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I figured I'd get the cams set and engine buttoned up tonight....then realized I pulled the timing cover with the engine at #1 exhaust not TDC, so I had to pull the cams and spin them 180 degrees. Then I couldn't get the the last timing chain sprocket on, a loop hiding somewhere in the chain, so cam back out so I could spin the engine safely, cams back in and sprockets on, ready for me time actually time the cams tomorrow. The goal is to have the engine at least sitting back in the car this weekend.

I'm told the ECU board design is final and we are now waiting for a few components with the first batch expected the end of march or early april. My BMW ITB throttle actuator uses more power then normal ECU outputs handle so board guy is making me an external driver that is supposed to be plug and play and will also be sending me the ECU harness connector so I can get busy wiring it in. I am responsible to write a user manual, I'm about 2/3 through documenting what I see in the software and confirming how it works which should make the switchover pretty straight forward.....should.

Forget this part of the lazy was helping my son motorcycle shop.  2 weekend wasted with local options then fell apart only after me driving, then a couple weeks ago we did an after work/school thunder run down to Orlando then turn around and straight back for a 48 hour day.....but he was pretty excited with the result.  Now of course it's taking up room in my shop and time helping him sort a few things.  But its done and car work can now continue.

Nice bike. I like it.

My son was pretty thrilled.....I found this one, do you think we could drive to FL? It needs a few little things but runs good.
Yesterday I got the engine ready to go back in

Today, I remembered I really needed to clean the oil out of the engine bay and the p-brake cable tube is in the way after I lowered the engine so the hood fits, , so not the car is a solid 3 oz lighter!


As I was cleaning I got thinking about the rear suspension and noticing how much easier it is to work on without the engine so I'm thinking I want to sort out the rear roll center now. I was going to just offset the forks but I don't love that and I would need to remove or relocate a frame brace


My new plan is after dinner I'll pull the carriers and make plans to rework them to move the lower mount about an inch lower. That will put the roll center at about 3.6" (stock is 3.5") and my plan for the front puts that at 4.0" (stock is3.0) and that should be a pretty good starting point so it won't need much sway bar wise. I truly do not understand what the factory was doing with the original tuning but this should help.


I think I said before I'm pretty happy with the new 800/500 springs, I wouldn't want them any stiffer I don't think but the car feels pretty good now. Responsive, good. Then moving the roll centers will get it cornering flatter.

I popped the second side apart and also popped out 1 of the old rubber bushings to start thinking about what I want to do for the new bushings. I truly hate the design.

I'm leaning towards popping out the bushing supports and making new ones that hold spherical bearings.


What I'm kind of struggling with is toe adjust. the factory setup works by flexing the rubber bushes so I could leave rubber or urethane on the top arm mount...and maybe that is best so I know nothing will bind. Or I need to make 1 or the top frame mounts adjustable....maybe put a rod end on the frame and the fork on the a-arm? I could slot it? I need to think about it.

oh its on! I ordered some steel tubing that I can make adapters to replace the rubber bushing tack in sleeves that will hold the new spherical bearings. These won't have the life the rubber did but they will make it handle better and will be easier enough to replace so good I think. Still not sure how I want to handle toe adjust.....I think I'm just going to slot one of the upper forks and see how it does before I try to get more clever.

Wheel carriers cut and ready to weld tomorrow

Why don't you just build your own a arms with turn buckle links? Make it fully adjustable, zero bind. I have done that on a 308 race car before.

_________________
Wade Williams
Master Ferrari Tech
Restoration Tech
Engine Machinist
Fabricator
Racecar Driver

I need to think about how that would work. The front is no problem but the rear has 4 mount points on th2 frame and 4 (not 3 like the front) on the rear. That 8 points form 4 lines that all need to be parallel because its over constrained. The front is 2 lines and 3 points, it just works....the rear though.......i just know wtf they were thinking.

I don't know if this helps, but the Speed Academy guys really like these hardened rubber bushings for street-driven vehicles. They're stiffer than OEM rubber, but have more compliance than poly or spherical joints:

https://hardraceshop.com/collections/ha ... ion-bushes