 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||
|
Final Exam: Part 1 |
|
|
5 UTI Campuses, 1 Winner at the UTI Collegiate Challenge FinalsThe mission: Take a wrecked 1983-96 Mustang, a Ford Boss 302 short block/Tremec 5-speed powertrain, and a $10,000 credit from Summit Racing Equipment and build the meanest Mustang on the block.That was the task put in front of five Universal Technical Institute campuses--Sacramento, Rancho Cucamonga, Norwood, Orlando, and Houston--as Hot Rod Magazine, Quaker State, and Summit Racing sponsored the second UTI Collegiate Challenge. Teams of students from each campus had 18 months to turn a mangled Mustang into the best all-around car as determined by the UTI Collegiate Challenge Finals. To make the $10,000 Summit Racing credit go even further, the teams were given COMP Cams valvetrain components, Wheel Vintiques wheels, and Nitto Tires rubber courtesy of each manufacturer. Each car had to go through a series of tests at the UTI Collegiate Challenge Finals in Sacramento to determine the winner. The Mustangs were given three pulls on a chassis dynamometer, three quarter-mile runs, three slalom runs, and three passes on a 60-0 braking course. In addition, the cars were judged on style, appearance, and fit and finish. The team that earned the most overall points after testing and judging was crowned the 2007 UTI Collegiate Challenge Champion. The question: How do you use the $10,000 Summit Racing Equipment credit to build the most balanced Mustang-a Mustang that can excel on the dyno, quarter-mile, slalom, and skid pad? Each team had its own answer, as we found out when the cars were unveiled at UTI-Sacramento. Houston Team Torque The defending champions won the 2006 UTI Collegiate Challenge by focusing on fit and finish. The team hoped to stand tall in the fit and finish and style/appearance categories while holding its own in the other four areas of the competition. Like the 2006 team, the 2007 Houston team placed a special emphasis on the braking system by going with Wilwood Pro Series Front Disc Brakes and Wilwood Dynalite Drag Race Rear Disc Brakes. Highlights of the Houston car include: * Body: 1992 Ford Mustang GT * Engine: Ford Racing Boss 302 (347 cubic inch) with Ford Racing aluminum heads, COMP Cams custom ground camshaft and valvetrain, Trick Flow Track Heat intake manifold and 75mm throttle body * Power Adders: Nitrous Express Gemini Twin Plate nitrous system Drivetrain: TKO-600 5-speed manual transmission, Zoom Stage 3 racing clutch, 8.8 inch rear-end with 4.30:1 gears * Chassis: Summit subframe connectors, BBK tower brace, Lakewood upper and lower control arms, Lakewood shocks and struts Sacramento Gold Rush When the Sacramento team received its Mustang, the car had a severely bent frame that required extra help from a body shop. During its return from the body shop, the core support was bent, and the car had to be sent out to a second shop. Although this put the team behind the 8-ball, the delay did give them extra planning time. While Team Sacramento wanted to build a car that competed well in all categories, they put a lot of focus on the engine, particularly the fuel delivery system. The 1993 hatchback has a multi-port fuel injection system that has been modified for competition. A nitrous system with progressive controller was set up to work with the custom fuel system and deliver maximum power. The Sacramento car includes: * Body: 1993 Ford Mustang Hatchback * Engine: Ford Racing Boss 302 with Ford Racing Z heads, COMP Cams camshaft and valvetrain, modified multi-port fuel injection system, Edelbrock Super Victor EFI intake manifold, Holley 80mm throttle body, Edelbrock fuel rails, Aeromotive electric fuel pump, and ACCEL fuel injectors * Power Adders: Nitrous Express Gemini twin plate nitrous system with NOS time-based progressive nitrous controller * Drivetrain: TKO Tremec T-5 transmission, Zoom D2 Series clutch, 8.8 inch rear-end with 4.56:1 gears * Chassis: Reinforced A-arms, Energy Suspension bushings, Strange shocks/struts, Wilwood disc brakes with 4-piston calipers, multi-point roll cage Rancho Cucamonga (SoCal) Krush Like the Houston team, Rancho Cucamonga placed a special emphasis on fit and finish while building a Mustang that could perform consistently well in all the other areas. The orange metalflake paint job, custom dash, and sheetmetal interior are a few of the details that stand out on the Rancho Mustang. The Rancho team also put a lot of time and money into the suspension system, so the Mustang would perform well in the slalom event. A tubular K-member, strut tower brace, and subframe connector