blog.iimuchfabrication.comUnRivaled Rides | Modern Upgrades for Your Ride

UnRivaled Rides ModernThe shop Z06 is on the mend from recent piston surgery, and I bought some Mobil1 0W-40 motor oil to fill up the dry sump tank for its initial fire. GM recommends 5W-30 Mobil1 and every LS7 leaves the factory filled with it, and I like the 0W-40 only because it has more zinc, and it is preferred oil in my crowd at the local tracks. I mentioned all that to Dave Crume (of Crume Racing Engines), who built the short-block, and he cringed. He told me to use Joe Gibbs break-in oil for a couple of hours, then switch to a quality non-synthetic oil, and then to a synthetic oil at 500-1000 miles. He said the engine wouldn’t break in properly unless I did that. Call me skeptical. Continue reading → Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Reply STACK TPMS Install on the Tommy Camaro Posted on February 26, 2013 by John Parsons Reply The Stack TPMS gauge shows tire pressures and temperatures at a glance. More and more safety and convenience systems are making their way from late-model vehicles to our hot rods. Some high end builds are using anti-lock braking systems and traction control. Other examples are cruise control, three point seatbelts, thermostatically controlled environment controls, interior and exterior lighting, and navigation systems, to name a few. The latest in this long list is TPMS: a tire pressure monitoring system. When we built the Tommy Camaro, the owner wanted to go without a spare, and use run-flat tires with a TPMS. After some research, and a walk-through at the PRI show, we found this amazing system from Stack . Stack specializes in data recording for race cars, and recently added a TPMS to their catalogue. Continue reading → Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply Hose Clamps Posted on October 19, 2012 by John Parsons 2 There’s a variety of clamps in this photograph, and they all have their place. The upper radiator hose uses Gates heat shrink clamps. We’re in the process of sealing up the cooling system of the Tommy Camaro with a variety of clamps — none of which are the typical hardware store worm drive type. The most obvious and interesting clamp is the Gates heat shrink product which holds the upper radiator hose together. Given the multi part nature of the upper hose, traditional clamps would have been an unattractive bristled mess of stainless steel. The Gates clamps look way cleaner and outperform the old school alternative. Continue reading → Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Replies Battery Cables Posted on October 1, 2012 by John Parsons 7 Making a custom length battery cable takes a drill, mini-torch, crimper dies, flux, and solder. We do lots of custom electrical work in the fab shop, and one job that seems to come up all the time is making custom battery cables. Trying to find ready-made cables that are exactly the right length is difficult at best, and damn near impossible for those extra-long cables when your battery has been moved to the trunk. Given the weight and cost of heavy gage copper cables we make our own, using SAE-rated battery cable, and heavy-duty cable lugs to get exactly the right length. Continue reading → Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Posted in Products | 7 Replies PTFE Hose and Fittings Posted on September 26, 2012 by John Parsons 1 There’s no ferrule in this hose end. The collar slides over the hose, and the fitting threads directly into the PTFE liner. It’s lightweight and easy to do, and no bleeding required. We’ve gotten a lot of requests for more information about the hose we used in our twin vent install on the Tommy Camaro. It uses a PTFE inner liner, which is important to reduce fuel permeation (smell), and an Aramid outer braid. Aramid is a Kevlar brand name and it is tough stuff. It is literally bullet-proof. The braid feels soft to the touch, but requires side-cutters to cut the thread — it just laughs off heavy duty scissors. Assembly is easy: just slid the outer (silver) collar over the end of the hose, and then twist the fitting (black) into the hose with some light lubricant. The fitting twists easily into place with your hand or a short AN wrench, and the fine threads on the inner fitting support easy clocking for non-straight hose ends. The hose is rated for high-pressure applications, including power steering. You can get all of it at Pegasus Racing . I’ve also gotten several requests for the part numbers we used in the install, so here they all are in one place: Vent fitting: 90 degree AN ORB fitting is an Earl’s part: AT949006ERL Tank fitting: 90 degree 1/4 NPT to AN 6 is also Earl’s: AT982206ERL Vent hose end: 90 degree AN 6 Pegasus Racing hose end: 3481-06-90 DEGREE Tank hose end: straight AN 6 Pegasus Racing hose end: 3481-06-STRAIGHT Hose: Aramid braided (Kevlar… and it will take its toll on your cutting tools) AN 6 PTFE hose from Pegasus racing. 3490-06-FOOT Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Posted in Products | 1 Reply Fuel and Differential Vent Install Posted on September 25, 2012 by John Parsons 9 Fuel and differential Vent sit nicely on top of the DSE Quadralink crossmember. Modern muscle cars like the new Camaro have performance and drivability that could scarcely be imagined in 1969, but as technology has found its way into the aftermarket our older muscle cars are accelerating, braking, and cornering so well that fuel slosh, spillage, starvation, and odor have become a bigger problem than ever. A common problem is that under acceleration fuel will leak from the...