victory_red_SS's short version build story

[victory_red_SS]

victory_red_SS’ RWD Cobalt Project Build

Hello, my name is Rod and I am an …. oh wait that is a different group….no seriously, I am actually a car modificationaholic. By now many of the forum(s) members are familiar with my long overdue project. There are many threads on the different forums that have similar information but some are extremely long. Now I want to give the build details without all of the other details, mainly where I was ripped off, lied too and let down, repeatedly. I will also write about what we have not what it was going to be.

This project has almost taken 4 years of my life but now we are coming into the home stretch.

My project car is a 2005 Chevy Cobalt SS/SC, which I received April 5th, 2005 and was the first one delivered in my local area. I had to wait a whole month before delivery so I started researching everything Cobalt related and that is when my biggest misfortune happened, I found car forums. From then on I looked forward to all possible performance modifications for my car. It was during that search that I found a company who was ‘supposedly’ able to make ……..oh wait that is the bad story, this is the good one.

Over the course of this project, my car has morphed into what we have now, a 2005 V-8 Rear Wheel Drive Supercharged Cobalt. The car now has a complete chromoly tube chassis, a 4link suspension with a Pro Bar w/diagonal link. There is also a 24” Pro-Anti roll bar and wishbone track locator. We have Strange, 6” stroke coilovers with 12”x110lb springs on the back and the steel wheel tubs we have are 38” x 24”. For stopping power there are SSBC brakes on all four corners and a Sampson parachute on the back end.

The floors are aluminum and the firewall and transmission are a medium gauge sheet metal. The floor panels are being secured with epoxy and rivets to allow for removal should the need arise. There is a full chromoly race cage in the car and only the funny car part of the cage needs to be welded into place. Once the cage is finished we will be getting it NHRA certified to run as low as 7.50 seconds.

For the front suspension we started with a Mustang II clip. There are also Strange coilovers on the front with a 3” stroke and 8”x300lbs springs. The front fender support rails were modified to allow for the lower stance of the car and provide more clearance for the tires. We are using the stock body panels and hood. There is some discussion about getting fiberglass doors made for the car as well as ditching the power windows. By removing the power windows we reduce weight and wiring needs. It has been suggested to lighten the front end to allow for better weight transference and the rear end squat at the start line.

We have now got the steering column installed and we will be using a removable steering wheel to allow me to get in/out of the car a bit easier considering that a funny car cage does not allow for me to use swing out bars on the cage. Other items inside the car will be kept to a minimum such as the exclusion of a stereo. I am going to enjoy the sound of the car so why drown it out with music. We also don’t need the added wiring because keeping radio talk to a minimum is important come race day. Using the Painless wiring harness/parts, we will be wiring up the basics as far as components go such as lights. I haven’t decided on the power locks yet. I had planned on more creature comforts for this car but the weight issue will win out. I will still be using the stock dash and interior panels where possible. We had looked at using a universal dashboard but that came with issues I didn’t need. The plan is to retain a mostly stock look in the passenger area of the car including an upgrade to the plastic panels and headliner. I haven’t figured out what to do with the tunnel yet but once the interior is being worked on I will figure that out. We will be using racing seats for sure but I need to make sure they fit me better than the ones we originally bought.

[victory_red_SS]

(continued)

Now for the good stuff the drive train. I recently decided to use the LSX block for my build as this is the best small block GM makes. We will be using top grade components in the engine like the SCAT billet crankshaft and Mahle 8.0:1 pistons, Oliver connecting rods, Bullet camshaft & roller lifters and a ATI front dampner to list a few of those components. The engine will be built to a displacement of 439 cubic inches. We have Dart heads and the valvetrain will support 7,000 rpms. On top of the engine we will be using a Wilson billet intake manifold/fuel rails. We have chosen to use the Wilson manifold to safely handle the 20lbs of boost that we will generate from the F-1R ProCharger we are using. For fuel management we have the Bigstuff3 stand alone computer which allows for very flexible tuning, including tune on the fly. For cooling we are using a Griffin radiator as well as a Meziere electric water pump fpr the air to water intercooler. We have two fuel cells in the trunk and they are setup so we can easily drain them as we switch from pump gas to race fuel and methanol.

