S197 BOSS 302 Race Car Build Thread Build Thread

[302 Hi Pro]

Drew:

You make driving a fast Mustang Fast, look easy. Nice driving and congrats on the 2016 Championship.

Looking forward to reading your winter maintenance and mod post. Anything special planned over the winter months to upgrade/mod the Boss?

2HP

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Made the decision regarding tires. Hoosier is keeping their contingency the same for 2017. Slicks not worth the extra money vs. A7s.
Going back to A7s and going to install the Cobra Jet w/ VMP twin-67mm TB & fresh AED tune no later than March.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

OK, it's been a while since my last update but it's been a busy 2017 so far!

January Event Recap:
At our first NASA AZ event of the year, I ran both Time Trials as well as Racing.
I was the only car in my class both days for Racing so I had the option to take it easy a little bit.

I put the car on the pole during qualifying for Saturday's race (not taking it so easy), but decided to switch to my used Hoosier S80 slicks from November for Saturday's race itself and relax a bit. This turned out to be a big mistake and I went from 1st overall to 5th overall before the end of Lap 2. The tires were just used up and had no grip whatsoever. I nearly spun the car exiting the first turn, then nearly understeered into a wall going into the third turn on the first lap. After that I decided to wave a bunch of cars by and just tucked in behind one of the ST3 Porsches until the white flag flew. After that I went by him and finished 4th overall or something, but still first (and only) guy in class.

Later that day I put on a used set of A7s and went out in the final Time Trial session of the day to set a new Track Record for TT2, going almost 3.5 seconds faster than I did in the race on the junk S80s. I have since retired the S80s to "drift use only".

Video of TT session:

On Sunday I put the car on pole again, but this time ran the same A7s in the race. I made a couple mistakes at the start of the race but was able to get back to first overall on Lap 2 and then checked out to a large lead over the remainder of the field.
Unfortunately for me, with about 10 minutes remaining in our 35-minute race, the adjustable tie-rod end on the driver's side of the car broke in half at the stud and I lost steering, nearly putting the car into a couple of walls at 80+ MPH. Fortunately I (narrowly) avoided the walls and since I was on pavement, was able to get the car slowed down and out of the way of the remainder of race traffic.
Despite not finishing, I did complete over half of the race laps, and since I was the only person in my class for the weekend, got "1st" place, haha.
Later that day, a number of my racer buddies helped me get the hobbled car winched back up into my trailer and secured for the ride home (with a few adult beverages and a littany of expletives).

Here is a video of the failure that nearly ate the car:

Since that weekend, I ordered a bunch of parts including new OEM-style, non-adjustable tie rod ends, as well as fresh inner tie-rods for both sides.

Failed Steering Linkage (Left) vs. Fresh Parts (Right):


The broken tie-rod also whacked the crossover tube on my driver's side caliper, but @74mach and @PAEracing came through (as usual) in quick fashion to get the parts to me in-time to race before this coming weekend.

Kinked caliper crossover tube:


I also installed a fresh set of 380mm Brembo friction discs for the front brakes from PAE during this downtime. The original 35mm-thick discs lasted an entire year's worth of use plus one event this year. They might have had another event or two in them but I decided to play it safe.


I can't say enough about the level of customer support and service that Paul and Brian at Paul's Automotive Engineering have provided to me since I have started doing business with them in late 2015. They have helped me out of a number of urgent issues (that have been either self-inflicted or "random racing incidents") to get me on-track in time and are always there to respond to my questions. Truly excellent support and customer service.

I was also planning to replace my beat-up stock B302 radiator later this season, but I decided to pull the trigger on the Ford Racing "MGT" radiator to replace it immediately since I would be doing some work on the car. I added our TMO-loved Nomex Honeycomb to the lower and exposed upper portions of the radiator to keep it from getting eaten up like the stock one, which I will keep on-hand as an emergency spare.

In addition to this, I went ahead and installed the Cobra Jet intake (after some dremel- and hand-porting of the runners) and VMP twin-67mm throttle body and a fresh AED tune to hopefully snatch up some of the horsepower gap I was leaving on the table with the stock intake setup. I'm hoping to see this put down 430-440hp to the tires but we'll find out later this week. Previous setup did 414 to the tires.

Comparison Non-Ported (Left Side) vs. Ported (Right Side) CJ Runners:


Radiator and Intake Installed:


Added FRPP Intake Tube:


Sorry for the delay in posting all of this but it's been a busy time here between all of this stuff, work travel, and family visits. I hope you enjoyed following along.

This weekend, @captdistraction, @Tucson302 , and I are off to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway with NASA AZ and NASA So-Cal. There will be at least (5) cars in ST2 and at least (7) in TT2, so that should make for some good racing, as well as a number of opportunities to win some tires!

Stay tuned!

