The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

S550 The Albuquerque Stripper - Mustang Nosegrind 720 Kickflip Champion Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
I don't have the time and skill to perform QA for free, especially when it's a $2300 product.
I kinda feel like a shitty person for knocking Mantec on that one, because it feels like I'm doing it for Ford.

After 2 stock clutches, I moved to an exedy mach with their lightened flywheel.
My flywheel is lighter than your flywheel.

Want proof?

Alrighty, here's mine :)

PXL_20201024_202722538.jpg

So yeah, I think I know why the Flywheel is on a D99 backorder until the end of November. Why's that you ask?

Because it's a piece of shiznit, that's why.

So I'm guessing that noise we heard in that video was the flywheel freely bouncing around in the bellhousing. That'd also explain why I was still able to shift, because the flywheel was still spinning, and the clutch was still making contact, and the pressure plate was still doing its job.

So that would explain why I was not able to start the car once again. But, just for fun, more starter problems, LOL.

PXL_20201024_190508939.jpg

When it rains, it pours. Good news is that I don't need a new engine or transmission, so I was kinda right on my guess before. I'm not going to go all QAnon up in this, because I've got like, eight functioning braincells, but perhaps there is a conspiracy or big coverup with the 2018 Mustang. Remember a while ago when I said that the 2018 Mustang starter was on backorder? Remember when I said the flywheel was on national backorder?

GET OUT OF MY HEAD, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!

1603583790753.png
 
Last edited:

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
That seems like the best possible outcome from that noise.
It certainly could have been a lot worse. Was getting some help with a friend, and when we took the starter off, we thought it was just the starter, which I had another sitting around. Then it went the extreme other way, as he touched the flywheel thought it was still bolted to the crank, which had him think the motor might have been busted, with it coming off the back of the crank
 
Last edited:

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
I've counted and recounted, but it looks like people have spoken, and agree that I am alive and well.

Perhaps "well" could be open to interpretation.

So yeah, finishing up and recapping from the previous post 6 weeks ago.

Clutch looks good-ish for 17k miles.
PXL_20201124_055750062.jpg

Flywheel surface looks alright.
PXL_20201124_055857860.jpg

Flywheel ring looks like it came off.
PXL_20201124_055927125.jpg

Starter looks busted.
PXL_20201124_055950274.jpg
If you look at the outer lip just above my thumb, you can see what used to be a solid edge/lip is now ground down. Well, that, and it's pretty much got no teeth. Chicken or the Egg, I'm not sure which came first. It could have been installed properly, freak accident, the outer ring separated, and freely spinning around, somewhat held in and contained by the clutch/flywheel, it'd be bouncing all around, chipping away on the flywheel teeth and that outer lip which I'm assuming enter the bellhousing just enough. Alternatively, that could have been installed either at a partially cocked angle, or not in tight enough, which would have been "correcting" the flywheel by just the slightest.
PXL_20201124_060021904.jpgPXL_20201124_060037033.jpg
Honestly, metallurgy isn't one of my areas of strength, but that said, it doesn't look like there's much holding the outer ring to the primary flywheel, either. At this point, I guess it doesn't matter, but the problem solver in me would like to know.

K-Member looks like it's bent from the previous owner. I'd actually like to take credit for it because I drive like a nutjob at times, but I'd noticed it back when I first took it in for an alignment* and installing the Vorshlag CC plates. I'm nowhere close to as mechanically talented as some of you, and swore up and down I had done something wrong, bent the struts, or... who knows. Called up Terry and Jason and they thought it was weird. When I took it over to Will's, he also thought it was weird. When Andrew and I disconnected/loosened parts the K-Member for some additional angle/clearance, it was more than strange that instead of dangling, one of the arms was pretty much still on. Dangit. Ford wants $800-900 for a new one, and while I was considering the Steeda Race K-Member to shave another 20-25 pounds off the front, NASA tacks on a mod penalty that'll cost me about 25rwhp in xT2, or closer to 50 in xT1, supposing we get there. Considering that the 18+ Coyote dynos 415-420 stock, and I'm weighing 3599 with a half tank so that'll have me at about 450rwhp before I start playing mod point games.

Transmission has been a tough one for me. I think it's fine, the input shaft has a lil' wiggle on it, nothing major that I believe it to be. The stock 11-17 MT82 does not have a great track record, until you hit the aftermarket, or have somebody like Ben Calimer get his hands on it. 18+ transmissions are slightly different configurations with a switch to the dual mass flywheel, twin disc setup, and slightly different slave cylinder, and more importantly, the transmission itself, where the D4 means that it's a direct drive in 4th gear instead of 5th. I'm trying to think of tracks I could pull 6th and start seeing those MPG savings, but with the 3.55's, I touch the top of 4th at the end of ACS at 155-160 and there aren't too many other courses with that type of room and speed. As much as I'd like to sit in 3rd gear at Buttonwillow and Chuckwalla for an entire lap, and the e85 wakes up the power band compared to stock, the wide ratio is just no fun on the course.

