Well the build of my new race car is starting to come along now. I thought I would give you a little look.
After a few false starts due to my children being in and out of hospital because of illness and some prick stealing my ute, burning it out and me having to fork out coin to buy an new one. I now have had some time and saved some MONEY to devote to the new race car.
Phase one was to pull it apart. I completed this a couple of months ago. The shells has been sitting in the shed waiting to be worked on. Well the bug has got some love and now Im onto phase 2. Roll cage.
I just finished assembling it and Im a little excited so I thought I would show you what it looks like.
BeetleJuice ·
Nathan,
Are you going to up spec your engine as well?
Regards
Craig
bat69 ·
Its going to be an all new car, so why not add a few new mods in the go fast department as well while its apart. 😵
colin ·
Looking good Nathan,
Can,t wait to see you in it at a hillclimb, maybe if we both get our shit together that will be first round next year.
Cheers Col
vassy66T1 ·
Good work Nathan!! Keep it coming. 👍
VWCOOL ·
😎
Sides ·
Roll cage is lookin cool Nathan... especially having B pillar reinforcements - don't think I've seen that in a Beetle cage before !!!
What sort of side/door bars do you have in it, and will the window winders clear the front legs with the padding on ??? Mine didn't, so ended up having to go power windows, but I definitely would've preferred normal winders.
Also interested to hear what the your plans are for the go fast department.... esp considering how I know you want to stay under the 2000cc, so it'll be a hair-dryer free zone !!!
bat69 ·
Considering I would like to use the beetle for a mixture of circuit, hillclimb and rally stuff, I thought the B pillar bars were an essential part. It just adds that extra strength over the the drivers/co drivers head in the case of a roll over, especailly a big speed one. Having had a few big stacks in rallies I thought Id better add it in.
In relation to door bars. They are just single straight bars running on an angle from the main hoop to the front legs. Winders clear without padding but wont with. Im not really worried about winding down or up the windows when Im racing it. Go fast bits are only bolt ons and yes, there are no hair dryers. I like the sound of a roaring N/A car.
BeetleJuice ·
bat69 wrote:Its going to be an all new car, so why not add a few new mods in the go fast department as well while its apart. 😵
Be interesting to see the finished product! 😎
Anticipated completion date?
reub ·
Look forward to seeing the finished product and more video Nathan👍
VWCOOL ·
It'll have nice brakes 🙂
bat69 ·
BeetleJuice wrote:Anticipated completion date?
Im still planing to have it ready for the Australian hillclimb championsips in VIC the 1st w/e in November. But like all things they never go to plan but that is my target date.
Either way I hope to have it on the track for 2010.. More like 2012!
bat69 ·
VWCOOL wrote:It'll have nice brakes 🙂
Who do you recommend 😂
VWCOOL ·
Well, if you were planning lots of really punishing high-speed circuit work, you could choose a set of my vented and slotted front 290mm discs with the big calliper matched with a set of big 290mm rear discs, or you could choose my smaller 260mm rear discs and big fronts, or standard VW-sized slotted front discs with a set of the smaller rear discs (slotted) and good pads all round and then, maybe, upgrade you fronts to vented if you need to. I reckon for hillclimbs, go for slotted standard VW-sized fronts and the smaller 260mm slotted rears for now, so you can 'super-size me' later, if you need to 😉
VDUBXTC ·
Loking good Nathan.
Has John done anything with the sports sedan or has that been moved on?
bat69 ·
Hey Jase, Thanks for that. Good to see other people thinks its looking good too.
Yeah we still have the sport sedan. Its sitting in the shed waiting to get looked at. Its the next project car after Ive finshed with the sedan. There will be a shed swap later in the year. We spent a little time on it last year when the oldies moved, bolting a few bits together. We are just at odds deciding if we turn it into a car dedicated for the strip or keep it for the circuits. We are more leaning towards the strip as we all ready have one to go around corners.
VDUBXTC ·
Good to see he didn't sell it. I think you guys should build it for the strip. The way the VW drag scene is growing at the moment, there will be plenty of opportunities to race it through out the year.
So with the new engine combo are you going down the injection path like durie & cooky , Heath & christine in their garfield bug?
bat69 ·
VDUBXTC wrote:So with the new engine combo are you going down the injection path?
Not initially, but I may later on down the track. I will use what Ive got first and if I can justify the $ to spend on a new computer I may bolt on my throttle bodies. I will be running a big pair of thumping IDA or IDF webbers to start with. I love webbers, I can work on them and I know how they work. To me they are easy. Either way Ive got all options sitting in the shed.
westi ·
lookin good.
just a quick one about the cage,is the cage finished.
if so ,please don't take this the wrong way,but why would you run a diagonal bar from the floor to the roof on the passenger side, which realy would be safe for the passenger.or is it left hand hook please feel free to call me an idiot.i don't mind.
cheers
HappyDaze ·
See 'Getting closer'!
bat69 ·
westi wrote:lookin good.
just a quick one about the cage,is the cage finished.
if so ,please don't take this the wrong way,but why would you run a diagonal bar from the floor to the roof on the passenger side, which realy would be safe for the passenger.or is it left hand hook please feel free to call me an idiot.i don't mind.
cheers
Not taken the wrong way at all and I dont mind the question westi. And no you are not an idiot. Its a good Q.
The reaons for the main hoop diagonal from the floor of driver to roof of passenger (as opposed to the other way)is for extra side impact support for the driver.
I have always ran in the past the diagonal from top of driver to floor of passenger, but after consultation with bond roll bars (who have built literally 1000s of cages) I was convinced to run it the other way.
The idea is the car will mostly be run as a single seater with me driving. Running the bar the way it is offers better side impact protection (for me as a driver) in a big hit by transferring the force and not having the base of the cage (the weakest point as far as side impact goes) from compressing in and into the drivers compartment.
As explained to me, the reason for the cross bar in the main hoop is to prevent the hoop from folding across/distorting and not folding as apposed to bending down in in the case of a roll over, hence why Ive added the 'b' pillar supports to give it that extra support.
From my own experience from crashing a couple of cars in the past in the forrest a side impact is where I've needed the most support. Rally cars up until the mid/late 90's didnt event need cross bars (hey you didnt even need a cage to do a rally) and up until that point I never ran one (cross bar that is). I had a couple of massive stacks and roll overs in those times (when my youthful experience far out weighed my ability) and I never had the main hoop distort. I did how ever have a couple of trees play huggy bear with the drivers compartment. Hence why I have made the cage like I have.
