Wanna build a race car? Of course. How much time you got? Even if your budget is low, the time requirements can be vast.
What if that gestation period could be condensed?
How condensed? Is less than a single day okay?
We had this 2006 Mustang GT, and it was high time to prep it for the SCCA’s new Club Spec Mustang class. The rules aim to provide a competitive venue that places driver skill over time and money.
We wanted in.
First step: finding the right car.
Second step: baseline runs.
Third step: gathering parts.
And finally, it was time to install those parts.
How long did that install take? Not even an 8-hour workday.
Day 1
1:15 p.m.
After installing the new ARP wheel studs and breaking for lunch, we could start installing the parts required by the class regs. According to the SCCA rules, all entrants in Club Spec Mustang must run 275/40R18 Goodyear F1 Supercar tires, 18x9.5-inch wheels weighing at least 17 pounds (Königs are popular), Koni Sport dampers, Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Eibach anti-roll bars with optional Strano Performance Parts mounts, and camber plates from either Maximum Motorsports or BBK Performance. Total bill for these parts starts around $4500, including the tires.
Note that for SCCA competition programs, those dampers must be sealed by an authorized Koni dealer–and as always, check the SCCA rules for the exact specifics.
We started the work by unboxing and photographing everything. Note that we really just had one or two people working on the car. This isn’t one of those reality shows where we could throw an entire village at the project.
1:18 p.m.
Photograph by Chris Tropea
The suspension package uses the ever-popular Koni Sport dampers paired with the equally popular Eibach Pro-Kit spring package. No adjustable coil-overs, nothing complicated. According to the rules, the front struts shall be topped with either Maximum Motorsports or BBK Performance camber plates. Before bolting on the strut assembly, we assembled it: Koni, Eibach spring, BBK camber plate.
1:25 p.m.
After removing the original front struts, we could install the Konis. It’s your basic remove-and-replace scenario.
1:32 p.m.
Club Spec Mustang rules require either no upper strut bar or one from UMI–and only one from UMI. Our car came sporting one from Edelbrock. To remain rules compliant, we had to remove it–which was a total pain, as two of the nuts were buried inside the cowl. This is why the next step occurred nearly an hour later.
2:20 p.m.
Photograph by Chris Tropea
Camber plates: The SCCA rules require ones from either BBK or Maximum Motorsports, with either plate installed according to the manufacturer instructions. The BBK ones cost a little more–about $420 versus $300–and, according to Sam Strano of Strano Performance Parts, could have some interference issues due to a decorative aluminum cap that fits above the actual camber plate. (Remember, as per the rules, we had to retain those top caps.) The BBK camber plates were the only ones available at the time, though, so Strano reluctantly sold us a set. As he cautioned, the top of the Koni adjuster sat very, very close to the BBK camber plate’s top hat, and spoiler alert, we had issues–more at the end of this installment.
2:48 p.m.
After some video work, we could move on to the left-front corner.
2:53 p.m.
Parts for the left-side front strut were assembled and ready to go onto the car.
3:23 p.m.
The left-front strut assembly was on the car.
3:25 p.m.
Before buttoning up the front suspension, we had to install the mandated Eibach 1 3/8-inch hollow anti-roll bar. First step: Remove the factory anti-roll bar.
3:28 p.m.
As an option, the rules allow billet aluminum brackets and radiator support reinforcing plates from Strano Performance Parts. Strano says that the aluminum brackets won’t bend like the stock pieces, while the brackets prevent the mounts from pulling out of the radiator support. For about $185, we added the insurance.
3:45 p.m.
The Eibach front anti-roll bar and upgraded Strano Performance Parts brackets simply replaced the originals–no holes to drill, nothing special required. An extra hand helped here, though.
3:54 p.m.
After a little more video work, we could torque all of the front suspension parts to their specified values. We set max negative camber along with all the caster we could get. Time to call it a day, as we still needed to reinstall the front brakes since we removed them to fit the ARP wheel studs.
Day 2
10:20 a.m.
Time to redo the rear suspension, so the first step was to remove the old parts. Notice that everything so far–other than that strut brace–unbolted as expected.
10:27 a.m.
Once we disconnected the rearward trailing arms, we could slide out the stock springs and fit the Eibachs.
10:29 a.m.
Similarly, the rear Konis simply replaced the originals: Undo the bolts, replace the dampers, tighten the new hardware.
11:04 a.m.
The rear Eibach bar comes with CNC-machined mounts that took a few moments to assemble.
11:05 a.m.
Then we could replace the original rear anti-roll bar with the Eibach piece.
11:16 a.m.
The new rear suspension, including the Eibach bar, is installed.
11:18 a.m.
Before dropping the car onto the ground, we just needed to torque everything and fit the new wheels and tires.
12:48 p.m.
Tire Rack doesn’t play games when packing its wheels and tires: lots of cardboard, lots of tape. Club Spec Mustang class rules require 18x9.5-inch wheels with at least a 35mm offset and a minimum weight of 17 pounds. After spending a few mintues with Tire Rack's Club Spec Mustang-specific wheel and tire picker, we went with the flow-formed König Hypergram in matte gray. Tire Rack carries these wheels and lists a weight of 18.75 pounds each. Some more video work ate up a little bit of time at this step, too.
12:54 p.m.
After 5 hours and 13 minutes–more or less–of shop time, the Mustang hit the floor fully legal for SCCA Club Spec competition. Camber and toe looked good without any tweaking: 2.35° negative on the left front and 2.55° negative on the right front, with total toe-out sitting at 1/16 inch. This all looked totally good enough for a baseline.
The car now looked meaner–like a race car, even. How did sea trials go? Well, remember those BBK camber plates? The Koni adjusters constantly slammed into those decorative top plates. Clank! Clank! Clank! The upper bearings just seemed too loose to keep the damper properly located. Maximum Motorsports camber plates had just come back in stock, however, so we ordered a set.
In the end, the less expensive option eliminated an issue. Now to put our Mustang back on track.
