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Great looking 4.6, but tell us a bit more on what you have done , even if just sticky rubber and track pads. Love the silver, not a common color on a Mustang, which I always thought was odd as it looks so good!

Bill Pemberton said:

Great looking 4.6, but tell us a bit more on what you have done , even if just sticky rubber and track pads. Love the silver, not a common color on a Mustang, which I always thought was odd as it looks so good!

Click to expand...

Totally agree, my '16 was silver and the black stripes really set it off nicely.
Nice looking piece OP!

Bill Pemberton said:

Great looking 4.6, but tell us a bit more on what you have done , even if just sticky rubber and track pads. Love the silver, not a common color on a Mustang, which I always thought was odd as it looks so good!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the message! I've done...assessment and parts ordering. I've got everything to build the CSM car coming and ordered. Car came with a hurst short throw shifter and the 3.55 rear per the door sticker, going to verify when I rebuild the differential.

Currently working on fixing the ghetto exhaust on it (Swapping on MBRP Axle back exhaust, re-using the piping I have here that is press bent, and adding the Walker Cat converter pipe back in there so it's class legal) and tracking down a coolant leak (think it is a heater hose). Wheels and tires get here soon as I special ordered them through my local discount tire.

What's "in the mail" or "on the shelf"

Brakes:
Take off GT500 Calipers with backing plates (coming with pads/rotors on them as well, probably just tossing that stuff in the garbage)
Goodridge brake line kit 12364
EBC Blue pads front/rear (these will be the street/autocross pads)
Power stop front, Centric rear rotors
Motul 600 Fluid

Wheels:
Konig Ultragram - Carbon Bronze Metallic 18x9.5 +35
Goodyear Supercars 275/40/18

Suspension:
Spec Koni's from Strano Parts
Stage 2 swaybar kit from Strano
UMI Panhard bar
Ford Racing lower control arms
Steeda upper axle end bushing
Ford Racing bump stop kit
Eibach spec required springs
Found some MM5CC-1 Camber/Caster plates on Ebay, they are used, hope they are fine as new is on backorder for a month. Will find out soon.

Stuff I'm doing before it's track ready:
ARP Studs on all 4 corners
Rebuild rear diff with the Ford M4700C rebuild kit
Install K&N intake per spec rules 57-2565
Replace a missing lower air dam
Some cosmetic (light bulb) upgrades to LEDs
Toss in an AEM wideband I have laying around in a gauge pod and tune it.

Front control arms are staying stock for now, they seem fine. Once I put all the suspension on it will align and then "break it in" at a local autocross in either the DFW or Houston autocross group. Then probably get it on track with a SCCA track night in America or a HPDE day with SCCA or APEX to shake down what is needed. I've got an oil cooler on the shelf that was intended for my Miata (parting out/selling), but I think it would take a M22 adapter for the oil filter.

Decided to start the build at the back. Ideally it is all back together this weekend (rear).
Going with the Eaton True trac, replaced studs with ARPs in the back already. New Ford racing wheel bearings going on, motive diff bearings, reuse 3.55 gears with new hardware on ring gear. Everything measured good on the way out. Already installed a new upper control arm and the steeda bushing kit that's allowed per class. Tomorrow am tossing in the koni shocks, eibach springs, setting up the differential. Then panhard bar, sway bar, brakes, tires, torque the rear under load is the weekend plan.


Some of the suspension bits with a ready to go axle.


The new kid in town (left) vs the old guy (right).


Sprayed the rear end down with rust reform and then a quick top coat of rustoleum black. Also painted the underside of the chassis with a rust reform type paint that is silver to stop some surface rust issues. This car was originally a CT car and got some exposure it looks like. I didn't care about getting paint on the stock springs/shocks as those are going in the trash soon.

Got the rear part done. New differential, ARP wheel studs, Ford bearings, ebc blue stuff pads, new rotors, new calipers, Goodrich lines, Ford racing rear lower control arms, Strano level 2 suspension with the spec Koni and eibach springs. Now for the front!

Front went smoother than the rear. Took it to its first event Saturday (HPDE) and it worked well. What a hoot to drive. Excited to learn this car and dial it in.

This car is still a hoot. I've done a few track days and autocross events. Last event I got it into the 1.29.x range (1.7 Cresson Motorsports Ranch) on a basic lapping day (SCCA Track day in America). Haven't finished editing that video, but here is me cruising around Cresson with an instructor yelling at me to push it.


I've got another track day coming up and then think I'll be at time trial pace to be able to run this car with SCCA.

Also have been autocrossing and steadily moving up the PAX index. Here is from last weekend where I finished 3rd out of 5th in the CSM class and 23rd overall in PAX out of 165 drivers.

Update. Got it down to a 1.28.07 at Cresson, still some room for improvement.

I feel I can run a 1.26 and change if everything clicks, will find out as the next event I have there is SCCA Targa. Garmin calls the optimum 1.27.

On the autocross front, averaging top 15% on pax, give or take. Still on last year's supercars, plan to throw on a new set for the Targa competition in April. Thinking of picking up a second set of wheels and tires for non CSM competition, perhaps through APEX HPDE. In doing some research, seems a 18x10 fitment is around a ET40-42 or so? I've still got struts. I'd just like a little more stick and feel on turn in versus the Supercar 3's and for classing purposes I can run a stickier tire if I go away from CSM configuration. For SCCA competition time trials at Eagle Canyon, which is right after the Targa event, I'll leave it in CSM Trim.

I was also chasing a fuel cut issue when shifting, come to find out I think it's related to racing under 3/4 tank of fuel.

For the archives. Completed SCCA Targa this past weekend. Set a new PB at Cresson 1.7 CCW, 1.27.000 during that event. Turned laps at Hallet, Hedge Hollow, and then Eagle Canyon. Then proceeded directly to Time Trials at Eagle Canyon. Pulled off the win and set the new (probably only) Club Spec Mustang lap record at Eagle Canyon. I firmly believe I will knock that down into a 2.16 or a 2.15 with more seat time; only the second time for me at this track, first in this chassis.

Targa killed off an OEM hub and a driveshaft coupler seperated; I think the previous owner must have loosened up the bolts as all 6 were loose where that boot is, no damage. I also nuked 3 brake calipers in the left rear. I have to run stock brake calipers but I think I would be allowed a backing plate. Perhaps it's driver error, I was doing cool down laps. Perhaps it was the R12 rear brake pads. Perhaps something mechanical. When I find a solution to that I'll post for those searching for help as well.

Also the fuel cut, that wasn't a tank issue. I had a rev limiter in HP tuners off the clutch switch, not a smart move. It was making a 2nd rev limiter with the clutch engaged.
Also the Gloc R16 front/R12 rear pad combination may be a bit aggressive for stock rear calipers. I smoked 3 of them (1 Ford and 2 parts stores) during the Targa/time Trials. Will post an update if I figure out a solution. Not 100% certain I can run a shim/backing plate if it isn't built into the pads.