Spec Boxster Build - Page 52 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

thstone · 05-24-2018, 04:05 PM

Here is the video from the start of Race #1 on Saturday at Willow Springs.

One of the interesting aspects of this race is that the Green is thrown super early - I am just coming out of Turn 9 (and can't see the start tower) when we go Green and some of the cars behind me are still in the turn!

I make a nice pass to move up one position on the entry to Turn 2 and then defend into Turn 3.

Turn up the sound to hear the glorious symphony of 24 flat-six engines at full throttle and be sure to watch in full screen HD!

NigelT · 05-29-2018, 06:01 PM

[QUOTE=thstone;571162]Here is the video from the start of Race #1 on Saturday at Willow Springs.

One of the interesting aspects of this race is that the Green is thrown super early - I am just coming out of Turn 9 (and can't see the start tower) when we go Green and some of the cars behind me are still in the turn!

Tom, if you look closely you'll see we didn't go green until 37 secs into your video when Anders and I were almost at start finish. It was a very LATE flag. We just decided to get going way before then LOL. You know what they say - go with the cars not with the flag

What really pissed me off was that the one time I was able to get the jump on Anders, Gene was still able to pass us both from the second row by turn 1. Sigh.

thstone · 05-30-2018, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NigelT

Tom, if you look closely you'll see we didn't go green until 37 secs into your video when Anders and I were almost at start finish. It was a very LATE flag. We just decided to get going way before then LOL. You know what they say - go with the cars not with the flag

Whaaaat? I was so far back that by the time I got to the start/finish, you guys were already in Turn 6.

So yes, it appears to be a case of a super late green flag where the entire field jumped early. As you said, I heard everyone else going, so I went too.

Thanks for the clarification!

CrisZenithBlue · 05-24-2018, 04:51 PM

good sh$@#t.. stuff Tom!

i gotta say that quiet before the storm and the start is still my favorite part! that sound is so glorious, who cares who wins! when you live that you are ALIVE! that's all that matters.

keep the videos coming and keep enjoin! LIVING THE DREAM!

thstone · 05-25-2018, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrisZenithBlue

good sh$@#t.. stuff Tom!

i gotta say that quiet before the storm and the start is still my favorite part! that sound is so glorious, who cares who wins! when you live that you are ALIVE! that's all that matters.

keep the videos coming and keep enjoin! LIVING THE DREAM!

Thanks and yes, its definitely living a lifelong dream for me.

thstone · 05-27-2018, 02:34 PM

Here are a few pic's from last weekend...

With 24 cars, it was a huge field coming down the front straight at the start...

On grid doing some visualization before the start of the race...

Leading a couple of 944's into Turn 3...

\

A quartet of BSR's coming down the Omega through Turn 5...

My friend Bart Hale telling me about driving his 996 GT-3 in the time trials...

thstone · 06-30-2018, 08:25 AM

Why buy car parts when you can print them?

Recently got a Flashforge Creator Pro and it is amazing.

thstone · 07-02-2018, 11:08 AM

Here are some pics of the prototype rally-style shifter that I printed.

This prototype was made from PLA so its fairly light but feels very strong/stiff. I would like a little more weight so I will print another prototype using thicker exterior walls along with a thicker interior honeycomb structure to see if that gives it a beefier feeling.

I will have to use ABS for the final part since PLA may start to deform at temps (~130F) that are likely to be experienced in a hot race car.

As you can see, it is quite a bit longer/taller than the carbon fiber shifter that I have been using. My initial impression is that I think that it needs to mount deeper on the shift lever like the carbon fiber shifter does.

I am going to drive it a bit like this and see what I think. Then I’ll drill the mounting hole 1” deeper and drive it again. And then drill it so it fits flush at the bottom and drive it again.

The final version can be printed in any of 40 different ABS-available colors. The cost is about $1.65 in material. It takes about 4 hrs to print but its completely automated so I start it and just come back when its done.

Note: My car has the 997 shifter which has a shorter throw than the stock 986/996 shifter, but not as short as an aftermarket short shifter.

And no, you weren't the first to think that it looks like a big blue dild...

Existing carbon fiber shifter...

Prototype shifter...

To give you an idea of the size/dimensions...

Side by side comparison...

