ROLL CAGE KITS VS A SCRATCH BUILT CAGE?

We have been building roll cages for race cars at Vorshlag for more than a dozen years, and it is never fun. It is very time consuming, involves a lot of engineering for layout and material choices, takes real math and measurement during construction, tube bending and notching, then a good bit of welding. We wrote about the costs of a building a proper roll cage back in 2015 in this thread, and it has racked up 25K reads. There were a number of shop owners who reached out and said they raised their prices after reading this, and the text we wrote even ended up verbatim on somebody’s website…

Over the past few years in this industry, something has changed – a select few Motorsports fabricators have fully embraced modern technology with and 3D scans of cages, CAD designed tubing, and CNC bent + notched “cage kits”. We have utilized “cage kits” here at Vorshlag in the past, but our latest experience with a kit from Trackspec Motorsports for our shop 2015 Mustang “Trigger” was an amazing experience. We wrote up some of our experiences in this updated forum post.

Everything from the kit just fit perfectly – every tube was bent to fit tightly to the chassis every notch lined up with the marks on the tubes with very tight gaps, and over the course of 15 hours logged we had the floor prepped, plinth blocks placed, and the entire cage installed and tack welded! That included some tricky dash cuts for the A-pillar pass-thrus, shown in the video below.

We managed to get some good images and video clips over the 2.5 days spent prepping the chassis and installing the Trackspec S550 cage kit, which you can see in this 7 minute video. Then we added to our original “roll cages cost money” forum post with additional content on this and another cage kit install we had done on an E46 coupe. We do not have the “right fabricator” on staff to scratch build a roll cage to this level of quality, so for the foreseeable future we will be using pre-bent cage kits for all of the race cars we build. Using one of these CNC built kits saves time, saves money, and gets you a more consistently high quality / tighter fitting cage than a scratch built cage could hope for.

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Project #Trigger Mustang – Summer 2023 Progress!

The latest update to the Forum Build Thread for our 2015 Mustang Trigger is a huge 5 part entry. In that we cover work from June through August 2023 – where a LOT of upgrades, testing, an autocross, and finally some actual Time Trial competition – and even the car’s first win. That build thread also covers other work we’ve done on other S550 Mustangs, and even the work on our S650 Darkhorse.

With the massive 112mm throttle body the “throttle response” was absolutely brutal, and keeping the car pointed straight when tipping into or out of the power was a delicate dance. It was costing us a LOT of time on track so we made some drastic changes – removing the BTR Trinity intake and 112 TB and going to a “known quantity” MSD Atomic and 103mm TB. the smaller TB would choke off power but it should also make the car much easier to drive.

That intake swap fixed a lot of the drivability issues (and lost all of 7 hp), but we were fighting a low oil pressure situation after long left hand turns on track – and when pressure would dip below 38 psi a safety protocol in the tune would trigger a sort of rev limiter until oil pressure returned. We fought this issue for 2 months (and with as bad as the Holley data is, it was hard to even pinpoint the cause for a few events) and tried a lot of fixes to the GM LS7 based “Dry sump” oil system (we fixed it later by going to an external 4 stage dry sump pump and new pan).

We cover dozens of worthwhile updates in this 5 part Forum Post, like this driver cooling system from dfuser.com. That helped get us through those hot summer Time Trial events! But we fought major issues with Holley EFI and dash, an Optima battery, and more. We show hundreds of pictures and over a dozen videos in the coverage this time.

This couple of months of work on Trigger were INTENSE in the shop, with our shop manager Brad doing all of the work, but also working with engineering team, outside tuners, and everyone who worked at the track with this car. It might seem like I was a little frustrated when writing this five part Forum entry, just know that LIVING these months of struggle was much worse!

Hopefully some of you can learn from our mistakes and tests of new products from this difficult stint on this project. The next forum update will cover more fun things and a HUGE improvement in oil pressure, downforce (see above), and a major drop in lap times. I’m actually looking forward to writing the next entry – that’s when this car started REALLY kicking ass! Thanks for reading the coverage, even these un-fun parts, and hopefully we will see you at the track more in 2024!

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New S650 Mustang Darkhorse + Track Testing!

We got wind of the S650 Mustang Darkhorse more than a year ago and decided to order one in March of 2023, before the order banks opened. Our friends at Riser-Harness Ford helped us spec out the Race Red 2024 Darkhorse 6-speed below, which has all of the performance options and stickered at $67K. In this Project Introductory forum build thread post we explain the costs and compare them to the Shelby GT350, our 2018 “Poverty Spec” S550 Mustang GT, and the 2024 Mustang GT Brembo and PP versions.

On October 8th our car arrived right at the race track, and with 5 miles on the odometer out on track we went, taking 5 sessions with 4 drivers that day. The initial lap times from this Track Test #1 were pretty dang good, and the DH outmatched the Race Red 2024 Mustang GT “Brembo” package car that Corey from Five Star Ford brought out that same day. We have data logged in-car videos of both cars from this test, as well as more DH videos from Test #2 and #3, all in this forum post.

