boardkat's Daily Driven CAM-C AutoX Slayer!

So I figure it's finally time to dedicate space to a build journal, rather than burying tidbits in various autox threads as I've been doing over the years. I sometimes forget all that I've done myself (especially the trials and tribulations that go into various installations and fitment), so consolidating everything here that I've done (and will be doing in the future) will be my goal in the coming weeks, months (and years).

Those that I compete against and others that lurk in the Road Course, Track, Autocross, HPDE forum are already familiar with my build, but for those that aren't, here's a quick primer. AutoX is my hobby - every car I've bought in the last 10 years has been specifically for that purpose. I compete all over the country at many types of events; from the stereotypical "racing in parking lots" locally, to abandoned lumber mills in the middle of nowhere, military bases, airports and everything in between. For all its quirks - the rules, the events, and the characters you meet along the way - I can truly say I've found a passion and have made many friends that I can't imagine not having in my life.

I took delivery on 1/2/15; a factory-ordered 2015 GT PP 6MT that I bought to replace my 2013 GT 6MT Brembo/Recaro car, which was rear-ended and totaled out a few months prior.



I immediately began modifying it to maximize the ESP ruleset, which allows for a decent amount of drivetrain and suspension upgrades. With a limited competition schedule in 2015 due to timing and acquisition of prototype parts, it was an eye-opening experience to attend Solo Nationals in Lincoln and still place 4th overall.



This chassis was capable, and I committed to taking this car as far as I possibly could - and then Solo Nationals in 2016 happened.



After winning CAM, and my co-driver winning ESP in the Pro Finale (on old 315 A7s), we were both prepared to take this car to the top of the ESP charts. And then my OPG blew up on the way to the event site the morning of competition. So much for that :|



Not willing to take a chance swapping in another stock motor (even with an aftermarket OPG), I decided that this car's ESP days were over, and proceeded to have Livernois build me an engine that was built for power (1000whp) and durability at high (8600) RPMs. I knew I was heading down a dark path, but threw in the towel and accepted my fate!

Here's a pic on way back from Detroit, after picking the car up:



Spent a lot of time reworking my suspension ahead of the 2017 season (all rubber be gone, everywhere!), and dropping weight where I could (driveshaft, rear seat delete, hitch removal) to get my car under 3500lbs. It paid off, as I managed to put my car at or near the top at Crows Landing and Packwood national events, and then proceeded to win CAM-C and the overall competition at the CAM Invitational:



Didn't drive my car to full potential at Solo Nationals, but still managed to place 2nd in CAM-C. The fire has been lit, and I intend to take THIS iteration of the car to the top of CAM-C in 2018 (and beyond)!

Flash forward to today. But before I talk about my 2018 plans, I'd first like to welcome Steeda to the stable! They have pledged to support my build and racing this season, and I am grateful for the time and effort they have already taken to help me out with some issues I've been having with various parts and setup needs. Dario, Glen and the rest of the Steeda crew are a group of consummate professionals working tirelessly to R&D and deliver parts that the Mustang community wants, and I'm grateful to be working with them. [MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION] [MENTION=32546]Steeda Tech JohnC[/MENTION] [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION]

Here's where my car currently sits in terms of prep:

ENGINE
Livernois Pro Series engine (11.5:1)
- Deck Plate Honed Cylinders
- Main Housing Bores Align Honed
- Block Deburred and Radiused
- Rotating Assembly Balanced
- Oil System Modifications for High RPM Flow
- Rod Clearances Set
- Rings Hand Gapped and Filed
- Livernois Forged and Coated Pistons
- Livernois Forged H-Beam Connecting Rods
- Tri-Metal Performance Main Bearings
- Tri-Metal Performance Coated Rod Bearings
- Stainless Steel Ringset
- Steel Thick Wall Wristpin
- ARP Head Studs and Rod Bolts
- Livernois Upgraded Valve Springs
- Livernois Billet Oil Pump Gears
- MMR Billet Crankshaft Gear
- Ford Racing Boss 302 Timing Chain Tensioners
- Livernois Billet Pivoting Timing Chain Guides
- ATI Harmonic Balancer
- Ford Racing Oil Catch Cans

