Olsen Spec Projects

[olsenmotorsports]

Fabrication continue on the Targa. Getting down to the wire now. Rear deck lid. I had made a grill last year that was pretty badass. All billet machined and has a lot of contours and bevels etc. Decided to use it for this car. Here Alex is laying it out. We want to incorporate a spoiler on the rear so we had to re work the trunk cutout to extend it 4”. That was done weeks ago and now it is time to make the insert. Here is the pattern being laid out so we can cut a single piece of sheet and make it in one piece. Much faster that way.




Couple hours of stretching with the MH19 to get the curve and profile right. Doesn’t seem like anything but there is a crown going both ways on the trunk profile. Really takes a lot of skill to get this done quick and right. Also helps tremendously to have a machine capable. You can hammer and wheel this but that would take two days, The hammer bangs this out in a couple hours.



Shape is roughed in and ready to cut the hole.



Shape of hole is identified and then scribed so the hole can be cut out.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Work continues on the 3.8 RS America from Indiana. This one the guys are going to get fired up friday. Super excited about that and hopefully on the dyno next week. Cannot wait to drive that car when I get back in town. Got the vacuum pump and canister installed and hard lines made for plumbing. All that is left is power it up.



Patrick whipped up some carbon to mount the catch can for this engine as well. Because it is converted to ITB the oil re breather from the tanks will not be utilized. So we needed a catch can.



I think this install turned out nice and clean and simple. he also got the fuel system plumbed up the rest of the way. We make our hoses in house and use all BMRS hoses and fittings. Expensive, but it’s the best money can buy. Zero chances of any kind of failure with their stuff.






In the engine room a 993 C2S is getting cylinder heads re worked. That one came out yesterday and is getting torn down. Machining takes about a week so as soon as the customer approves getting everything started we treat as an emergency. The handoff from estimate approval to outsourcing is the most important part of the process.



Here is another 993 getting prepped to have the engine pulled. This one is just getting chain boxes done. Really special car as it is an original XLC turbo with a factory installed GT2 aero kit. Research shows this is the only XLC with that option, coupled with the mileage (15k) it is extremely valuable. This car is headed out west.

 

[WoodsTruck]

How do you drain the catch can where it is mounted?

 

[danski0224]

How do you drain the catch can where it is mounted?

You have to pull the engine out every month...

Great revenue stream.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

How do you drain the catch can where it is mounted?

It’s got a dry break on the other side of the engine tin to connect to.

You have to pull the engine out every month...

Great revenue stream.

Freaking hilarious I love it!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Progress on the targa deck.


Cutout got tipped in on the Pullmax to make the shape for the grill. Doing it out of one piece is challenging when you’re dealing with double crowns. Takes forever.


Grill mounted. And the rear fin is there so we can establish heights.



Love this grill with its different angles and heights. Here Alex has the rear transition bent and welded into place. Now he can establish the shape of the rear duckbill relative to the grill.

Final few days of fab work on this one. Then time to clean up all the edges Ang get it ready for paint.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Personal Update. Wife and I flew down to Naples a couple days ago. Time to get the house here ready for the winter season for us. There isn’t a ton of work to do, but the wife likes to get all her flowers ready (she is really into that) and her pool lanai all set up perfectly. Need to re sand the tiles, get the house ready, and generally blow off some steam for a few days. I spend most of November here as It is a busy time for me sitting behind a computer. Ive got insurance renewals, budgets to do, and closing my year to get ready for (all the biz owner stuff that takes forever). Like to do that away from all the distractions of the workshop.

I am struggling in my head about what to do with the bronco.



Snagged a picture at lunch. Usually on my black vehicles I do satin Xpel PPF and go murdered out. For sure I am getting rid of all of the silver accents. But TBH I am contemplating purple. S Tech has a colored clear bra that my clear bra installer thinks is an inferior product. I always try new products on my personal vehicles before we go to market, to make sure it is Olsen Spec. I dont really care about durability with the clear bra as I do not drive them much. So jury is still out.



That is the S tech purple clear bra. In love with the hue so probably going to go this route. Ive got a week or so to decide before i order materials, as the bronco isn’t getting picked up to go home by reliable till late next week. Probably going to get roasted on here for purple but I have never been afraid to be more eclectic with my colors lol.



The HRE’s for the bronco are shipping next week. These are pictures from my old Gen 3 set. HRE 22x11 P101’s. I run the MT Baja 37x13x22’s on these wheels which is a fantastic tire. Really quiet and a great tire.





