ITS Ford Mustang(s) Build - Stripper Stang Part II

Ron Earp

Ron Earp

Administrator
Attempt number two at running a Ford in IT. I present for your inspection Ford's finest level of Mustangness for the 1998 model year, a cherry two owner 71k loaded V6 5-speed Rustang.

98Mustang.jpg


This car drives extremely well and everything works. The Macpherson struts and rear shocks are shot but otherwise ok. It has the Mach 460 sound system, leather interior, power seats, ABS, cruise control, tilt wheel, and AC. Naturally it is equipped with the 3.8L "I don't want to rev past 4k" torquey V6 and a 3.08 or 2:73 rear gear which puts the top speed at somewhere over 210 MPH. Went that fast this morning on the way to work.

The idea is to whip this thing into shape and make a competitive ITS car out of it. I haven't dynoed it yet, but I did manage to weigh it. With my fat ass in the seat and my daughter recording weights we're at:

3129 lbs total
903 862

690 677

So it weighs less than the 2002 model I had last year, maybe 100 lbs less. We've got mission impossible to get down to a spec weight of 2480 lbs. But, there is a lot of weight lurking in this thing with the options and so forth. Not enough weight, but maybe enough to get the car down to the 2600 lb range and I think it could be competitive there.

If I end up building it I'll put it together as a build thread here. Step deux is to dyno it bone stock.

Ron
 
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good luck on the build , I will follow with the hope you make weight. Our Fox body ITB was 2600 with me in it.
 
I'm thinking we might be in your ball park but the spec weight is going to be next to impossible. On the upside I did lose 13 lbs tonight by removing the hideaway trailer hitch I didn't know it had so we're headed in the right direction.
 
Knestis said:
EDIT - is the Torino done?
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No. The Torino got interrupted in early March with putting the new Z motor back in and then the Z got sold. And it is sold, the check has cleared, but the Z is still here. Packing up and shipping all the Z spares was a lot of work but that job is done. And the transport company is to pick up the car next week. Long live the Z!

So, despite Jeff Young's best efforts the Mustang will wait until the Torino is a driving automobile and rolling down the road. For now I'm enjoying driving the Mustang around. The 3.8L motor with the lazy rear end appears to get some great fuel mileage although I've got to see the first tank through to really figure out what's what.
 
That car has the most stock torque in ITS I think -- 215. It gets to 170 whp and 200 wtq like mine and it gets to 2650 race weight like mine and you have a potential winner.

Ain't no reason we can't strip that car in a weekend and send it to Schimmel while we finish the Torino.

Best ITS racing in years is happening right now in SEDiv and you sold your car! Need to get your ass back out there.....
 
Yes, the S racing is kicking it now. Hate I am missing it, but I can't make the remainder of the races with the car (CMP, RA, RRR, CMS) so there is no point in rushing it.

I might dyno it today at lunch of I can do a hit and run on the dyno shop. Be interesting to see what it comes up with. It has a lot of torque stock, but not so much horsepower. While driving it around I've learned that it will begrudgingly turn to 5200 RPM. I estimate that on the Dynojet it'll put down 130 hp and 185 ft lbs over a fairly broad range, peaking hp at 4500.
 
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Good to see! I hope you go through with it! They won't be able to group you with ITR though, it might spoil the look of the group... :p
 
CRallo said:
Good to see! I hope you go through with it! They won't be able to group you with ITR though, it might spoil the look of the group... :p
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Yeah, if we do it then there might actually be a domestic car in IT. Whooo hooo! There are a few domestics but wow, walking around the VIR paddock this weekend you could just about rename the SCCA the Mazda Club of America.
 
Ron Earp said:
Yeah, if we do it then there might actually be a domestic car in IT. .
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hey, hey, HEY!!! I am totally offended. I may now have to go cut my mullet!!

:lol:


I will be watching the build very carefully because I would love to run a Mustang in ITS or ITR.
 
JLawton said:
hey, hey, HEY!!! I am totally offended. I may now have to go cut my mullet!!

:lol:
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Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. Flashback 90s. If you are wearing a mullet and driving a Saturn there is a problem already. You guys are supposed to be wearing a plaid flannel with a fanny pack and touting a new way of car companies, no negotiation, feel good marketing, and some such stuff. You don't do that in the paddock now?
 
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Ron Earp said:
. You guys are supposed to be wearing a plaid flannel with a fanny pack and touting a new way of car companies, no negotiation, feel good marketing, and some such stuff. You don't do that in the paddock now?
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I don't see the problem???




.
 
JLawton said:
I don't see the problem???
.
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Probably not one. After shopping 30+ Mustangs on the interwebz and talking to at least twenty owners about theirs cars for sale I can tell you base V6 Mustangs are owned by a unique subset of the population.
 
RedMisted said:
Secretaries? Lol.
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Strippers, rednecks, and liars make up the bulk of them. Seriously, one owner offered to pose with the car if I bought it - stripper, Morehead City area of NC.

Another, when asked the condition of the interior of the car replied "that it was gutted and hard to determine because I've been using it for my painter truck. Driver seat is there though and the AC works".

And yet another claimed the car had never been wrecked although the carfax showed odometer rollback, some serious accidents, and one of the damn pictures he posted on Craigslist clearly showed left rear quarter damage. He didn't speak a lot of English so there might have been a miscommunication. Persistent guy though and liked to call me after 10pm at night to offer to sell me the car on the cheap, "I meet you tonight in Raleigh".

Dyno time is set for noon on Monday so we'll wind it up and see what its got. Did you ever dyno your 99 stock?
 
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Dyno pull today with a Dynojet, the same one we have been using for all of our race cars.

Any bets on the outcome?

I am guessing 126 rwhp and 182 rwtq. Not sure at what RPMs but it'll be low.

R
 
Ron Earp said:
Was this on a Dynojet???
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Yes. And on a hotter than hell/stickier than flypaper humid day, if that makes a difference.

The engine was the original, and I remember when I bought the car that its acceleration was anemic compared to previous rentals that I'd driven. The tuners were able to get it up to a respectable 158whp. Now with all the peripheral mods and the like, the replacement engine gets about 195whp.

I think your estimates are in the ballpark.
 
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