The MM torque arm and panhard bar are finally installed! Had to do some exhaust system mods to fit the torque arm. Clearances are super tight - especially with a 3” exhaust.Discovered the rear upper arms installed by the previous owner had hard poly bushings. No wonder the rear suspension...

I’ve never been fond of the Hurst shifter that came with Betty. Notchy, stiff & relatively long throws. Honestly, I can’t think of anything nice to say about this shifter.I replaced it with an MGW shifter over the weekend, and what a difference! I was really surprised at the dramatic...

Just finished replacing my clutch cable & quadrant, which was much more of an ordeal than expected. I needed to replace the cable with something adjustable, as the stock cable & upgraded clutch had the clutch engaging with the pedal barely an inch off the floor. Not ideal, and hard to drive...

Did a baseline weigh-in for Betty today. She came in at 3,170 lbs with 1/2 tank of gas. That’s without the Wilwood brakes or MM torque arm, which probably cancel each other out.So, Betty’s gonna need to go on a diet, but it will take me a while to trim the 200 lbs needed to be at the CAMT...

Some new bling to install! I’m really looking forward to decent brakes, as the stock ‘98 GT brakes aren’t very good.

The Maier flares are fiberglass, as are most of the options that aren’t generic bolt on flares. My car is being built pretty much exclusively for autocross, but I’m not too worried about the flares. I’ve built a lot of autocross cars, and have seen few issues with the flares - it’s typically...

My to-do list for Betty seems to keep getting longer by the day. The Wilwood brakes showed up this morning, and I already had the flares & torque arm to deal with.Spent the day yesterday clearing out space in the garage and installing a new 30K BTU gas heater. It’s still cold in the...

I chose to get the Maier Racing flares for my ‘98. Seemed to be the best option for SN95’s, and $1,300 for all 4 corners is IMHO pretty reasonable for a chassis-specific set of flares. I don’t have the metal fab skills or tools to make my own flares, and the cost to have a body shop do the...

Looks like I’m going to be pretty busy working on the Mustang the next few weeks, as parts have started showing up:1. The Maier Racing fender flares are here. Need to get them fastened to the body, so I can figure out what metal to cut off.2. The MM torque arm and panhard bar are showing...

I loved the feel of the old RE-71’s. Unfortunately, the new version doesn’t have the same sharp handling dynamics. Still a really good tire, but grip levels aren’t great on asphalt. They were pretty hard to drive at both Michelin Proving Grounds and Route 66 last year, plus all our local...

Definitely a lot of course, site & weather variables at play. For local courses in MN, the car will probably be fastest on 295’s, as our primary site is a bit narrow and transition-heavy. Plus, our early & late season events are usually cold.For Lincoln in warm weather, I want as much tire...

The 315’s are measurably faster on an 11” wheel, at least for autocross, where a few tenths are huge. Results may be different for track use.Note: Yokohama specifies a recommended wheel width range of 10.5” - 11.5” for the 315/30R18 A052.

Betty’s currently in the shop getting a 3.73 ring & pinion installed. Turns out the axles were worn, so I’m upgrading to 31 spline axles and replacing the clutch diff with a 31 spline TrueTrac helical diff while the car’s torn apart. One less thing to deal with later.

Placed some orders this week for a few upgrades:1. Maximum Motorsports heavy-duty torque arm and panhard bar.2. Ford Performance 3.73 ring & pinion3. Maier Racing fender flaresI also have a rear seat delete kit and adjustable clutch cable to install.That should keep me busy for a while!

Yeah, not messing around with the tires. It will take some surgery to fit 315’s in front, but wider clearly appears faster in CAMT.I have multiple seasons of experience with both the A052 and Re-71RS. Other than needing to be more careful managing tire temps, I prefer the feel of the A052...