Thought you guys might like to see this... fully Griggs'd GT-500 trackday car.
10-25-2007, 10:59 AM
#1
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Thought you guys might like to see this... fully Griggs'd GT-500 trackday car.
This came from my local car forum www.vadriven.com/forums.
The car went and had a glass roof panel put in (who knows why) then went directly to Performance Auto-Sport in Richmond for a full conversion w/ the best of the best parts. My friend Kevin is one of the mechanics/tuners at the shop, they specialize in road race mustangs and Saleens.
I love it 
Hey guys here is a guy that is a baller he has 65,66,67 shelbys, Big block vettes and vipers... This guy bought this car to run at VIR only! Here is John's car...
Well John has become very good friends of ours at PAS and he recently picked up his newly transformed Shelby GT500 after it received the full Griggs Racing Suspension System. The rear suspension ditches the 3 link and replaces it with a Torque Arm and Watts link, along with coilovers and sway bar. The front suspension is completely reengineered into a SLA setup including custom modular drop spindles and a tubular engine cradle.
The car went from being bone stock (suspension) to the most radical setup you could ever imagine. Let me not forget that it's not pushing stock power anymore either. The stock blower has already been swapped out for a Kenne Bell and it now makes 630rwhp.
I had the pleasure of driving this car today and I can honestly say it exceeded all my expectations and absolutely blew my mind. Running 305/35/18 Toyo RA-1's on the street daily surely doesnt hurt, but this car is absolutely amazing in every way...and it's damn near 4000lbs. This is the 6th GT500 I've driven and I've completely hated them up until now. Too bad you have to go as far as redesigning the entire car to make it worth driving.
Anyways, here are some pics of the build up, new parts, and finished product. Enjoy...
Stock rear suspension
Stock front suspension
Griggs rear suspension
Griggs SLA front suspension
All done
Car was dropped back off at our shop today for further modding. We recently installed his Accusump to get it ready for a thrashin' at VIR coming up when this car will be going head to head with a Grand Am FR500C! Ha!
Rollbar, seats, harnesses going in! Car will retain the entire interior, nothing will be stripped out of it. FULL weight, and taking on a factory prepared racecar. Bring it.
The car went from being bone stock (suspension) to the most radical setup you could ever imagine. Let me not forget that it's not pushing stock power anymore either. The stock blower has already been swapped out for a Kenne Bell and it now makes 630rwhp.
I had the pleasure of driving this car today and I can honestly say it exceeded all my expectations and absolutely blew my mind. Running 305/35/18 Toyo RA-1's on the street daily surely doesnt hurt, but this car is absolutely amazing in every way...and it's damn near 4000lbs. This is the 6th GT500 I've driven and I've completely hated them up until now. Too bad you have to go as far as redesigning the entire car to make it worth driving.
Anyways, here are some pics of the build up, new parts, and finished product. Enjoy...
Stock rear suspension
Stock front suspension
Griggs rear suspension
Griggs SLA front suspension
All done
Car was dropped back off at our shop today for further modding. We recently installed his Accusump to get it ready for a thrashin' at VIR coming up when this car will be going head to head with a Grand Am FR500C! Ha!
Rollbar, seats, harnesses going in! Car will retain the entire interior, nothing will be stripped out of it. FULL weight, and taking on a factory prepared racecar. Bring it.
10-25-2007, 11:10 AM
#2
Drifting
"Car was dropped back off at our shop today for further modding. We recently installed his Accusump to get it ready for a thrashin' at VIR coming up when this car will be going head to head with a Grand Am FR500C! Ha!"
10-25-2007, 11:12 AM
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^ Um... do you see the $20,000+ of full race Griggs supension under that car? And the fact that it's making 600+ rwhp vs. the 500 crank power the cammer motor in the rolex cup stang?
I'd say that car has a very very very good chance.... if it had the right driver.
I'd say that car has a very very very good chance.... if it had the right driver.
10-25-2007, 11:21 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
Nifty street rod.
However.
The regular FR500 will edge it out on a track. Especially as run times exceed 30minutes. Sorry, I just don't see tires holding up much, especially for a car that will reach 4300lbs; compounding the tire issue more with the power dynamics it has.
Weight is the first thing I'm concerned with.
However.
The regular FR500 will edge it out on a track. Especially as run times exceed 30minutes. Sorry, I just don't see tires holding up much, especially for a car that will reach 4300lbs; compounding the tire issue more with the power dynamics it has.
