How to properly prepare your rally car for 5000+ miles in 10 days

Did I mention we’re doing an insane road trip this summer? Two Englishmen doing a lap of North-west America, what could possibly go wrong?

Did I mention we’re doing an insane road trip this summer? Two Englishmen doing a lap of North-west America, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot. And that’s why we’ve created this handy guide to show just what needs to be done to our mustang in order to minimise the risks of mechanical (and driver!) failure on the way.

Fluids

An essential part of any routine maintenance schedule. Derpins' mustang is used to getting its oil changed anywhere and everywhere.
An essential part of any routine maintenance schedule. Derpins' mustang…

Putting half a year’s worth of miles on a car in one hit will require half a years’ worth of servicing, and then some! An Oil change before and after (possibly even during) the event is the bare minimum.

We’re choosing to go one further because of the age of this car. My Mustang is currently on 93,000 miles, and Ford recommends changing the gearbox & diff oil at around 100,000 miles. So we’re adding that to our pre rally prep also.
Finally, we will be crossing many deserts in the height of summer, so a coolant change and A/C recharge is essential to ensure the engine and the occupants don’t overheat!

Filters & Other Service Parts

The old air filter that was on the car was in awful shape, so this shiny pod filter replaced it on the Spectre intake
The old air filter that was on the car was in awful shape, so this shiny…

Ensuring peak performance, while protecting the engine on this test of endurance is our number one priority. A full set of fresh filters – as expected for any major service – will minimise the chance of any dirt getting where it shouldn’t be, and ensure the car is performing as best as possible. In this case, the cabin filter, intake air filter, oil filter and fuel filter will all be swapped out before setting off.

Finally, as the car nears 100k miles, I will also be fitting a new set of spark plugs and coil packs to the car to ensure she’s firing exactly as she should.

Brakes

Because race car. Ish.
Because race car. Ish.

Some of the most exciting waypoints will be long mountain passes, others include race tracks and drag strips. So some performance anchors will definitely be needed! To that end, I chose some drilled and grooved rotors, ceramic pads and upgraded brake fluid – all to improve the performance under high thermal loads which we’ll encounter on hours of mountain passes in the high summer.

I’m hoping by the time we hit the road for the rally, I will have put around 1,000 miles on this set up and it will be fully bedded in. So far, I’m very impressed with the performance and the pedal feel, especially when the ceramic pads come up to temperature!

Eliminating Suspension Knocks

GT500 strut mounts should prove more durable than the original bushes.
GT500 strut mounts should prove more durable than the original bushes.

These S197 mustangs are infamous for front end knocks as they age – and my 11 year old car is no exception. I managed to trace my mystery knock to the front strut mounts, a very common failure.

Knowing that this fault was already driving me insane, I swapped out the old worn top mounts for a set of brand new GT500 bushes. I’m sure the roads of Michigan will destroy them soon enough, but the uprated kit from Ford Performance promises better durability for the most part.

Gadgets & Entertainment

Infotain yourselves!
Infotain yourselves!

Much as I enjoy the company of my co-pilot, Timbo, 10 days in a small moving box is bound to get old eventually. Plus, we need to make sure we have all the navigational equipment needed to stay competitive during our scavenger hunt!

The car is currently fitted with a radar detector and an aftermarket head unit to allow you to hook up your phone. In addition, we will be bringing two Garmins to enable us to plot multiple waypoints simultaneously, and two ipads to provide additional map guidance and tunes for the drive. Finally, a mobile wifi hotspot will ensure we can stay connected throughout the whole trip. All this kit needs power – so a couple of extra 12v sockets will be brought along, as well as a mains inverter for keeping everything else fully charged.

Much as I enjoy the company of my co-pilot, 10 days in a small moving box is bound to get old eventually.

Tunes

Just one of the tracks on my crap-tastic mixtape.
Just one of the tracks on my crap-tastic mixtape.

A Team Not Found tradition for any road trip is an excellent soundtrack. In addition to our huge collection of playlists on Spotify, we will each be making a silly mixtape of 21 tracks of ridiculous cheesiness, which must be listened to end to end once a day, without exception. Expect maximum annoyance and repetitive garbage – these two playlists will be used to torture each other as much as possible!

