Hello to Panoz GT-RA and Series Car Owners

Hello and Happy New Year to all you proud Panoz owners! I'm sure excited about driving the #28 car this year. It won't be #28 for long, as my traditional number is 21.

My hope is this web site will serve our needs to cuss and discuss the cars, race series, parts needs, etc. I have to figure out how to post pictures, add signature lines, speeling check, etc... I think it should be straight forward like other, similar forums. Let's see if this place will be a good home for us.

If it works out well, potentially we could get the administrator to give us our own sub-forum under Panoz. Too early to tell now... We'll wait and see what the participation level is.

This is the first in a series of postings on my RA school car, and the search for info on all aspects about the car. I have a lot to learn about the car. First off I've been a Corvette driver, and so the Ford thing is a new slant on engines and parts. Just seeing that distributor on the front of the engine makes me want to spin the motor 180 degrees.:grinno: I plan on driving the car as is for a while to learn all about it, but at some point will probably look to increase the hp. Nothing crazy, but maybe in the 400 hp range. That way it will be a good step up from the Z06 I've driven for 4 years. Most importantly I need to put the car up on stands and check out every nut and bolt. Get to know the car, and make sure it's 100% ready for the first day at the track. Figure out what suspension works for what track. Sooooooo much to do and so little time before the first track day.

More later....

Jerry

In the short time that I have had with the car I've been able to do a brief inspection under the hood and in the cockpit. The cockpit is in very good shape, the only thing I could find that needed attention were a few missing fasteners. My maintenance plan consists of:
Under the hood the car was in decent shape, but in need of several things. On the list of minor items are loose electircal connections, cables not being secured, and missing vacuum port caps on the intake manifold. Major items I found were:
1) The sway bar was connected to incorrectly. The bar on the left side is conntected using the most forward hole, and the right side is connected with the back hole. This means more roll resistance in left hand corners and less in right corners. Maybe the school wanted it set up that way, I don't know. But I will set up the sway bar the same on both sides.
2) There is a lot of thermal cracking on the brake rotors. I purchased a set of rotors with the car, so I'll be replacing each rotor.
3) The engine (oil pan) is resting on the sway bar. I don't know if this is a problem, as the bar is welded to it's brackets (not in poly bushings). By welding the bar to brackets, it's not free to rotate as other sway bars in passenger cars.
4) The body panels are missing many fasteners. I'll purchase a box of button head machine screws, fender washers and ny-lock nuts, and start filling in the holes. I counted over 20 holes in the body panels that need new fasteners. I hope that ny-lock nuts will stop the fasteners from loosening.
5) The front air dam is broken, and in need of being replaced.
6) I'll also change out all the fluids (oil, brake fluid, diff and tranny fluids, etc.). The car will start the season with fresh fluids at a known time.
During one of my conversations with Gary, he mentioned that it would be a good idea to strip down each wheel assembly. He said that he noticed a cotter-pin was missing on one of the bearing retaining nuts on his car. Since I'm going to replace the brake rotors, it's not much more effort to disassemble down to the spindle. I'll re-pack the bearings with fresh grease, and check the spindles for cracks. I gather that the spindles are prone to stress cracks and breakage.
The list is long, and growing.... Lots to do before the first track day.
Jerry
http://www.myfilestash.com/userfiles/stoughtong/Panoz%20GT%201.jpg

Sweet looking car Jerry. I bought the #99 car that Panoz was apparently renting out on track days. I took it straight to little Talladega for a Porsche DE and left very disappointed as the car simply wouldn't start. (We later tracked the problem back to a bad connection.) 1 week later I was at Road Atlanta for the Peach State DE. Saturday started out shaky with out of balance wheels/tires but there is a new tire store up the street from RA and they fixed the problem quickly. Car ran like a bat-out-of-hell and felt great. My other cars are P-cars (a 930 and a 996) so driving the Panoz was equivalent to driving your living room around the track. But I quickly came to love this car.

Disappointment hit on Sunday when I stepped on the clutch and it stayed on the floor. Turned out the rubber rings in the clutch slave are known for a short life span. Unfortunately I didn't become privy to this tidbit of info until after I drove back home (300 miles away) and later checked with Panoz. I now have a spare part in the trailer.

