Stuff I am working on
 

Just wanted to share some photos with you. I sourced some used black calipers, but they were pretty scuffed up so we repainted - not the correct stickers :eek:. I could not bring myself to paint the Aston red calipers.

Anyone with KW experience - can you point us in the right direction for street setup?

How stiff to set for the track?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...7432e09c99.jpg

Some beautiful stuff - thank you Stuart
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...79de47c0d0.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...584f459999.jpg

Andrews Chromes - going to run them on the street - gloss black center caps with gloss black lug nuts - coolest bling ever.

I painted my 7 spokes, but wish I had not. May repaint them to original silver, but these chromes are over the top.

No one (except one of you) will ever see the stickers - the chrome will be blinding. :)

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...e1eb4cb5bf.jpg


LED with VHT - very nice. Most likely will put on the rear. You can just see the cold air hose to the filters - this will be replaced with black
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...5b55ee5029.jpg

Modified these flanges to go behind the grill. They pick up cold air and dump to filter area. Radius-ed the inside corners and they get painted black with black hose to filters. Still trying to figure out how to cool the brakes. Aston made this challenging.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...52aec1f37b.jpg

Rear spoiler from RSC. CF, but will have painted. I am unsure if black or gray. We need to get it back on the ground at ride height and then decide on color.

Gene working on the car - he is a hot rodder and does incredible things.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...583a03506c.jpg

chr

Nice. Always appreciate people sharing with pics. Usually ends up costing us a bit with the - I want that too - syndrome.

Don't I know it. :D

I am anxious to get the ride height set and get it off the rack so we can really see it. Our plan is to get the suspension set with everything re-assembled and some miles before we start the exhaust. I think we will have to get ourselves psyched up to start that.

chr

Airbox system removal
 

Era, Your first picture in this thread illustrates how clean the under headlight areas become without the airboxes...outstanding.

Questions:
1. Is it possible to remove the airboxes without removing the bumper fascia? The bumper fit on my 2007 V8V is exceptional. I do not want to disturb it if it can be avoided.
2. Can the air induction tubing, from center of grille to air box input, be similarly removed and snaked out without pulling the fascia?
3. I just relooked at your air filter stabilizer drawing and assembly pictures in No airboxes=More power thread. Will you sell fabricated sheet aluminum stabilizer parts?

I am no racer, but I think I need Carroll Smiths books...Maybe Santa?

Love all the unique stuff you're doing with this! Can't wait to see what else you come up with!


1) Yes, you can remove the airboxes without removing the front fascia. There are a few bolts around the airbox that hold it in place - three, I think. The MAF housing tube is a twist-lock, you'll need to disconnect that as well. IIRC, the inlet hose (going into the airbox from the grill) is just a slip-in, so it's not actually fastened to the airbox, but I might be wrong on that.

2) If that's possible, you'll probably have to do it from the front. Remove the grill and then you'll have access to the inlet:


Once the grill is out of the way, you'll have access to just about everything. However, getting the intake inlet out from behind the front bumper armature might be the challenge (just a guess, I haven't tried removing it yet). You can see the inlet in the video above, it's right there in the Youtube preview image, too.

Thanks - I will feel a lot better when we start it and there is no CEL to chase :eek: We fit the liners several times to check for clearance.

Questions:
1. Is it possible to remove the airboxes without removing the bumper fascia? The bumper fit on my 2007 V8V is exceptional. I do not want to disturb it if it can be avoided.

We did not pull the bumper cover and I agree panel fitment from Aston is outstanding. That said, the way it is assembled I would not be scrared to pull the cover. Even the liners align and re-align perfectly. It is a beautifully built vehicle.

2. Can the air induction tubing, from center of grille to air box input, be similarly removed and snaked out without pulling the fascia?

The tubing and box is manufactured in halves. The halves clip together and can be separated at the seam. We could not remove the tubes without doing this. Same with the box. Pulling the cover will not help here the front framework is the restraint.

3. I just relooked at your air filter stabilizer drawing and assembly pictures in No airboxes=More power thread. Will you sell fabricated sheet aluminum stabilizer parts?

I was hoping Rich would jump on that :)

I am no racer, but I think I need Carroll Smiths books...Maybe Santa?