Weight is the first thing I'm concerned with.
10-25-2007, 11:28 AM
#5
Drifting
No, I must have missed the Griggs parts
Seriously, as you know it takes more than throwing money at a car to turn fast laps.....it also takes tuning and seat time - not to mention that the GT500 weighs 3900 pounds, and the 600rwhp figure will begin to drop significantly as the blower heat-soaks after a few laps. If this is the same blue GT500 that ran this past weekend, he was not lapping anywhere near the FR500c.
10-25-2007, 11:29 AM
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^ Gotcha... I believe he's a novice driver w/ lots of money. However, the guy who built the car instructs w/ NASA and if he speaks highly of a car I listen.
I think it's getting a full evans cooling system as well.
I think it's getting a full evans cooling system as well.
10-25-2007, 11:36 AM
#7
Drifting
It's definitely a nicely set-up car. I'd sure enjoy it if I had it!!
10-25-2007, 11:40 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
Eessh... scary thought.
Tell him to get a bunch of seat time in a stock GT500 before jumping the gun.
The learning curve on a hyper modified GT500 is pretty much on the ragged edge, incredibly true for someone (assuming by the novice title) who probably hasn't done much performance road course driving. And it will take him some serious time to get upto speed on the car.
edit: aside from moderate tweaking of the suspension. I'd happily drive his car with a wild modular 5.0 under the hood, and lightened 800lbs.
Tell him to get a bunch of seat time in a stock GT500 before jumping the gun.
The learning curve on a hyper modified GT500 is pretty much on the ragged edge, incredibly true for someone (assuming by the novice title) who probably hasn't done much performance road course driving. And it will take him some serious time to get upto speed on the car.
edit: aside from moderate tweaking of the suspension. I'd happily drive his car with a wild modular 5.0 under the hood, and lightened 800lbs.
10-25-2007, 12:20 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
Nifty street rod.
However.
The regular FR500 will edge it out on a track. Especially as run times exceed 30minutes. Sorry, I just don't see tires holding up much, especially for a car that will reach 4300lbs; compounding the tire issue more with the power dynamics it has.
Weight is the first thing I'm concerned with.
However.
The regular FR500 will edge it out on a track. Especially as run times exceed 30minutes. Sorry, I just don't see tires holding up much, especially for a car that will reach 4300lbs; compounding the tire issue more with the power dynamics it has.
Weight is the first thing I'm concerned with.
10-25-2007, 04:18 PM
#13
I have yet to drive an S-197 chassis, but I've been building and racing mustangs for years (american iron) and you guys would be blown away how well a griggs equipped mustang handles. I always ran their strut systems in the past and on my most recent build I used the SLA front with steel drop spindles(not the ones in the photos) and some higher end konis. The car is razor sharp (for a mustang)and I haven't even dialed it in yet or installed aero. That is all on small 275 toyos. In my newest builds ('85) first shakedown I ran a 1:57.1 at thunderhill here in california. That was on old hoosiers which are still better than toyos. Regardless, their stuff works very well.
-V
-V
10-25-2007, 05:23 PM
#16
Safety Car
That car looks awesome, but they missed one of the most important components.
WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope to lure some GT-R's on track by the end of next year, I hope some of the stock Z guys will come out and thrash them, I've had it up to here with the hype surrouding that car. Maybe I can sell my C5 and get a 08 Viper to pound the GT-R with.
WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope to lure some GT-R's on track by the end of next year, I hope some of the stock Z guys will come out and thrash them, I've had it up to here with the hype surrouding that car. Maybe I can sell my C5 and get a 08 Viper to pound the GT-R with.
10-25-2007, 05:47 PM
#17
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Bruce Griggs is a friend of mine and I can say that everything he does is first class and correct. I do rib him on the weight, but I raced a Griggs prepared Mustang at Sebring a few years ago, and the suspension was great. Sebring is very rough but this car just stuck and did not beat me to death at all. It had no motor to speak of, and on Sundown straight I felt like I should have got out my Blackberry and drove with my knee and caught up on email, it was so easy to drive.
10-25-2007, 10:04 PM
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Look closely at the Griggs sway bars. They are absolutly guaranteed not to bind. They do not rotate in pillow blocks, but hanging rod ends. Very clever! Similar to Trans-Am setups, only upside down. Corvette people can learn here...
Last edited by ghoffman; 10-25-2007 at 10:07 PM.