I also found some minimal cracking on the front rotors but nothing out of the norm. Brakes were new as were the fluids, etc. I'm just getting the feel for this car but so far I really like it. I'll be at No Problem Raceway this Saturday and Sunday and then at the Peach State DE at Road Atlanta on Jan 19-20. Any chance that your going to make the DE?

http://www.squerly.com/1.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/2.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/3.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/5.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/6.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/7.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/8.jpg

http://www.squerly.com/9.jpg

Squerly;
I love the color of your car. I'll paint mine sometime this year, but set-up and learning the car are first priorities. I'm still trying to decide on the basic color. I saw the Penske cars, and think they look good in red with white ralley stripes. The current Le Mans color scheme is cool to..... Sense my indecision?
What gages do you have on the dash? My car has the Pi data dash. I think I would use a large oil temp gage for starters.
Bummer to hear about the clutch slave seals going south. I think that the school cars all were changed to cables instead of the hydraulic actuation in the attempt to gain better reliability. It's a pretty stiff petal. I gather the cable does have lubrication issues and still breaks often. So I'll carry a spare cable.
I live in Albuquerque NM so I won't be getting to RA anytime soon. Bummer because I'd love to run RA with the car. Maybe if I hit the lottery, I may have to take the car to a dozen of the best tracks in the country.... but since I haven't won the lottery, and I still need the day job that remains a dream.:wink:
Does your car have a rear sway bar? The school cars bars have been removed. How neutral is the car? Do you notice a lot of body roll? Have you done anything to the set-up? I was given the suspension spec's, and will set my car up to match. My plan is to add the rear bar and probably stiffen the spring rates front and rear.
Any suggestions or additional impressions from your time in the car?

Hey guys! My father and I bought an ex-school car a few months back. It was painted by Penske and is a former GTRA used at Seabring.

I'll browse more and post up some more info tongiht after work.. for now here's a pic :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Panoz%20GTRA/BrianDad3.jpg

Hey guys! My father and I bought an ex-school car a few months back. It was painted by Penske and is a former GTRA used at Seabring.

I'll browse more and post up some more info tongiht after work.. for now here's a pic :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Panoz%20GTRA/BrianDad3.jpgHey Cobra48, welcome! Your car looks awesome. Love the "stick on" headlights! :grinyes:

Squerly your car looks amazing compared to these school cars. The interior and analog gauges are awesome, especially the stack instrumentation in the center.

Anyone elses car have a 3/4" thick piec of wood in the driver's side floor board? Anyone know what it' for? It seems that it's to get your feet up a bit higher so the balls of your feet are in the center of the pedals, anyone else?

Squerly can you snap some pics of how your seat is mounted? I have an Ultrashield pro roadrace seat from my Z06 vette that I'm going to swap into the Panoz as the GTRA has a Corbeau FX1 which is ok, but not as good as my racing seat.

Cobra4B
During the brief time sitting in my car, I don't remember anything other than floor on the driver's side of the car. No piece of plywood. I can see that raising the heels of small/short feet would be helpful for pedal actuation.
Any idea on where to pick up a set of headlight stickers? I like the look too.
Did Penske add the rear sway bay back onto your car?

Does your car have a rear sway bar? The school cars bars have been removed. How neutral is the car? Do you notice a lot of body roll? Have you done anything to the set-up? I was given the suspension spec's, and will set my car up to match. My plan is to add the rear bar and probably stiffen the spring rates front and rear.Sorry man, car is in the trailer so I'll have to look when we get to the track this weekend but I'll be very surprised if it doesn't have a rear sway bar. And no, I don't notice ANY body roll. The car is very stable and very easy to drive. I will admit that its size made it a little strange the first few times I drove it but I quickly adapted to it. Not because I'm such a great driver but because the car is just so easy to drive.

No, I haven't done anything to the setup. I'm not qualified to make those type of adjustments yet. But I'm told the car is set up for Road Atlanta, and that's where I drive most anyway, so I'm happy leaving it alone for now. I might change the carb jets as that is simple enough, but I'm leaving the suspension alone for now. :smile:


Anyone elses car have a 3/4" thick piec of wood in the driver's side floor board? Can you snap some pics of how your seat is mounted? Nope Cobra, I don't have this in mine. Sounds kind of strange/awkward to me and I can't imagine why it would be there. As far as the seats go... they are mounted directly to the floor of the car. They fit very tightly so taking pictures would be rather tough. I don't think it's any big deal to mount them though.

