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S197 FTWMS #50 S197 NASA Super Touring Racecar Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

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Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
Looks like ole #50 is gonna meet Frankenstang at Laguna in a few weeks....
Be gentile my friend, be gentile.

17862406_1719884091371393_5204989660579945383_n.jpg
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
Race Report: NASA Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca


Didn't want to post too much about the event too soon until I had cooled off a bit and was a better ambassador to the sport - I've been real frustrated as this was among the most difficult events I've been at.

Between a new-to-me car, working the event (please for all things holy ST guys fill out your damn forms), missing track time and not getting properly prepared. I was 6 seconds off pace and likely had no business competing at that level with my approach.
That said, the psychology of the sport is complicated, and I'm sure I'll feel much better once the car is patched up and I have a good event under my belt. I want to come back to this track before too long to prove to myself I can drive there at a competitive level and speed, its such a fun track that you haul the mail around. I've setup some coaching as well to hopefully knock some rust off

I was also a bit frustrated with the sportsmanship at the event or lack thereof, never heard from the guys involved in the incident but I'm guessing at a champs level that's to be expected. I do love being around the NASA family (absolute group of professionals!) however and I'll absolutely work at these events in the future, just won't balance trying to race them as well. I also really enjoyed meeting competitors I've long followed online (at least 6 TMO'ers were at the event I talked to) and seeing friends old and making new ones along the way.

Some pictures from the event (my video had to be impounded for the body-contact-process so will have that later):

FTW-7.jpgFTW-13.jpgFTW-33.jpgFTW-42.jpgFTW-64.jpgFTW-72.jpgFTW-78.jpgFTW-117.jpgFTW-123.jpgFTW-127.jpgFTW-130.jpgFTW-140.jpgFTW-151.jpg


To fix the car to 50/50 rule I'll need to get the quarter panel pulled and painted, bumper and brackets seem ok. There's some buckling in the wheel well and rear floor, and the wing is pretty mangled on the one endplate side (the entire mounting flange face ripped out of the carbon wing element). Killed another apex wheel but the axle assembly seems fine. I'll buy another set of wheels soon and get to work on the body.



Other driver's notes:
  1. The Cortex Cambered Axle and watts link didn't immediately net any gains - but that was likely due to my not having time to set it up properly, I just set everything in the middle setting, took a guess on spring rate (went up 50lbs/in), and likely had too much rear bar with the 18mm
  2. The car really doesn't like more restrictive mufflers - I blew 107 in practice in the morning, so I had to slap on some borla street mufflers to pass sound (an overcorrection, honestly). Definitely took some of the grunt out of the car
  3. Every time I stop driving for a while I pick up some bad habits, like doing my blip-downshift too early in the braking zone
  4. Braking confidence is an issue - if I could get some better feel out of the pedal, I think there was at least 2 seconds in just being more aggressive into the braking zones
  5. Wet Tires do not work well on dry tracks - trust your gut over the crew's when it comes to which set of tires to bolt on for a big race. Was pouring before the main race, but by the time the car was in grid, the sun came out and the track was bone dry on the outlap.

I'll have more to come soon, have some video from another car of the incident.
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
Race Report: NASA AZ Super Touring Series at The Podium Club


After all the drama with nationals, I was happy to be able to race at a local even again, this time at a new track! Podium club is a new 2.32 mile circuit with a healthy 2800 foot front straight and some challenging turn combinations - along with some wild turns that really ask you to be brave enough to pin that throttle.
1666201253871.png
I was able to get there the night before and we had some wild downpour of rain, which made for a fairly warm and humid weekend (not to mention ALL THE MUD). Rejoined by @ArizonaBOSS and Ron B from another racing organization (who was playing the big dog role with his GT3 R8) we were set for a fun weekend.


