V-12 Engine into 308 Build, over on Grassroots

This morning I got confirmation the should be correct front hub seals shipped so a few more days and I can wrap that up.

I was unfocused tonight....I lot of ECU talk. The programmer is busy making CAN button pads work for a bunch of things, a bunch of talk about exciting stuff like boxes and box labels with QR codes linked to the instructions.......

But I did finish the replacing the 4" harness sensors with a 28" harness and get the steering all welded and bench tested successfully. So now I need to extend the motor power wires and harness and trim the motor housing a bit....and reassemble. It will be so nice having the PS back when it drives.
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forgot to share this....in bench testing so its close! Right now I'm thinking the shock repair is going to be the hold up

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Pretty boring night....popping connectors apart, cutting wires, and soldering in longer ones. It seemed like it would last forever but its done. The wires are long enough to reach the controller in the dash and I did another bench test and all is still well so its ready to final assemble and install tomorrow.
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Success! the PS is installed and working!
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i did run into a small problem, I you look at the dash pic the 2 warning lights on the ends are out because that is where the screw go in to secure it, but the seatbelt warning sort of bottom center is also out because it no longer fits. I could do something clever like a little led in a printed backing to shorten it up and get it working ...... or I could just pull out the guts, glue the face to the dash to cover the hole and take the 1point hit for the dead bulb at my next concourse event....hmmmmm.....

Tomorrow I need to button up the last bits, put the pedal box back then I'm ready to start wiring for the new ECU. getting close.

 

I had a simple job, install the pedal box, so you know I dicked with it for WAY too long. I was remembering my feet hitting stuff so I decided to lower the pedals a little.....but realized I kind of couldn't, the adjusters are at or post ax really since jam nuts are already gone. So I made a plan for nice mastercylinder spacers but I hate to invest the time until I really know what I wants....washers
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An I was only about 1/2 or maybe 1/4 remembering why the brake was a lot higher than the clutch but did remember the clutch was about even with the dead peal and I liked that so 1 washer in the clutch, 3, for the brake.....hmmm...now that I moved the speaker and steering controller that it no brake pedal issue at all, but it is now the same height as the gas pedal and my OCD likes that. The clutch though....pedal box back out, 3 washers in. That give me good clearance PS unit to pedal, foot with a clunky sneaker fits nicely
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But moving dead pedal to clutch requires a slight foot roll. Its ok....but when the time comes to replace the carpet, which is in poor condition, I'll probably lower the dead pedal.

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What an amazing thread.

Inspiring

 

I thought I'd be wiring in a new ecu today but I've decide to part ways with the epicefi team, we'll call it creative differences, leaving me once again eculess. I took a good long stare are the AEM board this morning and in my wee little brain, I believe I know what IC is broken and ordered a couple because they are $1.85 and I'm way out of practice. Hopefully its this simple and I can kick the whole problem down the road a year or 2.

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This leaves me mostly in a parts holding pattern on just about all the open items I think. Shop cleaning day I guess, it certainly needs it.

 

Sorry to hear about the end of your involvement with the epic project Mark. I'm firmly in the Weber camp at the moment, but have been following your involvement here in case I do make the switch someday. Good luck refurbing your current ecu....not to mention cleaning the shop.
- Dave

 

The ECU project continues and I'm sure they will get it over the finish line but there always seems to be a natural conflict between programming and mechanical types and I'm getting too old for both conflict and compromise I think. I loved the enginelab so much because I can program it so I only need to convince myself If my repair doesn't work I did find a place I can send it that who maybe can fix it. I'll figure something out and lot of other things to wrap up.

 

Thanks....we're still waiting for yours's

 

Oh it’s rollin. I just want to get it to a certain point. Then I will decide if I’m going to post anything here on it. I want to keep things positive. Once mines done, I’d love to have a challenge with Stance works and have a comparison. I admire the efforts all around. I am really enjoying your thread and despite the fact that I’m cutting up a pretty nice 308, I will likely get one for keeps soon.
Thanks for creating your thread. It’s so great.

 

I said I couldn't find the oil cap...so amazon brought me a new more better top shelf $13 chinesium one. Which I proceeded to cut up and rework a bit....
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now its "fine" Image Unavailable, Please Login

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Paint will be dry so back on tomorrow. I guess i should get the oil and filter. The new chips for the ECU will be here Thursday, I'm thinking test the ecu while I'm cranking to print the oil system and maybe fire it up if all seems well. Then it's just the shock.

I've been kind of eyeballing the front spindles....man it sure look like they are toed out. That got me thinking about the upside-down spindle fiasco and king pin angle and.....yeah, dropping the balljoint 1.6" means i need to space out the lower a-arm mount 0.28" ...my front camber spacers are too small so the couple turns i put on the tiered ends gives me toe-out. Need to fix that.

 

The ignore button can be a great friend. Its your car, build whatever you want....not everyone will like it or understands "if you don't have something nice to says...", but most do. I'd certainly love to see what a project with an actually budget produces! I get $250/mon play money allowance.....and I am already $28 over spent for April before oil which will be $200, the shock repair $200-$250....so into June money which Lana has said I may spend, but July money comes in July so I sure hope I didn't miss anything.......

