phunky_monkey

I spun the Radical out of turn 3 at EC on slicks with a damp track and flat spotted all 4 tyres. I wouldn't have thought it would have done it so easily but with a bit of speed on board looks like its very easy to do. Car look fantastic mate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWupuAj1bio Agreed, should be easy as pie. I'm loving this solution! I thought the warmer was a good idea but the cost and complexity was a bit of a downer, this should hopefully work out nicely.

Not sure if the elements on that one will be the right size, so I might hold off until I know for sure what size I require. But thanks! All it 's going to take for a drive now is a wristie, but you're close! I think I'll wait to see if I definitely need it and see what their recommendation is, but sounds promising to me.

Not sure yet mate, have never done it myself! I'll find out soon enough though.

This is why I love you Richard Just looked them up - cheap as chips. I can use a converter to make it work with 240v and save myself a whole bunch of cash. Radical are replacing my dry sump tank with the latest version as part of my deal, so I'll enquire with them about heaters. Their version is pretty expensive from the UK so not sure why that would be. Ben: I just found this old thread and people were suggesting the same thing: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/333790-faster-warm-up-for-a-dry-sumpd-engine-oil-tank-heaters/ I think the external heater will be easiest for me, so I'll do some looking into that.

Thanks for all the input guys. Neil: I was thinking it was more around those times you've indicated, which may make it a worthwhile purchase. We'll see what sort of price the kit can be pieced together for and decide then whether it would make sense. Radical don;t really need to use them as they sit now because their track sessions are so compressed withing the day (20mins on, 20 mins off) so temps aren't an issue except for initial start up, but for regular track days and racing it would seem to make more sense. Definitely looking at options with 240v as a requirement. Dan: I wouldn't bother with a road based car as you can drive it around lightly to get temps up, and they never seemed to take all that long in the 180 with its oil cooler w/ thermostat. Radical tolerances are quite tight from what I'm aware, and the theres a lot of oil so it's more of a concern.

For that sort of time it's obviously not worth it. I was thinking that it may be more like 15 mins run time for each hour on track which would then be worthwhile. 30 hours is only for racing engines and as a precaution I think. I've heard of guys with 90 hours and no dramas so it's very conservative, but understandable with a warranty in place.

Yeah, I haven't seen them use them when I've been there, so you make a very valid point. I thought it may be a good investement toward less frequent rebuilds but may be a false economy.

Thanks for the advice Stephen. I'll ask the Radical guys how long it usually takes them to get sufficient oil temp and see what they say. I must have linked the wrong one - I'm looking at oil pre-heaters rather than coolant as that's not too big of a concern. If it does indeed only take a few minutes then I won't worry about it.

Hey all, Looking around at engine oil pre-heaters for the Radical to cut down on the amount of hours on the engine for warming up, and help with general wear on cold start-up. Anyone used them before? Looking at something like the Hot Head system: http://www.hotproductsengineering.com/?p=content&rp=hothead Thoughts, opinions, advice etc all welcomed! Cheers, Dane

GT-R looks to be a bit of a weapon! To the original poster, I recently sold a car I'd been building for years and in hindsight would most definitely have bought something with all the hard work already done. As said above, the amount of time, money and patience was not worth it for me despite the satisfaction you have of building something to your liking.

Depends on the day of the week sideburns But you do make a compelling argument...

Me too mate!

Sorry, made an error above. They're made by SABELT not SCHROTH, and I would recommend them for sure. But as Richard has said you can't go wrong with Willans.

I recall that Supra. Last time I saw it was at Winton, had some misfiring issues and didn't run. Looked like a pretty serious machine though!

I preferred my Willans Harness to my current OMP as the adjusters were easier to use. I believe the Radical has Schroths (branded as Radical) and they are also very nice to adjust, so those two would be my choice.

Love it!

Nice trailer! But 15k is a lot of dough considering Stephen (above) picked his up for $8500.

And they can look just as good! (shameless free plug for me ) The car was never 100% completed before I sold it, but you may find some info on here that could interest you: http://project180sx.blogspot.com/ If the S13 has work already done then I'd happily go for that.

Oh, and S14's look better too...

Wise words! If it were me I'd buy an S14/S15 for all of the reasons stated above. I wouldn't go as nuts on it as I did with my 180SX, just leave it at: Exhaust Intercooler Injectors AFM Tune Discs Pads Braided brake lines Clutch GOOD coilovers w/ camber tops Rear camber arms 17's with R rubber Seat Wheel Cage You'll have a reliable 200rwkw's in a nimble, light chassis that is cheap to run and quicker than most other budget track cars. Alternatively an R33GTS-T is just as good an option if that's what floats your boat. More power and torque, but more weight. Much better gearbox though which is a big +.

I look forward to seeing it done mate! Looks like a good load height on your trailer. Can I ask what you picked it up for?

If I can get a truck free of charge it would be even better! I'm still a bit confused at to how it all goes together (not that I'd do it myself), but the concept is awesome, and very appealing. Thanks a lot for your input and ideas. Have you seen this done before? I can only imagine mate! I'm preparing all of my wood block soon, it will be like a jigsaw puzzle gone wrong in my boot. For sure the practicality of just driving a car onto an enclosed trailer is a hard option to beat, but the convenience that 1 fully equipped unit offers in other areas can't be ignored, especially if space is at a premium. I can't keep a trailer at my house because it won't fit, and I live on a main rd so it can't be parked anywhere (not that I would anyway) so loading the car up requires a lot of time pre-event which is a pain. Being able to have everything all in the one place, and parked at home ready to go prior to an event is very appealing! Also not having to have the second car perked up somehwhere is an added bonus. This advanatage may outweigh the hassle when you get trackside.

Wowzers that thing is quick! Great vids Stuart. Car looks and sounds great. Keep us updated.

Agreed, car looks great Ben.