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S197 Kiwi Track Rat's Boss 302 resurrection Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

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90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
Our Govt repair regulations are such that this will be set up on a frame machine with a full 3D measuring system to ensure everything goes back to factory Ford spec.
We are only allowed a 3mm tolerance so its all quite strict which isn't a bad thing however on some detail it can get very tedious becoming more about paperwork than the actual vehicle.
 
90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
Ouch, brings back bad memories of my crunch in the good old pre-covid days. I think you will be fine in the end, If you have access to another mustang, measure all the angles and distances you can. The Shock towers are the ones to take extra care over.

To look on the positive side. mine was in the same shape and they put it pack as good as new.

best of luck!!

Thats a positive!!! The work part, not the paperwork..................
Just the engine and trans to drop tomorrow.
All wiring harness, brakes, master cyl, A/C, pedal box, steering, interior and suspension is removed.
The booster can't be removed at this point as the strut tower is about 10 inches back stopping that coming out.
Once they give it a pull on the frame machine it will be able to come out.IMG20210715145750.jpgIMG20210715150459.jpg
 
90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
It's all apart now, nothing left in the bay other than the booster I can't get out.
One of the engine mount brackets is broken as well but no other major surprises.
The frame shop is just up the street so they offered to bring the frame machine up here and I'll drop the car on for them since it's already on my lift.

IMG-20210716-WA0003.jpegIMG20210716083240.jpg We also had another quite serious worry, one of the auction pictures seemed to show a running engine with the oil light on however upon tracing some broken wiring this morning one wire runs directly to the oil pressure switch and with absolutely no oil on the underside of the car I'm 99.9% confident everything is A ok.
I did intend to cut the filter open but now I've found the broken wire there's no real need to.
 
90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
Its getting a new LH rail complete, LH upper rail, complete shock tower / apron, core support, crash bar and the front section of the RH rail.
She's pretty bent but all very repairable. Compared to my normal Volkswagen repairs the Genuine Ford parts are laughably cheap for these cars so there's no real point / benefit in importing a bunch of used parts all the way from the US.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
True, before I bought my Boss in 2012, I made a list of all the pros and cons against, what was my first choice, a E92 BMW M3... The repair costs and parts for the M3 were 3 to 8 times more expensive.

.. If I had gone for the M3, would have been single, broke and with out any trophy's.. Very glad I dropped my European car roots in favor of the Boss. The only M3's I have had problems with, have been supercharged with 100 hp more... On braking and handling they are not even close. Who would have thought.... :hellyeah:

In truth, a large part is because of the wealth of knowledge here at TMO, no better place to get your car sorted!
 
118
275
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Auckland, New Zealand
Great to have the car over at Bad Influence's shop and underway. I really can't wait to get this thing on the road and out on track!

True, before I bought my Boss in 2012, I made a list of all the pros and cons against, what was my first choice, a E92 BMW M3... The repair costs and parts for the M3 were 3 to 8 times more expensive.

.. If I had gone for the M3, would have been single, broke and with out any trophy's.. Very glad I dropped my European car roots in favor of the Boss. The only M3's I have had problems with, have been supercharged with 100 hp more... On braking and handling they are not even close. Who would have thought.... :hellyeah:

In truth, a large part is because of the wealth of knowledge here at TMO, no better place to get your car sorted!

I totally agree with that Mad Hatter, I thought about M3s and Caymans but stuff gets expensive really quickly and also would they be more fun? I realize "fun" factor is very subjective but I don't think I could get a more allround fun car for the same sort of money than the this one.

The question I am working through currently is what to do while the engine and trans is out? I have ordered Boundary OPGs, AR oil balancing hoses, JLT catch cans, MGW shifter and we'll check the clutch and probably go to an Excedy Hyper single.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
Since the engine is out, and if your laws permit it... I would bung in some decent Long tube headers... they really make a difference. On the other hand, the car is a lot of fun as it is... You can spend that money on good tires and wheels. The OEM wheels are massively heavy
 
90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
This has become one of my favorite builds to watch. Glad to see this car being brought back to life and that it will be used for what it was meant to do.