"Tune to Win" and "Prepare to Win" are a good place to start. I still read them. A lot has changed over the years - then again a lot has not :cool:

chr

I'm starting up a "Garage Sale" section on my website soon. Trying to think of the best way to host and organize it, but basically it'll be a place to sell returned "open box" items, used parts, and possibly parts from people that come up with products like this. Making it work seamlessly is a lot more difficult than seem with lots of things to sort out before I launch it. I'll put something in my Redpants thread so I don't hijack yours!

Oh, kinda random but did you by chance weigh the original coilovers and KW ones? Wondering if there's a weight difference.

I did not weigh the KW. I will get you the weight of the OEM's.

I have spent more time than I care to admit weighing parts for my FIA Cobra and a considerable amount stripping weight out of the Mustang. The work you have done on weight reduction replicates a lot of what I have learned. Since this car really is for street I just follow your recommendations and look for low hanging fruit.

I am a big believer in reducing un-sprung weight since weight transferred to the outside tire is thru these components and is what ultimately over loads that tire. None of it matters really for the street, but put it on the track and drive to the limit and it is quite obvious.

The KW is built out of Stainless - I was a bit disappointed in this. I put Penskes on the FIA - they are aluminum and quite light. Half of the weight of the coilover is considered sprung - the other half un-sprung. That said, the KW should be very robust for street / occasional track.

The tire wheel combination is surprisingly heavy. The 10 spoke/PSS combination is within .5 lbs of the 7 spoke/Bridgestone combination. A set of factory magnesium 18"'s with the Michelin's would be fun on the track.

I ordered some magnesium wheels for my FIA. When all said and done I will have reduced un-spuing by 20lbs per corner (102 to 82lbs), 10lbs out of the linkage - 10 out of the wheels. It will have taken two and a half years of research, procurement, and fabrication to get there. The wheels are due in January and there is a chance they will not fit the brake package. :rolleyes:

I seriously appreciate your work on weight reduction. :cool: I'll get you the OEM's.

chr

Nitrons are considerably lighter than the factory pieces. But I did not weigh them... Sorry

Thanks and reflection
 

Era and Redpants, Thanks for your knowledge re removing air boxes and associated ducting. Era, Stuart at Velocity AP has a fix for your CEL instrument panel warning.

Agree with your positive comment on AM quality, Era. Materials are first class, well engineered and assembled. Plusses gained by the Vantage Program from following the DB9 with its aluminum Lotus assembly technology plus parts bin assistance and family relations from Ford corporate components, Jag, Volvo, etc., outweigh negatives of being 200+# too fat and electronic niggles that go on and on.

Weight crusaders like Redpants will resolve our fat issue...the tie in with Mercedes, plus the 10 years of electronics industry maturation and a complete vehicle development program, should fix electrical gremlins before they get to production.

Redpants, Garage Sale idea sounds like a winner. Maybe a franchised dealer or 2 would like to participate?

Merry Christmas to all, flinder.

OEM Coilover Weight
 

2006 OEM Front Coilover = 8.98 lbs
2006 OEM Rear Coilover = 10.99

Total - 39.94

I found the packing slip for KW - ship = 53 lb.

The box weighs 5lb so somewhere around 48 for all four.

Heavy, but control of the spring should be nice :cool:

chr

I purchased a splitter from RSC. We put it on a CMM and modeled it. I am thinking of having the skids machined out of UHMW. I am unsure of how the bumper cover works with all of this. Does the engine cover provide enough stiffness for the cover to survive? I am concerned about a vertical bending moment. Any of you have experience you can share on living with a splitter.

It may be we can only run on the track. We chose UHMW for its abrasion resistance and surprisingly lighter weight than alum.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...bab7070f7a.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...88b2cade32.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...a24679e651.jpg

bottom of splitter to act as skid.

x-chr

Great work but I'm not sure about putting chrome wheels on an Aston Martin.

LOL - I hear you - they are OEM from a DB9 of the same era. I am looking to source some of the 18" OZ wheels Aston runs on the race cars for the track, but I am thinking of running these on the street. :eek:

:D

x-chr

Depends on how the underside of that splitter is formed. On my VC splitter, the leading edge wraps down so a skid plate would have to be thick to provide any real protection.

Speedracer800 made a skid plate for his old DB9 (bought by SheriffDep a few months ago) and it worked really well. It came down below the front lip and wasn't compatible with the VC splitter that's now on the DB9.

I've left my VC splitter on since installing it, only scraped it once (sharp incline leaving a parking garage). I'm not tooooooo worried about it so long as I'm careful with slopes, and super careful when pulling into a parking spot facing a curb.