I hope that answers your question. I can post a few pictures and give an explanation as best I can on how and why I built the cage if people would like to see it.
mactaylor ·
yeah some pics would be great as im in the middle of finnishing my cage and any help or guidence is always welcome regards mac
Craig Torrens ·
VDUBXTC wrote:So with the new engine combo are you going down the injection path like durie & cooky , Heath & christine in their garfield bug?
Apparently the new Haltech has launch control..............although that would be cheating if you use it 😂
matberry ·
Nice job
I'd give side support to the b hoop with a horizontal bar behind the seat. It doubles as a good point for the shoulder harnesses to mount at the expense of some more weight and rear access, but the gain in strength is worth it IMO.
m2c.......ka ching
bat69 ·
matberry wrote:Nice job
I'd give side support to the b hoop with a horizontal bar behind the seat. It doubles as a good point for the shoulder harnesses to mount at the expense of some more weight and rear access, but the gain in strength is worth it IMO.
m2c.......ka ching
Hi Mat, Cage already has the hotizontal bar. Its just not in the photos or nor have I weldind in yet due to the very reason you outlined. Its a pain in the arse to get into the rear while Im still working on it. It will get welded in just before painting.
hellbugged ·
Craig Torrens wrote:Apparently the new Haltech has launch control..............although that would be cheating if you use it 😂
🙅
nice Job Nathan.......got some more pics for us?
bat69 ·
After being asked a few times and now having a few minutes to actually post up some pictures with out children interupting I thought I would post about my roll cage build.
The roll cage build was phase II of the new race car rebuild. I have built a few roll cages in the past so I though I would give this one a go as well.
The steel Im using is CDW 44.5mm (OD) 2.6mm wall for the whole cage. The reason why Im using this is because its the only steel allowed to be used by CAM is bascially CDS or CDW or molly.
Im using these diamentions becaase of added strength. The main hoop has to made from 44 x 2.5 and the rest can be made form 38 x 2.5 (CAMS regs). I thought bugger it and just make the whole cage from 44.5 x 2.6.
I think the extra weight from the thicker OD tube is not an issue when safety is involved. In comparrison the 44mm 2.6mm is 2.7kg a mtr and the 38 x 2.6 is 2.25 kgs a mtr. So in very simple terms its 475g a mtr heavier to use the thinker OD steel. There is nearly 16 mtrs of pipe in the new cage, so you can do the math at how heavy it all weighs.
MY roll cage buildling skills were taught to me about 15 years ago by a bloke from my car club.(i.e notching etc) I dont profess to be an expert in the cage buildling depart ment. Not at all. Its just the way I was taught and I love just playing and putting stuff together. The welding of the cage will be completed by a very good friend from M & J Fabrications here in Newcastle. I dont trust my own welds when it comes to roll cages.
First part of building the cage was getting it bent up. To save some man hours I had the main hoop and front legs constructed by Bond Roll Bars at Mulgrave in Sydney. They are Australias premier roll cage buildling company having built 1000's of cages (and race cars) for a variety of differnt vehicles around australia.
The rest of the tube is basically straight (with the exception of a slight bend in the 'b' pillar bar and side bars, so its pretty much mark, cut, shape, fit and weld for the rest of the cage.
Here is a couple of photos of the main hoop being bent up.
bat69 ·
After that is a matter of placing in the main hoop and marking out where it will go in the car as well has fitting the front legs and marking out where they will go also.
bat69 ·
When I figured out where the hoop and legs go I marked their positions on the floor. I also mark where the floor plates go
bat69 ·
When the position for the main hoop and legs have been sorted and marked. I then go about drilling/cutting a hole in the floor.
The reason for this is when you the cage is notched together (basically put together), you can lower the cage down through the holes in the floor and weld the top half of the cage in the hard to get locations against the roof etc.
bat69 ·
While I was marking the location of the cage on the floor I also marked the location where the main hoop sits on the roof line and the where the front legs fall along the roof line.
bat69 ·
Once that is compelted for the cage hoop and front legs, I go about marking and notching the front legs to the main hoop.
I mark the half way point of the main roll bar on the front legs where they intersect and then mark the point where the centre of the front leg will meet the centre of the main hoop (opposing side). I draw the lines together which will come up in a 'V' as seen in the picture.
After I mark the position I cut with a fine blade grinder. I generally get it pretty close if I measure and mark it right to start with. Its just a mater of using a gringer to scollop out the join or 'V' to get a neat fit. This process takes getting in and out of the car a little bit, but hay it keeps me active.
When you get it right it should look like this.
bat69 ·
You repeat that same process for every bar that needs to be cut. Once the front legs and window bar have been cut, you can tack weld it all together and the pull out the plates on the floor and then drop the cage through the floor and weld her up.
bat69 ·
After its welded together you raise the cage back up. Put the plates back in and weld the cage to the floor plates.
Its time to fit the cross bar, rear legs and side bars to end up with the final product
As the car is still getting worked on on the inside I have not fitted (welded in) the side bars or the harness bar within the main hoop for ease of getting in and out of the car to do work. Once all work on the car has been completed the side bars and harness bars will be welded in before painting.
The whole cage buildling process including bending, fitting and welding took me 16 hours. 2 1/2 hours to bend, 12 hours to fit and notch and the remainder to weld all the bits up.
Thats it for now.
vassy66T1 ·
Looks good Nathan.
Thanks for the pics and commentary.
bat69 ·
After a few months of not looking at the Beetle due to doing renovations on the house, work commitments and being out of action for nearly a month due to having surgery I have finally manged to spend a day in the shed to do some work on the race car.
I got the car blasted at a business here in Newcastle/Lake Macquarie called 'Blast to Basics'. They did an excellent job and I am more then impressed after Pete worked his magic.
Point so far: The beetle is now primed basically ready for paint. There are a few minor imperfections that need to be fixed (Bogged).
Here are a few photos to show of the big girl.
bat69 ·
I am doing a 'dry' fit out of the Beetle to make sure I get every thing in the right place. i.e. brackets welded in the right place, holes drilled etc.
I dont want to be welding new brackets into nice new paint after its painted. So what Im doing is putting everything in place, then I will pull apart and then paint.
