Back on topic -- Ron (who knows Mustangs as well as anyone I've ever met) thinks the Mustang will have excellent torque, ok hp, decent handling and crappy brakes. He thinks that the Mustang's street cam and low rpm will run out of steam just as the wailing BMW, Toyota and Nissan 3.0 get rolling
Jeff
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You need to get out and meet more Ford freaks!
I don't know too much compared to a lot of folks, that is for sure. I know a little about making them fast, or slow as the case may be, and built my own SBs, but like Chevy knowledge, Ford knowledge is vast and deep.
Does it have a chance? I suspect in IT trim it will have by far the most hp and torque in the field but the brakes and fairmont suspension will be the handicap. Anyone see hope for the mustang in ITR?
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I agree it will have boat loads of torque, but, it won't have the most hp in the field.
The 94-95 Mustang has to breathe through the flattened and curved intake that came from the Thunderbird Cougar 5L installation that was short lived, 1991-1993. As I've owned two SN95 Mustnags and one Cougar (1991 XR7 5L, sort of rare) with 5Ls that were extenesively modified I speak from experience here. The throttle body is small, as is the MAF, and NONE of this can be changed in IT prep.
The E7 head castings with the thermactor bumps in the exhaust port impede flow and those cannot be removed. Futhermore, the ports are small, and the intake port volume small. There is a reason why the aftermarket Ford Small Block head selection is so good, and so cheap - everyone buys them and ditches the stock iron heads.
The intake uses a folded runner design that is around 22" long (going from memory here) that gave a increase in volumetric efficieny around 3000 RPM - nice for that torque peak and shove in the back. The lower intake manifold, due to being squashed compared to the standard 5L intake and GT40 intake designs, is not as good either with crimped passages, particularly in the front cylinders. The cam has duration and lift that is geared toward low-end torque and street use. The car lays nice black streaks on the pavement and launches good, but that isn't road racing. Stock, the Mustang GT had performance through the quarter that is on par or worse than the 3L V6s in the class.
All of these pieces, and the cam, are made to produce torque for that fun street launch V8 feel, but, they are not made to produce much hp and I think the party will be over around 5K or so. There will be other cars in ITR with more rear wheel hp and racing at a lighter weight. Mustang are great "tuner" cars and "fiddling with" cars, producing good power - but only when you get to change the things you cannot change in IT - MAF, thottle body, intake, cam, head work, etc. Take all that away and they don't look so attractive from a power production standpoint. Bear in mind AS uses NONE of the pieces you are forced to use in ITR, so AS comparisons in no way approximate ITR hp for this engine.
It has a 8.8" live rear axle with disc brakes, and, on paper they aren't so bad when compared to what some of us race with (Z pilots, TR8s, JHs, and lots of other solid small rotored cars). I wrote something up about swept area on the Mustang brakes months ago and it looks like they could be made to work. Handling will be a mixed bag, but, I'm sure with a lot of prep they can be made to do something fairly decent.
At last count the SN95 GT had more people interested in it than any other ITR car. Ford nuts are Ford nuts, and they'll build them if offered. A 302 is extremely cheap to maintain and build, plus, not revving much will keep it together for a long time.
I agree with Jeff that these were not in the proposal that was done from our side. But, I'll will say I'm happy they are there. The committee, nor I, or Jeff put them there, but I think they will help ITR. They don't need special allowances to be in the class. They fit in the class, went through the process like the other cars, and should be there. They will offer people more choices for cars in the class and they will certainly swell the ranks of ITR.