Obsolescence to Obsession – Tales of the Rented Mule (FPRS GT350 Track Attack #14)

[Muligan]

i think i drove the s**t out of that car in Utah...kidding lol d

Well....... it is the Rented Mule; I'm sure lots have had their way with her.

But, that explains that stain on the seat. (/jk)

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[Muligan]

Can I ask what trailer you are using? I have been looking for the lightest smallest footprint trailer I can get for the 350. I have a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder with 5k towing capacity. I really don't have the room or $ to spend on a dedicated Towing Pickup.

My trailer is a Featherlite 3110-14. With the 14' bed, it's really compact - under 19' total length - and fits in a standard garage. The ramps are fairly short and they use a side-load door, so I need Race Ramps for lower cars to cut down on the incline and break-over. I actually bought it for other cars that have no issues with the size and layout, but plan on keeping it and will make it work for #14.

I only had published specs for the GT350's wheelbase, track width, and length to go by before heading to Charlotte with the trailer to pick-up #14, so it was somewhat a leap of faith. It's the 8'6" wide version, but has a 4" vertical lip around the bed and there was only about 1" on both sides between the wheels and that lip. That made for a bit of a pucker factor as I ran the car up, but leaning out the window and watching the driver side tires worked - as long as it was just about to touch on the driver's side, I knew I had at least an inch or more on the passenger side as well. The removable fenders worked great to allow me to get out and also gave me access to the passenger side to load some of the spare parts and distribute the load a bit. But, that lip sure made it difficult to access the tie-downs on the front. I used padded thru-wheel straps, but the ratchet mechanism on the front was under the nose due to the inboard location of the trailer's D-rings, making it a royal pain to tighten the straps and even worse to open the ratchet wide to release it when I got home.

My trailer has the optional stake pockets and rub rail, so I called Featherlite and asked if I can use the retro-fit stake pocket D-ring inserts to tie the car down. Their engineer gave me the green light, so from now on I'll use two of those on each side (one each fore and aft of the front wheel) and use my new Vulcan thru-wheel single strap tie-downs on the front wheels and then a pair of crossed standard tie-downs at the rear - either through the rear wheels or around suspension points.

It's a great trailer and perfect for my other stuff, so it's a keeper, but it has lots of compromises for a GT350. The real upside, though, is it's very light and that allowed me to pull this chunky car home over some fairly good size grades with my wimpy 6 cyl 4Runner.

 

[Lorne34]

My trailer is a Featherlite 3110-14. With the 14' bed, it's really compact - under 19' total length - and fits in a standard garage. The ramps are fairly short and they use a side-load door, so I need Race Ramps for lower cars to cut down on the incline and break-over. I actually bought it for other cars that have no issues with the size and layout, but plan on keeping it and will make it work for #14.

I only had published specs for the GT350's wheelbase, track width, and length to go by before heading to Charlotte with the trailer to pick-up #14, so it was somewhat a leap of faith. It's the 8'6" wide version, but has a 4" vertical lip around the bed and there was only about 1" on both sides between the wheels and that lip. That made for a bit of a pucker factor as I ran the car up, but leaning out the window and watching the driver side tires worked - as long as it was just about to touch on the driver's side, I knew I had at least an inch or more on the passenger side as well. The removable fenders worked great to allow me to get out and also gave me access to the passenger side to load some of the spare parts and distribute the load a bit. But, that lip sure made it difficult to access the tie-downs on the front. I used padded thru-wheel straps, but the ratchet mechanism on the front was under the nose due to the inboard location of the trailer's D-rings, making it a royal pain to tighten the straps and even worse to open the ratchet wide to release it when I got home.

My trailer has the optional stake pockets and rub rail, so I called Featherlite and asked if I can use the retro-fit stake pocket D-ring inserts to tie the car down. Their engineer gave me the green light, so from now on I'll use two of those on each side (one each fore and aft of the front wheel) and use my new Vulcan thru-wheel single strap tie-downs on the front wheels and then a pair of crossed standard tie-downs at the rear - either through the rear wheels or around suspension points.

It's a great trailer and perfect for my other stuff, so it's a keeper, but it has lots of compromises for a GT350. The real upside, though, is it's very light and that allowed me to pull this chunky car home over some fairly good size grades with my wimpy 6 cyl 4Runner.