We bought the bronco just to be a beach cruiser. So I am going to go with that theme. I am going to make mounts for some really nice wooden boogie boards on the sides where you would normally put fuel cans etc (like the overland guys do). Then interior I will do plaid inserts on the recaro’s, and of course a custom stereo solution. Lately I have been running the JL Audio C7’s and have fallen in love with that speaker. It really is incredible when you couple it with a high quality DSP.

Still have a few weeks to decide all this, but I need to get my *** in gear as it needs to be built, stereo done, interior re done etc and shipped back down by Christmas. Oh and there’s that thing called work in between lol. No matter how much I plan I never have the time to do cool stuff on my own vehicles. I just need to take a couple weeks off work and get it done!

 

[Boosted1]

Those HREs look really good. Nothing wrong with purple Barney, haha. Really I like purple too.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Those HREs look really good. Nothing wrong with purple Barney, haha. Really I like purple too.

Ha love it. I can hear it now from all my customers already “Tim what the wife let you drive her car today”?

 

[Xti04]

I love purple especially with a mettalic flake in it. I have tried to purchase 2 different purple and black wake boats and the wife shuts it down each time.
I dont see what she doesnt like about it.

 

[richfinn]

I love purple especially with a mettalic flake in it. I have tried to purchase 2 different purple and black wake boats and the wife shuts it down each time.
I dont see what she doesnt like about it.

She probably doesn't want you to look like "Ken and Barbie"

 

[Xti04]

Shes blonde enough to be Barbie, and I am trashy enough to be Roscoe, Malibu Barbie's "mechanic"

 

[olsenmotorsports]

She probably doesn't want you to look like "Ken and Barbie"

Shes blonde enough to be Barbie, and I am trashy enough to be Roscoe, Malibu Barbie's "mechanic"

hilarious. Sometimes I wonder if the wives shut our ideas down for our own safety?

 

[jake28]

@olsenmotorsports love that during the week and regular season you’re a brass tacks businessman in Chicago and 3 minutes after landing in Florida you’re contemplating floro purple wraps, extra large rims, and added bass.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

@olsenmotorsports love that during the week and regular season your a brass tacks businessman in Chicago and 3 minutes after landing in Florida you’re contemplating floro purple wraps, extra large rims, and added bass.

Ha love it. I think thats my multiple personalities at play here, or as my wife calls it my identity crisis (or is that midlife crisis??) To justify this “crisis” I tell her it’s much cheaper and has a better upside than hookers and blow. Seems to be working so far.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Update on the targa. Customer changed his mind on the wing (happens from time to time) and wants to go with a RS style spoiler. Makes it tough on us as our deadline to paint is next Monday. We build these custom cars start to finish in 9-12 months turnkey from the drop off. All of that time is planned out and the deadline isn’t movable as we have to stay on schedule as a business. ***** for the staff but it is what it is. Most important part of that pivot is the first hour of the notification that there has been a design change, and the game planning and start of the execution resulting from it. A huge problem in my space is custom cars taking years to do, but there is no need for that. One of my sayings in business is you can make a Million but if it takes you a year you haven’t made any money. GOTTA GO!




Started by bending some sheet into an angle on the magnetic break, then shrinking it on the power hammer to get the curvature of the cutout identified.



Both lower corners shaped in roughly so the team can identify the base height of the RS Spoiler. That MH-19 makes short work of those complex curves. What a tool! It kind of ***** in rigid mode (that is why we have the pullmax) but as a regular hammer it’s fantastic.



rear template in place to identify the height. Luckily we have a real Carerra RS in for some engine work so templating was a lot easier. You can buy re manufactured tails, but they are all glass and the fit is horrible. They are so bad i dont even know how these places stay in business.



Shape is laid out and ready to cut.

This brings me to a point. People ask how we keep such a clean shop. Mind you we are a small staff and CRANK out the work. It is situations like this photo, I sent and email to my shop foreman with this photo pulled off our photo cloud. Email subject was “whats wrong with this picture”. It is messy, the floor is dirty, and the countertop is dirty. I know it drives them NUTS that this is how I am, but I am PICKY.

That 993 Turbo XLC photo bombing in the background is such a sweet ride! Love that car.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Update on the 930. It is go time with that car. Delivery date is a car show in Naples in February so we have got to pick up the pace.



