My best guess is that you'd want to check your speed bumps in the area - I mean those that you go over frequently. That being said - raise it up by an inch and see how that does. 3 inches clearance might be all you need.

 

Car is currently at Infineon Speedway getting suspension tuning by Performance Shock.

List of new goodies include:
Front: Koni 3012 with custom valving for SmallZilla
Front: Hyperco Coil overs with spring tension set specifically for SmallZilla
Rear: Koni 3012's but since it has longitudenal springs (installed by Seven Enterprises), the Koni's will not be coil over.

Here's a shot of the car riding on the A0048R's BUT with the shocks it came with from MiniTec:

 

It looks great. can you fit in a 90's acura motor in the hood with out cutting the hood up?

 

Yep. The new subframe from MiniTec allows such - it's called the MTB2 subframe which can house the early Integra motors such as B16 (90-93 Integra) or B18 (Integra 90-01). Each B motor series had many variants throughout the years so saying B16 or B18 is speaking generically...but you catch the drift.

 

Car is back from Sears Point and I think all "bottoming out" issues are resolved but time will tell. I need to drive some of the brutal backroads around my town to see just how the settings are working to that end. The car rides quite differently now and at a new ride height. I tested a bit on the paddock at Infineon and she danced sooooooooo gracefully. Freeway ride was really quite weird and I'm not sure I can yet explain the ride I'm experiencing. The shocks are set at 4.5 in front so I think for giggles I'm going to crank them down to zero to see what "soft" really means when driving on California freeways. The front wheels are angled outwards (camber gain due to ride height and control arm adjustments) and the rear angled inwards...odd stance though it is subtle and most wouldn't notice. I intend to take some pictures and update in the near future. Here are the shock dyno results:

 

The Mini is lookin' good! Sounds like it's running good too!?

Talked with Don of KC tonight, the Minitec sucide support lines are now open for business!

The Franknmini is down with possibly another bad steering rack! I didn't even hit anything. I've pulled the column and also need to do some re-wiring to eradicate those 2 awful terminal blocks on the column that seem to be making my tach go nuts and my ECU puke. Travelling, no time miss driving the wee beast.

All the best.

 

Keith I owe you a phone call big time and have meant to do so for a month! This weekend...this weekend...

MiniTec support line should be government funded considering all of the good it has done.

Sorry to hear about trouble with steering rack. Can it be from the column side?

Death to Lucas! Remove those blocks - they caused me to break down at the Dragon. Ahhh...the smell of smoking electronics made by Lucas.

I hate to admit this, but you were right. I don't mind it that you're right but I don't like it when you are right about things I wish were not true. Bruce Ritchie at Performance Shock told me (in NZ accent), "Ya know, you need to 'nut and bolt' the car once every two weeks, Lance." Uhggg! Tell me it isn't so! He did tell me that the bolts could be replaced with ones where the thread length is more appropriate so that the item being bolted would rest on the shoulder of the bolt rather than the threads and that should help the cause. Such is it...I promise to tinker on occassion.

The tundra in Detroit freezes by October, doesn't it? If you don't get caught up on those projects, your driving season is nearing its end...sad. Come out west Keith - it will save on air travel AND rust AND extend the driving season.

Be good.

 

Is this priase, or are you slamming it? Given how "government funding" is generally code for how craptacular something is, I'm unclear on your meaning.

 

Those who have ordered a car from MiniTec are in a special sort of fraternity. We've all laid awake at night debating with ourselves the benefits of silver over black bezels or driving lights or no driving lights. Why hasn't BJ called back? Does he hate me? Have they sold my car? Are they running drugs in my car? Is that my car in the pictures they sent or are they really good with photoshop? Is one month in California equal to five months in Georgia? Does all of the chicken dung burning there lead to global warming? And so on and so on. It's not easy waiting for much if you are an American who loves the advent of microwave ovens and thinks the mall is TV you walk through. Nope. 8.5 months of doting mixed with wealthy western world impatients is enough to make one in need of support...but Imagox you're right. There's no use making the support line anything like the DMV experience. Keith's shoulders are big and have been the resting spot of many quaking customers; he's MiniTec's Dr. Phil.

 

With all that said, and for the sake of continued therapy with Meno and the new Dr. Phil, I just launched a thread for my Vtec pickup:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=113991

 

Lance,
You're too funny!!

 

It's been some time but I'm still not ready to do a full update with pictures and the whole enchilada.

Latest: shock towers have been bent - Minitec has provided new solution for free and upgraded all of the kits but as for me, the guinea pig, needs to weld the new digs / retro fit. So Smallzilla goes in tomorrow at Sears Point to a chassis company to install new shock tower design hopefully along with a brace tying tower to tower to distribute the upforce across the two rather than the one.

Weird electrical mayhem today. Haven't driven the car in two weeks on account of the towers leaning more than Pisa so the battery was dead when I went to start. No big deal, right? Slapped the battery charger on for a night, went to start, lights lit up but position 3 didn't turn the starter. wheeeeeee! Next thing I know I'm on the phone with Norman for 60 minutes while he's trying to talk a mechanically inept midget to hot wire the car and trouble shoot. The skinny was I ended up towing it to Seven and Mike (I think he hums Cher's tune "Half Breed" every time Smallzilla shows up there) installed a new ignition assembly (total--> key, clamps, wiring harness). No problems, now. Oh blessed Lucas-fer.

