The GM52 Funco Hustler clone conversion

Ride report:

Start with the dream and desire to put together what I wanted, what I thought I wanted and what I ended up with.

This whole build comes from what I liked and what I had owned and was able to compare against.

The car came out great, my fit and placement in the car is spot on for me.  The balance seems spot on. I wish we could have weighed the car but I have an opinion on its balance with the bag pressures I have been playing with.

The 3.0 shocks are amazing.  I need to order a set of 14's for the rear as I installed 16's and had to ad internal spacers so the cvs would not bind on full droop. I can easily ad limit straps but its not a Funco imo if it has limit straps nor is it set up right.  The internal spacers bang on full drop out and I just dont like it. So its 14's on order. As light as the car is, I didnt feel any of the sxs chatter/stutter bumps. The suspension did and it was working away.  The whoops were not bad either. If I carried enough speed into a wooped section, I could easily power thru them. Slow down and well its just sucks as always.  We had planned an afternoon of shock tuning and adjusting but with the rear change I want to make I just said forget it for now. These 5 tube Kings have a lot to work with and I am excited to make and record the adjustments.

The Subi 6 at 650 hp is amazing. I really got on it and it just flat pulls.  Only time the front lifts is on a hard pull in third when coming over a roller. Its not a wheelie machine and thats exactly what I was hoping for. 4000 rpms sounds like its screaming along, then when you think about shifting and just ask for more throttle, it provides it, all the way up to 7600 rpm. Grab that gear and hold on as the boost comes right back.

We re-geared the S4 so I could use the Dunesport 17x14.5s . Glad I did as It just feels right with plenty of slip and bite.

The AEM dash is great, It gives me everything I need and offers more than what I may want. Next install will be the E85 sensor so the ECU can change if the fuel % changes.  We need to tweak the rev limiter or another function as in third gear and full rpm pull, it will shut off the ignition. This should be a simple setting and I will work on that next trip when I start data logging.  This was the shake down trip and  I need to nut and bolt the car just for good measure. Normal hard duning no ignition issue. It just happened at that flat out eff it run that we all know is going to test the limits of each and every one of us and the car we are in.  I can live with it for now if need be and not have a concern.

Fit and finish is great and have no complaints there.

Air system works as it should. I need to reset some parameters as I will be running with different setting than what i was anticipating.

Seat heaters..... :omg:

Enclosed front end is a game changer as well. Nice and cozy.

Now the air bag pressures....... Im not sure if its a change with the performance of the King 3.0's, the new weight distribution of the car, or it just being new to me. Probably all the above but, here's what I found and where I'm at. 

Started with the fronts at 40 lbs and rears at 60.  Car bucked and the front end seemed softer than what I expected.  I bumped the front bags to 45 psi and the car felt better. I then went to 50 psi in the front and again the car handled better and the shocks soaked up more of the crap. 

Next day I started at 50 up front and dropped the back to 50. I had less drop out in the rears and a more stable feel to the car.  Played with 50-55 in the rear bags for the rest of the trip. Car felt great and handled amazing.

Now on all the other cars, I would be 30-35 up front and 45-55 in the back. Didnt matter if it was the small hustler or the G52. I had a 20lb difference from front to back.  This car likes the pressures almost the same.

Is this the weight transfer I built into the car? Probably. Really makes me want to know the weight and see what we did.  Good, bad or just different, I am liking it.

 
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Great report. My car is probably heavier than yours by 1-200 pounds. I typically run 50-55 front. And 52-58 rear. That’s a sign of good balance!!

 
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ROBERT L said:
Great trip report. @Grease Monkey did you get use to the shifter?
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Oh yes the shifter. How could I have forgotten.

Yes I did. With so much newness it was a conscious effort the whole trip.  

I did however grab the turning break handle a time or two, or shall I say I had my hand on the turning brake and pulled it a few times to shift. That was disappointing haha.

 
Great trip report GM.

Even though Funcos don't "come" with limit straps, I'd sooner do that than have the shock beat itself apart as the limiter.

 
Kraut_n_Rice said:
Great trip report GM.

Even though Funcos don't "come" with limit straps, I'd sooner do that than have the shock beat itself apart as the limiter.
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Looked at it no doubt. Looked at moving the lower shock mount back two inches as well.  The new gen 6 arms have a spot for a sway bar link. Would be an easy mount location for the strap. Just need to figure out the upper location.

 
Air pressures: the spring rate (or air pressure), along with weight balance, determines how much cornering load the wheel will carry. More spring rate on one end, and that end will carry more load and lose grip first (balance) since the front and rear of the car roll together. If the spring rate is higher in the rear, more of the force of body roll will go to the rear since the spring is resisting more.

Moving weight forward means you’ve gained some front bite (which can go too far like on a FWD car) and need less spring rate for the rear to slip. 

 
So cool to watch this build! Excellent job, sounds like an absolute dune weapon! looks like one for sure. 
following to see more on Bag pressures. Also looking forward to seeing it in person sometime!

 
Grease Monkey said:
Another trip to Funco :makerain:

New Gen 6 rear arms. New Gen 6 midboard assemblies. New bearings and hardware to boot.

Not sure whats left on this car that will resemble or actually still be considered gen 4.

Steering rack is all I can think of. And with that mention its also at Funco for rebuild just because.

Should get the frame and bolt on items back from powder coating next week.

Jet Trim finished the seats. Thank you @Mac for picking them up and verifying conditions.

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what is the difference between the gen 4 and gen 6 rear arms?

 
SandSickness said:
what is the difference between the gen 4 and gen 6 rear arms?
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It's not the arms that have changed. It basically boils down to an order of events. It starts with the brake rotor. The gen4 Gen 5 brake rotor is 12 in in diameter. The Gen 6 brake rotor is 12 and 1/2 in in diameter. If you wanted new mid board assemblies for your Gen. 4 arms you could bolt them on, but the brake rotor won't work with your caliper. The gen4 caliber won't fit with the 12 and 1/2-in new rotor. So for all intensive purposes you can't just bolt on Gen 6 mid board assemblies with brakes onto gen 4 arms. If you want to use your existing brake caliper. The Gen 6 brake caliper does not just bolt onto a gen4arm without welding new ears. Thus buying new gen six arms was easier for me. So I could bolt on the new Gen 6 mid board assemblies. I had a bad deal with a mid board hub and it just drove me to buying all new. Grant. May be working on something to satisfy this issue. Future mid board assemblies might be ordered with 12-in rotors if he can get them machined.

 
Grease Monkey said:
It's not the arms that have changed. It basically boils down to an order of events. It starts with the brake rotor. The gen4 Gen 5 brake rotor is 12 in in diameter. The Gen 6 brake rotor is 12 and 1/2 in in diameter. If you wanted new mid board assemblies for your Gen. 4 arms you could bolt them on, but the brake rotor won't work with your caliper. The gen4 caliber won't fit with the 12 and 1/2-in new rotor. So for all intensive purposes you can't just bolt on Gen 6 mid board assemblies with brakes onto gen 4 arms. If you want to use your existing brake caliper. The Gen 6 brake caliper does not just bolt onto a gen4arm without welding new ears. Thus buying new gen six arms was easier for me. So I could bolt on the new Gen 6 mid board assemblies. I had a bad deal with a mid board hub and it just drove me to buying all new. Grant. May be working on something to satisfy this issue. Future mid board assemblies might be ordered with 12-in rotors if he can get them machined.
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Thank you for the info very helpful , your car look great man 👍🏼

 
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