North American Turbocoupe Organization



Track Prep
KaKawomepb Offline
Junior Member
#1
So I'm planning on taking my car to a small road course towards the end of February or the beginning of March. I am looking for some advice as to particular things I may want to prepare, change, or update to not be prone to failure. Here is a list of things that have been done or are going to be done to the car within the next month before I register for any track day event.
      Done so far:
  • Coolant temp sensors and t-stat, heater core and ac stuff apart from the condenser 
  • Flush and overflow bottle replacement
  • Ensuring there are no wiring gremlins and the fans are all working correctly 
  • Full tine up: plugs, wires, cap/rotor, timing belt/acc belt and tensioners
  • Yokohama advan fleva v701's mounted and balanced ~200 miles ago
  • Replacement battery hold down
  • New IAC and TPS, has been set accordingly
     To be done/stuff on order:
  • Koni SA yellows
  • Cut springs
  • MM Ball joints and FCA urethane bushings, spring isolators as well
  • Caster camber plates
  • 1 5/16" Hellwig sway bar, end links, and bushings
  • MM Extreme duty rear lower control arm, #CHE2G rear UCA
  • OE replacement pads and rotors, wheel bearing, seals
  • New Motorcraft battery
There may be a couple of things I am leaving out that slip my mind, but that is the great majority. The track day even is about 6 hours of open track, even though I probably won't be running the whole time I want to make sure my car will survive the event as it's my transportation to and from. I am running 10w-30 oil, and changed the filter about 200 miles ago so I'm thinking that should be fine and should be changed soon after. The motor is stock apart from having a cone filter run into the fender and a Gillis Boost valve. This will be my very first time tracking a car as well so any sort of advice is appreciated.
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Chas K 88 Offline
Member
#2
With all your other suspension upgrades, a set of full length weld on subframe connectors would be a great idea. I put some on my 88 mustang and it made a big difference, I never found any for the bird though.

Oh, and welcome to NATO.
Chas K
Current setup - 88 T-bird, 5 speed, vacuum assist master cylinder, T3/T4 50 trim turbo from Bo-port, oil feed & return lines, 3” turbo down elbow, 3" to 2.5" dual exhaust and PiMPx from Stinger 255LPH fuel pump, CD, trip-minder, RR , K&N, 140 MPH speedo conversion (thanks Jeff K).
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KaKawomepb Offline
Junior Member
#3
(01-08-2023, 08:29 PM)Chas K 88 Wrote: With all your other suspension upgrades, a set of full length weld on subframe connectors would be a great idea. I put some on my 88 mustang and it made a big difference, I never found any for the bird though.

Oh, and welcome to NATO.

I have seen a couple companies making subframe connectors, I know Griggs is one of them. But they are certainly on the list of things to get at some point.

And thanks
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andrewjs18 Offline
Administrator
#4
I think we're working on tbird/cougar specific subframe connectors and we already sell seat braces that'll stiffen up the floor pans under the front seats.

https://23parts.com
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Mikey97D Offline
Senior Member
#5
MM has long lead times so order soon, but I wouldn't hold my breathe for being ready by March unless something has changed.

Why stock brake pads if you are not running a class and just a track day? You have not mentioned what year TC you have?

I would contact MM and ask for their suggestions for a track day "To DO's".

You will need to flush your brakes before track day. Research if it is worth converting to DOT4 or something else.
How old are the rubber brake hoses on your car? If you are not running in a class what about converting to braided lines?
1988 TC, 5 spd, Stinger 3" Exhaust, Schneider Roller Cam, -4° Cam Pulley, Cone Filter, Gilles Boost Control Valve set at 17 psi, Walbro 255 lph, CHE Rear Lower and Upper Control Arms, Braided Brake Lines, Hawk HPS 5.0 Front and HPS (F) Rear, CRES Inserts in front calipers, and '93 Cobra Wheels with General 235/50R17 Tires.   
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KaKawomepb Offline
Junior Member
#6
(01-09-2023, 05:10 PM)Mikey97D Wrote: MM has long lead times so order soon, but I wouldn't hold my breathe for being ready by March unless something has changed.

Why stock brake pads if you are not running a class and just a track day?  You have not mentioned what year TC you have?

I would contact MM and ask for their suggestions for a track day "To DO's". 

You will need to flush your brakes before track day.  Research if it is worth converting to DOT4 or something else.
How old are the rubber brake hoses on your car?  If you are not running in a class what about converting to braided lines?

I am planning on ordering from MM today. It's an 88 five speed. Since I'm not running in a class and it's an open track day, there are very minimal restrictions. I am ordering the rubber lines, as well as ordering the rest of everything to redo the brakes today, but now that you mention braided lines I should really look into that. Ultimately that's why I'm posting, for suggestions. The car is mostly a street car that i'm wanting to be able to track, so what pads would you recommend? 

I will be running DOT 4 as it is a requirement, though.
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Mikey97D Offline
Senior Member
#7
(01-09-2023, 06:06 PM)KaKawomepb Wrote:
(01-09-2023, 05:10 PM)Mikey97D Wrote: MM has long lead times so order soon, but I wouldn't hold my breathe for being ready by March unless something has changed.

Why stock brake pads if you are not running a class and just a track day?  You have not mentioned what year TC you have?

I would contact MM and ask for their suggestions for a track day "To DO's". 

You will need to flush your brakes before track day.  Research if it is worth converting to DOT4 or something else.
How old are the rubber brake hoses on your car?  If you are not running in a class what about converting to braided lines?

