Clutch and Roll Cage Project Cliff Note Version

[BurnTire]

Well after all the talk about my project and no action I finally got started. Started the interior stripping to install the MM 6 point roll bar.
I have been weighing all the items so I will start a weight reduction thread soon.

Ok now to the part I hate under the car I go for the clutch related items.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9280001.JPG

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9280002.JPG

[BurnTire]

1 less thing for Tech to bitch about.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9290007.JPG

My assistant

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9290006.JPG

[BurnTire]

Well today was drop the tranny and install the input shaft day.

How to get to the top tranny bolt. A bunch of wobble extensions did the job.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9300009.JPG

Checking the stock input shaft end-play.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9300012.JPG

Nice new liberty gear input shaft and a McLeod Bearing Retainer Sleeve.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9300013.JPG



FedEx showed up again

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/P9300014.JPG


Now I just need the McLead bell-housing and MM Roll Bar to show up.

Thanks to Aaron (shaggy) for the help and I am sorry about the hole you got in your finger.

[BurnTire]

Got the stock clutch and flywheel off today. As I expected it didn't look well. Clutch dust out of the ying yang. The dust doesn't taste good either when my fan blew it in my face. LOL

Starter was a pain in the ass to get off. One of the top bellhousing bolts was torqued to 1000 ft lbs and the 1 next to it was finger tight.

Well after feeling that wimpy stock bell housing I am glad I got the McLeod SFI approved unit. 1 more thing to make me legal at tech.


http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA040017.JPG

[BurnTire]

More work complete

LDC Cooling Mod
http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA050019.JPG

Motor Plate must have a 7 inch opening to use an aftermarket flywheel.
So you must do a little cutting to make things work.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA050020.JPG

Ram Billet Steel Flywheel

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA050021.JPG

Ram Power Grip HD Clutch

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA050024.JPG

Tranny Back in.
Yes that is a towel in the bell housing.
The shift fork on the top side was hitting a notch in the bell housing.
So I had to to do a little grinding to get things to work.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA050027.JPG

[BurnTire]

Got the Roll Bar Started.
Not exactly an easy fit.
I had to pound the wheel wells and floor in a little to get things to fit.


http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA080028.JPG

[BurnTire]

Bar has been fitted and remove.
Out for main hoop welding and powder coating tomorrow.:awsome:

Hopfully I can get the car done for the copperstate show.

It is going to be close.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA110029.JPG

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA110030.JPG

[BurnTire]

Roll Bar is in.
I have to get some clutch adjustment issues taken care of and mount the harnesses then I am legal to go 10.0 , but high tens is the goal for now.
http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA220003.JPG

Get a tube of seam sealer and seal all the backing plates if you plan to ever be in the rain.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260022.JPG

[BurnTire]

Well I swapped out my Steeda Double Hook Quadrant for a Steeda Quick Release Unit. With the Ram Power Grip HD clutch and McLeod Bellhousing I could not get the enough cable travel to get the clutch to disengage without having the throwout bearing spinning all the time when the clutch is engaged which is not a good thing. The Quick release model has a steeper ramp which allows for more cable travel. So this issue is fixed.
I am waiting for the rear seat delete to show up and some harness mounting hardware then I am done. :awsome:

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA250004.JPG

You can see the steeper ramp.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA250005.JPG

[BurnTire]

How I did my 5 point harness setup.

I used Gforce grade 8 eyebots and hardware.
I used snap hooks to mount the 3 lower belts.
Snap hooks allow the belts to pull straight in a crash.
If your belt is bolted to the floor and the angle is wrong at the mount the belt could fail in a crash.

Also snap hooks allow you to remove the belts in a few seconds. Removing the shoulder harness is easy also being they wrap around the cross bar.

Remove the stock lower seat belt mounting bolt and replace with a grade 8 eyebolt. Use a nut to secure the bolt to the body and leave some space to allow the factory seatbelt to rotate. Note the forward angle of the eyebolt.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260013.JPG

Eyebolt with factory seat belt mounted.
Use a 3" snap hook.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260018.JPG

Drill into the tunnel for the inboard mount.
Eyebolt and 3" snap hook.
Note forward angle of eyebolt.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260017.JPG

Use a backing plate on the bottom side of the car.
http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260016.JPG
http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA260021.JPG

Drill again for the crotch stap and use a backing plate again on the bottom. Use a 2" snap hook here.
Note eyebolt angle.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PA270023.JPG

Shoulder Harness Wraps around the cross bar.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PB010027.JPG

Finished Product with rear sear delete.
SFI Approved Roll Bar Padding on Swing Outs.

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PB010026.JPG

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PB010028.JPG

[BurnTire]

To keep the tech Nazis Happy

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/PC310175.JPG

[Lucafu1]

where did you get that at?

