Colonel Red Racing 2005 STI Race Car

[Sgt.Gator]

I was at the PRI show this last weekend in Indy again. What a great event.

A few nuggets:

Every time I go by the Honda booth I get sick thinking about how they support racers and Subaru doesn't.

The Civic straight back from the Thunderhill 25, still covered in race rubber and the Pirelli World Challenge TCR car:

Edited December 11, 2018 by Sgt.Gator

[Sgt.Gator]

The Can-Jam Subaru that just won the Speedring contest:

[Sgt.Gator]

Some prototype ultra lite pistons. And finally, tucked way back in a dark corner was a guy much older than me (if you can believe that!) who's been modifying oil pumps for longer than I've been alive, and I spot on his table covered with domestic racing oil pumps these two Subaru oil pump gems. Click on the image to enlarge it, you'll notice they aren't like any other Subaru pumps you've seen before. More on that find soon I hope!

 

I hit the floor for 3 days but between talking with folks and attending the seminars I still didn't cover the entire show floor.

[Somac]

That CanJam STI makes some serious jam. I got to see it race at Speed Ring and I don't think many of the other high-dollar competitors were expecting it to whomp them. M1 Concourse is a really terrible course, though, and I feel like the STI had a big advantage over the GTRs when it came to how hard the track is on the brakes for heavy cars.

 

That webbed piston design is also crazy to see. It looks 3D printed - is it actually?

[Flinkly]

i'm don't think most 3d printed metal could do piston loads. i bet the molds are 3d printed instead. nice that printing can create such a break from the traditional for so many products.

[Sgt.Gator]

I think the pistons were made with additive manufacturing. However they are a design exercise, not for real use yet.

 

Metal printing is coming along, there's a company here in Bend that is one of three in the US that makes rocket engine parts for NASA using 3D metal printing.

 

If you're interested in the organic design CAD process here's company that's on the cutting edge, have a look at some of their automotive examples: https://paramatters.com/

Most of their designs have to made with AM.

 

Like this upright and this motorcycle frame bracket:

Edited December 11, 2018 by Sgt.Gator

[Rhitter]

Tell me more about the oil pump. As a non-engineer all I can tell is that it looks drastically different.

[Sgt.Gator]

Tell me more about the oil pump. As a non-engineer all I can tell is that it looks drastically different.

 

Soon my friend!

[Sgt.Gator]

As ya'll know I am an advocate for dry sumping your Subaru engine. But if there was a cheaper way without the added complexity and potential failure points....

Which led me to looking at Saker cars (again). Although they are almost unknown in the US, and don't seem to be taking the world by storm except in the Netherlands, they have been around for 16 years under various owners on different continents and are still making some very fast Subaru powered cars. It looks like they have a new website, at least since the last time I looked at them:

 

http://sakersportscars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/39saker131112_small.jpg

 

 

In digging around they claim up to 2.0 G cornering, and they don't use a dry sump or any kind of Accusump/Moroso accumulator. Part of the reason is they are essentially a stock powered EJ22 at 275 HP. But that explains the reliability except for the oiling.

 

 

I found the Owners Manual, Service Manual, and Parts catalog at their website. They have a very complete parts catalog, down to specific fasteners.

 

They have two items that are unique to their wet sump system. A plate that goes between the block and the sump pan, and the sump pan itself. With the magic of Photoshop I was able to enhance the parts catalog image to see what is inside the pan:

 

 

 

I don't know if you have to be a Saker owner to buy these parts. I've emailed them but of course it's Holiday time so I don't expect to hear back from them for awhile.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

PS: And if you're looking for a last minute Christmas present:

 

 

https://www.belmitdevelopment.com/store.html#!/Piston-oil-squirter-assembly-Subaru-EJ25/p/125146902/category=0

Edited December 24, 2018 by Sgt.Gator

[fredrik94087]

Those car bodies are beautiful

[shralp]

Nice looking cars, had never heard of them until now. Wonder what kind of JuJu they're doing to the sump.

 

Thats a pretty innovative idea on the piston oil squirter plate!

[boxkita]

The extremely long pipe from turbo to intercooler belies conventional folklore about tube length.

The oil cooler looks like it might increase capacity quite a bit. Would be interested to see specs on that.

Turbo with external wastegate looks custom?

