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Grandmas ride - "run what ya brung"

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Hey everyone, glad to find this site. Seems like everything has gone to Facebook groups and it just isn’t the same as the forums. I was active for a long time on Corral and even CC but the Mustang content and activity just hasn’t been the same.

I had a 2001 Mustang that I autocrossed a lot and was nicely setup but I let it go when my kids were small. I haven’t been active with autocross or anything car related in a long time. About 2 years ago my mom wanted me to come pick up her old Mustang that she bought new back at the end of 98. It was a 99 Mustang GT. It was her daily driver for many years, but over the last 10 years it hadn't moved very much. She finally decided to part ways with it and wanted me to have it. It needed a little TLC and being familiar with the platform it was a pretty easy "restoration." I didn't really have a use for it but I thought maybe I could turn it into a track toy (if I could ever find the time). Fast forward and I now have a driving age son in the house who has taken an interest. Recently he had been looking into some Formula SAE stuff and came across autocross. He found a local event and asked if we could go, so I figured why not!

Now the car isn't exactly setup for autocross but I figured it was better to get out there now rather than waiting for the perfect time. The car is pretty much stock with the exception of some Vogtland lowering springs (I just couldn't do the 4x4 look) and Koni SAs all around. The front struts were leftovers from my 01 GT. On top of being stock, it is also an auto. The day before the event I was able to get some 255/40/17 Azenis 615K+ installed. They probably aren't the fastest 200 tw tire, but I figured they would be good enough to take a beating from myself and a brand new driver, especially considering I don't even have the alignment dialed in yet (no cc plates).

Needless to say the first event was a blast. It had been over 10 years since my last autocross and he had never even done a ride along. We ran the car in 2nd the whole time, even though we could have probably done most of the track in 1st. My sons main goal was to not finish dead last and mine was just to get some good laps in and not be at the bottom. Given the car setup, those might have been a little lofty goals. At the end of the day he was able to finish ahead of several people and I finished in the bottom of mid pack (60 out of 90+).

We really had a good time and got to make some good memories. Also found a good use for the car that we weren't really using much. Now my son is counting the days to the next event and ready to work on the car to make it handle better. I don't have any huge plans at the moment. I'd like to not get to crazy with the car because there is a chance this might become his DD. Plus I would like to spend more time in the seat and less time wrenching. Right now we are on a stock suspension, nearly 25 year old control arms and all, with the exception of the Konis and Vogtlands. Hoping to add a front sway and maybe some CC plates before the next event. My last car had MM TA/PHB and coil overs all around. I'm hoping not to go that far again just yet.

Right now we are running around 1.25-1.5 negative camber and I am hoping that after CC plates we can get that to at least -2.5. That's really the majority of the suspension mods I have planned for the moment, maybe some MM rear lower control arms. My goal is to hit at least 3-4 more events this year and have fun with it. Depending on how that goes, in a year we may have to decide if we are going to get something else more suitable for AX or go hog wild on this one. Right now, I'm trying to keep it simple and "run what you brung." Probably a different "build" than some of the impressive ones that are on here but right now the idea is to keep it simple and get some seat time and make memories.
 
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87
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
West
Though neither of you finished at the top of the list I will bet money that you came out on the top of your son's list. Spending time with him and teaching him to get his driving thrills on a track and not on the street is more than many boys and girls get in life. Well done, Dad! Keep up the good work. And Welcome to the site.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Your Mission, should you accept it, is to get to as many events as possible this year and then put the first week of December on your calendar to wander over the border of Georgia to the big city of Moultrie. There, at an old WWII airfield still in use ( Spence Field ) the SCCA runs it last Solo National Tour Event. It is a great surface, similar to the Nationals site in Lincoln, Ne. and it will give you and your son the feel of a big event, but way laid back like in past decades. You will find Cone Crazies from around the Midwest, East Coast and South that will wander down for the last Pylon Pulverizing Event of the year. Some nut from Kneebraskee wanders down there with his son to compete in the warmth and sunshine, and Big Dave Whitworth, owner of SPS ( solo performance.com ) shows up there too. You will see some of his posts one here and listen carefully as the boy is fast and stays up on all the new tricks, tires, and mods happening , since he supports a ton of National and other auto crosses Nationwide. Dave_W is another Autoxer here, as is Emery Seaton, and Auteaux to name a few. This site has plenty of Trackrats , many who do W2W, Time Trials and autocross, so we are glad to have you here.

By the way , I drug my son to autocross events since he was 5, he was riding with me at age 12, and he began cone killing at age 15. He is getting real close to 40 years of age and I can vouched that autocrossing or racing is one of the best things you can do with your son, I know I still look forward to our time together hammering the gas than about anything in life.

Ask questions, we are all here to help!!
 
Holey Cow!!!, When I saw"Grandmas ride" I thought what the heck do we have here????????..........Nothing surprises me anymore...well that aint exactly true either................each new day is a new adventure............that's a fact you have to explore.........I KNOW.....I was knocking on the exit door.........................................not by my own willingness..............
 
