'88 Mustang vs. '87 GN

[lyonsd]

I've been having some problems with my Mustang lately. I won't go into details though. But I got them worked out with the help of some cat from the Corral who lives nearby - Jared Rude.

So we took my Mustang out, with me behind the wheel and Jared in my '87 GN. We couldn't get a light, so this first time we went form a roll. Side by side, at about 30mph, we hit it. I was in 2nd. I pulled out ahead and got about 2-car lengths ahead. But I shut it down because I really wanted to go from a stop.

This is the first time Jared has driven a GN. I gave him some pointers: I told him to put it in "D", launch at 2-3 psi and launch hard because I just had the posi put in and it hooks pretty good.

So we go down the road a ways and at the next light there's a bunch of traffic. That's the last good light on that road to race on, so we made a left, and turned around through this car wash and got a red light at the same intersection going in the opposite direction.

Now we're set: my car vs. my car. I rev the 'Stang up to around 2500-3000 rpm and Jared is brake-torquing the GN. Light goes green and I execute a textbook perfect launch, immediatly putting 1½-2 car lengths on my GN. I powershift second and get a nice loud SCREEEEECH and my GN is still there - 1½-2 car lengths. It stayed that way all the way through 2nd and 3rd gear, before I finally shut it down. Mustang wins by 1½-2 car lengths.

This is the first time my GN's been beaten in a street race. But since I wasn't diving I can still claim I'm undefeated with it.

Jared said he didn't have a very good launch. That's understandable since it was his first time behind the wheel of a turbo Regal. If he had gotten me off the line, he would have won. The cars were dead evenly matched.

The '88 Mustang

• Mass air conversion with Pro-M 77mm mass air meter and K&N underhood cone filter
• 65mm throttle body
• Cobra intake
• Stock heads, mildly ported with slightly bigger valves
• Hedman long tube headers
• Kenne-Bell Mark II-117R cam
• Motorsport aluminum 1.6:1 roller rocker arms
• 14º initial timing
• Romac harmonic balancer
• Bassani Off-road X-pipe & "Quiet Thunder" mufflers ("Quiet" Thunder my ass - these things are loud!)
• 3-piece under-drive pullies
• SPAL electric fan
• Motorsport heavy duty clutch
• 3.73 rear gears
• MSD Digital-6 ignition
• Traction enhancers: Lakewood traction bars, Global West full-length subframes, and BFG 275/50-15 Radial T/As in the rear

The '87 GN

• 9" K&N underhod cone filter & aluminum inlet pipe
• Jet-Hot coated Terry Houston downpipe & high-flow cat
• Adjustable wastegate rod with boost set to 19-20 psi
• 100 octane Thrasher chip with Sunoco 100 octane in the tank
• Traction enhancers: HRpartsNstuff rear lower control arms, Eaton posi, and BFG 265/50-15 Radial T/As in the rear

Each car has other mods to support those listed above, like fuel system enhancements to supply the necessary fuel, plug wires, valve cover breathers, lower thermostats, etc.. Both are also running Mobil 1 synthetic oil.

 

[matt87]

let your friend drive the stange! then see what wins! sounds like a pretty good amount of mods to your stange versus bearly any to the gn. what do you figure the stange runs?

 

[lyonsd]

Originally posted by matt87
let your friend drive the stange! then see what wins! sounds like a pretty good amount of mods to your stange versus bearly any to the gn. what do you figure the stange runs?

I don't know. Before the current set of mods listed above, it had only the following:

• Under-drive pulleys
• MAC off-road H-pipe and Walker Dynomax SuperTurbo mufflers
• 3.73 rear gears

And I went a best time of 13.884 @ about 100mph

I haven't run it at the strip with the mods in my first post. But I did race it on the street against two F-bodies.

The first was a '98 Camaro SS. I really didn't know if he was game or not, so I was idling at the line. He took off and when I saw him go I hit it, and spun the tires. He got at least two lengths on me. And for a fleeting moment I thought I would reel him in. But I only closed the gap to 1½-2 car lengths and held it there way into 4th gear.

The second LS1 was a new Trans Am. Again, at the red light I didn't know if he was game. And I was wearing a Cub Scout leader shirt with a flat-top haircut, so he might have thought I was a cop. After we were going, I held it to the top of second gear and started goosing it. He was a car-lenght behind and took the bait. He hit it and then I did. I was about 1½ car length ahead before I let off in 4th. I missed a shift too in that run, but still managed to stay ahead.

So I estimate my Mustang to be approximately equivalent to a stock LS1, but I think I've got a hair more low-end torque.

Yeah, my Mustang does have a lot of mods. But they are mis-matched. The cam is about as big as you can get without notching the pistons. It's supposed to be installed 4º advanced, but by doing so the piston-to-valve clearance was too small, so it was installed straight up. It's just oo much cam for the stock heads (even if they are ported). I'm planning on a smaller cam, putting some hi-flow cats on, ditching the under-drive pullies, and to make up for any lost power, a better set of heads, like AFR 165s. That should make it a lot more pleasant to drive, yet even faster.

 

[88grandgirl]

Mustang vs. '87 GN

I say the same as those other guys. Let your friend drive the gn and see how it goes from there. Plus its his first time behind the wheel of a gn too. when he finally drives it a few times and gets the hang of it, then he will fly by ur lil mustang.

 

[lyonsd]

I don't see how. Neither car was pulling on the other after they had both hooked up. The only way for him to have won would be if he got me out of the hole.

 

[mike85gn]

I ran mid 13's on my '92 GT with headers, catback, March ram air and pulleys, 3.55 gears and slicks with a 75-shot dry kit before I popped it. Best was a 13.3. Because of those simple mods to that car (which I must admit I still miss )is why I still respect the 5.0 boys around here. I remember teaching them how to make their cars fast. Might come back to haunt me...

 

[lyonsd]

With mods very similar to yours:

3.73 gears
MAC off-road H-pipe, Walker Dynomax Superturbo mufflers, MAC tail pipes
under drive pullies
75hp NOS #5115 kit

I went 13.132@108.17 on street tires in my '88 Mustang. Not bad for less than $1000 in bolt on mods. If I had used the nitrous in the run above, it'd smoke my GN; there'd be no contest.

But nitrous sucks! So I don't use it anymore.