SVT FOCI IS ALIVE!!!

Well, as some of you know the project is nearing the end of this stage. I will be getting some picks up soon and will add all the details in another post.

Bottom line is the engine has been fully built to race standards, has been installed, and we are now working out the bugs.


Stay tuned as I will try to keep this up to date.

Ken

CVPI

Tow Vehicle Brake Pads

What pads are you guys using for your tow vehicles? The guy who had the truck before me apparently liked the Auto Zone specials, but I've already had problems with heat management and as a result smells (stop and go traffic while towing was especially a problem, even with the trailer brakes set quite high). I'm thinking that for towing i'd want something that operates well at higher temps, but for when it's empty i'd be better off with something with a better cold temp bite. Thoughts?

For that matter, do you guys put ATE Super Blue or other high performance brake fluid in your tow vehicles, or just stick with the factory Ford (or Toyota as the case may be) stuff?

Counterfeit Parts

So I think I've had an experience with counterfeit BMW parts. You Ford guys may not know but the control arm bushings are one of the Achilles heels of the style 3 series I have as they fail at low mileage and it seems like you are always replacing them. BMW, at least trying something, have re-designed the part a few times both during and after production on the series finished, but alas, its still a problem.

My experience, however comes from ordering the bushings online instead of at the dealer (which i had been doing before). I installed new control arm bushing as well as new control arms at the start of this season and just last month had to replace them already. When looking at what i took off the car and what i put back on (purchased from the dealer this time), there were some obvious differences. The take offs had what appeared to be cast part numbers, where as the dealer parts had what appeared to be etched numbers. Additionally, the main part of the take off bushings appeared to be a rubber ring pressed into place, where as the dealer part was solid. What caused me to need to replace them so soon was that this rubber ring would work it's way out after a hundred miles or so (see picture). After pushing it back in with a screw driver and mallet a few times i finally broke down and bought the new parts.

Have any of you had experiences with counterfeit parts?

Shelby Automotive in Las Vegas

Blew up the Focus Saturday afternoon

Don't know the full extent of it yet, but I am sure I hurt something.

Just got the car back on Thursday from having new pads installed, and an attempt to slow or fix my oil blow by issue.

Well, not if this new fix is the culpret or not but on sat afernoon I siphoned 3.5 quarts of oil out of the Focus duing a fourth gear pull to about 7K...again, as before, the oil totally drenched the left front wheel well, but it must have something else too because it pulled 3.5 quarts out of the car.

Car idles like poo, puffs smoke out the tail pipe, and has NO power...

ummmm

351 Focus project?



Ken

My Mustang

I've been a member of the Mustang Club of America for a number of years. MCA has been representing the Mustang owner in America since 1976, and their monthly publication, Mustang Times, goes out to the membership of over 11,000. I sent in a couple photos and a few items about my car, and was surprised when spotlighted it in the "My Mustang" section.



Below is the copy so you don't need a magnifying glass.




It's a 1998 SVT Cobra Mustang, and here's the story of how it came to sit in my garage. In the late 60's, I learned to drive on my Mom's '65 Mustang coupe (Bronze, 289 w/AC), but had to part with it when I moved out.

Then came a 14 year spell of riding and road racing motorcycles. I met my wife then, and we suffered through an old van and a new Civic. By 1985, we got her a Black Mustang GT that she loved. Then came the kids, minivans, and the Mustang went for a 1990 T-Bird SuperCoupe, which was all mine. By 2001, the T-Bird was acting up, and I wanted another Mustang "so I could always find parts for it". But I knew I wanted something special, so we answered an ad for a Blue Mustang Cobra.

As soon as we saw it from a block away in the dealer's lot, we knew it was our next car. I drove it home that day. We had planned to keep it stock, like the previous cars. But I had been out of road racing for too many years. Once I found out about Open Track events, I took the money from selling some of our motorcycles, and put in a roll bar, rear gears, braided brake lines, and hit the track. And have been modifying it and running it at Open Track events ever since. I've also gotten active in a number of Mustang and Cobra clubs, both local and national. And have gone to shows, planned cruises, and even been to the drag strip and autocrosses with it. But in my opinion, that's just too much waiting for too little track time.

