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| A Long direct shifter selects gears on the G-Force GSR transmission. One of the advantages of the GSR is the direct shifting which helps fast low effort shifts over the more common external linkage. |
To some of Matt’s fans, his new powerplant is the source of much debate. Gone is the turbo Nissan KA24DE and in its place a Chevy LS7 is being fitted between the frame rails. Although the KA24 made a competitive 560 hp at max boost, it was somewhat problematic, keeping the head sealed was an issue in 2010 and keeping the engine on the boil was making the driving task a little more stressful.
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| You can see the GSR tranny here. Dog shifted transmissions are becoming the norm in Formula D due to the ability to do lighting fast clutchless shifts. The tranny tunnel is being enlarged to the limit of the Formula D rules to help with maintenance. |
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| The Winters quick change rear end is becoming standard in Formula D cars as well. A quick change allows the selection of ratios to reduce the amount of shifts needed which makes it much easier on the driver. |
The LS7 is a very potent engine, the most exotic of the LS series motors. As the OEM powerplant of the Z06 Corvette, it has 427 cubic inches of displacement, all aluminum construction and titanium rods. We really like the LS as a swap motor due to its compact OHV design. The LS packs a lot of displacement in a small and lightweight package. The LS7 weighs about the same as a turbo KA!
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| Costa Gialamas at work welding up the motor mounts for the LS swap. |
Matt’s LS is going to pack a few select parts to help it work better in its task. The coolest thing is a Dailey Engineering dry sump system. The dry sump gives the ultimate in oil control, ensuring that the bottom end will have an adequate supply of oil no matter what gyrations the car goes through. We have measured lateral G’s spiking in the 2 g range on modern pro drift cars so dry sumping is never a bad idea. Dry sumps typically can add as much as 10 horsepower by reducing windage losses in the crankcase.
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| The core support is removed and a tubular structure added to support the radiator and other front end parts. |
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| If the cage work looks like Dai Yoshihara’s car, it’s because SPD Metalworks did it. |
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| Gussets couple the B pillars to the cage to stiffen the chassis. The cage is also welded to the A pillars. |
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| Very familiar looking SPD details on the cage. |
