Well since the car is still waiting to get the new engine cradle welded on due to the fact the that the shop needed to order some special order chromoly pieces I decided to bring the engine back home and install the dry sump kit while I had a chance so that once the engine was in the car it was in the car for good. Let me just say that if you need a dry sump kit for your R1 nothing beats the quality of the Taggart system (<a href="http://www.tpe-inc.com/" >http://www.tpe-inc.com/</a>).<br />
<br />
Rob came over about 7:30, we had to run to Walmart for some RTV and Blue locktite so we got started about 8pm at getting this baby installed. I had already removed the old water/oil pump a few weeks back and it probably toook about an hour max. Installation was even easier! We started by breaking out the excellent directions Taggart provided and getting the required tools out. After that first step was checking the old o-rings to ensure they were in good shape, then dropping in the new pump. We followed that by getting the oil feeder and return ports installed into the block. After that it was a quick tightening of the two main mounting bolts, the three oil pump bolts and she was secured. We followed that by probably the most difficult part of the task which was getting the oil pump gear installed back into the drive chain. Once we get that installed we tightened the drive chain's bolt, installed the oil/water intercooler block off and it was all done! Now I just have to wait for a new oil pan gasket coming from the local bike shop for a whopping $6.14 and then install the new pan and everything is ready to roll. <br />
<br />
I really just want to say again how damn impressed I was with the quality of the Taggart dry sump kit as well as just Yamaha's engine in general. I have never worked on such a sweet well put together engine.<br />
<br />
The pictures below are of the dry sump, looking at the dry sump from the bottom of the engine, and the pan and oil/water block off.<br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:37 –><img width='600' height='800' style="float: left; border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/DrySump_small_002.JPG" alt="" /><br />
<!– s9ymdb:38 –><img width='800' height='600' style="float: left; border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/DrySump_small_003.JPG" alt="" /><br />
<!– s9ymdb:39 –><img width='800' height='600' style="float: left; border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/DrySump_small_005.JPG" alt="" />
Uncategorized
The engine replacement in my Stohr is rolling along nicely. As you read about in my last entry on the topic I had everything out of the car (engine, wiring, cooling system, etc) and it was time to attempt to fit the new engine. Well thats really where the joy ended as I started to see there were multiple areas that the new engine would not fit. <br />
<br />
1. I was able to confirmed what I had heard from Lee Stohr about the main engine mounts being different on the 2004-2006 Yamaha R1 engines compared to the 1998-2003 engines.<br />
2. I was able to see that the spar also was not going to fit the new engine<br />
3. Much to my dismay that the oil pan of the original engines oil pan would not fit.<br />
<br />
So I knew this was going to be a costly investment but figured might as well just go for it after looking at and confirming the 2007 R1 engines mounts are the same meaning I had an upgrade path. So I fired up the trust Dremel and went to town. <img src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" style="display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;" class="emoticon" /> <br />
<br />
My first step was addressing the fact that the new engines rear top mount was now about one inch to wide on the right to fit the spar. Thus after some analysis I decided to cut it off to make it fit the spar as there was no structural integrity being compromised and my new engine cradle would be built to unstress these mounts. Much to my further dismay I found that Yamaha actually change the rear engine mount more than just making it wider on the top. They moved the bolt hole approximately 5-10mm closer to the engine meaning I have to weld and plug the spar complete with redrilling the mount hole in the spar. This picture shows the engine and spar mating after I modified the engine.<br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:31 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/04.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<!– s9ymdb:32 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/05.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
So next up was trying to actually fit the current engine into the car so that I could give the local race shop an idea of how everything would mount up by putting in some template mounts. Despite what I had heard from others the new engine was too wide to fit into the old cradle so out with the angle grinder and back to cutting off one side of the mounts. <br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:33 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/08.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
Once I got that done, placed the engine and rear spar into the car it was pretty clear the oil pan was not going to fit as it hit the floor. So since I was going to go dry sump anyway it was time to take the oil pan off and just put a simple seal on the engine bottom until Ken Taggert was able to ship me the new dry sump. <br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:34 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/11.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
Once that was done we spent the day before Christmas putting the engine back in the car and bolting her together as best as I could possibly given the limited mounting points that lined up. It was then all ready to head off to the chassis shop where she remains today. <br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:35 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/32.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
At the current moment the chassis is sitting on a chassis table, jigged up and ready to be re-welded while the shop finishes up a set of cars that is going to Barrett-Jackson. I hope to have the car back in the garage by the end of the month so that I can plumb everything back in with the new dry sump and move to single radiator. Should have that finished in February and I am hoping that the car will be starting and running in March. <img src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" style="display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;" class="emoticon" /> Fingers crossed!
Uncategorized
Got home from work today and what should appear in the entry way but a nice big brown box from the UPS man. I had to of course rip it open like a kid on Christmas and immediately try on my new lid. This Arai helmet is the highest quality helmet I have ever seen and I have seen a good deal. The fit and finish are excellent and it feels really light on my head which was really important to me. The visor mechanism is SOOO nice compared to my current helmet but no matter what I do I seem to fog up the visor so I am going to have to look into getting an anti-fog one before the season starts. Can imagine much worse than fogging up heading into the kink. <img src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" style="display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;" class="emoticon" /><br />
<br />
Next step is to shoot the helmet off to Mike Charness (http://www.helmet-painting.com/) to get her painted to look just like the Trackpedia helmet design contest winners vision. She should be once sweet looking lid as well as be comfortable as all hell on the track. Pictures below of the new helmet next to my current one and the new paint job (grey is chrome).<br />
<br />
A big thanks goes out to Tom Shelton Jr. for organizing the group buy of the helmets and putting up with all of us whining. <img src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" style="display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;" class="emoticon" /><br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:27 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/Helmet1small.jpg" alt="" /> <br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:29 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/Helmet5small.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:28 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/Helmet3small.jpg" alt="" /><br />
<br />
<!– s9ymdb:30 –><img width='800' height='600' style="border: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/uploads/Helmet005.jpg" alt="" />
Uncategorized
Happy New Year to everyone out there! I rung in the New Year watching the Chicago Bears get their asses handed to them by the Packers with my wife and dog. To tell you the truth it was a nice change from the usual bar scene. On New Years day here I spent my day out in the garage whipping the tow vehicle and my wifes car into shape. Took a good deal of time on my wifes Honda Accord rotating tires, changing oil and the usual jazz. <br />
<br />
Then it was on to the Toyota 4Runner which occupied the rest of the day up until the Rose Bowl began. Had to change plugs and went with the Bosch Platinum 2 plugs instead of the OEM NGK Iridiums, that I became very happy with when I ran them in the Ferrari, for no other reason than they cost 2 bucks a plug less and they were actually available locally today. Outside that I changed the oil, and dropped in a K&N filter while modifying the air box to remove the stupid noise screen they had in there…just want to get every last pony out of that V8. I think if I could every car I have I would screw with doing stupids little things to it to get more HP out of it. Next weekend is going to consist of changing the diff fluid and transfer case fluid, putting the new tires on the car after I picked up a nail over the holidays and then all thats left is brakes in the spring. Anyone have suggestions on pads? <br />
<br />
A much cooler post soon on taking the Stohr up to the local race shop to get the new engine cradle welded in. <img src="http://www.trackpedia.net/blogs/john/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png" alt=":-)" style="display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;" class="emoticon" /> Happy New Year again everyone!
Uncategorized