Prepping our Mustang vintage racer for its first track outing

During the height of the pandemic, we had an idea: What if we take a forlorn Mustang fastback found in an auction catalog–it didn’t even come with an engine–and turn it into a historic racer? 

The final product, we figured, would cost as much as a top Spec Miata but go faster and make cooler noises. We could run it in a few places, too–HSR, sure, but maybe also some lapping days or endurance races. 

Sounds like the perfect plan, right?

Over the last few years, we have worked to make that idea a reality. Finally, we could see the finish line. There were just a few more items on the to-do list before putting our Mustang on track.

1. Our car came with the original steering column and a ’60s-issue, wood-rimmed wheel that measured more than 15 inches across. Could we find something more appropriate for the track? Yes, we figured, we could. 

2. As the original steering column was fast approaching its 60th birthday, we turned to Ididit, makers of steering columns for race and street. The company offers a lightweight, bolt-in column for an early Mustang. It weighs 6 pounds–about half that of the stock piece–and comes wired for horn and turn signals, although we removed both features. This Pro-Lite column is also collapsible for safety. It lists for about $660, although Summit Racing sells it for closer to $600. The column easily bolts in place, perfectly meshing with our Borgeson power steering box. 

3. We paired the column with Ididit's bolt-in, quick-release mount so we could easily mount our steering wheel–a D-shaped, 12.75-inch model from MPI. It’s smaller and, thanks to the ergonomic shape and suede-like material, easier to grip than that wooden-rimmed wheel. The retail price of $239 seemed fair, too. 

4. We still needed an exhaust, so we went with 3-inch duals and an X-pipe, with everything exiting on the passenger side of the car. Big surprise: It’s loud.

5. What to feed this beast? First, our situation: Our small-block Ford V8 runs about 12:1 compression along with heads that flow a bit better than stock. The car will see both sprint and endurance events. Thanks to its carburetor, Sunoco’s Zachary J. Santner recommended staying away from blends that have ethanol, as they require more precise fuel systems. Santner pointed us toward Sunoco Standard, a leaded, 110-octane fuel, as it would work with our compression ratio while providing extra protection against detonation from heat–likely to be encountered during an endurance race situation, he added. The 110-octane fuel would also provide more headroom for increased spark advance.

6. After checking the fasteners and making sure the engine ran, we visited Geoff Thompson at Alignment Shop in Ormond Beach, Florida. While there isn’t much you can do on a Mustang, he managed to get close to a degree of negative camber up front plus a little extra caster. He set a little bit of toe-out for better turn-in. Then we could tow the Mustang to the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park in our custom aluminum trailer from Montrose Trailers. 

7. Before hitting the track for the first time, we checked the basics again: oil, lug nuts, belts, hoses, tire pressures and the rest. To start out, we set tire pressures to 28 psi all around. 

8. Our goal for this first session wasn’t a lap record or even ultimate lap times. We wanted to bed in the brakes, break in the transmission and rear end, and get a general feel for the car.

9. Initial impressions: As expected, it’s fun. Way more power than a Miata–more interior room, too, helping us feel comfortable and confident behind the wheel. The chassis feels stable, although like so many early Mustangs, it will start to oversteer if given too much throttle and lift an inside-front wheel upon corner exit. That small-block Ford makes glorious noises. Once the brakes warm up, they’re effective. 

While this concludes the build for this project, we know we have some sorting to do–involving both the chassis and the engine. We also need to gather on-track data. After that, though, we think we’ll have a competitive HSR racer on our hands. As always, we’ll have online updates so you can follow the action.