--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300029 Date: 12/30/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 10:58pm \/To: JASON WEDEHASE (Read 0 times) Subj: REVERSE QUESTION -=> Quoting Jason Wedehase to Ronnie Thompson <=- RT> actually called an emergency brake and its job is to stop the car RT> if/when the braking system fails. JW> OK, you go try that and repost to me. It's called "DOESNT WORK" JW> I've never seen a parking brake capable of stopping a car at JW> any sort of decent speed. It will slow you down a LITTLE, and it's JW> worth a shot, but certainly don't count on it. I once had a little rental car supplied by the insurance company of the person that wrecked my car. Cheap bastards only sprung for a Pinto station wagon, of all things. Was cruising down a narrow road along a ridge here and decided to test the emergency brake. Pulled the handle and the damn thing locked the rear wheels on about the 2nd click. Before I could release the darn thing I was setting sideways in the road! I think that's the first car I drove that actually had stopping power in the hand brake. I usually keep mine adjusted loosely where they don't catch until near the top. I've noticed a difference on drag and with an automatic the parking pawl keeps it from rolling. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300030 Date: 12/31/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 12:01am \/To: JEREMY LOWREY (Read 0 times) Subj: Transmission? -=> Quoting Jeremy Lowrey to All <=- JL> I have that 1974 Nova (Oh stop yur groaning already ;) )... JL> right now it's got a small block 350 with a Th350 transmission. JL> I was wondering what all is involved in swapping in something JL> like the 700R4 to add overdrive, so I can put some JL> more...interesting...gears in the rear end. The rear mount needs to be changed, and you need something to activate the lockup torque converter. B&M makes a kit for this. Look through some recent magazines for more details. I saw this mentioned recently in one of the common mags like Super Chevy, Popular Hot Rodding, or similar. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300031 Date: 12/31/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 12:23am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: American Sports Car 1/2 The Shelby Series S1 SHELBY AMERICAN ROLLS OUT A RACE CAR FOR THE STREET Adding yet another chapter to the performance legend of Shelby American, the new Shelby Series 1 sports car is making its world debut at the Los Angeles and Detroit auto shows. This radical roadster comes as close to driving a race car on the street as you can get. Its mission statement is simple and direct: high speed and superb handling. "We've designed the Shelby Series 1 to be as light as possible by using the best of 90's technology," said Carroll Shelby. "As on all of our cars, the performance will be sensational." Powered by a specially-modified Oldsmobile Aurora V-8 in a rear wheel drive setup, the Shelby Series 1 bristles with breakthrough technology. Its carbon fiber composites and super-light components are designed to keep the target weight at an astonishingly low 2300 pounds, with the body shell alone tipping the scales at less than 100 pounds. To optimize handling, the semi-monocoque chassis has a computer-designed, fully independent suspension with an innovative rocker-arm configuration and inboard-mounted coil-over shock absorbers. The body shape not only draws some inspiration from the Shelby Cobra, but also benefits from the state- of-the-art aerodynamics that induce downforce and dissipate heat. In all, every aspect of the Shelby Series 1 has been directed toward a single overriding priority--superior performance. Computer analysis predicts performance figures of 0-60 mph in under five seconds, and a calculated top speed of 170 mph. The Shelby Series 1 will be marketed through individual agreements with a select group of Oldsmobile dealers, with a limited production of less than 500 cars. Included with every vehicle is a personalized customer delivery program at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the site of Shelby American's new world headquarters. The show cars are painted Centennial Silver, a new PPG color specially created for Oldsmobile's 100th anniversary. Running prototypes will be ready for testing and appearance at various Oldsmobile functions, including the 1997 Indianapolis 500. This year is also the 35th anniversary of Shelby American. ... Continued... ... --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300032 Date: 12/31/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 12:25am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: American Sports Car 2/2 35 YEARS AFTER HIS FIRST COBRA, CARROLL'S BACK WITH A NEW TWO-SEATER THAT'S BORN TO ROMP - MT March, 1997 - by Bob Nagy If ever there were a magic name in the world of automobiles, it belongs to Carroll Shelby. From the original Cobra and competition Mustangs to his more recent involvement with the Dodge Viper, Shelby's touch has remained golden. What you see here is the latest offering from this made-in-America performance genius, the Shelby Series 1. Customer versions of this limited-production two-seater aren't due to start rolling off the Shelby Automobiles production line in Las Vegas, Nevada, until late this year, but the public got its first look at this raging roadster at the recent Los Angeles and Detroit Auto Shows. Shelby has always