In practice I noticed a bit of a challenge in getting the car to shift down the front straight and the brakes were terribly soft. This worsened in qualifying but I was able to find my way to the 2nd row in 4th place; first in class. As the race started the lead row pulled away (I went out on scrub R7s that still felt great but were no match for the faster cars on more fresh slicks) and I found myself with a super unlimited car right on my tail as I passed him on the straight. We battled for much of the race, but the shifting and brakes were getting worse every lap, and particularly towards the end of the race, the inability to get it quickly into the next gear meant I lost my advantage of straight line power, and the BMW was able to get around me on the straight - we had a great battle to that point as his more nimble car ate up the 2nd half of the track and I was able to stay in lead by just laying down that american thunderous soundtrack on the longer straights. In the end, I finished where I started, 4th overall and first in class. The class featured 3 mustangs and one raging honda civic.

We determined the clutch reservoir was full of black metallic fluid - initially I thought it was just boiled and had taken on much water that it turned that dark shade. So gravity bleed and flushing was completed before Sunday's fun. Unfortunately in a Time Trial session on Sunday I lost the clutch completely, so my day was done.

I rooted for Dallas B who was the other S197 entry. In the race he had a strong showing, getting around the S550 car initially and holding it for most of the race - nearly to a win until his splitter collapsed and was dragging on the ground. Had he stayed out that would have been his first win, but the feel from the driver's seat was pretty rough.



IMG_6119(1).jpgIMG_6154(1).jpg5EA25AC6-AB92-4691-999F-6CFED572FE37.jpg
I did order a clutch kit but its obvious now I don't need it, as the issue was with my slave cylinder just giving up the ghost. They're a wear item at best. Have some more cortex goodies going on the car before the next event, and halfway into getting the transmission back in the car. Looking for a good remainder of the season, 4 events between now and December so lots of racing in a little time. Brakes are the next area of focus on the car, I think I'm finding the limits of the S550 swap setup - they can generate the stopping power of the best systems out there, but I'm struggling with the pedal confidence at the race level.
FTW-1.jpgFTW-3.jpgFTW-6.jpgFTW-7.jpgFTW-9.jpgFTW-11.jpgFTW-12.jpg
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
This picture is epic.

FTW-12.jpg
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
End of year report ( NASA AZ ST2 at AMP CW/Oct, CCW/Dec):

The last couple events were a mixed bag, I'll summarize it along with some changes to the car and updates:
NASAAZ-10292022-TT-265.jpgNASAAZ-10292022-RaceSat-085.jpgNASAAZ-10292022-RaceSat-035.jpg
AMP October:
CW, 2 Wins puts me in a pretty good lead in the region, both wins were uncontested as my competition all had issues in practice or qualify.
Car notes: Transmission sluggish to shift when warm, laundry list of items needing fixing increasing
Changes: Cortex axle set at highest RC, used 18mm rear bar, Cortex LCA's using BMR bearing spacers and LCA brackets

NASAAZ-10302022-Race-095.jpgNASAAZ-10302022-Race-078.jpgNASAAZ-10302022-Race-023.jpg
Chuckwalla November:
Budget and exhaustion got me, skipped this event. Tage Evanson ties for lead in regional ST2 championship with 915 points
Car notes: add 2 units of BG MGC to transmission to hopefully resolve shift issues, Accusump air charged

Changes: New AP Racing front brakes, CANbus TPMS system installed, cleanup of camera mounts, lowered steering wheel height to fix nagging shoulder pain
NASAAZ-10302022-Race-077.jpg
AMP December (one day):
CCW, I arrive after some long delayed flights coming back from New York. I test negative for Covid, but end up being positive, leave the event sick - in qualifying the accusump system failed putting about 8 quarts of oil all over the interior, exterior of the car and my safety gear. Its raining heavily, but I try my best to clean it up, call it a day. Tage starts the race for the ST lead, but declares a "fun run" to leave the championship at a stalemate
Car notes: Transmission still sluggish to shift when warm, laundry list of items needing fixing increasing, accusump explosion caused significant damage to the interior, brake lights and some other electronics failures noted. New brakes work fantastic

Changes: none

As it stands, the regional championship will come down to some runoff gag at the awards ceremony, so cross fingers its something I have a chance at. I've been down with Covid for more than a week and its hit me hard, unfortunately I cannot attend to the damaged race car - right now much more than just walking the house end to end is exhausting for me.

