The Dog II

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The air system, Safecraft fire system and Password JDM battery are all located on the right side of the car to help offset the driver’s weight. Note the extensive cage bracing.

The bulk of the trick fabrication work done by Technosquare was centered around the chassis and suspension. First the cars shell was stripped of all insulation. Then Ritchie Watanabe fabricated a multipoint Touring Car/World Challenge inspired semi-tube frame cage from 1020 drawn over mandrel tubing tying the entire car together from shock tower to shock tower maximizing rigidity and crash strength. Ritchie then fabricated seat and harness mounts for the Sparco seats, harnesses window and center nets and a removable aluminum triangulated strut tower brace. A Sweet manufacturing steering column and a Sparco steering wheel clamped to the cage’s dash tube trims many pounds from the vehicles interior. Sparco pedals aid heel and toe work. After this work was completed the engine compartment and interior were painted a light grey color.

The Ground Control plate is adjustable for both camber and caster. The adjusting knobs for the advanced design struts are both up on top for quick adjustments during test sessions. This is a great feature.

Ritchie then went to work on the suspension. At the rear, the stock Scott-Russell lateral location link was cut away and replaced with a panhard rod with adjustable roll center height. Energy polyurethane bushings replace the soft stock rubber trailing arm pieces. A Progress adjustable rear anti sway bar makes the roll stiffness easily tuneable. Advance Design 2-way adjustable, gas monotube short body coilover shocks fitted with Eibach ERS springs and Shigspeed monoball rear shock mounts hold up the rear.

Modified lower control arms raise the roll center back to a normal location and fixes the camber curve.

Sentras have very poor steering geometry with massive amounts of bump steer.  Adjustable tie rod ends help adjust much of it out.

The horrible binding Scott-Russel linkage was discarded in favor of a more conventional adjustable panhard rod.

Ground Control Advanced Design dampers are the best there is for Sentras.

In the front, Technosquare modified the front lower control arms to make then stiffer and increase the adjustable front track width by an inch. This trick helps reduce understeer on FWD cars and also takes angularity out of the axles, greatly extending their life. Coleman racing ball joint adaptors were machined to make the front roll center and camber curve adjustable to compensate for the cars 3″ of lowering. Special tie rod ends were fabricated so that bump steer could be adjusted out of the suspension. A Progress adjustable front sway bar reduces roll and Energy Suspension supplied the hard polyurethane steering rack and front lower control arm bushings. Whiteline, produced some special rear lower control arm bushings that increased positive caster and reduced anti dive. Advanced Design coilovers and Eibach ERS springs were used up front and Ground Control camber/caster plates gave the front suspension adjustability of these critical attributes.

B&M shifter, halon discharge nozzle for the driver, proportioning valve and switch box. The box contains the high current switching for the starter, lights and drivers air system.

Fastbrakes supplied bigger brakes with 11.7″ two piece vane vented and slotted front rotors with Wilwood 4 piston forged calipers. The rear brakes use slotted 11″ rotors with Maxima rear calipers. Fastbrakes also supplied braided steel brakelines to firm up the pedal. An Altima 1″ bore master cylinder and a Tilton adjustable proportioning valve make up the rest of the brake system. Motul’s nearly fade proof RBF 660 brakefluid keeps the chances of fluid fade minimal. Performance friction brake pads in 01 compound grip the rotors. Nismo extended wheel studs were used to hold 17X8 Volk TE-37 wheels with a 30mm offset shod with big sticky 235/40-17 Nitto NT01 tires to the hubs.

The Fastbrakes front brake system uses an 11.7″ two piece front rotor up from the stock 9.8″ with an alloy hat to keep the weight down and a forged Wilwood caliper. This is both lighter and more powerful than the stock system.

Fastbrake rear rotors are 10.9″ in diameter as apposed to the tiny stock 9.2″ parts. They use a Maxima rear caliper.