been a fire-and-brimstone preacher of high horsepower, low weight, and absolute performance, and though the lanky Texan is now well into his seventies, that inner fire continues to burn with a new white-hot intensity. Not surprisingly, Shelby's main goal with his new Series 1 was to create the closest thing possible to a street-legal race car. Barring any last- minute glitches on the cost side of the equation, that rapid-running dream is about to come true. The main design work was done completely in-house, an effort helped tremendously by the extensive use of advanced computer modeling technology throughout its entire development process. With close to 350 horsepower on call, a curb weight of about 2300 pounds - distributed evenly between front and rear axles - and a competition-inspired suspension, this sleek sports car has the ability to transition from road to track with minimal prep work. A collaborative undertaking between many firms - principally Shelby American, Inc. and the Oldsmobile Division of GM - the Series 1 program was brought to fruition under the watchful eyes of Shelby and his multi- talented Director of Engineering, Peter Bryant. "Motor Trend" was granted exclusive access as the first two prototypes were coming to life in the Irvine, California, shop of Automotive Engineering and Design, a group of skilled craftsmen headed by veteran prototype builder Leonard Dodd and assisted by designers Lavin Cuddihee, Don Vena, and Alec Tam. Although numerous final details had yet to be locked in as of press time, the basic package is clearly loaded with potential. Shelby's Series 1 promises to be the first American production car to wear a carbon-fiber body. Purported to weigh less than 100 pounds, this feather light wrapper conceals an ultrastrong and rigid semi-monocoque structure on a 95.0-inch wheelbase platform. The first two prototypes have a square tube steel spaceframe bolstered with structural carbon-fiber/Hexel honeycomb panels; the next test chassis will be made from aluminum to determine which would be the best choice for production vehicles. Under the Series 1's long, sweeping hood lies a modestly tweaked 4.0-liter DOHC V-8 from the Oldsmobile Aurora; it's rotated 90 degrees from it's normal transverse (front-drive) positioning to spin the Shelby car's rear wheels. While Shelby's Chief Operating Officer, Don Rager, declined to go into full specifics as to how the organization was able to corral an additional 100 ponies while ensuring the engine remained 50-state legal and OBD-II compliant, he did admit that this megamotor will need high-octane unleaded gas and is blessed with a considerably less restrictive exhaust system complete with special GM high-flow catalytic converters that minimize power-robbing back pressure. Motive force then transfers through a Richmond close-ratio six-speed manual transmission and finally (at least in the prototypes) to a CSX 4000 (Shelby's new fiberglass-body Cobras) differential with limited-slip 4.10:1 gearing. That combination should be enough to yield 0-60mph times of well under five seconds and a top end near 170mph. Although Mr. Shelby's latest automotive opus has yet to spend time in a wind tunnel, it boasts numerous built-in aero-optimization tricks. Along with housing the driveshaft and exhaust plumbing, a large tunnel that runs down the center of the car is configured to effectively scavenge air from the underbody and flow it out the rear, contributing to a mild ground effect. The venturi-type hood scoop also does double duty, exhausting hot air from the all-aluminum radiator while encouraging greater flow through the front intake scoop. Functional side vents on the front fenders help cool the engine compartment and bleed off brake heat. Seeking to maximize controllability while minimizing unwanted changes in geometry, the Series 1's suspension employs numerous elements found on many contemporary ultrahigh- performance and pure racing cars. Both front and rear hardware use a rocker-type design with an inboard-mounted coil-over shock for each wheel mounted in a conventional vertical orientation. The rear underpinnings, however, incorporate dual wishbones with a pullrod/tension-link assembly. Adjustable anti-roll bars fore and aft help fine-tune the package. The standard wheel/tire fitment on the Series 1 consists of 275/40ZR17 (front) and 315/35ZR17 (rear) Goodyear Eagle F1 tires on unique Shelby-designed five-spoke cast aluminum rims, at 9.5 and 11.0 inches wide, respectively. A step-up option nets 18-inch magnesium/alloy wheels that mount 245/35 front and 335/30 rear Goodyear Eagle Fiorano rubber. The Series 1 prototypes have a conventional rack-and-pinion power steering system that pairs an Aurora pump with a special Delphi rack; however, a low-draw electro hydraulic power unit similar to that in GM's EV1 is being considered. Massive ABS-abetted brakes - four-wheel vented discs with PBR calipers - are expected to deliver face-delaminating stops and remain virtually fade free. Shelby's original Cobras were all-go, no-comfort machines with unadorned interiors and enough radiated engine heat to turn your feet into Yankee pot roast. That won't play with today's more sophisticated buyer, however, so civility without ostentation was selected as the overriding theme of the Series 1's driver-oriented passenger compartment. The look is characterized by a good deal of exposed carbon fiber offset with body-color accent trim. A selection