[RS Barn]

As many of you know I have been restoring/rebuilding the most competetive 968 Firehawk car from the series. It was driven by Mike Fitzgerald.

That said, it was pretty darn sad when I purchased it. It was at a body shop and then in a barn for 8 years. That may be the good news.

Besides the body/chassis being a wreck, the motor was toast - but it ran, somewhat

When I picked it up last year from the barn on a NJ farm the groundskeeper had an interesting statement...

Mister whatever you paid, I'm guessing it was too much!!!!

Anyway I had it at Pocono two weeks ago for a shakedown run and felt pretty much the same way. It handled terribly!!!

Not a comment usually connected to a 968. This car had all sorts of weird tweeks to skirt the rules. I think they really hindered the car vs helping.

After a terrible first outing I swapped a bunch of suspension components to my known pieces. This may sound strange but the car feels much better in a parking lot. I was trying to keep original/modified Firehawk. Yech!!!

I will testing at Thunderbolt Friday and hopefully come back with a full report

Pete

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[Mark]

ooooh! new suspension on a new car on a new track. Thunderbolt looks like a nice layout here's a Youtube of the Thunderbolt circuit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sowVGe3RoVI



and here's the lightening circuit if anyone is hitting that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_6T7CzShJw





Hopefully there isn't dirt all over the track like there is in the video. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Eric_K]

Having worked with Mike, he knows how to setup a car (and man, can he drive too). Either the 'tweaks' aren't working like they used to or he wasn't being given good equipment to start with. I would be interested to hear what the 'tweaks' were. He would probably be happy to hear the car he used to drive is revived.

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[RS Barn]

[quote name='Eric_K' post='56056' date='Jul 9 2008, 05:17 PM']Having worked with Mike, he knows how to setup a car (and man, can he drive too). Either the 'tweaks' aren't working like they used to or he wasn't being given good equipment to start with. I would be interested to hear what the 'tweaks' were. He would probably be happy to hear the car he used to drive is revived.[/quote]



Erik,

The Firehawk cars started the series very penalized from IMSA based on the S-2's dominence. They started with Non MO30 suspension and were allowed to add the better suspension components to make them competetive but!!!

They had to run standard springs on modified Koni's. To make a higher effective spring rate they preloaded the front springs 5" . Not a higher overall rate but much higher initial rate for turn in. I've seen several variants on the rear but all had to use MO30 helper spring in a fixed position (also preloaded)

Somehow they finally were allowed to put larger swaybars on. dave White or someone concocted these "HUGE" swaybars. Like Tarrets on steroids. From my driving impression they flattened out the car but Holy S____ was it twitchy. I softened the bars all the way and car at least had some grip but still very nervous.

I wanted to run the car as they raced them but no way. I think the setup took the loop holes in the rules to the limit and was serious overkill.

I installed MO30 bars and my spring package and will try again.

As I said it just feels way better even in the parking lot.

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[Eric_K]

I had heard about the monster sway bars. Cool to see them. No doubt you can make it better, if you are not limited to those rules. I can only assume testing proved these changes to be faster. Probably at the price of driveability. Mike said it was only really competitive on the tight street circuits.

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[RS Barn]

Erik,

It sure did turn quick with those bars. I wouldn't doubt the bars were from something else and adapted. Otherwise I'm sure they would have reduced diameter or wall thickness. At full soft they were starting to work but didn't give any adjustment and were still twitchy

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[333pg333]

Look more like prison bars!

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[RS Barn]

Update on day two.

FH was much more stable and not quite as darty with Mo30 bars YEAH. Still has very quick turn in without understeer and had exit grip.

I forgot to tell you the other major mod on this car. It has a highly locked clutch differential. This may be the reason for ultra quick turn in and it is sure fun on exit. just hammer down and both wheels are driving and you counter steer to track out. Very 911 like. Will from Precision called me on return from track to hear days results. he didn't know mine had "locker" rear. His response was "that's a acquired taste" to drive.

I warped my (old) rotors first session out and had to drive the car at 80% but it was still fun.

Another update soon.

BTW it's fast

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[Mark]

Are you using the wheels from the Turbo?

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[RS Barn]

Yeh,

I put them on for now. I bought the car without wheels. Luckily I have some cool ones to put on

The Speedlines are on the Turbo like they should be

Pete

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[pmcrespo]

I have personally watched the car from day one. The car now looks outstanding and that old engine is really putting out some really strong numbers. A few more shakedown outings and it with Pete's driving skills, we better watch out in the East Coast Tracks. Really awesome to see the car today from where it started. And the pics below are not inclusive of the 800 pounds of barn crap and grass growing inside! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



C'm on Pete! Lets put some NASA GTS-3 Stickers on and go out and play! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



   



   

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[pmcrespo]

I finally got around to upgrading my video editing software and, even though I still have no idea of how to best use it, I was able to make a video that looks halfway decent when publish to youtube.

As Pete mentioned in the post, lots of sorting-out taking place. This was one of the last sessions of the day with the video cam on. Yours truly driving, rusty at best, still working to get my... uhmm... confidence back ( yeah! That's it! Confidence...) and learning the track. I was 8/10ths on many places and being real cautious working my way back as I re-learn how to work all those pedals.... It was actually my first time in a race car since my incident.

Thank you Pete for having the confidence (or crazy brain cells) in me to put a few hot sessions. Awesome guy, great shop, fantastic car.

Hope you like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTYmWn9lm9k

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[ds968]

Am I seeing things or is the car outrunning 911Turbos even on straightaways.. and quite easily ?! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

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[flash]

such a bully - pushing around those poor 911 turbos like that - shame on you

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[94SilverCab]

OMG!!!!

Crespo, thank g_d you were only going 8/10th or you'd have sent the whole field home crying.

Brilliant driving, great car,

Jay

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[Anchorman]

I assume he was driving the car after Pete had gotten done installing the supercharged turbocharger with triple Variocam, nitrous injection, and the rear jet booster. If not, why can't I do anything like that?

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[flwbyu]

That was great! The one thing that I have always wanted out of my 968 is more power. It was SO nice seeing other cars get passed with ease. Great driving. Keep it coming...

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[pmcrespo]

Thanks guys but you give me too much credit! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ninja.gif[/img] I bet you those GT3s and Turbos with Charles, Eric, Jim C or any of the fast 968 racers at the helm would have been flying by me... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif[/img]

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[mike]

Nice job on the video and the driving. The car is beautiful and looks to be wicked fast. Fun to watch the underdog 968 passing the "faster" cars. Thanks for sharing.

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[benspeeder]

Just puts a HUGE smile on my face watching that 968 tear it up. Crespo - if we have data logging our plots would be nearly identical. I bet you were running in the low 30's - gotta come out and run some Pro IT stuff!!!

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