V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Hey all, I just made a really good deal on a BMR Trak-Pak adjustable torque arm kit, & I'd like to find out what people have to say about running it on a street car. Does it increase noise much? What other changes have you noticed?

All I know so far is that this SOB seems to be really heavy duty!!

Shagwell

I'll tell ya how Dans87GTA's rides in a few days. I just about got his trans back together.
- he smoked his trans on the way to my house to put his BMR set-up in, so we haven't gotten to try it out yet. -

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

ya the thing i have been waiting 3 months for i cant wait to get it back theres a 95 Z28 i have to hand him his *** for talking **** when he has nothing. cant wait to hear from you shagwell. by the looks of it that thing is going to work really well. good luck later Daniel

3rdgen92maro

would this be andrew your talking about?

Shagwell

he says he's running 12's..... still through stock cam, stock heads and no suspension work, and probable stock exhaust manifolds.....even if he's on the bottle Dan's gonna spank him.

- Back to topic, I agree, the BMR unit is a very nice piece. Welds are beautiful, pipe is thick and strong, all mounting is very solid. We tied Dan's to his sfc's instead of the pinch welds for extra strength.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Well, any word yet guys??

I'd all but decided to sell my Trak-Pak (I'm def. more oriented toward salt & open-road racing rather than drag racing), but then speaking with another guy this weekend has made me consider keeping & installing it. Only catch is that I need to know by Thursday...

Thanks...

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

im not sure your going to ask shagwell on that one i would check back around lunch time tomorrow thats when he usually gets on and read the forums. he might have a few more things to hook up before he goes for a test drive. oh trust me no one cant wait to drive that car than me. Later Daniel

Shagwell

trans is in it, but I gotta finish buttoning it up. I think I'm gonna go ahead and re-work the front "frame rails" while I'm there so that it's all ready for the lt's and the y-pipe. I'll cut the factory rails back and finish tying the sfc's in.
- V8Rumble - is your's a poly mounted or a spherical? The poly ones can create a slight bind under hard cornering for auto-cross type stuff. If you look at the design of the suspension, you'll see that body roll basically pivots around the tq arm. Factory the arm itself just twists, but with a solid aftermarket arm such as the BMR, a spherical at the front mount is more neccessary.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Mine looks like a poly mount. I'm not too worried about bind at this stage, since right now I don't do any auto-x'ing (& if I did, I'd be "amateur enough" that my good tires would bail me out ).

My primary concern is that the shorter length of the torque arm could lead to brake hop upon deceleration - & with me being interested in Bonneville salt-flats racing, & open-road racing, brake hop at 80+ mph could be REALLY ugly...

Not sure if there's a good answer here, but I spoke w/ a guy over the weekend who uses his 'adjustable torque arm-equipped" 3rdgen T/A for road racing, so maybe it'll be OK - but I'd REALLY like to get real-world feedback...

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, any word yet??

xlwhellraiser

iTrader: (1)

I am kinda interested too!?!?
I saw V8Rumbles set up and it looks sick. We just need to put it on his car and I think there will be some serious difference. SO, who ever did it, let us know how it rides, and all the little differences that it made.
PLZ!

Shagwell

sorry, no info yet guys. - I had an exceptionally bad week last week and have not felt like working on the car for a few days. - My g/f got hit by a red-light runner wed(she's a little bruised up, but ok), I had the flu, and my father punched out 2 sections of concrete retainer wall at the track friday night(about 125mph, top of 2nd gear) then slid on his roof about another 1/8 mile. He's fine, not a mark on him(thank the cage, a very solid car and saftey equipment), but the 68 camaro we've built and raced for years now is....well.......not good.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Holy crap dude, I don't blame you!! That's INSANE. I've had a pretty fair bit of that kind of luck since 2001, so I can really understand what you're saying, & like I said, I don't blame you a bit -

..but think of it this way - you just dodged TWO major freakin' bullets. Take whatever time you feel like, but in the interim, maybe remember to be glad/thankful/happy/whatever also. Losing a parent really SUCKS, & I'm really happy that your GF & dad are both OK.

I'm really sorry to hear about the '68 (it's a cool car), but to be honest (and 'no offense'!), my first thought was "Well, screw the car!!!"

Here's hoping that your luck now changes for the better! :beer:

xlwhellraiser

iTrader: (1)

I am glad everyone is alright (shees). Thats how it usually works though. Everything happens in bunches. I usually work on my car when that crap happens. Take my mind away from whats happening in the world. Or I play video games.

