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boardkat's Optima/TT/AutoX Build Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

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boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
I find myself spending more and more time on here than any other forum/group, so I figure it's time to post up a build thread.

For those that may have followed in year's past over on M6G, you're already aware I stopped posting in my build thread there a few years ago when I came to the realization that I wasn't getting back what I was putting into it - mainly, stimulating a technical discussion with like-minded individuals that I could bounce ideas off of. So I migrated to FB, which (in spite of it's many shortcomings) is a great platform for promoting/supporting my sponsors through multimedia and increased exposure. I don't aim to duplicate what I post there, but if you're interested in seeing lots of photos/videos of my build over the years, you can find a link in my sig (it's a public page so you don't need to have an account to view).

Not really sure where this thread will head in the future, so for now I'll just post up a build sheet and a few pics. Look forward to continue being a part of this great tech and racing community!

---

44645452411_c143dfe414_o.jpg

IMG_1878.jpeg

IMG_3885.jpeg

IMG_3754.jpeg

IMG_3745 2.jpeg

IMG_3747.jpeg
 
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boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
BUILD SHEET (as of 2020/01/16):

Engine
JBA Balanced & Blueprinted Coyote Performance Engine (9.35:1)
- 0.010 Overbore
- Deck Plate Honed Cylinders
- Main Housing Bores Align Honed
- Block Deburred and Radiused
- Rotating Assembly Balanced
- Oil System Modifications for High RPM Flow
- Rod Clearances Set
- Rings Hand Gapped and Filed
- Manley 598110CE-8 Forged and Coated Pistons
- Manley Stainless Steel Ringset
- Manley 9310 Alloy Wristpin
- Manley Forged H-Beam Connecting Rods
- Tri-Metal Performance Main Bearings
- Tri-Metal Performance Coated Rod Bearings
- ARP Head Studs and Rod Bolts
- Manley Valve Springs
- Ford Performance Billet Oil Pump/Gears
- MMR Billet Crankshaft Gear
- Ford Racing Boss 302 Timing Chain Tensioners
- Livernois Billet Pivoting Timing Chain Guides
- ATI Harmonic Balancer
- Ford Performance GT500 Aluminum Valve Covers
- Ford Performance FP350S Oil Pan

Drivetrain
VMP Gen 3 TVS 2650 Supercharger
Department of Boost GT550 Manifold
VMP 67mm Dual Blade Throttle Body
Fore Innovations L4 Fuel System
- Fuel Rails in Parallel w/ Regulator Mounted After
- TI Auto F90000274 Primary Pump
- TI Auto F90000274 Secondary Pump
- F2i 2 Port Regulator
- FC3 Staged Controller w/ 4ga wiring
- FC3 Honeywell Pressure Switch
- PTFE -8 Feed / Return lines
- 128mm Microglass SSD Filter
- 0-100 psi Fuel Pressure Gauge
Radium Engineering Fuel Pump Hanger
ID1050x Injectors
NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs
JLT 125mm Cold Air Intake
Velossa Tech Big Mouth Ram Air
Tracy Lewis Performance Signature Series Monster Dual Valve Catch Can
Fathouse Fabrications Valve Cover Fittings
BMR Poly Motor Mounts
Livernois EvenFlo 170 Degree Thermostat
Stainless Works 1 7/8" Headers
Stainless Works Hi-Flow Metal Matrix 200 Cell Cats
Borla Touring 2.5" Catback Exhaust
Ben Calimer MT82 Stage 3 Transmission w/ GForce Engineering Gearset
Ford Performance Ti-VCT High RPM Competition Pulse Ring
McLeod RXT 1200 Clutch
McLeod Lightened Steel Flywheel
Ford GT500 Slave Cylinder and Throwout Bearing
MGW Race Spec Short Throw Shifter
Steeda Clutch Spring/Perch
QA1 REV™ Series SFI 43.1 Approved 1pc Carbon Fiber Driveshaft
OS Giken Super Lock 1.5 Way LSD
Ford Performance 3.55 Ring and Pinion

