Let's Build A Killer Track Car!!!

[Department Of Boost]

Alrighty kids. As you may know I offed my 2007 street/track/mile car. My interests have gotten back to my roots (track time) and the car was a horrible tool for the job. Too heavy, too complicated, too much power, etc. I could have done a huge conversion on it into a dedicated track car, but that would have been more work than just starting from scratch. Not to mention for a track car I wanted a Coyote motor. I was really ready for a GT350R. But after I weighed all the pros and cons it really just didn’t make sense. Just so ends up that I have a 2012 GT Brembo Vert with only 30K miles on it. Let the fun begin!!!

So here is what I want to do. This car will be 80% track/20% street. So it can be harsh and extreme. Right now it’s near stock, so that makes it easy. It needs EVERYTHING. The car needs to be a “Track Day Killer”. I really don’t care about street “drivability”. Things like rod ends on the suspension and high rate springs don’t scare me in the least. It’s going to be all about suspension, reliability, simplicity and safety. And the simple parts needs to directly translate into “easily serviceable” and durable. I’m not looking at working on it all the time. Show up, drive, go home.

I don’t have a huge budget, but since I’m no longer looking at a GT350R I have a decent budget to play with. What I want help with from you guys is in refining the “to do” list. There is likely to be things I forgot, maybe got wrong, etc. Your suggestions would be great.

Here is the list of stuff I’ve already pretty much decided on. I’m going with Cortex stuff, that’s set in stone. The stuff in blue with question marks after it (????) is stuff I need more information on and they are re-listed last in a section for “What do I do about these?”.

Suspension/Wheels Tires:

-Cortex Watts Link

-JRi double adjustable struts

-JRi double adjustable shocks

-Bump steer kit

-Cortex torque arm

-Cortex K-member & Front control arms

-Cortex Xtreme-Grip Rear LCA’s

-Some sort of adjustable swaybars (TBD)

-Cortex swaybar end links

-Enkei PF01’s 18x10.5 at all corners

-Nitto Nt01’s 305’s at all corners

-Long ARP wheels studs front (I already have them)

-Long ARP wheels studs rear

-Re-program steering rack to Ford Racing specs

Brakes:

-Stoptech ST-40 Full Floater big break kit (I already have them)

-Brake ducts and backing plates 3” (I already have them)

- GT/CS BOSS lower fascia????

Cooling:

-Afco radiator (I already have this)

-Oil cooler. What is the biggest baldest one I can get in there. I seem to see they run hot????

-Oil line/Block adapter M-6881-M50

-Canton remote mount filter (I already have this)

-Tiger Racing hood

-Rear diff cooler????

-Trans cooler????

-High flow grill? I want to ditch the fog lights so I will need something here. Suggestions????

Engine:

-Petersons crankcase breather tank. The same ones the race cars run. (I already have this)

-FRPP BOSS 302S/R off road mid pipe

-I need some OTA pipes with no resonators and maybe some mufflers (I have the quiet Magnaflows and will probably ditch them. I’m thinking cheap here??????

-Some sort of CAI that is actually a CAI. Maybe a BOSS 302S/R piece????

-Prothane engine mounts

-Tune

Interior/Safety:

-Maximum Motorsports 4pt bar with custom bent “door bars” (ends up being 6pt to tie the chassis together)

-Sparco Fighter Seats (I already have these)

-Crow 5pt harnesses (I already have these)

-Sparco steering wheel (I already have this)

-Do I need arm restraints or something????

-MGW Race Spec shifter

Miscellaneous:

-Tubular bumper support

-Front and rear tow hooks

-Move battery to trunk

-Pedals more conducive to heal/toe. Any suggestions????


What Do I Do About These?:

-Front lower fascia that will accept 3” brake ducts. Will the GT/CS BOSS one work for this????

-Front splitter?????

-Oil cooler. What is the biggest baldest one I can get In there. I seem to see they run hot???

-Some sort of CAI that is actually a CAI. Maybe a BOSS 302S/R piece????

-Rear diff cooler????

-Tran cooler????

-Some sort of CAI that is actually a CAI. Maybe a BOSS 302S/R piece????