OK guys, both of you need to be a little more forthcoming with some interior pics. :wink: Oh yeah, the Shepherd wants to know why nobody has mentioned him???

The wood peice in my car is bolted to the floor very solidly and is painted black. It's either there becuase the floor panel wore through (haven't looked yet) or for the reason I listed (to help those w/ smaller feet).

My car has a seat on a slider because it's a driving school car... but I had my ultrashield fix mounted in my Z06 Corvette... won't be a big deal to swap in.

How are you guys keeping your battery's charged when the car isn't in use? Ther's a plug from Anderson Power Products behind the passenger seat on mine and Gatorac on the Corvetteforum sent me a linkto where to get the other part. I need to buy one and make a battery tender/jump box because my batters is super dead.

This isn't our car, but my interior looks like this, but with red doors.
http://www.pd-go.com/images-pdgo/image-39068.jpg

I need to read through my PI digital dash manual and go through it... lots to do... doesn't help that I'm doing a targa top conversion and repaint to my Z06 Corvette now that it won't be a track car anymore.

How are you guys keeping your battery's charged when the car isn't in use? I'm using a "smart charger" which (I believe) is the same as a battery tender. It starts out pumping in 10amps, then drops to 5amps, and then down to 1 or 2 amps. When the battery has a full charge, it continues to monitor it, applying charge when needed.

I like this charger because when I'm at the track I sometimes need to use it to keep the battery happy, and having 10amps available really speeds the charge up. Not sure how good it is for the battery, but in the grand scheme of what this sport costs, a battery isn't much.

I connect it directly to the battery because I didn't know where to find the other 1/2 of this Anderson thingy you are referencing. I have one too but nobody I have talked to knew where to get one. Thanks, it'll make my setup a lot cleaner. :thumbsup:

I connect it directly to the battery because I didn't know where to find the other 1/2 of this Anderson thingy you are referencing. I have one too but nobody I have talked to knew where to get one. Thanks, it'll make my setup a lot cleaner. :thumbsup:
So you remove the RR wheel each time you hook up the charger? I'll need to get one of these and do as you've done until I can fab up the Anderson piece.

Jim Pomroy on the corvetteforum (Gatorac) has found it and sent me the link but I can't find it. I've emailed him.

I'll let you know when I find the link to the part we need.

Hey there guys...glad to see these cars being put to good use! I'm one of the former original Panoz GTS owner/drivers from back in 2001 when the Panoz Racing Series was televised by Speedvision.

Speaking of colors mine was the PPG Magenta to Gold Harlequin colored car. It was always a crowd favorite!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/Soflow1/StrubPanoz89_1.jpg

I've got a lot of experience with these cars and have driven just about every version made through-out the years. In fact, I've raced Squerly's car several times both in the Panoz Series and SCCA GT2. I won the 2004 Petit Lemans Panoz Series Race in that green car. It's the former PAD (Panoz Auto Development) car, and it had been maintained and setup very well. Back in 2004 I was consistently making high 1:32's and low 1:33's lap times with it at Road Atlanta.

There exists three variety of car. The GT-RA school car with its 5.0 HO engine (250HP), the School Race Car with its 4.6 Cobra engine (345HP), and the 5.8 Ford Powered GTS (430HP). Wheel size, transmission, and gearing were all different pending upon year and model.

Are all the Panoz cars sold? I've heard there is talk of a race series in HSR. Is this a real thing? How many folks are going to race and what version of the car are people going to be racing?

Are all the Panoz cars sold? I've heard there is talk of a race series in HSR. Is this a real thing? How many folks are going to race and what version of the car are people going to be racing?
I think Hayes Harris at www.wirewheel.com (http://www.wirewheel.com) has a few left still. We got ours as an HPDE and TT toy. The Z06 was getting expensive to keep tracking and after 5 years of HPDEs I wanted a dedicated track car. We were going to send my Z06 to Phoenix Performance for a full T1 conversion, but then stumbled into the Panoz cars for sale. My father and I both did the Panoz racing school at RA back in '03 and loved them so it just made sense!

They sound incredible... much better than any C5 Vette :rofl:

They sound incredible... much better than any C5 Vette :rofl:

Yeah, I've got to admit the Ford V8 does sound very impressive! I used to run my GTS with open pipes. I was LOUD but sounded like heaven on wheels.

