Couple of track mods

[greygt3]

I'm always concerned about going to the track with the radiators completely unprotected. Stones and rubber come flying at the car continuously so it's pretty easy to damage one of the radiators. My previous track cars were GT3's, before they started coming with radiator mesh protection. I took the time to pull the nose cap off and install a stainless wire mesh to prevent any damage. The mesh is fine enough that it doesn't seem to effect coolant temps due to airflow reduction. I decided to give the ACR the same treatment. The install doesn't look as clean as my GT3's because the entire opening isn't covered. The radiator doesn't go full width and there are a couple of obstructions preventing full width coverage. This was my first attempt with this car and it has not been track tested yet. I'm going to COTA for three days May 6-8 so that should answer any questions about coolant temps. I can see why these cars run hot because the opening isn't very large considering the amount of HP this motor puts out. The little squirrel motors in my GT3's had a lot more air going through those radiators, probably why they NEVER got hot on track.

I also could see that the fender lip directly behind the front and rear wheels was going to get hammered with rocks as well. I bought a piece of ABS plastic and made some shields which seem to be working perfectly.

Dean

[ViperPete]

Looks great!

Love the innovation!

Isn't a hole in the radiator the reason the Viper didn't win at Sebring recently??

[FLATOUT]

Lemans last year.

Dean glad to see Morgans tips for removing the fascia paid off. Looks good.

Andy



Looks great!

Love the innovation!

Isn't a hole in the radiator the reason the Viper didn't win at Sebring recently??

[greygt3]

Andy it turned out to be easier than I thought, I had it off in thirty minutes. Putting it back on was harder. BTW it didn't have any shims on the mounting holes.

Thanks for your help and thank the magician Morgan as well.

[BlknBlu]

ACRX's had a radiator screen that may be adapted to a street car too.

Bruce

[PTP]

I like your ABS guards, I just ordered some to cut my own.

Keep us posted on your track temps with the mesh guard. I'm curious how it works out.

[AZTVR]

I have also seen a Viper at an HPDE track day have its oil cooler pierced by a piece of metal that had come off another car, so, I totally understand the issue. However, one thing that I would be concerned about is how much cooling airflow is restricted by that screen. There appears to be a lot of metal there. There is a thread by one GEN V owner having cooling issues on track where some suggested to reduce the OEM obstruction in that area, which is a solution that the Z06 guys have used with their overheating issues. Just keep that in mind if you experience cooling issues.

[99RT10]

Where did you pick up the wire mesh? Looks great.

[greygt3]

I bought the SS mesh at Pegasus.

[docwviper]

I'm always concerned about going to the track with the radiators completely unprotected. Stones and rubber come flying at the car continuously so it's pretty easy to damage one of the radiators. My previous track cars were GT3's, before they started coming with radiator mesh protection. I took the time to pull the nose cap off and install a stainless wire mesh to prevent any damage. The mesh is fine enough that it doesn't seem to effect coolant temps due to airflow reduction. I decided to give the ACR the same treatment. The install doesn't look as clean as my GT3's because the entire opening isn't covered. The radiator doesn't go full width and there are a couple of obstructions preventing full width coverage. This was my first attempt with this car and it has not been track tested yet. I'm going to COTA for three days May 6-8 so that should answer any questions about coolant temps. I can see why these cars run hot because the opening isn't very large considering the amount of HP this motor puts out. The little squirrel motors in my GT3's had a lot more air going through those radiators, probably why they NEVER got hot on track.

I also could see that the fender lip directly behind the front and rear wheels was going to get hammered with rocks as well. I bought a piece of ABS plastic and made some shields which seem to be working perfectly.

Dean

What thickness ABS did you get to match up with the rock guards made by one of our forum members and sold through wood house?

[ViperPete]

What thickness ABS did you get to match up with the rock guards made by one of our forum members and sold through wood house?

I've got the rock guards from Woodhouse. Great fitment and price.

[docwviper]

I've got the rock guards from Woodhouse. Great fitment and price.

That's what I have installed. Looking to do what the poster did and extend it further upward for more coverage.

[greygt3]

I made my own from scratch. They stick out from the body so they catch a lot more material then the Woodhouse guards. It's .25" ABS sheet thats super cheap on eBay.

[docwviper]

I made my own from scratch. They stick out from the body so they catch a lot more material then the Woodhouse guards. It's .25" ABS sheet thats super cheap on eBay.

But how did you cut it to shape. I guess that's my question. It looks like you have a nice smooth edge.

[Pappy]

I took a hard look tonight and as far as I can see, the only things exposed to frontal impact are the air conditioner condenser and the power steering cooler. The radiator is pretty well protected behind the condenser and the oil cooler is a liquid-to-liquid cooler behind the radiator at the front-right corner of the motor. It would be nice to protect the condenser, but not as critical as the radiator. As an aside, you will find that the finer mesh, the more it will restrict airflow since the "free-flow area" is less with the finer mesh.

Pappy

[greygt3]

But how did you cut it to shape. I guess that's my question. It looks like you have a nice smooth edge.

I made a template out of paper and then cut the ABS. I filed the edges so the contour would match the car shape. Yep I have several hours into this and several editions were made.