2014 – The Return of Project SHART

Its been a long 6 month hiatus…and we’ve been working hard to make some much needed changes to Project SHART.  After the 2013 season, we had learned a lot about the car and decided to make some big changes.  Our biggest challenges were motor reliability, cooling, and grip.  With those goals in mind, we set up and went to work.

The first goal was to have reliable power.  Taking the build from the hands of the previous builder/tuner, we decided to bring the car to our friends at 5150 Racing in Santa Ana, CA.  Master tuner and crazy man, Jon Drenas (aka “Jeebus”) took the time and addressed some of the much needed issues with the motor.  Jon finished up the wiring of the injectors, added some sensors and punched a few buttons on his laptop and tuned the car to a healthy 400whp/350tq using the dyno at Road Race Engineering in Santa Fe Springs, CA.  The folks at Road Race are like family to me and were very generous to let us finish tuning the car at their facility.

Here’s a video we made when we did the tuning.

Next up was Cooling.  At the last race, we were suffering high engine oil temps and decided it was time to seal up the front end with ducting to direct the air through the coolers.  We also stepped up and upgraded to a Koyo Racing Aluminum Radiator.  In addition to the radiator, we also added a brand new Davies Craig Electric Fan as a puller.

 It was also time to cut up the Seibon Carbon Fiber Hood and add some Hood Louvers to increase the efficiency of the front end by allowing the hot air in the engine bay a way to escape.

Next up was adding grip.  We decided what we needed in order to go fast was a LOT more grip!  Our first step was to go with a larger wheel/tire setup.  We picked up another set of Team Dynamics Wheels (Pro Race 1.2 – 17×9) as well as increasing the width of the tires and choosing a much softer tire compound.  We wrapped the new wheels in a set of Toyo RR Tires (255 front and 235 rear)  Fitting this huge setup was not easy.  We enlisted the help of our friend Albert of AWD Fitted to flare the fenders to make room.  For the front, it still wasn’t quite wide enough, so our fabricator Jason Noren of Jason Noren Fabrication (JNFab) spaced out the front fenders a couple of inches and installed the rear camber plates to clear the tires.

With more power and rubber, it was time to add more Aero.  APR Performance supplied us with their brand new GT250 Wing.  Pictures really do this wing no justice.  Mounted high up and attached directly to the frame rails, Jason Noren was able to fabricate new wing mounts that went through the bumper and transferred the additional downforce directly to the frame.

We expect the 2014 season to be much different that the previous years.  This car has been a challenge since day one…but we have used our experiences to learn, improve, and continue to evolve into a more well rounded car.  Stay tuned for more updates on Project SHART as we continue our quest as an Unlimited Class FWD Time Attack competitor.

We would like to take a moment to recognize those companies that have been there to support us and the car since day one.  These companies and its representatives are not only our supporters…but also our friends and have gone above and beyond to be there for us during our successes and failures.

Fontana Nissan

NissanRaceShop.com

Toyo Tires

Turbo By Garrett

Turbosmart USA

Whiteline USA

Team Dynamics

Jason Noren Fabrication (JNFab)

Snow Performance

5150 Racing

Road Race Engineering

Sparco USA

Seibon Carbon

AEM Electronics

Robispec “Full Race Preparation”

Koyo Radiators

APR Performance

Clutchmasters

Gatorwraps