Addressing the OPG is a big win.
Yes that's my feeling as well, buying a mint low mileage peach you'd be a lot less likely to beat on at the track however this car........will be different.
There are cars worth saving, this is one of those.
 

Ludachris

Chris
Staff member
Moderator
1,658
1,962
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Newcastle, CA
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for all the visuals. It's awesome to be able to follow along with a project like this, and it's interesting to note the requirements in NZ and how that will dictate the process. Really appreciate you sharing it here.
 
90
178
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Auckland New Zealand
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for all the visuals. It's awesome to be able to follow along with a project like this, and it's interesting to note the requirements in NZ and how that will dictate the process. Really appreciate you sharing it here.
No problems, most of it is just a huge ball ache to me but for those that don't know here's a brief run down on how it works.
All used imported cars go through a "compliance" process where a bunch of things are checked and if its had obvious previous repairs or was imported damaged then you are referred to a "repair certifier"
This certifier will in effect take responsibility for the repairs on the vehicle and will instruct the frame shop how things are to be done, usually by following manufacturer guidelines or repair procedures for welding, gluing etc.
Vehicle therefore must be dimensionally accurate to within 3mm and wheel alignment must be within factory tolerances. As is often the case the paperwork gets quite intense needing a paper tail for pretty much everything everything.
Mostly airbag deployments are to be new only, structural parts usually new only as well.

Then there's modifications, if the car has performance modifications, suspension modifications etc you'll need a "modified vehicle cert" as well, just more $$ and tons more hassle.
All of this brought on by people doing shoddy repairs on cars and ripping off the public, like I said not a bad thing to ensure cars are safe but it gets more and more crazy as time goes on.
I won't go in to lots of detail but in a nutshell be thankful you guys have it so easy over there :cool:
 
118
275
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Auckland, New Zealand
If the car is heading to the track, don’t forget a good dose of cooling.
Yes that's on my list, what's the minimum requirement though? Bearing in mind we are limited to 15 minute sessions normally for our HPDE/track days. I am thinking engine oil cooler is an obvious start.

Since the engine is out, and if your laws permit it... I would bung in some decent Long tube headers... they really make a difference. On the other hand, the car is a lot of fun as it is... You can spend that money on good tires and wheels. The OEM wheels are massively heavy
To LTH or not has been one of my bigger indecision points so far. I think I have changed my mind half a dozen times at least so far. I love the look for the ARH LTHs, but I think in the end the head will rule the heart on this one and I'll leave it for another day.

No problems, most of it is just a huge ball ache to me but for those that don't know here's a brief run down on how it works.
All used imported cars go through a "compliance" process where a bunch of things are checked and if its had obvious previous repairs or was imported damaged then you are referred to a "repair certifier"
This certifier will in effect take responsibility for the repairs on the vehicle and will instruct the frame shop how things are to be done, usually by following manufacturer guidelines or repair procedures for welding, gluing etc.
Vehicle therefore must be dimensionally accurate to within 3mm and wheel alignment must be within factory tolerances. As is often the case the paperwork gets quite intense needing a paper tail for pretty much everything everything.
Mostly airbag deployments are to be new only, structural parts usually new only as well.

Then there's modifications, if the car has performance modifications, suspension modifications etc you'll need a "modified vehicle cert" as well, just more $$ and tons more hassle.
All of this brought on by people doing shoddy repairs on cars and ripping off the public, like I said not a bad thing to ensure cars are safe but it gets more and more crazy as time goes on.
I won't go in to lots of detail but in a nutshell be thankful you guys have it so easy over there :cool:
And this is a big part of the reason why I leave this to Bad Influence to manage ;-) he's been through this process many times and knows the ins and outs!
At our current clip, we should be right there with you soon.
Our goal is to have it on the road by the end of the year. Our government also just introduced an EV rebate (about a month ago) to stimulate EV uptake which is funded by taxing petrol and diesel cars. This additional tax regime begins in 2022 so getting it on the road this year will also save approx $2000 USD in additional costs at time of registration.
 

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