Building new rear light assemblies that work with wider tires.Building new light assemblies for the rear, replacing the stock ones which had clearance issues with wider rear tires/wheels.
Installation of a clutch upgrade with the engine out.My original clutch just wasn't what it used to be so I installed a GM Performance Parts clutch, #19212712 (purchased from Crate Engine Depot).
Making / installing seat headrest padding.Photos of the process where I made headrest padding from foam tiles to prevent helmets from getting scratched during incidental contact. They also prevent an unsuspecting passenger's head from knocking the fiberglass seat on acceleration.
Wider wheels and tires were added to improve the car's traction and balance.The Atom comes from the factory with 205 front and 225 rear width tires. I had upgraded to 245 width in the rear, but more traction & balance improvements were needed. These photos show what's involved with an upgrade to 225 front and 295 rear width Hoosier A6 tires.
The Atom needs more traction, or more specifically, a tire optimized for a car of its weight (1300 lbs). These photos show what's involved with an upgrade to 240mm front and 350mm rear Hoosier R25B compound tires commonly used for Formula Atlantic cars.
Mounting a Pro Werks front wing from The Chassis Shop. It's not just for looks - a wing creates downforce from air movement at speed and will noticeably improve the car's grip and handling.
Photos of mounting a Pro Werks rear wing from The Chassis Shop. It's not just for looks - a wing creates downforce from air movement at speed and will noticeably improve the car's grip and handling.
Improvements to reduce supercharger outlet air temps.The supercharger outlet air temp was running too hot during track events. Air intake/laminova end plate was upgraded, coolant pump was swapped to a model from a Mustang Cobra, and a larger aftercooler & fan were installed.
Replacement of rear uprights for better durability and servicability.Replacement of rear uprights with a set from Palatov Motorsport. They are more durable than the OEM Brammo units and utilize bearings from a Porsche 996. You can see details of OEM hub/bearing problems here: thread #1, thread #2, thread #3.
Replacement of all spherical rod ends for steering and suspension, along with a string alignment. The rod ends need to be replaced periodically due to wear.
Fabrication of several different exhaust systems to reduce restriction and improve tone. Upgrades to the exhaust system. Stock was 2.25” diameter with a very inexpensive muffler and was quite restrictive. It became particularly loud and raspy over time. New systems are 3” and fabbed to allow quick swapping between several different mufflers depending on the event/activity. Fabrication was handled by Furo Racecraft in central WI.
Stock pulley replaced with a Smoothflowpulleys quick-change modular system.The stock supercharger pulley was replaced with a modular system which weighs a lot less. It also features the ability to change pulley sizes quickly and easily, which will come in handy at the dyno shop as the car undergoes tuning.
Performance upgrades to the braking system.When I ordered the Atom, four brake option levels were available: base, sport, track, and race. I had originally chosen the sport option, which included 4-piston Wilwood fixed calipers front, and single-piston PBR floating calipers rear, both with single piece 10.3" rotors. This album shows the upgrade to the track option.
Lexan windscreen panel fabrication to replace original twin-bubble dash panel.Twin-bubble windscreen dash panel was replaced with a more contoured dash panel. New Lexan windscreen panels were fabricated.
Building a front license plate bracket/holder, as the Atom doesn't come with one.The Atom doesn't come with a front license plate bracket/holder. While I wanted something nice that looked like it came from the factory, I had no idea I'd spend way too much time building it.