of GM gauges and switchgear adorns the dash, while Magna/Atoma contributed ultralight, leather-swathed buckets (just 36 pounds apiece) that provide plenty of support and comfort. Even the PPG-sourced windshield and side windows are thinner than conventional glass to minimize mass in Shelby's quest to create a world-class ass-kicker. Included in the Series 1's base price of approximately $80,000-$90,000 will be dual airbags and power windows. Nonessentials such as air conditioning, a killer stereo package, and even a convertible top are planned to cost extra. The two auto show cars are painted Centennial Silver, also supplied by PPG Industries, in honor of Oldsmobile's 100th anniversary as an automaker. To further recognize that occasion, Shelby plans to complete the first production Series 1 by late 97 - a year that also marks Shelby Automobile's 35th season in the car business. Volume build of the under-500 vehicles in the Series 1 production run is scheduled to start in early 98. The goal is to market these cars through a hand-picked group of approximately 25 Olds dealers nationwide. Shelby also plans to open a special school at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to teach Series 1 buyers the fine art of high-performance driving. So Cobra-lovers, pay attention: The new Series 1 is destined to stand as the best Shelby yet. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300033 Date: 12/31/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 12:29am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Ford 429 Somebody mentioned the Ford 429 Hemi engine recently. Here is more info. 1969 Mustang Boss 429 Engine: 429 Cubic In 375 HP @ 5200 rpm 450 ft lb. @ 3400 rpm Transmission 4 Speed Manual Production 857 Performance 0-60 - 6.6 Seconds 1/4 Mile - 13.68 @ 102.6 MPH The 429 Blue Cresent was to match the Hemi's dominance in NASCAR and NHRA, and make it legal. Ford was required to build 500 copies, which they chose to install it in a specially modified Mustang called the Boss 429 into the Mustangs engine compartment. The work was fielded out to Kar Kraft, and independent shop outside of Detroit. Kar Kraft widened the front suspension and added a host of heavy duty items to accept the punishment of the 429. Power front disk brakes, staggered rear shocks and heavy duty suspension were part of the Boss 429 package. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300034 Date: 12/31/97 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 12:33am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Ahh, humor TEN THINGS THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF MICROSOFT STARTED BUILDING CARS: 1. A particular model year of car wouldn't be available until after that year, instead of before it. 2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you'd have to buy a new car. 3. Occasionally your car would just die for no reason, and you'd have to restart it. For some strange reason, you'd just accept this. 4. You could only have one person in the car at a time, unless you bought a Car 95 or a Car NT. But then you'd have to buy more seats. 5. Sun Motorsystems would make a car that was powered by the sun, twice as reliable and five times as fast--but it would only run on 5 percent of the roads. 6. The oil, engine, gas and alternator lights would be replaced with a single "General Car Fault" warning light. 7. People would get excited about the "new" features in Microsoft cars, forgetting completely that they have been available in other cars for years. 8. We'd all have to switch to Microsoft Gas. 9. The U.S. Government would be GETTING subsidies from an automaker, instead of giving them. 10. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300035 Date: 01/02/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 09:45pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Engine Wanted Alan Morrison wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: RW> Basically, your engine lost compression and some cam lobe. Put RW> it back with aftermarket stuff and it'll make horsepower again. RJT> I'll be putting that engine into a truck anyhow, and want different RJT> performance than what it had, but don't know enough about it yet to RJT> decide *which* cam I oughta go with. I hear that there's one that's RJT> optimized for towing/RV use, think that might be the ticket? AM> An RV or torque type cam would be fine if you also up the AM> compression. Whether I'm up to that or not is still undecided... :-) AM> Factors affecting cam choice are compression ratio, gearing, AM> torque converter, intended use, and fuel octane you wish to run. I used to run the "mid-grade" stuff, in earlier vehicles, and had bumped the timing to just a bit before ping. It worked out well for me, as I got a bit better economy than with the timing set to spec and cheaper gas. AM> A truck often has low gearing, I don't know what the gearing is offhand. I can read the one for the rear next time I go over there, and have no idea what's in that particular tranny, though I might be able to look that up someplace. AM> so let me give you a comparison of what I did and you can apply AM> it to yours if you like... I wanted mine to run better AM> all-around, with a little more HP while keeping good torque so AM> I could keep the factory gearing. I also decided I didn't want AM> to have to run premium fuel, so I kept the compression under 9 AM> to 1. I found I could have gone with 9.5 to 1 with the AM> following