Here's the current information about it:
Base car SVT Mustang Cobra Convertible: 4.6 V8, duel overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, 13" front disk brakes, Bright Atlantic Blue.ModificationsChassis: Brooks Performance Stage IV Suspension including: Kenny Brown sub frame connectors and Extreme Matrix system, Maximum Motorsports pan hard rod, '95 Cobra R springs, Bilstein shocks/struts, KB lower control arms, urethane bushings, 3.90 gearing, Brembo calipers and rotors, brake cooling ducts, Steeda bumpsteer kit, X-2 ball joints, Custom front cross-brace with KB G-Load brace, Steeda adjustable rear sway bar, Cobra R 17x9 wheels w/BFG R1 slicks (17x8 wheels with full tread Proxie RA1s for rain). Stein Replica 17x9 wheels with Falken Azenis RT-615 tires for the street.

Engine: BBK cold air intake, Canton roadrace oil pan, Magnaflow catted X-pipe, SLP Loudmouth 1 catback, Odyssey battery.Interior: Autopower roll bar, Hunsaker seats, 6 pt G-Force harness, MGW shifter, oil pressure/oil temp/water temp gauges.

Most work done by Brooks Performance, Chambersburg, PA. and Bill's Automotive Performance, Silver Spring, MD. and myself.

The Value of Having the Correct Tool

My father always told me to purchase quality tools because cheap tools will often fail when you really need them, and then you are left with a broken tool, a job not done and often a set of busted knuckles... or worse. That philosophy also extended to having the right tool for the job. Whether it's woodworking, auto repair or gardening, having the proper tools for the job makes a big difference.

This point was driven home, yet again, this past weekend at Summit Point. Due to various factors in my burn-the-candle-at-both-ends lifestyle, I didn't get the brake pad swap done prior to leaving home for the track. No worries I figured, I'm bringing my tools with me and can do the swap at the track. It typically only takes me 20 minutes or so to do a brake pad swap and I've done it at the track before with no drama. Now, I've been using one of those universal cube style caliper tools which fit on a 3/8 ratchet turns the rear caliper piston to retract the piston into the caliper. While it got the job done, it did leave me thinking there must be a better way.

On Saturday, the pad swap on the right side of the car went as usual - no problem - 10 minutes and I was putting the wheels back on the car. Then I started the left side of the car. First up, the rear caliper... and the universal cube tool didn't work. It turned the piston alright, but the piston didn't retract. I spent more than 30 minutes fooling around with the damn caliper, yet as much as I turned it to retract the piston, it wouldn't clear my track pads which are quite a bit thicker than the street pads they were replacing. Brian Shafranek took pity on me (after first laughing at me) and loaned me his brake caliper tool which both turns the caliper and pushes it in at the same time. 2 minutes later, the piston was fully retracted, I was putting the caliper back on the car and thinking that I would never use the universal caliper cube thingy again now that I had been enlightened. This tool would make brake pad swaps even easier.

A quick session with Google yielded numerous options for acquiring a brake caliper tool set of my own. It just goes to show, having the right tool for the job makes all the difference. Now I'm wondering what other specialty tools I don't know I should have. As usual, I suppose I'll find out the hard way...

Mountain Madness this weekend at Summit Point

Everyone still in I hope? I am still tired from last weekend, I don't recommend doing back to back weekends....takes a lot of time prepping, unpacking, prepping agian..


Unless you have a Nascar crew to do all this stuff for you...


Rick, you should come down and play in my group this weekend....we would have fun for sure.


Ken

My new numbers are in and on the car

NEW NUMBERS THAT WON'T BLOW OFF!! (echo...echo...echo...)

April NASA at SP MAIN

Getting stoked now, plan on being there when the gates open and will set up camp at the Chapel as we hae done in the past.


Did not get the Motorhome, long story....maybe next year we are thinking.

Well, I got a new Tow Vehicle

Not sure how or why I am doing these things, but they are all geared towards making the driving events we do much more fun.

