| PROJECT FOX: THE FINAL TALLY |
| ITEM: |
PHR ISSUE: |
PRICE: |
| '93 notchback Mustang |
November 2009 |
$3,000 |
| Sold old wheels, tires, engine, trans |
N/A |
-$1,000 |
| 532ci big-block Ford (SAM) |
June 2009 |
$9,644 |
| Phoenix TH400 trans |
September 2009 |
$1,645 |
| Strange 8.8 rearend |
October 2009 |
$1,759 |
| Comp Engineering rear suspension |
November 2009 |
$1,708 |
| AJE front suspension |
December 2009 |
$1,679 |
| Bill Buck custom 10-point 'cage |
January 2010 |
$2,000 |
| Engine and trans install |
March 2010 |
$690 |
| Russell fuel system |
April 2010 |
$804 |
| Cooling system |
May 2010 |
$305 |
| Strange driveshaft |
June 2010 |
$498 |
| Custom exhaust |
August 2010 |
$291 |
| Interior rehab |
September 2010 |
$1,545 |
| Wheels and tires |
January 2010 |
$1,070 |
| TCI transbrake |
March 2010 |
$359 |
| Total: |
$25,997 |
The TCI Thunderstick shifter...
The TCI Thunderstick shifter in Project Fox already had a button in place on the shift knob for a transbrake or line lock. Since the transbrake solenoid is naturally grounded to the case, wiring the button up is as easy as connecting it to a 12V power source using 12-gauge wire. The solenoid emits a distinct clicking sound upon engagement, making it easy to verify that it has been wired up properly.
In retrospect, compared to our prior test session at LMP, the combination of a harder launch and a different track surface all contributed to tire shake and disappointing e.t.'s. The effectiveness of the transbrake and finicky nature of the drag radials simply require a different chassis setup than we were accustomed to running. Furthermore, our trip to San Antonio Raceway revealed that our prior timing curves were way too conservative. While the tires shook, they were never even close to boiling to a haze, even when feeding in full ignition advance off the transbrake. Presumably, we were castrating the motor way too much in our prior tests, contributing to its less-than-stellar 1.5-second 60-foot times. If we were smart enough to feed in more timing at LMP, instead of pulling out 12 degrees out of the hole, it's quite possible that we could have run 9s off the footbrake. At the end of the day, Project Fox is extremely close to entering the hallowed single-digit territory, but for now it's still just a 10-second car. That fact is both painful and extremely motivating, as we plan on using what we learned running off the transbrake for the first time, making the necessary adjustments, then heading to the track again as soon as possible.
| WHERE THE MONEY WENT |
| ITEM: |
PN: |
PRICE: |
| TCI transbrake |
221500 |
$359 |
| Total: |
$359 |
With the transbrake in place,...
With the transbrake in place, the first pass of the night at San Antonio Raceway shook the heck out of the tires. The only positive aspect of the pass was that the transbrake gave us a much better idea of where the torque converter was flashing, as 3,500 rpm was all we could eek out of it.
Stiffening up the rear shocks...
Stiffening up the rear shocks and increasing tire pressure on the next pass reduced tire shake greatly, but it was still rather violent. Even with the adjustments, the car was still hitting the tires too hard. Studying the choppy tread marks Project Fox left on the track surface confirmed that the tires were neither hooking or spinning, but rather shaking.
On the final pass of the evening...
On the final pass of the evening at SAR, dialing back the launch rpm from 3,500 to 3,000 rpm softened the hit to the tires enough to improve the 60-foot time to 1.67 seconds. We have a hunch that the softer launch technique was merely a Band-Aid fix for suspension geometry that needs further tweaking. Presumably, a more optimal setup would be to move the instant center farther forward, and attempting to launch as hard as possible off of the transbrake with timing maxed out.