Hi I am going to pick out one of the series cars tomarrow here in fla. any advice...I like the decals of the lights where are they available will HRS open a spot for the cars any info on the cars , parts ,or keeping up the car would be nice thanks

Hey Guys,

I got car #8 frame #002. I aslo got my car from Hayes.
Took it out for the first time in November. We went to VIR. I was very suprised on how easy this car was to drive. I felt very comfortable in the uphill eases.

Yes Gary Jones is trying to get a series together in HSR. He posted on the Thread below this one.

The Battery disconnect can be found at any local Forklift Dealer that sells and serviced battery operated forklifts. There are a few differant sizes so you might want to take some measurments first.

My next scheduled track event is at Roebling in March.

David

Hi I am going to pick out one of the series cars tomarrow here in fla. any advice...I like the decals of the lights where are they available will HRS open a spot for the cars any info on the cars , parts ,or keeping up the car would be nice thanks
CVGT3
When I was looking for my car my first priority was to get a low hour car. The fewer hours on a car the less cycling on frame/structural members and major drive train components. Check the maintenance log to see when major rebuilds have been done. My #28 car had 344 hours and a new motor at 295 hr. Check and see if there has been major frame work done to the car (from a bad crash). Body pieces seem to be replaced all the time, so that's no big deal.
I think that these cars are excellent bargins for the prices that are being asked. I have not seen other tube frame road racing cars with the level of components that are on both school and series cars for this price. They also have the reputation for being pretty reliable from what I've been able to find out. You won't be disappoointed.
Jerry

I need to read through my PI digital dash manual and go through it... lots to do... doesn't help that I'm doing a targa top conversion and repaint to my Z06 Corvette now that it won't be a track car anymore.

Cobra4B;
Where did you get the PI dash manual? Is it a hard copy or electronic? If it's electronic, is the file size small enough to e-mail? Hope I'm not asking too much for you to send a copy. Please and thank you.

CVGT3

Hour Meters Don't mean alot. Gary Jones said he saw a box of old hour meters at RA. They must have gone bad alot. If the car looks good buy it. You won't be disapointed.

David

Hi all.

Glad we finally have a place to share info.

I have the PI manual in PDF format. I posted in on my website here (http://pptd424.online-access1.com/webapp/GetPage?pid=503).

I have car number 42. I've run it at VIR and Sebring. What a blast to drive. Even with only 250hp and street tires. Currently I'm chasing down an oil leak. I suspected a rear seal. I pulled the trans and found a crack in the rear of the oil pan. The top 2 trans bolts where missing and one of the bottom ones was only finger tight. I belive this caused the input shaft seal to fail and leak as well. I've replaced the engine rear seal, oil pan gasket, trans front and rear seals. Hopefully this will eliminate the oil leaks.

My suggestion is to put the car on a lift and check ALL FASTENERS!:smile:

My car has the plywood on the drivers floor. The trans tunnel is removable with 4 bolts. You must remove this to get the trans out. The good news is the entire top of the trans is servicable with the tunnel out.

So you remove the RR wheel each time you hook up the charger? You don't need to remove the wheel to connect the charger clip to the hot post of the battery. And there are plenty of areas to use as a ground if you can't get to the neg terminal.

Another way is to connect to the hot side of the emergency shut-off switch just inside the cabin on the passenger side. And use the metal part of the rear view mirror that sticks inside of the cabin for the ground.

I prefer connecting directly to the battery but either one will work.

Hi all. thanks for the pi manual info... has anyone heard that some series cars have ECU that needs software to program and work on car.. i have heard it is avail on internet ???? I have spoken to Joe who was head wrench on series car he says the software is important for the cars that have this programable ECU... any coments..... also the MSD box in the series cars are not hooked up I have heard they were causing problems with upkeep thanks chip

FYI I called panoz auto development parts dept today 3 times, I even left my # with front office and never got called back. I call porsche motorsports all the time and always get through or called back .....hopefully this won't be the customer service we can expect.... any good feedback about them ???

CVGT3;
I had a similar experience. I think they are fairly busy at Panoz engineering, and that coupled with the holidays probably make for a deep pile to dig thru. It took a day for the parts guy to get back to me when I was calling about rear sway bar. The guys name was Brandon Carver, and he was helpful once we connected.
Jerry

Hey Jim sorry to hear about your oil leak/trans issues. When you speak of removing the trans tunnel are you meaning the metal part inside the cabin?

