About NASA racing

[racerb]

Hey a good freind of mine is building an American Iron Mustang for NASA, but is concerned about the fact that the local region does standing starts. Does anyone know if this is NASAs normal operating procedure or just around here. I'm wanting to attend some of their performance schools with him, but don't want him to get turned off by the standing start thing. Their performance schools are a fairly cheap way to get track time, so just need to know whats going to happen when it's time to go racing.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

I race in SCCA but I pit crew for my friend in Nasa Honda Challeng. I try to keep up with AI as much as I can, Most of the tracks here in SoCal do rolling starts but some of the guys that run the nationals tell me that on the east coast they do standing starts.

[racerb]

Hey man it's great to finally see an IT Celica on track, as the last one I ever saw, was in the early 90s at Charlotte Motorspeedway. That car was from the northern US and only ran with us a few times, never to be seen again. I am building my car from scratch, as I have done with my other two IT machines. My first was an '76 Honda Civic ITC with a '84 Nissan Pulsar ITC my second and most resent, as I sold it in 2000. I actually raced that car for six years her in the southeast, running both sprints and enduro races. I am not sure but I believe I've seen your car in Sportscar magazine before in the classified section. I am building my car using two Celica bodies, one a GTS donor car, the other a GT, which will be the actuall IT machine. The GT is a non sunroof, non electric anything car ie. already lighter than the GTS. I will be using the up-date back-date rules to the max.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

Thanks, and good luck on your car. I bought the car from my friend two years ago. He raced it in SoCal ITA for about 10 years. He has some business deal with Euro Sport so his going to race a VW. I got the car from him very cheap because he blew the motor. I got a JDM motor did the tune up and I was on the track with it.

[racerb]

Hey what type of suspension are you running, I'm planning to build mine using Koni inserts, Dave Turner coil-overs, and Cusco camber plates. I will more than likely use the Whiteline 18mm rear bar and Fensport bushings with a few home made nylotron peices to fill in the areas not covered by their fitments. I'm going to have to experiment with the front, as my other front drive cars worked better with no front swaybar (less push in the turns) at all. As for springs, I've used Suspension Spring Specialist springs for years with great results, and probably will use them on this car too.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

I'm using Bilstein inserts right now but I dont like it. Go with Koni and make sure to sevalve them. Everything on the car is made by TRD. It looks like they costume made most of the parts for the car. As soon as I get my Digi cam working I can take pictures for you. Im using 500lb springs up in the front and 400lb in the back with the TRD 20mm sway bar. and make sure to use SS brake lines, it made a world of differnce on my cars braking

[racerb]

Yea I'm already using the G-Stop SS brakelines with Russell speedbleeders. I was looking at possibly running 600lb. springs up front with like 450-500lbs in the rear, as I ran 350 and 275s on my Pulsar which only weighed 2080lbs with driver. What tires do you run, I've been using Toyo RA-1s for many years and will most likely still run them on the Celica. I am debating on the coil-overs and camber plates, as I just talked to Ground-Control today and they were very helpful and easy to get along with. The Cusco plates are made just for our cars, but don't have caster adjustment, and thats major for roadracing.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

The only reson why i did not go to 600lb springs on the front is because of my shocks. If you get a good set of koni I would say that go with the 600s. As you alrady know that the min wheigh on our car is 2680lb. Its in the SCCA rule book, my car stands at 2720 right now. As for my tires, I used the RA1s also but my last set was the Kumho Victoracer V700. I like the Kumho but I only got 3 weekends out of it. With the RA1s I get 4 or 5. I did not know that Ground-Control made coil-overs for 4th gen, keep me inform about this I might get ride of mine and get GC.

[racerb]

Yea according to the guys at Ground-Control, they don't have a 4th gen specific camberplate, but asked me to send a shock tower template so they either match up a universal plate or make a new one. I'm hoping they will have a universal that will fit, as this was the case with my Pulsar, as it took the same plate as an early RX-7. Yea I also was happier with the Toyo for their longevity, because we would get several spint races and a few 1 1/2 hr enduros out of them. About the weight on our cars, I've looked. at the 2004 GCR a hundred times and wondered why it lists the '89 modal so differently, when it's basically the same as the '86-'88 modals. Call me crazy but it's just too obviouse a difference in most all specs listed.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

I think who ever did the rule book thinks the 89 is the same as the 91+ model Celica. This is the only reson that I can come up with. I been trying to get the weight down a little, but no one cares about the Celica because every one cries about Hondas. My friends 1992 Integra also an ITA car, kicks my ass all around the track and its all legal IT car, the weight is 2480 on the Integra but they make the same power even a little more from the B18A motor. I'm trying to get the Celica the same weight but its not working. I'm also thinking of using 15" X7 rims so I can run 225 tires, what do you think?

[racerb]

Yea I've thought about running the 15s also, but had already bought two sets of 14s, wheels and tires both. As you've probebly noticed, SCCA has been good about feeding use just a little more rope every couple of years, just to bring us closer to real racecars. But I'm always a day behind on getting the news, so I've spent money just to find I could have done things differently. I'm not complaining, cause for years we've asked for these changes, it's just the timing never seems right. I'm more than likely going to spend alittle more time prepping this car, just to take advantage of every new rule. As for the weight issue, at 2680 that puts our cars minimum at 2500, well I weigh 210lbs, so the Celicas going on a major diet.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

Me and you weigh the same. I also have to put my car on a diet. I also like to know is the N/A Mr2 91+ finel shorter then the Celicas, if so I'm going to open one up to see if the gears are inner changeble. I also want to run a weld diff on my car just because the KAAZ LSD is $970 and its a clutch type.

[racerb]

Hey check the aftermarket modification forum page 2, Jeremy tells about a S-53 to S-54 tranny swap. It consists of trading parts between the two, and using the newer casing with better clutch cable adjustment. As far as welding up the differential, I don't recommend it, as it makes the car almost impossible to drive at lower speeds. I'm going to use the Phantom-Grip LSD, which sells for $399 and works great, as I ran one for several years in my Nissan. It is availible with two different spring kits, with I believe the gold set being for racing.

racerb

[ITAcelica]

I asked a lot of people about the Phantom-grip and they all told me the same thing, dont waste your money. But the people where Honda racers and VW racers. I really have to do somthing with my tranny because I'm grinding 3rd, worn syncros Im guessing. I just wish Quaife can make somthing for the Celica, we had good luck with it on my friends ITA Integra for over 2 years.

[racerb]

I'm not sure where the problem occures, but I've heard others give bad reveiws of the Phantom-Grip. I do know of several drivers, myself included, thats had good luck with them. You might want to check with Tom Fowler at (opmautosports.com), he possibly has a unit for our cars, or could get one. I did talk to a sales rep. at Toysport, who said they have a TRD unit for around $800, not a bad price for TRD anything

racerb