Taking a Different Boss to the Track Friday

[2012YellowBoss]

Just (finally) picked up the Boss today. They replaced the clutch and I had the MGW shifter installed along with the new hydraulic line. Feels like a different car. The clutch pedal is much easier, shorter and smoother, not sure if there was a problem with the old unit (it looked fine) or the line is making the difference. If the shifter wows me on the track as much as the street I will be very happy, lovin it so far but will not know for sure until I get some high RPM shifts in.

Even with the street driving I can say the throw is shorter and waaaay more precise. I found I was using very little effort or feeling like I had to grab it and move it into place especially on the down shifts. There is no play in neutral. Night and day difference! I have also made other changes like the new brake lines, drive shaft, camber and toe setting so between all these things it will feel like a new car.

I will not have time to get the canister on, but did one more mod to beat the other 5 or 6 guys racing here to make a Boss 302S version of the street car (Think I'm winning now 8) )



I know I have you all beat on weight reduction, my wallet weights one tenth of what it use to :'(

 

[cloud9]

What happened to your clutch? What kind of driveshaft did you go with? Did you add some toe out? I like the sticker 8)

 

[2012YellowBoss]

The clutch was sticking half way up, just like the problem reported on the 11's. Others with the 12 and new pedal assembly are still having issues like me, so that may not have been a proper fix. It is a high RPM only problem. Ford told them to replace the pressure plate so I got the whole clutch assembly.

I think the difference I am seeing so far is the high flow steel line. I have driven several other Bosses and the pedal travel now feels like (at least) two of the other cars I drove.

Speaking of that, I drove a Boss with the S teeda shifter, I am not going to say bad things but the MGW shifter is totally different (in a better way).

I just sent you an email about the toe, the drive shaft was from Kendall. The brand is Axle Exchange, Fairfield, NJ (use to work at the airport in that town). I was told by a real nice Ford guy the sticker is worth 12 HP

 

[VoodooBoss]

I like the stickers too and I missed the drive shaft the first time I read this.

The larger clutch line looks interesting and I've been waiting to see if it makes a difference. The theory behind it makes a lot of sense but who knows. Did the new shifter include a new shifter bracket?

 

[cloud9]

I had two clutches replaced on my GT500 due to TSB's with issues they had with that clutch. Each time the initial clutch pedal feel was much softer, but it firmed up after a few days of driving. It will be interesting to see if yours does the same.

Is the drive shaft from Kendall a carbon fiber or aluminum?

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Unlike other designs which use an adapter - causing vibration and even failure - this driveshaft features a completely new pinion flange for superior durability and performance. It features 1330 series U-joints and is a solid, 1 piece design made with 4" Alcoa certified 6061 aluminum tubing.

I hope that does not change too much. While the new line allows for more flow the line inside the casing does not get replaced and is smaller, I hope it does not matter and the new line adds enough pressure to make for that. I will know in two days.

I got the shifter complete with the heat shield, if I remember correctly the rear bracket is included with the shifter, need to check it has been a while since I looked at it and they installed it.

 

[VoodooBoss]

There's a reason why I asked about the shifter bracket. From the photo below there is a new MGW bracket necessitated by the different design. A while back I read up on the clutch/shifting problem and part of the discussion led to replacing the hydraulic line and shifter bracket. Since I haven't had the clutch issue (yet) I thought it would be an interesting and a cheap project to replace the stock shifter bracket. After looking at the design it seemed like there was the potential for an improvement by replacing the soft flimsy stock shifter bracket with an aftermarket bracket.

Anyway I purchased the Steeda version and installed it along with the softer bushing last weekend. I haven't driven it much yet and my initial impression is there wasn't a huge improvement. For $65 it wasn't a huge expense either. My initial thoughts are the shifter is a bit tighter and more mechanical feeling. But I'm reserving judgement until I have more miles on it. I'll start a thread on the subject in a week or so. My theory is that some (not sure how much) of the improvement with a new shifter is from a new shifter bracket. Most of the Steeda shifters are sold with the new bracket.

While I wouldn't expect much of a difference at low torque slow shifting I think there might be an improvement under high torque situations like on a track making high speed shifts. Just look at my photo and you'll see why. The end of the shifter housing moves a bunch with the stock bracket but is well locked down with the new bracket using either bushings. That translates into less slop in the shifter.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

Yes, that bracket was replaced and the old one in the box-o-parts. I need to go through everything when I have time. I am looking forward to Friday, not just because I have not had a dry lap there since Aug. but I want to see what this feels like. If it is 10% of the difference I feel on the street it would be a very big improvement.

My car was getting to the point of almost not going into fifth gear at RPM.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I still think the stock shifter is fine, although MGW makes some great stuff.

I am hoping my stock shifter and trans will last through 2014, at which point a 302R transmission may have to go in!

 

[drano38]

Scott,
Car looks great! But the decal does add more weight.
Will monitor MGW shifter reports. Sounds like a nice mod, but its definitely a "next year" thing--I've already max'ed out mod plans for this winter.

 

[cloud9]

I still think the stock shifter is fine, although MGW makes some great stuff.

I am hoping my stock shifter and trans will last through 2014, at which point a 302R transmission may have to go in!

I'm with you on this as well. That begs an interesting question though. What driveshaft are they using on the 302R? Is it a 2-piece or lightweight one-piece? Obviously it would require a different driveshaft to make the connection to the TR6060, so I'm thinking IF I were to change driveshafts, would you do it in conjunction with a trans swap. Just thinking out loud....