I mucked around putting the seat back in, steering wheel and gauges.
bat69 ·
And a couple more. Im planning to paint by the end of the month. I will update with a few photos when thats done.
bat69 ·
The last ones for now. Nice new rebuilt /constructed beam!
vassy66T1 ·
Good to see youa re in to it Nathan!
I am enjoying my holiday up at the beach but I know it means the race car is waiting. 🥲
Cam ·
Looks like it's coming together really nicely 👍
JVLRacing ·
hows this goin now....
bat69 ·
Body work is done and its ready for paint. Side bars are in now (interia also ready for paint). I am still waiting to do some custom fab work for the tank and few other things, finish the wiring then its bolt the bugger back together. Only if it was that simple. It is booked in ready to get painted by 'grass' (my uncle) which is in a couple of weeks and Ive got 3 weeks off work to finish it off, so I am well and truely on track to have it finished by soon. Baring nothing going wrong.....
VDUBXTC ·
Will you be bringing it up to Nambucca in Jul/Aug Nat?
I'm trying to convince Ben to bring his up this year seeing as though it's a timed event again.
bat69 ·
Hi Jase,
I could really love to come up to Nambucca this year. Never been there before (racing that is) so I would love to give ithe new car a crack around the track up there. Nambucca and the Nationals a couple of the events I am aiming to get to this year. Be good to catch up with you. I havent seen you for years.
JVLRacing ·
mmm nice attemp at the cage, anymore pics as yet
forry2000 ·
Hi Nathan
how did the painting go, keen to see some pics.
JVLRacing ·
pics pics pics😎
Ben Who ·
Dirty girl.
bat69 ·
A little update
bat69 ·
And a few more
bat69 ·
Thats it for now. So after not doing any work on the race car for some months due to various reasons I have kicked back into action once again and are all guns blazing. There are a few imperfections I need to fix in the paint which I will do this week (Though Im not getting to carried away, because after all it is a race car) and then next week its bolt back together time.........
The only problem I have at the moment is trying to figure out what bolt goes where and remember where the 'F' I have stored everything.
sander288 ·
Wow thats green... 😎👍
Aussie Dubbin ·
OMG jealouy is turning me green!
reub ·
👍
Brian ·
nice 😁
Bizarre ·
snap - that is the same colour as Snotty
NICE 👍
mactaylor ·
must have been a special on snot green!!!
christopher ·
Same colour as my Oval as well,looks great
colin ·
Nice one Nathan,
Looking forward to seeing her in anger.
Cheers Col
Sides ·
Looks good Nathan !!!
It's not green though, it's GREEN !!!!
👍
POZOOM ·
🤘 O M G its Shrek!!!!.......no it's too small for Shrek ! it must be Kermieeeey!!!!!😁
bat69 ·
just come in from the shed. I finally finished painting the race bug today. Will post some pictures when i get my computer back up and running. Got 2 love these new i phones. I can access the net i just cant post photos. Now that the bug is finally painted i can now focus on bolting it back together. That starts next week when ive got some leave from work.. Not long now! Will update soon with photos.
fullnoise ·
Hillclimb cars aren't supposed to look that neat.
You'll have to come circuit racing instead. We hold our cars together with cable ties instead of fence wire!😂
Nice work.
PAZZAN ·
I think u will see it circuit racing👍
bat69 ·
fullnoise wrote:Hillclimb cars aren't supposed to look that neat.
You'll have to come circuit racing instead. We hold our cars together with cable ties instead of fence wire!😂
Nice work.
What do you mean not suppose to look that neat???? I didnt want it too tidy other wise you get to worried about crashing it. I guess its neat in comparision to the old one.
And yes your are right Paul, the plan is to do circuit work along with other more lengthy events. The thrill of rubbing bumpers with other cars I find a little exciting as too, is doing a 15klm road stage. I love the hillclimbs. There fun and cheap (well most are), and considering I have a hillclimb track only 30min up the road that has an event on nearly every month it makes sense to do them.
But coming from a rally world, I guess I get a litte bored with only driving the bug full pipe 30 seconds at a time when Im use to 200klm competitive events, hence why I have put a shit load of time into building the new car as more of a stayer instead of purpose built sprint car.
Either way CT, I hope to be racing door handles with you next year.
Im in the shed over the W/E and all next week so if things go to plan I should have some updated 'together' photos sometime next week.
bat69 ·
Spent a few hours in the shed today and managed to get a couple of things bolted up or in place. Here is a couple of update shots including some updated new rear bars, a newly constructed from beam which is a little different to what I've used in the past and one of the dash which is 80% back together.
bat69 ·
And a couple more. Got some interia in!
bat69 ·
Tomorrow should see me finish off the front end, add the steering wheel and assembly, steering box etc, fit the pedal box and brake lines and then move to the rear end
hellbugged ·
what size rear bars you got there?
bat69 ·
hellbugged wrote:what size rear bars you got there?
28mm. Big & phat!
colin ·
Coming along nicely Nathan, keep up the good work.
Cheers Col
Craig Torrens ·
good to see my old car is coming along 😵
bat69 ·
Craig Torrens wrote:good to see my old car is coming along 😵
Yeah. Thanks for the bare shell I think Ive put it to good use👍
More up dates to come... Stay tuned
bat69 ·
Did some more work today. Managed to get in all my alloy blank off plates and finished off the dash and pedal box as well fit the brake bias. Manged to get most of the front end together. Just need some new tie rods for the driver side. ... I seemed to have missed placed the new ones I bought nearly 20 months ago. Once I have them the front end is complete. Not overly hard work but very time consuming.
bat69 ·
And I got some new suspension stuff too
Aussie Dubbin ·
Nice nice work. looking good... i like the torsion bars
forry2000 ·
Bat69
how did the painting at Johnny 2 pacs go?
fastnuf ·
forry2000 wrote:Bat69
how did the painting at Johnny 2 pacs go?
It wasn't painted there numb nuts.
forry2000 ·
really? I guess you would know
bat69 ·
Been busy again today. Nearly there.
cnfabo ·
hi nathan,,,are you still using the same motor,or trying something different..and what will you be using to keep it cool while doing the longer events...
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:hi nathan,,,are you still using the same motor,or trying something different
Yes I am still using the same motor, internally it wont change. The add on bits have changed though. It is now EFI (Haltec & 45mm throttle bodies) and I have made some improvements to the exhaust which should see some improvements in HP across the board. Apart from that nothings changed.
cnfabo wrote:..and what will you be using to keep it cool while doing the longer events...
