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Captdistraction's ST2/GTR build thread Build Thread

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Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,425
8,354
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Oh , heck , no worries Tyme and TMS will be there and they will both tell you if you have any issues, I will the first one to lend you...............their help! I am really good at going to get the pizza and beer while the three of you work on the Stang!!
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
What type of pizza do you want Cap'n?

The kind that pairs well with beer.

I’m giving serious thought to this. It’s a 17 hour haul, maybe. I have had some unfortunate news that will require a lot of unplanned travel this year but getting back into racing is something I really want to do. Maybe if I can get another car to go with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
3,787
2,740
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Brighton, Colorado
You can link up with me if you come through Denver but if you're looking to trailer up with another car, I can't help you there.
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
knocked out a few things. I've been dealing with a lot of outside stress (my dog passed away, and my father has a cancer diagnosis), but working on the car has helped keep me sane. (Yeah, I really share too much online, but that's just my personality).

So on the racecar, I've been going through and cleaning it up. I started by polishing the paint and stripping the car of many decals. I want a sleeker look for 2019 and I'm moving more of the decals down into a tighter grouping once I place them back. The paint turned out great, and the car is being ceramic coated which will be put to the test against the onslaught of tire goo and marbles. The front of the car is pretty torn up which is to be expected, but the sides and top look very nice.
IMG_2842.jpg

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Then on the interior, I replaced the RaceCapture's app-dash which was a nvidia tablet with something more purpose built. The tablet was never reliable, charged slowly and wouldn't run well in a race car setting. I built automation after rooting the android OS to have it always boot to the racecapture app whenever there was power, but in practice it never worked reliably.

So combining a Raspberry Pi, a custom LiFePO4wered UPS backpack, and a raspberry pi display and housing (with some mild modification) I have a dedicated and reliable race dash. Its hard-wired to the RCP/Pro, boots in about 22 seconds, has an external button for resetting power, and the UPS provides padding for the OS to shut down gracefully after a timer (2 minutes). That way I can be on course, and if I come to a stop or have a situation where the car is off temporarily, the dash should continue. The smaller size made this a perfect fit behind the wheel. The only downside is the LED shift light array doesn't fit well anywhere on it (I had thought about 3d printing and enclosure for it), but I might move it up the back of the dash panel near the glass, which would keep it under the hoodline, but more into my direct line of sight. A bit different versus things like aim MX* type displays, but ultimately I don't look at this stuff much out on course, and the shift light is the only thing I'd want to keep an eye on (it does give me clear indication of low and high sides of the powerband, and alert status for temperature and pressure of oil, which is all I need to care about out on track).

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Further, I had added and removed a large number of circuits in the first year with the car, often as I went along. While it looked clean and was well bundled, I have the time to go back and strip everything out, and lay out everything in a more modular, harnessed way. So I'm rewiring all the custom circuits, using aviation connectors to build connection points, labeling wiring, grouping and adjusting length, and I have a ton of the oem cloth wrapping to clean it up. Ultimately while a ton of work, this should make for a much cleaner, more reliable result in the car. Right now this is the before state with the wiring all unclipped:

IMG_2855.jpgIMG_2857.jpg

Nothing to report on the motor side, I won't check in with the builder until next week at the soonest. Still waiting on an oil pick up tube, and trying to track down connectors for the engine harness as some things have been discontinued as the coyote evolves. I keep getting tempted to go to a controls pack and a return based fuel system. Who knows.

Some of the other stuff I may do over the summer:

  • Delete the EVAP system and replace with a 302S style rollover check valve and vent assembly
  • Move the trans/diff cooler to vent out of the car.
  • Look at a Radium surge tank kit to resolve low fuel level starvation (and further protect the motor investment)
  • Find ways to lose weight. Trying to get 30 out of the driver, pulled 5lbs of wiring and brackets out already.
  • Some mild bodywork/cleanup
  • Non-motor service items (rotor rings, brake pad restock, hubs, bearing checks, replace fire system, and pay the stupid f-ing Mylaps X2 tax)
 
Last edited:

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
I like it!
Not sure if you are married to the Radium solution, but NUKE Performance also makes some similar stuff. Just more options to work with.
 
215
210
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
SoCal
Yikes! I look at all that wiring and have a mini panic attack. Electrical is my Achilles heel.

The car looks great. I have ceramic coating on mine and it doesn't seem to help much for protection with the exception of making it easier to remove rubber marks.
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
I like it!
Not sure if you are married to the Radium solution, but NUKE Performance also makes some similar stuff. Just more options to work with.

Is there a benefit to their solutions? Radium has a somewhat "drop in" solution for returnless cars, allowing the plumbing changes to be minimal (adding a return line to the tank/hat, and the feed/outlet pickup to the car). Its not on the must do, its a nice to have. Just after the issues seen at WHP Main and Bondo without looper I did some digging, looks like what I thought was clutch slip at AMP was actually mild fuel starvation. Left hand turns seem to be this car's weak point.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
Not so sure if it would be as elegant as you are thinking. Let's talk more about this over drinks sometime soon...