Thanks guys. The car did way better than I expected and honestly I under drove it badly. With the age of the car and considering how much of it is the original parts and bushings, I was expecting way worse. Being an auto made it tough as the course is basically right in between 1st and 2nd for us. Really the car needs 4.10s out back and 2nd would be great for most autocrosses. That is on the list of possible mods as well, but just not right at the moment. Setting up a rear end is something that I haven't done before, so I am debating letting a shop do it, vs. learning for myself and doing it at home. For now we are going to have to most likely drive in first and upshift to 2nd when/if needed. Redline in 1st puts at right at almost 50 mph.

Your Mission, should you accept it, is to get to as many events as possible this year and then put the first week of December on your calendar to wander over the border of Georgia to the big city of Moultrie. There, at an old WWII airfield still in use ( Spence Field ) the SCCA runs it last Solo National Tour Event. It is a great surface, similar to the Nationals site in Lincoln, Ne. and it will give you and your son the feel of a big event, but way laid back like in past decades. You will find Cone Crazies from around the Midwest, East Coast and South that will wander down for the last Pylon Pulverizing Event of the year. Some nut from Kneebraskee wanders down there with his son to compete in the warmth and sunshine, and Big Dave Whitworth, owner of SPS ( solo performance.com ) shows up there too. You will see some of his posts one here and listen carefully as the boy is fast and stays up on all the new tricks, tires, and mods happening , since he supports a ton of National and other auto crosses Nationwide. Dave_W is another Autoxer here, as is Emery Seaton, and Auteaux to name a few. This site has plenty of Trackrats , many who do W2W, Time Trials and autocross, so we are glad to have you here.

By the way , I drug my son to autocross events since he was 5, he was riding with me at age 12, and he began cone killing at age 15. He is getting real close to 40 years of age and I can vouched that autocrossing or racing is one of the best things you can do with your son, I know I still look forward to our time together hammering the gas than about anything in life.

Ask questions, we are all here to help!!
Sounds cool. I will definitely put that on the list! My son has his permit so of course he is really loving it. Getting to drive a car in anger in a parking lot when you don't even have a license has definitely been fun for him so far.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Having races Miatas over the years they often surprise the unsuspecting on both a road course and especially at auto crosses! So cool you are both having such a good time.
 
I never drove a Miata, but I know they are super light and agile.....just the right recipe for some fun.................The Boss is quivering......for no reason....A Miata won't fit in the garage.....It's too small............for me............;)
 
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Also....

Thread 'Junkyard Dog Build' https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/junkyard-dog-build.13356/

Most stock, or close to stock classes won't let you touch the rear suspension. It's not very good for handling and it is prone to snap oversteer as the links wonder around trying to find " center". When I ran that stuff ( and your results at tech may very) I actually soaked the uppers in kerosene, to let them come to center less violently, and drove nails into the bottom bushings to stiffen them up.
( stock class, remember) except for some different shocks,there's not much you can do there. The front on the other hand can hugely benefit from a pair of Steeda 2X ball joints that will help raise the roll center when you lower the car. The car will also benefit from a set of weld in sub frame connectors, if the class you run won't allow weld ins, you can scrounge around and get the bolt in connectors from a convertible, along with the front subframe support, they have Ford part numbers on them and depending on your view of " legal" will help to some extent.
I ran several sn95s is NASA auto cross and we could change a combination of springs, sway bars, shocks, tires. Pick 2. The ones to pick are springs and tires.
 
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Added MM CC plates last week and got the alignment checked today. Was able to get -3.0 camber on the driver side and -3.7 on passenger side. Caster set at 4.5 positive in order to avoid creating any additional bump steer issues for the time being. Middle of the CC plate for caster gave me 4.5 positive, should be able to get 6 or slightly more maxed out. Had a 35mm Suspension Technique front sway laying around so I threw that on. What a pain. The driver side sway bar mount to frame bolts were just spinning like crazy in the frame. Passenger was easy. Finally got it done though after some frustration. Those bolts are a terrible design. Between the bigger bar and more camber, should see a ton more grip next event, which hopefully is this weekend!

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A bigger bar does not mean more grip, it actually means less, but these cars can use a bit bigger front bar so it might work out. the camber is a great move though. The 2X ball joints will be a huge improvement. Whenever you go past 4 degrees of caster, you pick up camber gain, so I ran as much as possible. Steeda also builds a bump steer kit for that car.
 
On this platform (79-04) the bigger bar almost always equals more grip until you end up running high rate springs. I definitely get what you are saying as with most cars with adequate suspensions, stiffer bar up front equals reduced front grip. On the current setup the big bar will definitely increase grip.
 
Was able to get another event under the belt this weekend. Overall the car did better than expected. Not sure if that is because expectations are too low or what. I did about the same roughly relative to the competition but my son showed serious improvement. I am going to have to quit under driving the car or he will be catching or passing me sooner rather than later.
 

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