[BurnTire]

It is a wolf race craft crotch strap bracket I wasn't using. I had to fab up the spacers between the bracket and the cross bar. NHRA said drilling the holes into the cross bar is fine as long as you have a sleeve around the bolt to prevent the cross bar from crushing or use a nut with nylon and don't over tighten the bolt.

[Lucafu1]

nice work!

[BurnTire]

If I ever put a racing seat in the car I will fab up something that uses the bottom of the bolts to secure the back of the seat to the cross bar. The stock seats are a little too high. I find my head against the roof at times with my helmet on.

[BurnTire]

http://www.highperformancestangs.com/gallery/data/521/harness.bmp

[autoxstang]

Quick question. Can you completely remove the swing outs or are they fixed to the bottom of the car?

[BurnTire]

You can completely remove them.

[autoxstang]

Awesome bro!! I really like your setup. I may model my car after yours if you don't mind :icon_cool:

[BurnTire]

Awesome bro!! I really like your setup. I may model my car after yours if you don't mind :icon_cool:

I don't mind.:twothumbsup:
Nothing custom about mine. It is the Maximum Motorsports Roll Bar with Swingouts.

Just make sure you get a tab welded to bolt the harness to the cross bar or weld on a bracket to prevent them from sliding on the cross bar if you wish to wrap them around. I wish I knew that before I did mine, but I found an acceptable solution without killing the powder coat.

I just ordered the Corbeau TRS seats. I test fitted at set and they work with the swingouts. I feel they are safer because they have shoulder and crotch belt holes in them and a little weight reduction never hurts.

[autoxstang]

Well now that you have the cage and bell housing installed, how fast can you go before you have to add something else?

[BurnTire]

Well now that you have the cage and bell housing installed, how fast can you go before you have to add something else?

Well I am going to upgrade my Level 5's to STOCK half-shafts next so the car is drivable. LOL

[BurnTire]

I installed my Corbeau TRS seats today.

These were the only nice seats that I could find that clears the swing out. I got the crotch strap cut out also. I really liked the stockers, but I feel they were not the safest setup for a 5 point harness.

Install should have been easy but I always have bad luck.
Seats got delivered to the neighbors across the street so the bad luck begins.
Drivers slider was catching on some of the seat material when sliding the seat all the way forward. A little velcro did the trick.
Next I notice a ball bearing in the back seat. Pull the seat out and find where it goes and put it back in the slider.
Put the seat back in a notice the eye bolt in the tunnel for my harness is rubbing the seat and now 2 ball bearings feel out. WTF

Pull the damn seat out again. Put the bearings back in and use a punch to make sure the damn things don't fall out again.
Put the seat back in and strip the threads in the floor on the right rear seat bolt. Luckily there is a nut on the bottom for the subs, but I will re thread that another day.

Move the eye bolt. Seal the old hole.

Go to put the nuts on the underside of the car where the boltd come thru the sub frame connectors and now the stock bolts are too short because the seat bracket is thicker.

Off to Home Depot. Of course all the grade 8 stuff isn't in the right section and 20 minute later I find everything I need.

Come home and put the bolts in and don't break anything:tearsofjoy:

After that multi hour fiasco I start on the passenger side. 10 minutes later I was done. LOL

Well the final product is nice. The seats are a little lower than the stockers which is good for me.

[ASUSMC]

Them there is some nice seats. You are keeping the stockers I assume?

[BurnTire]

Them there is some nice seats. You are keeping the stockers I assume?

I haven't decided yet. My stockers have the dark inserts. The ones everyone wants. I may sell them. I may throw the fronts on the wifes GT. I hate those GT seats. They are way too high.

[P Machy]

LOL...the modding gods are saying " STOP MODDING ALREADY " .

Nice seats. How much did you get them for? GT = Mach1 seat...they suck! Love the Termee seats.

[BurnTire]

LOL...the modding gods are saying " STOP MODDING ALREADY " .

Nice seats. How much did you get them for? GT = Mach1 seat...they suck! Love the Termee seats.

I think it was about $1000 for everything shipped.

I really like the stock seats also, but they are not safe to use with a 5 point harness setup.

Ok I will stop modding until the fall. LOL

[P Machy]

So how close do these seat feel to a Termee seat?


Ohh, what was the weight savings like?

I cant stand how the Mach1 seat feel after a year in the Termee...hugh difference!

[BurnTire]

So how close do these seat feel to a Termee seat?


Ohh, what was the weight savings like?

I cant stand how the Mach1 seat feel after a year in the Termee...hugh difference!

They feel different. They sit a little lower. Saved about 27 lbs total.
Stockers are more comfortable IMO.