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"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:
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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.
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Originally Posted by 90civichhb
(Post 1511545)
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.
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That's a gorgeous race car, well done!
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Honest question. How much does a cage like that cost? Is it in the $2k range, $3k range, $4-6k range?
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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.
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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? |
Originally Posted by shuiend
(Post 1511557)
Honest question. How much does a cage like that cost? Is it in the $2k range, $3k range, $4-6k range?
That's into the 4k+ range easy. |
Originally Posted by shuiend
(Post 1511557)
Honest question. How much does a cage like that cost? Is it in the $2k range, $3k range, $4-6k range?
Originally Posted by Arca_ex
(Post 1511597)
"More than you can afford pal."
That's into the 4k+ range easy.
Originally Posted by 2slow
(Post 1511595)
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? 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.
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Agreed, it's a very nice build. You've made a good choice on selecting the shop to get it done.
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Originally Posted by Arca_ex
(Post 1511597)
"More than you can afford pal."
That's into the 4k+ range easy. |
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.
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Originally Posted by Erat
(Post 1511634)
That's it? 4k isn't bad at all.
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?
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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.
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Lightning fast response! haha. thanks for the clarification.
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Did you end up going with an accusump or dry sump setup on this car? Seems like it would definitely need it.
Holy hell that is a gorgeous car and the work is top notch. |
We installed a baffled oil pan for now. We plan to go with a dry sump system in the future
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Beautiful car you have!
I've built four LS3 Miatas and all had oiling issues with baffled pans; even on relatively low grip tires like the Maxxis RC-1. We've since converted them to dry-sump with parts sourced from Aviaid - all good now! We did change to a manual steering rack to get a bit extra pan clearance so that we could run an OTS low-profile pan that was already in Aviaid's catalog. -Aaron |
so... when is it going to 12?
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The car is getting all the wiring done currently, we typically would sub these things out because our time is better spent on fabrication (like our N1000RR project that has been getting lots of lovin' lately), at any rate the guy that is working on it came highly recommended so I'm looking forward to see the result.
Slim chances of car making it to SLB in COTA at this point... We've been hoping but the timeline that was announced is just super tight and we won't tow this baby all the way to Texas untested. |
Meaty McMeatster came back for a brief visit this week, turns out that open X-pipe does not muffle the sounds of anger coming from the reworked LS3 quite enough.
Exhaust system extended, mufflers added, bumper cut and Titanium heat shields were added. And while we're on the subject of things that are not enough, it also turned out that 15x11 with 275 Hoosiers didn't quite cut it, so we made room in the back for 15x12 with 295 Hoosiers. The struggle is real! :giggle: https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...36d483c12e.jpg |
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This car is awesome!
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What's up with the rear shocks on that thing? Inverted? Penske's?
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Is it safe to say that this one goes to 12 now?
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We did go to 12's in the back, so I guess so :)
Hector, yes. Inverted Penskes of my design. |
Fantastique!
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That is a gorgeus car.
It's nice to have confirmation up above that the dry sump setup will fit. I have an LS3 in my street Miata and worry a bit about oil starvation if I ever track it. My car is on 225s and no aero partly to prevent overstressing the oiling system of the LS3. It's primarily a street car, not a track car. |
Pretty high praise for your work!
Looks like a hoot drive. |
Yeh saw the vid pop up on Reddit. Film doesn't show it as well as Motti's photos to be honest but nice to see it moving though.
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