There is a good story to go with this and I don;t have time for many details at this time, just got back from Ohio.

What did we get?

2006 E-450/V10 with tow package, 26' Maverick by Geogie Boy with one slide unit. Sleeps 6, fully loaded with shower/micro/covection/stove/bathroom/master bedroom etc....

Has Sonic Blue Strips, only 20K on the clock, has been owned and driven by a lil ole 76 year old lady. Never towed anything with it so that is good news.


it looks like brand new in and out, fully self contained if needed and can easily last a weekend.

On board 4000KW generator, LP gas, yada yada yada


Now, the storage is simply huge... enough space for two or three sets of tires, gear, what ever we could need.

Dirves like a dream, going up to pick it up Tuesday and will have at the track this weekend.


Cheers,


Ken

45th Mustang Anniversary

Pics from Barber for the Mustang Anniversary.

Autocross on the new skid pad at Summit Point

I have a friend named Gonz, with a red Mustang GT. He's very fast in Open Track with his somewhat older car. I have been talking with him through the winter, and it turns out he is also one of the guys who run a group called Capitol Driving Club, a club that puts on autocrosses. They have had them at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, and Bowie Baysox Stadium in...umm...Bowie I guess.

Anyway, he told me they were having their first one ever at Summit Point this Saturday, and asked if I wanted to come up.

Yes, of course.

They were using the brand-spanking new Skid Pad area built near the tactical section (guns) that's like a bunch of skid pads put together. It's still pretty raw, but they'll be putting in grass and curbs soon.

I didn't run, I didn't even take my Cobra up. I just wanted to see the new place, and what Gonz's group was like. There were more cars than I expected. Some real fast, and some I think I could have taken with my Camry. I'll have to be sure to go to their next autocross, they look very well run, and it's really good practice.

Of course, I didn't even think of taking my camera, I don't know why. So I had to use my crappy cell phone. SORRY!

These shots are from the grandstands, and you can see more in them. It's real flat there!

I also made a map showing where the skid pad area is, and roughly what its shaped like. There's a big parking lot next to it. Don't worry, you're not falling.

Sitting in the grandstands, you can turn right and see part of the Shenandoah circuit, turn left and you can see the building for the Jefferson circuit, and behind you can see the chute and T5 of the main track.

Speaking of which, I wandered over to the main track after watching the autocross for a while (I was having trouble just watching), and they were having an SCCA MARRS (MidAtlantic Road Racing Series) race, one of SCCA's BIG DEALS! I would have had to pay at the gate to get in and spectate except that when I went in I was just there to go to the autocross, and then once I was in the complex...well...I had to go to OG racing to get something, so it's not like I was going there JUST to spectate.

The pits were PACKED! Trailers everywhere. And just race cars. No HPDE or PDX. I saw a familiar car while there (Dave Rankin) and took a picture of his Trans Am. I got to watch him race right after lunch in the ITE (Improved Touring) class. They ran with all the other IT classes, as well as AS (A Sedan) and GT1. LORD, those GT1 cars are fast. Dave seemed to do OK, it was hard to tell where everyone finished in class.

I watched 2 races, but had to go before Spec Miata came out. Too bad. I counted about 13,740 Miatas in the pits. It must have been an interesting race.

In The News....Mustang Times

Mustang Times is the member magazine for the Mustang Club of America.

I just received the April 2009 issue in the mail, and a couple photos I had sent in got published.

Click on the page to enlarge it, unless you have a gargantuan monitor.

VIR SpinFest '09

What is a sure sign that spring has arrived? Virginia International Raceway and rain. Two years in a row now a bunch of us have gone to VIR in March and gotten dumped on. This year it rained on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We were there for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Well, even Mother Nature needs a break.



My friends Paul (BMW) and Chris (Mustang Cobra) came down on Thursday with me. Paul and I were taking the NASA Instructors Clinic, and Chris was registered for Open Practice. Then Ken & Diane (SVT Focus), Doug (Mustang Cobra), and Rick Jr/Rick SR and Terry (Mustang Cobra) were joining us on Friday afternoon.