Wire harness is laid out but still needs to be tidy’d up once all the components are in. Fuel tank is in and plumbed. Another area I am super picky about, all the hose clamps indexed in the same plane for appearance and serviceability. (Not always achievable as serviceability trumps appearance lol. All the zip ties have to be clocked inline as well.



Washer system installed, new pumps etc. First thing we do (learned the hard way) when we install the harness is wake it up, make sure the pins are all correct, and they can carry load. When they pumps etc go in for washer tank it is all tested at point of install. It is only cherry once and when you have to take things back apart later it just doesn’t look proper.


Fan blower, evaporator, and ducting all installed.



OEM steering column perfectly restored. Keep in mind most of the hard parts on these cars are restored not replaced. It is a mind numbing project of dis-assembly, cataloging, restoring cleaning etc. Thank god I have employees



Brembo’s came in today and immediately went off to paint, I personally pick all the colors for the clients (they sign off of course) and I wanted orange for some of the accents. I mix all my colors from scratch so they are bespoke for the client. Love doing that as colors are my passion.




Wife and I decided yesterday to change our flights and stay at the Florida house another week. (We were supposed to leave this morning to go to the Chicago house). I informed the team this morning we weren’t coming back and their answer was “good!!” Not sure how i feel about that but they say they have it covered

Breakfast on the lanai with my favorite person in the world. This is what a 45 year old eats for breakfast lol. I miss my 20’s when I could have pancakes! I am well aware how blessed I am to have her, and an amazing family and team! Thank god for them every single day.

Thanks for your support!

 

[slowtwitch73]

Oh man.... avocados.. you must be new around here lol.

 

[36truck]

Those eggs just need a little more pepper on them. LOL

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Oh man.... avocados.. you must be new around here lol.

Gotta be around to enjoy life later!

Those eggs just need a little more pepper on them. LOL

Have you seen prices lately? Pepper is so much cheaper than hot sauce

 

[36truck]

^^^^^^ LOL Yes pepper is cheaper.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Update on the 930 - brakes are done and all the suspension is completed. Love watching these cars come together as no bolt goes untouched or unrestored.



Brembo is our go to brand at Olsen and we included them as standard with all of our custom cars. Really truly is a plug and play system. Incredible pedal feel and the stopping power is stupid. This car is going to have over 500 RWHP so truly going to be a rocket ship in a relatively lightweight car. Cannot wait to drive it.

All of the components are installed and adjusted and final torqued. Wheels should be showing up in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait to see them in person, HRE is doing a collaboration with us online so they sent over some beauty shots out of the CNC machine. Still have to be coated obviously but here are the raw images.



It is going to be a sick setup. HRE 501 3 Piece is one of my favorite wheel combo's for the 930. Going to polish the barrels and the center's will be finished in dark brushed clear.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

One of the 993 engines is stripped down and ready for dry ice cleaning.



Block is bare - this one had relatively lower mileage but had the dreaded secondary air injection CEL - only way to properly do this job is remove the heads. We run a cylinder compression waveform analysis on all these engines before we tear them down. That way we can see if the rings are bad etc before we do the job, Seen lots of people just run a mechanical compression test/leak down test but that tells you nothing. Cylinder waveform is the only way to properly make a decision.




Heads are ready to send to machining to get sorted out. Just a standard rebuild which includes new springs new guides, new valves, new hardware etc.




All the hardware from the engine cleaned and ready for the tumbler.




Hardware and brackets etc cleaned and tumbled. our process is ultra sonic - vapor blast - tumble - acid dip - zinc plate.


You can skip the middle stuff and just send a box to zinc. They will acid dip and plate, but the vapor blast and tumble process is the key to a perfect end product. A lot of this old stuff has rust or surface corrosion, and the key to a perfect zinc bath is the surface must be imperfection free, otherwise it just turns out kind of dull etc. You get runs in the zinc and it just doesn't look perfect. A quick 2 hour tumble, and 20 minutes in the vapor blast really separates your product from the rest.

Thanks for following along! As always anything you want to see or have explained more just ask! This is all second nature for me so I do not always think about what people don't know/understand etc.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Fascinating for me to see the upgraded components of the Porsche line compared to all the small VW engines I have been into.

Can you explain the cylinder wave form? Something I have not heard of.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Fascinating for me to see the upgraded components of the Porsche line compared to all the small VW engines I have been into.

Can you explain the cylinder wave form? Something I have not heard of.