Car is back to 204 whp. Third exhaust system rips. Third set of tires not doing well especially with increased camber due to towers leaning. Racing wheels purchased and sitting in garage with Yokohama 0048R's attached. One pair of steel drag racing wheels with slicks sitting next to those BUT I think the cat that sold me the goods should have tried running the slicks first...they don't look like they'll fit now muchless while under heavy load. When I do go to launch Smallzilla I am nervous about the type of LSD on the car. We shall see.

A/C situation postponed for warmer weather.

Final drive upgrade to be braved in the spring.

No bottoming out since the shock upgrade.

That's all for now. Pictures upcoming someday...someday...but not before I call Keith who is likely in deep freeze in the American Siberia.

I'm off for a weeks vacation.

Be good.

 

Keith - great to talk to you (finally) this morning. I can't believe you are in my neck of the woods. When I get back and you come back to the Sucramento area let's connect. Hopefully Smallzilla will be well by then so you can drive her like you hate her.

Keep this cold weather with you next time. Traction is difficult already.

Mexico, here I come!

 

Lance,

Sounds like Smallzilla is a work in progress - albeit a very VERY quick one. Hope ya get things sorted out!

I still need to take those seat measurements to compare with your Miata seats...

 

Just figures... Smallzilla's electrical morass is down to what... 2% OEM Lucas? And... of course, that 2% fails. At least you are able to drive year round, allowing you extended drivetime and continued learning curve while sorting it out under warranty.

And now, we need an update from Keith.

 

Meno,
What happened to exhaust #1 and #2?
Which one should I be using for my K series?

lemme know.

 

Travis 10 incher,

Are you doing your own K-series conversion?

 

Yes.
Engine/frame/bits should be here friday of this week I believe.

 

This thing is amazing. Awesome car....and perfect wheel/tire setup

 

Travis 10,

Doing your own K-swap is very impressive. You should start a build thread. Your other car looks fabulous, btw.

I think Meno's exhaust systems are evolving in conjunction with the post-Minitec rear suspension mods/tuning.

 

I have a build log on just about every vtec site out there.
I am really tired of trying to keep up with it on more than one page.
MM is supposed to be creating a build log section but its not up and running yet.

By the way, My Red 67'S is availiable for trade for a red VTEC'd pickup.

Down side/sad side is that I have more money in it than if I got a pickup/vtec built at Minitec.

Also, when I said I am doing it myself I might owe you some clarification.
Minitec is putting everything together and sending it to me. I will bolt the entire thing to my mini.
I will be doing some stuff myself though.

 

Travis,

Exhaust #1 came from MiniTec. Nice looking, very loud, oval type. However two problems: First off, it was installed a couple of inches shy of the bumper which caused the chrome to get mucho carbon build up and discolor AND the boot tended to vacuum the fumes into it.

Secondly my rear tires kept rubbing on bumps / turns and as I added weight to the car it became worse (MT had supplied too tall of a tire on account that there were troubles obtaining 165/60 series tires). When Seven got a hold of it to tune the suspension they added a rear suspension bar and rear camber adjustment by KAD, rear red racing springs instead of rubber bumps topped off with 165/50 series Yoko's which caused a large gap between the fenders and the tops of the tires...an eyesore...so they dropped it, corner balanced it and oh my it felt like a totally different car for the better. HOWEVER, the car drug the muffler on most any bump and the oil pan/chassis on strange instances - not speed bumps. So a quick fix was an inexpensive exhaust system which was tucked out of the way. This lead to adding the Koni shocks which stopped all bottoming out issues BUT transferred the stress to the shock towers which are currently being fabricated with cross braces and angle chassis braces. Unfortunately the motor has to be pulled, at least at last report, to do so...but I digress. I went to the Hondata tuner for tuning and he discovered issues, namely my horsepower had been around 140 for two reasons: one, the reflash that was sent accidently from MT which intended to turn the A/C switch on and not change the mapping (oops) and two, the exhaust was so restrictive I lost 3 pounds of boost. That fixed, the car is back to 204 HP. I still could get another safe pound of boost or so because currently I'm at 8 and the supercharger is set for a stock 9 (race version = "stock" off the shelf setting). We'll see. I don't know where detonatiion will occur with running on California 91 grade though so I guess safe is better than sorry...for the moment.

Wheww...there's more info about "why 3 exhausts?" but that's the jist.

Go 3". I think my car would have pulled the normal 9 pounds had I gone with 3". MT sent out 2.5 galvanized, I'm at 2.75 stainless. MT was louder but metallic sounding. Mine is more Honda Motorsport-ish. Bracing the exhaust was tricky (probably why MT left it back a bit) but probably not any more tricky than when I go to have the condensers for the A/C mounted...but thats a fiasco for another day, if you know what I mean.

That's all for now.

 

sounds like Smallzilla has turned out to be MTs most expensive guinea pig.
cheers.

 

El Profe - You have said a mouthful.

Latka - Am willing and able once car returns to measure. I've seen your picture though and despite you telling me so, I don't think those are a great fit for you. Screw the back seat - get seats like Irtenkauf's rig.

Dmini - shock towers bending may be on account of tension from the red springs which were around 2000 lbs of tension so it's hard to place that necessarily on subframe design --> warranty. That said, Norman still sent out some new boxed towers but the guys at the chassis place naturally wanted to sell me their design ALTHOUGH the money isn't in the metal itself as that is the least of all costs (2%?) from them. When I left the country they initially designed bracing going from one tower to the other AND a angle bracket tying each tower to the chassis / subframe. My only question now is, "Where is the weak spot now going to be?" Wheeeeeeeee!

D series seems so much safer!

 

It's a scary thought, but something has to give. In the name of "lightness" some stress points have been overlooked in the design.

Hopefully the upgrades will be the cure for your car.