Hi all!
As you probably guessed my name is Joe. I'm creating this thread as a means of documentation, to get input along the way, and for your entertainment. I haven't seen too many build threads on here so hopefully this is well received.
For your entertainment I'm just going to share the story of how this came about. Years ago I owned an E36 M3 which I pretty much built into a track car and tracked it a good bit and I loved it. Life changes happened (job changes, moving, moved in with current wife) and I had to let it go. Just didn't have the space.
A few years later I got the itch and decided to pick up a BMW M2 Competition. At the time, it was the car I was waiting for BMW to make. It was the right size, powerful engine, and was fun. I got a few goodies for it just to get me on track (AP Racing brakes, 18" wheels, and just needed tires and camber plates). The more I looked at it the more this thing was going to cost me to track and there were some other draw backs such as I couldn't use a harness without changing the seat out and it was a bit heavy so tires didn't last too long. Still, I wanted to get back out on track. Then my winter vehicle started having issues which I couldn't seem to sort out and I knew it was time to replace it. I wasn't keen to take on 2 car payments and I really didn't want to buy another vehicle that could end up having issues down the road. It was time to let the M2 go and get 1 new vehicle.
I knew I wanted a truck for utility and potential towing. I ended up getting a new Toyota Tacoma which isn't ideal for towing very heavy loads but better for me for daily driving and if I'm not towing anything too heavy should be fine.
At soon as I started to consider letting the M2 go I started looking for a dedicated race car. I don't exactly remember what got me on a Radical but it seemed it could be affordable and suit the purpose I really wanted. The last track car I'd ever need.
More to come
So in my hunt for a track car I was looking at used Radicals. I had read the buyers guide and looking for various posts. I like to research these things probably too much sometimes. It did seem like a radical would be something I could afford to track but I was going to have to save for a bit to buy one and then there is also the maintenance cost. The way I like to maintain my track cars has been pretty fastidious in the past so reliability is important to me. Doing some reading I really liked the idea of something like an SR5 which has a really reliable production engine that makes enough power to have fun. I don't need to be the absolute fastest guy in a radical so take a small penalty for hopefully a bit lower maintenance costs and intervals was worth it to me. But, SR5's are very rare.
So I started to wonder if I could sort of build my own SR5. Chassis' seem pretty interchangeable on the face of it. An SR8 would be ideal since it already has the longitudinal layout I had in mind. But where am I going to find one of those that is affordable... Low and behold John Parsons is selling a chassis sans drive train!
Got in contact with John and liked what I heard. Sent him a deposit and we arranged to meet in Atlanta a few months later. I couldn't do right away because I had just moved into a new house a few months before and just hadn't made the space yet. I still had stuff in a rented storage garage I needed to get out of. So...
Had to build a shed. In fact as I write this it still isn't finished, needs a bit more trim, doors installed, and to be roofed. Hoping to finish it up this weekend.
Ended up making enough room to hold the car though. So off I went to Atlanta with the new truck and a rented enclosed trailer. Met up with John and we got to work to get it out of his trailer and into mine. I can't say enough positive things about John. Really wanted to make sure we did it right and he walked me through the car, what needed some attention, how it goes together, other things he was including. Just a pleasure to work with. His wife was also there and told me she wanted updates on the car because it was their favorite.
Ended up bring the car back to Kansas City without any issues at all. Not enough room to work in the garage yet but there will be soon and I'm excited!
In between the time that John and I had agreed on a deal and when I actually went to get it I had been researching and planning. I initially thought a Ford Ecoboost was a good path. It was done in the SR3 SL and Rapture so surely it could be done. The problem I kept running into was that they make too much torque. Frankly I don't know how Radical got the Quaife gearboxes to survive in the SR3 SL. It was going to be a challenge to detune the torque but raise the power and the Ecoboost doesn't rev past 7k so I started to consider something else.
It needed to be able to have a dry sump, 4 cyl (for fitment reasons), be reliable under abuse, and make power but not big torque (i.e. rev high). I eventually found the Honda K24 would be a great option. There are plenty of parts out there to build them, you can find a used donor engine EVERYWHERE. I don't know why it took me so long to get onto the K24 when the SR5 has a K20A which is basically an older generation of the same design.
For the gearbox I had to hunt again. I looked all over at sequential options new and used. The TMT200 I have heard is $20k which puts that out. If I could find a used Quaife that could be an option but given how quickly Quaife seems to go away from some designs and parts support I wasn't sure I was ok with that. There are other manufacturers out there but a lot of their applications just don't match or the quality isn't there. Then I ran across Sadev, who I had heard of before but hadn't seen anyone use. Looking at the SL82LW looks like a strong contender for me.
https://www.sadev-tm.com/en/products/2-wd-products/2-wheel-drive-transaxle/32-sl82lw-transaxle.html
I called Sadev USA and talked it over with a very helpful individual and got a cost estimate which seemed doable for me. Now I know to get it in the car and all functional is going to take a good bit extra... but it might be doable. I also found someone in the UK that can make a bellhousing/adapter if I couldn't find something in the USA. Qucktime said they thought they could do it but needed more details which I don't have yet. I really hope it doesn't have to be some billet piece that I will have to sell a kidney to get.
