Why, why, why do some people build or buy a purpose built race car and then complain when they drive it to the local store? Why did this break ? Why doesn’t it run right when I drive it “normally”. And the best one is, why does it use so much fuel ? Because it is a race car !
A long time friend of mine purchased this fox-body stang for $6000.00. Just because it looked nice. He is not a mechanic so he doesn’t know what to look for when buying a car like this. It is possible to make a street car out of a race car but there are always major issues to overcome.
The first issues I saw were the lack of windshield wipers, full roll cage limiting access getting in and out, and a battery disconnect with jump posts where the license plate should be. After a very short drive ( about a quarter mile) I noticed the horn button was made to actuate the line locks on the brakes. Full formed race seat with 4 point harness made a long drive out of the question for an old wrench like me. I could go on and on but here is the full scoop based on my opinion.
It is a very nice Mustang that is worn out, period. It was raced a season or more and instead of doing a winter rebuild, the owner sold the car to finance a new build. The motor is flat at about half throttle and smells like raw fuel. Now, you may ask why ? Because it is made to run a quarter mile with your foot on the floor. Wide open throttle, running like it is shot out of a cannon. It runs rich while just putting around but is fine when launched and run hard. Oh there are many more issues to deal with as well. The T-5 trans is missing the speedometer drive and the rear end has a spool. A spool makes the car drive straight ahead even while turning the steering wheel. Both rear wheels turn at the same time with no slip. The slipping is what makes it easy to turn into a parking space at the mall. This car just wanted to go in a straight line.
So far about $2000.00 has been spent installing wipers, speedo drive, limited-slip posi rear, new c-clip eliminators on rear axles, wired up a horn, installed new seats, got all the lights working, and replaced the drag radial tires with DOT approved street/strip tires. The thermostat will be replaced with a 190 degree unit. It has a 160 in it now. We will also go 1 heat range hotter on the spark plugs. At some point, we will most likely end up rejetting the big Demon carburetor to try and eliminate the flat spot at half throttle.
My advice to all is; You can take a street machine and build it for the track any day. It is much more difficult to build a race car and then convert it for street use. Do not buy a race car thinking it won’t need work. If it was such an awesome machine, why is it being sold ? I invite comment on this issue so feel free to comment.
Written by,
Troy Lied
Blue Car Garage-Myth,Majik,and Dreams 