S197 APEXPNY Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Apexpny]

In the meantime, the Steeda wing I ordered back in March finally delivered two weeks ago. Unfortunately it arrived slightly damaged but nothing that can't be fixed. Hopefully Steeda will at least compensate for the added labor to repair, they currently have a claim filed. Anyway, I'm curious to see if this mild wing will actually give any additional stability or downforce on high speed corners. Since Billy Johnson raced the same part and stands behind it, I trust it has a positive function. Looking forward to seeing the results. If nothing else, it looks pretty cool!

FYI, I throw my GT500 wheels back on in between events and keep the Apex's stored inside. Not sure if this is just OCD but seems to make sense to keep R compound tires in a more temperature controlled environment. Interested to know if anyone has actually tested this theory of getting more life out of their tires.

 

[Apexpny]

I finally got around to coming up with a way to shroud my oil cooler. Even though my oil temps typically won't get much above 235 which isn't excessively hot, I'd still like to see them closer to the 220 mark. Either way, I enjoy the challenge of trying to come up with an idea to make improvements.

I don't have a welder or any fancy fabrication tools, so I decided to get some stock abs plastic from TAP and figure out how to create what was in my brain. After making a cardboard template of the inside bumper shape, I was able to cut out left and right plates. I then used some rubber foam insulation to seal the gaps between the side plates to the oil cooler, top bracket to bumper bar, and space between the belly pan to lower bracket. After getting the bumper cover back on and everything buttoned up I tested air flow with a shop vac. Surprisingly there was very little air finding any other way but through the cooler. The real test will be this weekend at Thunderhill where the temps should be mid to upper 90's. A 10 degree drop would be a successful result, so we'll see what happens.