Suspension
Steeda Road Race Front K-Member
JRZ RS Pro Double Adjustable Remote Reservoir Offset Struts/Inverted Shocks w/ Spherical Mounts/Eyelets
JRZ Camber Plates
Hyperco 2.25ID 5" 750lbs Front Springs
Bimmerworld Spring Thrust Sheets
Steeda 38mm FSB w/ Delrin Bushings
Steeda Aluminum FSB Mounts w/ Zerk Fittings
Cortex Racing Adjustable Front Spherical Endlinks
Cortex Racing Front Control Arm Spherical Bearings
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda Front Control Arm Lateral Links w/ Extended Ball Joint
MMI Adjustable Articulating Rear Perches
Hyperco 2.25ID 6" 1300lbs Rear Springs
GT PP 22.2mm RSB w/ Poly Bushings
Cortex Racing Adjustable Rear Spherical Endlinks
Cortex Racing Rear Control Arm Spherical Bearings
Steeda Poly Vertical Links
BMR Spherical Toe Links
Ford Racing Toe/Knuckle Spherical Bearings
Steeda Spherical/Delrin Adjustable Rear Camber Links
BMR Delrin Rear Subframe Bushings
BMR Poly Differential Mount Bushings

Wheels/Tires
Forgestar F14 18x13" Front/Rear Wheels (dry/warm/autox)
BFGoodrich g-Force Rival S 1.5 335/30R18 Front/Rear Tires (dry/warm/autox)
Forgestar F14 19x12" Front/Rear Wheels (dry/cool/track)
Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 325/30R19 Front/Rear Tires (dry/cool/track)
SVE 350R 19x11" Front/Rear Wheels (wet)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 305/30R19 Front/Rear Tires (wet)
Eibach Front Aluminum Wheel Adapters
ARP Extended Rear Studs
Optimum Performance High Strength Racing Lug Nuts

Brakes
Brembo GT PP 6pot Front Calipers
AP Racing 15" 2pc Slotted Front Rotors
Carbotech XP8/AX6 (autox) / XP20 (track) Front Brake Pads
Optimum Performance Titanium Front Brake Pad Shims
Steeda Stainless Front Brake Lines
Custom 3D Printed Front Brake Duct Inlets w/ 2.5" Ducting
Ford GT PP 1pot Rear Calipers
Baer 13" 2pc Slotted Rear Rotors
Carbotech AX6 (autox) / XP10 (track) Rear Brake Pads
Steeda Stainless Rear Brake Lines

Heat Extraction/Aero
Anderson Composites Type-TW Carbon Fiber Vented Hood
Anderson Composites Type-GT Carbon Fiber Front Upper Grille
Anderson Composites Type-GT Carbon Fiber Front Lower Grille
Anderson Composites Type-GR Carbon Fiber Side Rocker Panel Splitters
Carbon Composites GT350R Rear Wing
AJ Hartman Aero Front Splitter
AJ Hartman Aero Canards
Verus Engineering Rear Diffuser
Fluidyne Triple Pass Radiator
Department of Boost Titanic Triple 1000cu in -20AN Heat Exchanger
Stewart E2512A 25amp Water Pump
Roush Heat Exchanger Coolant Tank
Canton Racing Oil Filter Adapter
Improved Racing Remote Oil Filter Mount/Thermostat
Setrab 650 -10AN Engine Oil Cooler
Setrab 610 -08AN Transmission Oil Cooler
Tilton Engineering Transmission Oil Cooler Pump
Custom Aluminum Radiator Fencing
Full Tilt Boogie Racing Differential Cooler/Fan

Weight Reduction
Anderson Composites Dry Carbon Fiber Doors
Watson Racing Front Bumper Support
Watson Racing Rear Bumper Support
Planted Seat Brackets w/ Aluminum Side Mounts
Ford Performance GT350R Rear Seat Delete
Ford Aluminum Differential Carriage
Watson Racing Battery Relocation Kit
Ford Performance A/C Compressor Delete Pulley
PBH Performance A/C Compressor Delete Bracket
Fog Light Delete
Strut Tower Brace Delete
Cowl C-Brace Delete

Safety
Watson Racing 6pt Rollbar
Safecraft 5010 6pt Harnesses
Sparco Ergo II Driver Seat
Sparco Evo II LF Passenger Seat
Ford Performance Front Tow Hook
Ford Performance Rear Tow Hook
AeroCatch Xtreme Plus Flush Hood Latches

