S197 2012 Boss 302 #1710 Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Bill Pemberton]

Heck, Adam, you must be old as I have heard of you years ago and I am Ancient! Of course I am betting your definition of old means you are just in your 50s , so you have plenty of time to exercise those slowing reflexes, ha!

 

[Adam Ginsberg]

Indeed - turned 58 this year. My rather, ehem, notorious youth was spent driving various manual trans cars. All had Hurst shifters, naturally, with a white shifter knob. Some things cannot change!!

 

[Adam Ginsberg]

Next on the list - M-2353-CA ABS module, oil cooler, gauges, seats and harnesses. Seats and harnesses are first.

Once you've driven/raced a car with a proper seat, roll cage and harnesses, it's VERY difficult to be comfortable in driving a street car that has none of those items on a track.

The Boss is very capable on a road course - with the new brakes and shifter even moreso. Over the last 4+ years, I've gotten much more comfortable taking advantage of it's track-goodness. The stock Recaros seats and 3-point belts are fine for the street, but not for track work. Holding myself in place with knees, arms and elbows makes track driving less fun.

Naturally, all my racing friends are commenting on going down the rabbit hole. Shocker.

Last year, I picked up a set of Racequip FIA seats. After fiddling with them, I realized it meant a proper cage (at least, in the rear of the car) and full harnesses to be NASA legal for HPDE and/or TT. A fixed back seat is NOT permitted with stock seat belts at NASA events - the high sides of typical race seats, like the Racequip units, don't allow the factory seat belts to properly hold a driver/passenger in place via the pelvis. As such, they won't be going in the car.

Right now, I cannot change the Boss to a more track focused beast as it's so much fun to drive, everywhere. My wife would be very unhappy if I started pulling creature comforts so it must remain streetable (ish). This lead to a solid ~8-10 months of research - reading, testing other cars, visiting shops to check out equipment coupled with thoroughly reading the NASA CCRs.

The goal is simple - fixed back seats, on sliders, that can be used with both stock seat belts and a harness system but not require a roll cage and be NASA legal. I have seen the after effects of driver using a harness bar system, like the Corbeau unit, when things go....sideways. It's not pretty. If a car rolls and the chassis starts to deform, that harness bar will also deform and allow the driver to move, potentially submarining. All bad things.

That lead to Scroth Quickfit Pro harnesses coupled with Cobra Nogaro seats, all of which I was able to touch/feel/sit in and purchase from Sube Sports in Huntington Beach CA. I've become a bigger and bigger fan of supporting local businesses and not just ordering things online. These folks have been in business for over 35+ years and are great to work with. For mounting, they suggested I work with Brian at PCI, located not far away in Orange CA. I checked out their website, but it didn't show a slider seat mount for the S197 chassis, just for the S550 (along with many Japanese and European vehicles). In the not too distant future, PCI will have S197 slider seat mounts, with measurements taken from my Boss. Brian is a class act - his shop is clean, organized and well stocked. I looked at his products in person and came away impressed.

While the new slider mounts are being made, I now have to find all the other items to get the seats in the car, namely all the electronics. I've searched all the relevant threads here - I don't care if removing the stock Recaros leaves lights on the dash (I have an ODBII scanner that support SRS). What I don't want is for the car to not perform properly (meaning, AdvanceTrac interferes, ABS misbehaves, etc) because those items show up in the BCM as "missing". If I can simply unplug the electronics, disconnected the airbag sensor on the radiator core support, remove the stock seats, install the Cobra units for track weekends, then revert it all back, that would be best.

Is it that simple?? I will not cannibalize the original Recaros, for obvious reasons.

Edit
I think I've found part of my solution - another set of buckle assemblies, bolted to the new mounts. That would solve one issue.

FWIW, I ALWAYS disable AdvanceTrac - street or track. I know the M-2353-CA will properly disable it, but I'm unsure when that unit will arrive at my doorstep.

Thanks for any support you folks can provide.

 

[2012Boss302]

Did you ever get around to installing a shift light? If so do you have pictures and maybe a wiring diagram or install write up?

 

[Adam Ginsberg]

Did you ever get around to installing a shift light? If so do you have pictures and maybe a wiring diagram or install write up?

Yes, I installed a unit from Fastlane Innovations and love it. Unfortunately, it appears they have gone out of business as his website is no longer functional and doesn’t respond to emails.

Easiest install ever - all it needed was power to the unit. It connects via BT to a Veepeak BT code reader that stays plugged into the ODBII port. An app allows the user to adjust the LED lights to operate how they like.

I’ll post some pictures in a day or so.

 

[Opolis]

The Quickfit Pro and Cobra Nogaro is exactly what I run. A great compromise setup...also supplied by Sube Sport! They are great to deal with for safety gear. I've got the white Ford Racing shift knob and it rattles too. I switched to the white MGW knob when I got their shifter but it's not quite the same...

 

[Adam Ginsberg]

The Quickfit Pro and Cobra Nogaro is exactly what I run. A great compromise setup...also supplied by Sube Sport! They are great to deal with for safety gear. I've got the white Ford Racing shift knob and it rattles too. I switched to the white MGW knob when I got their shifter but it's not quite the same...

Thanks for the info..... I have many questions.