Sharing Upgrade Specifications
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We run our Panoz GTS in VARAC's CL-A vintage racing class (fastest full bodied cars). We were fortunate to win the 2021 points championship in the car (chassis #50). I am 65 years old so no "spring chicken". I must say that Panoz did a real nice job with these cars.
We run a wet sump SB Ford 351W with hydraulic roller camshaft & Shell 91 pump fuel. I have not included specifications on our current engine as we have run 3 different engines in the car. Anyone that wants to know what we have run & what has worked best can contact me @ stevejhummel@gmail.com
Our current engine makes 634hp @ 6,200rpm & 646ft-lbs of torque @ 4,700rpm. This is not the most powerful motor that we have run in the car. Again, we use Shell 91 pump fuel exclusively (no ethanol) & hydraulic roller cams. We change valve springs once per year & oil once per year, that is it! Our engines have a "few" tricks given the background in the "Note" below.
We have made a large number of technical improvements to the chassis & I thought that I would share those with the Panoz community. We really love our car! I have shared photos with some of our forum members, no problem sharing what you need.
I bought it in 2016 from 2nd owner, took a year to rebuild it to our specification (car was good & running when I bought it but it is that "engineering" disease that myself & my team have). We started racing it in 2018, it has done very well, podiuming almost 75% of the time.
We just finished our mandatory tech inspection for the 2022 racing season (no issues) & we will be hitting the track on May 7-8.
Vehicle Improvements:
· Note
o Vehicle improvements were implemented based upon over 40 years of road racing experience of the owner as a driver, team owner & engineer (1st company was a racing cylinder head engineering firm, did work for Big 3 & HD at highest levels of professional competition, former GT-1 champion, just retired from 15 years with Porsche in Stuttgart, raced one of those but not my real love so I went back to what I love, NA V-8's, much better engineer than driver though). Notable & high quality outside resources were also used to develop & execute the improvements. My "old guy" volunteer crew is full of T/A veterans.
· Front Suspension
o Upper ball joint relocated 7/8 rearward for superior caster performance & bump steer (determined during computer modeled suspension simulation)
o Steering arm re-engineered to double versus single shear design for safety
o Tie rods bump steered to 0.018 of bump steer through 5 of suspension travel
o Steering components all safety wired
o Lower control arm inner rod end increased in size to reflect higher G-loading due to front tire size increase from OEM 275 to 295 (fits under OEM body)
o Upper Control Arm (UCA) camber adjustment is now a captured adjustment system in horizontal plane to prevent UCA movement under high G turns, allows for squaring, offset & camber/caster fine adjustment (car could turn hard enough to cause OEM design to move)
o Steering rack by AGR (Mustang rack & pinion), AN-6 fittings for increased flow, Cobra R valving, Moog tie-rods, no limiters installed as nylon spacers fail under racing conditions (tire steering angle limited by lower control arm strut), plumbed with AN-6 power steering hose for high pressure lines & stainless for low pressure lines
o KRC racing power steering pump replaces OEM Ford pump (lighter & easily adjustable)
o Adjustable front sway bar links to neutralize preload (OEM were not easily adjustable)
o Rear trailing lower control arms had hex flats welded on to facilitate proper tightening of rod ends
o Penske shocks rebuilt & dynod (in 2017 & again at the beginning of 2022)
o All new rod ends installed upon rebuild & checked before every event
o Front sway bar mount moved down 1/8 for additional oil pan clearance
· Rear Suspension
o 4 link bars & Watts link bars were fabricated from chromoly steel versus the OEM aluminum bars
o Cast iron 9 pot replaced with Strange Engineering aluminum 9 pot
o Strange pot machined for NASCAR pinion driven rear end lubrication pump & rear end cooler
o 4 long rear wheel studs, bull-nosed by F+F (OEM studs short & not bull-nosed)
o ¼ aluminum spacer added to driver side rear hub to correct rear geometry to perfect square rear footprint
o Rear 4-link control arm fabricated spacers on axle to square arms to chassis & axle
o Droop limiters installed on chassis to prevent damage to rear shocks when rear end is unloaded
o Penske shocks had main bodies replaced, rebuilt & dynod (2017 & 2022)
· Chassis
o OEM rectangular top front cross bar replaced with triangulated chromoly tubes (removable) to increase front chassis stiffness due to wider front tires