Porsche fan and a water/air oil cooling system I have been developing.
matberry ·
bat69 wrote:and a water/air oil cooling system I have been developing.
Sounds interesting, are you going to show us more?
Sides ·
Yah - c'mon Nathan - we want DETAILS !!!
😂
bat69 ·
Sides wrote:Yah - c'mon Nathan - we want DETAILS !!!
😂
Its nothing that special Dave. I believe you have done a Haltec EFI conversion, so I'm guessing you prob know all about EFI and how it works and what it all looks like. 😂😂
matberry wrote:
bat69 wrote:and a water/air oil cooling system I have been developing.
Sounds interesting, are you going to show us more?
Matt its not really that interesting either.Its pretty simple. I have been working on it for a little while now. I started getting parts for it just before I stacked the hillclimb car and rebuilding it, which was back in Oct 08.
Basically it is a system similar to what I use to use on my Subaru rally car where by the oil from the engine/turbo is cooled in a water/oil heat exchanger. In that case (Subaru) the oil passes through a cooler/heat exchanger which inturn is cooled by the water from the radiator.
In the bugs case. The oil passes through a heat exchanger (oil cooler) situated at the back of the car and water passes through the cooler at the back and runs through water lines to a radiator at the front (to get cool air). Water is stored in a tank (like a Ford Falcon) and an electric water pump pumps the water around the car. Its a little heavier then the standard oil cooler type systems people use, between 6kg- 10kgs heavier depending on what storage tank and lines and fittings I use.
TTA used a similar system on their proto type corolla rally cars a few years back, dropping over 20% from their oil temps by converting their oil system to water cooled (using the radiator/water) as apposed to oil to air, dropping their oil temps to the same as the water temp. Considering water is more efficient then air at cooling, I thought it would be a system better suited for what I want to use my car for. And I love developing things, so Im hoping to have the system all working by new year with plans to test at the end of year/new year.
I have been trying to post photos the last couple of days to show where Im up to but for some reason my camera will not down load the photos. Photos will be soon when thats sorted.
matberry ·
Thanks mate, sounds like a system that will really work.
Looking foward to seeing pics
colin ·
Great stuff Nathan!
Cheers Col
PAZZAN ·
it will be interesting to see how the adjustable spring plates work on the track under hard cornering as the load come off the inside wheels wonder if it will feel as solid because on the down stroke of the suspension the big torsion bars will probably stay still while the suspension drops and shocks the try to work with the swaybar and trailing arm ❓
bat69 ·
Finally just got the camera sorted so here are a few photos of my bug coming together.
bat69 ·
And a few others
cnfabo ·
what are those rear calipers off..ford??
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:what are those rear calipers off..ford??
No. Nissan, Exactly the same brakes I ran on my Datsun rally cars for years with no problems.
forry2000 ·
I hope for your sake it goes a bit better than the yellow one did at King Edward Park on the weekend.
forry2000 ·
I hope for your sake it goes a bit better than the yellow one did at King Edward Park on the weekend.
bat69 ·
And another one
cnfabo ·
forry2000 wrote:I hope for your sake it goes a bit better than the yellow one did at King Edward Park on the weekend.
are you referring to glen torren's bug? that engine is a complete street engine,not a hypo race engine....you dont have to win to have fun...
cnfabo ·
nathen got e few questions for u...
brakes all round,what are u using. and what hubs are u using for the front and rear...
do u swap left to right and flip your rear trailing arms...
still wedge port heads??
and which tarmac rallies are u going to enter...
ta, oh and the bug looks great...
Aussie Dubbin ·
Good uestions above,
i am thinking i will buy some Koni reds... why did you decide to use bilsteins???
Cheers
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:nathen got e few questions for u...
brakes all round,what are u using. and what hubs are u using for the front and rear...
Im using T3 fronts/disks/hubs and calipers and Nissan skyline rears with VW hubs. The brake kits are made by Glen Torrens (vwcool) if you wanted to get a similar package.
cnfabo wrote:do u swap left to right and flip your rear trailing arms...
No. Why would I do that?
cnfabo wrote:still wedge port heads??
Yes. Nothings changed with the engine except EFI and slight changes to the exhaust.
cnfabo wrote:and which tarmac rallies are u going to enter..
I really wont to do Mt Bulli and Targa Tas Rookie event (first 2 days + prolog) & Noosa Hillclimb (not a tar rally but still want to do it). There are few others but the list may be a little long for here. But these are my first choice
.
I hope that answers all of your questions.
bat69 ·
Aussie Dubbin wrote:why did you decide to use bilsteins???
Cheers
Becuase IMO I think they are a superior shock then anything else. I have extensively used Bilstiens on all my rally cars and tested them against others like Koni, KYB, Pedders and a few others. Some consider they are a 'stiffer' shock but I would like to use the car on traditionally more 'ruffer' events (i.e tar rallies) then your standard 'smooth' road race (i.e Wakefield Park), so it was an easy choice.
I hope that answers your question.
bat69 ·
forry2000 wrote:I completely understand that it is a street engine and regardless if it were a hypo engine or not, i assumed the idea of entering a race event was to race not to win.
From what i saw on the weekend, it did neither (i.e. neither raced nor won). A gearbox ful of neutrals, linkage fallen off and having to push car on and off trailer, hoist then pull out gearbox to r and r not really my idea of fun. But hey, each to their own, such is the diversity of life.
are you referring to glen torren's bug? that engine is a complete street engine,not a hypo race engine....you dont have to win to have fun...
[/quote]
First of all I would like to thank Glen for giving me the opportunity to race his bug over the weekend. It was me who was driving Glen's bug (as well as Glen) and although it may not have won any prizes for being 1st, it most certainly was raced. I drove that car as hard as I could and I managed to lower my time every run up the hill and Glen went the fastest he has ever gone around KEP. So in my terms, thats racing.
Yes we did have a few little problems like the linkage coming off and box stuck between 2nd & 3rd gears. Both these incidents occured whilst I was driving. While it is frustrating, thats also is racing & motorsport. After all it is a stock box bought from a wrecker for $100.
And as far as fun goes. I would have to say I had the most enjoyable days driving for a long time. The fact its not the worlds fastest car in a straight line just means you have to try that much harder around corners. It reminded me of my old Datto I use to rally when I was 18. Backing it into the hairpin was so much fun. I drive race cars for fun, not for any other reason and whilst winning makes driving more enjoyable. Its not all about winning. And finally, although it may not be the fastest bug out there I do believe it was the best looking. Its a credit to Glen to get the car looking the way it was.