The clinic had a Thursday night session, which was very well handled, and there were some Instructor drills as well as open track time on Friday. Here's a video of the first session we went out in on Friday morning, on a very slippery track.

Now, things went pretty well on Friday and Saturday. I managed to stay on track and had a good time. And the forecast for Sunday was bright and clear. So then I took off my rain tires and put on my slicks. I should have known better.

I don't know why, but when I went out on a drying track Sunday morning, I forgot to hit record on my camera. Which is a shame, because I went for the wildest ride I've ever had in my car. On the second lap I just gave it a bit too much gas coming out of turn 2, and the rear end came around and made me go sailing off the track sideways at over 50 mph. As I went flying (skimming?) through the mud, it just came washing into my car and over me...wave after wave, until I thought it was never going to stop. But it did finally, and I had managed to not hit anything. Of course having had my top down, a club requirement, I was covered with mud inside and out. I then realized that getting out of there was going to be another challenge. Slicks in a mud bog are not the best option to have on the car. But by rocking it, I was able to work my way up onto some high ground, where I could get back to the pits. I went straight to a hose, and had the forethought to shoot this video before I started hosing it off.

I was able to get the car hosed of a bit, and managed to make it out in the next session, where it was mostly dry and I managed to make it to the checkered flag with no more drama.

Most of us had a good time, except Ken had an issue where he was trying to lubricate his suspension joints with engine oil. Once that was fixed, his intake electrics succumbed to the wet, and he had to trailer the car with only a couple sessions on it. But he scored big on great motel rooms for the gang, and we had as good a time off track as on.

In car camera thread

This is where we talk cameras. Greg, I knew you had mentioned your camera set up in an email chain, and of course it is buried somewhere.


Does yours have a metal screw mount on the bottom? I buggered up my camera mount because it is plastic. I need to make sure the next one is true metal...thanks..


Rick, can you post about the nice little deal you have as well. Anyone else, jump on in.

Looks like I'm doing a number on my car.....

Car numbers, that is. I blew apart one of my magnetic numbers at VIR (I swear I didn't go over 200), and am in the market for new, more durable numbers. My current numbers looked nice and were real cheap (err....inexpensive). I just stuck vinyl 10" numbers from OG Racing on magnetic material, and they have worked fine for a long time. But I guess the cold, damp environment at VIR was too much for the magnetic force, and one of them gave up. Since I had also put duct tape top and bottom to prevent them from flying off and into someones windshield, the poor number plate beat itself into a ragged stump of it's former self, fortunately not hurting the car in the process.

My friend Simon Oakley has been running with the same number on his car for years without any problems, so I asked him what it was and where he got it. It turns out its a removable vinyl adhesive number from this source: http://www.soloperformance.com/

I'm going to order some from them, but am having a hard time choosing which to get. With the old numbers there was no choice; black numbers on a white background. And it was strikingly effective and quite good looking, though part of that credit has to go to the beautiful car they were on. But the choices for the new numbers are overwhelming. I narrowed it down to block slanted style type, in white. But I can't decide on a drop shadow or not, and if so, what color?

My wife suggested that since I work in PhotoShop some, I should try a couple mock-ups there. So I made a couple versions with no shadow, a black shadow, and a silver shadow. I think I like the silver shadow best.

Here are a couple pictures showing my old numbers (may they rest in piece), and the different versions I'm considering. You can click on them to see the numbers in better detail.

Greg's Vid and pics

Move over White Terminator

Some pic attempts from this weekend. Had a great time folks, hope everyone else did..

There were some the guy took and sold me the cd...

New Trailer

Pretty happy with this deal for 1800 bucks, pulls like a dream, 4 brakes, LED lights.....

Ready to rock to VIR Baby!!!!

VIR CONVOY

Are we leaving close to the same time? And if so, we should convoy and enjoy the road trip.

We plan on going down 81 to 64, 64 to 29, and down 29 the rest of the way. We plan on leaving Friday morning between 8 and 9.

I know Greg and Paul are going down Thursday, but anyone else leaving Friday morning?

