The Garagenous Zone

[BoostAddiction]

I've been considering building the "lite" version of this, the Razor, for quite some time. My biggest holdup is the lack of documented and complete builds... I want to be able to have a forum of guys to go to for ideas for building the odds and ends. Lastly, I see so many Ariel Atoms that I would almost rather go that route, except for the fact that I just find them ugly compared to the gen II Razor...

I assume you can recommend the guys at SLC? Any quick advice to a guy looking to build one?

Thanks for sharing your build and your garage, I really like your attention to detail.

The Razor doesn't have as many builds as the SLC, so there is a smaller ecosphere of knowledge, builders, etc. There is a small group on exocars.net that are building Razors, and they seem like a good bunch. Not many of them seem to be experienced builders, and some of them are struggling with different drivetrains, which isn't so much a problem on the SLC side, as almost everyone is using the LS series of engines and there is a lot of knowledge about those engines. If I were building a Razor, I'd choose a drivetrain that I knew very well, and that had a network of people that were local that were able to support me if I needed more help. The rest is pretty simple stuff, on a relative scale.

Fran Hall- the owner at Superlite- is a great guy, and his products are superb. There really isn't anything that favorably compares to the SLC or Razor, IMHO. I think the Razor is a great car, especially when compared to the Atom. In fact, before I started the SLC I considered building a Razor, but decided a closed car, and a bigger one, was more what I wanted. So, hence the SLC.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more offline. And thanks for the kind comments about the garage!

 

[Thedoc14]

So what Transaxle are you using behind the LS?

 

[BoostAddiction]

Ricardo, from a Ford GT.

 

[CNGsaves]

OHekk, I cut the tool foam out very carefully with an Exacto knife, tracing the actual tools, one at a time. Some people transfer the image using a silver or white pen, but I thought that would be too inaccurate.

{RE: how to reach drop light over lift} I reach the light by hooking it with a broom handle. It's easier to keep it way up high out of the way like it is.

At a garage sale, I got this long stained wooden pole with little hook on end, that at first I didn't know what it was. Figured out later it was "hat stick" that high-end shop back in the day used to get merchandise down.

For your situation, you could build a conduit stick with a little hook on end. Attach clasps on side of lift so the "light stick" would be right there handy. Paint it red to match lift and it would blend right in.

 

[crepr12]

I wanted to use a Cayenne TT, or a BMW V10 or an Audi S4 V8 or similar powerplant. I love German cars and have 3 of them right now. But every time I did the numbers, they just didn't add up. The LS7 has a conservative 500 HP out of the box, and with just a cam kit and decent exhaust it can easily put out 600+ HP. What was worse, is the weight problem. THe LS7 engine, out of the crate, weighs less than 370 lbs-- the others are as much as 2-300 lbs heavier, so there is a tremendous amount of power they have to put out to just get even from the HP/Lb perspective, and of course you still have to lug that heavy lump through the turns.

So the LS series engines, as "dumb" as they might appear, just seemed to be the clear value winner. The LS7 may not have as much bling factor as the others, but "bling don't impress the timers".

Finally, performance aside, they are pretty cheap, when you compare new-to-new. You could buy crate LS7s all day for under $13K when I bought mine. You don't want to know what a crate Cayanne TT engine costs.

It will be stock for phase 1, then we'll see whether I need more. Remember though, as it sits it will have a power-to-weight ratio better than the current GrandAm prototype cars. Not too shabby for a street car.

As far as the car is concerned, it really is a great kit, though clearly not as mature as the Ultima. There are still plenty of opportunities to develop the car, including the expected lthings ike hinges and interior details (though the SL-C interior looks far better than the GTR will ever look, based on the many Ultimas I've seen).

I'm still in the early days with the car, trying to work out issues of engine front dress, plumbing, etc. It should be a 2 year project, longer if things like the AC turn out to take longer to develop than I plan for now.

The plan is strictly street duty with an occasional track day a possibility. It's too expensive (in terms of money and time) for me to use it as a race car- I just couldn't afford to ball it up, which is how you have to approach real race cars.

Great garage...Nothing dumb about the LS7...you may the right choice of engines

 

[ARCTIC_RAGTOP]

Amazing garage, great job!

 

[ODIS]

Saw your post in the "Post Your Favorite Picture Of Your Garage" and so thought a stop here to see the progress on the car you are building.

