Mach 1 Autcross make over!

Bmeagher

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After completing in one autocross event last summer, I was hooked. With over 30 cars entering, I was in 10th. With just a few wrx's, gt500, 2013 BOSS,AE87 and a built 67' Fastback in front of me. Using the pax times, it lowered me to 15th. My excuse was the car was setup for drag racing/ drag radials. It looks like the first autocross was a success, with a projection of 5-6 events this summer. With a few event hopefully being held on a runway.

Originally my Mach was setup for dd/drag racing, which was only 3-4 trips a summer out to the strip. This winter I decided to go balls to the wall suspension/tires/brakes for autocross. If your not first, your last mentality.

Brake upgrades:
Was....Stock front 13"rotors/2 pistons, 10.5 rear rotors to make room for my old 15x10 Prostars
New....New rotors all the way around 13's in the front, Mach 11.7's in rear, Baer Brakes: 4701000B 6 pistons for the front. matching Baer pads front and rear & braided lines.

Tire upgrade:
Last summer I was running 555r's275/40r17's on stock Mach 17x8 rims, and just 555's 245/45r17's on the front.
After checking reviews after reviews on tire rack, I decided to go for track times not nvh or ride quality.
I picked up 2 spare 17x9's for the 555r's when I wanna have some highway fun/ possibly hit the strip.
But mainly upgraded to Dunlop D2's 245/45r's on stock Mach 17x8 rims.


Suspension upgrade:
Already having some typical drag racing suspension parts, steeda rear upper and lower control arms, MM sub frame connectors.
A few summers ago, the front end lost a bunch of weight.... Fr500 intake, dropped the a/c compressor, lines,condensor, lost all the shaker stuff and went with a H/O fibertrend hood. With the weight lost, which caused the front end to gain over an inch in height. So being cheap at the time, I went with MM 250lbs coilovers/ control arms and cc plates. The alignment was bang on, drove great.... Just like stock.

New upgrades: I threw the MM catalog at the car. K member, front and rear coilovers, MM2 race series dampers, panhard bar, bump steer kit, reused last years MM tubular control arms, solid steering shaft, urethane motor/transmission mounts, solid rack bushings, 03/04 CC plates
running 12" 400lbs spring in the front & 9" 275lbs rear springs.

Along with Donovan's racing front bumper support, Flordia 5.0 radio delete, rear amp delete, rear seat delete....


Pictures to come.
 
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blacksheep-1

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Then leave the upper control arms stock and replace the lowers with aftermarket (stiff) ones, don't use a panhard bar on the stock 4 link and that will be a good start. MM torque (truck) arm suspension will solve most of those issues but it's pricey. There's no way to make the stock 4 link handle "well" they are a massive compromise at every level, you can only get them to handle "better".
 

98cobraRx

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Sorry but I disagree with blacksheep on the truck arm. The Steeda 5 link has proven to be very effective. Ask John Ames. Also I recommend building the car for ESP. With LCAs you will be in CP or SM and the car will not be competitive on a national level.
 

blacksheep-1

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Sorry but I disagree with blacksheep on the truck arm. The Steeda 5 link has proven to be very effective. Ask John Ames. Also I recommend building the car for ESP. With LCAs you will be in CP or SM and the car will not be competitive on a national level.


actually, I have no issue with the steeda 5 link either, I just didn't think about it at the time.
 

Bmeagher

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The only parts I didn't get around to installing yet is the Panhard bar/stock upper arms and the solid steering shaft. The solid shaft won't fit in as a one piece, so I'm going to drill out a set screw so it can go into the car in 2 pieces. The longtubes cause a figment issue\uc0\u8236 }
 

Thehubster

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wow man that looks awesome. I took my mach to its first autocross last month and this month I am getting new saleen wheels with better rubber. can't wait to have it out of the track again.
 

Bmeagher

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I was trying to get some track/road tires, something in the 200 thread wear. I was thinking dunlop d2's or hankook rs-3's. But the only have decent tires I can actually get in Canada is the Nitto nt01's, which are 100's.
Hopefully in the next 2 weeks, I can install my Panhard bar/stock upper control arms, tailpipe deletes aka turndowns.... So the Tailpipes don't hit the Panhard bar.
I'll update this after our first autocross.
 
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blacksheep-1

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I was trying to get some track/road tires, something in the 200 thread wear. I was thinking dunlop d2's or hankook rs-3's. But the only have decent tires I can actually get in Canada is the Nitto nt01's, which are 100's.
Hopefully in the next 2 weeks, I can install my Panhard bar/stock upper control arms, tailpipe deletes aka turndowns.... So the Tailpipes don't hit the Panhard bar.
I'll update this after our first autocross.

Were you listening? DO NOT install a panhard bar with the triangulated 4 link!
 

Bmeagher

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Will it make things worst? I know I need the torque arm, but I was going to wait till next summer. As of right now, I only put a max of 3000 miles a summer.
 

wmfateam

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Yes, they will be fighting each other. They are trying to do the same job, just in different ways. It is like getting a camaro guy and a Mustang guy together and telling to buy and build a race car, they want to do it different ways. There are four motions the rear end wants to go in, you would be causing actual bind, not the unicorn bind
 

Bmeagher

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I'll pick up a MM torque arm. I know there is only a 2 hundred dollar difference from the standard duty to the hd torque arm setup, I do plan on going with a supercharger or build NA motor in the future with a t56 magnum. I guess I answered my own question.
 

blacksheep-1

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Like wmfateam said , it adds another competing arc to the 3 or 4 arcs. already fighting for movement. Just wait and do the whole thing at once, adding the panhard bar now is a loser, I know from experience..don't do it.
In fact let me tell you how bad the bind is, with the car sitting on the ground, you can adjust the PHB and actually raise one side of the car (the body) rather than centering the diff.
 
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Bmeagher

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I know I don't have the ideal tires for autocross right now, 555's in the front & 555r's in the rear.
Whats the ideal psi for the front and rear? 38/34?
 

wmfateam

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That is something you ate going to have to play with. Different tires require different pressures. You may use the shoe polish on the side of the tire to help find the best.
 

wmfateam

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I do, they appear to not like much pressure. Before first run I had then ay 40, the first run was okay. Add the pressures went up, began to slide around.
 

blacksheep-1

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I run the nt01s here in Florida and I jack the pressure to the moon 48 to 52 psi to build heat in them. I'm the tire specialist for Phoenix Performance and could write a book on this. Auto-x has very little in common with track tires, it's whole different deal. the biggest issue that I have with auto-x applications is getting the tires to temp so they will stick. After a few runs, on a hot day, you can work the pressure down. Like anything else you can over pressure or under pressure them at the extremes, I'm working the high edge of the spectrum because the first few runs are sort of "learners" anyway. I'm also running an IRS and a buttload of camber front and rear.
The biggest thing I can tell you is take lots of detailed notes and compare them, that's the key to going fast.
 

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