Dean Martin's GT4 Mustang

[1mic]

Nano GT4 car at startup...

I didnt read from the beginning but this is a CPC engine right? Not the FPC in the mustang race cars a year before (GT350-R)?

Sounds outright naaaasty. :ford:

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[Epiphany]

The IMSA races at Road Atlanta this past weekend were a blast. Temps were in the mid nineties and the track was bone dry. Kohr ran two cars, the Nano beast you are used to and a brand new GT4 car partially sponsored by MGW's new company, Scudo. That made for three GT4 Mustangs in the GS class as the Volt team was there too and just as hungry for a win.

Scott Maxwell and Jack Roush, JR manned the Nano car while Nate Stacy and Parker Chase shared duty in the Scudo car.

I learned prior to the race that the GT4 Mustangs were all seeing a bit of an engine oiling issue. In essence, there was quite a bit making its way to the dry sump catch can/breather that is was flowing through the breather and exiting the system. I spoke with somebody on the Volt team and they were seeing the same thing. For whatever reason, the Scudo car was losing oil at a greater rate than the others. The fact that it was brand new may have had something to do with it but regardless it needed to be addressed. There were engineers from Roush Yates and Ford Racing working on a solution the night prior to the race as well as right up until the car hit the track.

The catch can is located behind the passenger side front fender, near where you see the GS sticker in the following photo.

With the fender removed you can see the catch can. It ties into the dry sump tank via a line at pretty much the high point. The can is supposed to allow the system to breathe along with capturing a small amount of oil vapor that coalesces. It can then be drained via the petcock on the bottom of the can. Problem for the cars at Road Atlanta was that the cans were filling with oil and then leaking through the breather.

The fix (at this point anyway) was to relocate the catch can to a lower elevation which would then lengthen the hose required between it and the sump tank. I believe the idea was the longer run of hose would give the oil more time to coalesce and reduce the amount of oil in the can. So the can was removed and two new holes were drilled. The petcock was removed and a line was run to allow it to drain quicker than it could fill.

The dry sump tank is large and rather odd shaped. Ford originally had the tank mounted behind the driver but SRO wanted it out of the cabin. Mounting it ahead of the strut towers wouldn't be a good idea in the event of an on-track crash or "incident" so it was decided that it would be placed aft of the passenger side strut tower with the top of it just in front of the firewall.

Note the bung at the far right in the photo above where the OD of the tank necks way down. This is the bottom of the tank. You can see in the next photo where oil is picked up and routed to the dry sump pump. You also get a glimpse of the Holinger six speed sequential transmission case to the right.

Pump and remoted mounted Wix (racing) filter.

A glimpse of the billet aluminum pan in this shot...

Buttoned back up, the cars hit the track. On this day the McLaren cars ran strong. Watching them at various points of the track they looked extremely smooth and were pulling away from the pack. Early on the Nano car was third, behind two McLaren cars but developed an electrical issue such that the car had to come off the track for some time to repair it. I believe the car was running on battery alone with a dead alternator for some time before the battery had enough and the car came to a stop. This was just before the car stopped.

[ame]



In the mean time, the Scudo car gained ground.

[ame]



Nate had the car in second behind the lead McLaren. Things got very exciting...

[ame]


Some miscommunication regarding a pit stop and the Scudo car fell back. At some point Parker climbed into the car. The Nano car was back on track and cutting lap times right up with the class leader. A few laps down but it ran very strong right up until the checkered flag.

I noticed what I thought was oil on the passenger side of the car mid-race that seemed to extend up and further back as the race finished up. Parker fell back a few spots as lap times grew by a second or two. The race ended and the two cars headed back to the paddock. The oil problem apparently still existed. The passenger side of the Nano car...

The Scudo car...

The engineer I spoke with mentioned Road Atlanta contributing to the issue what with the elevation changes and brake zones. I read that as a slosh issue within the sump tank. He agreed that this problem would likely be non-existent were they allowed to have kept the tank in the cabin and in a more vertical orientation. I'm certain it'll be figured out in the off season.

Dean and crew did a fantastic job preparing for the race. As in, they worked their collective asses off. They aren't allowed to make many changes to the car aside from the alignment settings but preparation runs the gamut. Maxwell and Roush are top notch drivers that I hope to see back next year. Stacy and Chase had the car right up there and who knows how well they would have done without oil misting along the car - this includes the tires as Parker mentioned difficulty turning the car as the race wore on. In addition, it was an oven in the car with little airflow through the cabin. Larry Rehagen handed me a small camera at the end of the race that had been mounted inside and it felt as though it had been heated by a torch. Parker was drenched. He and Nate posed for a shot along with George from MGW.

Good luck to all next year. Especially Dean as without him I have a strong sense that the GS class wouldn't have near the same allure.

 

[xXANCHORMONXx]

What's the reasoning for the billet oil pan? To add rigidity to the crank area?

 

[Epiphany]

Dry sump dictates a custom pan and a billet pan will have tighter tolerance than a fabricated steel (for example) unit.

 

[Eritas]

SRO are morons. Oil tanks in the cabin are used successfully and without issue in some if the safest sedan cars in racing - Nascar.

 

[FORDSTANGER]

Very impressive coverage of the cars and team. Epiphany must be a closet journalist. .

 

[Epiphany]

More like dog house journalist.

Here's a gallery from my recent visit to Florida to see the IMSA races at Sebring...

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-39Skqv/

 

[traxiii]

Great shots! Thanks.

 

[2morrow]

Great coverage, thanks for all your trackside work!

 

[Epiphany]

I'm lucky enough to have friends that crew for Dean as well as seeing Dean at a number of events over the past few years. Faces on his teams change as time passes but most are always ready there at each and every race.

I'm happy to see George from MGW team up with Dean to promote the Scudo brand. Sponsoring a full season race effort is far from inexpensive but George couldn't have chosen a better organization than Kohr to work with. All of which makes a successful effort that much more enjoyable. These guys are all at the top of their game and I wish them nothing but the best.

Check out the wallets if you haven't seen them.
https://www.mgwscudo.com/

 

[Donkey]

Couldn't agree more.

Dean has always answered any questions I've had. Top notch guy and George seems to always offer excellent quality products.

Hope to get a good look at the GT4 at Mid Ohio in a little over a month.

 

[Grimace427]

More like dog house journalist.

Here's a gallery from my recent visit to Florida to see the IMSA races at Sebring...

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-39Skqv/

Ugh, no more excuses. I need to get to a track event like this with the camera! This is awesome and thanks for sharing. :hail:

 

[Zitrosounds]

 

[Epiphany]

Hope to get a good look at the GT4 at Mid Ohio in a little over a month.

Probably the only race I can't make it to. Have a blast!

Ugh, no more excuses. I need to get to a track event like this with the camera! This is awesome and thanks for sharing. :hail:

I wish I had media access at certain points around each track to get race shots without any fencing in the way. Then again, I enjoy being in the pits and paddock just as much.

I was just going to post this. George and I are in there but I kinda doubt anyone would ever pick us out.

Crazy thing is how young Nate is. He just graduated from high school!

 

[JAJ]

I was just going to post this. George and I are in there but I kinda doubt anyone would ever pick us out...

3:03?

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