I just HURT the FOCI big frown

Well, on the way into my neighborhood tonight on the way home from work I did a 1st gear pull. After boost I noticed something not right ..

Think I blew a vacuum line or something, but cant find it. Idles like crap, lean as hell, and only 4 lbs of vacuum on the meter.
Called Billy, he is busy and told me to take it else where....SO, I called Torey at Excessive and they are going to take a look at it and say they can get me ready for VIR.

I sure hope so, and good thing I am picking up my trailer tomorrow. I will drag it to them on Sat morn if not Friday night...

Wish me the best, I don't want to miss this weekend.


Ken

How ready for VIR are you?

We're leaving in a week for the first big track event of the year. There's going to be 7 or 8 of us going together, or at least pitting together when down there. How close are you to being ready?

I have changed my oil and filter, flushed out my old brake fluid and replaced it with new, installed my Odyssey battery, and gotten my number plates ready. I also got a microphone to go with my new video camera so that might help with wind noise in the vert.

Here's my list of what I still need to do:

Change wheels to rain tires/wheels
Switch to high density roll bar padding
Charge chatterbox
empty trunk and remove floor mats
Pack clothes ( why do I always write that down, you'd think I'd notice I don't have luggage)
Pack numbers, maps, tech sheet, helmet, collar, etc
Charge camera
Mount microphone

I plan to do most of this stuff this weekend. The trailer is packed and just needs to be hooked up on Thursday when I leave, though I might leave my air tank at home to give me more room to take the pop-up, and just bum air off of others.

Tow Hooks on a Mustang

So... like... where does one mount a tow hook on a Mustang to allow ones vehicle to be extricated from a gravel pit without ripping the front bumper off (or worse)??

Talk amongst yourselves....

Brake controllers and Trailers

Looks like I am going to pull the trigger tomorrow on my first car hauler. Look out now, I can gut the lil foci and shed all that weight!


Brake controllers, is there any major diff between the models, or is this one of those things that works or it does not work?


I bought the Hopkins 47235 from pep Boys last night and plan on installing it tonight.

Any thoughts before I get into this?

Thanks,

Mark Lamaskin selling his Griggs Terminator

Our faithful reporter, Greg Cassidy, who covers the SVT Performance forums for this publication, has reported that Mark Lamaskin, owner of Performance Autosport in Richmond, VA is selling his personal 2003 Cobra.

I remember that car - it's beautiful. It's a shame that such a beautiful car is up for sale, although not overly surprising in some respects. They were building that car at the same time they were working on mine... in fact, the build on my car delayed them on getting that one done, so Don had to pull a late night thrash the night before last year's Mountaineer Madness event. It has an identical roll bar to the one in my car, which I like very much.

Although I haven't ridden in it (yet), with the Griggs SLA front suspension and full frame kit (mine only has the lower subframes, not the additional through the floor portion part), I am not surprised that thing corners like it's on rails. I would really love to put the SLA front suspension on my car so I would have front grip to match the rear grip. Perhaps next year. I love the fact that he buried the independent rear in favor of a stick axle - torque arm, panhard bar and all.

I assume that Performance Autosport is looking at the market for upgrading the S197 chassis cars that people are buying - especially the GT500s. Let's face it, people who are able to fork out the cash for a GT500 probably have the cash to pay Performance Autosport to upgrade the suspension so that the car has handling to match the horsepower. So apparently Mark is building a S197 chassis car to demonstrate the new Griggs S197 suspension.

Makes sense to me. I can't wait to go for a ride in the new beast!!!

24 Hours of Lemons...any comments?

Paul?

One of Doug's Vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aud5AhRz3O8

Brakes

OK folks, having the car prepped and inspected for VIR I DO have enough brake left for this event, a lil over 50% at this time.


Should I stay with the HP+, or should I experiment with the blues at this time?

Welcome Race Fans

The Mid-Atlantic Weekend Warriors are frantically getting ready for the beginning of the 2009 season. We are scheduled to begin the season at VIR the weekend of March 28th, come on out and join us.