Sprint to Pikes Peak Ep. 30

In this episode we start our build breakdown. We will concentrate on the rear suspension and driveline.
#hillclimbracing #pikespeakhillclimb #sprintcars #sprintcarracing #sprintcar #ls #willwoodbrakes #performanceracingindustry #knperformance #wintersperformance #rpmchassis #pikespeak #timeattack
#automobile #fabrication #racecar #chevyls #holleyefi #holleyperformance #racetech

[@BobSmith-jz3wf]

SOOO AWESOME! I know that's built for racing, but I've always thought it would be cool to have a street legal sprint car.. Keep up the great work & good luck for the future 👍🏳🏁🏁🏁

[@johnfiore91]

Thanks man!!! I’ve seen a few street legal sprint cars over the years but nothing with much modern technology. I’d love to see someone take the concept to the next level!

[@vandettabuilds6641]

Nice!!!

[@Eric_492]

Don’t let people get to you dude. They’re just hatin’ 😂 Looking forward to seeing you rip up the mountains next year!

[@johnfiore91]

You rock Eric!!!

[@theophilhist6455]

Thanks for taking us on your journey. Your covering the details is so interesting to a sprint car fan like me..asphalt and dirt... USAC and WoO here in the Midwest. Same but different for sure. Your critics probably don't even know Pikes Peak is in Colorado nor have driven to the top. Did the road up in '07 when there was still dirt from the lodge upward. Did it at 35 mph...scary. Did Mt.Washington in NH in 1977... scarier. Kudos to you !!

[@johnfiore91]

I really appreciate these comments, it’s what keeps me going! I also love to hear about personal experiences from both fans and other racers! I care that people take the time and interest to post anything respectful as most have. Thank you!

[@theophilhist6455]

@@johnfiore91 Thanks...btw I meant to compliment ... veteran to veteran assume you are a 1st Cavalry vet....

[@johnfiore91]

@@theophilhist6455 yes Sir, 1st Cav and 172nd SIB! Thank you for your service also!!!

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

This will be random and rambling. . Real Watts links like the hillclimb (hc from now on) can’t tolerate much variation from vertical when viewed from the side and through the bell crank. Also, the link arms must be straight and inline with the heim joints on the bell crank. Any offset will lead to binding and breakage somewhere.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

All the engine torque multiplied by the trans and final drive gearing is being fed into the frame by your lower arm and it’s mounts. There is no way this concept can do the job being asked of it. The heims are way too close together and too close to the centerline of the axle. The forces being fed into the arm are immense. There is a huge bending moment being applied to the arm. When those huge slicks bite and the pinion gear is “climbing” ( QC, I know ) the ring gear the upward force is hammering the lower arm and its mounting brackets and the center section of the QC.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

The rear arm’s geometry cannot meet any of the requirements needed for a successful Watts linkage installation. The the bell crank’s path is an arc not the vertical flat plane required. Also the upper heim moves through a different arc than the lower. I’m talking about side view here. This doesn’t address the issues that exist in the upper and lower links as they articulate due to suspension travel.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

Now we come to the interaction between the outboard axle location design which causes the axle to travel through a mostly flat vertical plane and the center arm which forces the center section to travel in an exaggerated arc.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

This is all meant as an educational constructive critique. You are in a battle between the design element necessities and your mental concept of staying true to “it’s a real sprint car” . . The DEN requires the rearend housing to feed longitudinal and lateral tire forces into the frame with no binding of the locating links or the driveshaft. It must do this while traveling in the vertical plane due to bumps and driver inputs via throttle, brake pedal and steering wheel. There is also the winning credo of KISS. That’s out the door at the moment. . Rearend location is going to make or break this project. Right now cosmetic considerations are forcing impossible constraints on engineering.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

@17 min. Torsion bars dramatically increase the “spring base” which is the point where spring loads are fed into the frame. Having a longer spring base reduces pitch.

[@jaythorne5208]

The height of the watts link bars change roll center height....not ride height

[@johnfiore91]

Agreed, I guess I didn’t explain that too well, I meant when your ride height changes the angle of the heims are no longer aligned. I was just saying I need the adjustability to put them where they need to be.

[@stephenyoho148]

This is more like a dirt late model setup on a Sprint car chassis

[@johnfiore91]

lol, you got a point! Really though it’s just trans and rear end housings that are similar.

[@2sipsMax]

I wonder can you add a small amount of nitrious above 12,000 feet to keep Hp higher?

[@johnfiore91]

I looked into that and so did Robin Shute actually, it might work for some applications, too many issues to overcome for us such as where to mount the bottles big enough to sustain that. Turbos ultimately are still a better choice for this application.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

Don’t poo poo the importance of the front universal joint cover . Open Wheel magazine had some stories about the uj snagging the leg of the driver’s suit and doing catastrophic damage to his leg.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

This was late 80s early 90s when a bud had and old Edmonds midget I got to hot lap and do 1 heat race in. So I’m not a total SCCA, NHRA, and motorcycle wanker 😂.