Dallas Fort Worth 5.0 Mustang Club - View Single Post - Vorshlag 2011 Mustang 5.0 GT

Fair · 03-20-2014, 05:06 PM

Project Update for March 20, 2014: As usual this started out as a "quick update" but grew into a monster, and it only covers two weeks worth of events and car prep. We had a great time with NASA at Motorsports Ranch Cresson March 7-9th, so I'll go over that race weekend. Then I'll discuss the last nagging problems we're having with the car, which slowed down the lap times once again (AdvanceTrac faults!). We stripped all of the graphics off the red Mustang in preparation for Goodguys and USCA events as well as installed a set of BFG Rivals. We also got a chance to install the new BMR "UTCA033" spherical Upper Control Arm for the 2010-14 Mustang as well as a new set of Cobra seats (Monoco) in one of our Tester's GTs. Then we get ready for USCA this weekend.... let's go!

NASA @ MSR-C, March 7-9th, 2014

In my last update we went over the modifications and rear flares that were involved to the rear fenders to clear the big 345/35/18 Hoosiers back there (see below). The front flares we made last August were always intended to clear the 335/30/18 up front, and this was the first event where we got a chance to run this new tire upgrade.

Mmmm..... big flares.... big tires.... NASA @ MSR means it was time to finally use these in anger!

We drove at MSR track in January with SCCA Club Trials to a 1:18.675 on used 315mm A6 tires, so I was hoping for a 1-2 second time drop with a sticker set of the wider Hoosiers on the same 1.7 mile course... if we even ran the 1.7 course. You see the NASA Texas Time Trial group is normally too big to fit on the 1.7 so we normally use the longer 3.1 mile course - and have done so for the past three years (2011-13). We've had as many as 47 cars enter into TT group at our events, but this time we only had 26 signed up about 4 days before the event, so Dave B made the call, "TT will be running the 1.7". The cut-off for minimum TT entries to run the 3.1 was 32 cars, and we just didn't make it in time (but we did by the end of the race weekend!)

The 1.7 mile course everyone ran at the NASA event Jan 8-9th

The main thing I lacked at the Club Trials event in January was simple, SEAT TIME. I almost never run the 1.7 mile course at MSR, and have a lot more seat time on the (seldom used) 1.3 and 3.1 courses. I only drove the Mustang at speed for two sessions on the 1.7 mile course in January and put my best laps in early, in the 2nd session. Amy co-drove with me that day and drove in the last two sessions of the day, when it was warmer (it was very COLD at the start of that event, in the 29-35°F range). Well for this weekend Amy was at a wedding for a cousin out of state, so I was going to get to run the car as much as I wanted. Instead of learning the new tire set-up (and this track) during the four daily TT sessions on Saturday and Sunday I decided to head out to MSR on Friday afternoon to get some laps in at the "Test-N-Tune" event normally held the day before any NASA Texas event.

Friday Test and Tune at MSR

MSR is fairly close to our shop and after trying a new route (thanks Google!) I got there in under 1.5 hours. Problem is I didn't leave the shop until after 1:15 pm, as the guys were thrashing to get the car prepped and loaded. And normally I bring along one of our techs for each day to these local events but all of our guys had something going on that weekend, so I went out by myself. So no crew, no Amy, no Brandon (our photographer) - what could go wrong?

I had planned on getting there a bit earlier to reserve good paddock parking for my trailer and 2 others (Matt and Costas), but when I rolled up after 2:30pm the place was PACKED. NASA has commandeered the covered grid area for tech/scales, so they moved grid area to one of the parking lots normally used for paddock - which made the remaining paddock spaces disappear. I got the best spot I could find, unlaoded the car quickly, and went to the clubhouse sign up for the T-n-T event. Only $100 to run in the afternoon, but for all MSR run member and test days you must wear a fire suit and full race gear. No worries, I always bring my gear bag. They said that with our TT3 prepped car with the times it runs I could run with either the "race cars" (W2W prepped cars) or the "sports cars" (mostly HPDE and TT folks). There were 6 sessions left (30 minutes each), so I hopped in the car, set-up the new AiM SOLO DL, and went out to drive.