Some of the big changes have been the cortex goodies and the AP Racing ENP brakes from @OPMustang Tim . We haven't been able to fully setup the Cortex gear due to some hardware issues with a LCA bracket (the replacement is in production but a few weeks away still), but the goal is in 2023 to get some testing time on the car to fully set it up since its basically a 100% different car from the beginning of the year. Not sure of the season's plans, but I'd like to open up to some new tracks, and revisit the crime scenes of the past (Laguna, COTA).

The brakes are something else, they're a bit smaller than the 380x32mm OPM S550 setup I used before, but the improvement in pedal feel and consistency and the consumable life improvements in racing conditions make this a hugely transformative upgrade on the car. The ENP RadiCal 9668 caliper has an amazing finish which is bonus, but I chose the system after working with Tim and the team from Essex/AP. I spoke with many brembo dealers and none were interested in earning the business, and technologically, I believe the AP solution to be more advanced and more economical.
IMG_6731(1).jpgIMG_6740(1).jpgIMG_6735(1).jpgIMG_6721.jpg1623BCB5-7F3B-4203-A9D0-67C8A81573A6.jpgIMG_6690(1).jpgIMG_6741.jpgIMG_6743(1).jpg



I'm still learning to drive the Cambered Rear axle, but every time I'm in the car I find more confidence and trust in the system - the huge payoffs are on throttle exits and the midcorner speed capability, the car is much more stable and predictable with significant increases in rear grip. Next year looking at the front may be a thing, but for now I just need to learn to drive this car and determine what I have to do with it in terms of being competitive in the new more restrictive 2023 ST2 rules.

IMG_6723(1).jpg
 
1,161
2,116
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
SoCal
RACE RECAP: CHUCKWALLA VALLEY RACEWAY WITH NASA AZ - MAD MAX DUSTERDOME
(RACE 3-4 2021 ST SEASON)

Following up an exciting first round for the NASA AZ region, we visited the fast Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in the middle of nowhere, err, Desert Center California. Weather was a bit windy to say the least – so much so that several sessions were delayed due to dust visibility. The track is 2.68 miles in length and 40 feet wide with 17 flowing corners and some elevation changes sprinkled in. Famous for "The Bowl", Chuckwalla offers a bit of everything. While this event was not a crossover event with NASA SoCal as it has been in the past, some Californian folk joined the NASA AZ regulars for some great racing! (and to show off all their money - woo).

View attachment 63218
While initially beautiful, the wind and dust made for pretty miserable camping weather but I was able to get out to the track a bit earlier than my usual last-minute runs so I worked on the car with some last minute noise-enhancing (and hopefully power-enhancing) changes:

View attachment 63216View attachment 63217
I picked up some borla over-axle pipes/resonator deletes the night before (true 2.75" all the way back, there the oem pipes neck down to just 2.1" at the resonators). I did some last minute header wrap and installed them and was more or less ready to go.

Saturday:

Practice went fairly well on Saturday - though the Cali folk were pretty aggressive. Turned in some slow fielding laps but felt good about where I needed to be for the qualifying session. I did get a black/transponder flag but didn't give it much thought as I entered the hot pit lane to go across the timing scoring trailer to make sure they matched my TX number to my car - as its been an issue in the past (and something we talked about in the driver's meeting). Thinking I was set, I went on about my day.
View attachment 63223

I was not set.

In qualify - I had a decently clean lap1, but again the TX flag came out again, indicating I wasn't getting a hit. I again pulled into the hotpit lanes to talk with the grid staff, wiggled my mylaps x2 transponder "racekey" (racer-money-relieving-device) and saw lights, so I re-entered. I was able to get one more lap in before the checker, but when I got back to the paddock, I showed as not having a time in qualifying, I would have to start from the back, despite having a mid-pack lap recorded on my telemetry system. I looked into why I was having this issue and found the culprit:

View attachment 63219
The x2's racekey had broken off its retainer tab and could move off the contacts required to engage the transponder. They had already recalled this part once and the "fix" was to put this additional piece of plastic in the holder for the device, but I guess it created enough pre-load to snap the cheaply molded plastic. While x2 offers a warranty while you have their bullsh-t subscription service - it doesn't cover this. It was suggested to buy a new transponder (which I just renewed this one for 2 years). I found a replacement race key on ebay and hopefully soon I can see if it will work with my existing transponder. I rented one from the NASA AZ crew. Cliffs: NASA AZ awesome - Mylaps anything but.