I am planning on ordering from MM today. It's an 88 five speed. Since I'm not running in a class and it's an open track day, there are very minimal restrictions. I am ordering the rubber lines, as well as ordering the rest of everything to redo the brakes today, but now that you mention braided lines I should really look into that. Ultimately that's why I'm posting, for suggestions. The car is mostly a street car that i'm wanting to be able to track, so what pads would you recommend? 

I will be running DOT 4 as it is a requirement, though.

Here's my list of parts

MM Front Brake Hose Kit, 1994-04 (MMBK4F)
Hawk Performance Pads (Street) HB263B.650
SVE Stainless Steel Insert SVE-H5016-CS from LMR

Unfortunately, MM was having a supplier problem for their inserts.  The SVE inserts did not all press into the caliper and some were more of a running fit.  I am tempted to use Loctite 680 on the OD of the inserts but not sure it will hold up to the temperatures to hold for a cylindrical bond.

MM Rear Caliper Brake Hose Kit: 1994-1995 (MMBK12R)
Hawk Performance Pads HP580F.627

Unfortunately there is no braided brake line for between the body and the rear axle in the center by the pumpkin.  I would need to dig around to find the part number.  My original thread for the build is located here with Jack Hidley (MM) also adding to the thread:  https://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/ind...c=41183.15

My pads are for street use with added performance. MM may suggest something else for dedicated track use.
1988 TC, 5 spd, Stinger 3" Exhaust, Schneider Roller Cam, -4° Cam Pulley, Cone Filter, Gilles Boost Control Valve set at 17 psi, Walbro 255 lph, CHE Rear Lower and Upper Control Arms, Braided Brake Lines, Hawk HPS 5.0 Front and HPS (F) Rear, CRES Inserts in front calipers, and '93 Cobra Wheels with General 235/50R17 Tires.   
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Hawk Offline
Senior Member
#8
Definitely switch to something such as Motul RBF 600/660 for your brake fluid. I don't see a thick core radiator on your list of mods. My Aero Birds have always had a problem with sustained high speed driving. They will get right into red zone on the temp gage withing 2-3 minutes of high boost pulls such as a track day or hill climb. Once I had a "dessert" core radiator in them the stayed in the upper range of making me nervous vs, waiting for the engine to blow. These cars were all in top condition. The 87-88 TC has an airflow problem over the radiator. They were never intended for sustained high speed/high boost driving in their stock form.
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KaKawomepb Offline
Junior Member
#9
(01-13-2023, 08:10 PM)Hawk Wrote: Definitely switch to something such as Motul RBF 600/660 for your brake fluid.  I don't see a thick core radiator on your list of mods.  My Aero Birds have always had a problem with sustained high speed driving.  They will get right into  red zone on the temp gage withing 2-3 minutes of high boost pulls such as a track day or hill climb.  Once I had a "dessert" core radiator in them the stayed in the upper range of making  me nervous vs, waiting for the engine to blow.  These cars were all in top condition.  The 87-88 TC has an airflow problem over the radiator.  They were never intended for sustained high speed/high boost driving in their stock form.

I wasn't entirely sure if the stock radiator and fans would be adequate. I was intending to look at a replacement from Mishimoto or LMR, especially now while the cooling system hasn't fully been put back together (Progress has been slow as I've been laid up with a bad cold this week). Should I go with a different fan setup and an aftermarket controller as well?

As far as progress with ordering parts, I contacted Maximum Motorsports and they convinced me to go with coil overs for the setup I'm running. Still doing Koni SA yellows, but with a 375 spring up front and 250 in the rear. I was torn between the MM dampers and the Konis, but I was told the Konis would be a better option if I were to change the spring rates, which may happen depending on how I feel about these. I decided to save my money with the rear upper control arms as a panhard/torque arm setup seems like a much better option. I am not running subframe connectors currently so that's going to be on my list to get soon, but I probably won't have those ordered by the time I go to the track considering how much I spent on everything else so far. Mikey wasn't wrong about the lead times, but they gave an estimated 3 weeks for the ball joints and bushings/shells. I told them to go ahead and ship everything in one package. 

All of the brake stuff has been ordered apart from the pads, just went with the oe replacement lines for now. A five lug swap may be in my future. The Hawk HB263E.650 for the front and HB580E.627 for the rear seem like decent choices as far as looking at their comparisons. These look like they will tolerate heat better than the others, but I'm going to see if I can email them for input.
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Chas K 88 Offline
Member
#10
It seems to me that you're not afraid to spend money on good parts. With all your concern about dissipating brake heat, and new "OE rotors" being on your list of stuff to be done, I would strongly recommend spending a few more coins and getting drilled/slotted rotors. I can't believe MM didn't steer you that way, maybe they don't offer them for a TC but I'm sure they're out there. I've had OE rotors warp on my car under just slightly aggressive driving (in my younger days of course) and replaced them with OE rotors only for them to warp too. I replaced those with drilled/slotted rotors and never had the problem again. Then again, if a 5 lug conversion is on your mind, you might want to wait until then.
Chas K
Current setup - 88 T-bird, 5 speed, vacuum assist master cylinder, T3/T4 50 trim turbo from Bo-port, oil feed & return lines, 3” turbo down elbow, 3" to 2.5" dual exhaust and PiMPx from Stinger 255LPH fuel pump, CD, trip-minder, RR , K&N, 140 MPH speedo conversion (thanks Jeff K).
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