newbie

[ministang]

Hi i am new to the racing mini stock class... i have a late 80's mustang i pulled from junk yard...looking for some help on car set up for a 1/3 mile high bank dirt track...more looking for ideas for suspension,tires, and a trans,,,the motor i think i am good for...any other ideas or help would be nice...here is the link for the rules i will be running at...http://mckeancountyraceway.com/mini_stock.htm

Thank you...

[ministang]

ok now that the weather has been clear, i have the car home it is a 1988 with efi 2.3 with 5 speed. I have been stripping out the interior, and getting ready to plan out how the cage will be built. I am still looking for ideas on tires, and gear ratio for this type of track. thanks

[little302]

You will be limited on ur rpm, with the stock injection and cam.. Id turn it 6000-6500 and see what it does.. That should have you geared in the are of 2.14x 3.40. if you have 13's.. If you have 15's maybe a bit lower. Put good struts and shocks on it, not Red Ryders...If you are limited to stock, use Bilsteins. They cost more, but worth it. I dont have time to look at your rules now, or could tell you more..Call if you have questionss.. 573 208 3528.. Jason

[ministang]

hey thank you for you information, i am not keeping the efi i am going to switch to a carb setup, any ideas if that would make a difference on the engine...oh and it has 185-70-14 on it right now...trying to find a good tire in that size that will work good on the track...

[Dirtman29]

Need to know what rear gear ratio you have. I would get a 3.08 gear in the rear, use your current tires, leave the 5 spd in 2nd gear when racing, that should get you in the ballpark. Just an FYI, use ATF in the 5 spd trans, gear oil wont flow thru the passages & they will burn up, this is ford's reccomendation.

[ministang]

not sure of the gear ratio i will have to check it out, do you know if there is a plate on the axle that tells or spin and count...and i need new tires the ones on it are enough to hold air that is about it, it was a junkyard find so...but i will keep an eye out for the shocks thank you...

[Dirtman29]

If there is not a tag on the pumpkin cover, you will have to take the cover off & find the ratio stamped on the ring gear (usually it will say, for example 11 36) this is the number of teeth on the ring & pinion gears. Divide these #s to find the ratio. MOST late 80s with 5 spds have a 3.45 in them. Thats too much for a 1/3 mile, unless you turn 8000+ RPMs!
For good inexpensive rear shocks, I use NAPA 94079 shocks, cost about $18 ea & last a very long time. Get a V8 strut on the RF also.

[jatchis]

Get the right side front lower control arm from a 93-95 Mustang. It's about 3/4" longer than the stock one.

Take the control arms off your rear-end, and grind all the "teeth" off the ends of the bushings to give it a more free travel. The control arm bolts have lock nuts on them. When you tighten them up, tighten them one at a time until they just start to bind, then back them off 1/8 turn.

[ministang]

ok thank you for the suggestions on the suspension set ups, i think i know where to start now, but with the gearing i am a little worried now, if i have the 3.45 gear in the rear i am in big trouble unless i build the engine to spin at 8,000 rpms or more, or get a different gear set up in the rear like the 3.08, and seam like the rear would be cheaper till i can spend the money to get the engine to spin at 8,000 or higher rpms, im i right on this or is there something else i could do... and has anybody run mastercraft avenger tires i heard they work good on dirt, but are they good for wet heat race or the dryer main event races...

[Milford Motorsports]

The rear end gears are the way to go.You have a choice for the mustang from 2.73 - 3.08 - 3.27 - 3.45 - 3.73 - 4.56 They are fairly easy to change,and all fit into the same housing.

[car62]

The rear end gears are the way to go.You have a choice for the mustang from 2.73 - 3.08 - 3.27 - 3.45 - 3.73 - 4.56 They are fairly easy to change,and all fit into the same housing.

you forgot 4.10 and 5.13

[Dirtman29]

If you are running a 1/3 mile, and with a 3.08 in the rear end with the T5 trans, I suggest using 205/70/14 tires, you can find good used ones in the junkyard to get you started. The mastercraft avenger tires work good but are expensive. Ive been using a tire from discount tire, the SA4 and it seems to work well for any track conditions. I got 4 like brand new for $100 from the junkyard.

[ministang]

so i have been working on my mustang, and a friend of mine just got a 1982 celica that he is working on and i know that with the mustang i can Get the right side front lower control arm from a 93-95 Mustang, but was wondering is there a trick to the celica front suspension that would help out...

[Milford Motorsports]

Remove the lower arm cut it in half and add 1-2-3 inches of material.Weld it back together.If you do good work it will look just like stock only longer.We took the mc pherson strut apart and put a light overload coil spring inside the mc pherson spring.Once assembled it is really hard to notice.Adds a couple hundred pounds of spring rate to the right side.

[vern2.3]

If your rules allow, slot the mounting holes for the upper strut mount so you can put more camber into the right front. If you're going to switch to a later model long front control arm, use a V-8 car as the donor and get the right front spring, strut and outer tie rod end to go with it.

You may need to run one or two washers between the spindle and ball joint so the nut tightens before bottoming out on the threads. I don't recall the exact arm and spindle combination that requires that, but be sure to check that so you can use that trick if the nut bottoms out before clamping.

If you don't want to go the parts-swapping route, a low-budget trick I've seen done for the right front spring is to get some tennis balls, fill them with RTV, put them inside the right front spring and then install the spring. It isn't controllable or predictable but it does stiffen up the right front corner.

[Dirtman29]

For the mustang, a 87-88 T-bird LCA is a direct fit on the mustang also, its also 3/4" longer. Thats what I have on my mustang.