I have a GO KART NOW
The cobra is back and she can move on her own steam now thanks to G&S Autoworks http://www.gsautoworks.biz/gs.htm . I am so happy I brought my car there to get a good “once over” for a drivetrain and safety overview. Nick and Rob of G&S Autoworks are the most professional folks I have ever worked with in the automotive world. These guys are on top of their game. I received almost daily updates on the status of the car. They took the time to explain any mistakes they uncovered in my work, taught me about the right way to do it and all along, kept a picture diary of their work. All of this at no extra charge! Their work shop is surgically clean and their knowledge (based in racing all types of cars from track to quarter mile alcohol dragsters) of setting up cars right is top drawer. They have made me a customer for life and I wouldn’t hesitate sending anyone to their workshop. Additionally, they are the most reasonable in their pricing and you don’t get any surprises in your bill. The biggest lesson I learned from Nick and Rob is that there is a big difference between “assembling” and getting parts to “work” together. The best part about this lesson was that they did not make me feel stupid for my mistakes but used it as an opportunity to take a customer’s knowledge and grow it.
Here is what G&S did on my car:
Clutch System
The clutch fork was not on pivot and couldn’t be moved into the correct position. They removed transmission and checked the fork. They put the fork back in place for mock up and to check operation. The clutch fork was hitting bellhousing. They remove fork and re-contour sections of the clutch fork for clearance. Additionally they shimmed the fork pivot out. After this work, they were getting enough travel. The push slave cylinder on car has 1 1/16” bore with 1” master. This combo was not providing enough travel to disengage the clutch. They decided to switch slave cylinder back to the pull style with .880 bore. They also made-up a new hydraulic hose. At this point they adjusted the pedal assembly. Now getting enough travel, but has a heavy pedal feel. Car has heavy pressure plate- G&S suggested that I switch to a diaphragm style with internal slave cylinder. I decided to stay with this set up to see if I can live with it; worse case, switch it out later. There was also an issue with the top loader. It appears that the shift linkage rods do not fit right. G&S re-bent the rods and align linkage. They also painted them. Another issue they discovered was that the input shaft was painted (shaft that the throw out bearing sits on). They stripped the paint off.
other work.
1. Check and adjust brake bias – got to 54.5% front 45.5% rear. Note: May need to change master to get more adjustment.
2. Front coil-overs need lower mounting washers on both sides of mount – car has one. Remove both front lower control arms and clearance mounts. Right side arm needs new mounting spacer where it mounts to chassis. Fabricated new spacer.
3. Check steering rack for center. Re-center. Reposition steering wheel. Re-index tie-rods.
4. Alternator too close to engine. Check belt alignment. Shim out 1/8”.
5.Check engine adjustments – carb timing.
Work that needs to be done later.
1. Ride heights/corner weight/alignment/track width.
2. Set pinion angle.
3. Index all rod ends and tighten jam nuts.
All in all, these guys were very thorough. They assess the situation, create a plan, educate you about the plan, give you updates through out and then tell you next steps. Now I feel good about putting the body on the car.
The cobra is back and she can move on her own steam now thanks to G&S Autoworks http://www.gsautoworks.biz/gs.htm . I am so happy I brought my car there to get a good “once over” for a drivetrain and safety overview. Nick and Rob of G&S Autoworks are the most professional folks I have ever worked with in the automotive world. These guys are on top of their game. I received almost daily updates on the status of the car. They took the time to explain any mistakes they uncovered in my work, taught me about the right way to do it and all along, kept a picture diary of their work. All of this at no extra charge! Their work shop is surgically clean and their knowledge (based in racing all types of cars from track to quarter mile alcohol dragsters) of setting up cars right is top drawer. They have made me a customer for life and I wouldn’t hesitate sending anyone to their workshop. Additionally, they are the most reasonable in their pricing and you don’t get any surprises in your bill. The biggest lesson I learned from Nick and Rob is that there is a big difference between “assembling” and getting parts to “work” together. The best part about this lesson was that they did not make me feel stupid for my mistakes but used it as an opportunity to take a customer’s knowledge and grow it.
Here is what G&S did on my car:
Clutch System
The clutch fork was not on pivot and couldn’t be moved into the correct position. They removed transmission and checked the fork. They put the fork back in place for mock up and to check operation. The clutch fork was hitting bellhousing. They remove fork and re-contour sections of the clutch fork for clearance. Additionally they shimmed the fork pivot out. After this work, they were getting enough travel. The push slave cylinder on car has 1 1/16” bore with 1” master. This combo was not providing enough travel to disengage the clutch. They decided to switch slave cylinder back to the pull style with .880 bore. They also made-up a new hydraulic hose. At this point they adjusted the pedal assembly. Now getting enough travel, but has a heavy pedal feel. Car has heavy pressure plate- G&S suggested that I switch to a diaphragm style with internal slave cylinder. I decided to stay with this set up to see if I can live with it; worse case, switch it out later. There was also an issue with the top loader. It appears that the shift linkage rods do not fit right. G&S re-bent the rods and align linkage. They also painted them. Another issue they discovered was that the input shaft was painted (shaft that the throw out bearing sits on). They stripped the paint off.
other work.
1. Check and adjust brake bias – got to 54.5% front 45.5% rear. Note: May need to change master to get more adjustment.
2. Front coil-overs need lower mounting washers on both sides of mount – car has one. Remove both front lower control arms and clearance mounts. Right side arm needs new mounting spacer where it mounts to chassis. Fabricated new spacer.
3. Check steering rack for center. Re-center. Reposition steering wheel. Re-index tie-rods.
4. Alternator too close to engine. Check belt alignment. Shim out 1/8”.
5.Check engine adjustments – carb timing.
Work that needs to be done later.
1. Ride heights/corner weight/alignment/track width.
2. Set pinion angle.
3. Index all rod ends and tighten jam nuts.
All in all, these guys were very thorough. They assess the situation, create a plan, educate you about the plan, give you updates through out and then tell you next steps. Now I feel good about putting the body on the car.
posted by Khan Smith at 11:16 AM
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