Project CAM Mustang

I just finished reading the article on the Project CAM Mustang in the June issue about the $5k brake job. I am curious if you've spent more than $50k on this car? Is it possible to build a locally competitive CAM Mustang or Camaro for less than $5k above the purchase price of a used one? I'm retired and do not have a big budget for a new autocross car.

Yes, you definitely can. I have an '11 5.0 that I run in CAM class. You can be pretty dang competitive with better brake pads, shocks/springs, sway bars, and of course tires.

I do not have a build thread on here, but I can link you to another forum where I have one. Note that I've done a couple things beyond that, but you could easily replicate my build with way less than $5k in aftermarket parts.

Mustang50 wrote: I just finished reading the article on the Project CAM Mustang in the June issue about the $5k brake job. I am curious if you've spent more than $50k on this car? Is it possible to build a locally competitive CAM Mustang or Camaro for less than $5k above the purchase price of a used one? I'm retired and do not have a big budget for a new autocross car.

Great question, and makes me think that before the project series is over I should do a "build order" and make some picks as to where money and effort would be best spent in what order.

Yes, some of the bits we're using are extravagant. Our $5000 brakes, though seriously amazing, are probably overkill for a local autocross car. But we're showcasing a lot of technology and hopefully teaching folks how to use it to better their own cars.

That said, there's a few high-impact areas that should probably be dealt with first, especially on S197Mustangs.

1) Obviously wheels and tires are going to be your first expense, and not an insignificant one. CAM is a big-tire class, and big tires are not cheap tires. But quality rubber will make a huge difference in performance.

2) Next, I'd turn my attention to the rear suspension of any stick-axle car. Getting the power to the ground is a huge advantage for any CAM car, so focus on that. I can't really speak to Camaro much, but for a live-axle Mustang that would mean proper lower arm locating brackets, proper third-link locating (or substituting for a torque-arm), and proper lanyard locating (or watts substitution).

3) From there you can start looking at springs and shocks. The tricky part about lowering a Mustang is that so much else goes wrong when you lower one that you then have to go and fix. So simply lowering it can cause more problems than you solve unless you correct front roll centers, correct roll steer geometry, etc.

4) Losing some weight is practically free. A rear-seat delete can be done with some cheap carpeting, and a dune buggy seat for the passenger side can be dabbed up as a race-day-only mod pretty easily.

There are some spots, though, where you shouldn't skimp—you're better off to stick with stock until you can properly upgrade. The diff, for example. The Torsen T2R is not cheap, but it's practically magical. Unless you can properly upgrade, trying to find a cheap alternative will just lead to frustration.

I'm less well-versed in Camaro stuff, but maybe someone else will chime in. I don't think they have the power-to-the-ground struggles Mustangs have, but they're also heavier to begin with, so there's pluses and minuses to both.

An Eaton TrueTrac will get you 90% of the performance of a T-2R for half the price and twice the durability.

Sky_Render wrote: An Eaton TrueTrac will get you 90% of the performance of a T-2R for half the price and twice the durability.

Okay, that's a good option. Probably the ONLY budget diff option that makes any sense, actually.

JG Pasterjak wrote:

Sky_Render wrote: An Eaton TrueTrac will get you 90% of the performance of a T-2R for half the price and twice the durability.

Okay, that's a good option. Probably the ONLY budget diff option that makes any sense, actually.

Only downside is it's noisy on deceleration. Not whining noisy, but gear-backlash-clunking noisy.

I think the best part is that you no longer have to use friction modifier. Also, Eaton specifies NON-synthetic. Rear-diff fluid changes now cost $30!

Also keep in mind that this car was built to withstand time trails as well as autocross---- where the bigger and badder brakes will be more justified.