Fluids
Amsoil Signature Series 5W-50 Engine Oil
Amsoil 75W-90 Manual Transmission & Transaxle Fluid
OS Giken OS-250R 80W-250 Differential Fluid
Castrol SRF Brake Fluid

Data
AiM Solo 2 DL (track) / Petrel Data Systems SoloStorm (autox)
GlowShift Diff/Tranny/Engine Oil Temp Sensors/Gauges
 
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boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
2020 Schedule/Results

03/14-15 Optima USCA (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV)
03/28-29 SCCA CAM Challenge (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV)
04/18-19 SCCA CAM Challenge (NASA Crows Landing Airport, Crows Landing, CA)
05/29-30 Optima USCA (Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, CA)
06/13-14 SCCA TT (The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA)
07/11-12 Optima USCA (Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, CO)
07/18-19 SCCA Pro Solo (Hampton Mill, Packwood, WA)
09/10-11 SCCA CAM Challenge Finale (Lincoln Airport, Lincoln, NE)
11/07-08 Optima USCI (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV)
 
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JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Welcome, have seen your stuff on another forum and very interesting read.

Not trying to be a dick here, but I looked into the Watson Racing front bumper replacement, they say on their website it is drag race only, at least I can't find a front one on their website that says road course use. Did you have any conversation with them as to its suitability for road course use? Steeda makes a similar one and they also say drag race only.

I would like to go this route, but I suspect it may be drag only because it can't take the suspension loads and resist chassis twisting to the degree the OEM one can. Thoughts?
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
Chassis rigidity is not something that’s concerned me on this car. That said, the bar was swapped in my quest to get under 3400lbs when it was exclusively used for autox. No noticeable deformation after 4 years of use, and I secured it with 10.9 bolts fwiw. Also gave me a little more room to squeeze that massive S/C heat exchanger in.
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
Nice Specs!! How do you like the Stage 3 Calimer tranny?? I love mine, its my favorite upgrade so far.
Thanks! I'm a lot deeper into this build than I ever expected to be but I've learned so much along the way.

The Calimer transmission has been dead-nuts reliable so far for 2 seasons (knock on wood!!). Not to say my stock MT-82 ever had any issues, but I never ran it supercharged, and it had 3 hard seasons of abuse and lots of time above 8000rpm, so I replaced it preemptively to avoid a catastrophic failure at an inopportune time. All suspension and support mounting points are spherical/delrin/poly, so I get noticeable gear whine and some rattling, but nowhere near as bad as my rear diff. Just put an RXT-1200 in (ran both seasons on an RST), so we'll see how it does with ceramic material - I definitely prefer the pedal feel thus far.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Have seen your beast in Lincoln , though unlike you with that long haul from Lake Oswego, Or., I only have to muddle down the road, 60 miles, to race at the Solo Nationals. I run with my son in his ASP EVO 9, since my Boss spends the bulk of it's time on a road course. Dave W ( Solo Performance Specialties ) is also on this site, and I would imagine you two know each other since he runs his Mustang in CAMC. The CAM series has to be one of the most exciting classes competing in Solo and it keeps building year in and year out. Glad to have a Dual Purpose Track Addict on here, sure you can offer some great insight to many newcomers ( along with the AARP set ) on both Road Course Prep for Time Trials and set up for Autocrossing!

Will look forward to meeting you in Nebraska this coming September.
 
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Ludachris

Chris
Staff member
Moderator
1,658
1,962
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Newcastle, CA
Hey @boardkat - welcome! Now that you posted all that info about your car in this thread a few days before we upgraded the forum software, would you care to try out adding a vehicle profile for it here:

:D

No pressure, I just would love to have this car in there so I can tie your build thread to it and have it show up in your sig (see my sig and others in this thread). Impressive build by the way. ;)
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
Have seen your beast in Lincoln , though unlike you with that long haul from Lake Oswego, Or., I only have to muddle down the road, 60 miles, to race at the Solo Nationals. I run with my son in his ASP EVO 9, since my Boss spends the bulk of it's time on a road course. Dave W ( Solo Performance Specialties ) is also on this site, and I would imagine you two know each other since he runs his Mustang in CAMC. The CAM series has to be one of the most exciting classes competing in Solo and it keeps building year in and year out. Glad to have a Dual Purpose Track Addict on here, sure you can offer some great insight to many newcomers ( along with the AARP set ) on both Road Course Prep for Time Trials and set up for Autocrossing!

