S197 BOSS 302 Race Car Build Thread Build Thread

[ArizonaBOSS]

Honestly I haven’t had the chance to use any of it yet. I know @captdistraction is in on that Feel VR Kickstarter so we can do some comparisons later this year. I will probably be able to use my stuff for the first time in a week or two. Nice looking computer rig!

 

[DocWalt]

I'm rocking an old G27 wheel with the Fanatec V3i pedals set up to feel like my Mustang's... The pedals are WELL worth every penny. I'm waiting for Fanatec to produce a direct drive wheel, but then I'll need to reinforce my 2x4 and zip ties sim rig...

FWIW cheap equipment is fine to get started and fine for learning new tracks, race craft, basic car control, etc. but when you want the skills to directly translate to a real car you need to pony up the $$$$ to get components that are stronger and more realistic.

VR is a VERY worthwhile investment, IMO. It really helped me a lot with turning my head, I spent probably 12-15 years playing racing sims/games on a tiny single monitor so I had really bad tunnel vision in a real car. Also, it's really cool to look over and see the glowing brakes of the car you're passing

 

[Opolis]

Fanatec Clubsport Pedals V3 w/ performance brake kit (the "plugs" not the shock absorber thing) and the V2 or 2.5 wheel are really nice for the price. PS4 branded wheel has similar internals to the v2 wheel for a little cheaper.
Haven't tried their budget options but am interested in how their direct drive comes out.
IMO if you want better you are looking at $1k for a direct drive wheel and $500+ for pedals like Heusinkveld or similar.

Now you guys are speaking my language! I live vicariously through these build threads and settle for sim racing most of the time

 

[JDee]

My Ghetto 3 monitor Rig:

Yes, that's 3 different monitors, even had to paint one black to make it try to match, the two sides ones are almost the same size too! AMD's Eyefinity software is very tolerant for making triple screens work. DX Racer chair with ghetto foam pad for extra comfort on scrawny old ass.

Good part is Thrustmaster T500 and pedals, have a ghetto "load cell" brake mod which is just a silicone disc to make it sort of load cell-ish. This wheel is very good, a big improvement from the Logitech G27 without quite the cost of a Fanatec.

PC is a build from, I dunno maybe 2012 or so? Intel i5-2550K overclocked to 4.4 Ghz on air since new and still humming along just fine, Gigabyte Mobo, 8 Gig of ram, 2 SSDS and 2 HDDs, AMD 270X video. Lives in a newish Fractal Design Define R5 case. Believe it or not this old girl runs pretty much every racing sim out there with the important video details on high at better than 60 fps.

Used to spend a lot of time on iRacing (which should really be called iWrecking these days) but lately I've been stuck on the Nordschleiffe tourist on AC doing hot lapping only, total blast of a track that is. AC has a stock '15 Mustang PP1 which feels pretty realistic, though it wallows a lot more than my car did when it was bone stock. And a pile of well done GT2 and GT3 cars. A lot of fun doing hot laps on that track.

I could be nuts, but I really do think time spent on these sims really does help real world driving, for sure it keeps the hand/eye coordination sharp.

 

[kitsune1324]

Just gonna put this out there, I've tried triple monitor, ultra-wide, and VR. VR is a completely different and awesome experience.
Any reason you're going with iRacing and project cars instead of other sims like Assetto Corsa?

 

[DocWalt]

iRacing has competition. That's the #1 reason to do iRacing over any other sim. If you're just out to have fun any sim works.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

FYI I have started a separate thread for more focused Sim Racing discussion: https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/sim-racing-discussion-thread.13803/

 

[steeda5]

Here are a couple photos of the simulator rig. Now I need to clean up my "office" at home and make a little more room.

I am waiting on a couple of spare parts from Fanatec as there was an issue with the packaging on my Load Cell Brake pedal, but those should be here soon and then let the Sim Racing begin...

Also, for my real race car, all of my fuel system components (save for the adjustable pressure regulator) have shown up at the house. I decided to insert a fuel pressure sender into the system as well so I can AIM log that data and/or trigger an idiot light on the AIM dash.
Since my brake duct hoses were a little worn through, combined with the possibility for 45 minutes worth of 130-150mph brake applications at COTA, I decided to upgrade my brake cooling setup to the Multimatic / KohR BOSS R 4" ducting setup. Very nice components formed from carbon fiber. Looks like the backing plates will fit nicely into the cooling vanes of the 380mm rotors, as well.

The race car is getting the fuel cell installed this week at my local fabricator's shop, along with the rear bulkhead to separate the trunk compartment from the driver's space, and rear lexan. Once that is back in the garage I will run all of the relays/switches/wiring for the fuel pump, and also run new fuel line from the fuel cell up to the stock fuel rail in the engine bay. I am thinking to use an old Setrab 925 I have laying around to make a transmission cooler setup as well.

