Post pics of your HPDE toy

[Kramer]

It doesnt work right but if you right clik the box and tell it to open the source it will not only give you that one it will give you 9 more.

 

I don't have the option to "open source" with IE7.

[TurboShortBus]

Just right-click on the word Image, then click Copy Image Location, then paste it in the browser. It works for my FireFox 3.0.

 

Mark

[99wildthing]

Some pics from the recent event @ Sears Point (some call it Infineon)... what a blast; even in the rain!

 

Edited May 30, 2009 by Guest

[trhoads]

 

I think I got a few good shots of you in turn 1 at RA in December. it was fun to watch you come through there, the S2K looks and sounds great on track.

[Tweva33]

This one might confuse you all little. You may ask why, I say why not! Its really fun, a tad bit of body roll There are no suspension upgrades, and engine upgrades are under way.

I will be at Infineon in June

[TurboShortBus]

Hell yeah, that's badass! And you can throw all your tools and track tires in the back pretty easily.

 

Mark

[MSP608]

Haha geez, does it even have shoulder belts??

[Tweva33]

If I had spare tires, yea Id throw them in the back. But I drive it to the track then drive home, and then to work, and then to car shows. Its a two piece belt system. Its got a lap belt, I use that on the street, and a non retractable shoulder belt that snaps into place. Not sure if that passes tech, shhhhh! (It is factory though, and the rules say stock equipment is ok- I think)

[justint5387]

If I had spare tires, yea Id throw them in the back. But I drive it to the track then drive home, and then to work, and then to car shows. Its a two piece belt system. Its got a lap belt, I use that on the street, and a non retractable shoulder belt that snaps into place. Not sure if that passes tech, shhhhh! (It is factory though, and the rules say stock equipment is ok- I think)

 

 

I would get better belts for your own safety... Especially at Infineon

[TurboShortBus]

After better belts are installed, I'd love to see that Ranchero with some decent suspension and a set of black 15x8 Steelie McWheelies for a kickass '70s NASCAR look.

 

Mark

[Elvenhome21]

 

Yep, you got it... these are the best lower control (a-arm) for Mustang's, and the sway bar I use is the Griggs anti-bind adjustable FBAR; and I have a coil-over setup... just not the full SLA (double a-arm) yet. Hopefully in a year or so I'll switch to the SLA setup and the Griggs 4-on-4 brake package (gotta save up for it though)!

 

BTW, nice track toy there... what lurks underneath? And, good luck with your comp license!

 

When that pic was taken it was a chevy 358 with vortec heads 9.8:1, 750 carb. around 400-420 hp with a 6800 chip. This year I got aluminum heads, roller cam, 12:1 pistons and a lot better ignition. Im shooting for 500hp with 8k chip.

Got to give SU and the enduros a run for there money, when i get my liscense.

[Cheap_Thrills]

If I had spare tires, yea Id throw them in the back. But I drive it to the track then drive home, and then to work, and then to car shows. Its a two piece belt system. Its got a lap belt, I use that on the street, and a non retractable shoulder belt that snaps into place. Not sure if that passes tech, shhhhh! (It is factory though, and the rules say stock equipment is ok- I think)

 

I've seen that car/truck at Infineon, but never out on track. I assumed you were running in the Hyperdrive or something.

Love the pic with the passenger sliding to the middle of the bench seat.

[Tweva33]

I did the Hyperdrive once last year in April, then I did a track day in June and November, running in group 1 and then group 2, and will be doing the June track day in group 2 again. Ive also done the wednesday night drags quite a few times. Ive been thing about getting a racing harness, but I would have to get a bucket seat to go along with it according to the rule book. The current seat belt is plenty strong, just a little strange.

[soundguydave]

I did the Hyperdrive once last year in April, then I did a track day in June and November, running in group 1 and then group 2, and will be doing the June track day in group 2 again. Ive also done the wednesday night drags quite a few times. Ive been thing about getting a racing harness, but I would have to get a bucket seat to go along with it according to the rule book. The current seat belt is plenty strong, just a little strange.

 

 

Ahhh, Grasshopper! Trust me, if you're tracking that beast (which looks like a WHOLE lot of fun!!), you're going to want to get some race seats and belts in there pronto! It's not a matter of whether the stock belts are strong enough, honestly, it's a matter of driver retention, both in the event of a crash, AND for general track duty. The difference between a stock seat, when you're putting a death grip on the wheel to keep from sliding one way or the other, and being in a tight bucket with high bolsters, driving with your fingertips, is enormous! Since I've made the change in my Mustang, I can really feel the car a lot better; I can feel the rotation in a corner with my butt, and wheel feedback is 1000% increased with a looser grip. I used to get out of the car battered and bruised (left calf on the door panel, right knee on the center stack, and sore forearms), but not any more...