DRIVETRAIN
Ford Racing 47lbs Injectors
PMAS Cold Air Intake
BMR Adjustable Poly Motor Mounts (engine lowered 1/2")
Livernois EvenFlo 170 Degree Thermostat
Stainless Works 1 7/8" Headers
Stainless Works High Flow Cats
Stainless Works 3" (2.5" Resonated Cores) Catback Exhaust w/ Ford Racing Sport 2.5" Mufflers
Ford MT82 Transmission (Stock)
Whiteline Poly Transmission Mount Insert
Ford Racing High RPM Pulse Ring
McLeod RST Clutch
McLeod Lightened Steel Flywheel
Ford GT500 Slave Cylinder and Throwout Bearing
Ford Racing Stainless Clutch Line
MGW Race Spec Short Throw Shifter
Dynotech 1pc Aluminum Driveshaft
OS Giken Super Lock 1.5 Way LSD
Ford Racing 3.55FD Ring and Pinion
GT350 Axles

SUSPENSION
JRZ RS Pro Double Adjustable Remote Reservoir Offset Struts/Inverted Shocks w/ Spherical Mounts/Eyelets
JRZ Camber Plates
Hyperco 2.25ID 6" 700lbs Front Springs
Bimmerworld Spring Thrust Sheets
Eibach 35mm FSB w/ Poly Bushings and Cortex Adjustable Spherical Endlinks
Cortex Front Control Arms Spherical Bearings
Tru-Coil 5.5ID 10.75" 1600lbs Rear Springs (stock location)
OEM GT PP 22.2mm RSB w/ Poly Bushings and Cortex Adjustable Spherical Endlinks
Cortex Rear Control Arm Spherical Bearings
BMR Spherical Vertical Links
BMR Spherical Toe Links
Ford Racing Toe/Knuckle Spherical Bearings
Steeda Spherical/Delrin Adjustable Rear Camber Links
BMR Delrin Rear Subframe Bushings
BMR Poly Differential Mount Bushings

WHEELS/TIRES
Forgestar CF5 18x12" Front/Rear Wheels (dry)
BFG Rival S 335/30R18 Front/Rear Tires (dry)
SVE 350R 19x11" Front/Rear Wheels (wet)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 305/30R19 Front/Rear Tires (wet)
Eibach Front Aluminum Wheel Adapters
ARP Extended Rear Studs

BRAKES
OEM PP 6pot Front Calipers
AP Racing 15" Front 2pc Slotted Rotors
Ferodo DS2500 Front Brake Pads
Steeda Stainless Front Brake Lines
JLT Front Brake Ducting
OEM PP 1pot Rear Calipers
Baer 13" Rear 2pc Slotted Rotors
Carbotech AX6 Rear Brake Pads
Steeda Stainless Rear Brake Lines

HEAT EXTRACTION/AERO
Anderson Composites Carbon Fiber Type-TW Vented Hood
Anderson Composites Carbon Fiber Type-GT Front Upper Grille
Ford California Special Front Splitter
Carbon 2 Carbon GT350R Rear Wing

WEIGHT REDUCTION
Watson Racing Front Bumper Support
Fog Light Delete
Sparco Evo II LF Driver/Passenger Seats
Planted Seat Brackets w/ Aluminum Side Mounts
Ford Racing GT350R Rear Seat Delete
Ford Aluminum Differential Carriage
Watson Racing Battery Relocation Kit

FLUIDS
Brad Penn 15w40 Engine Oil
Redline MT-85 Transmission Fluid
OS Giken OS-250R 80w250 Differential Fluid
Castrol SRF Brake Fluid

So what's on-tap for the 2018 season? Let's take a look at the incremental changes:

DRIVETRAIN
Ford GT500 2.3L TVS (Trinity) Supercharger w/ 3.25" Pulley (8-9psi)
Department of Boost GT550 Manifold w/ 1.25" Inlet/Outlet
VMP 67mm Dual Blade Throttle Body
Stewart E2512A 25amp Water Pump w/ 1.25" Inlet/Outlet
Department of Boost Custom Baffled De-gas Tank
Griffin 1000cu Inch Heat Exchanger
-20AN Startlite Water Lines
RX Dual Valve Oil Catch Can
Fore Innovations L4 Fuel System
- Fuel Rails in Parallel w/ Regulator Mounted After
- TI Auto F90000274 primary pump
- TI Auto F90000274 secondary pump
- F2i 2 Port Regulator
- FC3 Staged Controller w/ 4ga wiring
- FC3 Honeywell Pressure Switch
- PTFE -8AN Feed / Return lines
- 128mm Filter
- Microglass SSD
- 0-100 psi Fuel Pressure Gauge
ID1050x Injectors
JLT Cold Air Intake
Ford Racing 3.31FD Ring and Pinion