A small intercooler with an unobstructed air flow is a neat idea. And moving the MAF post turbo on the long tube should allow better metering?

[ehsnils]

Is there a MAF on that engine setup? I could only see MAP and TPS. Not every engine/model have a MAF, the early 4th gen Subie I had didn't have a MAF.

[boxkita]

Is there a MAF on that engine setup? I could only see MAP and TPS. Not every engine/model have a MAF, the early 4th gen Subie I had didn't have a MAF.

 

Typo. Its a map sensor

[ehsnils]

And then it makes a bit more sense - but the MAP sensor need to be after the throttle to make sense from engine control point of view.

 

 

So it seems to be in the right place.

[bigBADbenny]

Regarding wet sump ej oil control, a homegrown (USA) solution might be the ArcTangent Design oil control plate.

http://arctangentdesign.com

 

I love the Belmit squirter assy, I was also inspired by this sump spacer/baffle kit for Porsche.

http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_2/TechnoSump.html

Something similar could be done for ej’s for extra oil capacity...

Edited January 1, 2019 by bigBADbenny

[Sgt.Gator]

Subaru has re branded their livery and are supporting more forms of motorsports than just rally.

 

 

"Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled its 2019 motorsports livery, a return to the brand’s signature blue and gold colors with a modern, visually striking star cluster graphic inspired by the world-beating Subaru World Rally Team cars of the 1990’s and 2000’s. The brand also announced a revision to the structure of its U.S. racing activities, which will now combine stage rally, rallycross, record attempts, off-road racing, and circuit racing under the banner of Subaru Motorsports."

 

More at : http://media.subaru.com/pressrelease/1389/1/subaru-reveals-all-new-blue-gold-racing-livery

 

I like the classic style, although it's a bit overdone. The swoosh and the stars are too big IMHO.

[boxkita]

No mention of the road racing deal with Phoenix? I was at Sebring last weekend and saw the Phoenix pit setup. There were no Subarus

[boxkita]

I found your new trailer. It can haul all your racecars at once:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/d/48-foot-race-car-enclosed-trailer-light/6790414616.html

[Sgt.Gator]

No mention of the road racing deal with Phoenix? I was at Sebring last weekend and saw the Phoenix pit setup. There were no Subarus

 

Is this a throwback to 2009 or are you serious about this for 2019?

[Sgt.Gator]

Update on the Winter 2018-2019 Rebuild:

The fall endurance race took a toll on the STI. Besides the suspension bolt falling out that lead to a snapped CV axel there are other maintainence ites to address:

1) The StopTech front caliper seals are toast. Rebuild kits on the way.

 

2) The new front HAWK DTC 70 pads are almost gone. Sort of expected but I thought they'd make a full 8 hour race. Apparently not.

 

3) The transmission is being rebuilt at ZF Design in Colorado. New shift forks, syncros, sliders. The real expensive parts: Group N DCCD rebuild, and I'm replacing the gears with Spec B ratios. Below I've posted the gear ratio/speed images from the Subagears site. It's very cool for playing with gear ratios. Posted are 2005 STI, 2007 STI and 2007 Spec B.

 

This rebuild has been planned since last spring 2018 when the transmission started grinding a bit. It will be good to have longer gears for road racing.

The total cost is almost what a brand new STI transmission would cost.

 

4) We're fabricating a flat bottom undertray and rear diffuser.

 

5) The dry sump oil cooler now located in the bottom of the spare wheel well will be moved up and mounted vertically to exhaust out the back of the trunk lid behind the car.

 

6) Moving the oil cooler opens the possibility of installing a fuel cell into the spare wheel well with larger capacity then the oem tank. FIA rated fuel cells are crazy expensive though.

 

7) I've debated swapping the turbo out for a ATP 3576 EWG. The swap would be simple, it's the same setup with the EWG and intake I have now on the 3067. I've come to the conclusion I will never race this car in the Thill 25 ST3 class. The problem with my local ICSCC ME0 class, which is my favorite racing, is that there is no HP/Wt ratio in SPO/SPM/SPU. So I'm up against a Viper ACR full race car. However a bigger turbo means more heat to deal with, more brake pads/rotors/ and I will absolutely need at least a 32 gallon fuel cell to complete a 1 hour race without refueling. It would probably be smarter to make the 818R the primary race car and keep the STI for bad weather. Then the HP is not an issue. But the 818R will need a bigger tank too.