-Do I need arm restraints or something????

-I need some OTA pipes with no resonators and maybe some mufflers (I have the quiet Magnaflows and will probably ditch them. I’m thinking cheap here??????

-High flow grill? I want to ditch the fog lights so I will need something here. Suggestions?


Any things I’m forgetting (I’m sure there are some). Suggestions? Fire away!


Thanks!!

 

[PLee]

This will be a killer car! My thoughts in red...

-Do I need arm restraints or something????

No- we use Corvette head-restraint nets in the interior of some of the Mustangs (the triangular-shaped ones), but you won't be able to use a window net in the vert since you won't have a cage (with an upper a-pillar/door bar).


-Pedals more conducive to heal/toe. Any suggestions????

I've used these- you can order the gas pedal wider, making heel/toe easier. I actually like to "roll" my foot versus actual heel-toe.

http://www.ultimatepedals.com/

What Do I Do About These?:

-Front lower fascia that will accept 3” brake ducts. Will the GT/CS BOSS one work for this????

Uses Cal Special lower chin.
http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-boss-brakeduct-kit-1112.html

I believe there is a 4" system available as well, but the tires will chew threw the ducts constantly.


-Front splitter?????

Make one or use the Ford Racing splitter: M-16601-S


-Oil cooler. What is the biggest baldest one I can get In there. I seem to see they run hot???

Piece one together using a Setrab cooler... Boss-S stuff assumes you don't have a condenser, so you would have to modify it anyway...

-Some sort of CAI that is actually a CAI. Maybe a BOSS 302S/R piece????

We use stock air boxes w/ air block-out panels between the grill and radiator... That's all Dean uses as well. Could use any typical aftermarket piece also.

-Rear diff cooler????

Piece one together or use a pre-made kit:

http://rehagenracingproducts.com/REHAGEN-RACING-S197-MUSTANG-DIFFERENTIAL-COOLER-STANDARD-KIT-RR05DCSTD.htm

You can buy the coolers and pumps from HRP world. The rest is all stuff you can make... Diff cover fittings will be specific to Watts link.

-Tran cooler????

Same as above.

-High flow grill? I want to ditch the fog lights so I will need something here. Suggestions?

We use a metal mesh in place of the fogs. McMaster Carr has ALL sorts...


Any things I’m forgetting (I’m sure there are some). Suggestions? Fire away!

Cutting the fat from that car. Lots of heavy crap in there that isn't needed!



Thanks!!

 

[PLee]

As I'm sure you know that trans will be on bought time w/ track use. If you upgrade to a 13-14 GT500 TR6060, it will have the built-in trans fluid pump, so all you'd need is a cooler and make some lines...

 

[Department Of Boost]

As I'm sure you know that trans will be on bought time w/ track use. If you upgrade to a 13-14 GT500 TR6060, it will have the built-in trans fluid pump, so all you'd need is a cooler and make some lines...

Yeah, I know. I'll run it till it gives up though. Can't do everything at once.

 

[Department Of Boost]

This will be a killer car! My thoughts in red...

-The link for the CS chin isn't right. That goes to ducts.

Does the CS chin have 3" openings in it, or 2.5"?

-What is the biggest/hot setup Setrab to run?

-Should I run a trans cooler?

-Should I run a diff cooler?

 

[Pentalab]

-The link for the CS chin isn't right. That goes to ducts.

Does the CS chin have 3" openings in it, or 2.5"?

-What is the biggest/hot setup Setrab to run?

-Should I run a trans cooler?

-Should I run a diff cooler?

"Fits 2010 to 2012 GT Mustangs with BOSS/CS lower front fascia"
It's made for 3" hoses.....(and has 3" holes afaik.)

Toss the oem LSD..and use either an eaton tru-trac or a torsen. Then you don't require a differential cooler. You only require a differential cooler if the oem CF clutch plate LSD is used. Install a bob's autosports rear axle catch can...or else u will be puking fluid..and it doesn't hold much to begin with. The eaton requires plane dyno oil..no synthetic, and no friction modifiers.

