Can it be? Two years after starting, I am within a few short hours of turning the key on La Bala. And I have the chassis actually ready to roll too.
Here's hoping the wheels don't fall off... 
Just a minor laundry list of items to finish up. Less than 5 hours worth.
So it's gonna be a big weekend for me. I have a lot of anxiety about forgetting to do something important before ignition.
Can some of you who have gotten farther than me give some thoughts on what you forgot to do, or what you think should be looked over twice before
firing?
Graber
no ideas here, but good look anyway!!
best advice is probably watch out for the law!!!!
Make sure the engine has oil pressure before firing (if it's been sitting around for a while).
And make sure it's out of gear!
Best of luck...
Steve. 
quote:
Originally posted by tadltd
Make sure the engine has oil pressure before firing ... Steve.
Steve, I'd hang on a bit if I were you....let me catch up a bit...
Seriously, turning it over with the plugs out until you see pressure should do it...
Well done...should be fun...
int book it says putting oil in the cylinders will help seal the piston rings for good compression. Can only help really i guess, unless you get
carried away!!
And make sure you test the most important part, the brakes!! Good luck, look forward to hearing all about it.
Steve,
Congrats on reaching (almost) this important milestone.
I would echo what others have said about checking that the brakes are good and add another check. Make sure that the throttle linkage can't
stick or jam. That's the sort of thing that can really spoil your day.
It might also be worth having a fire extinguisher handy. I know it probably sounds a bit paranoid but when you're dealing with a complete fuel
system built from scratch, there's the possibility of leaks and in an EFI system those leaks will be at high pressure. I just keep remembering
the Discovery Channel program about the team that spent two years somewhere above the Artic circle rebuilding a downed WWII bomber (B27? B29?) so they
could fly it out. When they finally got it rolling, something broke loose from vibration and the whole thing burnt to the ground in 15 minutes.
I'd hate to see your car as a scorched wreck 200 yards from your driveway.
Anyway, paranoia aside, good luck and look forward to the update 
Dominic
I saw that show, truly heartbreaking.
----------
Ah yes, first drive. I was *nervous* as hell! I didn't trust anything!
Yes, fire extinguisher, good idea.
Have a tow vehicle ready, no kidding, and have a buddy follow you. I had a fuel starvation problem and stalled a block from home... at the bottom of
a hill, which you can see in my First Drive video on my site. Which reminds me, you had better record the event for historical value! Or at
least for us to see. Just hope the last frame isn't you getting put in the back of a cop car
All kidding aside, that was what I was most nervous about. I was breaking about 12 traffic laws... no registration, insurance, seatbelts, turn
signals, brake lights, wipers, failure to stop,... the cops could have had a field day. Never mind something breaking, a loose nut, a leaky
connection, gads, a million things... Just make sure you put on a quiet muffler so you don't tick off the neighbors.
Good luck and we all expect a video!!!
[Edited on 12/12/03 by kb58]
Hurray! 
Might want to idle until the fan kicks in...
Pretty obvious, but the devil's in the details, after all.
Good move going in the middle of the month, before the Boys in Blue are out to meet their ticket revenue goals. And I don't know about your
town, but you can't find a cop on a Sunday in mine!
[Edited on 12/12/03 by pbura]
Remember gas in the tank ...
I'm only down the road ... I could bring a bottle and celebrate, but you know that is just tempting fate.
Good luck mate, I'm betting it'll all go well and you'll be grinning for a week.
Finish the jobs on one day, and leave it till the next, and the next day just have a quick last minute blimp round making sure you remembered
everything, everything is visually right, levels havent fell overnight, the brakes still feel right etc.
It doesnt half help being fresh and sharp for the last minute checks, and its always good to catch them there.
This is the one thing I force myself to do nowadays when I finish a car/bike project. Pity its not my nova...
That's what I did, finished everything the day before. In the morning you're fresh, but more importantly, there's fewer people about, but the biggest thing is that it gives you maximum daylight if you have a problem.
Another idea.....split it into two jobs..
1) run and test the engine
2) first drive
At least then the drive should be less troublesome...
it may be a bad sign that we havent heard from him all day...! he'll be starting a 5 year holiday!!