o Oil cooler mount installed ½ way between upper & lower front chassis cross members to prevent front chassis flex with wider front tires
o Accelerator pedal modified for improved heel/toeing
o Throttle shaft to carburetor has square adjustment section welded in to facilitate proper tightening of rod ends
o Kirkey aluminum racing seat with cloth cover
o Fabricated aluminum top seat mount (weight reduction)
o Fabricated aluminum tube rear bumper bar replaces heavy steel tube bumper bar (OEM)
o Racing style safety latch on window net versus OEM seatbelt latch
o G-Force window net with new lower straps
o Polyurethane rear transmission mount
o Polyurethane engine mounts
o High strength driveshaft u-joints
o Square jacking point receivers welded to chassis in place of OEM round receivers, square receivers are safer in that the jacking post insert will not rotate
o Fabricated hollow chromoly shift rod replaces solid steel rod (lighter)
o Shifter to shift rod mount sleeved to minimize horizontal play of OEM configuration
o Shifter eyeball replaced & solid capture eyeball retainer fabricated to minimize vertical play of OEM mount retained by snap ring
o OEM steel transmission cover replaced with 2-piece aluminum cover retained by Dzus fasteners to reduce weight & facilitate easier removal & installation of transmission cover
o OEM switch panel refabricated with lightweight carbon fiber
o Transmission cooler & pump installed to improve transmission durability
o Transmission aluminum breather tank installed (OEM chassis depended upon vent on transmission)
o Fuel cell foam replaced in 2021
o OEM air-to-oil engine cooler replaced with oil-to-coolant engine oil cooler plumbed behind front of chassis (minimize crash damage & more efficient that air-to-oil coolers plus reduces engine wear from cold starts)
o 75% larger aluminum engine coolant radiator installed with power steering cooler in driver side tank
o Single engine radiator cooling fan replaced by twin 12 fans
o All radiator hoses replaced with high pressure silicon hoses
o OEM Ford coolant overflow plastic tank replaced by smaller aluminum tank with an accompanying aluminum catch tank
o OEM rear view mirror replaced with 5 panel Wink mirror
o 3-quart engine oil accumulator installed with remote activation cable to prevent engine oil starvation under high G forces
o Fuel cell dipstick installed to properly measure fuel in the fuel cell
o Fabricated ceramic coated 2 long tube headers with merge collectors & 3.5 stainless secondary pipes installed in chassis to replace OEM Hedman shorty headers & 2.5 exhaust (headers were designed with PipeMax, standard professional exhaust design software)
o Removable 3.5 i.d. stainless steel racing mufflers versus OEM fixed large 2.5 mufflers
o Fuel pump rebuilt with all new components
o Cleanable fuel, transmission & rear end filters installed
o NASCAR large external engine oil filter & housing installed
o Large twin filter engine oil breather system installed
o All new AN fuel & oil lines installed
o Air cleaner has ½ taller K&N air filter versus OEM K&N with a K&N filter top
o Profiled aluminum air cleaner base versus OEM steel angled base to improve carburetor flow
o Air box modified to fit inside of additional rear hood pins
o Body:
o OEM Morflex front air dam replaced with removable aluminum undertray with splitter that minimizes air flow under the chassis & encourages air flow over the hood
o CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) data was used to install 4 hood vents (2 on hood sides fabricated from aluminum & steel mesh, 2 on hood top fabricated from carbon fiber) to evacuate air from under hood to improve cooling & downforce
o Using same CFD data the rear wing was moved back 5.50 & raised 3.75 to improve efficiency
o A 0.210 high Gurney flap was designed & attached to the rear top of the win to generate approximately 20% more downforce with only a 2% increase in drag
o Wing mounts triangulated for improved rigidity
o OEM wing mounts were not adjustable in terms of angle of attack, new wing mounts are adjustable in terms of angle of attack
o 3mm Lexan rear window replaces ¼ thick OEM Lexan unit
o OEM SN95 Mustang glass front windshield replaced with Optic Armour Lexan windshield
o 3 Aluminum windshield braces installed to support the inside of the Lexan windshield
o OEM Ford electrically adjustable side mirrors replaced with smaller carbon fiber formula car mirrors
o Carbon fiber side mirror mounts
o Hood pinned in 4 places in rear to retain body shape & hood at high speeds
o 4 Dzus fasteners added to leading edge of hood to better retain hood at high speed
o Lightened door hinges & aluminum mounting blocks