Shagwell

yeah, I'm VERY glad everyone's ok. Dad's got one little mark on his shoulder/neck(looks kinda like a small hickey) where the harness caught him, but that's all. The car's fixable, but depending on whether we buy a complete roller or build a new one will probably determine whether or not she gets fixed. It held from the firewall back. The front end and roof are gone, but the rest seems ok, so I may throw it on a buddies frame machine and if it's ok, I'll just front half it...again(plus a new roof/a-pillars).

- I'm gonna work on Dan's tonight, so I should have results in the next couple days.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Sweet. I hope that the '68 won't require too much work...

Shagwell

.....can someone get it to stop raining after work? before/during would be fine, but does it have to rain every day after work?

...oh how I love Florida in the summer time.......

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

i know tell me about it. it wont even rain on the way home no its waits to you get home start to pull out the jack then the sky open ups and then it comes down. i feel you bro Later Daniel

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

I remember spending a few days in Pensacola as a kid - every day at like 3:10 pm, BAM! the rain would start falling. (I mean, it was to the MINUTE!)
Then, just as suddenly at like 3:30 or so, BAM! the faucet turned off...

It was a source of endless wonder for me...

Shagwell

it rained not once, not twice, but three times sat. - gotta love it. Sunday treated me better.....
Anyhow, she's all done except trans cooler lines(2 little short rubber from the factory steel/rad hook ups over to the aux), the trans dipstick tube, and the lower rad hose. I've got everything, just didn't quite get it done. - I'm working in another store for a few days, so I won't be home before 7:00 ish, so it'll probably be wed. before she's done. - If it doesn't get blown away tomorrow in the hurricane.......

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Hey, thanks for the update Shagwell, I'll be looking forward to the final report.

And if the hurricane gets too bad, maybe you can tie one end of a rope to your leg, & the other to a spare F*rd 9" or something...

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Not trying to be a pest, just a quick "ping" to see if there's anything new to report...

How are your dad & GF Shagwell?

Shagwell

dad's good, looking at new cars(deciding between a 10.5 outlaw chassis or a pro-mod style) GF is good, suffering from mild whip lash, has to go to physical therapy 3 times a week.

- Dan's car is running. Everything is basically ready to go, just gotta check some ground wires and a couple things and I'll have her on the road. Tonight or tomorrow night - I'll post opinion and results asap.

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

well shagwell called me last night with some good news so far he likes the torgue arm im sure he will post something today but this weekend im going down to ft meyers so when i get back ill be sure to post what i think and i will see if i can get some pics with my phone hopefully they will come out good. so thats all i know so far will try and keep everyone updated Later Daniel

Shagwell

^^^ yeah, I got to drive it finally, but only for about 2 miles. I only got aggressive with it once and the arm seems to be nice, but I'm battling a code 42(spark control) code and I keep loosing timing. Once it trows a code it basically has a 2500rpm rev limiter.... - I did get to pound it from a slow roll out of a corner though. About 1/2 - 3/4 throttle, just punched it decent, let it shift itself around 5k. Never spun a tire, and it had been raining up till about 5 min before the ride.

Dano, I'm porting my *** off, but having them heads done for this sunday will be TIght... gotta set them on a block and drill them for the standard intake pattern yet too.... - you off any time this week instead of Sun? I can probably get them done, but I hate rushing too much on a good port job....

Shagwell

All right, here we go...
Car is up and running. I was fighting a code 42(spark control) issue, but swapping the dizzy ended that and I finally got to road her a bit. Handles great, not a squeak, rattle or sound out of it. Car feels solid and stable @ around 100mph through a nice s-curve near the house. I even punched it coming out of the apex, not even a squeal outta the tires, or an attempt to spin around, just pulled. Only issue here was his front struts are worn-out and it floated the front end a bit under the hard accel.