Hi guys, just checking in.
Trying hard to make it through the day. Why do things always get busy when I have more important things to do? Like work on my car?! 
Haven't been able to touch the car... Maybe tonite...
Thanks for all the hints and tips.
I have the fire extinguisher at hand.
The spanner once-over tip is a good one.
Fresh start in the morning. Yup!
Seperate engine from drive. U-huh. Got it.
Idle till the fan kicks in. Good one.
Tow vehicle handy.... Pretty flat around here, and the neighborhood kids are all loyal fans. They can push!
Video camera. Roger that.
Dominic, you scare me... However, if la Bala burns to the ground, can I then buy a Coram or a Meerkat? Lighter anyone?
Brakes- working.
Still a list of small items to button up tomorrow. Possibly crank the engine over Saturday - Then maybe drive time on Sunday?! Keep the fingers
crossed....
Graber
Best of Luck Steve!!! I'm sure everything is going to be fine. Some minor things - they can't spoil it. If you look at it the right way. I
think it's VERY exiting moment it's allmost like your sun making his first step. Steve DA MAN!
Ta-Da!!!
Ted
One final bit of advice - their is no such thing as failure, only events that make the final success more enjoyable!!!!
if it doesn't happen this weekend, don't rush it, there is always next weekend!
Good luck, keep us posted and make sure you upload the video so we can all watch.
In my case, it was agreed many months earlier that if my car moved even 10 feet under it's own power, the project would be considered a complete
success! I think you'll make it!
Remember to turn on the video camera and remove the lens cover! As someone said above, this event is very much like a child taking their first step.
Don't want to miss it!
GO GRABER!!!!
Good luck! I wanna see the video.
PS, Just remember to give it a nice a good going over at the top end of the powerband
Almost forgot, Sell tickets, its bound to be the event of the neighbourhood, u might even recover the build costs have fun.
Shug.
Saturday Night Update: (This is long. Sorry)
Finished my list of to-do's on the car. There was more to do than I expected. (of course). Luckily my good friend Jim came over and assisted...
So....
You wanna know what happened?
Well, after all the prep work, which went without a hitch, we re-installed the plugs and I cranked the engine over... and over... and over... and
over... until the battery died. Checked the timing. Fixed the timing. Installed a spare battery. Cranked over and over and over.... Finally! It
started to make like it wanted to start. You know the sound; when the starter whine goes faster and then can barely keep up with the engine and there
are little poopy sounds coming out of the exhaust. But it's not quite running by itself... Couldn't get it to do more than that.
After a few hours of fiddling and futzing, we took a 20 minute break. Then at it again. This time the engine kicked over and ran for about 3 seconds.
progress! But after the 3 seconds it would simply crank with no combustion... I discovered that if I let it rest for few seconds and tried again
then it would run for 3 seconds and die. I could repeat this effect.
At this point I am thinking definitely fuel. Sounds like the cold start injector is providing fuel for the initial 3 seconds, but the main injectors
are not doing anything. I then notice a very large pool of fuel forming under the #4 injector that appears to be coming from the upper fuel rail area.
DAMN!
So close, yet so far.
I now have the injectors out and the upper o-rings are all brittle and cracked. The #4 upper o-ring is disintegrated. This was causing the fuel
leak.
My theory is that this is probably causing the rail to not provide enough pressure to the injectors.... I would also have to assume that the injectors
are clogged and need cleaning.
Even though it's very unlikely the car will leave the garage this weekend, I'm still in high spirits!
Steve
PS- during those 3 seconds runs, the car sounded good. I ran it with the exhaust and without and the Hayabusa Cans are going to sound so F-ing
goooooood!
Well? Come on Steve, how did it all go? OK I hope. Very exciting times, and I'm highly envious! I remember that buzz from the first drive of many self-built vehicles, both four-wheeled and two. It's hard to beat.
Steve
Sounds good at least it coughed we await for the next thrilling instalment of your adventure.
Shug.
IT LIVES!!! And it sounds awesome!
YAHOOO YIPPEEE!!!
So here's the full story. another long one.