Yes happy to! ATS is a great resource and we have one of their scope kits at our workshop. Expensive bit of kit, but it pays for itself literally in a few weeks of diag, so well worth the price.

Waveform explained here

The above link is a good read. Basically we put the transducer in place of the spark plug, start the engine and let it run for about 4 seconds to capture a good waveform, then snap the throttle one time and shut it off. That gives you all the data you need. From there you can check both intake and exhaust valves, compression, cam timing, exhaust efficiency (back pressure) Intake efficiency (leaks etc) piston rings etc. Imagine the blow molded cases you would have strewn all over the place and the time involved (that you still get to charge hence why it pays for itself) to do each one of these tests.

We use this to not only diagnose engine health, but also if we have a running issue this data points us in the right direction as to what to test next. Eliminates a ton of work and guessing. I always tell the techs you don't need experience to diagnose something, you just need to know how to read data.



The above is a quick little handy chart to have on the toolbox if you do not have any known good waveforms to overlay.


I require my techs to become master's at using an oscilloscope as it is our most used tool. It just makes things so efficient and easy. Once you use one you will never grab a meter again!

A lot of times on a test drive we will have all 8 channels hooked up to the sensors we need to see when we are doing drivability. Really makes difficult diag's a breeze.

Thank you for following and asking questions! I am an open book, one of the reasons we are so good at our craft is we always want to learn and improve so we can be the best. If you don't find out what the best stuff is you can never improve!

 

[zmotorsports]

Do you mind sharing what you are using for a tumbler and media? I have been contemplating getting a tumbler for the shop but am on the fence currently.

Thank you.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Happy to!

Giant refinishjng is who supplied our machines. Follow the link to the model we have.

It’s an investment. TBH if we were not doing volume I would 100% outsource the finishing to a company like Giant etc.

Media is all over the place and there isn’t 1 media for a do everything. But the machines make it really easy to change out.

I think if you’re doing small stuff a vibratory tabletop tumbler is the way to go, just takes 3-4x as long to accomplish.

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy to!

Giant refinishjng is who supplied our machines. Follow the link to the model we have.

It’s an investment. TBH if we were not doing volume I would 100% outsource the finishing to a company like Giant etc.

Media is all over the place and there isn’t 1 media for a do everything. But the machines make it really easy to change out.

I think if you’re doing small stuff a vibratory tabletop tumbler is the way to go, just takes 3-4x as long to accomplish.

Thank you, I will check it out.

I know I won't be doing anywhere near the volume that you do. In the past after the fasteners come out of the chemical cleaning (solvent tank) they get dried then into a small mesh basket and take a trip through the media blasting cabinet, then usually to paint or finish. IF chroming, they don't get media blasted and just go from chemical cleaning to the chrome shop.

I was thinking more along the lines of a small benchtop tumbler would fit my needs but just looking at all options.

Thanks again.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Thank you, I will check it out.

I know I won't be doing anywhere near the volume that you do. In the past after the fasteners come out of the chemical cleaning (solvent tank) they get dried then into a small mesh basket and take a trip through the media blasting cabinet, then usually to paint or finish. IF chroming, they don't get media blasted and just go from chemical cleaning to the chrome shop.

I was thinking more along the lines of a small benchtop tumbler would fit my needs but just looking at all options.

Thanks again.

!00%. I would do a small bench top tumbler. If I was going to spend any money on a machine a vapor blaster is hands down the most versatile machine you can buy. It will clean anything and provide a superior finish to anything you can buy on the market.

It is our most used piece of equipment and also our biggest money maker!

 

[rattle_snake]

What exactly do your techs do with an o-scope? I use them daily and understand the tool and it's capabilities. Just wondering the automotive applications at your shop. Vehicles with modern OBD have a ton of self test. You have to know what your looking for after that.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

What exactly do your techs do with an o-scope? I use them daily and understand the tool and it's capabilities. Just wondering the automotive applications at your shop. Vehicles with modern OBD have a ton of self test. You have to know what your looking for after that.

That’s a great question. We use it for literally anything that carries current/pressure. A regular meter just can’t sample fast enough to see current ramps in detail. Two great examples are (1) relative compression test. Throw an amp clamp on the battery, and inductive pickup on a coil. The coil helps you identify what the firing order is in the pattern. You will see low current on the starter motor on a dead cylinder/low compression cylinder. Takes less than a minute to run that test. (2) fuel pressure. Throw an amp clamp on the fuel pump and the waveform will show you each revolution of the pump and wether or not it has fuel pressure etc. sky is the limit.