Any clue why yours has the wood piece in the floor like mine? Is it for getting your feet higher?

FWIW working w/ the guys at Panoz was difficult and I had to call them daily to get them to take my moeny for the brake rotors.

Hey Jim sorry to hear about your oil leak/trans issues. When you speak of removing the trans tunnel are you meaning the metal part inside the cabin?

Yes, the metal inside the cabin comes out relatively easy.

Any clue why yours has the wood piece in the floor like mine? Is it for getting your feet higher?

I just figured it was a wear item. You'd wear through the wood rather than the metal floor. Kind of like a floor mat.

Squerly.....That is one more serious Burgular Alarm with fur you have there...What a beautiful dog....It's kind of off the subject but I am a real animal lover with a 4.2lb Tea cup chihuahahua....I'll bet she can make more racket than that German Shepard......Gary

Squerly.....That is one more serious Burgular Alarm with fur you have there...What a beautiful dog....It's kind of off the subject but I am a real animal lover with a 4.2lb Tea cup chihuahahua....I'll bet she can make more racket than that German Shepard......GaryFinally some love for the shepherd! He just turned 8 months, loves to hang out in the garage with dad, and takes up more than his 1/3 of the bed. Seldom barks, but when he does it's generally for a reason. One really good dog. Thanks for noticing Gary. :thumbsup:

Hi all ...Just got back from picking up series car # 19 from hayes here in florida .... He is great to work with, a real "car guy"...a great experience. He still has a few series cars left. I have lots of questions....does anyone know of a manual for the series car ??? its different [4.6 cobra motor] from the GTS and the school cars...chip

Forgot the series cars have log book of work done...I have car #19 chassis#09 I have some work sheets from car #3 dated 9-18-06 and car #23 dated 2-27-07.. if anyone has these car let me know and I will get these to you...chip

Hi all ...Just got back from picking up series car # 19 from hayes here in florida .... He is great to work with, a real "car guy"...a great experience. He still has a few series cars left. I have lots of questions....does anyone know of a manual for the series car ??? its different [4.6 cobra motor] from the GTS and the school cars...chip
Chip;
Jim (aka Gatorac) has set up a web site serving several manuals. Two of these manuals are for the Series cars. He gives a link in one of the other thread which is titled Panoz GTx info and other data. Check it out. Hopes these manuals are what you're looking for.

I've got a lot of experience with these cars and have driven just about every version made through-out the years. In fact, I've raced Squerly's car several times both in the Panoz Series and SCCA GT2. I won the 2004 Petit Lemans Panoz Series Race in that green car. Well is that cool or what! I for one am very glad you joined the forum. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions. I'm very new with this car and having no Panoz experiance of any spending alot of time with "trial-and-error".

1) Assuming you were using P-zero's, what tire pressure did you run when the tires were hot?
2) Are you using 2nd or 3rd in turn 7 (at Road Atlanta). I'm guessing 2nd but with the massive torque this car has I wouldn't be surprised if you opted for 3rd.
3) Top speed on the back stretch?
4) 3rd gear going under the bridge?
5) The car sure "squeaks" allot. Is this normal for a Panoz? It's a metal on metal sound.
6) You mentioned that this car is/was the Panoz Auto Development car... what exactly does that mean?

Are there any "tips" you would like to share about this car? Handling, maintenance, etc...

TIA,

Jim

Yeah, I've got to admit the Ford V8 does sound very impressive! I used to run my GTS with open pipes. I was LOUD but sounded like heaven on wheels.

Anyone know if open pipes on these will run into trouble at Roebling Road?

I like load open V8 pipes.:bananadie

3) The engine (oil pan) is resting on the sway bar. I don't know if this is a problem, as the bar is welded to it's brackets (not in poly bushings). By welding the bar to brackets, it's not free to rotate as other sway bars in passenger cars.

This is not OK. The sway bar may not move where it touches the engine but the engine will move. I'm not sure about the series cars but the school cars have rubber mounts. If your motor is resting on the sway bar it is a real good indication that your mounts have failed. The mounts are a captive design that won't let the engine fly up in the air when they fail so it is not as easy to tell when they are bad. Look under the car at the mounts. The rubber should be in the middle or higher. If not, the rubber has become detached from the metal. The mounts are from a 93 Mustang GT 5.0.

. The mounts are from a 93 Mustang GT 5.0.

