It is nearing the time that we say goodbye to the project New Take Off V6 Mustang. This V6 was no exception to be taken to the track. With all of the GT take-off parts we could stuff into it, plus the Explorer Express Supercharger, we were pretty jacked up we could lay down a good e.t.
The concerns - a rookie driver, crap loads of torque, and stock rear tires.
With all completed project cars comes a track test. The New Take Off V6 Mustang is no different. With the car leaving the powerTV garage soon, we decided to take it down to Irwindale Speedway for some 1/8th mile testing. Since our shop mechanic BJ had slaved hours and hours building this Mustang we decided to give him first rights on taking the V6 down the track. If the V6 was sideways in the dirt around an oval BJ would have no problem, but this is the first time he will be driving at a drag strip.
Before the runs, here is a recap on the modifications.
• New Take Off Ford 8.8 rear end with 3.73 gears
• Explorer Express supercharger kit featuring an Eaton MP90 supercharger. 7 lbs of boost.
• Bama chips custom ECU tune
• Front suspension: BMR progressive lowering Springs, New Take Off Ford Mustang GT Struts and Sway bar.
• Rear suspension: BMR progressive lowering Springs, BMR Billet Lower Control arms, BMR Upper control arm, New Take Off Ford Mustang GT Shocks & Struts
• New Take Off Ford GT 18" tires and wheels.
• Bassani True-Dual Exhaust
Oh yea, we filled her up with 91 octane gas. All told she made about 285-290 rear wheel horsepower.
On his first run (which was HIS FIRST RUN EVER) on a dragstrip... BJ had tried slipping the clutch from 1,500 rpm or so on the first launch and had some decent success with a 2.02 60-foot. Then, he lifted about 700 feet.
Here's the video of that run below:
See, James had told BJ to take it easy. BJ thought, ok, I'll lift before the end of the track. So BJ caught a bunch of crap about that and we don't think he'll ever lift again. So that was pass 1.
Pass 2, well, that didn't go as well. The v6 stalled off the line. Rookie driver? Check. New combination? check. Embarassing stall off the starting line - yup, that too.
Here's the video of his stall.
After that run, BJ truly felt like...
All in all, BJ liked the car.
“This little V-6 Mustang feels like it has grunt. The only problem with the immediate throttle response is that in the first couple of gears, I spun the stock tires and bumped the rev limiter and the car hesitates momentarily. There is a learning curve for me on the shift points with this car because it ramps up so quickly.”
As the night got colder and colder, it was time for us to try to make another drag strip run and try to improve upon our first two efforts. We knew that this car has mid-13 second potential on street tires, but we really needed to get a good launch and crisp shifts. The Bassani exhaust picked up the power to 282 rwhp, but the low end torque made by the X-Charger was no match for the OEM street tires we were using.
Since James Lawrence, powerTV's founder, had a lot more drag strip seat time, the decision was made to put him in the driver's seat for the last run even though he had not driven the V6 car very often.
James was a little nervous about the shifter because we never swapped it, so it was still a bit rubbery and disconnected. That meant power-shifting was likely out. Then there was the challenge of launching the car.
James did a nasty burnout with the V6 and pulled to the line. A few dry hop practice launches on the starting line produced a mess of wheel spin. We all pretty much hung our heads watching the test launches. There was no traction to be had. On the starting line James revved the engine to about 2,500 rpm and we could hear the XCharger's Eaton buzzing under the hood ready to release some crazy boost on the V6.
Check out the video below of James run:
The tree dropped and the car was off, a mixture of Xcharger blower whine, Bassani exhaust, and spinning stock 18-inch Mustang rubber. James was slipping the clutch aggressively and feathering the throttle, but you could hear the tires spinning anyways. A fairly crisp 2 and 3 shift followed with the e.t. clocks lighting up with a 9.01 at almost 80 mph, with a disappointing 2.08 60-foot. We'll let James tell it from here:
"That car was really torquey, and that made it very hard to drive right on the stock tires, but it was fun. It was my first pass in it, and it ran about the equivalent of a high 13-second run at 100-101 mph or so. With this XCharger, you really need some sticky street tires, probably 275mm width at least, and drag radials would be a major help. Also, the car revs too quick for the stock shifter. In first gear, there wasn't much I could do with the tire spin. i think with some practice I could get the 60-foot into the 1.95 range which would e.t. around 13.70s or so. With a better shifter, 13.50's or faster would be easy in the quarter mile. Overall, the car felt great and nobody knew it was a V6.”
All in all, we were pretty happy with the performance of New Take Off car. We only made 3 passes, and we had a lot left. That being said, the car is going to go back to Glen Dixon at New Take Off to enjoy, and we're going to be sad to see this evil little v6 leave our family.
Taking it easy or not, I won. We should have been racing for pinks.
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