Will look forward to meeting you in Nebraska this coming September.
Yep, you guys are damn lucky!! We have our version of Lincoln in NorCal (Crows Landing), but it's still a 10 hour haul from here, and becoming increasingly harder to book, due to autonomous truck companies booking the site for testing. I know Dave from before the CAM days, when he used to be an onsite vendor and supplier of Nats t-shirts - though I'm *still* trying to get the goop off from those damn SPS contingency stickers a decade later :p

Hoping to have lots of data and video to share this season, and will making a concerted effort to spend more time doing analysis this season now that I'll be on the track. With a little luck, maybe they'll be some crossover between what interests us!

Definitely look me up in September, I paddock with the CAM guys.

I grew up in LO. Graduated LOHS in 2005. Nice set of wheels you got there!
Nice. I just moved here in 2014 from Beaverton, not long after my son was born and my wife went back to work. Got lucky and bought before the housing market started going crazy around here again. Not easy raising a family in a small townhome, so the extra space to stretch our legs in the house and backyard, not to mention the much larger garage, is key!

Hey @boardkat - welcome! Now that you posted all that info about your car in this thread a few days before we upgraded the forum software, would you care to try out adding a vehicle profile for it here:

:D

No pressure, I just would love to have this car in there so I can tie your build thread to it and have it show up in your sig (see my sig and others in this thread). Impressive build by the way. ;)
Will do and thanks!
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
Wow, what kinda work did you have to do to the body to fit 19x13 wheels up front?
Haven't put 19x13 up front (yet - but will be later this year now that I know the 325 SC3 is pinched slightly on a 19x12), but I detailed elsewhere what it took to fit the 335/18x13 up front: https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/18x13-335-square-under-stock-fenders.13378/

I'll c&p the Tl;dr below for completeness:

---

Front
1.) Offset struts
2.) "Right-sized" piston or enlarged strut hole
3.) Camber plates
4.) More than -3.5 camber
5.) 700lbs+ 2.25ID 5" springs
6.) A BIG-ASS adapter (and not having an aversion to running one)
7.) Quik-Latch bumper attachment points
8.) Rolled/Pulled/Spaced fenders
9.) Fender liners removed
10.) Creative placement of various parts/lines
11.) Ability to stomach 2mm of inboard strut clearance and NO fender clearance with occasional rubbing/self-clearancing

Rear
1.) Rolled/Pulled fenders
2.) Springs in the stock location (or inverted coilovers)
3.) Inverted shocks
4.) Relocated e-brake bracket/line and other creative movement of parts/lines
5.) The "right" amount of -ve camber to meet your setup needs coupled with an offset that maximizes inboard/outboard clearance
6.) Fender liners removed
7.) Ability to stomach 2mm of inboard strut clearance and NO fender clearance with occasional rubbing/self-clearancing
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
For those S550 guys wondering how to chassis mount their front aero, here's a few pics of how my @AJ Hartman splitter went on. I can't take credit for how it ended up coming together; a good friend came up with the idea, then designed, waterjetted and welded the final product together. Very happy with the end result and will be putting the car through its paces in (2) weekends @ Thunderhill. Will be sure to post up pics, vids and data afterwards.

End result. Tough to tell from this angle, but the splitter and canards line up perfectly with the tire and should do a great job directing proper airflow:
71zaVVgGT3y1HjEIIxL0hw_thumb_1848.jpg

Quick release mechanism, to aid in fast R&R:
XUcL2vwSQdKA53KodHYx+A_thumb_183e.jpg

Waterjetted pucks turned on a lathe to distribute load and provide protection for the carbon fiber:
3oJI0NyISlCh5m%7uoYQ3A_thumb_184f.jpg

Height-adjustable front chassis mount:
XoU7cfwFRPCSBF4a0etkxg_thumb_184b.jpg

Rear chassis mount:
2e%anXriTu68KX2uOiYzxQ_thumb_184c.jpg

Quick release pin:
ros8Rsp3SSmH+IlYkpb5FQ_thumb_1847.jpg
 
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Ludachris

Chris
Staff member
Moderator
1,658
1,962
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Newcastle, CA
For those S550 guys wondering how to chassis mount their front aero, here's a few pics of how my @AJ Hartman splitter went on. I can't take credit for how it ended up coming together; a good friend came up with the idea, then designed, waterjetted and welded the final product together. Very happy with the end result and will be putting the car through its paces in (2) weekends @ Thunderhill. Will be sure to post up pics, vids and data afterwards.