Cunningr · 07-02-2018, 12:55 PM

Been interested in 3D printing, which printer are you using? I was check8ng out some software that you can use your camera to make several photos and convert into a 3D model for printing.

seningen · 07-02-2018, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cunningr

Been interested in 3D printing, which printer are you using? I was check8ng out some software that you can use your camera to make several photos and convert into a 3D model for printing.

Very cool!

I talked to a racer who mentioned that if you want to prevent a money shift
force your shifting pattern to not be Thumb on top, but on the side.

might consider building a shifter that promotes that grip as opposed to the thumbs up.

It has to do with the elbow bending direction, thumbs up it is easy to pull towards you, sideways thumb will make that movement more difficult -- and therefore less likely to be done unintentionally.

I also had issues with a non-rounded top as it dug into my palm.

M

thstone · 07-02-2018, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seningen

I talked to a racer who mentioned that if you want to prevent a money shift
force your shifting pattern to not be Thumb on top, but on the side.

might consider building a shifter that promotes that grip as opposed to the thumbs up.

It has to do with the elbow bending direction, thumbs up it is easy to pull towards you, sideways thumb will make that movement more difficult -- and therefore less likely to be done unintentionally.

I also had issues with a non-rounded top as it dug into my palm.

I'll have to think about the hand positioning - avoiding the money shift is always a good thing!

And yes, I might have to play around with the top edge to find a shape that is comfortable in my palm.

thstone · 07-02-2018, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cunningr

Been interested in 3D printing, which printer are you using?

I'm using a Flashforge Creator Pro: Creator Pro 3D Printer – FlashForge 3D Printers

I am still a novice but its pretty easy to set up/use and thus far has been super reliable. There is a lot of help online in forums but I mostly use the default settings and have had good results.

Cunningr · 07-03-2018, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thstone

I'm using a Flashforge Creator Pro: Creator Pro 3D Printer – FlashForge 3D Printers

I am still a novice but its pretty easy to set up/use and thus far has been super reliable. There is a lot of help online in forums but I mostly use the default settings and have had good results.

I was looking at the software just the other day, trying to see how we could apply its use inside our company. I am the IT Manager for this site, we have a engineering design section that might could use this technology. But other than wanting to just print car parts in my office I can not come up with a valid reason for the company to spend the money so I can learn how to use one!

Geof3 · 07-02-2018, 10:45 PM

Nice! Just name the shifter Steely Dan!

thstone · 07-21-2018, 03:07 PM

Been busy with work but finally got back to the shifter. The throw length is about right with the knob mounted fully onto the shifter as shown below. I also filed the top edge to give it a more natural feel in my hand.

Planned design changes: deepen the mounting hole, add more chamfer to the top edge, thicken the walls and internal honeycomb for more strength, and add a reinforced boss for a flanged expansion insert/retaining screw. Then I'll print Version 2 in a more appropriate color (white or black) sometime this week.

thstone · 07-24-2018, 04:56 PM

I was able to update the design of the shifter with the desired changes using Rhino 5 CAD. This shows the model deign as a solid object. The honeycomb interior structure is added by the slicing program after this.

My first attempt at printing Version 2 (in white) had a bit of a problem! Reprinting a second time seems to be working fine.

thstone · 07-24-2018, 04:58 PM

Speaking of the honeycomb interior structure, here is what Version 1 looks like in cross section...

thstone · 07-25-2018, 08:26 PM

I don't know if I'll ever be a great race driver, but it won't be from a lack of effort outside the car.

Over the past 18 months;

I've lost 35 lbs of fat.
Went from not being able to run around the block to running 5 miles every other day (8:30/mile pace).
Weightlifting every other day.
Eating 1000x more healthy.
Vitamins and protein supplements.

Today's workout was a several sessions in the sport karts in 90-95F heat (my GPS running watch titled the event incorrectly as running).

Geof3 · 07-25-2018, 09:51 PM

Well, you are “running” a kart? So, good to go! Any word on how your last engine died?

thstone · 07-26-2018, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geof3

Any word on how your last engine died?

Not yet. Been really busy with work. And karting. And 3-D printing. And... well, you get the idea. Its still waiting to for disassembly.

Maybe I'll grab a wrench and have a go at it this weekend. If I don't care about having to put it back together, then it should be a snap.