o ¼ turn Dzus winged trunk mounts replace OEM threaded mounts
o Larger aluminum protective body plates at exhaust outlets
· Electrical
o Powermaster racing alternator versus OEM Ford (lighter)
o 10 circuit modern blade fuse box with LED indicators replaces OEM unit
o Motorola CM300 2-way radio & helmet harness with steering wheel talk switch
o Roof mounted blade antenna for 2-way radio
o Autometer low oil pressure light with LED bulb
o Ford OEM TransAm fuel pump safety G-switch, resettable
o Dash fabricated with aluminum & carbon fiber, all new switches & LED indicating lights with professional labels
o Exterior electrical cutoff switch labelled with safety orange plate & professional labels
o Radio EFI filter
o MyLaps transponder
o LED rear brake & rain lights
o Lightweight Autometer oil pressure, oil temperature & water temperature gauges
o Optima yellow racing battery replaces OEM battery
o MSD 6AL ignition box, modified with Weatherpak connectors
o MSD Pro-Billet distributor with large diameter cap assembly
o Taylor coil & spark plug wires
· New wiring harness fabricated with thermo insulation
· AiM EVO4S data system with SmartyCam & relevant sensors including GPS antenna
· Brakes
o Brembo calipers rebuilt, red paint stripped, re-coated black, new Brembo labels
o New Brembo discs installed, Coleman made all our spares
o SS flex lines installed on all 4 wheels
o Tilton master cylinders installed
o Bias adjustment mechanism rebuilt to correct bent control rods
o Hawk brake pads
o Driver side rear caliper shimmed inward to correct clearance issue, caliper also moved towards axle centerline to improve pad coverage
· Wheels/Tires:
o 9.5 front OEM BBS wheels for dry racing, powder coated black
o 11 CCW rear wheels for dry racing, powder coated black
o 9.5 OEM BBS wheels for wet racing, powder coated black
o 315/30/18 Hoosier road race radial rear tires versus OEM 285/18 Pirelli
o 295/30/18 Hoosier road race radial front tires versus OEM 285/18 Pirelli
· Transmission:
o Tremec TKX 5 speed transmission replaces TKO 5 speed transmission for 2021
o Rebuilt OEM OEM TKO600 in 2017 with all Liberty transmission modifications, broke transmission cases in 2018, 2019 & 2020 due to engine torque
o No issues with TKX transmission in 2021
o Tilton clutch master cylinder
o Tilton hydraulic release bearing with hose capture to prevent hoses rubbing against clutch
o 2-disc 8.25 Quartermaster Extreme-V clutch replaces OEM single 8.5 clutch
o Bellhousing indexed to centerline of transmission input shaft
o ARP crankshaft flywheel bolts
o Tilton 6000 series hydraulic release bearing, rebuilt with new lines in 2022
o New clutch hydraulic release bearing lines to master cylinder in 2018
Best,
Steve
stevejhummel@gmail.com
519 572 seven six five four
We run a wet sump SB Ford 351W with hydraulic roller camshaft & Shell 91 pump fuel. I have not included specifications on our current engine as we have run 3 different engines in the car. Anyone that wants to know what we have run & what has worked best can contact me @ stevejhummel@gmail.com
Our current engine makes 634hp @ 6,200rpm & 646ft-lbs of torque @ 4,700rpm. This is not the most powerful motor that we have run in the car. Again, we use Shell 91 pump fuel exclusively (no ethanol) & hydraulic roller cams. We change valve springs once per year & oil once per year, that is it! Our engines have a "few" tricks given the background in the "Note" below.
We have made a large number of technical improvements to the chassis & I thought that I would share those with the Panoz community. We really love our car! I have shared photos with some of our forum members, no problem sharing what you need.
I bought it in 2016 from 2nd owner, took a year to rebuild it to our specification (car was good & running when I bought it but it is that "engineering" disease that myself & my team have). We started racing it in 2018, it has done very well, podiuming almost 75% of the time.
We just finished our mandatory tech inspection for the 2022 racing season (no issues) & we will be hitting the track on May 7-8.
Vehicle Improvements:
· Note
o Vehicle improvements were implemented based upon over 40 years of road racing experience of the owner as a driver, team owner & engineer (1st company was a racing cylinder head engineering firm, did work for Big 3 & HD at highest levels of professional competition, former GT-1 champion, just retired from 15 years with Porsche in Stuttgart, raced one of those but not my real love so I went back to what I love, NA V-8's, much better engineer than driver though). Notable & high quality outside resources were also used to develop & execute the improvements. My "old guy" volunteer crew is full of T/A veterans.
