S197 3V What to look out for in a '05–'06 GT for endurance racing?

[Tractor Junk]

I like a small/ lighter car for budget endurance racing. Lightweight tends to be easier on consumables, and smaller size is less stressful (for me) when in traffic for long periods. Obviously this doesn’t answer the question you asked!

I ended up buying an LS3 swapped Porsche 944 for the task.

 

[sobiloff]

Well, this followed me home this weekend. Aesthetically ugly, but it seems to have decent bones underneath—straight, no rust, and a non-coastal California life. The steering pump is leaking a bit, and there's a pop from the right front when I take a sharp left, but I expected to replace all that anyway. ETA: For $6,500, it seems like a good deal!

I guess the project car is a go!

 

[blacksheep-1]

well done

 

[sobiloff]

As someone noted, the 05-09 alternators have a few common failure points. The clutched pulley is one of them due to its design. The common move, which is what I did, is to swap in a Denso alternator from the 2010 GT’s. Brand new units from Ford are only available in automatic trans style that does not have a clutched pulley. Since I track the car I wanted the clutched unit, I ended up buying a reman unit and it’s been flawless

All the Densos seem to be out of stock, and I can't tell from their website which part number has the clutched pulley. Do you happen to know the correct part number for the clutched version?

 

[67GTA]

All the Densos seem to be out of stock, and I can't tell from their website which part number has the clutched pulley. Do you happen to know the correct part number for the clutched version?

2105367 is the clutched version.

 

[sobiloff]

2105367 is the clutched version.

THANK YOU @67GTA ! Those are actually in stock in a couple of places!

 

[SMGDHG]

Just to sorta echo what others have said:

At 100k miles, you (imo) must budget for the following on a 3v:

• FRPP Timing Kit
• FRPP Updated Roller Followers (smaller oiling hole allows better lubrication to the cam while also increasing available oil pressure at the cam phaser, both good things).
• FRPP/Melling HV oil Pump (read up on the steel backing plate)

Even with stock cams, the 3v valvetrain is sensitive, and without a doubt the weak part of the engine. If you want a reliable rig the above items are mandatory imo.

Also consider if you are really handy and don't mind a big project, reman engines are available for less than $3.5k and are readily available. This is one of the major strong points of going 05-10 vs. 11-14 imo. In some cases a reman engine can be a better route than doing the whole top end/oil pump shabang.

Transmission wise, it all depends on the previous owner. I know people that are power-shifter bros who have gone through 3 transmissions in 100k miles. I also know people that race every weekend with 250k on the original trans. Mine has 175k and is flawless. I don't shift quickly and I change the fluid every year, generally speaking the TR-3650 is good.

Good luck. 05-10 is an incredible car for putting laps in. Perfect simplicity, unlimited aftermarket support, good reliability. Only con (as others have said) is consumables cost.

 

[sobiloff]

Thanks @SMGDHG for the tips! Sorry I've been quiet for a bit, but I've spent the last week obsessively reading and researching everything I can. I think I've just about got everything figured out and I should be able to post up my list of planned mods and maintenance (M&Ms) in the near future. It looks like I should probably start a build thread?

Stage One for me will be to get the car able to reliably run 20–30 minute track sessions when ambient conditions are in the 90's or low 100's, which is typical for summer track days at my closest track (Thunderhill—which I sometimes call Thunderkill because in the summer it'll kill a car that lacks good cooling performance).

Stage Two will be to extend those sessions to 6+ hours for endurance racing, and address any deficiencies discovered during Stage One.

Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

 

[SMGDHG]

Thanks @SMGDHG for the tips! Sorry I've been quiet for a bit, but I've spent the last week obsessively reading and researching everything I can. I think I've just about got everything figured out and I should be able to post up my list of planned mods and maintenance (M&Ms) in the near future. It looks like I should probably start a build thread?

Stage One for me will be to get the car able to reliably run 20–30 minute track sessions when ambient conditions are in the 90's or low 100's, which is typical for summer track days at my closest track (Thunderhill—which I sometimes call Thunderkill because in the summer it'll kill a car that lacks good cooling performance).

Stage Two will be to extend those sessions to 6+ hours for endurance racing, and address any deficiencies discovered during Stage One.

Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

Oh yikes, best of luck with that. I can't get more than 3 hot laps out of my car at 10/10th's pace in 80°F ambient. I've done all the common cooling system mods too.

Might have a stuck tstat though. We shall see.

 

[RodS197]

I ran a 2006 through the HPDE program and on to TT. Get a big radiator, FRPP, Mishimoto etc. I never ran oil cooling, only did about 30 minutes max, but you might think about that for longer stints. Also, I ran Brisk Racing spark plugs as they are a one piece design (3VR17YS) if you have the long two piece plug (didn't see the year on your car, but it looks like a great buy!)

 

[sobiloff]

I ran a 2006 through the HPDE program and on to TT. Get a big radiator, FRPP, Mishimoto etc. I never ran oil cooling, only did about 30 minutes max, but you might think about that for longer stints. Also, I ran Brisk Racing spark plugs as they are a one piece design (3VR17YS) if you have the long two piece plug (didn't see the year on your car, but it looks like a great buy!)

I'll probably end up with a Kenny Brown Triple-Pass 3-core, but I'm going to see how far I can get with boxing the OEM radiator, using the FP SVT cooling fan, and installing good water pump. My car came with a fairly open grille that deletes the fog lights, so I hope that it flows well.

I think that the current manufacture Motorcraft plugs don't break apart like the original ones, especially if you use the nickel antisieze?

 

[JDee]

The thing that made the most difference in cooling on my car is a Race Louvers hood vent. It alone took 30 degrees off my peak temps and added downforce to boot to the tune of about 1 second on a 1:35 second lap.
Getting air in is only part of the problem, you've also got to get it out asap.

 

[sobiloff]

The thing that made the most difference in cooling on my car is a Race Louvers hood vent. It alone took 30 degrees off my peak temps and added downforce to boot to the tune of about 1 second on a 1:35 second lap.
Getting air in is only part of the problem, you've also got to get it out asap.

Awesome tip—thank you @JDee !

 

[RodS197]

I'll probably end up with a Kenny Brown Triple-Pass 3-core, but I'm going to see how far I can get with boxing the OEM radiator, using the FP SVT cooling fan, and installing good water pump. My car came with a fairly open grille that deletes the fog lights, so I hope that it flows well.

I think that the current manufacture Motorcraft plugs don't break apart like the original ones, especially if you use the nickel antisieze?

I think you won't have a problem since you will likely be servicing them often. I changed mine every two years. Regular Joes that leave them in for 70K may have problems with any two piece.

Sounds like you have some solid plans!