Hi all....came across an 88 Mustang lx with a 100% fresh properly done engine for a great deal.

My thought would be to have it ready for IP1 next year at Mission.........I have a million questions. I have gotten a hold of ccac and scca rules and sort of get where I can change and where i cannot.

My first main questions that i would love some advice on;

the car has 16 inch rims - i know i can use up 17in if I wanted. Question i, do I need to add that inch or will the 16's be just the same (love to not have to buy rims), and if so what size/brand tire would you suggest...?

Second is springs and lowering - think I can lower the car 1.5 inch pretty easy......is that the way to go, and any suggestions on spring rates to start would be amazing.

brakes  -think i need to retain 11 inch rotors in the front?.....any suggestions on upgrading calipers with out spending 1000's of dollars.......

trying to get a decent, moderately competitive car put together for DT and next season so i can go out and have fun without breaking the bank. My previous experience has not been to much IP type cars.

Anything would be great. 

Thank you!
-Mike

I'll second the brakes comment.  My understanding is, you can do anything as long as they bolt to the original caliper mounts and use cast iron rotors.  Cooling ducts are also a big help.  This is where the bigger wheels help - more room for bigger calipers.  And better tire selection.

For suspension, you could upgrade all your bushings to Delrin or Poly & see how it feels before buying springs & sway bars.  Shocks - I think you can't go adjustable in IP but I could be wrong.  For tires, you'll want Hoosier dry & wets ultimately.

Reliability is key as well - and with the higher speeds you'll need better engine cooling.

There are more economical ways to race than IP1, but it's a total gas, for sure!

Cheers, Darwin (IP1 Corvette #43)

2muchfun247 wrote on Oct 13^th, 2014 at 6:59am:


Thanks Todd !! I hear you on rim size and brakes....is your car a drum rear..? I know I should change my rears to disk, just wondering how crucial it is..? Are you using stock brakes, but with cooling ducts and pad and shoe upgrades..?

Also considering changing from pwr brakes to manual...wondering which is better there...

I am sure you know I can easy spend 5k on brakes all the way around, but really only want as much brake as I need.....F1 style brakes are a waste in a production car on DOT tires.

Thanks Todd

racestec wrote on Oct 14^th, 2014 at 8:35am:


Thank you !!
Not sure I will even have the car done my DT and may end up in something else for that by default. Still lots of work to do on my winter project before anything happens.

Thanks again !
-Mike

Welcome Garry.
                        Your first good move is coming to the forum for input and advise. Second would be to rid the car of the rear drums. Also consider the performance friction pads they tend not to chew up the rotors. they may cost a little more but work really well. You may have to play around with brake pad brands and compounds to see what works best for you set up but the advise given may give you a good starting point.

cheers RS
                    PS   Please NO NOT use a race car for driver training  I had a student with a similar car in one class. it was not fun. In the rain the car was pretty much undrivable , you could not learn anything  other than how to tippy toe around the track and not spin out in every turn.

Hi Mike  My corvette has 6 piston baer brakes  14 inch rotors  on the front and and wildwood super lites 4 piston calipers on the back  13  inch rotors cooling ducts front and back .  Hawk dct 70 pads  on the front and dct 60 on the back I can not stress enough how important the brakes are on a heavier high horse power car ,,, you just have to be able to stop . Tires will start to heat cycle out  and will get slower  but yes you can get a whole season out of them., Although I think 2 sets  would be much better , in a perfect world I would have new tires every race weekend ...( not in my budget )  I will also  add Castrol srf  brake fluid is the absolute best  money can buy  it has the highest boiling point of all brake fluids . It is 70  bucks per litre but worth every penny , it is awesome stuff. See Frank at drivers edge he stocks it and is a great guy who  supports grass roots racing and the sccbc , Go see him he has plenty of good insight  and carries all the safety gear you would need ., and can order in  anything  you may need  fo4r your project . The A6 tires are faster than the R6   but the R6  will not heat cycle out as fast as the A6. I like the A6  for race and R6 for practice and qualify  If you only use the A6 for races they might last you the season.   Tire rack in the states has good prices on the hoosiers . Also if you buy new get them pre heat cycled they will last a little longer . Hope this helps. Contact me anytime tschiewe@shaw.ca if you have any questions I can help you with  Todd

Mike . . . if you want to talk about Mustangs give me a call  . . .  604 538 1718. My son and I have run a fox body for several years now.   regards Dale   

2muchfun247 wrote on Oct 20^th, 2014 at 7:28am:


Thanks for all the info Todd ! Glad to hear the tires have more than 30 laps of life !! Need to plan accordingly on the brakes. I will defo be reaching out to you once I get past the gutting, adding cage and seat stage. Car is Auto too...so a T5 is in the works too. Hope to have those stages done by xmas, and work on susp and brakes early calendar year.
Thanks Again !
-Mike