What imperfections should I look for?

[ULTIMALOVER]

Hello All. I plan on getting the first parts to an Ultima GTR kit some time in 2004. I have been watching the development and builds of the GTRs and Can-Ams very closely over the past few years since the release of the GTR. After reading some of the the forum threads on ultima-gtr.info, I can see their will be some obstacles to overcome or watch out for when building the GTR. One oops I saw on Stig's GTR was overheating, so I would have to make double sure cool air gets to the engine department. Another flaw that I saw was the rear clip coming open while driving..etc, etc. What other imperfections will I have to watch out for and perhaps fabricate some kind of mod to make sure the GTR is as safe and comfortable as possible?

[Stig]

Just to be clear, my car has never actually 'overheated'. ie. it has never boiled up and lost water - ever.

However, it was running a bit hot for my liking (and this was partly to do with an exaggerated temp sender), so mods were made due to the rather extreme nature of the engine installation.

Like any high performance car, the more you push the engineering envelope, the more you have to develop the car

[ultimacz]

I have to agree with Stig - overheating is a main concern. Especially if the car is also driven in town (in hot weather). Additionally the gear ratios (at least for the Getrag 6-speed) do not suit the motor - it is permanently revving too high. 2900 rpm at speed 75 mph. The AS motor (383cui, 450BHP in my case) should be revved to max. 6000rpm without damaging it, means that really achievable speed is around 155-160 mph. Therefore we are now changing the final gear ratio to a much more suitable 3.07, from 3.44 currently.

Sorry to edit your post Peter, but your views could be viewed as fairly letigious!

There are many factors that could have damaged your engine, not necessarily due to the way it was built.

Feel free to mail me offline to explain further.

Cheers
Stig

>> Edited by Stig on Friday 14th November 16:36

[ultimarobert]

I have to agree with Peter on the Getrag. I do a lot of high-speed continuous autobahn driving and the ratio sucks. It is not the fault of the factory, since it is probably great for zooming left past those UK drivers sitting in the fast lane.

When the fast lane is free and the drivers (as Germans are) are aware of fast cars then the standard Getrag ratio takes most of the fun away. There was nothing like my Hennessey Stealth for 310+ speeds, but then again... It didn't have the jump from the gate or the pull of the crowd of an Ultima.

I have also seen the mods on Peter's car and they are all basic requirement stuff (except for the fancy shifter). The improvements he has made would be great (and recommended) if standard. My two cents!

[ultimacz]

Stig,
I agree and don´t agree. My engine could have been damaged due to my negligence, I agree. Just that I have never in my life damaged an engine and I consider myself to be a cautious driver. Also I have always followed the factory´s recommendations and have done even more servicing than recommended. We have imported 4 new cars into CR and all 4 have ridiculous oil consumption. My engine has been taken apart by experienced SB engine builders in Austria and they say that IT IS a design issue. Don´t understand why it is not allowed to speak about that in this forum - but you are the boss.
Peter

[jschwartz]

I've never overheated. I've got 11.2:1 compression in my LS6, factory cooling system. I've seen max of 208F while idling for 45 minutes with the AC on in 100F New Orleans heat. Too bad for censorship here.
jeff schwartz

[ultimarobert]

I have just had to change my oil from the factory recommended Valvoline 20w-50w Racing to a German brand 20w-50w (with "Synthetic Additives") because Valvoline does not deliver it anywhere in Germany or Czech.

Higher oil consumtion or not, I am returning back to the factory recommended and will import it.

Just returned from a great drive to Cesky Raj over the long weekend and the car performed well. O.K. I will admit here: pulled out of the gas station after putting something called 99-octane Blue Star and promptly lost power. A few tries on the starter button -- with some anxiety -- until I checked and found the tank switch in the middle position.

[SmokinV10]

Im new here, I am surprised to hear that some of these cars are overheating. What kind of radiators do they use? Are they running supplemental fans? It seems that with the direct air opening in the front and a clear exit in the nose, that the car should run relatively cool. Has anyone upgraded the radiators to say a four core custom made fluidyne? How hot is "hot"? I am considering purchasing one of these cars, but being in Houston, Texas heat (especially during the summer months) is a significant concern.

[jschwartz]

Who said anything about their car overheating? Keep in mind the earlier models prior to GTR and Can Am had a smaller radiator opening. And Stig's is roots supercharged, which run warm in any car.
The factory GTR radiator is a copper brass, which cools better than alum, and is very thick. I've been through MS, LA, TX on Power TOur with mine no issues as stated above.
jeff schwartz