Strike

I am brand new here; this is my second post. I joined this forum looking for help and advice from people who have been doing this sort of thing for years.</P>


In about two months I will be the proud(?) owner of an out-of-commission '95 GT. It is bone stock and has a blown head gasket, a shot tranny, and minor dents in the body. I have reason to believe that the accessories may need major overhaul or replacement. Believe it or not, the interior is pristine. I will be spending between $300 and $800 to acquire it, depending on what the rest of the accessory equipment is like.</P>


Here is the challenge: turn the car into a track racer/showcar. Because there is no deadline date, funding is limitless, within reason. This will truely be a project car. Here's the catch: I've never done anything like this before. The intent of the project is to learn how to work on cars by actually working on a car.</P>


The car is pretty much a blank slate. I don't even know if I should replace the engine or rebuild it. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to run some kind of forced induction. I don't care about huge horsepower, because I won't be drag racing. Good suspension and handling, however, is a must. I really need good equipment advice, good books or websites to read, etc. I hope I can get a good start here.</P>


</P><edited><editID>Strike</editID><editDate>37888.6670023148</editDate></edited>

vfast

well if you want the "real" experence..I would totally take every supension part off..that way you can replace bushings and replace parts for your "handling" package..with this out of the way you can put a nice coat of black enamel on the undercarriage...your looking at a 2 years time frame depending on help and $$$$ we did it and put the chassie on this turning thing...we sand plasted it with these rubber type pellets and painted it all black..looked awsum..then we did the same for inside and engine bay..looked sweet
again if you want the "real" exp...rebuild the engine or buy a new 302 block and go from there....but FIRST make yourself and plan with costs..so when the SURPISES occur it won't be so big<img border="0" src=smileys/smiley16.gif border="0"> <edited><editID>vfast</editID><editDate>37888.9437037037</editDate></edited>

mdvaldosta

and expect it to take twice as long and cost twice as much! As far as rebuilding the motor, that would be the cheapest way to go and will give you good experience.Get some mustang magazines for some learning material, because they will be interesting and show some useful "how-to's" for ideas. Remember to to believe everything you read, but that is my advice. Also, having someone that is more experienced around you will be even better for you. Good luck!

Strike

I know you guys have been around for a while... any good reads in terms of books or websites? A book the describes the rebuilding of a 302 would be invaluable...</P>


The engine has a good amount of miles on it... what about a bore and stroke to the next larger size, 306 I believe...?</P>

T5superduty

Before you do any Transmission or Engine work decide how much horspower you are going to want to end up with when the project is done. You dont wanna build a motor than can only handle 450 horse and you really wanted a 800 horsepower car.

Strike

I will be honest: I don't really have a figure on horsepower. I have seen plenty of successful street-style track racers with moderately powerful (300-400hp) cars. I want a "drive it there" car that can be used for track racing, which typically has complicated turns and requires good mid-speed acceleration since it is important to be able to recover quickly from the speed loss going into and through corners. I have been told that these style of races is mostly vying aggressively for position from corner to corner and good drafting and blocking techniques in the straights. I do intend to use at least moderate lightening techniques on the car, especially since it won't be a daily driver.</P>

vfast

well the key is to lighten up the front for a more balance car..so tubular arms and such with 300+ pound springs..
but like I stated write down what you want from your car and the perforance level you would like to have 350-400 is fairly easy and cheap to build but you will need aluminum as this is a must not only for hp, but for the cooling effect and the wieght saving they give you...if corner carving will be mostly used you'll need a cam that is not real big in lift but will rev fast so a tight center line cam would be best. but then you'll need a vacuum canister to help with brakes...