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RBDETT's '12 Boss autox/track build thread

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Hey all! Long time lurker but some of you may recognize me from facebook!

As a little background I purchased my Boss while overseas and got to come home to an awesome car. The car has grown with my driving ability from stock to various forms over the years but I am now ready to get more serious with it as after the mods last year I drive it on the street less and less.
287929_925285219335_2042824501_o_zpscxie0cnl.jpg.html

The car as it sat for the 2013 season

287929_925285219335_2042824501_o_zpscxie0cnl.jpg

The car as it sits now

0100485861931085_6700935554865953773_n_zpsozwdn5kb.jpg

DSC_2610_zpsqr9qtixk.jpg

Current mods are: Grand AM spec AST 5200 gas independent reservoir coilovers on 550 front and 300 rear lb/in springs, ARP studs, Forgestar Vorshlag special 18x11 wheels, Cobra Suzuka seats with Cooltech Boss harnesses, Boss 302S grille and an adjustable PHB. I am running about -2.75 degrees of camber and am hoping for more than -3.0 once this seasons mods are finished. My drivetrain is all stock with about 25k on it. I've also pulled the sound tube thingy and the rear sway bar (I was lifting a rear tire on power out and going open diff)

My future mod list is kind of open right now but I already have a QD wheel, Cooltech oil cooler kit, rear seat delete, MGW Race spec, and Laguna gauge pack that all need to get put on.

My tentative mods list (open to suggestions/feedback!)
1. Watts link (my passenger side rear wheel has rubbed the fender liner off so my rear axle is clearly moving around too much with an adjustable PHB)
2. Tiger racing hood (likely in fiberglass for durability/repairability)
3. Lightweight battery (looking at the Braille GU1R http://www.summitracing.com/parts/brl-gu1r?seid=srese1&gclid=CJjBgc_Cy8QCFcpZ7AodoUMALw)
4. Boss 302S front bushings
5. New brake pads (carbotech xp16's fronts? maybe titanium shims? My pads are absolutely smoked after years of hard autocross though they put up a good fight)
6. Stiffer front springs? Adjustable sway bars?

I am really competitive in the local autocross scene in my area which is really strong to begin with and plan on doing Optima Challenge in Michigan on June 20th-21st this year. This also means I might have to tweak my setup a bit since I am running on 305 Pirelli DH slicks.

A quick clip of one of my autox runs last year (I really messed up that second slalom :()

https://www.youtube.com/embed/r4HoN6Whl2w
 
Thanks! That really pains me to know I missed out on the Cortex group buy, that is my favorite Watts design out there, I may just go with the Whiteline unit as my buddy is a dealer and can get me one for around 700 shipped
 

cortexracing

Supporting Vendor
42
134
Hi RBDETT,

I looked over your list of car modes and can tell you are taking your track time seriously. With that said you should seriously consider a watts link that's up to the task of handling the loads your car will see with Pirelli slicks and lots of track time. There is a good reason that Ford Racing chose the CorteX unit after testing all of the others for use in the Pirelli World Challenge series. Doing track days can be costly by the time you pay the registration, get your car out there, possibly take time off of work. If you have any problems with you car and need to retire it you are going to loose a lot more than a couple hundred bucks. With the extra adjustability and durability of the CorteX watts you'll be well ahead on all fronts.

Obviously, this is your decision but I just wanted to share our perspective.

Thank you,

CorteX Racing
 
I will definitely consider Cortex, you guys are usually at the top of my list when I consider mods, we will see what Chicane 23 or Rehagen can do for me pricing wise. As an update I recently purchased an MGW race spec shifter form someone selling one on this forum, I can't wait to start this driving season!
 
The braille battery is pretty expensive. I know the Odyssey battery weighs more, however it cost a lot less. If I were you I would look into the Odyssey PC680. It cost around $150 and weighs 14lbs. Also, if you plan on putting the battery in engine compartment you may not want a Lithium Ion battery. Lithium batteries exposed to hotter average temperatures lose their ability to store energy; the hotter the temperature the faster they lose their storing ability. Also, lithium Ion batteries do not like the cold either and cannot be charged in cold weather.

Watts link is the way to go, IMO. Also, adjustable sway bars will allow you to dial your suspension. I see you are running slicks so, you may want to go to 800lbs springs in the front.

I am not sure how far your going to take this build, however if your going to go all the way with gutting the car and putting in a roll cage I would suggest that you skip the LS gauge cluster. I put that into my car before I went full on race build and now I regret it. I could have gauges on the center console instead with all the switches. Watson Racing has a really nice center console set up-

WR-CTRSTKWBTNCJ-2T_zpst5at9dfd.jpg

Compared to the LS gauges and Waston Racing center stack-

B61G9189_small-L_zps57478349.jpg

The LS gauges don't get in the way visually, I just think it looks cleaner without them. I just thought I would share what I thought about the LS gauges. Good luck on your build.
 
@roadhouse

The Odyssey is taller than the OEM battery. You can modify the OEM tray and it will fit. Also, Vorshlag has made a tray to work that is lighter than the OEM tray set up. If you plan on putting it in the trunk of the car you can go with a larger Odyssey battery because your shifting the weight to the rear of the car and this will help balance the car out.

BTW, Ford Racing School uses the Odyssey Batteries in their cars.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
I'm planning to install an Odyssey in my car as well, and modify the stock tray.