· Front Suspension
o Upper ball joint relocated 7/8 rearward for superior caster performance & bump steer (determined during computer modeled suspension simulation)
o Steering arm re-engineered to double versus single shear design for safety
o Tie rods bump steered to 0.018 of bump steer through 5 of suspension travel
o Steering components all safety wired
o Lower control arm inner rod end increased in size to reflect higher G-loading due to front tire size increase from OEM 275 to 295 (fits under OEM body)
o Upper Control Arm (UCA) camber adjustment is now a captured adjustment system in horizontal plane to prevent UCA movement under high G turns, allows for squaring, offset & camber/caster fine adjustment (car could turn hard enough to cause OEM design to move)
o Steering rack by AGR (Mustang rack & pinion), AN-6 fittings for increased flow, Cobra R valving, Moog tie-rods, no limiters installed as nylon spacers fail under racing conditions (tire steering angle limited by lower control arm strut), plumbed with AN-6 power steering hose for high pressure lines & stainless for low pressure lines
o KRC racing power steering pump replaces OEM Ford pump (lighter & easily adjustable)
o Adjustable front sway bar links to neutralize preload (OEM were not easily adjustable)
o Rear trailing lower control arms had hex flats welded on to facilitate proper tightening of rod ends
o Penske shocks rebuilt & dynod (in 2017 & again at the beginning of 2022)
o All new rod ends installed upon rebuild & checked before every event
o Front sway bar mount moved down 1/8 for additional oil pan clearance
· Rear Suspension
o 4 link bars & Watts link bars were fabricated from chromoly steel versus the OEM aluminum bars
o Cast iron 9 pot replaced with Strange Engineering aluminum 9 pot
o Strange pot machined for NASCAR pinion driven rear end lubrication pump & rear end cooler
o 4 long rear wheel studs, bull-nosed by F+F (OEM studs short & not bull-nosed)
o ¼ aluminum spacer added to driver side rear hub to correct rear geometry to perfect square rear footprint
o Rear 4-link control arm fabricated spacers on axle to square arms to chassis & axle
o Droop limiters installed on chassis to prevent damage to rear shocks when rear end is unloaded
o Penske shocks had main bodies replaced, rebuilt & dynod (2017 & 2022)
· Chassis
o OEM rectangular top front cross bar replaced with triangulated chromoly tubes (removable) to increase front chassis stiffness due to wider front tires
o Oil cooler mount installed ½ way between upper & lower front chassis cross members to prevent front chassis flex with wider front tires
o Accelerator pedal modified for improved heel/toeing
o Throttle shaft to carburetor has square adjustment section welded in to facilitate proper tightening of rod ends
o Kirkey aluminum racing seat with cloth cover
o Fabricated aluminum top seat mount (weight reduction)
o Fabricated aluminum tube rear bumper bar replaces heavy steel tube bumper bar (OEM)
o Racing style safety latch on window net versus OEM seatbelt latch
o G-Force window net with new lower straps
o Polyurethane rear transmission mount
o Polyurethane engine mounts
o High strength driveshaft u-joints
o Square jacking point receivers welded to chassis in place of OEM round receivers, square receivers are safer in that the jacking post insert will not rotate
o Fabricated hollow chromoly shift rod replaces solid steel rod (lighter)
o Shifter to shift rod mount sleeved to minimize horizontal play of OEM configuration
o Shifter eyeball replaced & solid capture eyeball retainer fabricated to minimize vertical play of OEM mount retained by snap ring
o OEM steel transmission cover replaced with 2-piece aluminum cover retained by Dzus fasteners to reduce weight & facilitate easier removal & installation of transmission cover
o OEM switch panel refabricated with lightweight carbon fiber
o Transmission cooler & pump installed to improve transmission durability
o Transmission aluminum breather tank installed (OEM chassis depended upon vent on transmission)
o Fuel cell foam replaced in 2021
o OEM air-to-oil engine cooler replaced with oil-to-coolant engine oil cooler plumbed behind front of chassis (minimize crash damage & more efficient that air-to-oil coolers plus reduces engine wear from cold starts)
o 75% larger aluminum engine coolant radiator installed with power steering cooler in driver side tank
o Single engine radiator cooling fan replaced by twin 12 fans
o All radiator hoses replaced with high pressure silicon hoses
o OEM Ford coolant overflow plastic tank replaced by smaller aluminum tank with an accompanying aluminum catch tank
o OEM rear view mirror replaced with 5 panel Wink mirror
o 3-quart engine oil accumulator installed with remote activation cable to prevent engine oil starvation under high G forces
o Fuel cell dipstick installed to properly measure fuel in the fuel cell