For engine control really it had to be Motec M150. A lesser model could certainly run the engine but for the sequential shift this seems to be what it takes. Good news there is John has already gone down that path and plenty of folks have run a K24 with Motec so hopefully a base tune is not hard to do.
So at some point I need to run to a U-pull it and get a K24 out of a CRV or something and bring it home for test fitment. Then if I can get a CAD file of the Sadev I should have a better idea if it will all work.
I'm really enjoying reading this story, and I must admit: a bit jealous! Love love love this project.
That Sadev gearbox has a higher torque rating than my Quaife and the JFR in my SR8. Plus their US subsidiary is in North Carolina. I know where I'm going if I can't keep my Quaife and Hewland alive in mine.
Progress!
If you ever thought roofing wasn't hard, it isn't. However it IS miserable. Don't do it in the summer. Come about 11 AM I couldn't even touch the shingles anymore. For kicks (and to prove to myself I wasn't just stopping because I didn't want to do it anymore) I went and got the laser thermometer... 165F! I was worn plum out at the end of the day yesterday.
Should have the garage cleared out by the end of this weekend and have room to work and show more of the car.
In the mean time, I've been working with Spring Mountain on new suspension components (wishbones, rockers, nik-links). They managed to pry the state of the car out of me and I think they got excited... haha, can't blame them.
Just got the quote back from Spring Mountain. They were pretty thorough and helped me out by adding stuff I don't yet know I need (bushings and sleeves and such). None of the items themselves are very expensive and the piece of mind of new suspension will be nice so I am going to pull the trigger on it. They spec'd a medium front Nik-link and a soft rear. My understanding is that it is user preference. Anyone have any thoughts on that spec?
Aaaand I also just purchased a set of airjacks from overseas. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Joe, there's an SR8 team dumping spares on the Totally Radical group on Facebook.
I love this community! So much help!
From Craig T? That is where I am getting the airjack system. Would have also got rotors but they were all gone. On that nite, I assume these are 280mm floaters? I need to start studying the diagrams for the car and see what else I need to be on the hunt for.
Thanks John! I'm rarely on FB so this would have helped if Garrett hadn't beat you to it.
Ok let the dumb questions begin. Is this bushing for the steering shaft?
Yes it is and I will leave this here because if I had the question then at some other point so will someone else.
I've been slowly getting familiar with the car and trying to piece it back together. John basically stripped it bear. You'd think that might bother me but actually it is the opposite. 1. It will force me to become VERY familiar with the car and 2. It is giving me the chance to perform some corrosion control.
Nothing serious at all so far. Just what I would call heavy surface rust. It looks a bit nasty but you hit it with a wire wheel and most of the metal cleans right up to a smooth sheen. For now I will likely just rattle can over the spots since I strongly suspect chassis modifications will be required. Once those are done I may consider having it at least partially powder coated.
Purchased some new safety gear today! If this place I purchased it from pans out I will share because the cost was really good.
Got some goodies today which I'm excited about. Also got a steering wheel and quick release.
A lot of plans in the works which I'm excited to share but will be doing some family and work travel during July so progress will likely slow for a bit.
Well progress was definitely stalled for the month of July and that ran into August as well. I have been doing a lot of cleaning, selling old car parts, ect... to make room to work on the car. However, I finally found some time over the Labor Day weekend to get some work done.
How she has sat basically since I got it
So I said before that I'd just rattle can because I suspect chassis modifications and I still do but I changed my tune on that a bit. I think there are a few areas you really can't get to (or at least not easily) once the car is assembled. I can always sand away the pant for any areas that will get changed and then only have to deal with those. I know myself, I won't want to strip it all back down once it is mocked up to paint the bare chassis.
I had done some work early on (see previous post) in the knooks and crannies and just primered over the areas but it wasn't sufficient.
That padding for the body was looking pretty sad so it was time to refresh that. By the way it is a pain to remove. A heat gun or hot sunny day will really help but I recommend having a razor blade and goo-gone ready.
I took a flap disc to the larger areas, mostly the steel frame but also areas like the battery box and mounts for the air-Jack's were seeing some rust.
None of it was bad though, much to my happiness. It cleaned right up and was just very light surface rust.
For the coating, while I am a fan of powdercoating, for this... it just didn't make financial sense to me. So I decided to use POR 15.
I followed the directions to get it clean, decrease, and phosphorize.
Then it came time to apply the first coat. Not what I'd call fun but not bad. Seriously though, don't let it touch your skin or people will be coming up to you asking you for a business card to paint their house for days. I am having to remove it in stages because my skin needs time to build back up haha.
After 2 coats...
It is shiny again and protected from corrosion. I still need to clear coat it because POR 15 doesn't do well with UV rays but not a big deal.
Also had some parts show up
Why didnt you sandblast the frame while you allready got it stripped down? Looks much better straught away;)
but how to get hold on that hot climate front????? Where to buy
