Imagine my delight when we finally got the City Boy, our new Mini Stock Mustang, back to the shop and up on the lift. Here I was, thinking in a couple of days we would be down to the bare metal, welding in a cage, and heading out to the track. I mean, how hard can prepping a Mini Stock Mustang be? Unfortunately, my reckless optimism got the best of me once again and, as it turns out, putting a quality race car together is neither easy nor fast. Since the real brains behind this operation, Pete Epple and Editor Rob Fisher, like to cover every base before moving forward, we had two days' worth of inspection prior to making any real moves. In this particular build, that meant tearing our stock Mustang down to the core and really figuring out what could stay, what had to go, and what was ruined beyond repair. Luckily, we had a lot of the former and none of the latter, which meant luck was on our side during the pickup and purchase of our Mini Stock-to-be.
Trust me, I know this stuff might seem a bit boring at first, but I can't tell you how many racers we've seen waste weeks or months chasing issues that should have been solved from the start.
Pete Epple and Editor Fisher...
Pete Epple and Editor Fisher wasted no time tearing into our project to find out what could stay and what had to go. Armed with a rule book, general mechanical knowledge, and a good understanding of our final goals, the first priority was to make sure we had a solid foundation on our hands. The last thing anyone wants is to put together an entire car only to find a serious issue the first time you hit the track.
There's no point installing a high-horsepower cheater motor or a set of tricked out shocks if your chassis is twisted like a pretzel or your suspension pickup points are all out of line. That would be the equivalent of building a chassis without measuring it or without knowing where your moment center is (blatant nod to CT chassis guru Bob Bolles). You know what we're talking about here and no one wants to be that guy. "Hey, Joe, did you ever notice your car sits crooked and dog legs around the track?" That's not the conversation you want to have after spending six months in your garage, slaving away night after night to finish your project, and it's one you can avoid with a couple of hours, a keen eye, and a string. Yes, stringing your car is important and something you can learn how to do by searching the topic on www.circletrack.com.
Whether you're a first time racer, like I am, or a seasoned veteran of the oval track, we've collected some of the most common problem areas on any initial build and highlighted them on the following pages. As always, we invite you to follow along and send us your feedback!
Everyone knows racing isn't...
Everyone knows racing isn't cheap, especially if you get halfway into a project only to find a major issue, like a twisted chassis or a destroyed suspension pickup point. That's the reason we took our time on teardown and tried to save all the loose change we found-you never know when it may come in handy! If you're following along at home and building a car from the ground up, you'll no doubt run into some bumps along the way, but that's what we're here for.
Before checking out the engine...
Before checking out the engine bay or drivetrain parts, our first concern was the floorpan and chassis. From underneath, the car looked surprisingly in tact, but there's only one way to find out the real extent of any rust problem, and that's to dig deep.
You could choose to leave...
You could choose to leave the center console, dash, and armrest in place, but according to our rule set, "any interior part which is flammable must be removed," and it's OK to "remove any interior parts which are held in place with fasteners only." With weight and safety a primary concern, all of these parts had to go.
The carpet in any production...
The carpet in any production car is certainly flammable and heavy, which meant Epple had to cut it out and ditch it. Depending on your chassis, and the condition of the stock carpet, you may try to save it and sell it later. Good carpet can bring a pretty penny and that can help fund future modifications.
With everything out of the...
With everything out of the way, we took a really good look at the floorpan. The driver and passenger footwells looked great in our project, which was a relief. Toward the rear of the car, under the rear seating carpet, we did find some signs of rust but not enough to concern us. If you find an issue with your car here, you have a choice to make: weld in new floorpans or scrap the chassis and find a new one. Neither option is a ton of fun but there's no reason to sink time and money into a project with major rust issues.
Back to the fun stuff-the...
Back to the fun stuff-the engine bay! When we purchased City Boy, the previous owner (Hi Jay!) told us that it ran but needed some work. Unfortunately, by the time we got to Savannah to pick it up, someone had stolen one of the coils and part of the electrical system. Not a deal breaker, but hopefully not a sign of things to come.