[LM24] Cadillac Northstar LMP

[Maelochs]

Simple enough. Build it to work with what you have while continuing your search for what you want it to have. Best of both worlds.

[Jim Craik]

This is absolutely a work of love, I have no intention of ever selling the car, my dream is one day running the Historic Le Mans...

After all, I drove a 10' box truck across the US getting parts and the car sits inside my house!

I have no problem with compromise, the front splitter/crash structure and the body we have are all 2001. They are very similar to the 2000 bodys...but

The splitter and nose mount differently, there are small triangular radiatior intakes on the 2001 nose and the side rad intakes are very different. That said they are close enough for me.

My concern comes from this:

I was somewhat upset to think that someone thought about cutting up this chassis to make a track car with an Audi V10. I was so very glad that did not happen & he sold her to me.

My worry is: Aren't I planning to do somthing similar? 100 years from now will folks be criticizing me?

[Maelochs]

100 years from now people will have forgotten all of us--it will be enough if the car is still around for levitation-car-racing fans to appreciate as a part of history.

In the meantime, people will criticize you whatever you do--"Why didn't he spend his time and money rebuilding a car I care about" or whatever--so ...

Please accept the thanks of myself and other 10/10ths posters for not only doing this, but sharing it with us. And carry on in whatever fashion suits you.

The image of your LMP1 in your wife's office will be with me for a long time to come.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by Jim Craik

As we only have a two car garage, I'm test fitting parts in my wife's Office... its OK, she's out of town...

These LMP cars are larger in person than they appear in photos!

So far everything fits, what a relief!

I've gotta admit, I've never seen an LMP car inside someones house before! I think that's something everyone on these boards would like to have. How much does the main monocoque weigh Jim? And how big are your doorways!?

[Jim Craik]

I was quite surprised at how compact the tub is. As these were open cars and mine does not have the roll over structure, the tub itself easily passes through doors. The problem we had was getting it around a corner and up the stairs....

We have a large room upstairs, it's Fran's office, but it's still big enough. I estimate the tub weighs around 250-300 lbs. I got three friends and we muscled it up the stairs. It was not "easy" but after all it is a CAR.

I have been around a lot of LMP cars, but until I bought this car I had never seen a Caddy in person. For some reason, in photos they looked smaller...

I can attest when you add the bits, they are huge!

[rich07]

Originally Posted by Jim Craik

I was quite surprised at how compact the tub is. As these were open cars and mine does not have the roll over structure, the tub itself easily passes through doors. The problem we had was getting it around a corner and up the stairs....

Up the stairs? :lol:

That's commitment there muscling that up a flight of stairs. Thanks for sharing your ongoing happenings with the car Jim it makes for a great read and I hope it gives you great enjoyment

How does one get their hands on an engine for this?

[Jim Craik]

Oh yea, I'm like a kid on Christmas!

I have located a new, Northstar, twin turbo factory race motor, still in the Cadillac Shipping container, I'm saving my dimes...

[rich07]

Originally Posted by Jim Craik

Oh yea, I'm like a kid on Christmas!

I have located a new, Northstar, twin turbo factory race motor, still in the Cadillac Shipping container, I'm saving my dimes...

That wouldn't be cheap and neither would operating it, I mean how many of those engines still would exist. I'm sure you could find someone who was part of the factory team to help you run it.

[TF110]

I wonder how the weight of the tub compares to modern cars.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by Jim Craik

I was quite surprised at how compact the tub is. As these were open cars and mine does not have the roll over structure, the tub itself easily passes through doors. The problem we had was getting it around a corner and up the stairs....

We have a large room upstairs, it's Fran's office, but it's still big enough. I estimate the tub weighs around 250-300 lbs. I got three friends and we muscled it up the stairs. It was not "easy" but after all it is a CAR.

I have been around a lot of LMP cars, but until I bought this car I had never seen a Caddy in person. For some reason, in photos they looked smaller...

I can attest when you add the bits, they are huge!

OMG, it's up on the second floor haha! Does the rollover structure just bolt onto the back of the main tub or is it something that has to be bonded on?

I got to see these cars twice in person, though not this specific chassis. At Daytona where they ran the full width roll hoop, and then at Petit Le Mans in normal configuration. They were definitely a fan favorite and it was a shame when the program was ended after just a few years, and when they seemed to making good progress with the second gen chassis.

[joeb]

Jim you are officially a ten tenths hero now. Not only do you have an LMP in your house, but it's upstairs!!!

[Deleted]

I thought moving all my stuff around in tight 4-floor elevator-less building was hard work, but dragging that big mother of a race car chassis upstairs? And awesome job with the project, good luck!

[Jim Craik]

Originally Posted by Ephaeton

You could just copy them here, such as ...



(from this post of Jim Craik)



(from that post of Jim Craik)

This is what we carried upstairs, its fairly compact, when on its side its not that hard to carry.

The roll over structure is a steel bar welded to a steel plate that bolts to six or seven studs set into the tub.

