Neil Wilson (left) and Chris...
Neil Wilson (left) and Chris Hargett hang the body on our Mustang. We're using a dirt Late Model Mustang nose from JR Motorsports for our bumper cover.
Ever take advantage of a fellow racer's offer to help you on your car? When Chris Hargett and Neil Wilson off-handedly offered their time and expertise to help hang a new body on our Mustang, we jumped at the chance. Chris races dirt Late Models and Neil is his crew chief. They've started H&W Race Car Fabrication, building and repairing cars, and we've been enlightened on just how much quality sheetmetal work can mean to a race car.
Beginning The Body
Entry-level dirt cars like the Project Mini Stock don't depend that much on aero, but it's still important that the body is an advantage and not a hindrance to the way the car handles on the track. We ordered five sheets of aluminum and 1/2-inch square sticks of steel from Stock Car Steel and Aluminum. Chris and Neil began by building a framework to box-out the inside of the car to hang interior sheetmetal. Our rules say we must use a stock steel roof and rear quarters in the stock location, so to keep overall weight low, the rest of the car is going to be aluminum.
We discarded the heavy stock trunk lid and fabbed up a Late Model-style, trap-door access to the fuel cell. We also cut out all but the exterior face of the A-pillars; we notched them and dropped the front of the roof about an inch. Our goal was to make sure the roof angled slightly down, or was at least level, so it wouldn't act like a big sail going down the straights.
Chassis Reworking
While Chris and Neil were working their sheetmetal magic, the rest of the Project Mini Stock crew began retracing its steps on the chassis. We still didn't have our ride heights set, so it was impossible to hang the body correctly until that was done. It was about here that our progress was momentarily stalled. We decided our future efforts to tune the chassis would be greatly improved with a set of adjustable spring cups. No problem, we thought.
Bradley's Auto Parts had just about anything we needed and set us up with four adjustable units from Afco. They have about 3 inches of adjustability and required slight modifications to fit our car. Unfortunately, the 11-inch Blue Coil springs originally ordered for the front were now too long. But the folks at Suspension Spring Specialists said because the springs had not been used they could replace them with the 9.5-inch units we now needed (thanks!) The original rear springs were the right size.
Once the suspension was reworked, Chris and Neil made some solid engine mounts so we could set the engine and tranny in place. The transmission was still being readied at Jim Cook Race Cars, so we had to bolt up a dummy unit for positioning. Our engine builder, Richard Johnson, said a through-the-firewall header pipe configuration is worth a handful of horsepower over headers that route the exhaust under the floorboard, so we chose this type from Shoenfeld. But of course we neglected to take this exhaust routing into consideration when we previously secured the brake line across the firewall to get to the right-front tire. Looks like we'll be borrowing a brake line bending tool again.
Fitting A Nose
Taking into account these minor hurdles--including remounting the brake and clutch pedals--we were behind getting the body in place, but pressed on. Because there is no wiggle room at the car's front, we began by placing the nose. We are using a flexible plastic dirt Late Model nose from JR Motorsports. It comes in two halves, so it was easy to cut about 2-1/2 inches from the inside of each half to get the proper width. We used an aluminum backing sheet to span the joint, and POP riveted everything together.
Finding the proper location was a little more difficult. We spent a lot of time moving the nose around, setting it on blocks to simulate ride height, and making sure it fit the overall proportions of the car. The problem was its low, angled
profile didn't fit with the radiator framework that was already welded in place. Actually, the radiator mount needed to be moved closer to the engine anyway; out came the saws and welder for a little "fine tuning" of the framework.
Once that was complete, Neil and Chris were able to build the bumper, affix the nose, and begin building fenders. This is when Chris' skills as a body man really began to shine. With nothing more than a tape measure, a Sharpie, and a sheetmetal break, he recreated the original door moldings in the new aluminum skin. We still have a ways to go on the sheetmetal, not the least of which is the hood, rear spoiler, and driver's tub, but we're making headway. Next, the plan is to begin the final driveline installation and wiring the car.