SUSPENSION
Hyperco 2.25ID 5" 700lbs Front Springs
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda Front Control Arm Lateral Links w/ Extended Ball Joint
Steeda Delrin Front Swaybar Bushings
Steeda Delrin Rear Swaybar Bushings
JRZ Adjustable Articulating Rear Perches
Hyperco 2.25ID 5" 1600lbs Rear Springs
Steeda Poly Vertical Links
Steeda Spherical/Delrin Rear Adjustable Camber Arms (modified)

WHEELS/TIRES
Forgestar F14 18x13" Front/Rear Wheels (dry)
BFG Rival S 335/30R18 Front/Rear Tires (dry)
SVE 350R 19x11" Front/Rear Wheels (wet)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 305/30R19 Front/Rear Tires (wet)

BRAKES
Carbotech AX6 Front Brake Pads

HEAT EXTRACTION/AERO
Anderson Composites Carbon Fiber Type-TW Vented Hood
Anderson Composites Carbon Fiber Type-GT Front Lower Grille
Fenced Heat Exchanger/Radiator

WEIGHT REDUCTION
Watson Racing Battery Relocation Kit

FLUIDS
Red Line MT-85 Transmission Fluid

... so basically, a brand new car

Why such drastic changes in the power department? Am I not supposed to know that in AutoX, 500whp+ turns rubber instantly into smoke and that I'm wasting a lot of time and money?! Here's my stance: I've spent the past few seasons refining and iterating on my suspension setup to the point that I often find myself waiting for the power to come on at higher RPMs (4k+). I ascribe to the school of thought first posited by Mark Donohue - I don't have enough power until my drive wheels are spinning in every gear To that end, I *know* I've got a power deficit relative to my competition, especially at low (2-3k) RPMs. Which is why I ruled out a turbo or centrifugal setup and ended going with a positive displacement blower. "But you're adding weight up front and high, and you're going to have massive heatsoak issues, especially with the G500 blower!" Allow me to explain. The weight is definitely an unfortunate side effect of a PD setup, but one that I've accepted (and will be mitigating when I eventually go SLA up front and maximize CF usage to get down to 3250lbs). Heatsoak? Bollocks! I have been working very closely with Jason and Alex from the Department of Boost to prototype a cooling setup that we expect to have IATs barely over ambient in real-world use - achieved through a combination of well-thought out parts (custom manifold w/ maximized intercooler and thermal barrier; 27gpm+ 25A water pump; 1.25" hosing) and design ingenuity (massive baffled de-gas tank; fenced heat exchanger/radiator). "But why only 8-9psi?! You have an engine built to take 1000whp!" Excellent point! I might end up with more boost (eventually). But I'm starting there to see what life with 700whp/600lb-ft+ is really like. I expect that, in time, I'll end up on a setup (and revised driving ability) that can use this power (and more), but wanted a (sane-ish?) starting point. I also feel I'm living on borrowed time with my (completely stock) MT-82, and hoping to make it last long enough for some MT82-D4 takeoffs to start showing up (for improved/wider gearing and durability).

All told though, I don't have enough time before the Fontana Pro Solo in late-March to get everything together, tested and tuned - so I'll be starting the season how I finished last in the power department. I expect to use the downtime between national events during the month of May to get it done, and hopefully have things in a usable (and competitive) state in time for the Packwood Tour/Pro events in July.

Not to be overshadowed, I'm also making some improvements in both the grip and suspension departments. I won't touch on the grip here (see next post), but I will address the suspension changes. Specifically, I am trying to make my chassis as predictable as possible - and having some play on both ends with poly swaybar bushings was an area I'd been hoping to address. Enter Steeda, who provided some delrin bushings for me to try. I've also swapped out my BMR spherical vertical links for some Steeda poly links - compliance isn't always a bad thing, and I'm told that little bit in that area will help reduce issues under heavy braking. Bumpsteer has been a big issue for me, especially on bumpy sites like Packwood. To that end, I've installed the Steeda Front Lower Control Arms w/ Extended Balljoints and the Bumpsteer Kit, raising my roll center and minimizing my bumpsteer in the typical range of travel my car sees in competition. I'm also swapping out the spherical portion of the Steeda Rear Adjustable Camber Arm with a shorter link, so that I can run more camber (the previous design was limiting my adjustment). What I'm most excited about this season is finally being able to corner balance my car. I've been on cut-to-ride-height 5.5ID springs since 2015, and have been patiently waiting for a prototype JRZ articulating rear perch setup to go into production since I first found out about it in January of last year:



Being a 2.25ID 5" setup, I have a very good selection of high rates to try (and have already bought 1600, 1800 and 2000 springs); I'm still not convinced that the 1600lbs setup I've been running is stiff enough, and aim to test that assumption.

edit: JRZ/Maxcyspeed completely dropped the ball. I'm sad to report that I never received a prototype or final production part, in spite of ample patience and resilience in light of broken promise after broken promise. HOWEVER, Mike @ Mike Maier Inc. modified his existing design to accommodate a 2.25ID 5" setup (previous design was built for a 2.5ID 6" setup) in *under a week*, and had them hand delivered to me @ an event I was attending in Crows Landing close to his shop. Talk about service! Here's a sample of what they look like on another competitor's GT350R:

Topic: 18x13/335 square under stock fenders

.. and before anybody asks, no, there is not offset information contained within. Why? Well, ask yourself these questions - do you have:

Front
1.) Offset struts
2.) "Right-sized" piston or enlarged strut hole
3.) Camber plates
4.) More than -3.5 camber
5.) 700lbs+ 2.25ID 5" springs
6.) A BIG-ASS adapter (and not having an aversion to running one)
7.) Quik-Latch bumper attachment points
8.) Rolled/Pulled/Spaced fenders
9.) Fender liners removed
10.) Creative placement of various parts/lines
11.) Ability to stomach 2mm of inboard strut clearance and NO fender clearance with occasional rubbing/self-clearancing

Rear
1.) Rolled/Pulled fenders
2.) Springs in the stock location (or inverted coilovers)
3.) Inverted shocks
4.) Relocated e-brake bracket/line and other creative movement of parts/lines
5.) The "right" amount of -ve camber to meet your setup needs coupled with an offset that maximizes inboard/outboard clearance
6.) Fender liners removed
7.) Ability to stomach 2mm of inboard strut clearance and NO fender clearance with occasional rubbing/self-clearancing

.. because if your answer to any of those questions is no, then the offset won't matter anyway. There is a LOT of work and compromises required to make this setup fit square under the stock fenders - not gonna lie. And it's taken ALL of those things mentioned to make it work. I've spent many hours over the years measuring, test fitting, moving, thinking and just plain staring at things. It's not for the faint of heart, and you can really make it a lot easier on yourself just cutting and flaring your fenders. But I street drive my car, and didn't want to do a plastic flare/rivet job on it, nor spend the Texa$$$ amount on doing it right with a stock-like cut/weld/paint application (I don't do metal/fab/paint), and I'm trying to minimize my front/rear track and overall width. So here we are

OK, now that we've gotten THAT part taken care of, let's dive into the details!

I've been running an 18x12/335 setup quite successfully for the past few seasons, but I'm always looking to maximize my grip in the pursuit of those precious tenths on the clock. I was able to reclaim some inboard room this off-season by doing a lot of testing/math to determine what actual amount of travel I'm using up front for the various spring rates I've run over the years. The end result was the conclusion that a 5" spring "should" give me "just enough", which, in turn, allowed me to relocate my perch back above my tire for my desired ride height for additional inboard clearance. The natural conclusion was, "Hey, now I can fit an 18x13 up there!", and the end result was this showing up at my front door after (4) months of waiting (thanks [MENTION=27078]Paul@PKAUTODESIGN[/MENTION]!)



13" from bead-to-bead but almost 14" overall width


4yo for scale


I tried to weigh them, but couldn't fit the damn things on my scale because they're too wide! I did weigh holding a wheel though, and it comes in at just under 25lbs - surprising, because they're basically the same weight as my 18x12 - biggest difference being the face (F14 vs. CF5), since the barrel on the F14 rev2 is the same as the CF5.

So how much wider are we talking? Here's a comparison of my various setups:


19x11 | 305/30R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S


18x12 | 335/30R18 BFG Rival-S


18x13 | 335/30R18 BFG Rival-S


Ultimately, I've added an additional 0.75" of tire going from 12-13 on a 335, and the visual stretch of the sidewall (which was the desired outcome) should give me more sidewall support on a tire that tends to feel a little numb at the limit.

So how does it fit? Let's take a look!

Front, full droop:




Front, maximum compression (fender limited):




Here's how much shock travel is left right at the point of fender interference:


While it looks like a lot of travel left on the table, I've actually never experienced compression travel this far on a 700lbs+ setup - and now with a 5" spring, I'll reach block height before I ever reach this point. But block height is also past the point of maximum compression achieved, so the end result is - 18x13/335 works up front!