Thanks for your comments Peter. Can my thread about my about my race car not be hi jacked anymore please. BTW Peter, an excellent articale about the Durie/Cook cars. They are most definately the cars to beat.
Sides ·
Some very nice lookin progress there Nathan... keep it up !!!
Also interested to see and hear more about your oil to water cooler idea...
Noosa is a great event, and also interested in doing Targa _eventually_. I know BiX is keen too, but if you get there before us, well prepare to have your brains picked !!!
😀
Craig Torrens ·
looking good Nathan...ETA for first event ?
bat69 ·
Craig Torrens wrote:looking good Nathan...ETA for first event ?
If things go to plan. Which they are at the moment. Im hoping to do a hillclimb at Ringwood later this year.
At present the car needs the engine in and wired, fuel tank and fuel lines, bonnet, the doors and glass fitted. Not big jobs but none the less time consuming. Escepically the wiring.
Thanks for the comments too.
sander288 ·
Looking good,
I went for the bilsteins for the same reasons as yourself, was really happy with them a month ago at wakefield. The scrutineers even said "facny shocks, the rest of the car isn't great but great shocks" 😂
One reason you didn't mention though was the set and forget factor! the possiblity of all these damper and rebound settings can get in the way of a good drive! 👍
cnfabo ·
nathan, are those bilsteins the h/d non adjustable ones...i might have found them on the net for 69 each or 280 a set, if so im buying some to replace my konis....
cheers fabo, WA.....
Craig Torrens ·
Chris, I will buy your Koni shocks if your selling them 👍
Craig Torrens ·
Any updates................will I see it running at Bathurst ??
bat69 ·
Craig Torrens wrote:Any updates................will I see it running at Bathurst ??
Well I hope to be but not likely. So far everything is bolted in apart from the doors and fuel lines as I am still waiting for my custom fuel tank to be finished and once that is done I will wire it up then start it up. It all comes down to time at the moment and there is only 4 weeks before the event. 2010 was a $hit year for me and 2011 so far is looking like a far better year so fingers crossed Kermit will be ready.
cnfabo ·
could we have some pics of your air water oil cooler system nathan....
dangerous ·
Nice write-up in the latest VWMA Nathan!
Good to see some unbiased journalism.
Love the spy shot of your engine bay too!
bat69 ·
dangerous wrote:Nice write-up in the latest VWMA Nathan!
Good to see some unbiased journalism.
Love the spy shot of your engine bay too!
Thanks Dave. I just call it like it is. Here are some further shots of Kermit. Been working rather frantically over the last week (and the next week too) to finish the bug off
bat69 ·
And a few more of my custom fuel tank.
colin ·
Nice workmanship Nathan.
Cheers Col
cnfabo ·
wow looks great nathan, do u have any pics of the oil cooling system "might already have asked his"....
oh, and whats the go with the very tiny pulley...
johny rotten ·
Great job Nathan
Craig Torrens ·
Not a very big tank for a "circuit racer"...........probably 2 laps of Eastern Creek 😂
johny rotten ·
looks about 10 litres
should be enough 😀
bat69 ·
johny rotten wrote:looks about 10 litres
should be enough 😀
Close. 12 litres including the in built surge tank.
Craig Torrens ·
Any more updates ?
Will it make the track in 2011.......or will it be 2012 now?
bat69 ·
Im hoping to be on the track this year. Its very close now. Its all bolted back to gether apart from the bumpers. Its wiring gets finished tomorrow and then wheel align and bleed brakes and tune the EFI.
Craig Torrens ·
👍
cnfabo ·
oh yeah, cant wait to see this baby roll out....
colin ·
bat69 wrote:It will be on the track this year. Its very close now. Its all bolted back to gether apart from the bumpers. Its wiring gets finished tomorrow and then wheel align and bleed brakes.
Hurry up Nathan, how hard can it be to build and prep a race car! LOL.
Are you going to finish the car for Tamworth Round 14th-15th May?.
Cheers Col
fastnuf ·
Colin, the car might be finished but I think Nat has a wedding to go to that weekend.
stagvee40 ·
Great GREEN!!!!! really sets the lines off, what wheels will you compliment that with? Can you get wide fuch's? anyway great build looking good,
cheers
bat69 ·
stagvee40 wrote:Great GREEN!!!!! really sets the lines off, what wheels will you compliment that with? Can you get wide fuch's? anyway great build looking good,
cheers
Thanks about the compliments. The wheels are Vforce rims with Toyo tyres.
bat69 ·
I cant believe a couple of months has passed... I'm in the process of building a new home and that along with work and family have taken a priority of late. Anyway. Back to the car...
The monumental task of a full custom rewire has been completed. Man this task is not as simple as it seems. Although not difficuilt, it is very very time consuming and fiddley.
Now I have head lights, tail lights, brake lights, blinders wipers.....etc.
bat69 ·
All I have to do now is replace the fuel tank and lines (had to re-tap some fittings), fit bonnet/boot and doors, replace windows (after the ECU is wired - easier to work on without the glass in), get new tail pipe made and tidy up the wiring of the ECU hard wear, connect the throttle linkage, bleed the brakes, wheel alignment, fit 6 point harness, remember were I put those dame new bolts I bought, spanner check, where the F&%$ are my wheel nuts, spanner check again..............The list goes on... Slowly getting there!
cnfabo ·
are you still running the widened steelies nathan...and are they 6.5 or 7" with 205's.....damn questions....:😂
dangerous ·
bat69 wrote:
stagvee40 wrote:Great GREEN!!!!! really sets the lines off, what wheels will you compliment that with? Can you get wide fuch's? anyway great build looking good,
cheers
Thanks about the compliments. The wheels are Vforce rims with Toyo tyres.
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:are you still running the widened steelies nathan...and are they 6.5 or 7" with 205's.....damn questions....:😂
No, I am not running the steelies anymore. I am running 6" x 15" VForce Spider rims and 195/50/15 tyres.
hellbugged ·
long road to haul anybuild like this.....keep chipping away one at job at a time and eventually the last job will be done!
keen to see it going hard again too
PAZZAN ·
probably cook 195 tyres on the back 205 on 7inch rims where on the limit at the end of a 10 lap race at eastern creek and they where 60 series..see how you go😵💫
cnfabo ·
does the twin plug dizzy fit with the porsche fan shroud????