First, the garage space is wonderful no matter if it is a little cluttered or if items have found their way into this space for "temporary" storage.

Looks like the SLC is quite the car. Wondering what hoops you had to jump to mate the Ricardo to the LS-7. Also wondering if your transaxle is a little temperamental about going into 2nd when cold. Our FGT needs to be essentially double clutched to go into 2nd without a little grinding till the transaxle has warmed up a bit, but after that, there are no issues. From the guys at the FGT Forum, this is a relatively common event for both the '05 and '06 cars.

Would be great to see your progress on the car and what you have finished up and to read about some of the items that you would still like to do on the car.

Anyway, hope you have been having a great time in your garage/shop and with the cars.

Best,

Ody.

 

[BoostAddiction]

Looks like the SLC is quite the car. Wondering what hoops you had to jump to mate the Ricardo to the LS-7. Also wondering if your transaxle is a little temperamental about going into 2nd when cold. Our FGT needs to be essentially double clutched to go into 2nd without a little grinding till the transaxle has warmed up a bit, but after that, there are no issues. From the guys at the FGT Forum, this is a relatively common event for both the '05 and '06 cars.

Would be great to see your progress on the car and what you have finished up and to read about some of the items that you would still like to do on the car.

Anyway, hope you have been having a great time in your garage/shop and with the cars.

Best,

Ody.

I have been following your thread, and noticed the Ford GT- and your great garage. They are remarkable cars in many ways, the most unusual of which is that they are a modern car that has actually appreciated in value in a short amount of time. They truly are amazing cars, and I don't imagine that Ford will build something else like it in the near future.

Yes, the transaxle is a little balky when cold. Like most all of the FGT fraternity, I've always used the GT-specific trans fluid, though I have wondered if another brand would improve the cold-shifting issue. I also had the gears REM-polished in an attempt to improve smoothness, but I did that before I ever drove the car, so can't comment on whether or how much difference that actually made. Perhaps a different chemistry in the oil would solve the balkiness problem, but I don't want to risk it. The transaxles are now very hard to find, and are quite expensive to source from Ford, who only have a few left in stock. I have the Ford Racing short shifter in my car, and it probably aggravates the balkiness. But I really do like the transaxle overall, and the ultra-tall gearing allows the car to essentially idle down the highway, getting pretty decent mileage. At least if you can keep your foot off the throttle...

Mating the Ford transaxle to an LS engine only required a custom flywheel and an adapter plate. I use the stock FGT twin-disc clutch and the stock starter. Ironically, the LS7 in my car actually has slightly less power and torque than the original supercharged Ford engine, and the car is about 800-1000 lbs lighter, so I think I am sort of de-rating the transaxle in the SLC!

I'm presently getting the interior panels in shape for the interior shop, moving a vent hose from the dry sump tank, finalizing the wiring (I'm using the ISIS system, which is great), setting up the audio system and rear-view camera, and I just built a small carbon fiber CHMSL that fits under the rear window. And then I need to do a final tune on the suspension (make bump-steer bushings, reset the alignment one final time, etc).

For those on the east coast, I am trying to take my car- unfinished though it is- to the Charlotte Autofair at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in a month or so, and would be happy to talk to GJers there.

 

[aggierailroad]

The Razor doesn't have as many builds as the SLC, so there is a smaller ecosphere of knowledge, builders, etc. There is a small group on exocars.net that are building Razors, and they seem like a good bunch. Not many of them seem to be experienced builders, and some of them are struggling with different drivetrains, which isn't so much a problem on the SLC side, as almost everyone is using the LS series of engines and there is a lot of knowledge about those engines. If I were building a Razor, I'd choose a drivetrain that I knew very well, and that had a network of people that were local that were able to support me if I needed more help. The rest is pretty simple stuff, on a relative scale.

Fran Hall- the owner at Superlite- is a great guy, and his products are superb. There really isn't anything that favorably compares to the SLC or Razor, IMHO. I think the Razor is a great car, especially when compared to the Atom. In fact, before I started the SLC I considered building a Razor, but decided a closed car, and a bigger one, was more what I wanted. So, hence the SLC.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more offline. And thanks for the kind comments about the garage!