View attachment 63224

Starting from the back of the Big bore pack - I decided to try and make the most of it and go after whatever I could get - knowing that the top portion of the field would be way out of reach as the socal folk brought some heavy weapons to our blunt knife fight. Race was going well and I was picking up pace until the engine lost all power coming out of a right hander and sidelined me. I pulled way off track in a safe location so they could hopefully keep the race going without cautions - the safety crew came to check on me, but misconstrued my response to "are you ok" as being that the car was ok too... they took off and didn't come back until the following HPDE session, realizing their error. In the rush to get me in to the pit, my front bumper beam and tow hook were damaged as they took off a bit hard when setting up the tow strap. Bummer but was able to patch up. Once back to the paddock they dropped me at the impound so I could do my series leader duties, we had to dyno two cars. Unfortunately, I wanted to look at my car and get a bottle of water, but the requirements of the series kept me away from my car until dark. It was a pretty frustrating day - the competitors were fine on their dyno, but I was parched, exhausted, curious if I had windowed a motor, and the howling wind and dust did not help matters or mood. Eventually I was able to get back to my trailer and my car was waiting for me, the safety crew had pushed my car back for me to my stall (I compensated with many offerings of beer).
View attachment 63225
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View attachment 63228

Video from the race:

Sunday:

Went over the car and couldn't find anything wrong - did as much as I could in the dark and in the morning bypassed the onboard surge tank, cleaned the crank trigger sensor, did a crank relearn and checked everything once more. In practice, it was again so dusty that there were times you were going over a hill blind as if a car had been off track creating huge dust clouds with zero visibility. The Cali folk were again impatient (a recurring theme), but my car ran well, outside a minor hiccup I was able to run it very hard for the whole session. In qualifying, there was basically one lap of clean track and I was able to put the car in the top portion of the field.


View attachment 63227
One minor issue was that I had corded 6 of the 9 Michelin S8M's I had brought to the track - so we made the decision to last minute flip a tire to put the slightly corded edge inside on the rear where it wouldn't see much use for the race. However, I did run out of time and forgot to bleed down the tire, so as I ran to grid and got in my spot - I recounted all the pre-checks before the race, and realized we probably still had 60psi in the tire! I pulled off grid and went back to my stall, and luckily the NASA AZ director of instruction happened to be by my stall airing up his tires and I was able to get him to bleed down the tire for me - just in time to watch grid be released. this was a mixed class split small and big bore race with 36 cars, and I was able to tuck behind the small bore / spec miata group. I left about 2 turns behind them to allow them a clean race start - already a half lap behind the big bore folk, and as the green, err rainbow flag flew for them I allowed 4 turns before I started working my way through the pack. I was dead last, but I thought I'd at least run the car hard and see if I had fixed it. Well, come to find out its sorta fun starting dead last and picking up 25 spots. A big highlight was that I came up on a ST4 mini cooper driven by Ricky Johnson towards the end of the race - he usually is very pleasant in letting me by (something I've chided him before). Well this day, he took that advice and nothing came for free - we had a full lap free-for-all with 7 position changes and some close racing. I had to use a miata as a pick down the straight to make the pass stick. While I had a huge power advantage, his mid-corner speed was slightly higher than mine meaning he could get back in front of me and kill off momentum as needed.