Toss the oem upper grille and fogs..and put a 7 bar type in. The Roush version mounts in 4 places. The Mr Body kit version mounts in 6 places. Ok, now you will have plenty of air flow through the upper grille. Also eliminates 2 x 90 deg bends into the oem airbox. Don't mess with the aftermarket 11 bar lower grille.

 

[Department Of Boost]

"Fits 2010 to 2012 GT Mustangs with BOSS/CS lower front fascia"
It's made for 3" hoses.....(and has 3" holes afaik.)

Cool, thanks.

Toss the oem LSD..and use either an eaton tru-trac or a torsen. Then you don't require a differential cooler. You only require a differential cooler if the oem CF clutch plate LSD is used. Install a bob's autosports rear axle catch can...or else u will be puking fluid..and it doesn't hold much to begin with. The eaton requires plane dyno oil..no synthetic, and no friction modifiers.

Yeah, I plan on doing a Torsen eventually. I would do it right away but the gearing is going to change next winter (probably). Right now it has 3.31's and the MT82 (junk!). Next winter it will get a 6060 with the pump in it. Then I will need a shorter gear in the back. I don't want to go through the rear end twice. They are a PITA sometimes. I figured I can just burn the stock LSD up this season and switch everything else out next year.

So a can isn't enough to deal with the stock LSD?

Toss the oem upper grille and fogs..and put a 7 bar type in. The Roush version mounts in 4 places. The Mr Body kit version mounts in 6 places. Ok, now you will have plenty of air flow through the upper grille. Also eliminates 2 x 90 deg bends into the oem airbox. Don't mess with the aftermarket 11 bar lower grille.

Good copy

 

[Sky Render]

Wait, did you say your car is a convertible?

 

[Department Of Boost]

How big are the BOSS302S/R oil coolers? I'm seeing the Setrab stuff here. Man, they get expensive fast!!!

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=SETRAB9

 

[Department Of Boost]

Wait, did you say your car is a convertible?

Hellz yes!!!!!

That was actually one major thing pushing me toward it. I really hate roofs on track cars. It probably has something to do with all of my years racing motorcycles. I like being out in the open.

Plus it will be cooler in the cockpit.

 

[TaylorGT]

The GT/CS front will do 3" hose but the holes are measured slightly smaller than 3" I believe. I can measure mine when I get the bumper removed for my suspension install.

I have the Ford Racing World Challenge Splitter. I highly recommend it.

Hardparked by Taylor Hockman, on Flickr

 

[stepqhen]

Depending on which backing plates you picked up there is an better than average chance that they will not work. The Stop-Tech rotors and calipers sit a little more inboard than the Brembo brakes do. If you look at my thread here http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116195

You will see how I got around that. I had to make custom backing plates that fit inside the void on the back of the rotors and got a little creative on the inlet.

 

[ford20]

How extreme are you willing and able to go? If I didn't have a budget the MM K-Member would be on my list in all honesty. I think I will be dumping my BMR K-Member in favor of the MM one.


I would go with the GT/CS - Boss lower Facia as it provides ducts for brake cooling I believe Rehagen Racing has some 4" ducts for that front end but they were like $1,000 just for the ducts not including hoses or cooling shields or anything. I'm sure you can fabricate something and when you do I would like a pair Steeda also makes a good front bumper that I think has larger openings for cooler air, but having the front end wide open wouldn't be the best thing aerodynamically speaking.

Oil coolers are hard. I think we were talking about it a little while ago. It seems that the Cooltech Kit seems to be doing pretty good although there are TONS and mean a metric fuck ton of threads on trackmustangsonline.com about oil coolers with no clear answer. Fluidyne sells a Radiator/Oil cooler combo that supposedly is amazing. There was a track school that would have constant cooling problems and they along with Paul Brown asked Fluidyne for a solution and this is what they came up with and supposedly runs amazingly well. I would call and speak with Fluidyne about the radiator though. I see that Kenny Brown has it listed on their site but it looks way different than what is pictured here.

