite lined cargo cover for more secure cargo storage
*Alumalite cargo floor cover, tire well storage, WMI, battery, etc below, can safely carry tools, emergency gear
and have a tank of meth/water and still have cargo capacity like a car with the false floor removed but I have
at least 100 hours into this area so far, working in AZ heat!

Body:
*Tripple R splitter, aluminum support rod from DHM crash bar in progress
*DIY Alumalite undertray integrated into TR splitter
*Seibon RS style vented CF hood
*Aerocatch locking hood pins, stock latch, cables, etc, removed
-APR 48" real race wing, custom end mount DIY design in progress
*DIY rolled and pulled fenders
-DIY Morimoto Mini DS2, 3" Bi-Xenon HID DIY headlights in progress
-DIY Morimoto LED DRL conversion in high beam location, on hand
*Morimoto LED stop, tail, turn, parking bulbs
-LED, 800 Lumin back up lights
-LED full interior swap
-Tow straps front and rear
-Seal up gap from under car to rear bumper as best as possible
-Working on a real diffuser plan
-Complete sound deadening with low added weight (hatch door and sides are done, much better!)


Misc:
*Viper long range 2-way alarm
*rear mount gel cell battery
*all hard plastic formed lines replaced with HD hose, SS wire wrapped to ensure securely attached.
*Window tint, 20%
-Custom silver/gray RAAMmat logo gels to replace Ford Emblems
*All other badges removed

 

[Major_A]

Any pictures? Is this a purpose built car, aka a track day car or are you planing on using it as a commuter car also?

 

[RAAMaudio]

Look at the title, street, track, dog hauler, grocery getter, our all in one car

Not a commuter, I have not done that in 15 years but did far more than my share before that.

It will be hauled all over NA in the back of a 43' toyhauler and driven on all the tracks I can get it on.

I have quite a few pictures here and other forums, just search for my ID and you can find them.

I will bring them all here as I have the time to do so and post the latest ones as things progress.

I really planned to leave this car close to stock but 46 years of modding, just does not seem something I can do!

Rick

 

[MKVIIST]

Great list Rick, can't wait to see the progress updates.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Thanks, a labor of love, having a great time building this car....I just need to get it done and out doing what it is being built to do, have fun hauling arse on track all over NA but also cruising in the mountains with my sweet wife and our Akita and Irish Wolfhound in the back, sharing the audio and some drives with fellow enthusiasts at events....

After all together and dialed in a bit I may have to soften a few areas to make it more tolerable on scenic drives but my wife does like a solid handling car and does not mind a firm ride.

 

[RAAMaudio]

PARTS ON ORDER:
BC Racing 2JR race spec coilovers
All urethane race grade suspension bushings
Aluminum shift cable bushings
Quaife LSD
Front Splitter on list for next batch to arrive

 

[Major_A]

Aluminum shift cable bushings

Care to share where you are getting these from? My old car went through 3 clutch cables because the plastic bushings at the transmission failed.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Boomba

NOTE: if you have a transaxle mounted short shifter better look at the cable angle to ensure right or going to have other issues.

I am going to make my own short shifter unless 2jr releases theirs first and I will modify the bracket the cables run through that bolts to the transaxle so the cables line up properly.

 

[rodmoe]

Boomba

NOTE: if you have a transaxle mounted short shifter better look at the cable angle to ensure right or going to have other issues.

I am going to make my own short shifter unless 2jr releases theirs first and I will modify the bracket the cables run through that bolts to the transaxle so the cables line up properly.

Not following you on the cable angle thingy ??

 

[RAAMaudio]

The short shift kits for this car move the cable end up quite a bit and over towards the outside of the car a bit. The place where the aluminum bushings go is a stout section of formed steel back a bit, maybe 8's, from the end of the cable. By moving the location where it ties to the shifter we are inducing an angle at the bushing area onto the cable, adding the solid bushings means no rubber to take up some of the induced angle thus putting even more strain on the cable.

I saw cable related shifting issues and sometimes broken bushings on different cars there they induced more angle in the cable at the bushing.