I had a hell of a time finding the injector rebuild kits on a Sunday. The dealership parts desk is of course, closed on Sundays. Four seperate stores,
each one with one injector kit. Lotsa time used up driving around town. So finally I get all 4 little boxes and head home. Each rebuild kit
comes with a rubber replacement set for one injector, Top o-ring and rubber seal, bottom a rubber gasket. $2.99 each box. About $15.00 for all 4 with
tax (VAT). The original ones were absolutely shot.
But I digress. Safe to assume that the injectors were clogged due to having sat for over 2 years. I bodged an injector cleaning circuit out of a 12v
cordless drill battery, a brake lightbulb (as a dropping resistor), some wire and a mity-vac handheld vacuum pump.
As a baseline, I applied 40psi suction to one end of the injector and energized the circuit. The pressure barely dropped indicating that there was
virtually no air passing through them. I aborted this test because I didn't want to burn out the injectors. I did this to all 4 injectors. They
were definitely clogged.
Now placing mineral spirits in a small glass container I applied suction to one end of the injector with the other end in the glass. Then I cycled the
injector on and off until all the spirits had been sucked throught the injector. Do not do this with gasoline! Touching the wires together causes a
spark. Had it been fuel, there would have been a real risk of combustion. Repeat for other 3 injectors. I then did the open air suction test. In each
case the injector pulled 40psi down to 0psi in less than 7 seconds! Fixed.
Put everything back together on the car. Cross fingers, turn the key...
3-4 seconds of cranking and vrooooom!!!! vroooom, vroooooom!!!!!!!! wohooooooo
I have a video. I will digitize it tomorrow at work and post it up on my site.
You will be amazed at how awesome the Hayabusa exhaust sounds. It is so sweet. It sounds like a huge, agressive inline 4 motorcycle. Not too loud at
idle, but building a raspy, bright but deep sound as the revs go up to 5,000. The redline is over 7,400 on this engine and I can't WAIT to hear
that! But the engine really should be under load for that type of revving.
Status - The car is now off the jackstands and sitting on 4 wheels. Due to massive workload I won't be able to get to it again until next
weekend.
Later,
a very tired Graber
Cool......
Isn't this the greatest hobby ?
quote:
Originally posted by sgraber
...You will be amazed at how awesome the Hayabusa exhaust sounds. ... The redline is over 7,400 on this engine...
You mean on the Hayabusa, rather than the 4A-GE?.....
quote:
Originally posted by sgraber
I bodged an injector cleaning circuit out of a 12v cordless drill battery, a brake lightbulb (as a dropping resistor), some wire and a mity-vac handheld vacuum pump.
quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
You mean on the Hayabusa, rather than the 4A-GE?.....
Congrats, Steve!
Pete! Graber would probably have cooking time per pound worked out for all of us and have sourced herbs to flavour the meat!
Good stuff now for the bodywork
Shug.
Videos have been posted.
Engine start: 5.5MB - 47 seconds
http://www.newtier.com/graber/mid-engine/videos/bala_runs_1st_time_low.mpg
Ready to Roll: 3.9MB - 39 seconds
http://www.newtier.com/graber/mid-engine/videos/labala_ready_to_roll_low.mpg
I will be updating my website today with some other interesting stuff.
Graber
Looks great, sounds great.....
Is there much to do before it can drive?
This should be a good motivator to tackle the body work..
Nice one Steve!
Cheers
Chris
Thanks everyone.
I updated my website. There are some additional photos. Injector cleaner circuit, car on floor, yada yada, but if you have read this far, then there
isn't much else to tell.
except for one small thing. Now the car won't start this morning. And it's not the battery... I have an inkling what it is. (A short in the
same circuit as the clutch cutout safety switch) So I need to check some things out.
<edit> Yup - it was a fuse... It runs and I took the family for a drive around the block under the cover of darkness. hush-hush; not official
1st drive</edit>
later,
Graber
PS- I have another few weeks of tidying up more loose ends before I will think about the body.
[Edited on 12/16/03 by sgraber]
Can't believe how good those mufflers sound.
Perfect!
Well done Steve, terriffic job. It's amazing how little sleep you need when you've got a burning desire out there!
quote:
Originally posted by sgraber
.. It runs and I took the family for a drive around the block under the cover of darkness. hush-hush; not official 1st drive........
