Welcome Applejack

[FordDude]

Welcome to the StangFix.Where in the world are you? Click here to let us know. Or click here for the free beer. Click here to wish for more broken engine parts on Marks Mustang. Click here to wish for Mark to be back on the track this year.

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fd

 

[Anonymous]

Bout time you found your way over here! Welcome aboard.

 

[70_Fastback]

Bout time you found your way over here! Welcome aboard.

:stu

 

[Applejack]

Hey guys, I didn't notice that these threads got started automatically.

I was talking to Shaun a while ago about how it seemed like no one I recognized was on the VMF anymore and he told me about StangFix.

I've been a little out of the Mustang forum scene for a few years with some family stuff and then also working on the coil-over and 3-link with Shaun.

My '65 coupe is still around.

It was my first car and it's nicely transitioned into a fun track car over the years since I got out of college.
Here I am with the car in a really embarrasing Senior picture! (crica 1997)

Here was the car in my first track day at Pacific Raceways near Seattle back in '97 or so.

I took a bit of a break from the Mustang for a few years to do some competitive autocross with the SCCA. Maybe I'll get flamed, but my wife had a 2002 Trans-Am Firehawk that we sold in order to buy a cheaper, lighter, equally as fast 1999 Camaro Z28.

We peaked with that car in 2010 at Nationals when I trophied in 7th place. That was a huge one for me. While it was my second National trophy it was a big deal because I sort of blazed my own trail on the setup away from the standard ESP F-car setup. It was also where I learned to build Bilstein shocks. We were the highest placing 4-th gen F-car that year, and to do it on my own setup was a big achievement, at least to me.

This was also about the same time that I was working with Shaun and Street or Track on the front coil-over Bilstein setup. We used a lot of the learnings from not only the shock building, but also the shock and spring tuning from the Camaro experience and used that as a great starting point. The fun thing about suspensions to me is making the setup non-dimensional (Hz, % critical damping, MR, etc) to be able to find a great starting point for a whole new car/platform.

This pic from his coil-over page http://www.streetortrack.com/Street-or-Track-Front-Coilover-System-pr-24491.html is of the coil-over installed on my car

The LS1 Camaro was a blast, but as the S197 Mustangs came out it was harder and harder to stay at the front of the pack. My co-driver decided in the fall of 2010, actually just before Nationals, to put a deposit on a 2012 Boss 302 that we would take straight to ESP. He took delivery of the car mid-season in 2011, I think the car is #452.

We took it to a couple of events and then went to Nationals in 2011. Somehow, someway, with a totally new car we took 2nd and 5th place in ESP. We were both shocked! It was by far the easiest car to drive that I've had the pleasure of competing in.

In 2012 I started out continuing to run the Boss, but I quickly learned after our first child was born in April 2011 that it wasn't as much fun being away from home for long stretches. So I stepped away from autocross.

Here's Stella learning to drive the Camaro!

Last summer I decided that instead of getting just a couple minutes of seat time a weekend that I'd get back into the track day scene with the '65. I had a pretty terrible summer with engine reliability. In April I broke a rocker arm stud after one weekend. Really, I had failed the head gaskets (didn't look at my wide-band data!!! :bomb) but I didn't know it. I spent the early summer getting my valvetrain re-worked with 7/16 studs, roller rockers, and a new set of valve springs. In July I went back to Gingerman and the head gasket issues showed themselves on the first lap. I brought the car home and brought the Camaro back for the weekend and had a trouble-free great time - until the Achilles heel of those cars (the front wheel hubs) loosened up and finished off the weekend.

It was after this track day that I really decided to sell the Camaro. I just wasn't using it as it should be used. Luckily, by me stepping away from the seat in the Boss, it opened up a chance for my buddy's oldest son to get invovled in the sport. He hadn't been that interested in it before, but he really started having fun. His son is actually buying the Camaro from me so it's going to get driven and autocrossed next summer quite a bit! I'm glad it going to stay in the 'family' and get used like I should.

This is pretty much what my track time looked like in the Mustang last year!