[CyberMotor]

Hi Jim,

Yes, thank you for both preserving and sharing history!

Upstairs? Once you get it put together, have you thought of getting it down the stairs?

Backing up to 2000, the Cadillac team headlined the page that we did back at PLM 2000 on this day. This project was one of my favorites and GM backed out too early, in my opinion.

Here's the link to back then. PLM was after Le Mans, but here are your car's brothers and sisters.

http://www.lasersol.com/CyberMotor/p...0/thursday.htm

Cadillac

[joeb]

Originally Posted by CyberMotor

Hi Jim,

Yes, thank you for both preserving and sharing history!

Upstairs? Once you get it put together, have you thought of getting it down the stairs?

Backing up to 2000, the Cadillac team headlined the page that we did back at PLM 2000 on this day. This project was one of my favorites and GM backed out too early, in my opinion.

Here's the link to back then. PLM was after Le Mans, but here are your car's brothers and sisters.

http://www.lasersol.com/CyberMotor/p...0/thursday.htm

Cadillac

That is how you give an LMP manufacturer styling cues. The grill on those cars was near perfect.

[Ephaeton]

Originally Posted by joeb

That is how you give an LMP manufacturer styling cues. The grill on those cars was near perfect.

So you wanna say they never won LM because of having that grill and ACO didn't give them the appropriate performance breaks for having those manufacturer styling cues? AHA! Conspiracy uncovered...

[Jim Craik]

[QUOTE=CyberMotor;3464255]Hi Jim,

Yes, thank you for both preserving and sharing history!

Upstairs? Once you get it put together, have you thought of getting it down the stairs? /QUOTE]



At this time, I'm collecting and test fitting parts. Before any real construction can take place, I'll need to fix two problems...

(1) I need to add a garage. At this time we only have a two car garage, a larger third garage will be needed. There is room adjacent to the current garage and once I collect most of the parts we will expand the enclosed parking.

(2) The tub will need to be sent off and the fire damage repaired before any final construction can take place. I am talking with Mike Fuller, he laid up the carbon on all six of the original Cadillac racers. As luck would have it, he also has a carbon shop that I'm hoping can do the repair. I think it would be great to have the repair done by Mike who built the original!

[Jim Craik]

Originally Posted by Ephaeton

So you wanna say they never won LM because of having that grill and ACO didn't give them the appropriate performance breaks for having those manufacturer styling cues? AHA! Conspiracy uncovered...

I'd say they never won Le Mans for several reasons, but I do not think the grill had much to do with it.

Yes, in 2000 the "grill" actually fed the front brake cooling, by 2001, the grill was a decal and the brakes were cooled by those rectangular intakes low on the nose.

I'm guessing the the 2000 grill did upset some air going over the top and back to the wing....

But then in 2001, without the grill, they were still not competitive!

[Slipknot]

Wow, just wow. Thanks for sharing all this.

[TF110]

Do you think itll be easier to access parts from 2001 cars?

[Jim Craik]

Originally Posted by TF110

Do you think itll be easier to access parts from 2001 cars?

Boy, it sure seems that way. As of yet, other than a black Motorola wing, I have been unable to find any 2000 parts.

I'm sure they are out there somewhere, but all the 2001 parts were sold as a block, so they were all together, easy to find.

If anyone knows of 2000 parts, please let me know.

Additionally, I have been unable to find a roll over structure, it looks fairly simple and one could be made. But once again, I know they are out there...

[Giba]

Just read through this thread and commend your commitment to this project.

2000 was the first Le Mans I remember watching and as a kid I always new what cars were the caddy's on tv as they were one of the few cars that had something recognizable off the road car in the prototypes!

All the best in the project as effort such as this deserves to be rewarded

[Mechanic Z]

To echo everyone else, that is a fantastic project! Good luck with it!

[Jim Craik]

Originally Posted by Jim Craik

Well, my wife Frances is back today, I hope she likes having an LMP car in her office

The sharp eyed amoung you might have noticed my problem, there are two steering racks...

My chassis 00-002 only raced in 2000, its career ended in the fire at Le Mans. At the end of 2000 several of the remaining cars were midified to 2001 spec. Among the changes were an attempt to lighten the cars, including replacing the original power steering with a simple steering rack. They mounted this new rack right at the front of the tub and the steering arm now attached to the front side of the uprights.

In my recent trip out to Kim Bakers, I obtained many parts, including hubs, axles and suspension arms for all four corners. These parts are all 2001 spec.

It seems to me that I should go with the 2001 steering rack, simple and works with the front uprights I have, but I hate to modify this chassis, as it is a somewhat historical piece.

Do you guys have any thoughts?

****************

I think this problem might just have solved itself....

As you can see in the photo, the new front rack is quite a bit lower than the original (rear) rack, additionally the pinion on the new rack comes off the bottom. I have taken a good look from the cockpit and it looks to me like the steering shaft from the new rack will just clear the original rack, so no mods will be nessessary!

Very cool!

[CTD]

Good news!