Jumbo's Silver FX - 2nd custom build

"I want to save money by building a completely custom Forced Induction system"
-no one, ever

Got some updates. Still a few weeks away from driving... but fabrication is mostly complete.

The new Merge pipe, with twin wastegate V-band flanges
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Installed with the new wastegates and the exhaust is plumbed back into the downpipe.
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The new CHRA
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And the new Twin-Scroll housing & turbo assembled! This is exciting!
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The shop says they plan to fire it up next week. To me, that means we are about 3-4 weeks away from finishing. We will get it on the dyno and tune for the new setup inside the next 10 days or so, then take it all apart and send all the hot side parts out for ceramic coatings... figure about 10 days for that... Then they will all go back together before one last shakedown.
 
Gotta love a shop that does what they say. I recommend Specialty Z to anybody that needs a job done right. That means you need patience... but it shall be rewarded.

Introducing Jumbo's Silver custom twin scroll turbo FX35:

https://youtu.be/RvXvtYRC4ck

We decided to give this fabrication some time to settle in and see how the stresses play out before doing a hot side coating. So it looks like I might be taking delivery a bit more quickly than I thought! Could be soon...
 
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First time in a long time I have seen a new part come out for the FX... but I jumped on Sohail's radiator support brace. Will install and review once I have both the brace in hand... and my car back from tuning!

I'm also looking into upgrading my StopTech calipers from the red painted set (bought 8 years ago) to the "Trophy" finish which is a natural anodize. These are an expensive option... but when you work for StopTech I feel like you kinda gotta represent.

StopTech Trophy Brakes
 
jumbosrule said:
First time in a long time I have seen a new part come out for the FX... but I jumped on Sohail's radiator support brace. Will install and review once I have both the brace in hand... and my car back from tuning!

I'm also looking into upgrading my StopTech calipers from the red painted set (bought 8 years ago) to the "Trophy" finish which is a natural anodize. These are an expensive option... but when you work for StopTech I feel like you kinda gotta represent.

StopTech Trophy Brakes
Click to expand...
PRETTY!!! Are those 3-Piston front AND back?
 
Trigger has been pulled. Which means my red ST40 calipers could be going up for sale soon. All you would need are the rotors and caliper mounting brackets. I can give a GREAT deal on these calipers... but more on that later.

No, the pic is just showing what a BBK looks like in a Trophy finish. StopTech's FX35 BBK is a 4-piston front-only kit and uses the stock rear caliper. The fronts are the ST40 calipers - and I will be changing them to the STR40 calipers.

Piston sizes are 44mm/44mm and caliper width is 32mm, for use on the StopTech 355x32 slotted aerorotors.

32aec91c-93bb-4188-9a39-78558587b596_zps8alpoe4s.png

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What about upgrading your rears to the 2nd Gen BBK? I know it won't do much, but turbo had those kits to make it possible to put them on the 1st Gens...
 
Being a StopTech program manager... I know my brakes enough to know I couldn't make a mod like that without first doing some engineering. The balance & bias of a brake system is very purposefully tuned from the factory and usually has a non-adjustable bias valve installed at the master/booster. Take a caliper from another car and bolt it onto yours and you change the balance of the system which could be VERY dangerous. Locking up the rear wheels first in any situation is the way to start an immediate spin. Worst thing that we can do in performance driving. So while some guys might be using this setup without incident, there could be some dynamic situations (say.. under boost?) where braking has been compromised and I've already lost one turbo FX. Just saying.

So things that matter to balance in this situation:
Caliper piston areas (new vs old)
Caliper brake pad area (new vs old)
Rotor (new size or same size?)

So StopTech's BBK uses a lighter, stiffer caliper than the stock slider, BUT the piston area is only slightly different. Considering things like the weight and Center of Gravity of the car, the BBK only slightly manipulates the balance of the brake system, moving a small percentage of work between the front and rear brakes. It's this small percentage that translate to shorter stopping distances under most conditions.

So this is coming home from work with me today - my actual STR40 calipers. Now all I need to do is wait for my car to come home for both the calipers and the new front radiator brace.

1FAEFC12-5EA4-439E-9EFF-9D24FCB30CA1_zpskio4fv9c.jpg
 
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jumbosrule said:
Being a StopTech program manager... I know my brakes enough to know I couldn't make a mod like that without first doing some engineering. The balance & bias of a brake system is very purposefully tuned from the factory and usually has a non-adjustable bias valve installed at the master/booster. Take a caliper from another car and bolt it onto yours and you change the balance of the system which could be VERY dangerous. Locking up the rear wheels first in any situation is the way to start an immediate spin. Worst thing that we can do in performance driving. So while some guys might be using this setup without incident, there could be some dynamic situations (say.. under boost?) where braking has been compromised and I've already lost one turbo FX. Just saying.

So things that matter to balance in this situation:
Caliper piston areas (new vs old)
Caliper brake pad area (new vs old)
Rotor (new size or same size?)

So StopTech's BBK uses a lighter, stiffer caliper than the stock slider, BUT the piston area is only slightly different. Considering things like the weight and Center of Gravity of the car, the BBK only slightly manipulates the balance of the brake system, moving a small percentage of work between the front and rear brakes. It's this small percentage that translate to shorter stopping distances under most conditions.

So this is coming home from work with me today - my actual STR40 calipers. Now all I need to do is wait for my car to come home for both the calipers and the new front radiator brace.

View attachment 390207
Click to expand...
Those are PRETTY calipers!!!

I see what you're saying about the dynamics of the brake system, but if the BBK upgrade for the 2nd Gen FX can bolt onto the 1st Gen, the weight distribution, wheelbase, and most measurables are almost identical from 1st Gen to 2nd Gen... I'd agree with you that it could potentially be dangerous if it was a brake system that was ported over from a G or another car though... And locking up the rears? Isn't that what the VDC and ABS there for? Theoretically it should release the brakes if one wheel locks up... In real life, this might not happen fast enough to get you out of a spin once started though... I'm just speaking purely hypotheticals though...
 
That's the thing about the brake system - we don't know the ABS VDC sensitivity, range and programming and what physical changes might take the system out of range for the ABS sensors. ABS can't function with just anything thrown at it so if the caliper force outputs are vastly different from stock, ABS and VDC simply return an error and don't understand what they are seeing. You would get a dash light... but maybe not - and that's what makes it dangerous. Even if ABS did function "correctly", you will not necessarily have improved stopping distances with the different rear setup. Until the engineering has been done, trial and error is really just anecdotal evidence and can't be considered fact, but definitely do contribute to our understanding of the system.

So the latest for the FX - a custom engine panel. Mostly to protect all the fabrication from water and road debris but maybe this will help with a little aero? Maybe some effect on mpg or cooling efficiency? Guess we will see.

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What, you mean the high-flow non-bypass Canton replaceable cartridge oil filter that I replace once a year? No because the panel isn't covering it! My filter is accessible through the wheel well.

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Spoke with the shop and we will do an oil change and new spark plugs before a fresh tune and a couple of days of driveability testing. I always ask the shop to use my car as a daily for two or three days - the owner takes it home and treats it like his own for a few days to shake out any obvious bugs. Looks like she'll be coming back at the end of next week.
 
Do I see red?
I did come across a red body in case you're looking ahead at what project to tackle next.
 
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