Pictures of my race car

1446 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by HP, Feb 25, 2003

APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · Feb 23, 2003

Some of you locals have been following the progress on my '89 Mustang coupe race car. It's 99% done, so I thought I'd share some pictures. Its maiden voyage will be Green Flag's mid-March event at Buttonwillow.
[image]http://www.californiafords.com/album/00000636/EngineCompartment.JPG[/image]
[image]http://www.californiafords.com/album/00000636/InteriorLeft.JPG[/image]
[image]http://www.californiafords.com/album/00000636/RearFender.JPG[/image]
[image]http://www.californiafords.com/album/00000636/TrannyExhaust.JPG[/image] [image]http://www.californiafords.com/album/00000636/UnderRearSuspension.JPG[/image]

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

NOITALL

· #2 · Feb 23, 2003

any pics of the whole thing? looks like a fun car

viperman

· #3 · Feb 23, 2003

looks good

APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 23, 2003

I'll take some more pictures of it this week after we get the fenders painted.
Here are some specs on the car:
351 Windsor (FMS Sportsman block), ~10.5:1 compression
FMS Sportsman crank
Eagle rods
Ross pistons
Holley 650 by The Carb Shop
Unported Victor, Jr. manifold
Twisted Wedge heads (fully worked)
1 7/8" headers, 3.5" collector
3" x-pipe w/ Magnaflow mufflers
T56 6-speed transmission
APEX Dual Kevlar clutch
3.55 gears
DPI Gold Track differential
Griggs tubular front suspension and coil-overs front/rear
Griggs TorqueArm/Panhard bar
Full chassis stiffening
13"F/12" rear brakes
CCW 17"x12" wheels w/ 335/35/17 BFG g-Force R1 tires all around
BIG fender flares (3.25")
Bigg-ass rear wing :rant:
Sparco seats with harnesses
Full TIG-welded cage
etc., etc., etc.

Should be a pretty fun car! We estimate the weight to be about 2,700 lb. I'll know when I cornerweigh, align, and scale it this week.
We were taking hot laps around our parking lot yesterday, and the thing revs up so fast, it's scary. Peak power was just below 475hp on the engine dyno, right around 6,400rpm. /images/graemlins/headbang.gif I built the motor to be safe up to 7k rpm, so shifting at 6,500, it should live all day long.
Its maiden voyage will be the Green Flag event on March 16th at Buttonwillow. Anyone else going?

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Thin Man

· #5 · Feb 24, 2003

Where's the A/C Compressor go???

HP

· #6 · Feb 24, 2003

Why not an auto?
What's the brace on the rear dif bolt to- in the front, or is it just
suspended next to the drive shaft?.
302 cam or 351? Does the FMS block use the Cleveland style crank?

Smackie

· #7 · Feb 24, 2003

It's a torque-arm, HP.

Bill, it's been awhile since I've labored over Mustang pictures, but that chassis should break a lot of people off behind that motor. Good stuff! Now put it into OTC because, so far, there's not another American GT car that will touch it. (gratuitous business developement over)

Kick ass at Green Flag and kill the remainder of the tires on Gleason's driveway!

HP

· #8 · Feb 24, 2003

Lil Schuey said:
It's a torque-arm, HP.

Bill, it's been awhile since I've labored over Mustang pictures, but that chassis should break a lot of people off behind that motor. Good stuff! Now put it into OTC because, so far, there's not another American GT car that will touch it. (gratuitous business developement over)

Kick ass at Green Flag and kill the remainder of the tires on Gleason's driveway!

I guess from the missing chassis sections - I couldn't tell if
it was an attached, locating arm, or fitted with a rubber snubber for torque travel limit.

APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 25, 2003

HP, the torque arm is bolted to the differential and runs to the middle of the car, where it's attached to the crossbar, which runs side-to-side and is bolted to the frame. This plants the tires on acceleration and keeps the rear of the car down on braking. Corner entry and exit speeds are increase tremendously with this suspension. The Panhard bar is what's mounted to the rear frame and mounts to the axle. With this setup, we remove the upper control arms and eliminate their binding. This allows much more predictable handling, with no snap oversteer that's so inherent in the Mustang suspension.
BP, I'm seriously thinking of doing OTC! I just need to get a couple test-n-tune days successfully completed with the car to ensure nothing's going to fall off! Send me an email or call me at (408) 562-1000. I'd like to talk to you about getting entered, so long as we don't have to do any major work to the car that would preclude me from going.
What other American GT cars have registered so far?

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APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 25, 2003

Lil Schuey said:
Now put it into OTC because, so far, there's not another American GT car that will touch it.

You're assuming I'll be able to control the damn thing!! /images/graemlins/headbang.gif

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APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 25, 2003

HP said:
Why not an auto?
302 cam or 351? Does the FMS block use the Cleveland style crank?

Cam is a custom roller cam from Isky. It's got excellent power all over and isn't peaky. The block was machined to accept Cleveland journals so good bearings can be used. This will lower the oil temp considerably, which is a good thing in a 351. (Just ask the Panoz GTS guys who're constantly spinning their 351W bearings!)

Smackie

· #12 · Feb 25, 2003

Bill -

I'll call you tomorrow.

Smokin

· #13 · Feb 25, 2003

Bill, what would it cost to build a car like that for a paying customer?

HP

· #14 · Feb 25, 2003

It's a toy, give him a year to get tired of it - or find another project,
and he will let it go for a 'song and dance'. :dance:

APEX Motorsports

Discussion Starter · #15 · Feb 25, 2003

SmokinV10 said:
Bill, what would it cost to build a car like that for a paying customer?

I'd figure somewhere between $35k-$40k. Even though there's not much to the car as a whole, the money's in the details. We built it to be pretty much bulletproof.
Song and dance, HP? No way! Song and LAP dance, maybe. :rofl:

HP

· #16 · Feb 25, 2003

When you build something for yourself - you do get consumed in detail,
it has to be just right. Probably most of the effort(time) was in problem solving. It does take more money to build small block Ford motors - because you can't make use of stock parts - like GM's.
Back when I got into Fords, you just had to make use of 2 main blocks, and
cast cranks, and hope for the best.
My last project was a Bronco II that I stripped down - put a 351W in - transplanted a 9in rear - it came stock with a C-5 - so all I had to do
was change bell housing and valve body.

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