@Budget Boss I'm surprised you don't prefer the LS gauge location--I assumed those would be much easier to read while on-track. ALTHOUGH since you have AIM now you don't need any of those gauges...
 
ArizonaBOSS said:
I'm planning to install an Odyssey in my car as well, and modify the stock tray.

@Budget Boss I'm surprised you don't prefer the LS gauge location--I assumed those would be much easier to read while on-track. ALTHOUGH since you have AIM now you don't need any of those gauges...

To be honest I don't really look at them until the cool down lap so, for me the center console would have be better. On the AIM MXL Pista I have it hooked up to the OBD2 port and since I have the LS gauges installed the oil pressure doesn't come up on the AIM MXL. It would be nice if it did. The reason I didn't have it changed just came down to money and that I could see what the pressure is on the LS gauges.
 
Just something else to think about for your build is racing pedals. These really help with heel toe. I have big feet so I just went with standard. Just something to think about.

http://www.srpracing.com/pd-mustang-2005-racing-pedals.cfm
 
CorteX Racing said:
Hi RBDETT,

I looked over your list of car modes and can tell you are taking your track time seriously. With that said you should seriously consider a watts link that's up to the task of handling the loads your car will see with Pirelli slicks and lots of track time. There is a good reason that Ford Racing chose the CorteX unit after testing all of the others for use in the Pirelli World Challenge series. Doing track days can be costly by the time you pay the registration, get your car out there, possibly take time off of work. If you have any problems with you car and need to retire it you are going to loose a lot more than a couple hundred bucks. With the extra adjustability and durability of the CorteX watts you'll be well ahead on all fronts.

Obviously, this is your decision but I just wanted to share our perspective.

Thank you,

CorteX Racing

I like the idea of the spherical bearings instead of the poly bushings that WL uses. When I started my car it wasn't a full on race car build and I went with the WL Watts. However, if and when it breaks I'll give yours a shot.
 

302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
2,009
441
Southeast
Hi RB26Dett95:

Thank you for joining BMO and sharing about your Boss build. I haven't done extensive research in my area for AutoX series racing, but the two I did come across were pretty small setups in parking lots. Your AutoX race circuit is really nice and has given me a new found respect for the sport. Thank you for posting your Race video and nice job. I'll have to look a bit deeper in my area as your vid looks very competitive.

Nice progress on your 2012 Boss build keep the updates and videos coming,

All the best and good luck in running the Optima Battery Challenge AutoX in June 2015.

Dave,
302 Hi Pro
 
So I have some updates to my build. A long list of stuff Rehagen and an installation from DWW racing. I decided to go with this battery tender battery and hope that heat won't be as much of an issue anymore with a total overhaul of the cooling system by DWW and a tiger racing hood. Also includes an oil cooler with a large setrab element and thermostat and remote filter mount, deletion of the factory oil cooler, re-routing of coolant flow and a new radiator.

They removed the factory battery and installed this lovely little guy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F9LPL5E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is shockingly light at around 4 pounds and has plenty of CCAs, though the car is far from a DD at this point. I guess we will see how it does.

The install also included Boss 302S front control arms with extended ball joints, and Boss 302S bushings. This was a much larger task than you would think given the extra finagling it takes to install the bushings properly as tolerances need to be massaged due to some QC inconsistencies with the control arms themselves.

The Tiger hood is a CF race hood from a 302S and is pretty beat up but should suffice for weight and hopefully heat reduction.

The rear suspension is totally overhauled and consists of a Cortex watts link welded in, 302S LCA's and the narwhal tusk Multimatic upper control arm and spherical bushing.
Front swaybar is an adjustable Steeda peice Dean Martin recommended and the rear is a tiny Ford Racing rear sway.

Front brakes were replaced with DBA rotors and Pagid RST2 pads and fluid was flushed and replaced with Motul 600. Rears will be replaced with DBA rear rotors and a less aggressive pad compound which I already forgot the name.

They also replaced my clutch with a prototype Exedy unit that Rehagen has been working to develop with Exedy that can go from MT82 to the 302S transmission with a pressure plate change or something like that.

The car is getting final suspension setup tweaking done at the shop today and should have a better idea as to what I can run camber wise (my goal is around -3.5), and will get weighed either today or tomorrow. Unfortunately I ran out of money to pay these guys so I have to do the rear brakes, QD wheel install and Ford Racing gauges (if I do decide to install them) myself. If I had more money I would spring for a one piece driveshaft and an AiM MXL 2....

Pics to follow!
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
Like I said elsewhere, I'm very interested to hear about the longevity/performance of that battery. That is lighter than any of the other ones I've seen!
 

302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
2,009
441
Southeast
RB:
I would move up the 1 piece aluminum DS on your priority list. You'll notice a big difference on initial launch of your car and it should work very well in an AutoX application.

Good luck,
Dave
302 Hi Pro
 
ArizonaBOSS said:
Like I said elsewhere, I'm very interested to hear about the longevity/performance of that battery. That is lighter than any of the other ones I've seen!

I had to dig to find the warrenty which is not very good for the price you pay for this battery.

Warranty (from their site) is 0-12 mo. = 100%, 13-24 mo. = 50% , 25-36 mo. = 35% (no better than AGM batteries)

Tim
 

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