o Fabricated ceramic coated 2 long tube headers with merge collectors & 3.5 stainless secondary pipes installed in chassis to replace OEM Hedman shorty headers & 2.5 exhaust (headers were designed with PipeMax, standard professional exhaust design software)
o Removable 3.5 i.d. stainless steel racing mufflers versus OEM fixed large 2.5 mufflers
o Fuel pump rebuilt with all new components
o Cleanable fuel, transmission & rear end filters installed
o NASCAR large external engine oil filter & housing installed
o Large twin filter engine oil breather system installed
o All new AN fuel & oil lines installed
o Air cleaner has ½ taller K&N air filter versus OEM K&N with a K&N filter top
o Profiled aluminum air cleaner base versus OEM steel angled base to improve carburetor flow
o Air box modified to fit inside of additional rear hood pins
o Body:
o OEM Morflex front air dam replaced with removable aluminum undertray with splitter that minimizes air flow under the chassis & encourages air flow over the hood
o CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) data was used to install 4 hood vents (2 on hood sides fabricated from aluminum & steel mesh, 2 on hood top fabricated from carbon fiber) to evacuate air from under hood to improve cooling & downforce
o Using same CFD data the rear wing was moved back 5.50 & raised 3.75 to improve efficiency
o A 0.210 high Gurney flap was designed & attached to the rear top of the win to generate approximately 20% more downforce with only a 2% increase in drag
o Wing mounts triangulated for improved rigidity
o OEM wing mounts were not adjustable in terms of angle of attack, new wing mounts are adjustable in terms of angle of attack
o 3mm Lexan rear window replaces ¼ thick OEM Lexan unit
o OEM SN95 Mustang glass front windshield replaced with Optic Armour Lexan windshield
o 3 Aluminum windshield braces installed to support the inside of the Lexan windshield
o OEM Ford electrically adjustable side mirrors replaced with smaller carbon fiber formula car mirrors
o Carbon fiber side mirror mounts
o Hood pinned in 4 places in rear to retain body shape & hood at high speeds
o 4 Dzus fasteners added to leading edge of hood to better retain hood at high speed
o Lightened door hinges & aluminum mounting blocks
o ¼ turn Dzus winged trunk mounts replace OEM threaded mounts
o Larger aluminum protective body plates at exhaust outlets
· Electrical
o Powermaster racing alternator versus OEM Ford (lighter)
o 10 circuit modern blade fuse box with LED indicators replaces OEM unit
o Motorola CM300 2-way radio & helmet harness with steering wheel talk switch
o Roof mounted blade antenna for 2-way radio
o Autometer low oil pressure light with LED bulb
o Ford OEM TransAm fuel pump safety G-switch, resettable
o Dash fabricated with aluminum & carbon fiber, all new switches & LED indicating lights with professional labels
o Exterior electrical cutoff switch labelled with safety orange plate & professional labels
o Radio EFI filter
o MyLaps transponder
o LED rear brake & rain lights
o Lightweight Autometer oil pressure, oil temperature & water temperature gauges
o Optima yellow racing battery replaces OEM battery
o MSD 6AL ignition box, modified with Weatherpak connectors
o MSD Pro-Billet distributor with large diameter cap assembly
o Taylor coil & spark plug wires
· New wiring harness fabricated with thermo insulation
· AiM EVO4S data system with SmartyCam & relevant sensors including GPS antenna
· Brakes
o Brembo calipers rebuilt, red paint stripped, re-coated black, new Brembo labels
o New Brembo discs installed, Coleman made all our spares
o SS flex lines installed on all 4 wheels
o Tilton master cylinders installed
o Bias adjustment mechanism rebuilt to correct bent control rods
o Hawk brake pads
o Driver side rear caliper shimmed inward to correct clearance issue, caliper also moved towards axle centerline to improve pad coverage
· Wheels/Tires:
o 9.5 front OEM BBS wheels for dry racing, powder coated black
o 11 CCW rear wheels for dry racing, powder coated black
o 9.5 OEM BBS wheels for wet racing, powder coated black
o 315/30/18 Hoosier road race radial rear tires versus OEM 285/18 Pirelli
o 295/30/18 Hoosier road race radial front tires versus OEM 285/18 Pirelli
· Transmission:
o Tremec TKX 5 speed transmission replaces TKO 5 speed transmission for 2021
o Rebuilt OEM OEM TKO600 in 2017 with all Liberty transmission modifications, broke transmission cases in 2018, 2019 & 2020 due to engine torque
o No issues with TKX transmission in 2021
o Tilton clutch master cylinder
o Tilton hydraulic release bearing with hose capture to prevent hoses rubbing against clutch
o 2-disc 8.25 Quartermaster Extreme-V clutch replaces OEM single 8.5 clutch
o Bellhousing indexed to centerline of transmission input shaft
o ARP crankshaft flywheel bolts
o Tilton 6000 series hydraulic release bearing, rebuilt with new lines in 2022
o New clutch hydraulic release bearing lines to master cylinder in 2018
Best,
Steve
stevejhummel@gmail.com
519 572 seven six five four