123456
T56 Mag XL2.972.101.431.000.800.63
18-20 MT82-D43.242.101.421.000.810.62
11-17 MT823.662.431.691.321.000.65
GT350 TR31603.252.231.611.241.000.63

For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume that the new 2021 Mach 1 getting the (leftover?) TR-3160 is going to have the same ratios as the GT350. It doesn't take a business degree to realize that the MT82 was a cost savings, and with everybody and their mom talking about flat plane cranks and 8250 redlines, I'd be inclined to believe that it'd be better for higher revving motors. @67GTA just put in a T56 Mag XL (and then took it out... and then put it back in) on his car with 4.10s, and in talking with @Fair he suggested something similar, so perhaps this season I'll see if I can survive on a combination of the MT82-D4 with 4.10's and play with my tire height.

The loss of Auto Club (to a friggin half mile NASCAR track!?) ruins the nice balance of two high speed power tracks (Willow Springs) and two smaller turn-y tracks (Butt Chuck), so might as well optimize my gearing for the smaller ones. I thought about going to an automatic, but the fact that Ale and I can't ever get our cars to run on the same track on the same weekend gives me pause on an automatic swap, and the even more expensive sequentials. And let's be honest here, even if I did have the $15-20k for a sequential, I'd grab something like a Stohr WF1 D-Sport racer instead.

Let's see, in other news, I had also been quietly fixing up another one of my project cars, my 2007 335is which I had set aside to switch to a single 6466 or 6870, and wouldn't you know but right as I was preparing to make that phone call on Black Friday, some dingus came off the highway a little too hot and destroyed my Momma's Volvo s60. She enjoyed my Cobra when it was out there, so I might as well surprise her and send her a nice Birthday and Christmas present. That, and if I go out to visit, it's a pretty good car to take around Lime Rock, NJMP, and Palmer.

My aero, or lack of it has also been a problem, as the Stripper's maiden voyage tore the rear bumper off at Buttonwillow's back straight on CW25, and then the next time out at Auto Club, the front bumper was pushing. So made some phone calls and should have something coming out here soon.

* and drove it through town, which got me like 3 Instagram followers, one was like OMFG WAS THAT YOU JUST DRIVING PAST xyz HOLY shiznit BRO DUDE OMFG BRO. I've done some decently dumb things in my day, but driving an unregistered, uninsured, uncatted, straight piped Mustang through town past 2 Sheriff's stations is certainly a podium finisher.
 
Last edited:

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
I have a stock k member, left over from a coyote into 1968 swap. If you are interested and will pay the freight, I’ll ship. It came from a 2017 mt82 car. Also have several other parts left over from same swap. It’s Christmas time. Pay for shipping and my time to package and I’ll clean up my garage...... I mean give you the parts.

BE69A2C8-9A9B-46B6-8951-24CEDA9E35B2.jpeg
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
I have a stock k member, left over from a coyote into 1968 swap. If you are interested and will pay the freight, I’ll ship. It came from a 2017 mt82 car. Also have several other parts left over from same swap. It’s Christmas time. Pay for shipping and my time to package and I’ll clean up my garage...... I mean give you the parts.

View attachment 60049
From everything I can gather, the GT K-member is unchanged from 2015 onward, so I'd say you've got a deal.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
Nope, just paying it back/ahead.

Another member offers me jack pads. I Offers to pay and he said nope just return the favor to someone else when you can.

This seemed as good a time as any. I’ll post up the other parts I have from the swap soon. I’ll charge what I got in them plus shipping. My brother gave them to me after he completed a swap. His client bought the parts from Midway Mustang in IA. Left over are the brake master cylinder/booster, drive shaft, dash cluster and several other parts.

Covid and the fallout from same has bashed us about. Time to start helping each other again.
 
Spent too much time yesterday, but finally figured and finished it up, where I pulled the stock steering wheel off, and annoyed by the never disappearing screen messaging, relocated the right arrow/ok pad so that I can enjoy some of the screen functionality while I still have it. Stupidly, I started tracking the pinouts through the clockspring, and got smarter by simply popping the clockspring lid and pulling the ribbon cables out and pretty much retaining the harnesses. They've got a pretty long run, so you can run them down the bottom of the plastic steering shaft tunnel, and then mount the plastic driver-side face of the clockspring somewhere underneath the dash, use the newly freed steering wheel harness, and then run wire back to wherever you're going to mount it, which for me might still be the radio area. Anyhow, I thought it was cool, electrical schematics and all that can easily confuse me.

http://instagr.am/p/CEiZpoolQlu/

WOAH! I need your input!