There is a line-loc for the burnouts and to help put that power to the back wheels we are using a 2 speed powerglide that is race prepped and has a transbrake. We will be using a 4200 rpm stall torque converter. For the rear end we have a aluminum case Strange Ford 9”. We actually have two sets of axles and gear sets so that we can run a spool on the dragstrip and a posi on the streets. The gears that we were going to use have been changed because we are also changing the height of the slicks we will be using. We are planning on a 15x32x14.5 tire on the back to get the car to hook and wheelie bars to keep the front end down.

The custom engine cradle/mount and transmission mount have been made from chromoly and designed not only to with stand the torque but to also be removed quickly for ease of replacing parts, when needed. The headers are also custom pieces and one side (the hardest side) is now made and just needs to be welded after the other side is done. The headers are tuned and equal length within 3/16” of each other.

The car is supposed to head home in the first part of April so the wiring and interior can be worked on. During that time the engine will be built as we prepare for a completion date of June 1st. From there the car will have the finishing touches and then head out to the track on test & tune days for proper set up and dialing in of the car. I recently completed a course at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School that allowed me to earn my NHRA completion license so I will be allowed to run my car from the get go. We are now planning to unveil the car to the Cobalt community on July 2nd at Mission Raceway, my local NHRA race track. This unveiling will be in conjunction with the Western Canada Cobalt Meet. If all goes as planned then I am looking at entering the bracket race being held at Mission that same weekend.
The following pictures are relevant to how the car is now and is a brief pictorial history of my project.
For anyone interested in reading more of the actual story behind my project please visit my website at Project VictoryRedSS Fund Raiser | Official home of the VictoryRedSS RWD Cobalt and check out the pages there. There is also an update of the story being prepared that covers the last year. It may take a few more days as I type really slow.

Thanks for reading and caring about this project,

Rod

[SillyBILLY.]

Boats 'n Hoes

Rod, you are an amazing person.

God Bless.

[G85 SS]

Boats 'n Hoes

Rod, you are an amazing person.

God Bless.

Rod. Again, love to see all the progress that this project has seen. Keep your head up and get this thing finished. Show that company how it's done.

Best wishes.

[SillyBILLY.]

Man in Trenchcoat approves.

[victory_red_SS]

So here is the latest news on the car. The passenger side header is almost done. There is a small clearance issue that the shop has to deal with this week and then the final welding will be done.

The shop also got in the core for the custom intercooler (see pics) and it is a beast. It will handle all we want it to upto 1500hp.

The cage was supposed to be done before bringing the car home and now we are re-thinking that. It has been suggested that we stick with the 8:50 cage for now until we have the car all setup and I am comfortable with the power/handling simply because the funny car section does leave hazards as far as my smacking my head around on the bars. I am not fond of the idea but I understand the shops reasoning.

My LSX block now sits in customs until who knows when and the cylinder heads are supposed to arrive on May 3rd. The other engine parts are also on their way except for the Wilson intake manifold/fuel rails and the Procharger. Those should be in around the 3rd week of May.

We are also at the point where I will be bringing the car home for wiring at the end of April. I will be making arrangements to have it brought home and Deej I will call you within the next day or two. Other members who are local to me who have expressed wanting to help me, please send me PM's so we can do some planning/co-ordinating.











Look at the size of this beast of a intercooler core




I am very happy to say that I got my NHRA license.

Boats 'n Hoes

Rod, you are an amazing person.

God Bless.

Will, you are going to make me blush

Rod. Again, love to see all the progress that this project has seen. Keep your head up and get this thing finished. Show that company how it's done.

Best wishes.

