Honey Badger's Completely Off-the-Rails Race Car Build and Track Adventure Thread

[honeybadger]

Caliper studs + G-Loc Pads

After my track days in March and my road trip, brakes were hurting. I was starting to hear tons of noise and definitely didn't have enough pad life left to complete my upcoming weekend at The Ridge.

After talking in Optimum Performance, I decided to test out a set of street and track pads from them. I went with their street pads GS-1s and then R16s (front) and R12s (rear) for the track. I went with this over the R12s because I wanted a more aggressive initial bite and Optimum was fairly sure I wouldn't overload the stock MPSS tires (more on that later).

Because I anticipate swapping pads out, I bought a set of studs and sleeves from Epiphany to make front pad changes easier. Here's are all the tools I used during my stud install and pad swap.

1. Lift car and remove the tires. I did fronts and then rears.
2. After removing the tires, remove the stud bolts holding the front calipers in.
3. Then support the calipers so they don't hang. I used this high-tech setup.

4. Make sure to clean the threads out before mounting your studs. Mine were pretty dirty. I used a wire brush and compressed air.

5. This is a good time to clean the rest of the dirt off. Here are what mine looked like after cleaning.

6. After everything was clean, I installed the studs. Make sure to follow the Caliperfexion instructions on using threadlocker and torque. They're very clear and concise.

7.Slide the calipers over your newly installed studs and attach the sleeves if you have them.

8. If your pads are worn, you'll need to push the pistons back because your new pads will have more material. Two ways of doing this...bleeding your brakes and compressing them with clamps. I chose to bleed because I wanted to check my fluid and I could do it by hand.

9. Here's the difference after pushing the pistons back.

10. Next up is prepping the rotor. While best practice is to just buy new rotors, these pads were pre-bedded and the instructions from Optimum say that sanding the Rotors is fine. So I sanded the rotors down a bit, cleaned with brake cleaner and re-installed.

11. To fight brake squeal, I added grease to the back of the pads. This step is pretty unecessary. If you get your brakes hot enough, it just cooks the grease anyways.

12. All done!

I'll give more notes on the pad performance during a track update post, but so far I am happy. The GS1s feel very good on the street (very similar to OEM) and their dust is very minimal. Very street friendly pad. The R16s and R12s are absolutely killer. I went for a bed-in run before my track day and was able to overpower my stock tires once they warmed up if I mashed the brakes. However, the initial bite was absolutely killer (very sensitive) and with some self-control, they are great.

Regarding the studs, everyone else has pretty much said all you need to hear. The hardware is beautifully machined and they are great for changing pads. Well done, Epiphany!

 

[honeybadger]

ZL1 Add-Ons - Tow Hooks

Next up are a set of ZL1 Add-ons Tow Hooks. I'm not going to sugar coat it, these were a pain.

For the front, I followed the [MENTION=20243]50 Deep[/MENTION] guide located here http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73025&page=4&highlight=zl1

If you follow that plus the instructions given by ZL1, you'll be good. My only recommendation is to not try and tighten the Tow Hook shaft and bolt while installed, but take a guess of where to line it up. If it's wrong, pull the assembly back out and try again. I messed around with trying to tighten it while it was installed in the grill for probably 2 hours to no avail. After 20 mins of trial and error, I got it.

Rear tow hook
Well, this one contained many :censored: moments. From what I could tell, you cannot get the rear valence off a GT350 rear bumper without removing the whole bumper. So installing this requires removing the entire rear bumper. This is actually pretty easy, just a bit nerve wracking because of all the plastic clips.

I followed [MENTION=11290]xXANCHORMONXx[/MENTION] guide located here http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70817&highlight=gap

You can also find the youtube videos from various parts websites describing how to do it. Just take your time and all is good.

1. When removing the rear diffuser, be careful of all the dirt and your eyes. Mine was full of sand and gravel. Lots of little missiles that aim straight your eyes if you don't have safety glasses on.

2. Remove the rear bumper by following one of the guides mentioned above. Make sure to put something soft on the ground so it doesn't slam into anything.

