toedrag

Mailed the registration form today for wifey & I. I'll be doing the autocross (first time...ever) and track day (first time w/Stalker). It feels odd to be registering before I've ever started the Stalker engine, but I guess that's the way it goes sometimes. We'll attempt to meet up with the British Speed caravan as it heads by north of DFW. Planning on driving the car vs trailering, but again, that's the 'plan' without ever actually having driven it The next 3 months should be interesting leading up to it.

It does look menacing! Nicely done! You mentioned pain with doing the clutch bleeding. What issues did you have? Have you tried one of the pressure bleeding systems that attaches to the clutch MC?

I know, I know...believe me, it's killing me that the exhaust is still MIA. But, I talked to the coating company today, and I should have it early next week. Once I have it, I'll be comfortable to let the gas & sparks fly to get her to sing, and oh yes, there will be a video.

My exhaust is still a no-show, sadly. I'm waiting on a call back to give me an ETA. Wheels & tires are on, the car is on the ground, and I set camber to 0 deg. Well, fine, it's more like +/- 0.1 deg if you're counting, but that's good enough for me. I unplugged the injectors & spark plugs and then turned on the starter, which seemed to go well, including the remote start function :cooldude: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28475&g2_serialNumber=3

Clutch fluid is in & bled. The clutch disengagement point is about halfway through the stroke; it was a fun little game pushing in the clutch pedal whilst trying to rotate the driveshaft with the car in gear Brake fluid is in but not yet bled. I'm checking for low pressure leaks first; had a couple connections that needed snugging up. I suppose I'll move onto alignment if the exhaust isn't ready tomorrow.

Thx, Croc & Shane! In other news, I have a pressurized fuel system. I'm using Autozone's Fuel Pressure Test kit loaner set, which has a pressure gauge & hose that threads right onto the schrader valve on the fuel rail. At first, I was a little worried that the fuel pump was cutting off after a few seconds, but after some quick searching on ls1tech, it appears to be normal. The ECU is supposed to turn off the fuel pump relay after 2 seconds if the engine hasn't been started, and once the engine starts, it turns the fuel pump back on. Additionally, it's worth noting that the Aeromotive Fuel Pressure regulator is not designed to hold the pressure after the fuel pump has been turned off (and is documented as such in the in instructions), which means the pressure gradually bleeds off. Had I not read this little note in the instructions, I would have been concerned that I had a leak somewhere. Coolant is also in. Just a bit over 2 gallons is what it has, and once the water pump starts moving, I'm sure more will be needed. For brake fluid & clutch fluid, I'll be using my Motive Bleeder tool. For the Miata brake MC reservoir in the Stalker kit, Motive adapter 1111 is the one to use. For the Wilwood clutch MC, it's the 1100 one. Hopefully will get to this today.

All the components are through-hole, so that should address most of it, but I'm considering using some sort of potting compound once I've completed validation testing. Or, I may just leave it and see what happens.

Thx Shane & Bob! :cheers:

Cooling system is installed. Differential Fluid (Red Line 75W90 for LSD, ~1.5 qt), Transmission Fluid (Red Line D4 ATF, ~4 qt), and Engine Oil (Red Line 5W30, ~5.5 qt) are in. Have yet to do coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid, and gasoline. So yesterday, I was all....duuuuude:banghead: because I got the phone call that my exhaust coating was complete, but it was finished in polished metallic ceramic instead of black ceramic. The company will re-do it, but since I have to wait until next week to get it back, starting up the engine will have to wait. But todaaaaaaaay, I'm all.....duuuuude:willy_nilly: because I connected the battery and turned on the car's electrical system. Happy to say that the system retained all of its smoke, woohoo! I was able to verify all of the functions that didn't require an operational engine. I also connected my Aeroforce Interceptor CAN-bus gauge to check the operation of the OBDII bus, and all appears to be well with the ECU, in the sense that the gauge read valid data on a few PIDs that I spot-checked, like ECT. (I won't be using the Interceptor gauge on a regular basis; I had it laying around from a prior vehicle and decided to use it just for OBDII verification.) Got my touch-sensitive controller mounted, wired up my flag "buttons", and tested them out. Union Jack = no button function US Flag = High Beam toggle Florida Flag = High Beam momentary Texas Flag = Low Beam toggle Backside view of the dash display circuit board. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28469&g2_serialNumber=3 This video shows only some of the indicators; others require a operational engine. That, and since the oil & coolant temperature were too low to register on my LED bar graphs, they are both off. My sneaky way of tapping the oil pressure transducer looks like it may work too, but I'll reserve celebration until I can turn on the engine.

