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Thread: ITS Ford Mustang(s) Build - Stripper Stang Part II

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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Arrow ITS Ford Mustang(s) Build - Stripper Stang Part II

    Attempt number two at running a Ford in IT. I present for your inspection Ford's finest level of Mustangness for the 1998 model year, a cherry two owner 71k loaded V6 5-speed Rustang.



    This car drives extremely well and everything works. The Macpherson struts and rear shocks are shot but otherwise ok. It has the Mach 460 sound system, leather interior, power seats, ABS, cruise control, tilt wheel, and AC. Naturally it is equipped with the 3.8L "I don't want to rev past 4k" torquey V6 and a 3.08 or 2:73 rear gear which puts the top speed at somewhere over 210 MPH. Went that fast this morning on the way to work.

    The idea is to whip this thing into shape and make a competitive ITS car out of it. I haven't dynoed it yet, but I did manage to weigh it. With my fat ass in the seat and my daughter recording weights we're at:

    3129 lbs total
    903 862

    690 677

    So it weighs less than the 2002 model I had last year, maybe 100 lbs less. We've got mission impossible to get down to a spec weight of 2480 lbs. But, there is a lot of weight lurking in this thing with the options and so forth. Not enough weight, but maybe enough to get the car down to the 2600 lb range and I think it could be competitive there.

    If I end up building it I'll put it together as a build thread here. Step deux is to dyno it bone stock.

    Ron
    Last edited by Ron Earp; 05-09-2011 at 08:32 PM.

  2. #2
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    good luck on the build , I will follow with the hope you make weight. Our Fox body ITB was 2600 with me in it.
    Ron
    Atlanta
    ITB Mustang

  3. #3
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    I'm thinking we might be in your ball park but the spec weight is going to be next to impossible. On the upside I did lose 13 lbs tonight by removing the hideaway trailer hitch I didn't know it had so we're headed in the right direction.

  4. #4
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    This is going to be VERY interesting. Thanks for sharing, Ron!

    K

    EDIT - is the Torino done?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Knestis View Post

    EDIT - is the Torino done?
    No. The Torino got interrupted in early March with putting the new Z motor back in and then the Z got sold. And it is sold, the check has cleared, but the Z is still here. Packing up and shipping all the Z spares was a lot of work but that job is done. And the transport company is to pick up the car next week. Long live the Z!

    So, despite Jeff Young's best efforts the Mustang will wait until the Torino is a driving automobile and rolling down the road. For now I'm enjoying driving the Mustang around. The 3.8L motor with the lazy rear end appears to get some great fuel mileage although I've got to see the first tank through to really figure out what's what.

  6. #6
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    That car has the most stock torque in ITS I think -- 215. It gets to 170 whp and 200 wtq like mine and it gets to 2650 race weight like mine and you have a potential winner.

    Ain't no reason we can't strip that car in a weekend and send it to Schimmel while we finish the Torino.

    Best ITS racing in years is happening right now in SEDiv and you sold your car! Need to get your ass back out there.....
    NC Region
    1980 ITS Triumph TR8

  7. #7
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    Arrow ITS Mustangs at CMP

    I'll let Ron do the heavy duty splainin' but let's just say that the Roostang race debut was extraordinarily good.

    I drove a test session and then practice/qual/race for the Carolina Cup race and these cars are FUN to drive. Handle great, really good brakes (who said Roostangs couldn't stop?), fantastic midrange.

    Have some issues to sort but this cars will be very, very good ITS cars.

    Que Ron....
    NC Region
    1980 ITS Triumph TR8

  8. #8
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    I would say based on CMP results that the Mustangs are going to be a force in ITS. Very nice builds, well driven, and getting faster every time out. It was good to see Ron run so many races and not be on the trailer Sunday morning.
    Steve Eckerich
    ITS 18 Speedsource RX7
    ITR RX8 (under construction)

  9. #9
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    Thanks fellows, Jeff G and I do appreciate the comments. The cars did draw a lot of attention over the weekend, especially from corner workers and folks who spend a lot of time watching racing. More than a few told us they were really pleased to see something new on track. I'm happy that the cars made it through the weekend and were reasonably competitive on their first outing. There is much work to do now with development, but as Steve says at least they didn't hit the trailer on day one. Thanks for Central Carolina's Region for hosting one of the best race weekends of the year, the Memorial Monster. Lots of racing, good folks, and a real pleasure to attend.

    Jeff and I both ran the test day on Friday and we learned much useful information about the cars. We were testing many different things although you might not know it from first inspection. While the cars are similar, there are differences and when driving the cars back to back you can definitely feel them. Among the things we experimented with were rear gear ratio, roll centers, shock settings, tire types/sizes, exhaust system, and of course all the usual suspects like pressures and bar settings.

    We had to solve a few gremlins on the red car during the test day, but Sleestak ran without incident and simply behaved like a big Miata - insert gas, turn key and drive. By the end of the day the red car was doing the same thing, therefore, that was a win for the team all around that was celebrated with some grilling and beer.

