Came here from Reddit. Great content. The explanation, reasoning and Your own academic accomplishments make This type of content Well worth the time👍 Love watching track footage, especially of a budget built F-body. Thanks for sharing and keep up the format
Finally a video worth downloading and watching over! Starting my, new to me, 02 SS biuld now. Was a drag car but I'm converting it to a road/track car cause someone in my area needs to keep the shit stains in check. Lol
Just curious if you looked into any of the Sam Strano suspension products? I have his lowering springs and like them. Going to add in his sway bars soon too.
Yeah, Strano's stuff is good. He was the one who recommended the Ridetechs as they are the next step up from Koni yellows and should be able to cope with slicks if I ever decide to go that route. His sway bars should be a good buy and roughly equivalent to what I'm running. If you want to save some money, you can snag a solid 21mm rear bar out of a 3rd gen for super cheap (stiffness is about the same as his 22mm hollow).
"It seems to be really fast for a shitbox" My brother, that's exactly what I'm trying to build lmao. I just swapped in a T56 and 4.56 gears and was looking to replace all the clapped suspension.
Are you planning on tracking it? I was actually planning on swapping to 3.23 gears once I add more power. I end up in 5th gear a lot on track which isn't good for the trans since the 5-6 cluster gear splines get really loose.
@@JunkRacecars yeah. I guess I'd be more concerned about the diff blowing up than the trans. Even the Borg T56 is a pretty stout unit. I have pretty decent acceleration in a clapped out bone stock LT1. My car easily walks past a 2019 WRX STI that my friend owns.
@@ethanpeschman4458 Gotcha, yeah the diff is definitely a liability but mine has been OK so far. I think the girdle/cover is helping it stay together. I don't have to worry about breaking the teeth as much since my gears are stock ratio atm, but you're probably fine with stock power and 4.56s. The T56 is pretty tough in gears 1-4, but 5-6 could be better due to the mainshaft splines and the tiny fork. Just try not to hammer it too much in OD.
@@JunkRacecarswhat speed are you clocking on the start/finish straight? Also 3.23 is gonna be a dog. And your car will max out 4th gear at 155 at 6500 which is just not really necessary. A 4.10 would be good for you. 4th hits 132 at 6500rpm
@@ethanpeschman4458 It depends on the track, but I'm usually in the low/mid 130s. My 355, some weight reduction, and better tires for more exit speed would probably put me in the mid 140s at Watkins Glen. I also run a shorter tire that's 25" (vs 25.5" stock), so that would put me at 6.3k @ 145 with 3.23 gears. I don't think shorter gearing is always a good thing since it can knock you out of the powerband pretty easily in road racing. The RPM drop from 4->5 is a bit steeper than other gears and would fall from 6.3k to 4.6k with the motor I'm building. Looking at some typical H/C dyno charts tells me that would be like losing 60-70whp, plus I'm losing time shifting instead of accelerating. I don't think it's worth it tbh.
Can you help me with hooking the factory wiring to a stand alone harness I have the lengenfelter box module as well for my 4th gen motor also it’s a 99 trans am .. it’s the fender plugs I’m having issues with man ..
Hell yea! My set up is founders rear bars (poly/rod lca/panhard) Stock ws6 sway bars, new poly mounts and endlinks. SKP? Hubs New LCA/UCA from rock auto lol. Stock wheels Strano springs/koni shocks Stock Tq arm Strange s60 LSD Sams alignment specs some negative camber and positive caster Its not a track car, more of a street car. Love it so far. It handles pretty well, just the rear end feels a tad wierd.
Sounds like a pretty hot setup! What do you think is weird in the rear? Does it feel unpredictable and snappy? Could be the poly as it dries out super fast. I highly recommend checking out a Track Night in America event if you wanna get a taste. I got hooked on it immediately lol. They also send out coupon codes if you sign up for the newsletter.
I plan on getting the Eibach 800lb springs for the front end of my bird, just to give it a go for my autocross event. Do you have the exact link or part number for it?
