Smyth Performance G3F build

As usual, this is really just a header post on the various activities here at IMST. You'll want to check out the actual blog for this section at IMST Racing ~ Keith's Smyth Performance G3F and if you're interested, make sure you follow or subscribe in that blog. Okay, formalities out of the way . . .

For those unaware, I've been stewing about a kit car project since I got turned on to it via facebook advertisement right around mid-September 2011. At that time Mark Smith was both founder and owner of Factory Five, but was branching out to start his own new breed of fast and fun diesel vehicles. Go Green. Go Fast. That was the motto that eventually panned into G3F. Of course the only realistically priced diesel donor vehicles of large number is the VW Jetta/Golf platform. The project has been through the planning, fabricating, and pre-production phases for several years now, but when I found it, he was still taking beta orders.
  As a "beta," you're really helping in some way to develop the car and find all the snags that other builders will go through when they do theirs. Mark's large 50-beta launch really has probably only a handful of true betas. I'm in the late 30s to early 40s, which basically means almost everything has been tweaked and modified from the original plan to better work with all the available models in any given situation. It's basically a full-production batch of parts. So what's my role as a late beta? I'm sharing my build experience with the world of interested parties and hopefully helping to finalize some input on the build manual. Feedback is key in this industry. You don't want to be selling hundreds of kits per year that all suffer from the same snaggles. Better to work those out early to give everyone a nice clean "easy" and enjoyable building experience.

  So what exactly is a G3F? See for yourself on facebook at Smyth Performance and take some time to peruse the albums and posts there. You'll also find plenty of links, notes, and other information there that should give you a really good run down.

Resurrection of a Firebird

~~ This is only a project overview post on the main IMST Racing blog! To follow progress on this project, please continue to IMST Racing's ~ Resurrection of a Firebird. Don't forget to click the [Follow] button in that blog. ~~

  For those not already laughing just from the post title, I have to let you know I've had one or more "project" Firebirds sitting around for oh, about 7 or 8 years. I just won't quit! The funny thing about these particular birds is that they work (mostly anyway) when I get them, and then, well, something happens to put them in Park for a while. Then the itch to go ahead and upgrade them starts to breed.
  The Firebird anomaly all started when I was finishing up on one of my bike projects. It was my third motorcycle rebuild of sorts. I was trying to sell it, and a couple friends from my local retail store came by and decided they'd trade for it. I got a 1986 Firebird with the 2.8L v6, some custom wheels,  and not much else. From there I ended up with a distributor problem (I don't wash the engine compartment carelessly anymore) and blew up my muffler when it collected unburned fuel/air. Actually it was pretty awesome to hear and feel that. It made up for the disappointment of my dying car.
  I parked that one for a while and priced out distributor/computer and exhaust components. Meanwhile a good friend-to-be had his bike stolen and decided to buy a wrecked one to have me resurrect. It took a couple weeks, but his 'totalled' bike was fit to be registered and shown for that matter. I ended up getting his old 1985 parts-Camaro as partial payment. I figured I'd use the 305 (5.0L engine) in it and sell the rest. Ah yes, the perfect engine-swap upgrade for my Firebird. No computer or exhaust necessary! Whatever.
  About 3 years ago I finally got inspired and had my wife help me label everything as I removed the 2.8L  from the Firebird. I was under the misguided assumption that the tranny would take the 305, but just not the 350. Wrong. I got into the engine-pull on the Camaro and quickly discovered the bell housing was way off. I stopped to do some research and sure enough, I needed the 700R4 transmission to take on either 305 or 350. Bummer because the tranny in the Camaro was shot. Another couple years goes by while I occasionally hunted down deals for a 350 (over 5.7 liter engine!) and/or 700R4.

  As it happens, I was selling yet another bike I'd restored (sort of) and raced (sort of). I came across a guy who wanted it, but wanted to trade his old truck for it. I didn't need the old 1977 Chevy Cheyenne, but it had a gem under the hood. A recently rebuilt 350 Rocket with a 350 Turbo tranny from a 1971 Cutlass Supreme growled and spat from underneath. Wow, what a classic! I took him up on it over a year ago now. The problem with a 1996 with a 1971 engine is limited to government. I don't know yet how I'll pass the NC emissions annual inspection. You see, 1996 & up vehicles employ an ODBII setup which essentially ties into engine management systems that simply didn't exist in 1971. So in short, I've decided for now just to rebuild or replace the 3800 series II (3.8L v6) engine with a working one to get my 1996 registered. Then I can mess with the 350 whenever I get around to it.
  "What? A 1996? I thought you had a 1986." Good point. I forgot to mention that I found a sweet deal (I thought) from a neighbor and bought their Firebird. I worked for a week doing oil change, spark plug and wire replacement, coil pack replacement, and EGR troubleshooting to get it ready to pass NC emissions. Fail. One week after I bought it, I blew something up in the engine. No noises, just a white-out in my rearview mirrors. Immediately, I shut the engine off and coasted to a stop. I'm not sure why, maybe it's like trying to get someone with a potentially broken ankle to try to move their foot around (ask me later why this is a BAD idea), but after the engine had time to cool a bit, I figured I'd try to restart it and quickly troubleshoot where the oil was getting into the chamber. The engine hadn't seized, so I knew I hadn't bent a shaft or thrown a piston out. However when I cranked the motor, it only turned over just past one revolution and stopped in it's track. The battery wasn't anywhere near dead. Something mechanical stopped the engine. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe I dropped a valve or something like that is jamming the piston. I suppose it's also possible I could have a piston stuck, but that doesn't make sense to me because it was still running when I turned it off, and it also turned over when restarting. Normally a seized engine is a result of a piston sticking in a cylinder for a number of bad reasons, and the engine will stop itself - usually violently . . .

~~ This is only a project overview post on the main IMST Racing blog! To follow progress on this project, please continue to IMST Racing's ~ Resurrection of a Firebird. Don't forget to click the [Follow] button in that blog. ~~

IMST Racing - The Dream

     What is IMST Racing? Just a dream, really. In my spare time I like to take on challenges, mainly of an automotive nature (motorcycles definitely included). You know those "projects" you think you can totally do. Well, in my spare time (IMST), sometimes I actually do. Sometimes I just dream of having spare time. Either way its a dream. My dream. And you're welcome aboard.

     Especially as a born-n-raised motorhead I can't seem to resist a good deal/project. I'm a mechanic by trade, and my dad was an engineer and car-guy "building a better go-kart" practically since they were thought of, so it comes by honestly. This blog will serve to track some of my tinkering, update friends and family to some goings-on, and may be a springboard for new thoughts and ideas as interested readers collaborate.

Come join the fun! Who knows, you might just find a dream of your own to chase.

Keith