 Scott Helms helps Chris fit...  Scott Helms helps Chris fit up our trunk area trapdoor. If you try this, make sure to rib the sides of the aluminum sheets to give them some strength. |
 Here's how the adjustable...  Here's how the adjustable spring cups were installed in the car. In the front , the cups were welded in the stock spring pocket. |
 In the rear, we tried cutting...  In the rear, we tried cutting a hole in the spring pocket, running the cup partway through, and then welding around the outside of the cup. Both methods worked well. In both cases we had to cut off part of the top of the spring cup to make it fit. To make adjustments easier at the track, we notched the adjuster disks with a reciprocating saw. Now if the disks are stuck we can use a screwdriver and hammer to loosen them. |
 The engine is secured in the...  The engine is secured in the bay on our homemade solid mounts. The right-front strut support hoop (at left) was too tall and restricted movement of our caster/camber adjuster plate from Ford Racing Performance Parts. We removed it, cut it down, and welded it back into place. |
 When we floor-mounted our...  When we floor-mounted our Wilwood brake and clutch pedals, the sloping firewall kept us from putting them against it; so the pedals were just too close to be comfortable. Cleverly, the pedals allow the master cylinders to simply be flipped over for overhead mounting and that gave us extra legroom. We created a frame for them out of some fairly thick sheetmetal and square tubing and welded it to the rollcage at the correct height. More brakeline reworking ahead! |
 Neil bolts up our homemade...  Neil bolts up our homemade front bumper. It is bent to exactly fit the shape of our bumper cover and rides bolted into sleeves so it will be easily removable if it gets mangled. We've hung a pair of stock front fenders on the car just to get a feel for the proportions we want to match. |
 We split the fenders into...  We split the fenders into two pieces--one horizontal and one vertical--to cut down on the compound curves. It's easier to get the top strips cut and bent to shape and then hang the rest like skirts. |
 The panels begin going into...  The panels begin going into place. Care is the name of the game here. We did well--only one piece was a throwaway. |
 The windowsill of a stock...  The windowsill of a stock Mustang curves down then levels out just behind the A-post. Ours runs level, from the top of the front fender all the way to the C-post. It provides a little more protection for the driver and we think it looks better. We filled in the gap on the rear fender with a piece of steel tack-welded into place. |
 One completed side, POP riveted...  One completed side, POP riveted into place. The car is on jackstands so it's hard to tell, but the front wheel openings are the absolute minimum right now. We'll open them up to where they need to be once we complete the car and establish the ride height. |
 The doors are braced with...  The doors are braced with a combination of steel tubing and aluminum. Aluminum angle and flat strap is lightweight but give the thin aluminum sheets some form and rigidity. We simply welded tabs to the rollcage and then bolted the aluminum to that. |
 The doorsill wraps around...  The doorsill wraps around a piece of 1-inch steel tubing braced off of the rollcage. |
 Pinion install is tricky underneath....  Pinion install is tricky underneath. You need plenty of torque on the pinion nut to set the pinion crush sleeve. Once we got close to the torque with a portable wrench, we had to switch to a less elegant method--good old brute force. We drilled a steel bar and bolted it to the hub to lock things down then asked William "Cookie" Helms to provide the horsepower. If you go this route be very careful to check the crush sleeve often. If you torque too far it's ruined. |
 Taking a page from the Late...  Taking a page from the Late Model assembly book, we put sheetmetal behind the nose to help keep hood size to a minimum. |
 Our ring-and-pinion kits are...  Our ring-and-pinion kits are from Reider Racing and National Drivetrain. National Drivetrain also sells this shim kit from Motive Gear that has everything you need (including excellent instructions) to do a proper third-member install. To go with our 1.96 transmission, we chose a 3.08 ring and pinion. That combination gives us a 6.04 final drive (1.96 x 3.08 = 6.036), which should be just about right for our half-mile home track. We also have a 3.27 manufactured by Precision Gear, which will provide a 6.41 final drive, for adjusting. |
 Greg Haig installs the ring...  Greg Haig installs the ring assembly and uses a dial indicator to check lash. Specs were to set it between 0.008--0.010-inch. On our second check we got 0.0095-inch. Bolt it up! |
 Chris test-fits our aluminum...  Chris test-fits our aluminum Fluidyne radiator after we moved it back to mount the Late Model style nose. We will run semi-flexible aluminum strapping from the upper tubing to hold the radiator in place but allow it to give in case of an impact without ruining the unit. |
 The old Mustang is finally...  The old Mustang is finally beginning to look like a car again. Note the metal work done to mimic the side moldings and the straight lines from the front fenders all the way to the C-pillar. |