# 85 Camaro Mustang Challenge

[Craig K.]

Well after thinking off/on about selling my 1985 Mustang GT I have decieded to keep it make it legal for the NASA Camaro Mustang Challenge series in the Midwest.

I bought the car in 1992 and it was my daily driver / lab project during college.
I say lab project because my major was Inductrial Technology - Automotive.
While all the other students were working on provided lab engines, transmissions, brakes systems, etc... I worked out a deal with my professor to work on my Mustang and in thr precess rebuilt pretty much everything on the car.

I started to drag race the car for a few years, and slowly got into parking lot autocrossing.
After a few years I got into doing high speed closed course road racing time trials (one car on the track at a time, racing the clock) and did drag racing at the same time.
I had it down to two hours to change the struts, shocks and all the springs.
I would go drag racing on Friday nights running 12.5's and then swap over on Saturday and go road racing Sunday on a 2 mile track.
Well, after a few years of this I started to get board and wanted more track time, so I deceided to go full blow wheel to wheel road racing in the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs. I raced in ITGT, then with some help of friends started the American Grand Sports class, which was a slithgly scaled down SCCA American Sedan class.
I raced with this group until 2003 when I moved to Alabama and turned the car into a "street legal" car, drove it for about 500 miles over a summer or two, and put the car in storage until 2008.

Making the car legal for CMC will include chopping out about 75 rwhp. I will do this by changing the heads, cam, header (must run OEM, thanks to Matt these were free), and changing the intak and carb to the spec Holley 600 (bought rebuilt for $100) and Eddy Performer (e-bay find for $45) for the class.
Next will be changing the rear suspesion by removing the after market uppers and putting on stockers (bought a brand new set from e-bay for $30).
I will need to buy a set of spec Toyo tires (planning on finding some used ones for about $600).

The bigger cost will be putting in a new fuel cell ($600) as mine is too old for competition, seat belts ($150), and luckily I can use my brother Hans (nromally almost $1k).

Thus far I am in process of doing the engine mods first, then rear suspension, then safety items and tires.

I will be posting pic's as I start getting some work done and will document my track outing starting hopefully next April!!!

[waypastcrazy]

I am glad to see you keep the car.sounds like you have a good plan craig. keep us updated and remember fun! fun! fun!.

[coupe]

:nice: I knew you had some interest in the NASA stuff. Sounds fun to me! Just make sure you work on the car inside becasue winter is just about here!
And... of course... call me if you need anything!

[joker]

Sounds awesome Craig. I have been thinking about getting into road racing, and more specifially have been looking in to the Nasa hpde events for a feeler.

[Craig K.]

There are several rules tat are being voted on now for the 2010 season, this has stalled my engine work, as two of the rules would directly affect me.
1> Allow any carb intake, I have a Eddy RPM (just took it off last week) current spec is Eddy Performer.
2> Allow B cam for carb cars, this is what I have in the engine now, but have a stocker ready to through in if the rule does not pass.

Start working on the rear suspension tonight, I have to pull off my adjustable uppers and put on stock uppers so that is what I focused on.
I also had to pull off the Trak-Link bar (which is not allowed).
So at the end of the work night with the kids driving me nuts in the garage, I have one stocker 3/4 installed, the other adjustable 1/2 uninstalled and the main section of the trak link out of the car.

Hopefully tomorrow will yield the rear suspension being completed, then it will be pulling off the exhaust, which I am not looking forward to (long tube with a scatter shield)

[Craig K.]

This weekend I had removed my upper adjustable rear control arms and installed a new OEM set.
I also removed the exhaust, including the longtube headers.
Long tubes and a scatter shield = pitb however it is all off.

Next up I am thinking the cam shaft change.

[Craig K.]

This weekend the cam change took place.
The cam I am using is one from coupe, believed to be out of his ex-SSP GA car.
The cam had typical visual wear for anything inside an enginer for 100k+ miles.
I took some jewlers polishing compound to it (used for gold, silver, etc...) and it cleaned up very well, still had a slight visual mark from where the roller (on the lifter) traveled, but I think for my purpose it will be just fine.

Trying to deciede on what to do about the heads, use mine and hope I hit the RWHP level (max is 225) use a old set of E7's just clean them up (another coupe donation) or spend a few hundred $ on some GT40's.

[Craig K.]

Got the car running again today, still need to go through the lifter setting once more and time it.

Also found a leak coming out of the rear water passage of the intake, so I will have to pull it off and see what the root cause is, hope just a slipped gasket or something easy and not a hairline crack in the aluminum.

Still hoping to dyno it and have the initial inspection done before the end of the year.

[nxcoupe]

I have watched videos of the cmc and it looks very exciting. I am hoping to one day get to build a car for it. Seems pretty reasonable except for the safety equipment, but even that is not that bad considering it could save your life. Post up some pics.

[Craig K.]

Back up and running.
Note that the water leak was from using an incorrect intake manifold gasket. I bought standard 5.0 stuff (IE E7 heads) and I have older style 60's heads on currently. The older heads have a smaller port which did not seal.
Bought Fel-Pro 1250 which are trim to cut on the water jackets and it sealed up just fine.

Next up will be some basic nut/bolt tightness checks, and general clean up.
I also have to schedule my initial dyno check and first car inspection to finialize my work list for winter.

Will post some pic's soon and dyno results when completed.

[Craig K.]

some pics from a few months ago.
Car is back running did a nut/bolt check on the suspension and go the new hood on.
It is back on all four and hopefully will hit the road for a few miles before the snow comes!!!

[Dale McPeters]

Very nice. :D

Does it run and stick to the track fairly well?

[Craig K.]

Very nice. :D

Does it run and stick to the track fairly well?

Runs decent, before the cam /intake/carb change it was 292 rwhp, dry weight is 2800 lbs, so it is good for mid 12's with some drag slicks.

It slides alot on the twisty tracks, it take a little while to get use to it, however this is what makes it fun (for me), throttle sterring with the backend is a blast.
This will be the first year I run with a pan hard bar on it, so it will take a few laps to figure out where I like it the most.


Latest project updates - I have to go back to te old Dura Spark ignition system, luckily I still have my OE distributor and picked up some dura spark boxes and wiring from a local junkyards for a few bucks.
OE distributor is back in and starting to tear out the dash plates to rewire for the dura spark.
Also pulled out my old fuel cell and getting ready to order a new Fuel Safe 22 gallon cell, I will be rewelding the under cell braces as the new one will be a little shorter than my current 22 gallon.