 

[superhero]

May I ask why you don't run a clutch reservoir.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

So far no issues with hydraulic system co-mingling...if it ain't broke, don't fix it? (Note that I may choose to disregard that idiom at any time, in any situation)

 

[302 Hi Pro]

Drew:

Thank goodness you pulled the car thru to a safe stop, gosh that was close. Looking at the broken tie rod end, it looks as though the tapered end experienced rotational movement in the knuckle before it failed. Glad to see you went with the OEM replacement parts.

The new IM, TB and CAI all look great and should net you some nice gains, hope you hit your new HP goals.

Have a safe and successful 2017 Race Season, and as always I look forward to reading your race summaries and watching your race vids.

All the best, and good racing,
Dave

 

[ls110]

Since that weekend, I ordered a bunch of parts including new OEM-style, non-adjustable tie rod ends, as well as fresh inner tie-rods for both sides.

Drew - After reading several recent posts regarding tie-rod issues, thinking to replace mine. What were the non-adjustables you went with?

 

[Fabman]

All this talk about broken tie rods is scaring me....84000 miles here.

 

[VoodooBoss]

All this talk about broken tie rods is scaring me....84000 miles here.

Stock or aftermarket?

 

[Fabman]

Stock or aftermarket?

Stock on the rack and bump kit for about a dozen or so track days.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Drew - After reading several recent posts regarding tie-rod issues, thinking to replace mine. What were the non-adjustables you went with?

John:

Everything I got was NAPA-branded stuff. I have a buddy there that got me a great price, like $80 for all the parts. What he is telling me (and I chose to believe) is that the NAPA picks the best of the parts available to them and rebrands it as their own stuff.

 

[302 Hi Pro]

John:

Everything I got was NAPA-branded stuff. I have a buddy there that got me a great price, like $80 for all the parts. What he is telling me (and I chose to believe) is that the NAPA picks the best of the parts available to them and rebrands it as their own stuff.

I have to agree, NAPA does have quality parts.

I'm thinking their Gold series oil filters are made by WIX.
2HP

 

[ls110]

Everything I got was NAPA-branded stuff. I have a buddy there that got me a great price, like $80 for all the parts. What he is telling me (and I chose to believe) is that the NAPA picks the best of the parts available to them and rebrands it as their own stuff.

Thanks Drew - I will check out the NAPA parts.

 

[Swiss Boss]

I've been looking at Tasca for inner tie rod and they have 3 different number depending on the wheel size.

http://www.tascaparts.com/auto-parts/2012/ford/mustang/boss-302-trim/5-0l-v8-gas-engine/steering-cat/steering-gear-and-linkage-scat

One for 17" wheel, one for 18" and one for 19".

I know the Boss come with 19" stock but we all have been running 18".
So anyone knows if there is a difference between the tie rod parts?

Thanks

 

[ls110]

I've been looking at Tasca for inner tie rod and they have 3 different number depending on the wheel size.

http://www.tascaparts.com/auto-parts/2012/ford/mustang/boss-302-trim/5-0l-v8-gas-engine/steering-cat/steering-gear-and-linkage-scat

One for 17" wheel, one for 18" and one for 19".

I know the Boss come with 19" stock but we all have been running 18".
So anyone knows if there is a difference between the tie rod parts?

Thanks

I was wondering the exact same thing. Ford shows three different sizes, however the NAPA site only shows one.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCZ2695685?ref=MA==

 

[BigTaco]

I was wondering the exact same thing. Ford shows three different sizes, however the NAPA site only shows one.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCZ2695685?ref=MA==

The three differnt part numbers are different depending on the wheel diameter to avoid wheels rubbing on suspension pieces at full lock. Think "limiters"....

 

[Daveyboy]

Love the build thread!

 

[2012-Boss]

If you are running howe / extended height front ball joints without a bump steer kit, keep an eye on your tire wear. Specifically the inside shoulders on the front tires. PeteInCT chased a tire wear issue for a year before realizing it was due to running the howe ball joints with OEM style outer tie rods. Once he installed a bump steer kit and corrected the front geometry, the tire wear issue went away.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

OK! It's been a few weeks since Chuckwalla. It was a weird weekend out there, to be honest.

The weekend started with a trip to the dyno, where I was hoping to put down some serious power, now equipped with the Cobra Jet setup on the car. @captdistraction got his car on the rollers first and put down over 450hp to the tires! This was very impressive and gave me some optimism for my following runs.
However, much to my dismay and confusion, my car put down a "dismal" 420hp to the tires--which was a whopping 6hp gain versus my best run with the factory Boss intake setup.
I spent the rest of the day trying to understand and justify the power difference. The best theory we had was the quite audible exhaust leak coming from my driver's side cylinder bank--but surely that couldn't be worth 30hp? I didn't have time to fix it before we needed to leave for the track, so I'd have to test that theory later!

The past few times I was at Chuckwalla, I was treated to calm, dry weather. This time we got to enjoy dust storms and intermittent rain.