First Official Drive!
I took a short drive up and down the street. Video camera in the garage. Man is this fun!
http://www.grabercars.com/diarymain.html
There is an 8MB video, but also a text description for those who don't want to waste their time downloading the mpg.
It was good Alan, very good.
Graber
Steve, I checked your site and I'm downloading it now...
Oh yeah indeed...
Looks and sounds great.....
I'm fully motivated again...
lol "Oh Yeah"
Man that says it all!
Sounds awsome too! I would have been to chicken to rev a car that I built past 3000rpm
You have made me want to build my own car from scratch! It looks like you are having just way to much fun!
quote:
Originally posted by Spottty
You have made me want to build my own car from scratch!
Yes yes, all well and good...
But the thing I'm sure we all want to know is...
Why have we only heard your wife in the videos so far...?
Seriously though, it's looking and sounding great mate!
quote:
Originally posted by Metal Hippy
Yes yes, all well and good...
But the thing I'm sure we all want to know is...
Why have we only heard your wife in the videos so far...?
Seriously though, it's looking and sounding great mate!
If I showed you pictures of my wife, you would forget about my car. Unfortunately she doesn't dress in
a maid's outfit to hoover with the hoover unplugged. (Like Alan's 'Mrs B.' quote:
As in "heard, but not seen?"
Steve,
Looks, sounds and I'm guessing go's great. Bet you wish you could get the body on quicker than you know it's gonna take!
Ned.
You are talking about the car... right?
hippy, you're always lowering the tone
Ned.
quote:
Originally posted by ned
Bet you wish you could get the body on quicker than you know it's gonna take!
haha hehe hoho hhuhuu waahhhhhh.....) quote:
Originally posted by sgraber........Why does everyone delight in letting me know this!!!!?
Graber
quote:
And Mr Hippy sir, I'm glad you are confined across the pond. Men, lock up yer women.
hmm, probably against some european law, better still,
we'll just send him across the pond to you and confiscate his passport!
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
better still, we'll just send him across the pond to you and confiscate his passport!
You're all just jealous because I have a generous helping of hair.
I know there are one or two people on the forum that may nowadays be sadly lacking...
hey, hey, HEY!!! Watch it!
I could do a comb-over, but that is so gauche. Anyways, I do have head hair... it's just moved onto my back for the winter.
Graber
So where the heck has mine gone????? Its doing its best to get away from my head and doesn't seem to be appearing anywhere else!
Steve, I just watched the movie of your first drive again, and I think as nobody alse has pointed it out, I should be the one to pass on some safety
advice.
With that blind bend in your road, I would be inclined to keep on the correct side of the road when you're testing your car, at least until you
finish it and get yourself some insurance.
What is the ride height? In the videos it looks really low. How much suspension bump travel is there?
atleast if it needs adjusting he can use the inboard design to change ride height and spring rate!
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
What is the ride height? In the videos it looks really low. How much suspension bump travel is there?
Good amount of travel. I was wondering about if you hit a bump under braking, could the car bottom on the ground? Where in the suspension are the
bump stops, on the shocks? Do the drive axles end up being parallel to the ground at standard ride height?
I'm currently in a one-sided [I'm the "one side,"] argument on the Attack forum. I hear the Attack has 1.5" of travel. Yes,
1.5". (Can't tell for sure from the manufacturer's site though.) Anyway enthusiasts there say I'm just raining on thier parade
and being negative when I say it isn't going to work on the street. In fact they've become downright hostile. I even got a lecture from
the moderator about being so negative.
Doesn't mean I'm wrong...
Oh heck, here you go:
http://www.attackforums.com/showthread.php?s=88f50fda33c4ab156817cb764d589d80&threadid=1125
They show some videos of the car and I'm the only one not posting "rah-rah I'm-in-love" posts.
[Edited on 19/12/03 by kb58]
To be honest I'm quite skeptical of the Attack.....looks very nice, but a lot of the spec and write up doesn't seem quite right...not sure
why...just seems odd for some reason.....when I see some customer built examples, then I'll be inclined to be believe it...
quote:
Originally posted by kb58
Good amount of travel. I was wondering about if you hit a bump under braking, could the car bottom on the ground? Where in the suspension are the bump stops, on the shocks?