Lots of work ahead

 

[steeda5]

Drew, do you run a return fuel line/fuel regulator with that new fuel cell? Or keep the factory return less design?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

@steeda5 I am going to remove everything except the factory injector rails and replace with new -6AN line; will have a return but the pressure regulator and return line will be contained within the "trunk" compartment and closeout bulkhead--so the "return loop" will only be a couple feet at most. Single line will run up to the front of the car and I have provisions to run a pressure sender to log pressure with AIM. As long as the car has 55psi under WOT everything is all good.

 

[the5]

@steeda5 I am going to remove everything except the factory injector rails and replace with new -6AN line; will have a return but the pressure regulator and return line will be contained within the "trunk" compartment and closeout bulkhead--so the "return loop" will only be a couple feet at most. Single line will run up to the front of the car and I have provisions to run a pressure sender to log pressure with AIM. As long as the car has 55psi under WOT everything is all good.

On the 302R they welded 6 an fittings to the factory fuel and evap Line, works really well.
Lighter and solid metal under the car so less chance to get damaged.

 

[Tommy J]

NASA Bondurant Weekend - April 2018​

In April NASA AZ mixed things up a little bit and arrived at the "Main" school track at the Bob Bondurant Racing School, here in Chandler, AZ.
The configuration we ran features triple-digit blind sweepers, tight hairpin turns, and about as much elevation change as you can get in the Phoenix Valley.
This is the track that Bondurant uses for their racing schools the most, and it is typically a private facility open only to employees and students--so when our NASA AZ clan brokered a deal for a race weekend, many of us jumped at the chance to run.

A handful of us had run here before, sort of, with our sister group ProAutosports during their annual Thanksgiving weekend events, however at those events the track is joined with the Wild Horse Pass "Main" track making a 2.75 mile combined road course, instead of the 1.6 mile configuration we would run this time.

I have raced here before, sort of...
View attachment 4189​

It was a bit of a relaxing weekend for me, actually. Other than camber change, I didn't have to really touch the car since the prior month's event at Wild Horse Pass East. And while a number of competitors complained about the bumpy and choppy pavement, my setup was already poised to make the most of these surfaces.

Despite that advantage, I didn't qualify so hot for Saturday's race--partied too hard the prior evening and was feeling it on Saturday morning. I ended up 4th overall and second in-class as we took the green.

I stayed in second for a few laps as I shook off the cobwebs and observed the leader's line, then got a good run going to a spot where I could strike, and took the lead away. I also managed to get around an ST1 Porsche in that same lap, and that buffer guided me to a victory on Saturday, and second overall behind an SU World Challenge Viper.

Saturday's Race:

Our Sunday starting positions would be determined by our fast laps in Saturday's race. During Saturday's race I ran just under 1 second faster than I did in qualifying, on the same tires, in hotter weather. My time during the race was good enough to put me on the Pole in-class and second overall for Sunday's race.
I got off to a good start but was hounded in all of the slow sections of the course by my competitor in his supercharged Honda Civic. I had a clear advantage on the faster sections of the track including the blind-crest sweepers, but the low-speed tight turns in some sections of this track favored the 2300-pound Honda compared to my 3500-pound S197. On top of that, it appeared that my tires had reached the end of their generally-consistent performance and it was very difficult to get the rears to hook up. As such, I was forced to take a defensive line in the sections of a track where the Honda had the advantage. This worked great for about the first third of the race, until I made a mistake and went in too fast to one of the slower corners. I was pushing too hard (and now literally pushing) my way off of the line, which opened up a window for the Honda to take away the inside of the corner from me. Again, it was the same story as at East track--he pulled away from me slightly, but then as his tires fell off, I reeled him back in. I was all over his bumper for the last 1/3 of the race, however he was also familiar with the advantages of the defensive line and used that to hold me off until we crossed the finish line! It wasn't a win for me but it was one of the most entertaining and challenging races I'd had in a long time, and really exemplifies the beauty and flexibility of the NASA "Super Touring" power-to-weight based ruleset, where such vastly different cars can be highly competitive with one another. Despite coming in second place, I did manage to set the track record for ST2 while reeling the leader back in during the race.

Sunday's Race:

Here is a bit of analysis of my best lap of the weekend using CorteX's cambered rear and JRi dampers vs. my best "portion" of the lap from the larger "Mondo" configuration on A7s MCS setup. Since the "Mondo" lap is on a longer/different track, I have overlaid and circled the section of the graphs to pay attention to.

CorteX Cambered Rear/JRi/R7 in Green; Stock Axle/MCS/A7 in Red:

​

Again, a continued finding is that this setup is able to generate a ton of grip (top graph, "GPS_LatAcc") on the less grippy of two compounds of tires. When I finally do slap the grippier A7s on, this thing is going to be an absolute rocket ship.

Let's look a little closer at some of the data--there are a couple good examples of how the cambered rear, watts, and shock setup gives an advantage vs. a "conventional" S197 setup.