And while this is one of the heaviest Mustangs we have weighed this side of a GT500, the on-track performance belies the mass and the amazing drive-by-wire brakes are simply outstanding. We share data from all 3 track tests showing incredibly high braking g forces. We also take a deep dive into the differences and similarities between the S550 and S650 Mustang chassis with respect to suspension, brakes and even wheel fitments. You can see that in the first part of this 4 part Forum Build Thread entry – and remember, every picture can be clicked for higher resolution images or even videos.

We added Vorshlag camber plates in Track Test #2 and SPL Parts lower front arms for even more camber in Track Test #3 (above), with lap times dropping each time and closing in on Porsche GT4RS and 911 GT3 times – all with just camber and some brake cooling. We get into a pretty deep dive on upcoming classes we are building towards with Amy Fair being the main driver for competition in the Darkhorse for the 2024 season. Take a read starting here and hopefully you will enjoy the ride!

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FINAL Updates to #ProjectNewBalance C6!?

A long overdue Forum Build Thread update covers the last 2 months of competition and test events we ran in #ProjectNewBalance, our narrow body C6 Corvette that we worked on in 2021 and campaigned in SCCA and NASA TT in 2022. The forum post is a big 3 parter, so go grab a snack and login on a device with a larger screen – as every image can be clicked for higher resolution pictures or videos.

In addition to the track tests and Time Trials, we also cover many months of development work to the C6 and our biggest single break-through yet – front brake cooling. This was a game changer for this car, and remember – we also had an ABS swap (Mk60) and ran three different brake systems (base, Z51 and C6 Z06 brakes). No other single brake system mod made a bigger difference then this, and its a simple upgrade. Wish we had done this sooner! Live and learn…

The Forum Update also goes over a bunch of power upgrades we did after securing the Tuner2 Texas Region championship for 2022, and these changes (heads / cam / intake / cold air / new headers / tune) netted an 80 whp gain on the dyno. We show the way that we built the exhaust to keep it all quiet, too.

Finally, this “final” update shows all of the paint and prep that went into making this C6 have a car show level finish, with 60% of the body repainted, plus loads of detail work done in early 2023. This all came together in a “car for sale page” that worked well, and this C6 sold quickly.

But fear not – we now have merged our C5 and C6 development threads into this one mega thread and will update it more, like when our all carbon C6 Z06 comes into the shop (soon) and gets a more aggressive TT build than any other car we have built in the last 20 years at Vorshlag. Stay tuned for more!

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Project #Trigger Mustang – 5 Part Forum Update!

The latest entry into our Forum Build thread for our LS550 swap test mule is live, and it is a huge one. This 5 part update covers work we completed on Terry’s 2015 Mustang GT #Trigger, from January through June 2023, where we ran had some “not great luck” and had to make some pretty big changes, but eventually we got the car on track.

Losing the 6.3L engine on the dyno was bad stroke of luck, and wrecked our 2023 Time Trial season plans. After a generous gift from Vorshlag co-owner Amy, her HPR built 454″ dry sumped LS engine was now part of Terry’s Mustang build! We rushed to get that in the car, then stumbled with some major delays getting some parts that we thought we needed to make “big power” on this big engine.

We spent about 8 weeks making this manifold fit this engine with a bigger 112mm throttle body, which (along with some other associated problems) made for a pretty terrible-to-drive setup – small throttle input changes made for WILD power applications – and frankly did not make very much power over the standard plastic long runner intakes and the 103mm throttle bodies (we have since switched to an MSD intake and found major improvements). Oh well, live and learn – and share those lessons!

This forum update covers the end of the 6.3L and the birth of the 7.4L, which took a bit of doing: a new dry sump oiling system, a lot of testing and tuning, tweaks and repairs. This post gets us to the end of June 2023, where we completed the first track test of this car with the 454″ engine. There is still more of this build to cover, but we will tackle that another time. Remember that each picture in the Forum Build Thread can be clicked for higher rez versions or even videos, so if you have a larger computer screen to view the Forum on, that works best. Thanks for reading!

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Forum Updates on #ProjectNewBalance C6!

The latest 3-part update to the Forum Build Thread for our 2006 Corvette is up and covers lots of work done to this TRUE dual purpose street/track car from August through October of 2022.

Updates included 6/4 piston C6 Z06 calipers and rotors, some tie rod heat shields, TWO Mk60 ABS upgrades / tests, 295mm Hoosier R7 vs new Yokohama A052 testing, custom machined some wheels at Vorshlag, and made changes to the coolant reservoir location for more front tire clearance.

We also ran the C6 in a LOT of Time Trial events in that time period, plus our first autocross – where we took 1-2 in class and Amy crushed it in the PAX finish and raw time placement. We made almost zero changes from the Time Trial to Autocross setups and it worked SUPER well.

We ran out of time to cover the November-December months, but in the end this C6 put in 18 of the 30 track or autocross events we did in 2022 – and we had fun the whole time! Next time we will cover even more updates, more events, some paint work, and more. You can read the latest Forum Build Thread entries here. Thanks for reading!