:cheers: She passed the wife test! You can keep her!

I'll chime in with a couple of points: I think if you value fit & finish and/or pedigree, then it rules out the Stalker (I'm nearing the end of my Stalker build, btw). That's not a knock against the Stalker; it's simply much more a "function over form" car. On the other hand, the Stalker XL may be quite comfy for you. The 'normal' Stalker was already closer to SV sizing, and the XL is wider and longer than that. The seating options in the XL are numerous. Since you mentioned the Street as your primary application, I'm told the inboard shocks of the current Stalker generation (M-Spec chassis) are very comfortable on the street. The geometry allows for more travel, softer springs, and still has adjustable dampers if you want to stiffen the ride for a track day. Once my build is complete and I'm driving, I'll be able to confirm this point. But, I can tell you from just bouncing the car sitting in the garage, it's almost cadillac-like with how cushy it is at the softest setting. In terms of costs, the Stalker build sheet is pretty comprehensive, but it doesn't have everything, like powder coat, welding work, mechanical parking brake components & related fab work should that be required in your state. Are you not interested in the V8 version of the Stalker? The aluminum block of the non-truck GM V8's will be more powerful and lighter than the V6 iron block + super charger I think. If you really wanted to, I think you could put a centrifugal supercharger on a V8 in the XL chassis (there's loads of room in front of the engine).

Thanks! Great minds think alike I ran the low beam signal to the circuit board, and it dims all the bar graphs & shift lights. Not dimmable are the various warning lights since I want those to be annoyingly bright, day or night. I actually meant to demo the dimmer function in the video, but I forgot about it. The other crazy thing is that the cost for parts for this dash was ~$20 for the components (all HW, no SW or microcontrollers) and $40 for the circuit board, vs $500+ for traditional gauges that would be spread out all over the dash. The rest of my investment was my own time soldering & running wires. I'm also in the process of building the schematic & layout in DesignSpark and might have someone actually make me a 'real' circuit board, but that'll cost maybe $100-$200. I'll keep using my prototype as long as it lasts, though. If/when it breaks, I might try a fab'd circuit board.

Got the smoked acrylic cut and did a rough install of the circuit board & acrylic on the dash panel. Here's a picture of the dash circuit powered off and with it powered on (on the test bench). Note that not all of the various indicators are lit in these pictures. And wow, does that flash capture all the dirty smudges & fingerprints. Other than finalizing a few mounting details, it's ready to be connected to the car. What may not be obvious here is that all of the indicators are above the driver's line of sight to the top of the steering wheel, which means there can never be a visual obstruction to critical information. I've been able to pack a ton of useful information into a very small 2" space that basically arcs around the top of the steering wheel. I'm debating patenting this thing...not for any future business purpose mind you, just one of those life resume things. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28455&g2_serialNumber=2 If you care to see a video of it in action, see below. Here, I'm showing the shift lights, water temp, and fuel level indicators & warning lights. I'm particularly proud of how I'm testing the shift lights. I'm feeding it a tachometer pulse generated by a 555 Timer circuit configured to output the same frequency that the engine should produce at various RPMs. A simple trimmer allows me to change the output frequency of the 555 Timer circuit to simulate the changing RPMs.