Excellent video. Just did a trackday in a 95m6 like yours over in England today. My question is weight. Have you lightened yours much and if so by how much and did you see much effect? Love some of your mods btw. What rear ratio are you? I'm on the stock 3.42s but I feel its too tall for the 6spd box. I'd even consider going to in the 4.xx ratio as I can't even get to 5th
I'm not exactly sure of the weight of my car in all honesty, but I have removed as much as I can for a street car. The car has no AC (including the evaporator and a chopped HVAC box), no emissions, a simple exhaust with LTs and a single 3" exit, no airbags, no sound deadening under the carpet, on the firewall, or the rubberized stuff in the trunk, no rear seats and belts, lighter stereo with only 2 door speakers, no ABS, no heat shields, lightweight flywheel and driveshaft, lightweight seats and steering wheel, tiny Odyssey battery, and a fiberglass hood. Stuff like coolers, larger brakes, oil pan, wheels/tires, subframe connectors, and my 4pt half cage put weight back into it so my guess is that it's close to stock for a hardtop firebird. I did a lot of this stuff incrementally so I can't say that I noticed the effects too much, but lap times will definitely improve with less weight. I am currently running the stock 3.42 gears and don't want to go any higher, especially once I put together my 355 with more power and a higher shift point. I end up in 5th a lot right now since I short shift my current motor, but the 5/6 cluster gear in the T56 is known for having weak splines and I'm afraid I will eventually break the trans. It's better to keep the trans in 4th anyway since the RPM drop from the 4-5 shift is huge.
Not really but I do think my reman rack has a little bit of play. Look into the oversized steering column pins from Unbalanced Engineering if your column has the typical slop where you can pull it down and to the left.
Came here from Reddit.
Great content. The explanation, reasoning and Your own academic accomplishments make This type of content Well worth the time👍
Love watching track footage, especially of a budget built F-body. Thanks for sharing and keep up the format
Finally a video worth downloading and watching over! Starting my, new to me, 02 SS biuld now. Was a drag car but I'm converting it to a road/track car cause someone in my area needs to keep the shit stains in check. Lol
Awesome video. Love when an engineer minded person puts something like this together has all the right details and reasoning.
Thanks for the great vid just got my 99 4th gen z28 and I want to road and track it. This video makes my mind at ease when getting a good setup!
Just curious if you looked into any of the Sam Strano suspension products? I have his lowering springs and like them. Going to add in his sway bars soon too.
Yeah, Strano's stuff is good. He was the one who recommended the Ridetechs as they are the next step up from Koni yellows and should be able to cope with slicks if I ever decide to go that route. His sway bars should be a good buy and roughly equivalent to what I'm running. If you want to save some money, you can snag a solid 21mm rear bar out of a 3rd gen for super cheap (stiffness is about the same as his 22mm hollow).
"It seems to be really fast for a shitbox"
My brother, that's exactly what I'm trying to build lmao. I just swapped in a T56 and 4.56 gears and was looking to replace all the clapped suspension.
Are you planning on tracking it? I was actually planning on swapping to 3.23 gears once I add more power. I end up in 5th gear a lot on track which isn't good for the trans since the 5-6 cluster gear splines get really loose.
@@JunkRacecars yeah. I guess I'd be more concerned about the diff blowing up than the trans. Even the Borg T56 is a pretty stout unit.
I have pretty decent acceleration in a clapped out bone stock LT1. My car easily walks past a 2019 WRX STI that my friend owns.
@@ethanpeschman4458 Gotcha, yeah the diff is definitely a liability but mine has been OK so far. I think the girdle/cover is helping it stay together. I don't have to worry about breaking the teeth as much since my gears are stock ratio atm, but you're probably fine with stock power and 4.56s.
The T56 is pretty tough in gears 1-4, but 5-6 could be better due to the mainshaft splines and the tiny fork. Just try not to hammer it too much in OD.
@@JunkRacecarswhat speed are you clocking on the start/finish straight?