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I'm with you on this as well. That begs an interesting question though. What driveshaft are they using on the 302R? Is it a 2-piece or lightweight one-piece? Obviously it would require a different driveshaft to make the connection to the TR6060, so I'm thinking IF I were to change driveshafts, would you do it in conjunction with a trans swap. Just thinking out loud....

The 302R uses a one-piece aluminum shaft. Not sure if the overall length is the same as what is used with the 6060; the 302R uses a heavily beefed-up T56.

Rehagen sells the 302R trans for a cool $6k, I'd figure this is an $8k investment between Trans, DS, and Clutch when it's all said and done (assuming you're installing it all yourself). That's a serious chunk of change, but the transmission is absolutely bulletproof. I wouldn't need to add that until I get into serious wheel-to-wheel stuff, hopefully.

And then you get into which rearend ratio you want to run I'm not positive that the 3.73 is the best for the 302R trans, maybe a 4.10 or 4.30. I have a spreadsheet going on my home computer w/ the ratios compared between the 302R trans and MT82 w/ various rear gears...

 

[cloud9]

I'm with you on this as well. That begs an interesting question though. What driveshaft are they using on the 302R? Is it a 2-piece or lightweight one-piece? Obviously it would require a different driveshaft to make the connection to the TR6060, so I'm thinking IF I were to change driveshafts, would you do it in conjunction with a trans swap. Just thinking out loud....

The 302R uses a one-piece aluminum shaft. Not sure if the overall length is the same as what is used with the 6060; the 302R uses a heavily beefed-up T56.

Rehagen sells the 302R trans for a cool $6k, I'd figure this is an $8k investment between Trans, DS, and Clutch when it's all said and done (assuming you're installing it all yourself). That's a serious chunk of change, but the transmission is absolutely bulletproof. I wouldn't need to add that until I get into serious wheel-to-wheel stuff, hopefully.

And then you get into which rearend ratio you want to run I'm not positive that the 3.73 is the best for the 302R trans, maybe a 4.10 or 4.30. I have a spreadsheet going on my home computer w/ the ratios compared between the 302R trans and MT82 w/ various rear gears...

Good to know. Do you know what 1-piece aluminum shaft they use? Is it the sames as the 302S? I'm more likely to just upgrade the driveshaft than the entire driveline.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Gary, I don't know for certain, but the important factor is the length of the 6060 vs. the 302R T56. If they are the same length, they might use the same shaft.

Rehagen prefers Dynotech shafts, they run around 770. The service replacement for the 302R is just under 600.

 

[Berol]

I'm with you on this as well. That begs an interesting question though. What driveshaft are they using on the 302R? Is it a 2-piece or lightweight one-piece? Obviously it would require a different driveshaft to make the connection to the TR6060, so I'm thinking IF I were to change driveshafts, would you do it in conjunction with a trans swap. Just thinking out loud....

The 302R uses a one-piece aluminum shaft. Not sure if the overall length is the same as what is used with the 6060; the 302R uses a heavily beefed-up T56.

Rehagen sells the 302R trans for a cool $6k, I'd figure this is an $8k investment between Trans, DS, and Clutch when it's all said and done (assuming you're installing it all yourself). That's a serious chunk of change, but the transmission is absolutely bulletproof. I wouldn't need to add that until I get into serious wheel-to-wheel stuff, hopefully.

And then you get into which rearend ratio you want to run I'm not positive that the 3.73 is the best for the 302R trans, maybe a 4.10 or 4.30. I have a spreadsheet going on my home computer w/ the ratios compared between the 302R trans and MT82 w/ various rear gears...

Good to know. Do you know what 1-piece aluminum shaft they use? Is it the sames as the 302S? I'm more likely to just upgrade the driveshaft than the entire driveline.

Doesn't specifically answer your question, but since nobody has posted this I figured it couldnt' hurt

http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=11824

 

[cloud9]

I like the 16 lbs and the price.....now just need them to offer it in a version that fits our cars

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

If you want a one-piece NOW, just call Dynotech and have them make you one. If you switch transmissions, you could sell it to any BOSS or GT owner with an MT82.

The addition of a 1-piece to my '06GT was definitely noticeable in the response of the vehicle.

 

[cloud9]

If you want a one-piece NOW, just call Dynotech and have them make you one. If you switch transmissions, you could sell it to any BOSS or GT owner with an MT82.

The addition of a 1-piece to my '06GT was definitely noticeable in the response of the vehicle.

I had a Dynotech on my GT500 too and now it has a DSS two-piece aluminum chromoly. I guess I'm just waiting for some guinea pigs. If FRPP offered one, I'd know it's been thoroughly tested on the Mustang.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I had a Dynotech on my GT500 too and now it has a DSS two-piece aluminum chromoly. I guess I'm just waiting for some guinea pigs. If FRPP offered one, I'd know it's been thoroughly tested on the Mustang.

You tired of being the only pioneer?

 

[cloud9]

I had a Dynotech on my GT500 too and now it has a DSS two-piece aluminum chromoly. I guess I'm just waiting for some guinea pigs. If FRPP offered one, I'd know it's been thoroughly tested on the Mustang.

You tired of being the only pioneer?

I'm resting now ;D



Uploaded with ImageShack.us