S197 Should've bought a base GT Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Boss4Me]

For me, coolant temps have never been an issue at all. Oil has always gotten pretty toasty though. So far the hood vent hasn't helped a whole lot with oil temps, but there's a large gap between the radiator and splitter that I need to fill, and the shop didn't replace the rest of the engine under tray so I'm debating if it's worth trying to get a new one or fashion something else or just leave it.

Yeah the GT lower shield and small valance leaves a large 2” gap at the bottom. I replaced those pieces with the Boss valance and lower shield as those parts have molded in the shape and added foam to close that gap. Although closing the bottom gap makes sense the results after one event in April were not overwhelmingly positive. However no measured data to analyze.

 

[noldevin]

Yeah the GT lower shield and small valance leaves a large 2” gap at the bottom. I replaced those pieces with the Boss valance and lower shield as those parts have molded in the shape and added foam to close that gap. Although closing the bottom gap makes sense the results after one event in April were not overwhelmingly positive. However no measured data to analyze.

I will say the factory oil temp gauge is pretty useless. It shows normal before my real gauge even starts to move. I am usually in the 250-270 range depending on the track. Water temp stays well within acceptable in all situations. I'd start with real gauges to see where your car is actually at. If you do spec out an oil cooler build, go with the recommended units. I cut corners and it seems I still need a bit more. (A bit of a recurring theme here lol)

 

[Boss4Me]

I will say the factory oil temp gauge is pretty useless. It shows normal before my real gauge even starts to move. I am usually in the 250-270 range depending on the track. Water temp stays well within acceptable in all situations. I'd start with real gauges to see where your car is actually at. If you do spec out an oil cooler build, go with the recommended units. I cut corners and it seems I still need a bit more. (A bit of a recurring theme here lol)

Thanks for that. My list does include real guages. Based on your comments, control oil temp and coolant follows?

 

[noldevin]

Thanks for that. My list does include real guages. Based on your comments, control oil temp and coolant follows?

In my experience, coolant has never been an issue. The boss radiator seems plenty up to the task here in NJ. Might be more of an issue if you're going to one of the desert tracks. If you remove the boss coolant-oil cooler like I did that's even less load on the radiator.