Ended up getting a P-car Cayman... Looks like the Razor is going to have to wait... If I'm lucky the wife will wreck it, total it, I buy it back and have a good engine to use...... But really, that would ****.

 

[R1chy]

...For those on the east coast, I am trying to take my car- unfinished though it is- to the Charlotte Autofair at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in a month or so, and would be happy to talk to GJers there.

Any chance we can talk you into hosting a NOVA Garage Gang MnG before taking it to the Autofair? I'd love to see it.

R1chy

 

[BoostAddiction]

It's been a while, and I haven't posted much about the car. I've been working on it, and it's now running, driving, and painted.

I recently took it to the Charlotte Autofair and had a great time.

A view of the engine compartment now. LS7, forged pistons, homemade exhaust & intake, and ISIS wiring:



A view of the rear of the car at the Autofair:



Side view at Autofair:



Front end view, also at Autofair:




Finally, while there at the show, Hot Rod Magazine saw the car and liked it, and awarded it "Best LS Powered Creation". Scroll down to see the car in the list.. : http://blogs.hotrod.com/10-best-from-the-autofair-111367.html#ixzz2yX9O3mLQ

I know, I know-- I had the rear of the car jacked way up, so the camber is all wrong in the rear. I had a reason for it, but I'm resetting the suspension later this month.

 

[68rustang]

I love the color.

 

[JMURiz]

Cool deal, glad it's done...looks great.

 

[Sunbimmer]

Very boring reply of me just all I can say is AWESOME CAR

 

[R1chy]

Looks great. Shave the tires, put some numbers on it, and bring it down to the race VIR in a couple weeks.

Rich

 

[BoostAddiction]

Thanks for the comments.

As to VIR, my car may see the pits, and maybe the track on a track day, but it isn't going to be used as a race car.

Here's another pic:

 

[Kiwi 007]

I have a web site for the purpose, just haven't really done anything to it.

The SLC is moving along, just not fast enough. I never have enough time on the car, and that is exacerbated by my uncanny ability to look at a simple problem and imagine a more complex, more expensive, but more cool solution.

I'm deep in brake plumbing mods, and will tackle the coolant plumbing next. Already have a good start on that with a custom coolant tank I designed.

Need to make some better shielding/sealing parts for the radiator area, and fit the new CF race splitter that just arrived.

Also, figured out how to use an Android tablet for music, navigation and other purposes, and a buddy is working on a FG bezel. The tablet is programmed, and now I am working on the wiring to control it and the hidden headunit from the new steering wheel which just got back from a major makeover.

Here's a pic of the steering wheel:

Hi what steering wheel is this and what rework was done to it?

 

[michel]

Great garage, cant get enough of it,
About the car, is there a thread for the build?
How about the ISIS system, was it the first time you used it, it's more expensive but is it worth it? And is it that much better than the conventional way of wiring a car, install and use?

 

[BoostAddiction]

Great garage, cant get enough of it,
About the car, is there a thread for the build?
How about the ISIS system, was it the first time you used it, it's more expensive but is it worth it? And is it that much better than the conventional way of wiring a car, install and use?

No build thead- I was planning on one but just never documented it.

This is my first use of ISIS and it is great so far. A bit expensive, but worth it if you want a modern electrical system? I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The steering wheel is from a C6 Corvette, modified to have a flat bottom, and with carbon and leather/alcantara accents.

 

[michel]

thanks for the reply.
And again sir..what a garage!

Very Inspiring.

 

[keperkey]

Resurrecting this older thread.

Can you post any update on the SLC.

Also, what are the dimensions of your garage? I might have missed that.

Thanks

 

[BoostAddiction]

Resurrecting this older thread.

Can you post any update on the SLC.

Also, what are the dimensions of your garage? I might have missed that.

Thanks

The SLC is finally almost done, and will be presented in it's first concours event on July 26th at the Concours of America (formerly the Meadowbrook Concours) in Plymouth MI. It will be in the Supercars section- you can't miss it.

The garage dimensions? The 2-bay portion is just 24 wide X 22 deep, or thereabouts. I don't remember the 3rd bay size, but it both wider and deeper.

 

[BoostAddiction]

Thought I'd update the thread with a few pics of the car- since that's what has occupied the Most Favored Nation parking spot for so long.

Here's a recent photo from the last Mid Atlantic Garage GTG:

The car at the town rail "station":

At a local winery:

Another shot at the winery:

At one of my summer homes:

Hey- just kidding- the photog got permission to shoot here!