 

Trust me, make the change! Once you do, you'll never figure out how you did without!

[Dynamite924s]

 

Turn 11 (Oak Tree) at VIR March '08. I seem to be getting a lot of good practice driving in the rain at the early VIR events.

[sperkins]

 

Sweet. My dream track car is a notchback fox body with a GM LS based drivetrain. Is that even possible?

[TurboShortBus]

Sweet. My dream track car is a notchback fox body with a GM LS based drivetrain. Is that even possible?

It's absolutely possible, as there are several tubular K-members out there for swapping LSx engines into Mustangs. Anthony Jones is one that comes to mind, although most of them are drag racing fabricators (although they will still work for road racing...just be careful about what they do to the suspension geometry, as I have yet to find one that leaves the stock geometry alone, if that's what you are after).

 

Mark

[99wildthing]

Sweet. My dream track car is a notchback fox body with a GM LS based drivetrain. Is that even possible?

It's absolutely possible, as there are several tubular K-members out there for swapping LSx engines into Mustangs. Anthony Jones is one that comes to mind, although most of them are drag racing fabricators (although they will still work for road racing...just be careful about what they do to the suspension geometry, as I have yet to find one that leaves the stock geometry alone, if that's what you are after).

 

Mark

 

I believe Griggs does the LS swap too; not sure of the cost, etc. You may want to check out http://www.Griggsracing.com or give 'em a call @ 707-939-2244. In my opinion Griggs Racing produces the best Mustang chassis components out there... bar none!

[Driver]

1991 Cougar XR7

5.0 EFI, 250rwhp

TKO 5 speed

Shocks/Springs

99 Cobra brakes

"Added lightness"

 

 

Pictured with the Hankook c50s, but you'll normally see me running on a budget street tire Sumitomo/Potenza combo. Just broke inthe C50's last weekend, and will dawn them when I want to tick off some personal bests.

[TurboShortBus]

I think your Cougar needs a little more paint work and some decals, and you'll be all set!

 

 

What does that thing weigh?

 

Mark

[Driver]

Oh no, give me nasty beer as my sponsor.

 

What does that thing weigh?

 

Mark

That's a good question. I haven't been able to drag it across any scales yet, the factory stated starting weight was 3800, the XR7 was fully optioned with 19278 way power seats, electronically adjustable suspension, and a pig of an AOD. It's lost a lot of weight, but it gained some back in the way of the simple roll bar.

Maybe I'll get it across the scales at Grassroots, I'd like to see my 4 corners

[TurboShortBus]

For a "good enough" vehicle weight, I just drive over to the county transfer station and pull onto the truck scales. They go in 20 lb increments, so they aren't perfect, but they put me in the ballpark. You can also go to recycling or scrap yards.

 

I figure that the TKO swap probably doesn't shave too much weight off the car (AOD is about 160 lbs with converter), as that 5-speed is 100 lbs dry (not counting ~50 lbs of bellhousing, flywheel, clutch assembly, etc.). I know that stock leather Mustang power seats are about 55 lbs each, so the recliners in Tbirds and Cougars must weigh a ton...

 

Mark

[Driver]

I know that stock leather Mustang power seats are about 55 lbs each, so the recliners in Tbirds and Cougars must weigh a ton...

 

Mark

They do, but I've kept the driver seat. I drive the car to tracks, and none are less that 2 hours away (Bluegrass).

Ignoring the weight, it's actually a fantastic seat for the mere inclusion of power adjustable side bolsters. After 150 miles of "comfort mode", I can bring those in and effectively secure myself for hard cornering. The addition of a 4 point harness cements you in place.... though it's not legal for HPDE.

 

The car has very much been an experiment. It's nice to have something like that where you can just have an idea, and go do it without worrying about class rules. I may sell it at the end of the season and pick up another specimine of the same platfom to apply the best of what I learned with that car in the last 7 years.

[STRINGER]

I had to chuckle at the comfortable drivers seat. Interesting application.

[TurboShortBus]

It's nice to have something like that where you can just have an idea, and go do it without worrying about class rules.

To show you how equally screwy I am, I stumbled across a 1986 Jaguar XJ-S on Craigslist for $500 that (initially) seems like it would be fun to throw around a track with an LS1 under the hood and every unnecessary part in a dumpster. lol

 

Mark