I did do some driving in Shaun's car to test out the new 3-link setup in 2012. This is at Waterford Hills here in the Metro Detroit area. They have a nice infield playground so Stella could come out to the track for the first time.

http://www.streetortrack.com/Street-or- ... 24572.html

In the fall of 2011, we found out that we could build a new shop in the back yard. We had never asked the city what the rules were. I was shocked to find out that we could put up 1800 ft^2! So now I'm splitting my time and resources with car projects and setting up the new shop. It's really a dream come true.

If that's not enough, my wife inherited a fully restored somewhat custom (351/AOD/9") 1948 Ford. It's been in her family her whole life, so it still feels like we're just borrowing it. It's pretty great because now we have a dedicated 'ice cream car' so it frees me up to do whatever I want with the '65!

This summer I also had some irrational thoughts about converting my '65 to a fastback. Luckily my wife talked me off the cliff and suggested that I talk to my dad about his somewhat stalled '67 Fastback GTA project car. It was originally going to be my brother's car in high school, but a night time purchase combined with him not really being into it, followed by a few moves for my parents and it wasn't really getting worked on. I called my dad and we struck an unbelievable deal for the car. It was a family deal for sure.

Here's the fastback when we bought the car around '97 or '98

The car is a bit of an odd-ball. It's a C-code GTA. Kind of strange to opt for the good suspension and exterior package and just put up with the little C-code 289, but oh well.

Here's the car today:

Stella getting acquainted with the horse and coral!

Considering that my wife's dad got the '48 when she was less than 6 months old and I got the Fastback when Stella was only 1.5 years old, it's a pretty cool parallel story. I can only hope she'll enjoy the car when she's older and she can learn to enjoy cars just like her mom (we met autocrossing, and she's the 2007 A Stock Ladies SCCA Solo Nationals Champ!)

I guess that leaves me at my current project list. After getting the fastback home and enjoying spending more time at home I was all fired up to dig into the Fastback. It was intially going to be a new track car, but after seeing part prices between '67-8 fastback and '65-6 coupe that's clearly a bad idea. Just comparing quarter panel prices they jump from $100 to $500 each.

I decided to keep the fastback a nice street car plan and then focus on taking the coupe further into a track car. I'm leaning towards staying true to the GTA exterior scheme, but I can't make up my mind on the powertrain. Perhaps upgrading it to a 390/C6 or even doing something nuts like a modern all aluminum V6 twin turbo Ecoboost if they come up with one in the next gen Mustang. Who knows.

Also, with no engine currently in my '65 I decided that I can't have two roller Mustangs around. I decided to put a new engine in the coupe to be ready for the next track season. Hopefully I can shake my '11 reliability problems and get out there and beat the crap out of the car.

After about 10 different plans, I settled on a roller 331 from FordStrokers.com. I'm getting the short block in kit form around February and then I'll assemble it with some AFR 165's. I'll re-use my RPM Airgap, carb, and baffled oil pan. I have a few small upgrades to get the car ready in the mean time (new radiator, some wiring for my data system). Hopefully I can have the car ready if we get nice Michigan weather in April.

Also, I've been just infatuated with the Cortex '66 coupe's front splitter that they had a SEMA in 2011. I can't get this car out of my mind.

I have an R-model front valance that I'm going to start with and we'll see what I come up with for the splitter. I'm not going to have flares like that car, so I'll have to decide how to handle the width of the splitter and how to transition it into stock front fenders.

Also, my car will be getting the SoT 3-link by the spring, so maybe I can post up an install thread as it goes in.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to the last couple years and what I'm planning on working on this winter. Maybe I'll start a build thread, but with a little one at home it's hard enough just to find time to work on the car, let alone document what I'm up to.

 

[Shaun]

Good God man! You are as busy as I am! How does this happen?

 

[Applejack]

What do you mean? That I have so much going on or that I actually found the time to write a book of a post? :steer

 

[Shaun]

What do you mean? That I have so much going on or that I actually found the time to write a book of a post? :steer

You have so much going on it makes me tired reading it!

 

[Anonymous]

:stu

 

[tarafied1]

welcome! and wow, some cool stuff! Love the pics and details! Keep us posted!

 

[lethal289]

welcome! and wow, some cool stuff! Love the pics and details! Keep us posted!

:stu What a way to start posting. Welcome Aboard!