S197 Viola Build Thread Profile - S197 Mustangs

[Danny Paladino]

This is the Build Thread for Viola. Reply below.

 

[302BOB]

Danny ,First, welcome to TMO,.......... You found a Beautiful Car and Viola is smiling!!!.....Both of them!!!!!!!!.....Best of luck with her!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Danny Paladino]

And so it begins.....Picked these up with the profit from flipping the T56 I had picked up.....'07 gt500 wheels with 275 40 18 hankook rs4 rubber - was told tires have one event and 1000 street miles on them - I know these wheels are a bit heavy and only 9.5" wide, but they are a big step up from the 17x8 bullitts and 235 all seasons on there now.....the price was right and at my (lack of) experience level I'm sure they'll be fine

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Definitely a solid tire for going to the track ( for years they were considered the " Gold Standard " for Endurance racing ) and you are quite correct the wheels are a step up. Keep us posted on your experiences and don't ever fail to ask questions on this Forum -- folks are super helpful and understand the passion we all have tracking/autocrossing our Mustangs!

Welcome.

 

[Danny Paladino]

OK - The winter maintenance/mods have started - First, the plugs - I got detailed service records with the car, and the plugs had not been changed yet (75k). Sooo, I got after it - 7 out of 8 is not bad

Oh well, rented "the tool" from my local Auto Zone - I was skeptical, but it worked as advertised on the first try - step one was "gluing" the tool to the porcelain via Loctite...

Next was tapping threads (again with a jig), threading in the puller and....done

Installed the new ones using ford's recommended anti-seize

After one last "run through the gears" I put the car up in the air

Its going to need new front pads - no upgrade to larger brakes (yet) - at this point it is just a street toy, I will be going to a couple of events at the local course next season to "get my feet wet" with that in mind, any recommendations on pads? Somewhere in the box in the next pic is an MGW shifter

And, a FRPP one piece driveshaft I picked up

While I'm under there, I will do the trans and diff lube - any recommendations on what to use in both (tr3650 and stock trac loc rear)? Will also flush and fill the brakes - if I use "good" fluid, do i need to isolate the clutch reservoir (I think I read something about fluid compatibility) Should I do braided lines on the clutch and brakes at the same time?

 

[stevbd]

@Danny Paladino welcome and great looking car. Palmer is kind of my home track, it's a ton of fun as it appears you figured out. Hope to see you out there next year!

EDIT - for brake pads go to OPMustang. Tim is a site sponsor, super helpful and will set you up with everything you need. If you can find a set of Brembo 4 pot front calipers that is the standard easy upgrade and well worth it. When I was just starting out, I did a few events at Palmer with standard brakes and some G-Loc pads and it was sort of okay... but pretty quickly you will be looking for more.

 

[RodS197]

Great car! I ran those wheels for the first two years through the local HPDE program. They will work great!

I had a 2006 GT for my first 5 years of tracking. Oil wise you will see fans of Amsoil, Royal Purple and Redline for sure. I ran Redline 75w140 GL-5 gear oil (stock recommended) in the rear axle and Redline D4 in the transmission. I was tracking the car heavily, so I changed it once a year at least.

Not sure if you put in stock plugs again, but next time look at the Brisk Racing set. They are one piece units.

As far as brake pads, if you want a good street pad that won't dust up the wheels in a day or two, go with Hawk HPS. I started with Hawk HP+ and made my way up the ladder to full Pagid race pads now. Frankly I found the HP+ a good starting pad but they dust up quick. GLoc are also a good quality pad. You could try there less aggressive pad as a starting point.

You are on the right track with the mods. The single piece driveshaft is great and reduces the NVH from the two piece.

 

[blacksheep-1]

There is a wealth of info in " rob's garage" , and with project super beater.

 

[Danny Paladino]

@Danny Paladino welcome and great looking car. Palmer is kind of my home track, it's a ton of fun as it appears you figured out. Hope to see you out there next year!

EDIT - for brake pads go to OPMustang. Tim is a site sponsor, super helpful and will set you up with everything you need. If you can find a set of Brembo 4 pot front calipers that is the standard easy upgrade and well worth it. When I was just starting out, I did a few events at Palmer with standard brakes and some G-Loc pads and it was sort of okay... but pretty quickly you will be looking for more.

Cant wait to see you there - any suggestion on events to attend there for a newbie? I will be on the lookout for a brembo upgrade, thanks!

 

[Danny Paladino]

Great car! I ran those wheels for the first two years through the local HPDE program. They will work great!

I had a 2006 GT for my first 5 years of tracking. Oil wise you will see fans of Amsoil, Royal Purple and Redline for sure. I ran Redline 75w140 GL-5 gear oil (stock recommended) in the rear axle and Redline D4 in the transmission. I was tracking the car heavily, so I changed it once a year at least.

Not sure if you put in stock plugs again, but next time look at the Brisk Racing set. They are one piece units.

As far as brake pads, if you want a good street pad that won't dust up the wheels in a day or two, go with Hawk HPS. I started with Hawk HP+ and made my way up the ladder to full Pagid race pads now. Frankly I found the HP+ a good starting pad but they dust up quick. GLoc are also a good quality pad. You could try there less aggressive pad as a starting point.

You are on the right track with the mods. The single piece driveshaft is great and reduces the NVH from the two piece.

Thanks for the suggestions on fluids....I was thinking of the Hawk HPS to start - keeping my eyes open for a brembo swap

 

[Danny Paladino]

There is a wealth of info in " rob's garage" , and with project super beater.

Thanks!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Actually you have three good choices for brake pads as EBC, KNS Brakes also sponsor the site along with OP Mustang. All quality companies and solid choices from each.

 

[stevbd]

any suggestion on events to attend there for a newbie?

It depends on what you like. Track Night in America is very low pressure and accessible, and a great place to start in my opinion but you don't get in-car instruction. However, they do have a separate novice group, pace laps, and classroom sessions for beginners. If you want a little more organization, formal tech inspections, and in-car instruction, BMWCCA and PCA do events at Palmer and are very welcoming of all cars even Mustangs. Palmer also has "open lapping" days run by the track, which include separate novice sessions where you can get in-car instruction. There are a bunch of other clubs that run there also, check out their website and maybe call Christopher who runs the track if you want to discuss further.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

As an SCCA member since 1981 and a NASA member since 2010, I would say make sure you get into a Novice group during TrackNight as it is a bit more loose than some groups. Frankly the in car Instruction and overall structure with NASA's HPDE program is second to none. As a PCA Instructor I have always felt Porsche Club was the Gold Standard for instruction ( other than Professional Schools ) and in my humble opinion NASA has surpassed even them. Everything from a Logbook, briefings after each run, getting advice from Classroom and Instructors is very similar to Professional Schools. Having gone to 10 Pro Schools I can honestly say for those wanting to start " Track Time " in the Midwest, the curriculum in the Central Region of NASA is completely equal to the best ones done at Professional Schools.

check out drivenasa.com and then put in your area ( Drivers in Ks., Ok., Mo, Ne., IA., SD. look under Central Region ).