OGK Motor rebuild begins

Mike Keegan of Keegan Engineering picked up the long block today. Decided to go with the 11:0.1 Supertechs. At an actual 11:0.1, they're a tad too high compression for race gas and the unrestricted 16psi of the C30-74. So I decided to splurge on this plain motor and have the chambers polished and valves deshrouded. While Mike's at it he'll do a little bowl work and probably trim the valve guides a bit. Nothing exotic but the deshrouding will reduce the chamber volume enough to drop the C/R closer to the 10.5 or so that we're aiming for. I'd love to stick with 11.0:1 and run E85 but the fuel economy on that fuel is something like 20% worse than with normal race gas. As it's going to be and enduro motor that may end up running the Thunderhill 25, I need to maximum fuel economy. Scratch the E85 specific build. It'll still make masses of midrange torque though so its not exactly a sacrifice.

Trying to resist sticking cams in it and asking Mike to go wild with the ports. I need it finished quick so we're keeping it simple. This will also become the shop spare motor once we get the Whammy 2.0 prototype running.

The Whammy will be a no holds barred race motor. Oversquare, safe at 8500 rpm, big head flow numbers, expensive and pre-made sitting on the shelf. In 2011 that is. Gotta win some races with the prototype first :)

Other bits on the way are custom spindles and billet aluminum hubs from V8 Roadsters. These will be standard geometry. I asked the Leonards about a year and a half ago for drop spindles but they have just been too busy cranking out their LXs conversions to get them done for me. The drops are just about done now though. Excited at what the beneficial change in roll center will do for the car. A few other benifits like being in a better place in the camber curve and making room for longer shocks. Besides that, the hub and spindle assemblies will shave another 16lbs off the car. Between V8 Roadsters and 949 Racing, we have replaced the entire corner of the car except the outer tie rod end. And that is something we're also fiddling with to allow adjustments for bumpsteer.

V8R four wheel Wilwood 11.75" BBK going on too. We're going to make a one off version with "merely" 11" solid rear rotors and possibly a two piston Outlaw caliper to save weight. His current kit is engineered for a much heavier and more powerful car. The OGK is barely 2000lbs and will be just shy of 300whp in enduro tune.

While I don't think I can get everything together in time, I'm pretending that I'll have it running for the March 20 Miata Challenge event at El Toro. That will be our primary shakedown for Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a few weeks later. Either way, I'm so excited at the prospect of having my favorite toy awake and howling again.