 

To know this makes it even more awesome! To start a “go fund me “ for this would be EPIC!!
I will likely start something or introduce it once we turn a few corners down the road. Mine is a 18 month to 24 month spec/design/build test process.
Until then, good luck with your build, I am rootin for you brother

 

After last nights epiphany about king pin angle up front I checked the rear and its much more vertical so my space should have been like 1mm longer to put that where I was thinking is a good starting point....not enough to bother changing since it was a guess anyway. Up front though I made new 15mm spacers to replace the 8mm and it no long loos obviously toed-out. That is more there I was mentally planning to need but still leaves me enough thread on the new bolts that I about 6mm would be would leave the nylocs where they should be and 8mm..well.... with loctite it would be fine so I think all is still well
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Oil tank is sorted, I think looks much better black and I like the new cap better than the old lost one, I just hope I made it short enough to not hit the deck lid
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and the new front brake pressure sensor came so that is installed and that leaves me out of parts for the night.

 

I think I just had my 2nd epiphany in 1 week. For years now I have had no idea what ferrari was thinking when they setup the suspension the way they did. The front springs are way too soft, the front roll center way too low....I Just couldn't figure out what they were thinking and its had me 2nd guessing my choices I can't tell you how many times.

I have all the suspension apart and stuff everywhere but the other day I had to get out the rototiller so the right side wheels are now in my walk way....so I've been walking past them and one of my buddies had (ok, has) me questioning if the fronts are maybe too narrow
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So, you know..math
My tires are 225 & 295, so a front/rear tread split of 43/57%. My car weights are 1228/1744, so 41/59.

Google says a 430 is tire split 44/56 and weight 43/57, a 296 is tire 45/55, weight 41/59

So my very scientific choice to choose the largest tires I could get under the fenders and still steer had me kind of splitting what ferrari has done on the newer cars.....so I'm probably just fine tire size wise.

Which brings me so stock 308s. Originally they had 205 all around do 50/50 tire but 41/59 weight. Then the QV got 205/225, so 48/52...with a 41/50 weight. Just setting aside the dynamic braking into and accel out of a corner, mid corner the rear tire will be WAY over loaded. Having a little more front tire can help with braking and turn-in loads I guess but a couple % not 10%. That means to try and get it balanced mid corner you need to do everything you can to transfer load to the front....like use stupid soft springs and a low roll center.

I think my wheels/tires should be fine as will my roll center and spring choices.

 

The ecu chip is now tomorrow the tracking info says and nothing else arrived...so I'm futzing.

By far the most important thing I did was mess with wire routings a bit and BAM! the seat belt light is installed! Concourse here I come! Image Unavailable, Please Login
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I collected and cleaned all the alignment shims. There was quite a stack in the right rear trying to set toe which should be a non-issue now. The rest were kind of distributed but I have no idea what needs what now.
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I'm thinking the best way to maintain the new spherical bearings is motorcycle chain lube......at least it seems like the best option.
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I was playing with my brake setup spreadsheet, added the real weights, but decided I should reweigh with me in it. Also I'm pretty sure the CG is lower than I was using....I lowered the car and lowered the engine in the car. What I have is fine....but I probably could have gone with a pair of 5/8" masters rather than 5/8 & 0.70" and had 10% lower pedal force is the normal braking range. Once I decide about pedal height and tear it apart to remove the washers I'll probably swap the master but not changing anything today.

 

Forgot to mention yesterday that part of futzing was hooking up the clutch and bleeding it. I dropped the pedal position for better foot clearance but I also set less travel...and it feels a little odd compared to before and I don't know it there is enough travel to fully disengage until I try it I guess. I'll leave it for testing.

Today's work. The chip for the ECU came and it looked right so I removed the old and cleaned up the pads
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Added (too much) solder paste
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and soldered it in
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It looked right so I setup a little test station
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and it appears to be working. Yellow is the crank signal I was feeding it, magenta is coil 1, cyan is coil 2 and it all looks correct and working.
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next is finish hooking up wires to the engine and get the ECU back in. There are a few broken coil connectors that should be here Sunday I hope. and I'm waiting on a tps connector. It should be ready to make noise by next weekend but for driving I need the shock and the front hub seals which I guess were shipped by donkey.

 

Your skills never cease to amaze.

 

What is the opposite of circuit boards? Dirt and rocks! and its been some time since I posted any pics of dirt or rocks so here you go!
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This matters because it shows that I believe I will need to be able to get the ferrari out and that means I can't park my DD in front of the door. I may dig a bit more tomorrow but its functional.

 

And I thing I have done well wiring in a radar detector!

 

So I spent another 6 hours digging Sundays and a couple hours tonight and probably will spend a couple more tomorrow. Also taxes.

But The replacement brake line came a couple days ago so I got that installed tonight. The guy did a great job and he was fast, he made and shipped it the same day I placed the order.
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And it fit perfect. I like it better than the goodridge line its replacing.
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The coil connectors came yesterday so I fixed the couple broken ones...I THINK this is still heat damage from way back when It was still running the Evans coolant and had head gasket leaks, that stuff burn really hot. I used tefzel aircraft wire for all this so that stuff is good to 400F or more, but the connector clips not so much it seems
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Over the next couple days I'll get all the wires hooked and fill the oil so I can spin it over and confirm all is well with the spark. Still no hub seals (just asked for the tracking number because its been nearly 2 weeks)or any word from the shock people, tomorrow is 4 weeks.

 

That is something I should probably think about adding, its really hard to drive slow in this thing....REALLY hard. IMVHO this car is what a 308 always should have been, at least when its actually running

 

I bet it is a kick to drive! You would need this escort for that beast.

https://www.escortradar.com/pages/installed-detectors-products

 

And installing a radar detector is a great way to repurpose the “Slow Down” lights!