    The Good:
    *Brakes - man o man, whoever told me these cars wouldn't stop couldn't be more wrong. Single piston calipers can get it done.
    *Rear end - In short, this stick axle works like a champ.
    *Predictable - no vices, snaps, or bites. The car is very honest and lets you know a bit ahead of time what is going to happen. You decide if you want it to happen or not.
    *Midrange power - lots of it. The red car has more top end than Sleestak and we know what needs to be done there. Both motors run at 190F, oil pressure around 70psi, and keep doing their thing lap after lap (except for that missed shift Jeff G had on Sunday).
    *Stability - the platform is big with a longer than average wheelbase, a bit heavy, but that lends itself to being stable. This thing loves itself some curbs.


    The Bad:
    *Front suspension tuning - We have lots of learn about setting up the front and getting it to do what we want. I think Jeff is a bit generous when he says they "handle great" - they handle decently, but great, well, that might be a stretch. We think the basic pieces are there to improve them, but we'll need to spend a lot of time tuning in order to learn to get the maximal effectiveness out of it. Welcome to race car development.
    *Oink - The minimum weight on this car is akin to the main chorus in that old En Vogue song, You Ain't Never Gonna Get it.
    *Size - These cars are large and they do feel that way. Heavy might be the wrong word, but large is more of a proper fit. Jeff said I eclipsed the Miata in one section of the track, the Miata disappeared, just like a magic trick.

    The Ugly
    *Nothing really ugly about the cars, just that we've got a lot of work to do to be in the hunt at places like RRR, VIR, Daytona and probably RA, although the latter I've never been to. CMP might be the best track for the car but we'll see how it goes. We know we have engine development to do, but more importantly at this stage is chassis tuning. It basically turns and stops, but we want it to turn and stop well.

    I don't do so well in writing up race details and Jeff can comment on his experiences in the CCPS. Basically the car ran well and was competitive, although not at the top tier ITS level where Steve, Jeff Y, Steve P, Chuck, and others play. On Saturday I qualified in 2nd place for ITS and finished second. Chuck Hines and I had some good battling going on in that race and everything was clean and smooth. Good racing with Chuck being glued to me for most of the race around the track. He got around me twice and I was able to get back around him and take second place, far behind Steve E in the extremely well-driven and prepared RX7. Jeff G kept his Mustang in the race but wasn't able to keep it in the top three, however, he's never driven CMP so I think he was doing exceptionally fine.

    Jeff Y and Ron M ran the CCPS on Saturday and did well with it. They were on the pole for ITS and finished first in class, down only a place to the overall leaders of the race. Sleestak got a little metal on plastic love though in T11 with a slower Miata, but the damage was minimal and didn't hamper the car from returning to the track.

    For the Sunday SARRC I didn't qualify to potential. I wasn't driving on my marks and was slower than Saturday. Steve E and Chuck H did well though, with Chuck picking up a couple of seconds over his times on Saturday and Kent T also improving, so those three fellows had spots 1-3, while the two Mustangs started fourth and fifth. I followed the leaders for many laps until eventually Chuck and Kent's battling for second allowed me to catch up to them. I couldn't get around Chuck, but, patience prevailed and I was able to get around him when he made a mistake, but there was no way I could catch him or Kent. I didn't drive well and know it, late on throttle, early on braking, too much lifting, so if you watch the video keep your comments to yourself! :-) Finished third and was very happy to even be in the hunt for wood. Jeff G had to retire the red car due to a money shift, but we don't know how much money that cost - yet.

    Here are some pictures from Rob Bodle and in car from the race on Sunday. I'll try and get part two from Sunday up and maybe some from Saturday too. But these damn Traqmate conversions and uploads to Youtube take some time.

    Part 1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IId9...ature=youtu.be



    Part 2
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZWm9...ature=youtu.be

    Last edited by Ron Earp; 05-30-2012 at 08:57 AM.

  10. #10
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    Apr 2007
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    I was impressed. I was pretty focused on these two cars for professional reasons and i am already trying to find a way to wrangle one for myself.

    I've got about a hundred more shots of these cars. I'll post more when I get time.





    Rob Bodle
    Rob Bodle Images, LLC
    RBI Competition

    2007 ARRC Three hour "not a real" Enduro ITO Co-Champion.
    2009 ARRC ITO Champion.
    2009 ARRC Enduro Pole Winner
    2010 ARRC ITO Champion(car owner for Cliff Brown)
    2011 ARRC ITO Champion

  11. #11
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    Congrats on the great results first time out Ron. It's always nice to see hard work pay off like that. Watching the video it's interesting to see where you were strong vs. the two Mazdas. You definitely have a lot of midrange. Also the car sounds great on the in-car. It's weird watching your tach though :-). How many IT cars are up-shifitng at 5300 rpm, and NOT going for a lower gear at 2700 rpms?
    Chris Carey

    Central Florida Region
    ITS/Vintage Datsun 240Z

    Favorite tool to remove undercoating---- A curb!

    "Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car and oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.
    Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you take the wall with you."

  12. #12
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    TR8....325e.....

    Great vid. Again, these cars fun and do handle great if you keep the tires under them. I think I turned my fast lap in the CCPS 11 or 12 laps in, a 52.2 or something....

    More later.
    NC Region
    1980 ITS Triumph TR8

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