A standout part at the show was this complete cooling solution for ’11-’13 Mustang GTs and Bosses—the Boss 302R-Hx from Fluidyne (www.fluidyne.com). After a driving school kept putting its Boss 302s into limp-home mode, it contacted Fluidyne for a cooling solution—this product is the result. It combines a high-efficiency, triple-core radiator with a hearty air-to-oil cooler to keep all the fluid temps in line.

Most guys with the Torsen T2R don't seem to be running differental coolers form what I have seen but I know that Rehagen Racing runs one in their trunk on the R so it might be something worth looking into considering you are a pretty fast driver as they are.

I know that Steve Espo runs a transmission cooler on his car although I don't know much of anything about it or what kind of temperatures he was seeing that made him want to go with a transmission cooler. I know that Vorshlag seems to believe that the transmission scoop is a main cause of the heating problems on the Boss but not all Boss 302's have them, only the Laguna Seca so I'm not convinced that this is a culprit for the Boss cars running hot on track.

For the High Flow grill I would go with the CJ or ROush grill as they are the most "open" and will get more airflow to the radiator. On the Boss everyone saw the biggest cooling improvements by removing the grill on the 2012 cars vs. everything else so the more air you could get to the radiator the better. The CJ grill is nothing more than the GT/CS grill but the grill entirely open and nothing blocked, so if you can't find a CJ grill just get that one and put in a little time with a dremel. I ended up opening the grill on my Boss 302 S to allow more airflow to the intake duct as well as to the radiator. I hope it does something though haha.

I am going to be running the JPC OTA pipes on my car, but they were expensive, $350 I think, but I might be wrong on that part. It might be worth looking into though.

As for the intake the Boss 302 R and I believe the S runs their intake tube off to the left while the factory has it off to the right. Are you going with FI on this one? The Steeda and the airraid filters seem to be the best for these car though and they appear to seal to the hood as well as keep the factory intake duct.

As for the Pedals I like these ones from SRP Racing.

Now if I had the money for a crazy budget piece I would go with these as well. Since you are already getting the K-Member and Front JRi's which are already included in the kit it would be a bit less of a sticker shock if you priced those out already. Those spindles they use are pretty freaking trick and I think weight something like 3lbs. IIRC although i'm probably wrong though.

http://cortexracing.com/product/cortex-double-a-arm-sla-front-suspension-2005-2014-s197-mustang/

I would also be getting this. I believe Dean Martin was talking about it and he was saying that they dropped lap times by at least 1 second no matter which track they raced at.

http://cortexracing.com/product/cambered-full-floating-cv-ball-drive-axle/

 

[PLee]

Jason... don't forget... any serious track car is going to need a set of these...

http://www.hrpworld.com/store/defau...systems/airjax-airjax-kit-p-n-airjax-kit.html

 

[Department Of Boost]

Depending on which backing plates you picked up there is an better than average chance that they will not work. The Stop-Tech rotors and calipers sit a little more inboard than the Brembo brakes do. If you look at my thread here http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116195

You will see how I got around that. I had to make custom backing plates that fit inside the void on the back of the rotors and got a little creative on the inlet.

Thanks for the heads up. I already have custom backing plates with a 3" "nipple" for the Stoptechs that we made which are perfect. So I'm GTG!

 

[Department Of Boost]

How extreme are you willing and able to go? If I didn't have a budget the MM K-Member would be on my list in all honesty. I think I will be dumping my BMR K-Member in favor of the MM one.

Have you seen the Cortex K Member and A arms? They're siiiicccckkkkk!!! It's the K Member and A arms from the SLA kit. Super nice. They can later be upgraded to the whole SLA. They aren't on his site yet though. I saw them on FB (and talked with him yesterday) but I can't find the post now. Stupid FB!

I would go with the GT/CS - Boss lower Facia as it provides ducts for brake cooling I believe Rehagen Racing has some 4" ducts for that front end but they were like $1,000 just for the ducts not including hoses or cooling shields or anything. I'm sure you can fabricate something and when you do I would like a pair

GT/CS sounds like the ticket. I'm already set up for 3" and I already have the hoses, backing plates and everything else so that will be easy.