Let me qualify this statement a little. My GT-RA with a 302 uses these mounts. :uhoh:

This is not OK. The sway bar may not move where it touches the engine but the engine will move. I'm not sure about the series cars but the school cars have rubber mounts. If your motor is resting on the sway bar it is a real good indication that your mounts have failed. The mounts are a captive design that won't let the engine fly up in the air when they fail so it is not as easy to tell when they are bad. Look under the car at the mounts. The rubber should be in the middle or higher. If not, the rubber has become detached from the metal. The mounts are from a 93 Mustang GT 5.0.
Jim;
Roger that. I'll add this to my list of things to check out and fix.
Reason #276 why this forum is invaluable to a newbie owner like me. It steepens the learning curve and reduces :banghead:
Thanks.

I don't think open pipes will make the cut at Savannah.....They have always been very strict when we raced down there.....I really think that the stock motor will run better with a little back presure from the mufflers....WHATEVER any of you do don't put leaded race gas in these cars....It will kill the O2 sensors and make the car run like junk....Gary

FYI my car does have mufflers... it has large bllet style ones in the side pipes... not sure if that's normal, but they're wrapped in heat shielding too.

The car is loud, but good loud.... not really louder than my 435 rwhp Z06.

Got my car up in the air today on stands, took the wheels of and the hood/trunk so I can really go through it.

The car is in awesome condition... I'm stoked!

Just checked my car... I have almost 1/2" of space between my oil pan and the front bar. The rubber in the mounts looks fresh w/o any cracking.

Definately check your mounts.

Well is that cool or what! I for one am very glad you joined the forum. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions. I'm very new with this car and having no Panoz experiance of any spending alot of time with "trial-and-error".

1) Assuming you were using P-zero's, what tire pressure did you run when the tires were hot?
2) Are you using 2nd or 3rd in turn 7 (at Road Atlanta). I'm guessing 2nd but with the massive torque this car has I wouldn't be surprised if you opted for 3rd.
3) Top speed on the back stretch?
4) 3rd gear going under the bridge?
5) The car sure "squeaks" allot. Is this normal for a Panoz? It's a metal on metal sound.
6) You mentioned that this car is/was the Panoz Auto Development car... what exactly does that mean?

Are there any "tips" you would like to share about this car? Handling, maintenance, etc...

TIA,

Jim

Hi there Jim! Sure, I'd be happy to share a little of what I know.

1 - Sorry, but when I owned my car no one was using the P-Zero at that time. Best to check direct with them as to proper operating temp and pressure.
2 - That's easy...always use 3rd gear in turn 7 at Road Atlanta. Yes, the engine makes good torque and pulls well off the corner. If you bog, you're not carrying enough speed through the corner.
3 - Don't know the top speed on the backstretch because we didn't have a speedometer in the car. I know we were in 5th gear and probably going around 140-145mph.
4 - I would usually shift into 3rd gear while passing under the bridge.
5 - Its a real purpose built race car, squeaks and squawks are common place.
6 - PAD is Panoz Auto Development, and is owned and operated by Danny Panoz. They built all the GT-RA school cars, the GT Panoz Racing Series cars, and GTS SCCA GT2 race cars. Your car had been the factory demo vehicle and was used for marketing efforts to try and sell more GTS race cars.

As far as "tips" go, just be mindful that your car is a GTS model so it is different than all the other cars people have been buying on this board. Their cars are powered by 5.0 liter fuel injected engines and make around 250HP. Your car has a 5.8 liter Holly carbed engine and makes around 430HP.
Its recommended you run leaded race fuel and be mindful of jetting issues, whereas the others should only use unleaded fuel and have no jetting issues.

Nut and bolt the car before each use! The car is very sensitive to rake and shock settings. It, unfortunately like the school cars, tends toward having a high speed push and low speed loose condition. You should be careful when coming off the gas, as these car's tend to go from a bad push to an even worse trailing throttle over steer if your not careful.

When do you all plan to be at Road Atlanta?

Rod

Anyone know if open pipes on these will run into trouble at Roebling Road?

I like load open V8 pipes.:bananadie

You will be unpopular at Roebling Road with open pipes! They are VERY strict about sound levels there. Its always best when going to Roebling to have a plan ready to make the car even more quit if necessary, as they will ask you to leave if your too loud!