3. Regret step 2 as you stare at this.

4. Gauging the placement of the tow hook is a bit of measuring and eye-balling. I measured dead center using a tape measure, then eye-balled it to make sure it lined up. In my case, it did.

5. While you still have your lovely assistant, mark your holes.

6. Drill small pilot holes and make sure you're still lined up. Also make sure to wear safety glasses since you're drilling metal upside down.

7. Drill your full size holes. Make sure to add touch-up paint to the bare metal to prevent rust.

8. Install tow hook mount.

9. Re-install bumper, and tape off area where you will be drilling.

10. Here comes the part that makes up nightmare. You can measure 3-5 times, but it'll still be nerve wracking. I found that you can't really measure accurately, so your best bet is to drill a small hole where you think it should be and adjust as needed. In my case, there is a small dimple in the middle of the bumper behind the license plate. This was SUPER close to centered. This is probably a good starting point. What I did was drill a small pilot whole (3/16 in) and look through it. I saw that I was close, so I used a step-bit to drill a 1in hole. I then placed a rubber grommet in the hole to make a tight fit with the tow hook shaft and hide the sharp edges.

Overall, the install was a huge pain. BUT, the tow hook is very solid and I like that it's hidden beneath my plate. The real takeaway is Ford should've included factory tow hook mounts.

 

[honeybadger]

SRP Pedals

Last mod for the moment were a set of SRP Pedals. I found that if I moved the accelerator pedal forward, heel/toe was easier on the street. However, on track under hard braking, it was too close. When I was in SoCal, I got to feel out SoCal350's SRP pedals and I was sold. They're light, add a ton of grip and feel VERY solid. Only downside is the curvature of the pedal doesn't perfectly match the curves on the mounts. But it's a big deal. You can't feel it when they are installed.

When comparing them to the stock pedals, it's easy to see why. They have sharp teeth, are thinner (less squish), and a bit wider.

To mount the brake and clutch pedal, I just drilled out this existing hole to size and attached. Some of you might want more than one bolt, but this feels solid, doesn't move on me, and was simple without compromising the integrity of the metal backing pedal.

For the accelerator, I used double-sided tape to mock up where I wanted it and then drill through he plastic. I used 2 bolts for this one.

For the dead pedal, I just found 4 black screws and screwed into the plastic underneath the carpet. Overall, they turned out great. The pedal feel is AWESOME. Heel/toe is much improved. This is one of those mods you don't know you need until you try it. 9/10

 

[honeybadger]

Pretty epic road trip [MENTION=23430]honeybadger[/MENTION]. Did you happen to get any pics from our track day? For some reason I completely spaced snapping a few pics...would have been good for your thread.

[MENTION=19800]CSL[/MENTION] I grabbed one, but it's not very special. I'll upload it soon.

 

[honeybadger]

Track Days!

Time for a track day update! About 2 weeks ago I spent 2 days at The Ridge with the Audi Club and then on Thursday I was down at Portland International Raceway for the Skip Day Track Day event. Having an absolute blast with this car on track. What a beast. Video and pics below.

2 Day Event with the Northwest Audi Club at The Ridge

The Ridge is definitely one of the premier tracks of the PNW. It's a fairly new facility that features beautiful asphalt, fun elevation changes, fun layout and fairly forgiving run off areas in case of mistakes.

Prior to this event, I hadn't driven at the Ridge yet, so it was entirely new. The videos I'd watched online really don't do it justice. The elevation changes were more extreme than I had thought and the racing line was much harder to get down (and even harder to do consistently). The track is an absolute blast. Turns 2-5 are especially fun as they feel more like a slalom with elevation change than individual turns.

Day 1 I drug my wife with me so she could experience a bit of the atmosphere. Was fun sharing that with her for sure. While I spent the entire day learning the racing line, I ended on a good note with my best time coming in Session 5.

[ame]

On day 2, another 6G member [MENTION=19800]CSL[/MENTION] joined the fun. He's an instructor with the local PCA, Turn2, and BMW clubs, so it was a hell of a learning experience to ride with him for a session. While I don't normally get motion sickness, after 25 mins in the car with him, I was ready for solid ground. HA. It was a very eye-opening experience riding in his car and seeing what it really could do. On a track day with R8s, GTRs, and GT3(RS)s, it was impressive to see how these GT350s stack up.