Also 3.23 is gonna be a dog. And your car will max out 4th gear at 155 at 6500 which is just not really necessary. A 4.10 would be good for you. 4th hits 132 at 6500rpm
@@ethanpeschman4458 It depends on the track, but I'm usually in the low/mid 130s. My 355, some weight reduction, and better tires for more exit speed would probably put me in the mid 140s at Watkins Glen. I also run a shorter tire that's 25" (vs 25.5" stock), so that would put me at 6.3k @ 145 with 3.23 gears.
I don't think shorter gearing is always a good thing since it can knock you out of the powerband pretty easily in road racing. The RPM drop from 4->5 is a bit steeper than other gears and would fall from 6.3k to 4.6k with the motor I'm building. Looking at some typical H/C dyno charts tells me that would be like losing 60-70whp, plus I'm losing time shifting instead of accelerating. I don't think it's worth it tbh.
Can you help me with hooking the factory wiring to a stand alone harness I have the lengenfelter box module as well for my 4th gen motor also it’s a 99 trans am .. it’s the fender plugs I’m having issues with man ..
Hell yea!
My set up is founders rear bars (poly/rod lca/panhard)
Stock ws6 sway bars, new poly mounts and endlinks.
SKP? Hubs
New LCA/UCA from rock auto lol.
Stock wheels
Strano springs/koni shocks
Stock Tq arm
Strange s60 LSD
Sams alignment specs some negative camber and positive caster
Its not a track car, more of a street car. Love it so far. It handles pretty well, just the rear end feels a tad wierd.
Sounds like a pretty hot setup! What do you think is weird in the rear? Does it feel unpredictable and snappy? Could be the poly as it dries out super fast.
I highly recommend checking out a Track Night in America event if you wanna get a taste. I got hooked on it immediately lol. They also send out coupon codes if you sign up for the newsletter.
Good stuff 👍
Great video Mike, very informative.
Great video!!!!
I plan on getting the Eibach 800lb springs for the front end of my bird, just to give it a go for my autocross event. Do you have the exact link or part number for it?
What kind of shock/coilover? I am using Eibach 1200.250.0800S coilover spring on my Ridetechs with slightly shorter endlinks.
Excellent video. Just did a trackday in a 95m6 like yours over in England today. My question is weight. Have you lightened yours much and if so by how much and did you see much effect? Love some of your mods btw. What rear ratio are you? I'm on the stock 3.42s but I feel its too tall for the 6spd box. I'd even consider going to in the 4.xx ratio as I can't even get to 5th
I'm not exactly sure of the weight of my car in all honesty, but I have removed as much as I can for a street car. The car has no AC (including the evaporator and a chopped HVAC box), no emissions, a simple exhaust with LTs and a single 3" exit, no airbags, no sound deadening under the carpet, on the firewall, or the rubberized stuff in the trunk, no rear seats and belts, lighter stereo with only 2 door speakers, no ABS, no heat shields, lightweight flywheel and driveshaft, lightweight seats and steering wheel, tiny Odyssey battery, and a fiberglass hood. Stuff like coolers, larger brakes, oil pan, wheels/tires, subframe connectors, and my 4pt half cage put weight back into it so my guess is that it's close to stock for a hardtop firebird. I did a lot of this stuff incrementally so I can't say that I noticed the effects too much, but lap times will definitely improve with less weight.
I am currently running the stock 3.42 gears and don't want to go any higher, especially once I put together my 355 with more power and a higher shift point. I end up in 5th a lot right now since I short shift my current motor, but the 5/6 cluster gear in the T56 is known for having weak splines and I'm afraid I will eventually break the trans. It's better to keep the trans in 4th anyway since the RPM drop from the 4-5 shift is huge.
Does your steering column have slop from worn bushings?
Not really but I do think my reman rack has a little bit of play. Look into the oversized steering column pins from Unbalanced Engineering if your column has the typical slop where you can pull it down and to the left.
@JunkRacecars i seen that but 60 for some pins kinda expensive lol was thinking of just going with a steering column from trick chassis
@@Kirbawesome that's a lot more money and work, wouldn't work for a street car, and not collapsible so it's way more dangerous
Put a Fays Watts link in the rear.....it's very street friendly too.....thank me later
While they are nice, they are definitely not necessary for casual tracking. You can still go very fast with a panhard bar.