Ford Mustang
With just a few weeks between rallies, we accepted the challenge to get this magnificent Mustang ready to see the sights of Scandinavia
We were first introduced to this 400HP monster of a Ford Mustang whilst providing support on the HERO/ERA London to Lisbon Rally. Initially the alternator had failed, spiking the electronic kill switch which completely killed the car. The kill switch circuit was bypassed, the vehicles battery would then be removed every night and placed on charge in the overnight hotel prior to being refitted the following morning.
Upon completion of the event the owner had made the decision to drive his car personally back from Lisbon and hand deliver it to us at OCR Rally to be prepared for the Arctic Midnight Sun event taking place a couple of months later. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, as the owner prepared and set off for another full day of driving, the engine cranked and cranked but with no start up. All the basic checks were made with no success prior to arranging the vehicle be delivered to us using an independent company.
Weeks passed as we anxiously waited for the non-running Mustang to arrive, only able to speculate on what the issues might be. When the vehicle finally arrived; we went through the basic checks, we had fuel but no spark. On the ignition electrical side, the vehicle was in fine fettle and everything was as it should be. We removed the distributor cap and cranked the engine, initially to rotate the engine to get it back firing on number one cylinder, this is when our issue became very clear. With the engine cranking the rotor arm didn’t move, aghast, we removed the distributor and found the drive gear had completely stripped!
A new distributor gear was sourced and shipped directly to us in quick time to enable us to get the engine back up and running. While we waited, the prop shaft was removed and sent for inspection as the customer had experienced a vibration when driving, the prop shaft was found to be bent and using our network of specialists we had a new unit made as time was quickly disappearing. The new distributor gear arrived, was machined to enable fitment and installed and finally we could road test the vehicle – you could certainly feel all 400HP.
Utilising the remaining time before shipping and finally feeling confident with the vehicle now up and running, we set about the preparation aspect, the vehicle came to us with a list of tasks generated by the drivers experiences on the previous event, all of which would need to be completed to an exacting standard. Bespoke exhaust tail pipes were made which were longer to help get the exhaust gases away from the cabin, an issue that had plagued the driver on the previous event. New brakes were installed along with a full fluid replacement as well as undertaking thorough service of the vehicle. We improved the heating of the vehicle by adding demist pipes, these would become invaluable on the Arctic Midnight Sun Rally to keep the screen from fogging up. The final challenge before shipping was to check the geometry using our state-of-the-art Hunter Four Wheel Alignment System, this highlighted a discrepancy across the alignment of the rear axle, which in turn lined up with an observation made by the driver who clearly had a feel for his vehicle. Adjustments were made to correct the alignment prior to a period of road-testing, in just three weeks we had taken a potential pressure point project and turned it round to a fully prepared vehicle cleaned and now waiting to be collected for its next adventure.
The Arctic Midnight Sun Rally was a competitive event that shared fun challenging rallying with unbelievably beautiful scenery. We are incredibly pleased to add that the crew brought the car home First in Class and took every opportunity possible to praise the level of preparation of their vehicle, in turn we at OCR Rally are thankful for their enthusiasm and incredibly proud of their achievement.