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:does the twin plug dizzy fit with the porsche fan shroud????
No it doesnt. The twin plug dizzy is about 5mm to big in diameter. Hence why it has taken a little longer to get on the track. I had to come up with a solution to over come this so I sold off the twin ignition and old Haltech, replaced the old Haltech with a new one, bought all the new EFI bits and bolted the Porsche fan on and added all the other stuff including a crank angle sensor, the new fittings to the fuel tank, fuel lines, wiring etc.
So this!
bat69 ·
Become this!
bat69 ·
I had it basically running with the webbers and standard fan but I though while its apart/not racing I might as well put on all the equipment I already had and set it up for the circuit/rallies as I have always intended.
Deispite already having the EFI system (Haltech F7 ECU, loom, pump etc), it was not just a simple change over to the newer ECU as the looms are not interchangable with the new Haltech so I had to buy a whole heap of new stuff like map sensors, igniters, coils, TPS, sensors etc which are compatable with the new Haltech. Plus the loom I got with the computer off ebay was a home made one so the wires did not match the colours on the wiring diagram (FFFFFFaaaaaaaaark), so I bought a new one of them too. Despite this the car is very close now. The above photos are a few weeks old and I have progressed a little futher since they were taken. Had it not been for the rain this week I prob would be running at Ringwood next week. Whilst on the subject of rain. If it stays away today, it may progress a little further again.
fullnoise ·
I love the Porsche fan (Are you listening Santa?).
You're almost there. Judging by the quality of the build, I think the hard yards will be worth it.
Keep up the good work.
I can't wait for you to fly past me on the track!
Regards CT
vassy66T1 ·
Good to see it getting close Nathan
bat69 ·
Been busy over the last few days. With the help of Greg Ward I have managed to finish off the cock pit and almost got the engine bay done with all the EFI stuff like mounting coils etc.. Getting closer now. Here are a couple of update pictures.
bat69 ·
Been busy again the last few days and almost have the bug finished off. Had a couple of little set backs. Got all the plumbing down, filled my nice new fuel cell and went to pressurise the fuel system.. Bugger. Fuel pump $hit its self so. Anyway here a a couple of updated shots.
bat69 ·
So thats it for now. So we have the brakes working, lights working EFI almost working. Those little jobs, one step at a time are making this thing finally come together. Chassis wise all I have to do is fit the doors, bumpers and secondary bonnet catches then a proper wheel alignment..... Got to go so I can work on the car
cnfabo ·
looks so good nathan.....
why the hotdog and not a fatboy syle muffler??
vassy66T1 ·
Cool!
Hot dog for comical effect I presume???
bat69 ·
vassy66T1 wrote:Cool!
Hot dog for comical effect I presume???
cnfabo wrote:looks so good nathan.....
why the hotdog and not a fatboy syle muffler??
NOISE....
After all it is a race car
Plus I dont like chrome on a race car and those chrome fatboy mufflers look gay.
Sides ·
bat69 wrote:NOISE....
After all it is a race car
Plus I dont like chrome on a race car and those chrome fatboy mufflers look gay.
Heh heh... but it's too pretty now to be a race car !!!
😉
Lookin good dude... keen to hear how you go with firing it up on the EFI for the first time.
👍
cnfabo ·
bat69 wrote:
vassy66T1 wrote:Cool!
Hot dog for comical effect I presume???
cnfabo wrote:looks so good nathan.....
why the hotdog and not a fatboy syle muffler??
NOISE....
After all it is a race car
Plus I dont like chrome on a race car and those chrome fatboy mufflers look gay.😂😂😂
vassy66T1 ·
So no dB limits down your way??
bat69 ·
vassy66T1 wrote:So no dB limits down your way??
I have never gone over the DB llimit at any circuit with this muffler. I previously ran this on my old car with no issues.
Sides ·
Yeah, measuring noise is a funny thing... it can be just as much about frequency/pitch as actual volume level.
I don't remember your car being all that loud with carbs, so if that was with the hotdog then am sure it'll be fine.
👍
In fact mine with EFI sounds louder than it did with carbs, but it registers slightly lower on the noise meter... go figure !!!
😀
vassy66T1 ·
Cool.
I am surprised but well done.
bat69 wrote:
vassy66T1 wrote:So no dB limits down your way??
I have never gone over the DB llimit at any circuit with this muffler. I previously ran this on my old car with no issues.
bat69 ·
Got some more done over the week end. Managed to mount the ecu and hardwear and all the sensors and tidy up the engine bay. Its a little busy with all the leads, fuel lines and wires. All i have 2 do now is connect all those dame wires.
HoneyAbba ·
looking good Nathan.
That set up looks very familiar. 😊
bat69 ·
The fan, throttle bodies, linkages are from Paul Zenello's old circuit bug which he ran very successfully for many years.
bat69 ·
Well I managed to wire up the ECU and have started and had the bug running for the first time in nearly 3 years. I even drove the bug up the driveway and into the garage. Not that far of a drive but still exciting none the less. Thanks to Ben Durie for provided some much needed EFI advice and support for this process.
Below is a before and after shot of my engine bay during the wiring process.
The Before
bat69 ·
And the after.
I have tried to keep the wiring as simple and as neat as possible
Sides ·
AWESOME !!!
👍👍
fullnoise ·
Nice one. I bet you can't wait to turn a wheel in anger!
colin ·
Great work mate, can,t wait to see you run with us at Bathurst next year.
Cheers Col
JVLRacing ·
comin along just nice...😎
bat69 ·
Well after nearly 3 & 1/2 years my race car is virtually finished. All body and paint is now complete.
With the help of an eleco mate I sorted my minor electrical problem which turned out to be the wires going to the wrong side of a light switch...Go figure. So now that is all 100%.
All that is left is some minor internal cosmetic things which I really dont need to do to get on the track but they will annoy me if I dont do it before I use it (after all its been 3 & 1/2 years. Whats another day or two....lol).
The next day I get off mid week will see me take the bug off to the dyno to get the EFI sorted and tuned. Ben Durie was looking after this but with his passing late last year the job is only 80% done. RIP Ben.
After that. Watch out boys & girls because here I come.
bat69 ·
And my last one for tonight. When I next have some time, I will take some decent photos of the car both inside and out and place them on here for you to look at and enjoy. I prob may even have some video of it running by then to share as well. Until then I hope you can all appreciate it as much as I am right now.
hellbugged ·
Good news!