And another:

Obligatory interior shot:

It's hard to capture the color- it washes out in some light, but is very deep in others.

 

[psychorugby]

The car at the town rail "station":

At a local winery:

Another shot at the winery:

Are you in Clifton? My parents live there!

 

[BoostAddiction]

Are you in Clifton? My parents live there!

These were indeed shot in Clifton- small world, huh?

 

[psychorugby]

These were indeed shot in Clifton- small world, huh?

Yessir! I'll have to look you up the next time I visit. I was just up there a month ago... fixing a busted fence on Newman Rd.

 

[cabin fever]

Wow that is super nice. I'd be scared to fart in that garage.

 

[R1chy]

Looks good, nice to see the finished product.

R1chy

 

[MattVette89]

Amazing garage and vehicles!

 

[Scuderia-F1]

The SLC came out great.
The color reminds me of the color that the works Volvo cars are running in V8 Supercars (Australia) as well as here in STCC (Sweden)!
Is it by any chance "Cyan blue"!?

 

[Pucman1]

It was a great get together. The car is a dream, my project is far less ambitious. Hopefully my garage addition will be half as organized! ThAnks again Will

 

[Techie1961]

What a beautiful shop and an appropriately beautiful and totally sick SL-C. I was trying to find a link in this thread to more photos of the SL-C build but couldn't. A link anywhere?

 

[BoostAddiction]

The SLC came out great.
The color reminds me of the color that the works Volvo cars are running in V8 Supercars (Australia) as well as here in STCC (Sweden)!
Is it by any chance "Cyan blue"!?

Thanks! It's actually Porsche Riviera Blue- as seen on some GT3s. I think the Volvos-- at least the Polestar ones-- have their own shade that is similar.

The SLC looks very different in varying amounts of light. Sometimes it almost looks washed out, and others it looks very deep. I like it, though apparently it is an acquired taste!

 

[BoostAddiction]

What a beautiful shop and an appropriately beautiful and totally sick SL-C. I was trying to find a link in this thread to more photos of the SL-C build but couldn't. A link anywhere?

Thanks! I had a great time building it, but didn't take that many pics, and I don't really have a build log. But if you type SLC.WIKI in your browser, you'll see more pics of it in the gallery section. There are also a few on the www.superlitecars.com page.

I was working the shop today, reorganizing fasteners, and planning a new storage system. I really enjoy spending time there.

 

[BoostAddiction]

It was a great get together. The car is a dream, my project is far less ambitious. Hopefully my garage addition will be half as organized! ThAnks again Will

Yeah, it was a great time. Hard to believe it was colder then than it is now! Thanks for attending- I enjoyed meeting you!

 

[Pucman1]

Update is tomorrow is concrete day! Looking forward to moving forward plus added a tool box....need your drawer finishing skills. Where did you pick up the foam?

 

[BoostAddiction]

Update is tomorrow is concrete day! Looking forward to moving forward plus added a tool box....need your drawer finishing skills. Where did you pick up the foam?

You can find it at http://toolfoam.com/.

Let me know how you like it!

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Thanks! It's actually Porsche Riviera Blue- as seen on some GT3s. I think the Volvos-- at least the Polestar ones-- have their own shade that is similar.

The SLC looks very different in varying amounts of light. Sometimes it almost looks washed out, and others it looks very deep. I like it, though apparently it is an acquired taste!

The Volvo colour is called Cyan as the company behind the Polestar cars, Cyan Racing.

Thanks for info, yes the Riviera Blue was first introduced on the 993.

Your SLC looks GREAT!!!

 

[Czaruno]

Hi BoostAddiction, great garage - thanks for sharing. I am looking for more details on what I would google to find the add-ons/accessories needed to integrate the bio-friendly parts washing into a stainless sink like you meantioned some years ago?

 

[BoostAddiction]

Hi BoostAddiction, great garage - thanks for sharing. I am looking for more details on what I would google to find the add-ons/accessories needed to integrate the bio-friendly parts washing into a stainless sink like you meantioned some years ago?

Here's what I use: http://www.bluegoldcleaner.com/cleaner.aspx

Lasts a long time, and very effective at degreasing. Keep your hands from it, or it will strip the oil from them as well.