Launch was a whole other story. I initaily set it at 2-1/2 degrees down pinion, and put his lca's in the second hole(relocates). *The new stall converter works great, the tires hate me*. It would catch after 2nd shift, but nothing through low gear off-idle or off about a 1000 or 1200 brake hold. I came back, dropped the lca's to the bottom, it would then catch at around 4800-5k in low gear, then holds the rest. I came back again, dropped the pinion to around -4 degrees. It hooks about 20ft out of the whole on a 800rpm(just off idle for his cam) brake hold, stays down the rest off the way up.
It started raining a bit so that's all I've got to play so far. I'm gonna leave the pinion and try the lca's back in the second hole and see how that acts. I aslo want to push a corner a bit now and see how she acts with that much pinion. - I'll post back again.....
On a half-azzed prepped track it would probably hook as-is, I'm sure it will once he puts the 17x9's and the 275/40 dr's on. The Fulda 255's are doing pretty good, especially for being on regular craptastic asphault.

- just for refernce - the car is on factory 87 WS6 springs, and has run mid 13's with a 2.0ish 60ft on the factory tq arm, lakewood lca's and relocates.- same tires

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

NOW THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!! that made my day yesterday when he called my even though i wanted to **** with me by a whole good news, great news, bad news but the bad news was it doesnt hook (yet!) but like he said 17x9.5 275/40/17 Nitto DR's so im not to worried about it. like ti matters. i will post all the times as soon as i get it back and take it to the track but im pretty picky about when i run good weather wise. so it might be end of oct. beginning of nov. well i all i can say is no more of this!!!

matt_p

Sounds great but does the bar kiss every speed bump you go over?

Shagwell

no real-world info on that yet. The trans threw me through a loop the other night, either sticking gov or sticking tv valve(high shift points) and the shift cable adjustment is a little off(older hurst ratchet has acted up before).
- I did turn around in a dirt driveway that dropped off about 4-5", no problems, but he's on stock springs, although they're 19 years old now. - Also, I tied the bmr x-member to his subframes, not to the body, so my mount height may be a bit different - I'll have to get some pics up....
- I'll get her drivin' daily within the next couple days and I'll try some decent tighter corners and see how she feels.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Well, just from "eyeballing it" under my car, I don't think that you'd have a problem with clearance for the cross-bar, but hell, I've been wrong before.

Shagwell, THANKS for the info, I'm definitely more into handling than dragstrip stuff, so I'll be eagerly awaiting any more info you have on how the car deals with corners. Also can't wait to see the pics!

Shagwell

Just an up date. With very little tunning(had to pull trans back out as new converter crapped in about 30 miles...) before he got it back, it knocked out a 1.8 60ft and a 13.4, from a previous 2.0 60 and 13.7. - differences being the tq arm, a 2600 stall converter and a ported, but re-screened MAF.

Currently set with lca's in the 2nd hole, and about -4 degress pinion angle.

Also, still holds the road solidly.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Good to hear, thanks Shagwell. I've got a couple of things that I need to take care of pretty soon, but once those are done I can start to make some pretty significant changes to my own GTA. Good luck guys!

Shagwell

The "dip" in the crossmember for the exhaust does kiss the ground sometimes on speed bumps/etc. Hind sight being 20/20, his 3" exhaust has plenty of room, I could have rolled the bar slightly before welding, thus tucking it up a bit higher. Still very pleased over-all.

- I'm suprised he hasn't chimed in yet.........

on another note, the 68 goes under the torch this week end, she's gone........anybody know of a 82-90 firebird with a fairly clean body somewhere? We don't even need doors or a front clip(fiberglass).

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

Well after a few eeks of driving with the new trans and torque arm LOVE it awesome car really doesnt hook on the street well but its all good alot better than it did now track is a whole different ball game especially at shitty orlando speed world if the go to "drag racing" and look "under pushing the limits" i posted my times and how it ran. i just bought a set or M/T DR's and mounted on a set of extra wheels going back next sunday to she how she does im looking for a 13.3 or 13.2 with a 1.7 or 1.6 60' times and i will be happy highly recommend this torque arm. i will post my times after my next set of runs thanks guys Later Daniel

Shagwell

just couldn't hold that itch any longer, huh? Speaking of extra wheels you still owe me some $. One of these years I might have to make you pay up.....hell, that'd be like winning the lotto! You need to get a 3 day weekend and get down here to do those vortecs and the LT's.
- glad to hear you're happy with it bro. On another note, works going well on Robert's 68 stang(wait till you see that tq arm set-up) meaning the bird is finally the next project!

Dans87GTA

iTrader: (1)

ya i man i tryed calling you last night i have been waiting to hear that magic number about what i owe you in parts! let me know i have your address so i can send it to you let me know! Later Daniel