PAZZAN ·
looks good keen to see it go nice job 👍
colin ·
Looking forward to it,s first hit out in anger Nathan.👍
Cheers Col
fullnoise ·
Debuting at Bathurst or the VW Nationals?
I can't wait to see it in the flesh.
CT
bat69 ·
fullnoise wrote:Debuting at Bathurst or the VW Nationals?
I can't wait to see it in the flesh.
CT
I wont be at Bathurst. It is to far to go if I get a teething problem. I will test it at Ringwood, the local Hillclimbtrack here first. As far as going to the Nationals. I dont know about that either. As much as I would love to drive it a the VW nationals, there is a local club event up here which I may go to instead to debut. In saying that I could change my mind though.
Thanks for the comments.
vassy66T1 ·
Make sure someone takes some vids of the maiden voyage Nathan 🙂
Well done
hellbugged ·
bat69 wrote:
fullnoise wrote:Debuting at Bathurst or the VW Nationals?
I can't wait to see it in the flesh.
CT
As much as I would love to drive it a the VW nationals, there is a local club event up here which I may go to instead to debut. In saying that I could change my mind though.
Thanks for the comments.
Head to the nationals, more than enough seat time to be feeling right at home in it again. Loads of time to tinker between runs..........you would have it well sorted by the end of the day. and hell, more people that can share your passion for the car than you could poke a stick at!
see you there 😘
bat69 ·
hellbugged wrote:
bat69 wrote:
fullnoise wrote:Debuting at Bathurst or the VW Nationals?
I can't wait to see it in the flesh.
CT
As much as I would love to drive it a the VW nationals, there is a local club event up here which I may go to instead to debut. In saying that I could change my mind though.
Thanks for the comments.
Head to the nationals, more than enough seat time to be feeling right at home in it again. Loads of time to tinker between runs..........you would have it well sorted by the end of the day. and hell, more people that can share your passion for the car than you could poke a stick at!
see you there 😘
You put up a very convincing argument Damo. Im not worried about seat time I just dont want to cart the car 3 hrs to spent half the day working on it because I forgot to do up some dumb bolt. It would be a fantastic event to debut the bug at and I guess there would be enough enthusiasts there to give me a hand if I have a problem. I just need to finish the car off first and then convince the wife... Its out wedding anniversery the Fri before.😂
hellbugged ·
Mate I pull mine apart, put it back together, then have a shower and drive to Sydney ....and I'm a dumarse
You will have everything done up tight I'm sure
Craig Torrens ·
there's only a hand full of bolts in a VW anyway, I'm sure it wouldn't take long to check them.👍
hypo-vw ·
very nice build Nathan .... if you do decide to make the trip to Wakefield for the nationals supersprint , you will certainly enjoy the day .... and if you have issues with your car ( as we all sometimes do ) I'm sure there would be someone there to assist you .
Well done mate !!
HappyDaze ·
As Steve Raymond [anyone remember him?] used to say......"BE THERE!!!!!!"👍
bat69 ·
As promised some extra photos I took of the bug today. I had to move it from my parents shed to mine so I thought I would snap a few photos to show it off as well as a quick (well actually slow) drive up the street and onto the trailer. With any luck I should have it off to get dynoed in the next week or two.
bat69 ·
A few more
bat69 ·
Some more
bat69 ·
The last one for today. There have been a number of people and businesses who have assisted and given me a hand through the build. I would like to give a big thank you to Rod Penrose & Ben Durie (RIP) for either providing/selling me a heap of products, parts and advice. A big thanks to Stan, Grass, Jonny 2 Pac, Greg Ward and GT for their assistance and help in working on the shell build and/or its assembly. Lozza from M & J Fabrications for his help in welding the cage together and completing all my custom alloy fab work. There is also a long list of other people who I have no doubt called and chewed their ear off at various stages to get advice or run some ideas past. Thanks. Plus thanks to everyone for their positive comments and posts. Last but not least I would like to thank my wife for her patients.
cnfabo ·
have you run it yet nathan...
sander288 ·
🙄
this is turning into another Dak to the future... when is the cars first run?
Craig Torrens ·
sander288 wrote:🙄
this is turning into another Dak to the future... when is the cars first run?
😂😂😂
PAZZAN ·
slow & steady wins the race
cnfabo ·
PAZZAN wrote:slow & steady wins the race
ha, i said this to an old boss of mine years ago and he spat it at me,lol..............
nathan ,when u race at king edward make sure you set up incar camera,please. 🙂
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:have you run it yet nathan...
Not offically. I have tested the car and I am pretty happy with the results so far. I have had a few little issues with things but that is to be expected. I am running at a local hill climb track here in Newcastle before I debut the bug at his first real event, the state hillclimb at King Edward Park which ironically is the last event I ran the car at in 2008.
The car is now complete and has been for some months now. The car has been dynoed and I am more then impressed with the figures. Whilst the max HP is only a couple of HP more then what I had before (I did not expect a massive increase anyway), I did how ever increase my torque a fair amount and lowered my max torque nearly 600rpm lower in the rev range. I can say the increased torque is noticable when driving.
When I get some time I will post some new photos, dyno figures etc. Stayed tuned!!
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:nathan ,when u race at king edward make sure you set up incar camera,please. 🙂
I have a new vid camera which I intend on taking some footage and Greg will lend me his Go Pro so I can get some in car footage.
When I run it, record it and get some time I will post it up on here for you.
bat69 ·
sander288 wrote:🙄
this is turning into another Dak to the future... when is the cars first run?
Unlike Dak to the Future I have only ever had one evolution of the car. Not several. BTW it has only taken 3 & 1/2 to finish a full restoration. I think thats not to bad considering I do it in my very limited spare time. Not only have I managed to build a complete car from scratch in that time but I also managed to have 3 kids (well my wife has), renovate one house, build another and work full time.