I' trying to do the same thing. What will you do with the clock spring wires? There is not steering wheel angle sensor in there affecting ABS or other stuff?
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
WOAH! I need your input!

I' trying to do the same thing. What will you do with the clock spring wires? There is not steering wheel angle sensor in there affecting ABS or other stuff?
Since I'm not using the wheel, I wasn't too concerned with destroying things, and actually with that quick disconnect, well, that clockspring ended up being a victim whether it liked it or not. Since those ribbons are wound up inside (guessing that's how it gets dubbed clock spring?) I snapped the plastic housing wheel and just unwound them, and then tried to nicely wind them around the steering column in a way that wouldn't let them get tangled or cut by any efforts of mine to adjust or turn the wheel. I will look into the steering angle sensor, I honestly don't know, but I've disabled the traction control systems by disconnecting that plug in the engine on the fender by the airbox. Sadly, I haven't been to the track recently, but I'm rather certain that the ABS still works, as I can feel the ABS sensor throb on threshold braking, preventing me from flatspotting and making me look even less talented than I already am :)

You could also do it much cleaner by just removing the stock wiring and harness from the wheel and relocating them, I just wanted to strip the wires because, well, it's named the stripper, so that's kinda my thing.

ed: I'd be getting roll, pitch, and yaw from ASL. I'm a computer nerd, so I had tons of ethernet cables available for basic shielding, and I've since cleaned things up a touch, moving from the test crimp leads, and others have cut little holes and mounted that arrowpad in various places, whether it be on that plastic housing by your knees and the airbag, or on a center console plate, or in my case, just kinda dangling around where the stereo used to be until I figure out where I want it. I only need it after I fire up to clear the alerts which I'll eventually try to intercept and hack...not sure I care enough to shell out enough for a dedicated system yet.
 
Last edited:
Since I'm not using the wheel, I wasn't too concerned with destroying things, and actually with that quick disconnect, well, that clockspring ended up being a victim whether it liked it or not. Since those ribbons are wound up inside (guessing that's how it gets dubbed clock spring?) I snapped the plastic housing wheel and just unwound them, and then tried to nicely wind them around the steering column in a way that wouldn't let them get tangled or cut by any efforts of mine to adjust or turn the wheel. I will look into the steering angle sensor, I honestly don't know, but I've disabled the traction control systems by disconnecting that plug in the engine on the fender by the airbox. Sadly, I haven't been to the track recently, but I'm rather certain that the ABS still works, as I can feel the ABS sensor throb on threshold braking, preventing me from flatspotting and making me look even less talented than I already am :)

You could also do it much cleaner by just removing the stock wiring and harness from the wheel and relocating them, I just wanted to strip the wires because, well, it's named the stripper, so that's kinda my thing.

ed: I'd be getting roll, pitch, and yaw from ASL. I'm a computer nerd, so I had tons of ethernet cables available for basic shielding, and I've since cleaned things up a touch, moving from the test crimp leads, and others have cut little holes and mounted that arrowpad in various places, whether it be on that plastic housing by your knees and the airbag, or on a center console plate, or in my case, just kinda dangling around where the stereo used to be until I figure out where I want it. I only need it after I fire up to clear the alerts which I'll eventually try to intercept and hack...not sure I care enough to shell out enough for a dedicated system yet.

Sorry, ASL?

Looks simple enough for the arrow pad, you think it,s going to be the same for the paddle shifts? (yes my car is an auto)
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
Sorry, ASL?

Looks simple enough for the arrow pad, you think it,s going to be the same for the paddle shifts? (yes my car is an auto)
I would think so, but you'd likely know pretty quickly when you get to disassembling it.
PXL_20201208_235601175.jpg
You could probably do better than what I did, and find a way to extract the wiring harness out instead of cutting and pulling the wiring leads out of the harness like I did, but you can see in the picture that there's a lower harness, an upper harness, and they all meet up at the big one which would have been where my hand is. The left side pins are the same as the right, and you can see that there are points where two similar lines merge together, and in the big wheel harness out, the left and right sides meet, which lead me to believe that it's not a simple analog connection, but that each button is sending a signal on a digital bus, and they're one way signals, because it'd be hard to send the signal response back with all the cable pairings down. In that case, the car is leaving you with the information, hoping that you're either looking at the respective information panel, using your ears, etc. The black/white was the horn. You can see where I made my cuts on the right, with the black/blue/purple/yellow cut, and I spliced them into the harness, and pulled all of the other unnecessary pins out of it. I used a 25ft ethernet cable which I cut down a bunch which I then snaked back through the column, behind the panel, and back through the Stereo/AC area a

ASL? If this is a chat room, uh, 22/f/Tx LOLLLZ
In this case, it's a Race Capture Pro from Autosport Labs, a really nice CANBUS/OBD II that will allow me to data nerd. I was going to make my own with something like a Raspberry Pi, but their product is pretty much everything I'd want, and at a pretty good pricepoint, as my time is worth something.
 