Steeda also makes a good front bumper that I think has larger openings for cooler air, but having the front end wide open wouldn't be the best thing aerodynamically speaking.

New aftermarket front ends aren't in the budget. I will be going off track eventually. Replacements stuff needs to be fast, easy and cheap!

Oil coolers are hard. I think we were talking about it a little while ago. It seems that the Cooltech Kit seems to be doing pretty good although there are TONS and mean a metric fuck ton of threads on trackmustangsonline.com about oil coolers with no clear answer. Fluidyne sells a Radiator/Oil cooler combo that supposedly is amazing. There was a track school that would have constant cooling problems and they along with Paul Brown asked Fluidyne for a solution and this is what they came up with and supposedly runs amazingly well. I would call and speak with Fluidyne about the radiator though. I see that Kenny Brown has it listed on their site but it looks way different than what is pictured here.

Yeah, not sure what to do here. I'll have to talk to Dean. I already have a huge radiator so I don't need to be spending money on that too. I know it looks like I'm going nuts, but I do have a budget.

Most guys with the Torsen T2R don't seem to be running differental coolers form what I have seen but I know that Rehagen Racing runs one in their trunk on the R so it might be something worth looking into considering you are a pretty fast driver as they are.

I will put a T2R in next winter. I love them. My 2007 had one. Not in the budget this season though. I'll just burn the stock one up this year.

I know that Steve Espo runs a transmission cooler on his car although I don't know much of anything about it or what kind of temperatures he was seeing that made him want to go with a transmission cooler. I know that Vorshlag seems to believe that the transmission scoop is a main cause of the heating problems on the Boss but not all Boss 302's have them, only the Laguna Seca so I'm not convinced that this is a culprit for the Boss cars running hot on track.

IDK what I'm going to do here. I know the transmission get real hot from what my SVT buddy tells me from them testing. That's why the GT500 track pack and GT350's have trans coolers. I really don't like the MT82 but there isn't the budget for a different trans right now. I would like to put a 6060 with a built in cooler in there. I'll probably just burn the MT82 up this season and deal with it next winter.

For the High Flow grill I would go with the CJ or ROush grill as they are the most "open" and will get more airflow to the radiator. On the Boss everyone saw the biggest cooling improvements by removing the grill on the 2012 cars vs. everything else so the more air you could get to the radiator the better. The CJ grill is nothing more than the GT/CS grill but the grill entirely open and nothing blocked, so if you can't find a CJ grill just get that one and put in a little time with a dremel. I ended up opening the grill on my Boss 302 S to allow more airflow to the intake duct as well as to the radiator. I hope it does something though haha.

CJ parts are nooooooooo problem. Thanks!!

I am going to be running the JPC OTA pipes on my car, but they were expensive, $350 I think, but I might be wrong on that part. It might be worth looking into though.

I have the big/quiet Magnaflows on the car now. I think I'll sell those and go with this along with the Ford Racing off road mid pipe. Seems like a good deal:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/2010-mustang-catback-exhaust.html

As for the intake the Boss 302 R and I believe the S runs their intake tube off to the left while the factory has it off to the right. Are you going with FI on this one? The Steeda and the airraid filters seem to be the best for these car though and they appear to seal to the hood as well as keep the factory intake duct.

Ya know. I may just leave it stock for now. Hmmmmmmm.

As for the Pedals I like these ones from SRP Racing.

Nice!!!

Now if I had the money for a crazy budget piece I would go with these as well. Since you are already getting the K-Member and Front JRi's which are already included in the kit it would be a bit less of a sticker shock if you priced those out already. Those spindles they use are pretty freaking trick and I think weight something like 3lbs. IIRC although i'm probably wrong though.

http://cortexracing.com/product/cortex-double-a-arm-sla-front-suspension-2005-2014-s197-mustang/

Not in the budget...........sigh.

I would also be getting this. I believe Dean Martin was talking about it and he was saying that they dropped lap times by at least 1 second no matter which track they raced at.

http://cortexracing.com/product/cambered-full-floating-cv-ball-drive-axle/

Way not in the budget, LOL!!!


And no blower. NA light and simple for this car.

