Ecotec 510

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JordanTr
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by JordanTr »

That looks awesome Matt!!

Thanks for taking the time to post up. We love seeing your high level craftsmanship.
'72 2 door KA project | S14 Silvia RB25DET | S14 RB26DETT (sold) | '90 Audi 90Q20V (sold)
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icehouse
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Location: Everett Wa

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by icehouse »

Dude how is your front sway bar mounted?
"People don't like it when shit doesn't match their rule of thumb." Sam
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ecotec510
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Location: Oxford,AL

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

icehouse wrote:Dude how is your front sway bar mounted?
My car no longer has the TC rod brackets on the frame. I use A-arms attached to a fabricated crossmember/subframe. The swaybar mounts hang off the front of the subframe. All the front suspension stuff has been revised since the original build pics. I have to put up some pics later of the Bilstein 46mm motorsport struts I managed to fit to the car last year. Endlinks mount up on the strut tubes.

Here's a pic of the current swaybar mounts.
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icehouse
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by icehouse »

Defiantly more pictures of the suspension! It's my fav!!
"People don't like it when shit doesn't match their rule of thumb." Sam
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datsuntech
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by datsuntech »

I concur.
Rear Wheel Drive, The way God Intended.
If a car is being pulled from the front, doesn't that mean it's being towed?
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ecotec510
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Location: Oxford,AL

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

I pulled a wheel and took some suspensions pics. Sorry about the sideways pics I don't know how to rotate them on here.

The knuckle is kinda crude and bulky, but this was all manual bridgeport mil work. 370Z hub bearings, s2000 girodisc rotors, same sentra spec-v calipers. Crossmember is 4130 tubing. Skid plate bolts under pan, it's not installed in these pics. Rod ends are mounted horizontal, which allows some adjustment in roll center and anti-dive. Pivot points are raised about as high as possible with current rack height. I can't raise the rack anymore due to the oil pan. This crossmember weighs about 10lbs less than the old version. Struts are Bilstein 46mm motorsport units. They come blank with unthreaded stud and no mounting ears. Way overkill for a street/autox dime but who cares. They make 36mm units now that might be a better fit. I originally intended on having to re-valve them and have the tools and shims to do the 46mm's. The 300/100 linear valving I bought them with has worked well enough to leave them alone. I have aluminum body bilsteins as rear coilovers now also. Those I valved myself. This setup gives me tons of room for 16x8 wheels under stock fenders, with full turning radius and no rubbing on any sheetmetal. I was running 225/45's on the front, back to 205's now.

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510rob
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by 510rob »

are those brake rotors properly floated?
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ecotec510
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Location: Oxford,AL

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

Yes the rotors are floating. They have spring clips to keep them quiet.
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510rob
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by 510rob »

more pics of the rotor mounting please :) :) :)
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ecotec510
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

They are made by Girodisc.
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icehouse
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by icehouse »

I'm assuming you still have ackerman with this question, but do you feel since the sway bar is mounted to the struts and when turning with ackerman it makes the struts turn at different rate does the sway bar help return to center? Or did it change the feeling at all?

Also how did you get 8 degrees of caster without making the wheel look "awkward" in the wheel well? is the ball joint offset of the strut to gain caster though the turning radius?

You could always make a custom bump steer spacer to bring the roll center up as well since you are running such big wheels.
"People don't like it when shit doesn't match their rule of thumb." Sam
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ecotec510
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Location: Oxford,AL

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

Yes, I'm running ackerman. I don't feel the swaybar tied to the struts changed the steering feel. The swaybar links would be applying more of a vertical force to the struts I think than a resistance to turning. I do think ackerman and caster can increase steering feel and the return to center force mainly from the weight jacking that they introduce. I'm running close to 5 deg caster these days. When I was running 8 deg I had the strut top pulled all the way back and the bottom joint all the way forward. I still run the ball joints pulled forward, which centers the wheel forward. A little more wheelbase and more rear weight bias can be gained. Ball joint is centered front to back. Can't move ball joint down anymore even with the 16's because the tie rod joint is already right on the rim. If I move the joint without moving the tie rod it will introduce bumpsteer. I really need to raise the rack but it's already up on the ecotec pan. Maybe I'll machine out a custom low profile ecotec pan one of these days. You just have to do the best with what space you have.
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bertvorgon
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Re: Ecotec 510

Post by bertvorgon »

That's interesting as that is almost what I did many, many years ago, which almost no one noticed. I ran 6.5 degrees of castor and by doing the same increased the wheel base, which really helped with high speed stability and the weight transfer. I still have a slight increase in wheel base to this day, as I went back to about 5.5 for use now.

I have mentioned too that due to the castor, I would on some slaloms actually almost let go of the wheel to self center, as opposed to trying to bring it back by hand
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510tdi
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Joined: 05 May 2013 19:44
Location: Troutdale (near Portland) ,Oregon

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by 510tdi »

What an amazing build! Glad I happened to see it. I've been following Gordy's Ecotec project for some time. It's interesting that two of the most amazing fabricators chose to go with Ecotecs. Gordy's, and now your build, got me thinking about the Ecotec option for my much tamer wagon. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of fuel mileage do you think it gets in "normal" driving? Seems to me a stock Ecotec might be just the ticket for a strong-running/higher-mpg daily driver.
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ecotec510
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Location: Oxford,AL

Re: Ecotec 510

Post by ecotec510 »

Car easily does 25-30mpg playing around town. Around 35 on the freeway, the 4.44 gears don't help, but the 0.56:1 OD in the t56 does. I think the solstice gearbox that Gordy is still running is plenty and a much better fit in the 510. 3.55 gears and a light foot you should be in the 40mpgs. Ecotec is definitely a reliable cheap NA engine choice for a driver 510.
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