When I made my short shifters for such cars I also modified the bracket that holds the bushing so the cable was in a straight line towards the mount on the shifter at the transaxle and it shifted far better that way and did not fail later on.

Cables are meant to be straight or have gentile curves, not sharp angle bends across a small section of them.

I had not looked at that part of the shifter yet so did not realize the bracket is rubber mounted to the transmission, I thought it was like other cars where the bracket is directly bolted and the cables run through flexible rubber guides.

In either case it is still best to align the cable properly to prevent issues right off or growing over time.

 

[rodmoe]

Ok I'll look at it when I install after the postman drops them off tomorrow though IIRC the cables are press fit in the bracket with a rubber grommet type deal like this

 

[RAAMaudio]

I popped the cable end of the ball of the shift arm and when I positioned it up to where the new location would be, approximately where the Mountune parts locates it, there was quite a bit of angle induced into the cable where it passes through the grommet shown on the first picture.

I will take a look again, today if I need to lower the car on the lift to work on other things, if not very soon, to double check what I found, a couple of months ago.

-------------------

The other cars I worked on had similar grommets but there were inserts made to replace the rubber there with bronze bushings and the bracket was solid mounted.

 

[rodmoe]

Ill also look at it as I will install today and have the SS kit from Mountune

 

[RAAMaudio]

I just pulled the cable off and out of the bracket, it has a fairly good range of motion designed in and does not bind, good news.

But, if you carefully move it in and out you can feel quite a bit more resistance so there is some binding, not much but there.

It is a bit close to the range of flex and has a little binding so I am modding mine, it will be pretty easy.

Take off the bracket, cut most of the way through it vertically on each side of the bushing mount, put the bottom bolt tap into a vice, bend to shape, weld where cut.

 

[Major_A]

How are you planing on making those shift cable bushings, waterjet, plasmajet, CNC, etc? If you do cut me out a set with instructions and I'll give you some of my money.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I cut and welded the the bracket yesterday, I had to induce two angles into it so took a bit more time but aligns better for when I do build the SS part.

For the bushings it was simpler than expected but already had the bracket out, tools ready, etc...

I simply welded washers the right thickness to the bottom of the mount so it still sits were it did. I have tons of bolts, nuts and washers here but did not want to dig to find 6 the same and correct thickness so picked some new ones up while at the hardware store and had to go there for something else anyway, cost was 11 cents per washer so a 66 cent mod

I was going to weld some on top as well but it really did not need it so I just used the same size washers on the top then put the bolts back in, done

I have not painted it yet, will take it off when I do the LSD and clutch install, LSD is on the way but I need to sell more parts to buy the clutch if I get a flywheel at the same time which I have not decided for sure on yet.

I am retired, my toys are only paid for when I sell other toys, that way I get rid of stuff I no longer need

 

[RAAMaudio]

Quaife LSD from PCA arrived yesterday

And more 225/45/15 Toyo RA1 race tires....

I am going to buy a BW EFR 62/58 turbo in the next few days

I have a line on a direct bolt on manifold for the EFR I am anxiously waiting on.

I have to fit the oil and water lines, probably modify or build a heat shield, mod or build a new DP, mod the intake......but it will be worth it....

Fun stuff all around on with this cool little car

Rick

 

[no-pistons]

RAAMaudio ST, street, track, dog hauler, grocery getter, ultra low weight aud...

...build a new DP,

How much for your bad ass home built DP? :-D

 

[RAAMaudio]

I will most likely just mod it to fit the new turbo as much easier than making a new one and it only fits my DIY exhaust so if sold that end would need modded so either way one end would have to be changed if I keep it or sold it so will keep it if I can make it work, if not then I might have to sell it.

If I sold it I might consider selling the whole exhaust, it is the cleanest flowing, least amount of bends one made but it is a custom fit so the car would need modded a little for it to work. For somebody going all out for power this would be the one to have.

 

[JohnzyST]

Which front splitter are you going with? I'm planning on building my st for the track also! Why no roll cage?