S197 2008 American Iron Mustang GT Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Don Lariviere]

This is the Build Thread for 2008 American Iron Mustang GT. Reply below.

 

[PatientZero]

Badass!

 

[ChrisM]

I am so in.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Welcome and lovely little beast and just wondering where do you run the most often ---Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, or Chuckwalla?

 

[Don Lariviere]

Running with NASA so the AI race schedule is usually a few times at Buttonwillow, and once at Willow Springs, Chuckwalla, Sonoma, and sometimes Calf. Speedway. WS is closest to me, but I usually test out at Buttonwillow due to the track not being just a top speed test session!

I'm heading to Buttonwillow for a track day test tomorrow, but I'm taking my new TA2 car. It's the wrong brand so no thread on it here...

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Well, it is always good to have ultra serious racers on the Forum -- have fun testing your TA2 Trans Am camonster!

 

[Don Lariviere]

So before the first race of the season at Chuckwalla I did some radiator duct work on the front of Blue 13. I made an aluminum duct to take air from the 'mouthbreather' location right above the splitter and riveted an ABS skirt to the stock bumper skin. I also cut out a longer - underneath the car - splitter. For AI rules we are limited to 5" sticking out in front of the bumper and can go back to the front wheel centerline.

The change was noticeable at the track, the front was much more planted and I has to add a 1/2 degree to the rear wing to balance the car in high speed corners, so was a measurable gain. The car does run about 5-10F warmer than it did before, so I took out the honeycomb radiator protector out and that dropped it down about 5F.

I taped up the now useless upper grille, need to make a nice light filler panel for it.

 

[Don Lariviere]

I also broke the TR3650 trans at Cal Speedway, turned out to be an easy fix. The pin moved on the billet 3-4 shift fork I installed - probably because I didn't measure how far I should drive it in and just eyeballed it! It moved out of double shear an then started flexing and finally broke. With everything I have removed from the car it's actually faster to pull the engine and trans together than to try and fight it out under the car with the bellhousing bolts, starter, etc.

So out it came, found the broken pin, and slipped it all back in. Took about the whole weekend to do. Both cars on jack stands - not good!

 

[Don Lariviere]

@Fabman and a few people have asked me what the suspension set up is on my car. I'm running 800 #/in springs in the front with the Cortex SLA and bar. The bar stiffness setting is different for a few tracks. In the rear I run 375 #/in coilovers with no swaybar and a Cortex watts link and the rearend has 1.75 degrees of camber. At one or two tracks I move the watts link up a hole to change the rear bite.

This is also a 3V 330hp 308 ft-lb car (at my weight I'm actually allowed 360hp and 382 ft-lb, need to work on that...), so the settings would be pretty different if I had the torque of a Coyote, but with the setup I have I can hang pretty well with a few of the Coyote powered cars in AI. They pull me off the corners and on the long straights, but I can usually make it back up in the corners! I'll have to edit up and post some videos of a 3V beating on Coyotes!

Some pics of my setup -

 

[ChrisM]

Thanks for the awesome suspension pics. Love looking at these setups. How long have you been running the SLA and cambered axle?

 

[racer47]

I don't know how I missed this thread before. Very cool!

I just have one question. Why bother with the Mustang when you have a TA2 car? IMHO TA2 is the class to be in. The cars are fast, light, adjustable, tube frame, purpose built, real road race cars for a very reasonable cost. I don't care if its a camaro. They all look the same from the drivers seat.

I get frustrated by the lack of and difficulty in, making handling adjustments to my S197. Plus constantly having to make or modify parts that I need. I like my car and its fast compared to similar cars, but if I had a TA2 car, I'd never think about racing it again.

 

[Don Lariviere]

Thanks for the awesome suspension pics. Love looking at these setups. How long have you been running the SLA and cambered axle?

I've been running the SLA and Cambered rear for about 3 years.

 

[Don Lariviere]

I don't know how I missed this thread before. Very cool!