Last edited:

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
New toys!
PXL_20201211_020215547.jpg
Well, new to me. Thanks to TMSClaus for giving up on his Coyote swap dreams so I can put down at best, shitty lap times.

I'm getting a little closer to getting back on track, literally and figuratively. It's been rough lately, watching my friends go out and set PB's with the weather being like half of what it was when this was last on the track. I don't really even have that many friends, so yeah, the conditions are just THAT good.

1607655482553.png

Getting closer though, got a new tow rig while waiting on the parts to trickle in. And if you thought I was childish and immature before, yeah, it's going to get worse, way worse.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
So this past weekend, had my buddy over and with the new dual mass flywheel, twin disc clutch, slave cylinder, and starter, assembled things and put it back in. I had to drive up to the Los Angeles Area to grab one of the last 3 transmission block plates in the states or wait a month, and nobody in San Diego had the newer Torq-style trans bolts, so grabbed a set on the way back. My initial feeling is that this is mostly brought on by Covid challenges, but man, with exception to the aftermarket pieces, nearly every single friggin part I've had to get on this thing was a challenge. I don't think everybody I've asked for help in one way or another is on TMO yet, but you're all rockstars in my book. When their usual answer is, "oh, it's on National D99 Backorder and won't be available for 4 weeks" that's when we get to work and have something in what seems to be hours. Seriously, thanks.

Alright, enough mushy shiznit. So, let's see, car up way high in the air on Harbor Freight jackstands... when the dual mass flywheel was going back in, only 7 of the 8 would go in, and that last one would just start stripping off threads. Normally, I'd be concerned, but with the dual-mass flywheel being the 20 something pounds it is, even at 7500 rpm, I'm having a hard time seeing how a 20 gram bolt perhaps an inch from the center would mess up the energy or add any further NVH to things any more than it is now. That said, the whole friggin' outer wheel cleanly coming off still seems strange, and yeah, I'm going to have to start saving for a new short block for next Winter's refresh. So trans is back in, yay. Warmed the engine up and it gave off its usual howl which the neighbors have come to appreciate with their paper thin SoCal walls.

3 weekends to go until Auto Club.

In that time, I think I'll rebuild the front calipers, because they clearly need them just by looking at those dust boots, yeesh. Was looking initially at the Centric and then Stoptech kit which many people sell as the High-Temp versions, but had saw a few of you talk about how well the Racing Brake High-Temp versions keep up, and figure I'd give them a shot. Plus, they're in Fullerton, and an unstated personal project goal of this was to keep much of this car local whenever possible. Not that TPM Products, Inc would notice me any more than Centric would, but whatever.

PXL_20201223_210510551.jpg

So yeah, drained those out last night over some kitty litter, and should have them back on soon enough.

Next up will also be the K-Member that I hinted at before, which will go much more smoothly and even more importantly, safely, with the transmission in. I looked at the dangling motor with my support bar thinking that there was no real way I could properly balance it, or risk it swinging around and making a big ol' mess of my car and me, so held off. Now the trans providing some support from the back, and with the trans crossbrace, shouldn't be as big of a problem.

What will be a problem is the tow rig I picked up from the gov't auction.
PXL_20201203_234558348.jpg
Spent the last few weekends going over that, and yeah, no real problems, good shape, not beaten up too badly, and best of all, low mileage. Well, respectively, anyhow. Typical Highway Patrol ones are 130-160k mile, this one is half of that, so 80k over 7 years is almost normal. Didn't have a cage between the seats, wasn't a K-9 edition, and the rear seats look as if it has never been sat in. This weekend I'll swap in the rear impact bar with the integrated tow hitch, snap in the hitch/electronics box thingy, and then other than a good wash and maybe graffiti removal, it's good to go. I mean, who better to parade the Stripper around town than the Police, right?

Pros - Everybody thinks you're a cop
Cons - ... and drives the speed limit
 
531
364
sfo
Paddy,

sounds like you rebuilt the stock PP1 brembos? Where can you get the seals locally in socal? Any part numbers on the package of seals?
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top