After completing most of the rear suspension & brakes, I was able to finish & test the parking brake. I was happy to see that the parking brake held solid while I was torquing the wheel spacer lug nuts to 100 lb ft. The rear end is now complete minus the body and some final torquing of the UCA to spindle bolt, which I'll complete after I'm able to set the camber. Note that the lower spindle bolt (LCA to spindle) should be torqued to 80 lb ft with red loctite per Stalker HQ's recommendation. Torquing the axle nut requires a 36mm socket. Stalker HQ says to torque it higher than 150 lb ft. I followed a procedure I found in a GM Service manual, which is to torque to 150 lb ft, then back off the nut 180 deg, then retorque to 200+. Fuel system is installed. All that remains is to set the regulator pressure and fill it up :cheers: PCV Catch cans are installed & hoses are secured The firewall shelf is installed; the only missing item is the battery, which I'll do last. Pedals are installed. The extra right angle bracket I made to sit under the throttle linkage base really helps reduce the movement of the assembly, which means it'll be a more predictable throttle pedal. Only the mechanicals in the front are what remain before I can put the car on the ground. Oh, and another huge milestone is that I completed soldering up & testing my dash circuit board. All that remains here is to cut the smoked acrylic and mount everything to the dash panel. :hurray: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28453&g2_serialNumber=3

Welcome & congrats! :cheers:

It's been impressively durable so far. I knicked a 1mm spot during the engine install, but it touched up nicely with satin black from a rattle can. Over the last week, I've occasionally banged various spots with a wayward wrench, and it's held up very well. The body (hood, scuttle, sides, and rear) will be dark cherry red. The fenders & headlight housings will be black; I chose to make the fenders black for ease of touch-ups. The hard top may also end up black. I haven't decided on a black single or dual stripe down the middle of the car...

Got the chassis back on Sat, and I'm lovin' the satin black finish on the powder coat. I'm absolutely thrilled to declare that final assembly has commenced :party: It's moving along at a good pace. Although, I nearly had a mistake with the parking brake cables, which was that I almost forgot to take into account suspension travel when determining the final length of the cables & sheaths. Wisdom prevailed, and all is well. The plan is to get most of the car assembled to the point where I can put it on the ground, add fluids, check for leaks, and fire up the engine. This picture is a few days old: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28435&g2_serialNumber=3

I'm stuck in LAX at the moment (and a little grumpy b/c of it). Another customer of my welder happened to spot the chassis after sandblasting, snapped the picture, and sent it to the welder, who then sent it to me, which gave me something to smile about. It's funny how, even when naked, this car tends to attract attention. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28424&g2_serialNumber=3

I'm literally a thousand miles from my frame & its parts, but things are moving along. The frame welding is done and it's now with the powder coater. Hoping to have it back on Friday. I'll drive straight from the airport to pick up a trailer, then over to the powder coater before they close for the week. Should be fun http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28422&g2_serialNumber=3

Should be getting the car back from the welder on Monday. Then, it's off to the powder coater again to drop off the chassis for its powder coat treatment and to pick up the boxes of small parts I left with them last week. Here's a teaser of my dash buttons. Unsurprisingly, I'm using a non-traditional approach: flag lapel pins, arranged in the timeline of the evolution of the Stalker (UK, US, Florida, TX). Granted, only two flag pins will be functional buttons since I only need toggles for high beam & low beam. The other two flag pins won't be functional, but they could be - should a future need arise. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28420&g2_serialNumber=2 Bag of flag pins yet to be installed: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28340&g2_serialNumber=2