 

8) The borrowed radio system will become a permanent fixture in the car and the wiring is getting all cleaned up.

 

The 818R:

1) The FITech surge tank has developed a leak thru the electrial connection to the internal pump, and they don't sell replacement parts. I'm replacing it with a Radium surge tank. Radium are local to me so I like supporting them anyway.

 

2) I think I've figured out a solution to legally mount the Kirkey seats with the required back braces. Factory Five Racing really dropped the ball on the design of the seats/harness system. For a company with Racing in their name they did a horrible job on the occupant safety systems. The sub belt mounting tab is in the wrong place, therefore not legal, the harness bars are misaligned both vertically and horizontally, the roll bar on all three 818 variations is too low...and more.

 

Other than the seat mounts and surge tank the car should be ready to go. The stock tank is too small to make a full one hour enduro so I'll have get the Boxkita Racing Team to help with pit stops!

 

Engines:

With two Subaru powered race cars I need spare engines! My friends at Retro Racing are converting their 818R to Honda K power so their two Subaru engines are coming to me on consignment. I'll probably rebuild and keep one, and sell the other. If you are interested in either engine let me know. Particularly for you folks in the PacNW. The engines are currently in Vancouver BC, but will be coming to my garage at Oregon Raceway Park soon.

 

Here's what's available. They are sold as a setup, not parted out. At least not yet.:

EJ207 ver 5 RA

Cosworth pistons, Mahle rods, new stock crank, new rings, water pump mod, new oil pump, new timing belt, no turbo, ceramic coated Perrin up pipe with blanket, Coated Perrin EL header, remote filter boss (10an), stock RA cams and heads, dash 10 head vents, Dry Sump oil pan (-12 fittings), 750cc injectors, dash 6 fuel rails.

 

This engine ate new bearings after 10min on the dyno, but did pull 285whp at the wheels at 12psi

 

 

EJ207, ver 5 RA stroked to 2.3l

 

OMG pistons and rods, stage 2 cams and valve springs, RA heads (ported), billet dry sump pan (-12 fittings), no turbo, new stainless Perrin up-pipe, no header, new timing belt (less than 3 hours) water pump mod, high volume oil pump (either 12mm Cosworth or 11mm blueprinted) king racing bearings

 

This engine blew a head gasket after a bad fix by the engine builder. Needs to be torn down and cleaned, then put back together. This engine pulled 310whp at 10psi.

 

 

We also have the full wiring harness to Racepak ECU, including boost control module for one engine. This harness is literally, plug and play. We can include the IQ3 display as well, with the separate data logging module.

 

The SubaruGears website calculator. Be sure to click the Calculate button, then the Auto Shift button.

http://www.subarugears.com/Ratios/Ratios.html

[Sgt.Gator]

The revised oil cooler location and flat bottom in progress. The fabrication work is being done at Arcflash in Bend. It's very good work.

 

The 6 speed and CF drive shaft are in. We did some testing at ORP, the oil cooler and tranny worked well. I had some misfires above 5,000RPM which may just be old gas. Once I cycled thru the old gas and replaced with fresh gas the misfires reduced by 95%.

The power steering started losing power as I made a turn into a corner, then would kick in again when I throttled up at the apex. I almost went off the track the first time it happened. I;m not sure yet if it's low on fluid, loose belt, or the pump going out. I'll know more today.

 

On a side note: Shralp was there in his killer LGT Wagon. I overheard guys talking in the break room: "Did you see that Outback! It's unreal fast. He was passing the ZL1 and the ZR1!" "Yeah, I saw it, it's so fast. That guy is kicking butt in the Expert Group." "Man, that ZL1 must be pi$$ed off!"

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Sgt.Gator

[shralp]

Haha what a fun day! Definitely an ego inflator to pass the baller Camaro's for sure. That said, once they learn the race line and feel comfortable pushing the capabilities of that car I doubt I'll be able to keep up. But for now "you got passed by a wagon!!"

[Sgt.Gator]

Rear Diffuser finished. Aero wool tufts and camera setup for test. Next stop Pacific Raceways (Auburn WA) on Friday for Test & Tune. If all goes well then the 1 hour Enduro race on Saturday afternoon.

[boxkita]

You're coming to Pacific to test? Don't leave before I get there with my checkbook and trailer. :-)