Apologies about the rear - I thought I took some pics, but apparently I didn't - suffice it to say that with some parts relocation, I moved almost all the additional width inboard, and used up what additional fender clearance I had left. Nothing on the table, it just barely fits, but with full compression travel without any fender or shock/frame interference! I'll remember to take some pics when I have the rear suspension apart in a few weeks putting in some final spring/alignment touches ahead of my California swing.

Of course, the proof will be in the pudding - I've got my first event of the season next weekend. But with 40deg temps (and most likely rain) in the forecast (par for the course this time of year in the PNW), I probably won't get to test the new setup until the Fontana Pro Solo in late March. Not ideal to be testing at a national event a thousand miles away, but I'll make it work - or not, lol. Stay tuned!

Wow!

You do this work in your home garage (or in the parking lot at events when something breaks :( ) without a lift, correct?

You're my hero.

DickR said:

Wow!

You do this work in your home garage (or in the parking lot at events when something breaks :( ) without a lift, correct?

Click to expand...

yep. i probably passed the point of this being a good idea for my quickly aging body a few years back, but you work with what you have! btw, i do not recommend changing a rear-end on site - yardsale!



on a positive note, i drilled out my diff cover threads and am now running 14mm 12.9 bolts - which makes it a helluva lot easier to swap diff carriages, since you don't have to drop the entire subframe to access the bolts (since it's now a bolt-through setup with the heads facing inward). 1-2 hours now, depending on how motivated you are

That weekend boardkat got his car back together in time for the event and whooped all our butts. Pretty crazy, lol.

Do you have a link or contact info for the fancy rear spring setup you got?

SteveW said:

That weekend boardkat got his car back together in time for the event and whooped all our butts. Pretty crazy, lol.

Click to expand...

competing was icing on the cake. not being stranded was priority #1, lol.

SteveW said:

Do you have a link or contact info for the fancy rear spring setup you got?

Click to expand...

stay tuned. i am currently "in limbo" with a distributor due to purported issues with JRZ, and don't want to recommend or throw anybody under the bus until i figure out what's going on.

Sounds, good. I'm sure a lot of us would be interested in that setup

Julie and I are all signed up for this weekend at PIR as well. Fingers crossed the gorge isn't a mess and I can get my car through there alright without any snow. Hope to see you there.

Single most greatest build thread ever!

Makes us noob autocrossers think twice...

Wow....thanks for sharing so much. I definitely appreciate the trial and error stuff, not to mention a very understanding family......lol

SteveW said:

Sounds, good. I'm sure a lot of us would be interested in that setup

Click to expand...

definitely! i have high hopes.

SteveW said:

Julie and I are all signed up for this weekend at PIR as well. Fingers crossed the gorge isn't a mess and I can get my car through there alright without any snow. Hope to see you there.

Click to expand...

awesome, it'll be good to see you soon-to-be-newlyweds
sadistically, i was hoping it would be cold and wet, so i could test grip on the PS4S and 3.31FD at lower RPMs (since i expect it to be relatively gutless to the powerband i've grown used to). looks like the cold part will be taken care of, but the cursed sun seems to be a willing participant, too :lol:

Rebellion said:

Single most greatest build thread ever!

Makes us noob autocrossers think twice...

Click to expand...

we all have to start somewhere. take it from me, who didn't know how to drive stick or change his own oil a decade ago - where there's a will (to learn and grow), there's a golden path awaiting you!

Plimmer said:

Wow....thanks for sharing so much. I definitely appreciate the trial and error stuff, not to mention a very understanding family......lol

Click to expand...

the struggle is real, so i'm happy to give something back to the community. i would never be where i am today without the help of others - and i continue to rely on those much more experienced and smarter than i as i continue to iterate and test. it's a wild ride, but yes, having an understanding family is paramount - along with very awesome offseason vacations ;)

On the topic of iterating, I finally got my 3rd (!) diff carriage put together. A fellow autox'er (thanks [MENTION=20453]ihavefat[/MENTION]) sold his S550 and never got around to installing his OS Giken - for a price I just couldn't refuse.







In my experience, you can never have enough powertrain spares, and it's nice to have a different FD to boot, as I finally put a ratio I always thought I should have been running to the test. And if it's too much of a compromise down low, well, that'll be fixed very soon anyway

Unfortunately, I won't be able to put enough break-in miles on it before the event this weekend (needs about 1000 street driven miles on 75W140 before putting the golden 80W250 in and actually getting the diff to work), but I'll definitely be driving down to the Fontana Pro with it on the car.

Hell ya ! Those look amazing brotha