Greg Weld's 65 Mustang fastback track car

[chetly]

Originally Posted by Track Junky

I don't care how much brake and power you throw at it. If he doesn't get wider tires on it it will be all for nothing.
Done before T-Hill in October.......not going to happen.

Not unless they make off the shelf flares

Maier has flares available. Remember his blue car runs 315's square. Wouldn't be hard to get more tire under the car.

[Track Junky]

Originally Posted by chetly

Maier has flares available. Remember his blue car runs 315's square. Wouldn't be hard to get more tire under the car.

That would be the right direction for Greg to go IMO.

[carbuff]

Greg,

I'll second all you said about Ron. I haven't posted all of this up yet, but I've also been working with him on TOW. I'll get the details up soon, but I'm amazed at how generous he is with his time and his knowledge! It's been a complete pleasure to talk to and learn from him...

For anyone looking to step up their ride and their knowledge, spend some money with him. You will NOT be disappointed!!!

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by chetly

Maier has flares available. Remember his blue car runs 315's square. Wouldn't be hard to get more tire under the car.

I want to run on skinnies.... I think that keeps the spirit of what we (Charley - Chet and Pete etc) are trying to do. The changes I'm making are more for a "because" -- and I just feel better with stouter stuff in the car. Upgrading brakes is a matter of trying to get a bit of the feeling the Lotus has entering corners. It just hauls down so quickly it's insane. Obviously in a car that weighs twice as much we're not going to get there - but it's just a good feeling to really have the brakes working well. The suspension changes are a "why wouldn't you" while you're there kind of thing. The car actually goes pretty good as it is... and is fun to drive. I don't need more power.

I think it's hard to explain until you've driven something that is so capable like the Lotus. Then you want just a little of that - in the Mustang etc.

Ron improved the handling so much with such a few simple things -- that it shows you that with a bit more planning and some execution - the car could be that much more -- which for me - is mostly about making it more fun to drive.

In the meantime - I don't want to try to make it something it's not. It's a neat car - that drives pretty well and looks pretty good as is.

When you drive the Lotus -- you can run at about 75% you can take a look at a corner just about anywhere you want to put it. At 80% you can just about outrun anything on the track. What I want from the Mustang is to be able to run WITH the similar cars on the track -- while also feeling really comfortable and not working real hard to do it. That's when you climb out of the car with a big smile on your face and say "man that was fun!".

[chetly]

Running on narrower tires is going to be your limiting factor. Doesn't do any good to put huge brakes like the chassis you were standing next to when the tires can't do the work to stop the car. Driving Mike Maiers coupe with the nascar motor in it with the old setup and 275's vs the new setup with the 315's, it's amazing how much deeper you can go into the corners and still slow down and turn.

But I get it, your trying to keep it with the look of vintage trans-am vs the newer pro touring look. I just question if your going to be able to get the brake feel any where close to the Lotus being the size of tire and car are like comparing apples to pineapples...

[GregWeld]

So there's the whole point. Ron is a PROFESSIONAL... the car will get the brakes that are appropriate. They'll be an improvement. We talked about the rear suspension and his statement was - that would be an improvement but probably not worth the expense... SO what I'm trying to say is -- nobody is more aware than we are of the limitations... or the goals. I'm not putting 315 squares on the car but we will look at what tire can be used. The goal is more fun ----- not proving anything. I enjoy learning - and I enjoy improving... and I like doing. For me personally - there's more to this than just changing the oil and running the car. It's about mechanics - learning what and why we're doing something - limitations - options. The car has no history - it's not a historic car - it's something Jack Mauer built. It's been changed and improved upon. I have no personal history how old any of the parts are - where they came from - how they've been maintained... and this is all a part of what we're doing. Checking the car from top to bottom... improving where it makes sense... making good - better if possible. It is what we all live to do.

Originally Posted by chetly

Running on narrower tires is going to be your limiting factor. Doesn't do any good to put huge brakes like the chassis you were standing next to when the tires can't do the work to stop the car. Driving Mike Maiers coupe with the nascar motor in it with the old setup and 275's vs the new setup with the 315's, it's amazing how much deeper you can go into the corners and still slow down and turn.

But I get it, your trying to keep it with the look of vintage trans-am vs the newer pro touring look. I just question if your going to be able to get the brake feel any where close to the Lotus being the size of tire and car are like comparing apples to pineapples...

[SSLance]

I was able to outbrake similar sized cars running 13" brakes and 315\335s with my little 10.5" brakes and 275s at Gateway...and do it more comfortably and securely at the same time. The trick is having everything matched and working in sync with one another, geometry, shocks, springs, brakes, tires, etc...

Enjoy the ride Greg, not only are you going learn a ton but you are also going to get to reap the rewards after with an excellent handling car.

I do agree with Charley on one thing though, once you get it set up...do an event with an instructor in the car that can teach you how to get the most out of what you've got. That's what I've spent most of this year doing, working on the driver instead of the car...and it's really paying off.

[Ron Sutton]

Wow! Greg you're getting a lot of heat for making improvements to your Track Toy.

Guys, I'd like to ask everyone to relax a bit ... enjoy an adult beverage ... and not worry too much. Maybe because I'm involved some folks might think we're doing a major upgrade or makeover to the car ... which is not even remotely accurate. Greg asked me to make his Mustang more fun to drive. So better braking & more grip are on the agenda. Nothing major ... just some shock & brake changes.

The current braking is sub-par. The calipers have too small of piston area, requiring super aggressive pads & it still doesn't stop as well as it could. Currently Greg is experiencing cracking & excessive rotor wear along with constant brake pad replacement. We're going to calipers with more piston area, allowing us to run gentler pads for longer life & less rotor wear. Larger diameter & wider rotors made of Wilwood's Spec-37 iron allow the brakes to stay cool & last longer.

Having more grip makes the car more fun. So we're changing to shocks with my special high grip valving. That's it. No high travel un-obtanium trick suspensions. I suggested we make the car safer too. So we're installing floater hubs on the rear housing & larger, stronger, safer spindles & hubs in the front. Plus some stronger Howe ball joints. If ... if ... if there is room to put a smidge wider tire on the car, we'll do that. But it will be minor.

Now I can't speak for Greg's goals down the road. He may want to undo the radiator cap & slide a Trans Am race car under it. But that is not what we're doing here.

So everyone ... relax, breathe ... LOL

[chetly]

Special high grip valving? Hmm, sounds like you've been talking to Maier. He likes to use those technical terms also... LOL