"This one goes to 11" - a BFW LS3 swap build
 

With all the recent time attack talk, I thought some of you guys would appreciate our most recent build.
It's a customer car that was built for fun and games, but we will be running it with GTA as well.

The car has a nicely built LS3 which the owner (also a forum member) is shooting for 550 WHP, so it should have plenty of get up and go.
There's a 20 point cage to keep the occupants safe and stiffen up the chassis and the safety setup is complete for both sides so that the brave (stupid?) soul in the right seat is just as well protected.
The list of modifications is far too long to remember in its entirety, everything is custom.
I'll let the pics do most of the talking, feel free to ask any questions!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e09f5a0843.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8d182ed79f.jpg


Slick looking racecar packs a lot punch and has the grip levels to take advantage of it.
Our custom Penske suspension combined w/ 15x11 6ULs and 275 Hoosiers all around delivers the goods!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e11080ec21.jpg

Tight fitment and proper geometry create a solid safety cell -
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...52e2169075.jpg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f930e8b54b.jpg

Party at the front -
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...20b38da519.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...541b440836.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...148c474556.jpg

Business in the back, the APR Performance GT-1000 swan neck wing was combined with our DRS which is controlled by the driver from the steering wheel -
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3156d0109f.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ba9b55393a.jpg

"Welcome to my office"
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2eb31b0d72.jpg

Well protected occupants in FIA rated Cobra Evolutions seats and Schroth 6 point harnesses, fire system bottle located nice and low -
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f893e292ec.jpg

Our new universal Carbon Fiber center console and an AEM Electronics CD-7L dash put all the info and controls at the driver's fingertips -
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2a9996420f.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f0bfa424cf.jpg

Custom sealed battery box for a little baby battery that weighs right around 3.5 Lbs -
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...24a17f8e4d.jpg

Custom heat shields double up over the Jet Hot coated headers -
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5fab4cc416.jpg

So many custom pieces in one detail shot - brake lines, fire system nozzle, heat shield, coil relocation bracket... the list goes on and on!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0d9c381106.jpg

A large funnel extractor helps the radiator shed the heat -
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0554d84ac1.jpg

Enjoy!

:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:

Is it a requirement to rivet the battery box down? Capture nuts or rivnuts in those locations obstructing something else? Awesome work, I'm sure I'll be referencing these images for years to come.

Those are button head bolts going into weld nuts.

That's a gorgeous race car, well done!

Honest question. How much does a cage like that cost? Is it in the $2k range, $3k range, $4-6k range?

Wow... just, wow! Not enough cats available... :likecat:

I was surprised by the stock brake master cylinder...??

This is one of the coolest cars I've ever seen. Hands down. Absolutely in awe at the attention to detail and absolute insane quality of work.

Hi Moti,
I've got a question - the fire suppression system pull lever location. It seems that it may be affected by a strong side impact in that location rendering it inoperable in case it gets sandwiched between door and safety cage, especially if the door moves. Wouldn't center mounting it make more sense and make it more reliable?

"More than you can afford pal."


That's into the 4k+ range easy.

^^^

The fire pull location was chosen to allow rescue crews an easy access, and if you notice there is another one on the other side of the car right behind the shoulder of the passenger (for the same reason).
It's unlikely that anyone will reach into the center of the car when it's on fire, so dual side pulls make more sense.
The pull is quite a bit inboard than the door bar, so even in a bad side impact it should be A-okay.

Moti and Steven did an absolutely amazing job on my car. It's truly a piece of art. The attention to details and quality surpassed my imagination. Blackbird Fabworx is the only shop I trust. They went above and beyond not only making a race car but a spectacular show piece. I am going to feel incredibly safe and comfortable anytime I drive this car.

Agreed, it's a very nice build. You've made a good choice on selecting the shop to get it done.

That's it? 4k isn't bad at all.

Have you guys had it on scales yet? I'm curious what the final weight came out to. This thing has to be terrifying to drive.

Guess I should have been more clear, I was thinking about the 'plus' part of the range... It's not $4k, not even close.
I do not quote custom projects online.
No one who actually paid for any of those big jobs needs to have the cost published.

pdexta, we scaled it at 2376 Lbs which is pretty damn light considering it has a 20 point cage, big wheels and tires, big aero and safety setup for both sides.
It's especially good when you realize that the body is mostly Steel, you can take out of it ~45-50 Lbs just by switching the doors alone.

Anyone have gear dependent tractive force/grip threshold limits for a build like one posted?

Hey Moti, terrific work as usual.

Were the splitter rods necessary here? I know you guys like to tuck it behind the bumper whenever possible.
It looks awesome... it would look even more awesome without them.
:inout:

You're right, we typically brace the splitter behind the bumper, but the customer wanted the splitter to be easy to remove w/o removing the bumper, so this was the compromise we made.