One of our testers Jamie Beck was there with his AST/Vorshlag/Whiteline/Cobra equipped 2013 Mustang GTs (above) to run in HPDE3 on Saturday and he was nice enough to snap these pictures of me driving - the only pictures I got all weekend of our car (I shot pics of TT cars in sessions that I wasn't driving on Sat/Sunday). We had just rebuilt his rear axle (diff bearings were shot, swapped in a new Torson and 3.31 gears from 3.73s - he loves it) and had some new gauges, a shift light, Ford Racing Sparco wheel and some "blip shift" device he was testing in HPDE3. He also borrowed my "loaner" AiM SOLO timer, which came in handy. So I went out Friday on the 335F/345R scrub set I had picked up for this car and was going to do just a couple of shake down laps, but once I got up to speed and scrubbed off the old rubber the car was flying around the track and I was having a blast.

I came in after 10-15 laps and hopped out under the "Tech shed" area to take a quick look and make sure nothing was leaking or rubbing. Well don't you know that the underside of the back of the car was dripping in gear oil. WTF?! I took a peek and thought I saw the problem... drove to the paddock spot, shimmied out of my driving suit, got the back of the car in the air and yep, the differential vent line for the vent/catch can system we built long ago had popped off the fitting on the rear axle. That was an easy fix. I cleaned up most of the leaked fluid, which looked like much less than a pint, and got back out on track.

After that was fixed I drove in two more 30 minute test sessions with the race group and got a TON of laps in - more than I normally get in several TT weekends. Fine tuned suspension set-up, tire pressures and worked on my driving lines. Adjusted the new seat a little bit - took the bottom seat cushions (they are Velcro'd in place) out of the new Cobra Evolution seat and got a lot better seating position, but then the submarine belts were too long, and the belts I have in the car aren't very good (I have new Schroth Profi2 harnesses going in today).

Since I was on scrubs and normally mired in traffic I was just out there getting seat time and learning this track better - something I have lacked in the last few events (I didn't know the 1.7 course well at the January Club Trials nor the MSR-H track in that direction at the January NASA TT event). Put a tank of fuel through the car, had a lot of fun, and used up a good bit of brake pad material. The scrubs were A6s so they got greasy after 4-5 laps and times would drop, but the Mustang seemed to be passing everything out there and I never had to worry about anything crowding the mirrors, which wasn't what I expected.