cam. AM> I installed a torque-type cam with .420 intake lift and .443 AM> exhaust. This also had 204 intake/214 exhaust degrees duration AM> @ .050" lift. Are all of these specs variable when you're looking at cams? I have not yet begun to look at what's out there... AM> This is a common spec cam that you can get for your 318 many AM> places. Summit has a part # SUM-K6900 for it. Cool. AM> With this cam, you can run flattop pistons and get by with 89 AM> octane fuel if your heads are 68 to 75 CC's. I'm not real sure what the heads are I have on this beast. I can find out what motor they came off if it'll help figure this, though. RJT> went from 9.2 in '68 to 8.8 in '70 down to 8.5 (!) in '75. Jeez. RJT> So what do you do to fix this? AM> I'm not sure on Chrysler 318's, but it is either dished pistons AM> or larger chambers. As in the heads? Hard to say, but I don't recall anything unusual about the pistons when I had those heads off. They seemed pretty flat to me, is this something that would be real obvious to look at it? AM> On my 1975 350 it was dished pistons; you could look after you AM> get a head off. I can recall pretty well what they looked like, don't need to pull one off again, even if it was back in '94... RJT> I don't remember what these heads came off (got 'em off my brother, RJT> I'll ask him), but they're not the original, those got toasted when RJT> the timing gear went. AM> If it never pings on regular, you might want to have them CC'd AM> or at least ask a knowledgeable shop person. As in machine shop person? And wouldn't the timing spec have some effect on this? I don't recall any ping in that motor after I got done working on it, but it's been so long since I ran that car it's a little fuzzy at this point. AM> I would guess around 75 CC's with a flat top piston. If it AM> sometimes pings on regular gas, you may be close to what you AM> want with the above cam. Ah, so. I'm sure it can be adjusted to that point... :-) AM> Meaning that the larger cam will give it less cranking pressure AM> (as shown on a compression gauge). AM> If you have less than 68 CC heads, you may want to choose AM> dished pistons. These would have pinged on regular gas with the AM> factory cam and flattops. AM> Give me more info on what you find out (heads & pistons), and AM> I'll run some more numbers with the RV cam. You also get a AM> little more compression with larger bore sizes, so check to see AM> if it is already oversize. This would probably be stamped on AM> the piston top. I don't believe that this block has ever been bored, or that much if any engine work had been done on this car before I tore into it. The condition of things, how much crud around some bolt heads, the crossover in the intake being darn near totally blocked, and similar stuff beside the fact that it still had the plastic timing gear that ended up giving me so much trouble, I can't see someone going to all the trouble of putting that much work into a motor and leaving that in. Make sense? I'll find out what those heads came off and get back to you. I *think* it may have been a 360, though I'm not sure... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300036 Date: 01/02/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 09:57pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Forced Induction Alan Morrison wrote in a message to Marc Gerges: AM> Most day-to-day driving in the US is on boulevards and AM> expressways. Even on the secondary roads near here (there are AM> some mountains here), I prefer a V8 sporty car for any lengthy AM> driving. It is safer and has power to pass on two-lane AM> highways. If all my driving was a couple blocks to the store, AM> or short romps through twisties, a small engined car would AM> suffice. Your comment about passing on two-lane highways brings back some memories... Like the time in my one car when I kicked it down to pass a guy who was driving at erratic speeds, going from 20 to 50 and back down to 20 again. Anyhow, I got right up behind him, hit the turn signal, then the gas pedal, and passed him -- and then immediately noticed the "stuff" coming out from under my hood, I'd blown a bypass hose. This was way out in the boonies in upstate NY, and on an easter sunday to boot. We managed to break down in front of a house belonging to some nice people, though, who knew a guy who had a garage and was willing to leave his dinner table to sell me a hose. Nice people... I too have no use whatsoever for a small engined car. Four-bangers drive me crazy... :-) email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300037 Date: 01/02/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 10:52pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Ahh, humor Alan Morrison wrote in a message to All: AM> 6. The oil, engine, gas and alternator lights would be AM> replaced with a single "General Car Fault" warning light. Good stuff, there. On this one, aren't they doing that to some exent now? What the hell is an "Engine" light telling me, anyhow? :-) email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1300038 Date: 01/02/98 From: SEAN DUNBAR Time: 11:57pm \/To: RONNIE THOMPSON (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: REVERSE QUESTION RT> Must have done SOME kind of maintaining, in order to get 200K miles RT> on it in 5 short years, maybe 6. He got it with 180k on the clock last summer... --- Telegard v3.09.g1/mL * Origin: tos * 972-818-0339 - dallas texas (1:124/6630)