Tackling this list will be keeping us busy with prep between now and mid-july when we set off. Can you name anything we’ve missed? What are your essential things to take on a road trip?

  • Derpins, Captain - Team Not Found

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Comments

Max Schröder

Thanks for the article!
My summer-roadtrip has “only” 4600km in 11 days (a lot less than yours), but it doesn’t do any damage to prepare really well.

05/31/2016 - 21:08 |
7 | 0

Some people say I’m over protective of my cars, but this list of maintenance would have been needed within the year anyway!

06/01/2016 - 01:31 |
1 | 0

From my house to my parents I am doing 3300 km in 27-30 hrs and if your car is well maintained no probs at all except fuel and autobahn prices :((

06/01/2016 - 19:48 |
0 | 0
SprechenSieStang

Very cool; good luck guys!

05/31/2016 - 21:16 |
2 | 0

Thank you sir!

06/01/2016 - 01:30 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Dont forget some spikes for the mustang
It will go quicker thu people

05/31/2016 - 21:16 |
12 | 7
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Cant we just stop this now?

05/31/2016 - 21:26 |
11 | 6
Luke Woessner (G17)

Awesome article, Awesome car, awesome rally! I wish you the best of luck and may the F=ma be with you!

05/31/2016 - 21:17 |
28 | 0

Thanks dude!! We will be sure to post our progress and shenanigans here on CT for all to see!

06/01/2016 - 01:30 |
4 | 0
kiwi

Wish you guys luck! Owned a 3v for 2 years, it was my first car and i had it in highschool

05/31/2016 - 21:23 |
3 | 0
How to properly prepare your rally car for 5000+ miles in 10 days
Team Not Found

In reply to by kiwi

Thanks man! fistbump

06/01/2016 - 01:29 |
3 | 0
Alex Kersten

Can I bring Phil? Oh no, wait…

05/31/2016 - 21:24 |
236 | 0

You can bring Colin, but he might split in half from the rust if you left him outside for too long.

05/31/2016 - 21:59 |
64 | 0

Not long to wait now Alex!

05/31/2016 - 22:04 |
1 | 0

Maybe next year you could come along! As long as your DJ & nav tekkers are up to the challenge!

06/01/2016 - 01:02 |
1 | 0
🎺🎺thank mr skeltal

In reply to by Alex Kersten

Well, an oil change is minimum, so you only have to put new oil in it. All the old oil is gone now

06/01/2016 - 05:10 |
0 | 0

If you aren’t careful, they’ll crash into the crowd you’re watching from. Since, you know, you don’t have a competent car.

06/03/2016 - 00:17 |
1 | 1
Dat Incredible Chadkake

I am from the north western usa just to put that out there

05/31/2016 - 21:36 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

What about changing the battery as well. Considering that you might have not hanged it for a while.

05/31/2016 - 21:36 |
0 | 0
How to properly prepare your rally car for 5000+ miles in 10 days
Team Not Found

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The battery was replaced in 2014, so hopefully it should be ok! A replacement won’t be hard to come by in a pinch though I’m sure.

06/01/2016 - 01:29 |
1 | 0
Jelle Dik

Going through the desert with a pod filter? I wouldn’t recommend it
I’ve done a similar thing with a friend, but we did it in a old bmw 5 serie but through europe, whilst using all the technology you had in that era. So only a map (we had a tomtom in case we really got lost though). it was really fun, I hope you guys take some time off to enjoy the scenery.
The trip will be a lot more fun and a lot more relaxing, at least for us it was.

Have fun!

05/31/2016 - 21:38 |
4 | 0
Max Schröder

As for stuff you can do as a cheap “add-on”:
Cut a piece (“pipe”) out of a pringels-can, and tape it to the center console.
Depending on the height you cut out it can hold 500ml (half a litre)-bottles, or open packs of various foods/sweets.

05/31/2016 - 21:44 |
2 | 0