Sadly things have been progressing much more slowly than I had hoped. My car has issues in the electrics that are keeping me from really attacking the project the way I need to, and I'm fast running out of time before back to back ProSolo's in May.

I managed to get my springs, bars, dampers and camber plates on and the car aligned. Also 18x10.5" wheels and 315/30-18 Hoosiers as well. And ran the car 2 and a half runs before it just flat died. The good news, in that short time it's what I expected--fast.

Better, there are many other things yet to be added. Intake, tune, upgraded limited slip, Watts link, just to name a few (seats too, those stock seats are not staying).

I love my car, and I'm looking forward to this year/project and trying to nail down my 8th National Championship. But as a disclaimer if the Mustang isn't fixed or reliable I might have to run some events in my backup ESP car... my 2001 Z28 that I won with in 2004 and 2006 (and haven't competed in since, though I do some track days in it here and there). *IF* that happens, rest assured its only because I'm still having issues with the Mustang (which nobody can yet find or solve).

It's been a while since I've mentioned the project, but wanted to touch base and let you know I'm trying to get it done but I can't spend the time to build a car that I can't use for what I need to use it for.

 

Sorry to hear about the gremlins, Sam.

Would having a tuner look at it sooner rather than later help out?

Best of Luck to you with it! Looking forward to seeing a new Mustang doing well in the Pro Solo's!

 

Sorry to hear about your problems Sam

Is Ford helping out?

 

What? You need more power?

 

Sam why do autocross guys run 18's? Everybody else is going to 19's or 20's. Can you run 315s on the street with a watts link?

 

Lighter wheels and cheaper R-compounds.

 

^ 'Zactly! Typical autocross runs are only about 50-70 seconds long (at least in my area...), so lighter wheels give you better response to acceleration and braking. Any weight or response advantage makes a noticeable difference on such quick runs.

 

Ford as a company? Well they are trying... but the dealers here *SUCK*. They don't listen and I suspect come Saturday it'll be dead again.

 

Because I don't care about bling. But mostly because 19's are all a lot taller and that not only hurts the gearing (though in my case it would help slightly) but the 18's lower the Cg of the car without compromising the suspension by slamming it to the ground.

I have 315's on it all around right now, with a PHB. But they do stick out a little in the back (and would in the front too if I ran less negative camber than I do). So yes, you could run them.

 

Mark--

We've progressed from losing power to NO power. It flat died on me the other day. Blew the PCM control coil fuse #40 (15 amp). I suspect the higher grip is now generating new issues which I think we'll eventually find to be wiring harness related.

Based on the few others doing what we do, I think it's just an issue with my particular car (lucky me) and not a global issue. In the end you'll be the one to tell me since I know you will be using the car the same way.

 

Sam, FWIW Ford replaced a bunch of the electrical under the hood of my car after Dixie. Remember me popping the ABS and Traction Control fuses? They replaced a harness and put a whole new fuse box under there. I don't know what problems you're having, but I can look at my receipt and tell you what all they replaced.

 

Blew the fuse that runs the coils from the PCM... Fluke? Who knows. We'll see. But it's interesting that they did all that to your car. Did it keep happening?

 

It didn't happen again, but the service manager said they replaced those parts due to "voltage irregularities" when they tested everything.

 

Just perfect.

 

Sorry to hear of your woes, Sam. Be comforted by the knowledge that you have helped dozens here on TMS improve their driving experience!

 

Sam, is this a different class you're running this year? I recall you stating you had to run stock rims in the class you ran last year.

 

Sam I saw your car died again yesterday at Hershey-Sucks. I drove my Boss there but I co drove my Blakes Integra Type R and an he got 1st and I got 3rd in SMF...Hope you get it sorted soon!! BTW you are welcome to run my car if you want after it has over 1,000 miles on it!

 

Yes, Sam is running his Mustang in the E Street Prepared class this year. It allows one to run any height and width and offset wheels. Last year Sam ran in F Stock, which requires wheels to be the same diameter and width as stock, and the offset can be different by +/- 1/4" from stock.

 

Ahhh, that was yours? You should have come to say hi. I had to suffer through driving the Grand Sport on Sunday. So at least there was a silver lining, I guess.

Funny, I was actually on the phone with a friend who is a Mustang engineer and had a lot to do with your car when you revved it up little...

I'm just sorely disappointed that some bad apples can ruin a car I love so much. I've been more than patient in dealing with the issues my car has had. In fact since it was new last June it's been giving me trouble. And what's more is I've not complained about anything other than the major issues with the VCT. I have MT82 "issues" but never even brought them up as I didn't want to "that guy" seeming to complain about everything. And here's the real rub. I've managed to find a few @ Ford that genuinely care---but they can't help by themselves. We're trying something new this week and hope it works.

As of now I've missed almost a week of work, had to drag a dead car back 3 hours to weeks in a row. Am under a lot of stress not knowing what is going to happen. In fact, as much as pains me to say it.... I was just looking at Corvettes.

I, in a roundabout way, sell a lot of cars for Ford. I think of about 40 off hand because of what I've done, and I don't sell cars. Literally, my three best friends and my now ex-girlfriend all bought S197's because of me (and that's not counting all the autocrossers who followed suit.

 

I didn't buy my car because of you, but I sure as hell enjoy it a lot more because of you. If you'd asked me in July of last year who I would have spent the most money with, I sure as hell wouldn't have answered some suspension dude in PA. I had visions of Roush fascias and splitters, carbon fiber interior trim panels, etc. I like what I've got now so much better. Thank you!


DSC02654 by jsnyng, on Flickr

I guess I like go parts a lot more than show parts.