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2023 BRZ – New Parts & Build Thread Update!

We have been busy building / buying / testing new parts for the 2nd gen 86, including multiple sets of wheels and tires since the December update. We have also done Track Test #3 through #5 as well as two more Time Trials. We cover all of this and more in the latest Forum Build Thread update starting here!

Major suspension changes to our 2023 BRZ happened over the past few months, including MCS remote double adjustable coilovers, Whiteline bushings, Hotchkis swaybars, and RacerX rear upper control arms. We had some other updates along the way including three different types of Track extraction tow hooks, a custom EcuTek dyno tune, trailer tie down tips, an oil catch can, a throttle pedal pad extension, and more.

We have now run this car in 4 different competition groups & classes – three Time Trial orgs and one autocross group. In the latest update we also discuss what series we are building around predominantly (SCCA Time Trial T3 class) and why. Lots of data is shared, our 86 lap time list with in-car videos is updated, and a ton of technical pictures from product installation to repairs are added. Every picture can be clicked for a higher rez version, so if you can view this thread on a PC with a proper screen, that’s always better. Thanks for reading!

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Project #Trigger – Our S550 Mustang RUNS!

The last four months of work on our 2015 Mustang LS swap test mule was the most intense period yet, and updating the Forum Build Thread took a solid 24 hours of typing, sorting pictures, and performing edits over the past 2 weeks. This four part mega-update to the Forum Build Thread starts here.

Since late August 2022 our crew finished all a ton of wiring, added fluids, built front ducting, added sensors, added fluids, mounted an AiM then Holley digital dash (ugh), programmed the Accusump, made the EPAS rack work, got the engine fired up, fixed a slave cylinder/clutch stop issue, made the center stack dash panel, added SPL rear upper arms, tackled some ABS swap work, got the car aligned, made a new shifter, added some more gauges, and had the first dyno session.

Covering all of that work this time includes a forum update more than 250 pictures, some videos, and about 40,000 words. This is best read this update on a computer with a proper screen, and each picture can be clicked for a higher rez version. Enjoy! #Trigger

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New Year / New Update: Cadillac CTS-V Post!

As 2023 rolls around we just finished a big Forum Build Thread update on a popular customer car build – this 2004 Cadillac CTS-V, which left the shop some months back. We are trying to keep up with all of our forum build updates and this one was the next in line.

This massive 3-part Forum Thread Update covers work we completed on this CTS-V from May through December of 2021. This included finishing up wiring, plumbing and a digital dash (or two!) install to allow the HPR 383″ LS6 to be able to fire up with the Holley Terminator X EFI system. Read about all of the “fun” we had with Holley EFI in this post. We fought a long battle but fired up the engine successfully in August of ’21

Getting past that milestone allowed us to focus the next phase of work – including a rebuild of the Ohlins coilovers + reservoir mounts, a new 1-piece driveshaft, then some front aero work. The aero bits needed included on front flares (to clear 18×11″ wheels and 315mm front tires) and a custom front splitter. We attached the splitter using rear quick release latches and front splitter struts from Professional Awesome. We go into major detail on this forum update showing the steps needed to mount the splitter.

We hope you enjoy reading the forum thread – the latest entry is linked here – and we will have another one to read on this build shortly. So many builds, just never enough time to share content. Have a great 2023 and we hope our documented builds inspire you to build your own race car!

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86 Development Forum Build Thread Update!

After an entry to our 10+ year old 86 Development Forum Build Thread back in May of 2022, we have a major update posted in December showing the first mods and first three track tests in our 2nd gen 2023 BRZ! You can start reading the big 3-part update starting here.

We already had a gaggle of parts waiting for the BRZ before it even arrived, and in this installment we show the installation of much of the parts shown above. We also didn’t waste any time getting to the track, and arrived at our first Motorsport Ranch baseline stock test with 130 miles on the odometer! We have since run two tests on that track and another at Eagles Canyon Raceway (below) – where we had the car log booked and teched for NASA TT5 competition.

We didn’t leave out thew 1st gen 86 cars in this Forum Update, and in fact managed to get to drive this 1st gen 2020 Toyota GT86 (shown below) on two different occasions at ECR. It was nice seeing a consistent 3 second lap time drop on this car (from multiple drivers) driving it “bone stock” then adding Vorshlag camber plates, both times on a consistent set of 225mm Hankook RS4 tires and PFC pads. Those test lap videos are also included in this update. And then to drive our 2nd gen 2023 BRZ there – which utterly obliterated those 1st gen times!

There are tons of pictures of parts, parts being installed, and both cars and parts being weighed, plus more technical information about both the 1st and 2nd gen 86 models – including what previous Subaru chassis / suspensions they were derived from. If you ever thought about buying one of these lightweight, Rear Wheel Drive “86” coupes, do yourself a favor: grab a frosty beverage, boot up a computer with a high rez screen, and dig into the build thread starting here. Each image in the forum post can be clicked for higher resolution versions. Thanks for reading!

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