Rod

Got the car up on stands today and started thoroughly poking around... The frame square tubing fits in the jack stands I have perfectly... wasn't bad at all to get up in the air. Jacked up each side one at a time and put my jacking boards (needed w/ the C5 vette) under each tire, then jacked up the right side and put the stands under it 1 click up, then jacked up the left side... all was fine.

Car looks to be in great shape... very basic and to the point which is great. Very very easy to work on :D

Have the Z06 at my buddy's shop in Suffolk where we're stripping it down for a re-paint and targa top conversion now that it's a DD/waxer again.

Panoz matches my garage well :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Panoz%20GTRA/DSCF1131.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Panoz%20GTRA/DSCF1134.jpg

Hi Rod. Your right, that beast is definately a croud pleaser. http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/Soflow1/StrubPanoz89_1.jpg

Thanks so very much for your input, it'll really shorten the learning curve. I just now got home from the Bayou Grande race in Louisiana. (4th of 6 events). I didn't do to badly. ( Didn't do to goodly either. :biggrin: ) But had one hell of a good time. :thumbsup: Got to slide through turn 1 in an effort to catch Doug Boozer, also a relatively new Panoz driver. Turn one is at the end of a long straight and the ideal entrance/exit is anything but sideways :eek:

I would usually shift into 3rd gear while passing under the bridge.That surprises me, I would have thought you would be in 3rd through 10a and 10b with a shift into 4th coming under the bridge.

I will be going to the Peach State DE at RA on the 19-20 of this month. Any chance you will be there? Oh, one last thing... given you wern't using P-Zero's, what tires were you using and what tire pressure's?

Hi Rod. Your right, that beast is definately a croud pleaser. http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/Soflow1/StrubPanoz89_1.jpg

Thanks so very much for your input, it'll really shorten the learning curve. I just now got home from the Bayou Grande race in Louisiana. (4th of 6 events). I didn't do to badly. ( Didn't do to goodly either. :biggrin: ) But had one hell of a good time. :thumbsup: Got to slide through turn 1 in an effort to catch Doug Boozer, also a relatively new Panoz driver. Turn one is at the end of a long straight and the ideal entrance/exit is anything but sideways :eek:

That surprises me, I would have thought you would be in 3rd through 10a and 10b with a shift into 4th coming under the bridge.

I will be going to the Peach State DE at RA on the 19-20 of this month. Any chance you will be there? Oh, one last thing... given you wern't using P-Zero's, what tires were you using and what tire pressure's?

Your right! I would shift from 3rd to 4th at the bridge! It's been so long I had forgotten. I went and reviewed some old in car footage and was able to confirm that indeed it was a 3rd to 4th shift at the bridge, with taking 5th at the exit of turn 12.

Funny thing, the video I watched dates back to Oct. 2001, when the GTS cars were still running the original AP brakes. They were horrible! They used to squeal like mad and were not nearly as powerful as the Brembos.

At the time, the GTS was using a spec Michelin slick provided specifically for the Panoz. I think we were running 24 hot, I'd have to dig through some of my old setup sheets to confirm that however.

It's probably way too late for me to register for the Peach State DE event, but I'd might come out to watch anyway.

Got the car up on stands today and started thoroughly poking around... The frame square tubing fits in the jack stands I have perfectly... I'm glad to hear this. I jacked mine up for brake inspection, tire rotation, etc... and my original intention was to put it on jack stands but I just couldn't bring myself to put the full weight of the car of that frame. It just didn't look like a good idea to me. I guess it's strong enough but I kept getting images of everyone standing around, shaking their heads and saying..." What's the matter with you man? Surely you didn't think that little square frame was going to hold this entire car up did you? Jeeze... what an idiot..." :rolleyes:

^ Not sure where else you'd put them? I mean where would you put the feet of a lift if you had a 2-post lift? If the largest part of the frame on the car cant support a jack stand I'm not sure I want to be racing in it.

I simply jacked up each side to get the wheels on my boards, then jacked up the right side w/ my low profile racing jack in the center of the car w/ the jack on the outer most frame rail, then put 2 stands under it on the outer rail as far apart as possible. Then I went and jacked up the left side while my buddy watched the rigth side and put 2 stands under.

I haven't checked for any deflection or bending, but I can say the chassis didnt' budge when I was jacking the car from the center.

EDIT: I'll snap a picture of my jackstand arrangement tonight.