Thanks Jeremy

[Steddy]

Thanks for updating Rod

[victory_red_SS]

Thanks for updating Rod

My pleasure.





Now on a totally unrelated side note, how the hell do you have 3687+ posts on here already Steddy????

[Steddy]

You're surprised I post a lot?

[victory_red_SS]

You're surprised I post a lot?

I guess we could say that you are pretty Steddy at posting

[Rich]

Looking really good man!!



now take it in for a warranty claim

[victory_red_SS]

Looking really good man!!



now take it in for a warranty claim

Or at least the power steering assit recall

[Omiotek]

man ive been watching this build forever. glad to see its hitting the last stretch. i wanna paint it lol!!!!!! or atleast wetsand and buff it.......

[victory_red_SS]

man ive been watching this build forever. glad to see its hitting the last stretch. i wanna paint it lol!!!!!! or atleast wetsand and buff it.......

I like the sounds of that. Where are you typing from?

[victory_red_SS]

Illinois, you big tease

[HeckYaItsSlow]

Excellent news! I'm ready to see this monster run.

[Omiotek]

Illinois, you big tease

not teasing at all. im totally serious.

[victory_red_SS]

The time has come to share what is going on with the car. This update is one of those "Good News - Bad News" updates. I will start off with the good news because, frankly, I am tired of the bad news on this project.

The Good News:

There has been some headway with tegards to the work on the project. We now have both headers completed, except for the final welding on the exhaust port flanges. Those will be finished only once everything is fitted and clearances are all triple checked. The collctors will have he flanges welded on once we have the extender pipes cut to size. The purpose of these pipes are for when I am running at the track. The mufflers will be removed and the extenders bolted on to increase my off the line torque. The piping for the exhaust pipes are on order and should arrive next week. There are some pictures showing the underside of the car and you can see the routing of the exhaust. I will end up with dual exhausts with a side exit on both sides.

The radiator has been fitted and once the brackets are welded up, the intercooler will be finished up and fitted as well. There was one area of the front rad support that had to be modified so that the radiator could fit. (see picture)

My braking system is about 95% completed. The emergency brake lines need to be connected still and we have a clearance issue with the rear rotors, with both items being dealt with soon. The lines, master cylinder, line loc and rear proportioning valve are all installed (pictures included). Now that the brake lines are done Resnick's will start running the fuel lines which will include a return fuel system. While discussing the fuel system we have chosen to dump the methanol injection kit as well as the secondary fuel cell. I will be simply running race fuel at the race track, following the age old saying 'keep it simple stupid'.

In addition to the braking system, the steering system is 100% completed. The steering column is properly mounted and the steering knuckles are installed. We had to use knuckles which are approved for both the track and the street so you know what that means, extra $$$. We have also made a couple of minor structural modifications to the front end chassis to strengthen up the front suspension.

We have many of the parts waiting for the LSX block to arrive but there has been issues with gettig the block. We were told for 2 months that a it was on it's way only to finally have the company refund the money and admit that they never had this block in stock. What is up with people anyways? We ave lined up another block but we are waiting for the refund to be cleared by VISA first. We have also had to deal with a similar issue with the Dart Pro1 cylinder heads. After waiting on these for over 6 weeks, the owner of Dart talked with us today and guaranteed that the heads will be sitting at the border in 2 day. Once those heads arrive Resnick's will do some further work to open up the bowls even further to allow flow rates to meet the LSX's/Procharger's needs. While we wait for those parts to arrive we have also chosen to change our plans for the oiling system by using the A.R.E. drysump setup. Some of the parts from my LSJ drysump kit can be used and I am exchanging the oil pan & oil pump for the right ones.

Another issue we have been waiting for resolution on is my seats. While I received seats 5 months ago and those seats looked good (even though the color choice wasn't as ordered)they weren't a good fit for me. The seats were too narrow for my hips and the upper bolsters allowed no room for my shoulders. One of the several things I learnt at drag racing school is that distractions aren't needed sitting at the starting line so the seats were sent back. We have been told that there are now another set of seats we can get and with a couple of simple modifications, they will meet my needs.