All day we had visitors stopping by to talk about the 350 and how impressed they were with its capabilities (and sound of course). Definitely caught plenty of cell phones pointed at the car as I drove down the start/finish straight.

With a sound track like this, could you blame them? hehe
[ame]

Couple of pictures that a local photographer, Rachel grabbed. If you're in the area and would like some pictures of your car, check her out at https://www.facebook.com/miss.adventure.photography.

Skip Day Track Day at Portland International Raceway

This past Thursday I played hooky from work and headed down to PIR for the Skip Day Track Day. These events are awesome. 7 hours of open track time for around $200. The event is usually limited to 40-50 cars, so traffic is usually not a problem. I think I had just over 3 hours of track time this time (less than normal because of rain in the morning).

First time at this track as well, but luckily [MENTION=29996]FR500S Racer[/MENTION] was there to give me some tips to get me on the right line. Additionally, he brought his new GT350 out to play. I had a ton of fun in the last session of the day chasing him around the track for about 10 laps (video below). I don't think I was the only one - on the cool down lap we got a standing applause from one of the flaggers in a corner station. These cars sure are fun.

My fastest lap for the day was a 1:30.7. Tons to learn still, but it felt pretty good!
[ame]

Chasing FR500S in his new 350.
[ame]

This is a new record for me. Only 67.3 miles out of a tank of gas. HA

 

[CSL]

Kevin, awesome stuff! Really great thread you've got going here...

 

[chitlins37]

5.3 avg mpg? Tip of the cap, Sir!

 

[Caballus]

Great thread!

 

[honeybadger]

Kevin, awesome stuff! Really great thread you've got going here...

Thank you, sir! You're not just saying that because I said nice things about your driving, are you? :lol:

5.3 avg mpg? Tip of the cap, Sir!

:cheers:

Great thread!

Thanks! Having fun sharing this wild ride!

 

[Epiphany]

ZL1 Add Ons needs to hire somebody with welding experience. Those are some of the worst welds I have ever seen on a commercially available product. A tow hook/mount, of all things, shouldn't be deficient here.

 

[honeybadger]

ZL1 Add Ons needs to hire somebody with welding experience. Those are some of the worst welds I have ever seen on a commercially available product. A tow hook/mount, of all things, shouldn't be deficient here.

Or better yet, how about you design and manufacture us a kit? I'd buy it!

 

[Trackaholic]

Great updates! Thanks for sharing.

-T

 

[CSL]

Or better yet, how about you design and manufacture us a kit? I'd buy it!

That's what I'm waiting for. I started calling him The Professor many years ago...:hail:

 

[JT1]

Wow, great pictures and sounds from the track.

I stopped in the little speed shop at Watkins Glen during the BMW club event I was doing.
Unbeknownst to me until they started talking, there were a bunch of corner workers hanging out in there. When I walked in they started talking to me about my car. Going on and on about how great it sounded. First I was surprised that they knew who was driving it, I guess they really don't miss anything if they could recognize me without my helmet, and second, I asked them, you must hear some pretty exotic stuff up here? They confirmed they did, but that the GT350 is like music.

And as usual for your threads, I have a few more questions, What material brake studs did you go with?

And darn, I overlayed a new video to see if I could find the obd dongle extended menu with no luck? I think I explored every menu in HLT and can't find it.

 

[Epiphany]

An apology is in order. This is a great thread and you've made it very enjoyable to read as you cover a pretty wide array of subject matter and the photos/videos make it a breeze to follow. So I shouldn't have chosen this thread to voice any displeasure. Keep up the good work and I look forward to following your exploits with this car.

Fodder for another thread but if I had my druthers, I'd swap in the steel bumper from an export Mustang, drill the fascia, and use a factory hook (a rather interesting piece that you can get from your Ford dealer). A painted plug to pop in when the hook isn't in use too, ala the export models.

Or better yet, how about you design and manufacture us a kit? I'd buy it!