Its first event is in a couple of weeks. I was going to post it after I ran it but I guess its out there now. I will keep you posted.
cnfabo ·
good luck and cant wait to see some footage...
sander288 ·
cnfabo wrote:good luck and cant wait to see some footage...
x2
bat69 ·
Back from a wheel alignment and bit of testing today. Ready for my first event in the coming weeks. Having re dynoed the car yesterday after a couple of minor but important changes I manged to screw a few more rear wheel HP out of it which was very encouraging (man I love this new thing called electronic fuel injection...lol). With the new top end parts recently arriving, Greg will deliver them to me next week and with these changes I will be looking at the 140 to 150 rwhp mark (fingers crossed). I am really exicting about running this car. With the way it has been put together with a fair amount of time going into attention to detail, cage, suspension, weight reduction etc, the way it stops and handles so far has made me more then happy (The few years of hard work putting it together appear to have paid off). Having practiced a few standing starts and launches today btwn the 5000 & 7000rpm mark and reviewing the data logging afterwards. I am encouraged with its take off capabilities. When I can figure out how to down load my new camera I will up load some new pics.
Has anyone guessed.. IM EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!
colin ·
bat69 wrote:
sander288 wrote:🙄
this is turning into another Dak to the future... when is the cars first run?
Unlike Dak to the Future I have only ever had one evolution of the car. Not several. BTW it has only taken 3 & 1/2 to finish a full restoration. I think thats not to bad considering I do it in my very limited spare time. Not only have I managed to build a complete car from scratch in that time but I also managed to have 3 kids (well my wife has), renovate one house, build another and work full time.
Its first event is in a couple of weeks. I was going to post it after I ran it but I guess its out there now. I will keep you posted.
Well said Nathan.
I two have a wife , two kids, and a fat mortgage to service.
I think you,ve done a great job totally rebuilding your racer.
Who cares how long the build takes. It,s not about how long it takes, but the end result. 👍
Cheers Col
PAZZAN ·
thats great hp should be really competitive in improved production car class I would of love to have that sort of hp when I was racing but found 130hp was a good compromise for a motor that had to do 8 rounds of a championship and last ,good luck keen to see go👍👍👍
cnfabo ·
fook yeah,im excited too...that's big ponies....have fun nathan..your old mans not racing with you anymore??
bat69 ·
colin wrote:Well said Nathan.
I two have a wife , two kids, and a fat mortgage to service.
I think you,ve done a great job totally rebuilding your racer.
Who cares how long the build takes. It,s not about how long it takes, but the end result. 👍
Cheers Col
Thanks for the kind words Col. To be honest, for me it was all about the process of getting there. BTW when are we going to see you and your new combo on the track? I am very excited at racing next year with the likes of you, heath, GT, Greg and the like.
colin ·
bat69 wrote:
colin wrote:Well said Nathan.
I two have a wife , two kids, and a fat mortgage to service.
I think you,ve done a great job totally rebuilding your racer.
Who cares how long the build takes. It,s not about how long it takes, but the end result. 👍
Cheers Col
Thanks for the kind words Col. To be honest, for me it was all about the process of getting there. BTW when are we going to see you and your new combo on the track? I am very excited at racing next year with the likes of you, heath, GT, Greg and the like.
I,m planning on driving down to Keiths this weekend to pick up the longblock.
Then in early October i have booked a dude to make a new header and muffler for me.
Then hopefully of to the dyno, because Tamworth Sporting Car Club have a club day in early November. I would like to have a casual club day event to get a feel for the new engine and how it performs and differs from my old combo.
I am also keen to have us all racing next year in the State Hillclimb Series, what a great site to see 4 or 5 tough Beetles at one event.
Cheers Col
bat69 ·
PAZZAN wrote:thats great hp should be really competitive in improved production car class I would of love to have that sort of hp when I was racing but found 130hp was a good compromise for a motor that had to do 8 rounds of a championship and last ,good luck keen to see go👍👍👍
Thanks Paul. I have done a heap of research, including talking to people like yourself who have done it before. The advice I got I took on board and hopefully came up with a combo that will be reliable and competitive. Your car was a competitive car on the circuit so I have used a few ideas from your car on mine. Even with its current power and a weight about 50kg lighter then your old car Im hoping it will make a good package.
bat69 ·
cnfabo wrote:fook yeah,im excited too...that's big ponies....have fun nathan..your old mans not racing with you anymore??
Not as often as he use to. He will have a drive every now and then at the events he likes. He has had a few health issues over the last couple of years which prevented him from driving. He might not drive at every event I go to but he still comes to the track to annoy the $hit out of me ...lol.
westi ·
Congrates.
Always feels good to get to the end.it looks great.
No go and show the others how it's done.
bat69 ·
After almost 4 years I took the Beetle to the race track for is maiden run. 35 Cars were entered for a Newcastle Area Motor Sport round hillclimb. I competed in the Type 3 (Imp Pro) class, as to did 5 others. I am very happy with the way the car preformed and handled. It is a hell of a lot different then the old car in the way it handles and stops. It ran with out a hitch all event. The only problem I had was lack of rear end grip. This prob had something to do with the 6 year old tyres I pulled out from behind the shed. My current tyres unfortunately are locked aware in Greg's shed and he is sick at home with a bad stomach bug.
Anyway I manged to set the same fastest time I set in my old car (33.3) despite being on old tyres which I think are harder then the bricks for my new house. Driving the car a little conserative (which is unlike me) I scored 1st in class and I think 10th outright. Need less to say I am very happy. There is a fair amount of time left in the car after I become more familiar with it. Next event is King Edward Park Newcastle on the Oct long weekend.
sander288 ·
Great work; awesome result matching your old times on first run out!!!
colin ·
Good job Nathan.
Make sure you go over the car and give it a good spanner check after todays action.
Cheers Col
Gracey ·
Great result!!
cnfabo ·
wow shows you how good your new combo is and you also have not raced for that whole time..good work..what changes did you make to the suspension and brakes...
fabo
Sides ·
Mad props to ya Nathan - excellent work buddy !!!
👍
bat69 ·
Thanks for the encouragement guys. It was rather pleasing to drive/race the car for the first time and to have it perform well straight out of the box was even more exciting. What made it all worth it was when I had a few of the 'old' blokes from the MG car club come up and comment on the presentation of the car. To please those old farts is not an easy task and for them to comment on the cars presentation just topped it all off.
cnfabo wrote:wow shows you how good your new combo is and you also have not raced for that whole time..good work..what changes did you make to the suspension and brakes...
fabo
The brakes are all the same (except rebuilt/replaced) - T3 front and nissan rears, standard master. The suspension was upgraded to bilsteins shocks which were also modified. I now have suspension travel which is something I never had before. The suspension was pretty much copied from Greg's car (Paul Zanellos old car).