Scan tools are great for live data and bi directional controls. But they just point you in the right direction. A scope is the proof and helps us do it in fraction of the time (at least for us)

Might I ask what is your field?

 

[hbabler]

Thanks for sharing all this, I’m learning a lot from you. Now I’m off to look at oscilloscopes

 

[rattle_snake]

Rigol make affordable versions for hobby use, I have one. We have a lot of them at my work including the much more expensive models. Can spend 6 digits on a scope.

 

[rattle_snake]

Might I ask what is your field

I'm an Electrical Engineer at one of the chip makers. I work in applications of DSP product and use scopes and other tools for analog and digital validation, debugging and code development. I also hire and mentor NCGs, being able to use a scope to see the 'whole picture' is a great skill to develop. Many of our products go into automotive applications including Porsche.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Thanks for sharing all this, I’m learning a lot from you. Now I’m off to look at oscilloscopes

That is what this is all about right? We all learn from each other! I’m not here to learn how to polish tools though

If you are looking for Automotive Scopes and they are new to you? I would recommend like an older Snap-on Vantage or something along those lines. The guided component tests will really help you get set up with an understanding.

I'm an Electrical Engineer at one of the chip makers. I work in applications of DSP product and use scopes and other tools for analog and digital validation, debugging and code development. I also hire and mentor NCGs, being able to use a scope to see the 'whole picture' is a great skill to develop. Many of our products go into automotive applications including Porsche.

Good for you! Sounds like we should all be sitting in a classroom learning from you! I should have stayed in school!

I couldn’t agree more…. Most of our answers are hiding in the data right in front of us right?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I need to quit following this thread; you've got me thinking about Porsche's! I remember seeing HRE wheels in magazines growing up and just drooling over them! I cant' believe the cost.....but God they're beautiful.

 

[hbabler]

That is what this is all about right? We all learn from each other! I’m not here to learn how to polish tools though

If you are looking for Automotive Scopes and they are new to you? I would recommend like an older Snap-on Vantage or something along those lines. The guided component tests will really help you get set up with an understanding.

That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve got a decent suite of diagnostic software but have never had a scope. I’ll start looking for an older Vantage.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I need to quit following this thread; you've got me thinking about Porsche's! I remember seeing HRE wheels in magazines growing up and just drooling over them! I cant' believe the cost.....but God they're beautiful.

Hilarious! When you are ready to make the jump I will put you in good hands my friend!

Love HRE. I think they are the best wheels made anywhere in the world. Fun fact. Did you know the civilian market is like 10% of their business? They started and most of their business is armored. Not a lot of people know that.

That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve got a decent suite of diagnostic software but have never had a scope. I’ll start looking for an older Vantage.

Happy to help. Buying a scope is the easy part. It’s kind of like solidworks. Takes a moment to master it, but once you do it’s like looking back towards a drawing board and a micrometer and saying o really used to design things this way? You won’t regret it.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I need to quit following this thread; you've got me thinking about Porsche's! I remember seeing HRE wheels in magazines growing up and just drooling over them! I cant' believe the cost.....but God they're beautiful.

Here you go

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Update on the ferrari. It is finally finished with the Megasquirt to Motec conversion. Challenging engineering project but the team was able to get it done. Made some good power at 308 to the wheels so the client should be happy about that.

One last thing to wrap up was the throttle body Venturi's. Really horrible execution by the previous shop, just leave it at that. They were machined out of paper thin aluminum, no base gasket, and there was a piece of wire mesh cut into a square at the base of the venturi acting as a screen. Cannot make this up. Fine for some people's ability but not Olsen Spec.



Drew it up - material spec's are billet 6061. One piece with a removable top screen. Held in by 3mm Torx headed bolts.

Once machined and made sent them to be hard coat anodized (we never use anything except hard coat) in matte nickel. I wanted to do gold, but the client felt that was a bit to flashy (come on BRO it's a Ferrari!!!!!!!)



Here is a photo from the bottom, this is test fitting stage before sending them for Anodizing




Installed and dialed in.




The only thing I do not like about this finished product was the rubber vacuum lines from the ITB to the IAC plate. I really wanted to do these lines hardline out of 8mm conifer, would have really dialed it in and made it look factory, but just wasn't in the budget. Sometimes thats the way it goes!