BC Forged makes some similar ones and I can source them.
http://www.bcforged-na.com/monoblock/rs43/

I've been running their RT50 wheels on my car and love them. They're tough, too. Two of my OEM wheels aren't even usable but the BC Forged are holding up fine despite taking more abuse.

What about a nice set of 20" DBS wheels? :p
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-plates/parts-and-accessories/aston-martin/aston-martin-20-dbs-alloys--wheels/6576244

the rs43 works for me - very nice - will you PM me with a quote for 19" stock width. Please push the wheels outboard with an appropriate offset to clone what you did on yours. I would like to get rid of my spacers if I can. I would be purchasing for street not track.

The 18" OZ used on the comp cars I believe are magnesium which is why I would want those for track wheels. If they are not that plan will need to be changed.

x-chr

Rich - please quote fully polished and bushed clear.


x-che

No problem! I'll send it over this evening!

Do any of you know the torque for the rear hubs? We had to swap out the studs to make the spacers work and are trying to finish the install.

Kanga - thanks for the tip on both - the OZ are magnesium?

x-chr

I can get you some of the OZ wheels if you're interested.

Thanks Stuart I was going to call you about that. Are they magnesium?

Side note = do you know the torque spec for the half shaft stub axle nut?

x-chr

Thanks Kanga had not seen your post when I asked Stuart.

\chr

Thanks Kanga -

We were headed for the machinist handbook.

chr

This should help..

awesome - thank you

chr

.
I am surprised as both seem heavy considering magnesium, but the diameters, widths, and offsets are larger than I am used to. Our 17x9 Enkei RPF1 weigh 16 lb

Some interesting stuff here

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265756

Kanga -

The comp cars used staggered wheel diameters front to rear? I noticed the different wheels, but did not realize they were of different diameter.

Do you have knowledge as to why this was done?
Do you know the aspect ratios used for the tires?
Were the cars lowered?
If so, by lowered spring perch, raised chassis pivots, or modified uprights?

I am trying to gain insight into the suspension geometry with respect to handling at the limit? My only experience is with a MacPherson SN95 Mustang and 1/2" is all you get without worsening or $$ to correct it.

I'd like to drop mine, but not at the expense of handling at the limit.

x-chr

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...f412712927.jpg

From your work under specification - duh

So what is with the 19 rear?

Yes Please! Would love to see the spring rates. Thanks Kanga!

This is very good news and of course I am quite interested in the spring rates. Between that and their weight I should have an idea what KW tried to do.

Do you know how much they were lowered?

Do you happen to know the motion ratios for the swing arms front and rear?

Do you happen to know the ride frequency of the comp cars and or the road cars ?

x-chr

The way of the universe - :D

email thru 6peed?

Very much appreciated

chr

Kanga - PM Sent

x-chr

THANKS Kanga! PM sent as well

We have been working on brake ducts. We looked at several solutions and are building around using the lower grill. The design for the rotor ducts comes from RoushGTR at corner-carvers. He posted this design years ago and I always wanted to try it. It seals the back of the rotor from the chaotic air inside the back of the wheel. This provides a clean air supply such that the cooling rate is even on both sides of the rotor.

We have some difficulties coming, but so far it seems promising. We are going to trying to use fixed tubing inside the liner that attaches to the chassis and screws to the liner with a flange. Flex tubing from the liner flange to the rotor duct.

This will allow us to change pads, fluid, add flex hose, and go to the track.

I sure hope it works :rolleyes:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...651b35cb22.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...1e8a357516.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...a66f6e1044.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...fe25721f02.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...e208d73fe4.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...5b402a3456.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...906faa1a59.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...e3837a8c03.jpg

We are on our 2nd revision of the backing plate ducting. Our first version could not be finished. Some years ago I purchased a copy of "Prepare to Win". In it is a section on forming aluminum on a wooden buck. I brought this to Genes attention last week and when I went to see him this morning I was quite surprised and pleased. He modified the backing plate and fabricated a wooden buck for the inlet. It took him some hours with a saw and a sander. We plan to hammer two shapes around it and then weld the halves together, but it may end up taking several pieces. The grill end is not close to being correct, but that should be fairly easy to correct.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...cbdd16adec.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...c273cf91d3.jpg



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...ea862ffefb.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...efc2e7be8b.jpg

I love seeing your projects. Too cool.

Thanks

I am quite fortunate to employ several very gifted fabricators.

chr