It is likely going to be a couple of more weeks before the car can come home to be wired and while that happens I will also be painting all unpainted metal surfaces. I hope to also start fitting the interior pieces in place so I can have an accurate accounting of what is missing from when the car was sent back to me. It seems like everytime I start to get to another section of the car I discover more missing parts and I can not help but assume that people have used this project for their own personal used parts store. One day I am going to finish 'The Story Part 2' which will give a more detailed accounting of all the bad dealings with supposed 'reputable companies'that this project has had.

The Bad News:

This project has been on going for over 4 years now and many of the people following the car know a lot, or at least some, of the story. I would like to be able to write that this has been a fun time for me. I can't write that but I wish I could. This project has caused me more grief than any car is worth. I should have cut my losses long ago before I ever had this car cut up for the RWD conversion. I constantly regret the choices that I have made and the pain that I have caused my wife along the way. If I could turn back the clock.......I know that can't happen so it is what it has be come. While I am so close to seeing this car run and the majority of the big ticket items are paid for, we still have a ways to go and now comes all of those smaller items that add up faster than the items in your grocery bag. You know those items, the ones where you think nothing there cost very much at all but collectively they really added up to a lot.

Two days ago I sat down with the shop and got their total of their last invoice. We also went over the items that still needed to be purchased. We added those two sets of numbers up and I then had to come home and tell the wife that we were needing to spend another $25K. I watched her sink as she listened to me and from their she went into a tail spin. My wife is the best wife in the world (the only wife for me) and I hated having to tell her that number. The only buffer to that news for her is the expectation that we will be done and this nightmare can stop and allow me to focus on paying off my debt. I have also made an agreement with my wife that regardless of where we are at with the project when that $25K runs out, the project will stop. We will not take another cent out of our reduced retirement investments. Any further work will only be done as my cash flow allows and my debt needs to be put first.

What this all means is that, in all likelyhood, I will fail an end up a long ways away from the finish line. I will likely not be able to finish the interior or to paint the car and buying wheels/tires for the street is out of the question. Considering what I have envisioned this car to be, I won't reach that goal and it isn't for my lack of commitment. I appreciate those who donated to help me when this site was first started up but this isn't a plea for money. Why I even bring this up is because I need to prepare myself for my failure as well as prepare those who have followed this car for far too long. I have had this project beating me up for 4 years. Everyday the details keep bouncing around inside my head and the only relief is when I sleep. Having poured so much of my time, energy and money into this project and not see it finished isn't easy to do so I need to be ready. I have thought about just pulling down the website and stay away from the forums but too many people will want to know how this all ends. Now you know that the ending is likely to be less than what we all expected it to be.

And for those who say just make it a 'track car', track cars like this cost 1/3 of this stupid thing and the plan of enjoying it more than a few races a year was what kept me going. I have to be honest, I hate this car and all that it has become. With that being said, there is no advantage to selling it because the recovery value is minimal compared to the money spent.

[

[Omiotek]

sad to here but in all honesty i know how it is. still would paint it for at a fraction of the cost a normal paint job would cost and buff it

[victory_red_SS]

sad to here but in all honesty i know how it is. still would paint it for at a fraction of the cost a normal paint job would cost and buff it

I think we will need to work out the logistics of that proposal.





The DART cylinder heads finally arrived. I guess the waiting wasn't so bad because they are some of the very first batch of CNC'ed DART heads that have 72 CC combustion chambers. These heads flow 330 cfm from the factory and by the time Resnick finishes with them he expects that they will flow over 400 cfm. Resnick had these specifically built to easily handle our 8,000 rpm redline.

On top of these heads, I am told that the LSX block has been purchased and should arrive by the end of June (finally). :fingers-crossed:









Perfectly CNC'ed combustion chambers