 

[DILYSI Dave]

I really don't mean this to sound like a dick, though that's gonna be hard to avoid. But if you really want a top shelf track car, you should start with something else.

Now if you just want to make your car the best it can be, that's cool. But understand that you're swimming upstream. A C5Z06 will be better in every way and cost half of what you have outlined.

 

[Vorshlag-Fair]

To the OP, here are some thoughts...

1. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
2. You don't need trans or diff coolers until the car becomes a dedicated race car or endurance race car, if even then. Especially not with a convertible.
3. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
4. About half of the suspension stuff on your "set in stone dream sheet" is fluff.
5. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
6. Saying "these things are is set in stone" isn't exactly open for "suggestions?"
7. You're seriously starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
8. With a 2012 rack you don't need to "reprogram to ford racing specs", as it doesn't have any noticeable difference to the 2012-14 racks. Nobody has figured out how to reprogram the racks outside of Ford Racing yet, as far as I know.
9. Why are you starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car????

Convertibles are probably the worst cars you can think of to use for a "track day killer". The chassis are a big floppy mess and even when fully caged that are not as rigid as their factory coupe counterparts.

You will need more than a 4-point with "drag racing door bars", and arm restraints are also going to be on the list. We've built convertibles into race cars and its a lot more work to try to keep the driver safe. You can never get them "as safe".

And while the SFI roof net we had built for the Corvette endurance car above was a good start (and door nets and center net), usually we'd want to cage a convertible AND put a factory hard top on as well. Like every Spec Miata ever run on track.

But since Mustangs are so abundant, and its going to be "80% track use", why not start with a coupe?? Just my two cents.

Cheers,

 

[Department Of Boost]

I really don't mean this to sound like a dick, though that's gonna be hard to avoid. But if you really want a top shelf track car, you should start with something else.

Now if you just want to make your car the best it can be, that's cool. But understand that you're swimming upstream. A C5Z06 will be better in every way and cost half of what you have outlined.

I know.

It will be plenty fast. And the best part is it's paid for.

 

[Department Of Boost]

To the OP, here are some thoughts...

1. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
3. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
5. You're starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
7. You're seriously starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car?
9. Why are you starting with a convertible for a "track day killer" car????

I would rather be on a motorcycle......but I'm old. A vert is a compromise. I really don't like the feeling of being "in" a car. And I own it. And I never do anything 100% smart. Total practicality bores me.

2. You don't need trans or diff coolers until the car becomes a dedicated race car or endurance race car, if even then. Especially not with a convertible.

Good, thanks. I didn't want to mess with that.

4. About half of the suspension stuff on your "set in stone dream sheet" is fluff.

I like fluff!!! LOL. But I'm all ears. Give it to me. I sure wouldn't mind spending less money!

6. Saying "these things are is set in stone" isn't exactly open for "suggestions?"

True, I shouldn't have said that.

8. With a 2012 rack you don't need to "reprogram to ford racing specs", as it doesn't have any noticeable difference to the 2012-14 racks. Nobody has figured out how to reprogram the racks outside of Ford Racing yet, as far as I know.

The guy at Ford Racing that does their racks will be doing mine.

Convertibles are probably the worst cars you can think of to use for a "track day killer". The chassis are a big floppy mess and even when fully caged that are not as rigid as their factory coupe counterparts.

Yeah, I know. But I'm stupid.

You will need more than a 4-point with "drag racing door bars",

A good friend does those stupid fast drag car chassis. 25.2 or whatever they are that are certed to 6.0's. I was going to make it easy and get the MM bar and just add a few. Maybe I will build something more complex with him. He doesn't mind. I just try and not chew up a ton of his time.

and arm restraints are also going to be on the list.

I was thinking they may be a "thing".

We've built convertibles into race cars and its a lot more work to try to keep the driver safe. You can never get them "as safe".

Well, I'm coming from 180+mph and zero safety (bikes). So relative to that I'll be really safe!!!

But since Mustangs are so abundant, and its going to be "80% track use", why not start with a coupe?? Just my two cents.

Cheers,

I own it. It's fun. I'm a bit stupid.

Thanks