I just have one question. Why bother with the Mustang when you have a TA2 car? IMHO TA2 is the class to be in. The cars are fast, light, adjustable, tube frame, purpose built, real road race cars for a very reasonable cost. I don't care if its a camaro. They all look the same from the drivers seat.

I get frustrated by the lack of and difficulty in, making handling adjustments to my S197. Plus constantly having to make or modify parts that I need. I like my car and its fast compared to similar cars, but if I had a TA2 car, I'd never think about racing it again.

Had the Mustang set up long before the TA2 car. Covid made used TA2 cars stupid cheap, so just starting to run it, actually trying to start a class for them with NASA. Also the Mustang is a lot less maintenance and running cost per hour so I use it to keep up the seat time. I leave it in the trailer so I can head to a track day or test day when any opportunity presents itself. The TA2 car needs significant maintenance after running a weekend and fuel for a weekend is about 4x the cost.

The Mustang gets rode hard and put away wet...

 

[PAEracing]

Speaking from personal experience, I'd try making a new shroud and test with only the top grill opening. I was leading the STR2 Nationals race in 2012 and had a car drop oil in T1 at Mid-Ohio. Got grass in my lower grill and race over due to only air ducting being blocked. You'll probably notice a cooler temp as well since you aren't pulling air in directly off the track. It definitely helps having a shroud, but just test to see which would be cooler

 

[Don Lariviere]

Speaking from personal experience, I'd try making a new shroud and test with only the top grill opening. I was leading the STR2 Nationals race in 2012 and had a car drop oil in T1 at Mid-Ohio. Got grass in my lower grill and race over due to only air ducting being blocked. You'll probably notice a cooler temp as well since you aren't pulling air in directly off the track. It definitely helps having a shroud, but just test to see which would be cooler

Good point, I usually don't think about grass at a track... All of them here in So Cal are just dirt!

 

[PAEracing]

Good point, I usually don't think about grass at a track... All of them here in So Cal are just dirt!

I figured as much, dirt wise, but in the chance you come out east here, you'd potentially be in trouble. But also if coolant temps were an issue, that might help

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Have to agree with Brian , because if you ever come to the " Mustang Roundup " in September in Hastings, Ne. the most common award, way ahead of the Trophy Presentation are the F.A.R.T. stickers. Many a driver will go agricultural racing an secure a blue lettered sticker denoting that he/she is now a member of the Ford Alfalfa Racing Team! Though of questionable prestige it is given to even the most skilled drivers every year and with your snout I am afraid you would not only suck in a ton of hay, it appears your ingenuity and design could darn well bail it, haha !

Heh, no worries , you can thank Brian and I for helping you go back to designing another really cool looking scoop, ha. Having run at Buttonwillow and Thunderhill, I was there when plenty of the courses were dirt, but as dramatic as your Blue Beast is many of us would love to see you wander to the Midwest !

Very ,very, very professional work and so glad we could offer some important critiques, haha! Well , at least PAE's is a good thought , whereas mine was more in keeping with helping you get a new job engineering for John Deere. Your talent is super apparent and seriously where you run it will probably not only work quite well, it should keep you cool!

 

[Grant 302]

Good point, I usually don't think about grass at a track... All of them here in So Cal are just dirt!

And I think the way you did it is better aero-wise and for downforce.

I think what you’re doing is great on many levels. Looking forward to more of your build.

 

[Don Lariviere]

@Bill Pemberton Ha! I'm actually doing some engineering for John Deere at the day job right now...

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Well, hot damn, you need to make a trip out to Hastings for the Mustang Roundup for sure, you can test your agricultural prowess both on and ......off the field, er, course, ha!

www.racemph.com Timed Track Time, trophies, Instruction, parties, meals, Ford Engineer Tech Talks ( plus they race their cars with us ), Engineer surprises, banquet, parties, autocross , and ............parties.