S550Boss
Well-Known Member
[I started these kinds of events at the Glen in '80... I have so many fond memories of the place (I no longer live in the northeast). It's one of the finest tracks in the country, I think one of the top three. And every weekend there is an experience - the challenges of the track itself, camping, the big view over the lake, the Seneca Lodge....
Back in those days they didn't have the kink at the end of the back straight - so it was *very* fast before the downhill right into the boot. And we liked it. Try it sometime going in there at 160.
Nor did we have brakes.. Mustangs back then had tiny brakes and in later years when they (finally) got bigger Ford did dumb things like use phenolic pistons. An SVO with "big" (at the time) 5-lug brakes was the hot ticket (using crown vic cop car alum. pistons - a very fortunate discovery on our part), although frequent bearing changes were still a requirement, but not as often. And then there was cooling, if you could call it that. Ford stunk on engine cooling until just the past few years.
The Mustangs today are so much better... (and I'm 15 mustangs later now, all tracked) but Ford needs to do better yet. I had a long talk recently with one of their product planners and I told him that the GT350's unique cooling parts should be an option on the GT PP (as the Camaro has the option for tran and diff cooling). I had just finished a track session in a GT350 and was very impressed - but there is also a lot of technology there that needs to come down to the rest of the line. Tooling up for the unique GT350 front spindle, for example, just adds cost when the rest of the line could benefit from it (and it weighs less despite much better bearings). Same for the rear brakes: the integral drum and separate multi-piston brakes are needed on the GT PP (as the single piston caliper cast in ye olde iron is absurd) as are the asymmetrical spring mounts. Same for the GT350 transmission - it's a huge step up over the retched MT82. But the coolers are the most important thing for tracking and also the hardest to retrofit.
Back in those days they didn't have the kink at the end of the back straight - so it was *very* fast before the downhill right into the boot. And we liked it. Try it sometime going in there at 160.
Nor did we have brakes.. Mustangs back then had tiny brakes and in later years when they (finally) got bigger Ford did dumb things like use phenolic pistons. An SVO with "big" (at the time) 5-lug brakes was the hot ticket (using crown vic cop car alum. pistons - a very fortunate discovery on our part), although frequent bearing changes were still a requirement, but not as often. And then there was cooling, if you could call it that. Ford stunk on engine cooling until just the past few years.
The Mustangs today are so much better... (and I'm 15 mustangs later now, all tracked) but Ford needs to do better yet. I had a long talk recently with one of their product planners and I told him that the GT350's unique cooling parts should be an option on the GT PP (as the Camaro has the option for tran and diff cooling). I had just finished a track session in a GT350 and was very impressed - but there is also a lot of technology there that needs to come down to the rest of the line. Tooling up for the unique GT350 front spindle, for example, just adds cost when the rest of the line could benefit from it (and it weighs less despite much better bearings). Same for the rear brakes: the integral drum and separate multi-piston brakes are needed on the GT PP (as the single piston caliper cast in ye olde iron is absurd) as are the asymmetrical spring mounts. Same for the GT350 transmission - it's a huge step up over the retched MT82. But the coolers are the most important thing for tracking and also the hardest to retrofit.
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