give the Mustang the rigidity it needs to handle the turns or plant the tires in the quarter-mile competition. Other features of Rancho's ride include: * Body: 1995 Mustang * Engine: Ford Racing Boss 302 (347 cubic inches) with Ford Racing cylinder heads, COMP Cams valvetrain, Trick Flow Track Heat intake manifold with Summit 75mm throttle body and BBK cold air kit * Power Adders: Trick Flow TFX nitrous system * Drivetrain: Tremec transmission, 8.8 inch rear-end with 4.10:1 gears, Zoom D2 twin-disc clutch * Chassis: Granatelli Motor Sports K-member, Granatelli Motor Sports A-arms, Edelbrock strut tower brace, BBK subframe connector, Competition Engineering anti-roll bar, BBK caster/camber kit, Ford Racing Cobra R front disc brake kit, and Wilwood rear disc brake kit Norwood Dyno Crushers Going into the UTI Collegiate Challenge Finals, the Norwood team was hoping to live up to its nickname: "The Dyno Crushers." The team topped its Boss 302 engine with an Edelbrock Performer II intake manifold and Nitrous Express Gemini nitrous system. To give the 1990 convertible better traction on the quarter-mile, Norwood also added a Jacobs Electronics progressive nitrous controller to keep the tires from spinning under a sudden, full nitrous load. Team Norwood was the only team to go with an air suspension setup, opting to use an Air Ride Technologies Cool Ride rear suspension system in back with Strange adjustable shocks up front. The team was banking on the air suspension's adjustability to help the Mustang launch hard on the quarter-mile, yet provide solid handling for the slalom test. Here's how the Norwood convertible came together: * Body: 1990 Mustang Convertible * Engine: Ford Boss 302 with Ford Racing cylinder heads, Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake manifold and Summit 75mm throttle body, COMP Cams camshaft and valvetrain and custom stud girdle, and custom three-inch exhaust system with BBK full-length headers * Power Adders: Nitrous Express Gemini nitrous system with Jacobs Electronics progressive nitrous controller * Drivetrain: Tremec TKO 5-Speed transmission, Zoom D2 Series twin-disc clutch, Moser axles, Ford 8.8 inch rear-end with 3.73:1 gears * Chassis: Air Ride Cool Ride rear suspension, Strange adjustable front shocks, Granatelli Motor Sports adjustable rear control arms, 10-point roll cage, Ford Racing front disc brakes, and Bendix rear drum brakes Orlando Hurricanes The team from Orlando turned the most heads when it unveiled its car at the Collegiate Challenge Finals. The second takes were mainly the result of the car's color--a bright yellow metalflake that earned it the nickname, "The Highlighter." However, the Orlando team was planning on turning even more heads on the dyno by overpowering the other teams. Team Orlando outfitted its Ford Boss 302 engine with Super Victor EFI intake manifold, giving it the unique appearance of a carbureted engine. The team then combined an NOS Pro Shot Fogger nitrous system-one of the most potent systems on the market-with a Jacobs Mastermind nitrous controller, which allows the nitrous system to produce up to 600 horsepower progressively without overwhelming the engine. Other highlights of the "Highlighter" include: * Body: 1988 Mustang Convertible * Engine: Ford Boss 302 with Ford Racing cylinder heads, Edelbrock Super Victor EFI intake manifold, Edelbrock Competition 4-barrel throttle body, and Summit fuel injectors * Power Adders: NOS Pro Shot Fogger nitrous system and Jacobs Mastermind progressive nitrous controller * Drivetrain: Tremec TKO 5-Speed transmission, Zoom Sport Compact Stage 3 clutch, Ford 8.8 inch rear-end with 3.55:1 gears * Chassis: Ford Racing lowering springs, HAL Stocker Star AL shocks, HAL lightweight aluminum struts, Lakewood Traction Action lift bar kit, Lakewood heavy-duty rear upper control arms, Competition Engineering 10-point roll cage. So who had the best blueprint for winning the 2007 UTI Collegiate Challenge Finals? The question was ultimately answered October 6, at Sacramento Raceway-and in "Final Exam: Part 2," our coverage of the UTI finals. NOTE: The UTI Collegiate Challenge is sponsored by Quaker State, Hot Rod Magazine, Summit Racing Equipment, Ford Racing, COMP Cams, Lincoln Electric, Nitto Tires, AMP Performance, Tremec, and Planet Color |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Have any Questions? Give us a call at: 1-800-230-3030 or 1-330-630-3030 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Provide Feedback |
Site Map |
Terms of Use |
Privacy & Security
Copyright © 2008 by Autosales, Incorporated dba Summit Racing Equipment | Trademarks |
|