continued below

03-20-2014, 05:06 PM	#297
Fair Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 333	Project Update for March 20, 2014: As usual this started out as a "quick update" but grew into a monster, and it only covers two weeks worth of events and car prep. We had a great time with NASA at Motorsports Ranch Cresson March 7-9th, so I'll go over that race weekend. Then I'll discuss the last nagging problems we're having with the car, which slowed down the lap times once again (AdvanceTrac faults!). We stripped all of the graphics off the red Mustang in preparation for Goodguys and USCA events as well as installed a set of BFG Rivals. We also got a chance to install the new BMR "UTCA033" spherical Upper Control Arm for the 2010-14 Mustang as well as a new set of Cobra seats (Monoco) in one of our Tester's GTs. Then we get ready for USCA this weekend.... let's go! NASA @ MSR-C, March 7-9th, 2014 In my last update we went over the modifications and rear flares that were involved to the rear fenders to clear the big 345/35/18 Hoosiers back there (see below). The front flares we made last August were always intended to clear the 335/30/18 up front, and this was the first event where we got a chance to run this new tire upgrade. Mmmm..... big flares.... big tires.... NASA @ MSR means it was time to finally use these in anger! We drove at MSR track in January with SCCA Club Trials to a 1:18.675 on used 315mm A6 tires, so I was hoping for a 1-2 second time drop with a sticker set of the wider Hoosiers on the same 1.7 mile course... if we even ran the 1.7 course. You see the NASA Texas Time Trial group is normally too big to fit on the 1.7 so we normally use the longer 3.1 mile course - and have done so for the past three years (2011-13). We've had as many as 47 cars enter into TT group at our events, but this time we only had 26 signed up about 4 days before the event, so Dave B made the call, "TT will be running the 1.7". The cut-off for minimum TT entries to run the 3.1 was 32 cars, and we just didn't make it in time (but we did by the end of the race weekend!) The 1.7 mile course everyone* ran at the NASA event Jan 8-9th* The main thing I lacked at the Club Trials event in January was simple, SEAT TIME. I almost never run the 1.7 mile course at MSR, and have a lot more seat time on the (seldom used) 1.3 and 3.1 courses. I only drove the Mustang at speed for two sessions on the 1.7 mile course in January and put my best laps in early, in the 2nd session. Amy co-drove with me that day and drove in the last two sessions of the day, when it was warmer (it was very COLD at the start of that event, in the 29-35°F range). Well for this weekend Amy was at a wedding for a cousin out of state, so I was going to get to run the car as much as I wanted. Instead of learning the new tire set-up (and this track) during the four daily TT sessions on Saturday and Sunday I decided to head out to MSR on Friday afternoon to get some laps in at the "Test-N-Tune" event normally held the day before any NASA Texas event. Friday Test and Tune at MSR MSR is fairly close to our shop and after trying a new route (thanks Google!) I got there in under 1.5 hours. Problem is I didn't leave the shop until after 1:15 pm, as the guys were thrashing to get the car prepped and loaded. And normally I bring along one of our techs for each day to these local events but all of our guys had something going on that weekend, so I went out by myself. So no crew, no Amy, no Brandon (our photographer) - what could go wrong? I had planned on getting there a bit earlier to reserve good paddock parking for my trailer and 2 others (Matt and Costas), but when I rolled up after 2:30pm the place was PACKED. NASA has commandeered the covered grid area for tech/scales, so they moved grid area to one of the parking lots normally used for paddock - which made the remaining paddock spaces disappear. I got the best spot I could find, unlaoded the car quickly, and went to the clubhouse sign up for the T-n-T event. Only $100 to run in the afternoon, but for all MSR run member and test days you must wear a fire suit and full race gear. No worries, I always bring my gear bag. They said that with our TT3 prepped car with the times it runs I could run with either the "race cars" (W2W prepped cars) or the "sports cars" (mostly HPDE and TT folks). There were 6 sessions left (30 minutes each), so I hopped in the car, set-up the new AiM SOLO DL, and went out to drive. One of our testers Jamie Beck was there with his AST/Vorshlag/Whiteline/Cobra equipped 2013 Mustang GTs (above) to run in HPDE3 on Saturday and he was nice enough to snap these pictures of me driving - the only pictures I got all weekend of our car (I shot pics of TT cars in sessions that I wasn't driving on Sat/Sunday). We had just rebuilt his rear axle (diff bearings were shot, swapped in a new Torson and 3.31 gears from 3.73s - he loves it) and had some new gauges, a shift light, Ford Racing Sparco wheel and some "blip shift" device he was testing in HPDE3. He also borrowed my "loaner" AiM SOLO timer, which came in handy. So I went out Friday on the 335F/345R scrub set I had picked up for this car and was going to do just a couple of shake down laps, but once I got up to speed and scrubbed off the old rubber the car was flying around the track and I was having a blast. I came in after 10-15 laps and hopped out under the "Tech shed" area to take a quick look and make sure nothing was leaking or rubbing. Well don't you know that the underside of the back of the car was dripping in gear oil. WTF?! I took a peek and thought I saw the problem... drove to the paddock spot, shimmied out of my driving suit, got the back of the car in the air and yep, the differential vent line for the vent/catch can system we built long ago had popped off the fitting on the rear axle. That was an easy fix. I cleaned up most of the leaked fluid, which looked like much less than a pint, and got back out on track. After that was fixed I drove in two more 30 minute test sessions with the race group and got a TON of laps in - more than I normally get in several TT weekends. Fine tuned suspension set-up, tire pressures and worked on my driving lines. Adjusted the new seat a little bit - took the bottom seat cushions (they are Velcro'd in place) out of the new Cobra Evolution seat and got a lot better seating position, but then the submarine belts were too long, and the belts I have in the car aren't very good (I have new Schroth Profi2 harnesses going in today). Since I was on scrubs and normally mired in traffic I was just out there getting seat time and learning this track better - something I have lacked in the last few events (I didn't know the 1.7 course well at the January Club Trials nor the MSR-H track in that direction at the January NASA TT event). Put a tank of fuel through the car, had a lot of fun, and used up a good bit of brake pad material. The scrubs were A6s so they got greasy after 4-5 laps and times would drop, but the Mustang seemed to be passing everything out there and I never had to worry about anything crowding the mirrors, which wasn't what I expected. continued below Last edited by Fair; 03-20-2014 at 05:08 PM.