​

On the back side of the track in the high-speed sweepers, I was able to confidently feed in more throttle coming out of the corners (Arrows 1 and 2, green trace) compared to before. This resulted in more MPH carried through this section (note higher MPH green trace in the region around Arrow 3), which translated into a lap time improvement vs. the prior best lap (See increasing magnitude of red line compared to green reference time line at Arrow #4).
One important thing to note is that due to the configuration difference entering the Start/Finish straight, the throttle application entering the first corner and set of sweepers is notably lower since the entry speed is so much higher already (Arrow 5 throttle, Arrow 6 GPS speed).
The configuration entry speed difference is worth about 0.4 second on this short track, and what I was able to effect with the CorteX gear was about another full second on top of that. If the car had been on equivalent tires this time, that gap contributed by the suspension would be amplified considerably.

Here is the "overlap" region, zoomed in. Note bottom section of the graph is the time delta. I have the cursor set to the spot where the configurations begin to diverge--at this point the combination of configuration difference (front straight speed) and CorteX suspension is 1.4 seconds faster. Looking at the delta at the "beginning" of the lap to where they converge at Turn 1, the contribution of the course configuration is about 0.4 seconds. So about a second faster with the new suspension, on slower tires.


That earlier throttle application was worth almost 8mph speed delta in that portion of the back sweepers:


The time advantage in that section of the track alone was worth almost half a second:
​

Stay tuned for my COTA "recon mission" write up!

Such an awesome narrative, videos and pictures! Thanks for sharing your experience and work with these cars!

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

On the 302R they welded 6 an fittings to the factory fuel and evap Line, works really well.
Lighter and solid metal under the car so less chance to get damaged.

Yeah I remember your post from FB when I asked about this. Not too crazy about cutting the factory lines and/or welding that stuff, will just be "easier" for me to run a -6 all the way up using the factory routing.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Fuel Cell going in...

Car on the lift w/ rear glass removed in preparation for Optic Armor:


Spare Tire Well cut away:




Box positioning for "cage" locations:




"Cage" for the cell.




Should be back in my hands next week sometime, then the wiring and piping work begins.
I bought a couple of factory-style quick-disconnect AN -6 hose ends, so I may be able to simply route the fuel feed line under the car to where the stock tank attaches at the quick-connect point and just plug in right there, re-using the stock line after all. We shall see

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Looks like the cell itself is in the car. Now they have to fabricate the bulkhead and install the rear lexan. Sounds like I am picking up the car this Thursday, after which my portion of the work can begin.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Rear bulkhead/closeout is fabricated. Just needs a coat of satin black and that's completed.
Then the Lexan goes in as the icing on the cake, presumably supported by a couple metal strips for rigidity.

 

[Grant 302]

Just needs a coat of satin black and that's completed.

Smart. Looks great!

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Bringing the car home today. Some photos of the final steps in-progress:

Figuring out supports for the lexan; painted bulkhead closeout:






Fuel cell and protective cage mounted at same height as spare tire well. I would have preferred it to be a few inches lower, but it's in there. Stealthy. I won't need to carry anywhere near a full fuel load most times anyways. Also no issues with ground clearance when loading/unloading either.



Optic Armor is IN!





I got all the final bits for the fuel line plumbing and sourced a bunch of stuff to make a trans cooler for the T56. First step when I am able to work on the car again will be to drop the stock fuel tank and change all existing fluids. After that, I'll wire and plumb the fuel cell and trans cooler.
Aiming to hit a local test day towards the end of August to give everything a shakedown before COTA in mid-September.

 

[The_Dead_Cow]

Looks great! Interested to hear how it handles with the new tank.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I have been cranking out little bits of work here and there over the course of the past couple weeks but it has been very HOT outside here in AZ!

First thing was to get the stock fuel tank out of the car. Had to remove the driveshaft and disassemble the exhaust from the mid-pipe back:


After that I started working on making the AN lines for the fuel routing from the cell itself. The cell has an electric pump inside a surge tank in the rear center of the cell. This pumps out through a -6AN connection. Before it gets to the fuel filter (large black cylinder), I installed a Staubli dry-break fitting in case I want to pump-out to fuel jugs for storage or to be very certain how much fuel I have in the tank.


This past weekend I started work on the wiring to support the fuel pump, as well as a transmission cooler (which will be installed shortly in the now-vacant passenger side of the stock fuel tank location), and included pre-wiring for a duplicate cooler setup which will be used for the differential in the not-too-distant future. The good news for this portion of the work was that I got to do it inside in the air conditioning All three of these modules will be controlled from switches already installed in my Watson center stack switch panel.






Finally, last night I was able to get my bulkhead fittings drilled and tightened, which will pass the fuel through to the underside of the car. I will soon connect adapters to use the stock pressure line to send fuel to the engine bay, and I will run a -6AN line back to the fuel cell in place of the stock vapor line, so that should all route pretty cleanly. I will be done with work in the trunk soon, once I get one more fitting to attach the cell vent line and connect the wiring for the pump.



I have a lot of other work to do to the car including fabricating the trans cooler setup, installing larger brake ducting, replacing caliper seals, and installing fresh rotor rings. Oh yeah and then I will have to re-balance the car... Going to be a lot of work between now and a test day upcoming on 8/25 to make sure everything works correctly. Cross your fingers.