View attachment 63229
View attachment 63230

View attachment 63231

Sunday's video:

The battle with the Mini:

So far for the season, this has put me in decent shape in ST2 -
View attachment 63220

so while its a bit of conflict of interest, I'm going to race to the end and see if I can get some more embroidery done on my champion's jacket. Daytona (NASA 2021 Championships) is looking bleak from a budget standpoint - work has not been going the way I had hoped (company is evolving in a way that has less of a need for me). However I'll try to do the local races and am at least able to keep the program afloat.

I've not had time to go through all the maintenance on the car (as I've been stuck behind a desk), but here's the list of what I'm trying to get to:

  1. Install and integrate an AIM Solo DL with all the mustang engine parameters with my racecapture system, writing custom CAN integration (using the smartycam output)
  2. Move my fuel pressure sender to the rail
  3. reinstall the meziere water pump - having tested it to be equal in performance to the normal coyote pump
  4. front end repairs (new tow hook - thanks Capaldi Racing!), fix air ducting damaged a few events ago
  5. change oil
  6. change transmission fluid
  7. change differential fluid
  8. Change coolant/water
  9. new rear pads
  10. Change a leaking front crank seal - I didn't get the seal depth right the first time
  11. new front rotor rings (thanks @OPMustang Tim and crew!)
  12. Clean up all the dust
  13. Reinstall the surge tank (since now I can collect more useful data on it)
  14. Build a new splitter as the plywood one is nearing its end
  15. repair the transponder
  16. Clean the air filter
  17. build a new better front camera mount to reduce vibration
  18. Align the car, the front toe is off and its costing me performance, not to mention make adjustments as indicated by my tire temperature data
View attachment 63221View attachment 63222
So far I've changed the front seal and worked out the software side of the AIM integration. I have events the next two weekends back to back so some of this will get put off for a bit. Until next time.
Chris, any tips/tricks on installing the crank seal? You mentioned not getting the depth set right the first time - did the seal leak from the beginning, or started leaking later on? I’m almost 1 year in on a new short block - not a drop of oil leaked since new and now all of a sudden I have a leak down low which is getting into the serp belt and making a real mess.
 
741
1,075
TX
End of year report ( NASA AZ ST2 at AMP CW/Oct, CCW/Dec):

The last couple events were a mixed bag, I'll summarize it along with some changes to the car and updates:
View attachment 81882View attachment 81883View attachment 81884
AMP October:
CW, 2 Wins puts me in a pretty good lead in the region, both wins were uncontested as my competition all had issues in practice or qualify.
Car notes: Transmission sluggish to shift when warm, laundry list of items needing fixing increasing
Changes: Cortex axle set at highest RC, used 18mm rear bar, Cortex LCA's using BMR bearing spacers and LCA brackets

View attachment 81885View attachment 81886View attachment 81887
Chuckwalla November:
Budget and exhaustion got me, skipped this event. Tage Evanson ties for lead in regional ST2 championship with 915 points
Car notes: add 2 units of BG MGC to transmission to hopefully resolve shift issues, Accusump air charged

Changes: New AP Racing front brakes, CANbus TPMS system installed, cleanup of camera mounts, lowered steering wheel height to fix nagging shoulder pain
View attachment 81888
AMP December (one day):
CCW, I arrive after some long delayed flights coming back from New York. I test negative for Covid, but end up being positive, leave the event sick - in qualifying the accusump system failed putting about 8 quarts of oil all over the interior, exterior of the car and my safety gear. Its raining heavily, but I try my best to clean it up, call it a day. Tage starts the race for the ST lead, but declares a "fun run" to leave the championship at a stalemate
Car notes: Transmission still sluggish to shift when warm, laundry list of items needing fixing increasing, accusump explosion caused significant damage to the interior, brake lights and some other electronics failures noted. New brakes work fantastic

Changes: none

As it stands, the regional championship will come down to some runoff gag at the awards ceremony, so cross fingers its something I have a chance at. I've been down with Covid for more than a week and its hit me hard, unfortunately I cannot attend to the damaged race car - right now much more than just walking the house end to end is exhausting for me.