I'm currently in a one-sided [I'm the "one side,"] argument on the Attack forum. I hear the Attack has 1.5" of travel. Yes, 1.5". (Can't tell for sure from the manufacturer's site though.) Anyway enthusiasts there say I'm just raining on thier parade and being negative when I say it isn't going to work on the street. In fact they've become downright hostile. I even got a lecture from the moderator about being so negative.
Doesn't mean I'm wrong...
[Edited on 19/12/03 by kb58]
KB, I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you!
The level of intelligence shown on that site is not exactly Mensa threatening.
A good example is "how come the gear selector goes left for first gear? Why isn't it reversed?". Duh!
No one could counter your comments with anything other than insults!
Leave them to sort their own problems out.
Some people just won't accept your help regardless!
Shame really as it shows some potential.
I'm curious about something, tried to post a question but couldn't - waiting for account activation.
The car is designed for the track yet I can't see any roll over protection. I suppose the front window could be it - but its already leaning
towards the driver, if that gives its only going to bend 1 way - towards the driver!!!!
eeek.
Yeah...like you guys I've been studying the site too......
On the plus side there does actually appear to be real build ups going on...
On the negative side the amount of tube notching being done on the frame to fit stuff in is alarming...
I think what it does show though is that there really IS interest in stuff other than Cobras over here........and that is a good
thing...don't you think?.....Steve, Kurt?
Ah yes, kill the dissenter.
Really KB, I don't think that you could win any type of argument in that type of environment. They have managed to create an almost religious
aura to that car.
Granted, I think it is a great looking car. But I would certainly like to hear a performance review of the car from a non-biased source. And that
would preclude ALL traditional media.
Graber
I just want people to be happy with what they end up with. After spending $25,000 or so, it would be a shame if people are un happy. I'm just
trying to convey the point that if they're about to spend that much, shouldn't they at least get a ride? Apparently I'm wrong...
OTOH, it'll be their own fault if they don't like it.
And yes, it is very much like a religeous thing on that site.
quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
.....and that is a good thing...don't you think?.....Steve, Kurt?
Well after watching the videos I am not really impressed. My friends BMW (M powered 325) would work that thing and it has about the same about of
money into it.
Also, he seemed to be sliding alot even when he is going pretty slow. That 180 turn impaticular.
I dont know, it looks cool and is a cool concept but it just doesnt seem to handle all that great. It looks very sensitive.
Took a look at the manufacturer's page:
http://www.euroworksltd.com/default.htm
Their background is in body kitting. You know, make your Mustang look like a Lambo. The bodywork on the Attack IS nice, if you're into that.
It's telling that the biggest vid on the page was of the body exterior.
Yeah, it looked a little slidy, but controllable. Didn't look that fast on the track, either. Wonder what it ran against?
Edit: My bad, that is the US rep's website, not the manufacturer K-1 Styling & Tuning. Still
basically a body shop, IMO. Also, the biggest video was of the front end.
[Edited on 20/12/03 by pbura]
I agree they did a very, very nice job on the body... must have a LOT of molds for all the panels, and I know a ton of work <remembers composite
work... shudders>
I read the official "reply" to my post over on the Attack site. At least I got them to say it's "for the track" - I
don't think I've seen that admission before. Anyway I call BS on that since they clearly think everyone is going to drive it on the street
(headlights, wipers...) Yet they still haven't stated suspension travel...
Given their logic then, they should cut the suspension travel down to F1 levels of 1/4" or so. That'll *really* make it a race car. (I
admit a small part of me likes holding people's feet to the fire when I detect BS in their sales pitch.)
I'll leave them alone for now, I've done my part to make people understand what they're getting into. I just hope they test drive it
on a normal street before buying.
(oh, and I'd like to give graber his thread back... sorry. I keep forgetting, it's not all about me!)
Okay, just one more. I found the Attack's suspension travel data on K1's website, and I quote:
"The whole suspension trajectory is only 4cm."
That's total travel!!!