Thx for the kind words, powderbrake! Poked at the hood prop rods a bit more. I realized part of the problem was the prop rod itself, so I made some modifications: File off about 1/32" of aluminum where shown so that it would clear the stop bolt Replace the #10-32 hinge bolt with a button style head bolt to give more clearance to the frame. Replace the two washers between the two pieces, which would bind occasionally, with a true thrust washer http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28418&g2_serialNumber=4 Another milestone: I got the car torn down in about 8-10 hours over a few days, and it's now with the welder (who was very complimentary of the chassis design and quality of welds from Stalker HQ) for the following short list of items Side bars for roll cage Harness bars, mounted at the same height as the top portion of the side bars Lap belt mounting plates. It's worth noting that Stalker HQ does weld in some lap belt plates on the chassis, but they are too far back for my seating position and thus put the lap belts at a non-ideal angle. The new plates will be positioned as follows to allow the use of eyebolts for a clip-in harness. Each eyebolt is 1 3/8" tall from its base. If the plates were all mounted flush, the outer eyebolts would contact the seat bracket. Driver Outer -> recess 1/4" Driver Inner -> flush with the tunnel's outer tube edge Passenger Outer -> recess 1/2" Passenger Inner -> flush with the tunnel's outer tube edge [*]Retractor mount for 3pt belt: A threaded sleeve (7/16-20) through the roll bar with a rosette weld on the outside. [*]Safety Chain Loop for the hitch receiver [*]Driveshaft loop. Something like this: http://www.aa-mfg.com/drive-shaft-loop-795 but where the "U" section opening is closer to 8" tall and 4" wide. While the chassis is getting welded, I'll take a couple boxes of goodies to the powder coater.

Disassembly has commenced :party: I also remembered to do the front fenders before I take apart the front suspension. I'm pleased with how they turned out: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28406&g2_serialNumber=3 http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28404&g2_serialNumber=3 http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28408&g2_serialNumber=4

Continuing from previous post I temporarily installed my driver seat again to measure for the custom 3pt belts. I'm choosing to put the retractor up on the roll bar. Why? Because I wasn't too happy with the belt routing of the traditional installation where the retractor mounts on the seat back panel near the floor, mostly because the webbing will forever rub the top edge/corner where the seat back panel meets the flat steel cross-member behind the seat. An alternate location would be on the flat steel cross-member, then have the webbing run up to a shoulder loop and then back down to the occupant, but that won't work for me since I'm also adding some harness bars: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28398&g2_serialNumber=2 http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28402&g2_serialNumber=2 Side view. Note that Brunton does weld in some steel mounting plates for the lap belts, but with my seating position, the angle of the lap belt mounting point wasn't quite correct. Thus, I'm having my welder add some more steel plates where marked in this photo: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28400&g2_serialNumber=2

Hard top is done, minus some black paint on the inside: Note that the chain between the two latches will be replaced with some wire rope, covered in something like foam or heat shrink tubing http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28392&g2_serialNumber=3 Side view, hard top closed: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28390&g2_serialNumber=3 3rd brake light done, which is an important milestone because I *think* it marks the last holes I need to drill before disassembling it for final chassis welding & powdercoating. I cut a channel in the foam gasket for the ground wire & ring terminal. Sorry about the lack of focus; couldn't get the camera to focus on it. The brake (red) & tail light (black) wires go through a small hole in the roll bar, then inside the roll bar toward the driver side, then down and exit another small hole just above the left rear suspension components. I was able to fish a wire through the roll bar the traditional way: used some 20 gauge wire inserted from the bottom hole above the suspension components, then used a paperclip to pull it out of the hole where the 3rd brake light is. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28384&g2_serialNumber=4 3rd brake light installed with the hard top in place. The hard top already had the flared opening; the brake light tucks in nicely. The bracket you see below the 3rd brake light is the rear view mirror bracket, a custom piece from Brunton, held in place temporarily by a spring clamp. It's designed for the 14" Longacre mirror, which I now have on order. Continuing on next post... http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28388&g2_serialNumber=5

Hard top is now mounted on the hinges; I was pleasantly surprised that the top opens up almost perfectly vertically. Plus, since the hard top sits above the roll bar by about 1.5", it allows plenty of room to mount my 3rd brake light directly to the back of the roll bar, and there won't be any interference during opening/closing. http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28380&g2_serialNumber=3 Onto the hard top's latches...