And yeah, left turns are the killer on stock tanks.
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
3,787
2,740
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Brighton, Colorado
Love this 50 car. Not only is it going to be one hell of a race car but it's got a great race car look to it. That 41 car is awful sweet too!
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
Cloth harness tape is a godsend.

e88a8598bd1b4de19f9aab3d0e5ed735.jpg

02ca0467e2e62fd8df16772a9ecf2d33.jpg

I’m about halfway through but have corrected the grouping of wires, removed any substandard stuff I did in a hurry and replaced it, strain relieved, routed things better, and bundled up. Still have a lot to go, and while it looks messy still, once it’s all done and zip-tied it’s going to look great.

Not all went to plan, I bought some binder 712 style connectors to modularize my telemetry system and make it easier to expand or service. Using a breakout board for 5v sensors, I added the connectors, but some pre-existing wire on it broke loose. I’m replacing the breakout board, and 3D printing an enclosure for it with some strain relief.

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The final step is that I’m going to print labels for everything and maybe replace my radio delete plate and have something that is a bit more organized since the count of switches and gauges are a bit more finalized.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
Long time since an update and I'm finally able to start working on this again. I'm going in a new direction with it, the car is going to be come more of a track-day toy than dedicated racecar. There's just nowhere locally to class it and be competitive, and I want to focus on finding a way to enjoy track weekends and cars again. Spending ungodly amounts of money to just have my teeth kicked in doesn't sound like a fun approach. Having so many expenditures around drivetrains over the years means I'm a heavy 26-32K spend behind the front-runners for the local organizations, and I'm unwilling to make that spend. An argument could be made that had I been better at building and operating a car without failure I could have kept up with budget, but that's just more justification to find something else to do with the car that is appropriate for my abilities.

The new plan is finish assembling the car, take care of date-expired systems and make at least one event in 2019, if not 2020 for shakedown. Then select a few non-competition dates either locally and travel a bit. Focus on fun, affordable and driver improvement (as have often gone a year without driving here or there, or when racing, not a lot of time for practice or improvement). There are tracks like Whatever-Sponsor Raceway Laguna Seca and COTA I'd like to revisit, and others (hitting Daytona once before I have to throw in the towel for good with this yellow car is the ultimate goal), and then revisit the priorities after hopefully enjoying it. Talking with some other racers sounds like I'm in a spot that's not too unusual, the sport isn't for everyone, especially if you're self-funding and low on operational talent.

I think ultimately I'll miss the thrill of gridding for a race and the battle from rolling start to checker, but I think I can go another year before figuring out what to do to scratch that itch. This plan allows the use of slower and cheaper tires and consumables, less heart and headache, and definitely less frustration.

This week I'm going to start going over the car, uncover it and see what messes I left, pick up on the wiring work and try to get the dash reinstalled, remove the EVAP system. Its a lot of work, but hopefully in two weeks I can start getting ready to finish up the drivetrain. I'm also going to try my hands at composites as I picked up a lightweight carbon splitter, but want to fabricate some parts to go with it.
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
I hear you.

I know I have a serious competitive streak. I also know I don't have the time and skill sets to be on top. Therefore, I try to work within my limitations. If you asked my wife this, she would question what my limitations are regarding spending. Oh Well.

I set a "Practical" goal of spending, learning and upgrading as long as it all puts a grin on my face. So far, so good. I have not been beaten on track yet. Yep, I mean that. Why? I only compete against myself. A whole lot more fun and less expensive.....so far. Again, my wife's opinion may vary.

Good luck going forward.
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
For sure. I think I have a knack for the driving aspect, but I have basically no business building/operating a full race car nor the finances to buy my way up front (the local groups suffer from a lack of participation, and rules sets that incentivize big spending). I'm certainly guilty of buying my way to a win or two last year via fresh tires.

Knocked out a number of things today:
  • Replaced the rear lower valance panel with a new unit
  • Replaced the old ball and socket clamps on the exhaust with fresh units from Jegs
  • Inventoried and sorted all the motor parts
  • Installed JPC racing block-off plates into the cobra jet manifold (some fitting required but turned out really nice)
  • removed the rear evaporative system box/charcoal canister. (still need to hook up the Boss 302S rollover check valve vent adapter
  • Put the car on stands, cleaned it up, found evidence of mice having taken up residence. So far damage seems mild/cleanup.
I did look at some timing parts from FRPP which are a bit of a challenge:

there are new secondary chain guides from FRPP that are from the GT4 program ( https://www.fordracingparts.com/part/M-6207-M52 ). They're the fixed side, replacing the slide on black ones (which coincidentally, have been updated in the Gen1 timing kit, as the original design required a clip set that was not available separately). The new guides use a unique mounting solution in that they clip on before the tensioner, and the only thing retaining the tensioner up top is the chain itself. It also has a oil feed hole, but I'm not sure why as there's no oil feed on that side coming from the tensioner body. The other quandry is for the driver's side, they won't work with the MMR secondary tensioner bracket as the retention system is different. I think there would be risk of being able to slip the chains off. So I need to decide if there's more benefit to the FPP GT4 guides, or the MMR bracket. I know which brand I'd certainly trust more.


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