Some of the big changes have been the cortex goodies and the AP Racing ENP brakes from @OPMustang Tim . We haven't been able to fully setup the Cortex gear due to some hardware issues with a LCA bracket (the replacement is in production but a few weeks away still), but the goal is in 2023 to get some testing time on the car to fully set it up since its basically a 100% different car from the beginning of the year. Not sure of the season's plans, but I'd like to open up to some new tracks, and revisit the crime scenes of the past (Laguna, COTA).

The brakes are something else, they're a bit smaller than the 380x32mm OPM S550 setup I used before, but the improvement in pedal feel and consistency and the consumable life improvements in racing conditions make this a hugely transformative upgrade on the car. The ENP RadiCal 9668 caliper has an amazing finish which is bonus, but I chose the system after working with Tim and the team from Essex/AP. I spoke with many brembo dealers and none were interested in earning the business, and technologically, I believe the AP solution to be more advanced and more economical.
View attachment 81893View attachment 81891View attachment 81892View attachment 81895View attachment 81897View attachment 81898View attachment 81890View attachment 81889



I'm still learning to drive the Cambered Rear axle, but every time I'm in the car I find more confidence and trust in the system - the huge payoffs are on throttle exits and the midcorner speed capability, the car is much more stable and predictable with significant increases in rear grip. Next year looking at the front may be a thing, but for now I just need to learn to drive this car and determine what I have to do with it in terms of being competitive in the new more restrictive 2023 ST2 rules.

View attachment 81894
Hey Chris - hope you feel better soon. Just had a qq - what's the CANbus TPMS system you're referencing? Is this a stock part you're putting back in? Or something aftermarket?
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az

This unit, which I can use to stream to my racecapture system, uses thread-on sensors so I can do all the normal rotation and cycling of wheels
 
741
1,075
TX

This unit, which I can use to stream to my racecapture system, uses thread-on sensors so I can do all the normal rotation and cycling of wheels
Thanks for sharing! I've been looking for similar options. Looking forward to how these workout for you. If you have good experience with it, I'll have to give it a shot as well!
 
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captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
Some quick updates:

I did win the NASA AZ regional championship - despite Tage Evanson and myself tying in points, I held the tie-breaker due to the number of wins. That felt pretty good though he could have easily taken the win for himself by starting the very last race (though I think he might have had a 4th gear issue, but still catching the green would close it). That said, the trophy is really nice and feels good to get 3 championships in 6 seasons of racing.
7A62D23B-ED64-4316-B000-9ED43E350435.jpg
I took a bit of a break due to lack of enthusiasm after the oil incident, but ran Chuckwalla in February. It was a pretty tough weekend, the track was overbooked and didn't have enough paddock for everyone, they didn't have running water and it was pretty cold for camping. That said, toughed it out and made practice, however in practice I received a warning light for oil pressure right near track exit. I shut it down and pulled into the hot pits and had it towed to the paddock where we confirmed it wasn't a gauge issue. Next to me was Mark Luton of MMR fame, who was running in TT with his GT350/sequential car. We had a good chat and I had helped him with some tire setup - he's newer to road racing but the hook is set! Showed how to read the hoosier tires for maximum grip and we took some hot readings for pyrometer and pressures. I believe he ended up winning his class and had some good times on track (1.8 seconds better than I had been in my one session). In regards to my motor, we were both baffled - plenty of aluminum in the filter

I ended up picking up a golden retriever puppy for another TMO member while in Cali (the absolute highlight of the weekend), and brought the car home. I've since torn into it and some surprising findings. Root cause is unknown but so far the damage has been:

  1. Oil pump and oil pump housing obliterated
  2. Crankshaft has a worn groove on the snout from the housing failure, moderate wear when pressure was lost under rod bearings
  3. The inlet tube had much of the outer ring of the oil pump in it
  4. All bearings are toast
  5. One primary tensioner is missing the cap from the ratcheting adjuster - found it on a magnet in the pan
  6. Head cam bearings have some scoring on them - not sure if to discard point but certainly not ideal
  7. Cams show reciprocal wear.
  8. Primary chains show some links wearing
  9. passenger side secondary chain guides had significant wear, chain feels fine but I'll likely discard
  10. some mild scratching in the cylinder bores - I'm already at a 3.645" bore measurement, not sure I can really go much farther on this block.
As far as root cause its anyone's guess. I can't find any evidence of something entering the pump - everything is accounted for otherwise, the bolts holding the billet backplate on were loose for a few locations, but I have to assume that's from the housing coming apart violently, and even if it were the case, the main mounting bolts would have kept everything in relative alignment and sandwiched together. thrust and crank runout don't appear to be at play here. Either way, 3 years is a good enough run. I've put together a workbook of what I think I'll need to repair this, and its tough. I'll take my time but for now I think 2023 is off the books, and we'll see what I want to do in 2024. I'd really like to enjoy the sport a bit more and I think to do so I need to break the cycle of getting the car "good enough" between races and rushing to do anything. I'd like to spend more time driving and having fun, and that might mean more TT and HPDE days, maybe some travel.

Here's what the current analysis looks like for worst case scenario (unless I go to dry sump, a net 4k jump)
1677368381727.png

And carnage pictures for those into that sort of kink:
IMG_7998.jpgIMG_7999.jpgIMG_8001.jpgIMG_7996.jpgIMG_7997.jpgIMG_8007.jpgIMG_7991.jpgIMG_7989.jpgIMG_7988.jpgIMG_7965.jpgIMG_7913.jpgIMG_7904.jpg
 
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501
550
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Snowy North
Wow Chris...what a crazy, fascinating and disturbing story. Jeez.

The racer in me wants to say "don't even consider stopping racing". The dad/bill payer/working slave in me wants to ask "holy f**k....how much is too much money and time spent?" (Yeah, I never listen to him either). But the engineer in me is gonna win-out and ask;. What did the remains of the Boundary Black Series OPGs look like?".

Not finger pointing...just curious. Something akin to a die-grinder had a big-time appetite for aluminum.
 
741
1,075
TX
Wow! That's serious carnage for not making a window in the block. Do you have any pics of the heads/cams?

I have had a few convos with people that have raced these Coyote-based platforms in IMSA/etc. and they've all said the same thing - you need to dry sump for longevity. Can't say I have any proof other than 3 engines that have had oiling problems of one type or another.

Really hate seeing this. Know all too well the damper it puts on things. :(
 

captdistraction

GrumpyRacer
1,954
1,698
Phoenix, Az
There’s a couple pics of the heads and cams above but I’ll upload an album soon. I’m actually hopeful they can be salvaged. I put everything to a dial indicator and the cams are still in clearance spec and turn smoothly, only the passenger exhaust shows any sort of meaningful wear (all the cap pictures are of the exhaust on that bank).
The retainers look great, so I think if I’m lucky I can knock a few thousand dollars off this list.

On the dry sump bit - I’m researching but for now I don’t plan on running again in 2023 and maybe part of 2024, I’ll start planning what to do with the car in the summer after I get a financial plan together.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
There’s a couple pics of the heads and cams above but I’ll upload an album soon. I’m actually hopeful they can be salvaged. I put everything to a dial indicator and the cams are still in clearance spec and turn smoothly, only the passenger exhaust shows any sort of meaningful wear (all the cap pictures are of the exhaust on that bank).
The retainers look great, so I think if I’m lucky I can knock a few thousand dollars off this list.

On the dry sump bit - I’m researching but for now I don’t plan on running again in 2023 and maybe part of 2024, I’ll start planning what to do with the car in the summer after I get a financial plan together.
😢
 

steveespo

Lord knows I'm a Voodoo Child
Moderator
4,008
1,924
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Cookeville TN
Stuff is tough to see even after taking "durability" precautions such as oil pump gears, road race pan, good rods and pistons, valve springs and ARP hardware etc. Almost makes me think a stock longblock takes you to the same place for a lot less $$. May need to replace sooner but cost is almost 2:1 on the high end stuff. Ford Gen 3 long blocks are $5900 right now. That is a bargain. If you can do a stand alone ABS and steering the Gen 3 will make the power. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-6006-m50c/make/ford
 

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