Thanks so much for that explanation. I guess I have to decide how much functionality i'm willing to give up for size and lightness of the trailer. Appreciate the info

 

[Zombo]

I remember instructors telling students to keep it in the lower gear (2nd or 3rd) and to run it up to the redline and hold it there. These cars likely spent lots of time at the tall end of the tach.

As for me, I was shifting at powerband appropriate points.

The instructors were correct. If the intention is to get the maximum tractive force to the ground, always keep the 350 in the lower gear up to redline. Shifting to the next gear always reduces acceleration in a GT350.

I did and posted this analysis here years ago.

 

[Muligan]

Zombo - thanks for that data and the charts..... those will get printed and added to my trackside clipboard!

 

[NoXiDe]

Just out of curiosity what is the towing capacity on that 4Runner? I am looking to buy a vehicle for towing.

Buy a Ford Ranger. I bought mine for the possibility of towing the 350 and as you can see at 7500 capacity it will do fine since the 4Runner at the limit did alright.

 

[Muligan]

The decal package arrived today from Falcon Graphics - very high quality stuff and packaged really well. I still haven't given the Mule a bath yet, but couldn't help adding a couple of things to the windshield to return it to as it was back when I drove it in Utah - name and banner.

The banner at the top of the windshield is cut oversized and once laid out in the proper location with some painters tape holding it in place, I peeled the backing from one end and smoothed down a few inches. That allowed me to remove the painters tape without losing the proper alignment and I just worked my way across the banner smoothing it a little at a time using a very soft squeegee sort of pad. I was going to use some soapy water or a mixture of alcohol and water, but it went on great dry. When I was done, I carefully ran an exacto knife along the sides and top to remove the excess. Tip - the bottom of the banner lines up perfectly with the bottom of the rear view mirror mount, just covering the mount from view.

I can't recommend Clark at Falcon Graphics enough. Whether you have one of these Track Attack cars and want a full set of graphics (just in case) or if you want to add something like the windshield banner, his stuff is top notch and the price was very reasonable.

 

[barstowpo]

Mine are on the way. Does your car have a cheap replacement windshield? Mine does.

 

[Muligan]

Mine are on the way. Does your car have a cheap replacement windshield? Mine does.

Yep.... aftermarket windshield with lots of minor pitting and one small ding that has a couple "star" lines coming out of it. I got a few banners and the same for my last name, as I will for-sure be replacing this with an OEM windshield at some point in the future.

 

[Muligan]

No real work on the Mule, but the planning is in full-swing. As I dig into those plans and look forward to living with a self-maintained and out-of-warranty GT350, I can't help think that this journey will really be educational.

To that end, I've decided that the Rented Mule rocks....... Schoolhouse Rocks! (hat tip @Tomster).

Maybe I shoulda named it Bill instead.

 

[Tomster]

No real work on the Mule, but the planning is in full-swing. As I dig into those plans and look forward to living with a self-maintained and out-of-warranty GT350, I can't help think that this journey will really be educational.

To that end, I've decided that the Rented Mule rocks....... Schoolhouse Rocks! (hat tip @Tomster).

Maybe I shoulda named it Bill instead.

brings back lots of good memories.

 

[460Fred]

I remember instructors telling students to keep it in the lower gear (2nd or 3rd) and to run it up to the redline and hold it there. These cars likely spent lots of time at the tall end of the tach.

As for me, I was shifting at powerband appropriate points.

This really got me thinking.
My experience was at Charlotte. We were told to keep it in 3rd inside the roval. I’m thinking dropping into 2nd would get some in trouble if they pushed it.
Secondly I’m thinking these cars never saw a correct break in. I mean let’s face it, especially in Utah they got hammered long before 1K miles.

 

[Muligan]

Oh yeah, they sure were beat on......

 

[Muligan]

 

[azshelby350]

The decal package arrived today from Falcon Graphics - very high quality stuff and packaged really well.

Can you send me their contact info? I called a number I found on Google several days ago and left a message and never got a return call. I want to order a complete set of graphics because most of mine are scratched and starting to fade.

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