Everybody made it to the track without incident and we found a nice spot in the paddock to set up our stuff and prep for pot-luck activities planned starting that evening. @captdistraction and I quickly got to work checking (and correcting) the front end alignment on both my car and his car before darkness fell over the paddock. We got everything squared away before we lost light, and rewarded ourselves with a few beers and some steaks with extra desert dust for seasoning.



Many of our party took refuge in my trailer after dinner to escape the dust storms and enjoy many hours of bench racing and drinks.



Those of us that survived the evening woke up to forecasts of impending rain for Saturday's sessions. This was bad news for me as I didn't have anything even slightly resembling a street tire or wet tire. So far it hasn't been worth the money since we get 300+ days of sunshine per year in AZ. I may have to reconsider that approach.
It started to rain lightly during qualifying, and I managed to put in a dismal 2:11 time on Hoosiers, which turned out to be good enough for second overall when starting Saturday's race!
Unfortunately, when we took the green on Saturday, the rains intensified and I decided to retire from the race after spinning twice in two laps. The Hoosier dry race tires weren't designed to endure standing water on the majority of the track. The car was hydroplaning constantly and it was a battle to complete even the two laps I put in. For my effort, I got half of the last-place finisher's points in-class, which meant I got 45 of 100 points. Better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Video from Saturday's rain race:

@captdistraction had a set of street tires on his car for his inaugural race and those served him well, he was able to complete the full race without incident!
Despite the wet weather, NASA AZ put on a great banquet for everyone in attendance on Saturday night and we all had our fill, prior to another round of hiding in the trailer and doing some more bench racing.

Our forecast for Sunday was dry, which was great news for me. All I needed was for the existing moisture on the track surface to be evaporated by the sun and the other run groups on-track that day. I managed to put down an OK time in TT which was good enough to take the win for the day there and earn two tires from Hoosier! Pretty good start to the day!

This was the winning run from Saturday, about 1.5 seconds slower than my personal best on this track:

Emboldened by my decent run in TT, it was time to line up for Race Qualifying. I managed to run about the same times as I did in TT, but a worked-up Evo from SoCal showed up and beat my qualifying time by about a second in-class. That meant I was poised to start 7th overall and 2nd in class for Sunday's race. I was ready, but as it turns out, the car was not.

Upon returning from qualifying, I noticed a steady drip from the undertray of the car. Having just installed the FRPP radiator, I wondered if I had punctured it somehow or if the petcock had vibrated open. What I ended up finding was that the thicker radiator forced the lower coolant hose backwards into the drive belt, and the belt was slowly machining away the hose itself. I had discovered it when it was simply a pinhole leak, but it was a risk to bursting under load. I didn't have a spare hose, unfortunately, and time was running out before we were to start the day's race! I tried to implement some ghetto-fixes using gaffer tape and zip ties, but it only appeared to make the leak worse. Instead of risking bursting the hose at speed and spinning myself (and possibly others out), I decided to park the car.

Hose removed (cut line visible):


Hose stretched to show pinhole leak:


I didn't get any points for sitting out, but I did get to watch the race from the sidelines and enjoy a couple of cold beers while watching.
After we got all the cars loaded back up onto the trailer, we headed back to AZ, and on the way, @mattlqx lost a trailer tire.



We were able to get it fixed in about 15 mins with the use of a well-charged cordless impact and the "Trailer Aid" tire ramp (this thing has paid for itself many times over already) and we were back on the road for the final leg home.

I spent the next couple days replacing the driver's side header gasket. This activity took a toll on my hands, but I was able to get a fresh OEM Ford gasket in-place and all sealed up. Important lesson: Always use Ford OEM gaskets. I also was able to replace the lower radiator hose and trimmed it appropriately so there would be no further belt interference. I threw in a fresh set of SP-548 spark plugs (old ones still looked great) and a fresh fill of oil and an FL500S filter.

Here is a photo of the Kooks-supplied gasket that I removed (in multiple pieces):


I managed to get the car back to the dyno late last week to see what the car would do with a proper gasket in-place.
To my pleasant surprise, the numbers came out much more like what I would expect from a CJ-equipped BOSS.



This was on a base tune, but this is easily 25-30hp more than the Boss intake made. This isn't quite the 455+hp that @captdistraction made with his setup, but he is on the monoblade TB vs. my VMP twin 67mm. Regardless, this put me at "432" average HP for NASA's classing, meaning I don't have to change anything on my classing sheet and still have a couple HP cushion for dyno-to-dyno variation if I get tested at the track.

I am looking forward to racing this weekend at Wild Horse Pass' East Track, a short local circuit that I have a lot of experience with. It will be interesting to see if I can set a new personal best time with the added power or if it will be a hindrance in getting the tires hooked up.

Stay tuned!

 

[captdistraction]

a real racer would step down to worn-ass 295's to even the field .....


.... for reals.

Excited to finally get to go racing with you. Hopefully CVR represented the end of the "weird stuff that never breaks, but will break today" streak along with the "Hey, that's a nice track day you have there, shame if it were to get some crazy weather" streak. Both were getting a bit old.