End result. Tough to tell from this angle, but the splitter and canards line up perfectly with the tire and should do a great job directing proper airflow:
View attachment 12744

Quick release mechanism, to aid in fast R&R:
View attachment 12745

Waterjetted pucks turned on a lathe to distribute load and provide protection for the carbon fiber:
View attachment 12746

Height-adjustable front chassis mount:
View attachment 12750

Rear chassis mount:
View attachment 12751

Quick release pin:
View attachment 12752
That's a great solution. Not everyone is going to have a custom crash beam like that, but if I ever go that far, I'll be sure to reference this. Very well done.
 

boardkat

CAMtard
131
179
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Lake Oswego, OR
It’s been awhile since my last post, but I figured this group is less interested in how my competitions have been going and more interested in the build itself.
That said, I did manage to place 2nd in GT (behind last year’s USCI/season champ) and take the Top Rookie award at my first ever Optima USCA competition in March @ LVMS before the world turned upside down.
More importantly though, I was able to both unload and load the car back onto the trailer under its own power, after too many seasons of fighting every problem under the sun - GREAT SUCCESS!!! :D

USCA-LVMS-5 (186 of 198).jpg

IMG_4212.jpg

Also a video of my best lap (1:49.xx) - please excuse the missed rev matching, botched apexes and general poor driving on a track I was seeing for the first time! I'm usually better prepared, but having no virtual track to run in iRacing, Assetto Corsa or RFactor left me feeling like a total n00b at times :(


.. that said, AIM had predictive timing in the 1:46.xx range on another botched lap that I ended early - very excited for the opportunity to show what the car has in it as I work on fixing that nut behind the wheel :)

One thing I know I needed to fix was a better way of transporting wheels/tires/fuel/splitter - it’s no fun spending a bunch of time unloading stuff from both the tow vehicle and car when you first arrive at the track. COVIDpocalypse did free up some bandwidth for a good friend of mine, so we quickly went to work designing and fabricating additions to the trailer:

IMG_4411.jpeg

IMG_4412.jpeg

Needless to say, I’m very pleased with the end result, not to mention saving a substantial amount of future grief I’ll avoid from transporting things in my wife’s Jeep to events!! ;)

Next up will be another Optima USCA event @ WSIR/Big Willow later this month, where I’ll try to improve my place to land a coveted invite to the USCI @ SEMA later this year. On that note, with the cumulative effects of suspension geometry changes over the years (offset struts, roll center correction, tubular k-member, etc), I can no longer obtain the desired -ve camber I want up front. Not wanting to cook a set of tires @ WSIR due to suboptimal settings, my friend (who’s also handy in SolidWorks) scanned and designed a different bottom plate for me:

97373805_580475209265358_8138804717720436736_n.png

IMG_4440.jpeg

It’s heading to the waterjet as I type, and will give me all the camber I could ever want. Still have 10mm of inboard room from the top nuts (and will be countersinking the adjustment bolts to allow innermost placement underneath the tower), but have no aversion to breaking out the grinder to slot inwards and seam welding/reinforcing what’s necessary to provide whatever else is needed.

On another note, I’ve always been intrigued by quick/repeatable camber changes ever since I came across the shim-on-the-control-arm design that my Lotus Elise had. Of course, the S550 not having a double a-arm front setup means it would require a top mount design. Enter the GT4:

F0496DF5-5418-4FB9-BBA1-F3E3EDA1C489-6445-000002A4C44CE128.png

… but with Multimatic asking ~1k/corner for these (!!!), I’ll be enlisting the help of another friend that has some Haas goodies in his garage to cut me a billet piece that we design ourselves. Stay tuned!

Finally, as I continue to focus on aero this season, evacuating turbulent air to avoid a high pressure zone in the wheel wells has been on my mind. Once again, enter SolidWorks and the waterjet:

97211763_1094624500914081_4743121256159641600_n.jpg

Going to tweak the initial mockup slightly (on the upper vent), and explore using an inward riveted design. More to follow!!
 
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