Anyone here ever ride in a car (on the street) with that much total travel? I expect that "feature" to cause "issues."
At least if I get kicked off the site I can still read the posts.
[Edited on 20/12/03 by kb58]
Hmmm, thanks for the web site - i know its easy to critise but .....
quote:
The chassis acts as the tubing for coolant to flow to the front of the car.
quote:
In designing the car what qualifications did the frame designer have? The Attack was built be team of engineers and car racers. The “father” of concept frame finished the highest Education University of Industrial Design – Transportation faculty. This gentleman works for AUDI and Volkswagen in Germany.
quote:
How is the car expected to handle? I would want such a car to handle extremely well. I love the handling of the Mazda Miata, which is world renown for it's handling and want something similar.
O.K. well, I hope we don’t make you sad saying that Miata would not be any competition to the Attack. This vehicle is close to a race machine. The whole suspension trajectory is only 4cm (1,57"
quote:
How safe is this car in the even of a crash, it has no crumple zones and the force transmitted to the drive may be high.
As far as tested on "AUTOCAD 2" PC program, yes, it is O.K.
quote:
Are the roll bars functional?
Of course they are. 6 times more overloaded than the weight of actual vehicle.
quote:
Will the aerodynamics package allow for enough down force to keep the car firmly planted at speeds in excess of 100 mph?
The car is very wide and relatively short and at that speed, it could flip over if the front end started to float. That’s why the big intake opening in front is so deep and is making the needed down force to the front of the vehicle.
quote:
Will the kit be available as a RHD car, as well?
Yes, we are planning to accommodate the car to UK, Japan and Australian market as soon as it will be introduced in USA and we will see the demand more exactly
Eeek, sorry that was so long!
My last post on this car (i've just downloaded a video)....
is the ride height adjustable? If not that car is impossible on the road, its too low!
sometimes i just can't stop myself....
from video frontend_high it looks very much to me like its got stock lower front wishbones and ABS. Errm, did the Audi Race car suspension builders
design / build them as well???
Could someone have a look at the top wishbone as well - I'm slightly concerned that the strengthener for the shock loadings is not fully welded.
I've no experience on this subject and want to make my own at some point so would appreciate the advice.
Mike, I think you've picked out many of the anomalies that were concerning me......
I'll acknowledge the good looks...but the combination of huge power, youngish builders (seemingly), and potential handling issues looks like it
will end in tears for some..
quote:
is the ride height adjustable? If not that car is impossible on the road, its too low!
Geez some of you sound as cynical as me. Anyway, on the Attack forum I finally see some people realizing what that low suspension travel means.
It's even worse than it seems because the travel gets split between bump and droop, giving, say, 0.80" bump. *Now*, add a bump stop...
What thickness bump stop do you suppose they used with 0.8" travel?
It's really a shame. That *is* a beautiful body, but it's being coupled with suspension that even us amateur builders can see is going to
be trouble on anything but a glass-flat track (and maybe even then.)
And I agree there's something odd about saying your car was designed by a "famous person." A name would help, or at least the name of
the design firm. Why is it a secret?
[Edited on 20/12/03 by kb58]
4cm? i though id fuct it when i realised there was only 4 inches on mine!
damn nice front end though, yes?
I just thought of this.
If its a track car only (since you would need new kidneys everytime you drove it on the road) how do you get it on the trailer?
That thing is super low and with only 1.5 inch's of travel you would probly end up high centered. Unless you have one of those real fancy
traliers that tilts.
4cm? That must be a mistake. Surely they mean 4 inches (American market)?
I'd have thought it was an error too, except that they present the number in both English and Metric units. And since I paraphrased that spec in
their forum, no one from the factory has say anything about it being wrong.
Yeah, it'll make a nice track car - only. But I know, as does the factory, K1, that most people plan to drive it on the street. I feel K1
isn't being up-front enough about stressing how ill-suited it is for that. There's going to be a lot of very unhappy owners, but what can
you do. I've done my part.
Well hopefully some of my carefully worded questions and praise for what a "great race car its going to be" will have reinforced what you
where saying .....
Had to stop visiting the site as I could see myself getting sucked into creating a huge argument and didn't want the net hassle.