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126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Not a huge update but a step in the right direction for making some extra power!

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lol

Also, I’ve installed a replacement Saleen bumper cover and it doesn’t fit very well. No matter, I’ll mess with it until I’m happy with it.

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126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Another update. Switched to a Motion Raceworks throttle body. The inside hex, machine screws holding the IAC to the old TB stripped so I’ll finish up tomorrow.

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126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
I had my car on the scales yesterday and just saw yours. Kinda crazy how close they are.
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That is crazy! I still need to adjust mine more to be “perfect” and after a chat with MM I have some rear sway bar changes to make. Like yours, they want me to go from a 1” bar to 1.25”. He also wants to increase front spring rate from 425 to 500 and decrease the rear from 325 to 300. These are my target weights with driver and full tank to have a neutral setup.

On paper..

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If I recall, they decreased your rear rate to 275?
 

PatientZero

@restless_performance
825
865
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Kansas City, Missouri
That is crazy! I still need to adjust mine more to be “perfect” and after a chat with MM I have some rear sway bar changes to make. Like yours, they want me to go from a 1” bar to 1.25”. He also wants to increase front spring rate from 425 to 500 and decrease the rear from 325 to 300. These are my target weights with driver and full tank to have a neutral setup.

If I recall, they decreased your rear rate to 275?

Yep, had me go from 325 to 275 and bigger rear sway bar. It's kind of frustrating because they have their chart of recommended springs rates for the torque arm but then tell you to do something different. I just went from 425 to 450 on the front, I might end up going even higher.
 
126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Took the car to the dyno! This session was strictly to finalize the switch to E85 and check out things in a controlled setting. The tune is spot on and it’s running stronger than ever. I have another session scheduled in November following a 45 day work turnaround starting late September. I’m anticipating even better gains in cooler air.


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126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
We’re suspecting the issue in the dyno was wheel spin due to pretty much shot tires. The fact the dip occurred at peak torque each time lead us to this conclusion.

Driving the car shows no signs of power/torque loss.
 
126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Haven’t been around much. Work, life and my new addiction to drag racing a damn truck kept interrupting. However, we have an autocross event this Saturday and I’m looking forward to that. Will post results.

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Trying different rubber, with more power, less weight and a more aggressive alignment.

Should be a great season.

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This shouldn’t be this quick but it is!

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126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
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Last didn’t go as planned. Drove to the event and made one pass. Switched drivers and was waiting on grid. Determined something was on fire and quickly extinguished it. Upon further inspection, the battery hold done somehow lost a nut allowing it to ground to the studs securing it to the trunk. This led to what I suspect the fuel vapor vent line igniting and the tank was essentially flaring fuel vapor.

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The decision was made to try to run the car and it did so without issue. My buddy Chris offered to trailer it home and I graciously accepted. Drove it on the trailer. I will report more on this after I drop the tank.

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Actually had the car unloaded before getting home and I went to tacobell lol

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Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,422
8,346
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Glad things worked well and you caught the issue quickly. Do report on the complete fix and safeguards you employ to make sure you don't have another issue. Love the car, but I am partial since my first two Mustangs were a white 97 Cobra and then a white White 99 Cobra!
 
126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Glad things worked well and you caught the issue quickly. Do report on the complete fix and safeguards you employ to make sure you don't have another issue. Love the car, but I am partial since my first two Mustangs were a white 97 Cobra and then a white White 99 Cobra!

Yes sir, I will document my finding and repairs. “Never miss an opportunity to upgrade” is my motto.

First and foremost, an on-board fire extinguisher, as well as battery cut off switch(es) are being planned.

I’ve always had a soft spot for these cars and have had this one for 18 years now. :)
 
126
206
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Louisiana
Some of you might’ve seen me mention a fire this past Saturday at an autocross event. I have learned a huge lesson and likely won’t be afforded a third chance to get this right. Here is a copy/paste of a text message I sent a friend on Sunday:

So, on the last big sweeping curve leading to the fast course exit, the car sputtered and the lights flashed. That was my first clue. Holley EFI reset and I noted the PS pump also cycled power. Corner workers reported sparks from what they thought were brakes. Since I’ve been known to thrown sparks from my brakes due to aggressive pads, that didn’t concern me at the moment. Exiting the course there was a lot of fuel vapor but I chalked that up to fuel sloshing and my abbreviated vent line. Parked the car back in the grid and we swapped drivers.

(This part is on video but I haven’t reviewed the actual sequence of events so I’ll take it from memory)

Another car pulled up after a run and I commented on the smell from his brakes. Few moments after that I made the comment the smell wasn’t disappearing and I got curious. Noticed a haze in the car and said we are on fire. Worth noting the car was still running at this point. Popped the trunk, more haze and I noticed flames through a hole in the floor pan. f***! Grid workers scrambled for an extinguisher, which seemed like an eternity, and I put the flame out. Turned the car off.

Initially, I thought the grounded battery superheated the fuel pump leads and they were on fire. It was tough to tell looking through the wheel arch and subframe. Disconnected the battery to prevent a reoccurrence and started checking things out. After much discussion, and poking around, I determined that the pump wiring was intact. If you’ve ever grounded a wire you know that the entire cable gets hot, fast, and the insulation fails rather fast. This was not the case. The conclusion was that the grounded battery superheated the hold down stud and floor pan surrounding it. This likely served as a point of ignition, melted the rubber fuel vent line and the proceeded to burn vapors off the fuel tank just like a flare in a refinery or chemical plant. The smell was burning NVH material, grime and fuel vapors
.

Fast forward to Monday :

Alright. I spent a few hours this morning tearing into the car and here is what I’ve found.

1) The rollover vent valve was indeed on fire. There isn’t much left of it and it makes me sick to see how close it came to totally failing. It appears the vent hose was pinched between the tank and the spare tire well. The nipple for the vent valve had either broken off or melted off. It’s hard to say for sure but that’s why the fire was localized.

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2) The electrical connection for the fuel pump hanger started to melt and ignite as well.

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3) The fuel lines themselves took a beating and, given the fact they’re PTFE lines, I can no longer trust them.

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4) There wasn’t much structural damage so I will just sand and paint the affected area.

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Moving forward, I will have my own onboard extinguisher and I will be installing a Cartek GT battery iso kit. Another takeaway is that my so called race prep totally neglected the electrical aspect of the car and, as an electrician, I hang my head in total shame.

Life doesn’t give you many second chances and I dodged a total loss event. I am humbled by this and will implement changes to how I approach things.
 
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