EDIT again... you can just see my front left stand behind the rotor in this picture.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Panoz%20GTRA/DSCF1131.jpg

Not sure where else you'd put them? I mean where would you put the feet of a lift if you had a 2-post lift? If the largest part of the frame on the car cant support a jack stand I'm not sure I want to be racing in it.I couldn't agree more, but these are the sort of things that happen to me. :grinyes: Thanks for the info.

Edit: Cool garage. :thumbsup:

^ Thanks man... I spent a few months end of '05 into '06 re-doing it entirely. Took all the misc BS (yard equip etc.) and put it in my shed out back.

Then I repaired all the drywall and filled all the holes. Fresh coat of Bear ultra premium white, then chair railing and window/door trim painted a custom red. The checkerboard is actually vinyl floor tiles :D

As always it's a work in progress but it came out nice:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Picture002-11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Picture001-10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/cobra4b/Picture003-11.jpg

Sorry for the hijack... the Ford powered Panoz has to share the stable w/ a Chevy :lol:

Look and see if you have a hole in the body right below the doors. That is a jacking point. it's made to slide a piece of pipe into. My car is so low I have a problem getting a jack under the frame without driving up onto some wood.

Insert jack here... :grinyes:

http://www.squerly.com/JackHole.bmp

Look and see if you have a hole in the body right below the doors. That is a jacking point. it's made to slide a piece of pipe into. My car is so low I have a problem getting a jack under the frame without driving up onto some wood.
Same here... I had to have the car up on boards to get my low profile jack under it.

They make these for Porsches and BMWs

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Jacking_Up/pic8.jpg

I connect it directly to the battery because I didn't know where to find the other 1/2 of this Anderson thingy you are referencing. I have one too but nobody I have talked to knew where to get one. Thanks, it'll make my setup a lot cleaner. :thumbsup:[/quote]



I got one from Brandon @ Panoz Parts Dept. -

]
I got one from Brandon @ Panoz Parts Dept. -
Awesome... I'll call tomorrow.

Howdy Gang - we bought 4 GT RA's for our program out here in California, and two of our customers have nabbed cars too - so we're learning along with you...one shrewd move we made was negotiate for extra wheels and tires....Anyone interested in some good 17" BBS wheels? We just scored ADVAN Yokohama as a sponsor, and they want us to move to 18's. Anyone done that? Best size? Also - have a ton of Pirellis for sale cheap - great rain tires, or school tires...Thank GOODNESS for this forum!! You'll hear from us and my main guy who is maintaining the cars...First impressions? Yikes, they're big!! But its an acquired taste...the more we drive them, the more fun we have...they're big puppy dogs with the school setup...we're renting them out and guys have had a blast with them....ok - I'm a novice forum player...how does one post a new thread??!!! Feel like an idiot...

Also - have a ton of Pirellis for sale cheap - great rain tires, or school tires...Do you have any 18" Pirelli rain tires? I know that some of the schools were using street tires to run in the rain, but they weren't actually "rain" tires.

I agree... these cars are BIG! But big fun too! :thumbsup:

Oops - should have mentioned - all tires and wheels for sale are 17's...cuz we're moving to 18's...

FYI BBS has these wheels brand new on clearance. They're $620ish shipped, but when we bought a set a month ago they were $570 shipped for 4 brand new BBS RXs.

We're going to run shaved RA-1s on them and keep the pirelli set for heavy rain etc. Once we can make the chassis upgrades we'll move to slicks.

Hope this helps someone :)

Howdy Gang - we bought 4 GT RA's for our program out here in California, and two of our customers have nabbed cars too - so we're learning along with you...one shrewd move we made was negotiate for extra wheels and tires....Anyone interested in some good 17" BBS wheels? We just scored ADVAN Yokohama as a sponsor, and they want us to move to 18's. Anyone done that? Best size? Also - have a ton of Pirellis for sale cheap - great rain tires, or school tires...Thank GOODNESS for this forum!! You'll hear from us and my main guy who is maintaining the cars...First impressions? Yikes, they're big!! But its an acquired taste...the more we drive them, the more fun we have...they're big puppy dogs with the school setup...we're renting them out and guys have had a blast with them....ok - I'm a novice forum player...how does one post a new thread??!!! Feel like an idiot...

How much for a set of 17" wheels (no tires) shipped to 34208 (business address)?

Thanks a pile.