The set-up I had before the team at Griggs Racing performed the GR40R conversion was not at all well thought out and included a smorgasbord of parts from many different manufacturers. I didn't plan anything in advance and randomly added parts to the car based on off-the-cuff advice and rumors. As a result, it handled oddly enough to earn the nickname "The Flying Squirrel" and I was reluctant to let anyone else drive it for fear they would wreck it. The car was fine and predictable until you asked it to transition quickly through a series of opposite direction turns or accelerate out of a turn that was sharp enough to load the rear suspension. When either of these conditions occurred, the rear would suddenly lock into one set attitude and slide. It was nearly impossible to recover and the only solution was to maintain all inputs and ride through the turn with a clenched backside hoping it would not spin. The car was fine at 8/10ths and dangerous anywhere above that. This, of course, was very frustrating and I began to question my ability as a driver when I lost races and turned slow lap times.
What to do? I called many suspension shops and drove cars with their systems installed. I followed Internet discussion boards and read books on suspension set-ups. After all this, I finally settled on the Griggs Racing GR40 system. Why? I chose Griggs Racing because the shop had a good reputation among the local drivers who race Mustangs, I was comfortable with the people at the shop, and I saw many Griggs cars knocking down great lap times at the track. I also understood their technical approach and believed the physics behind it were solid.
I dropped off the car at Griggs Racing's shop in November of 1999. My instructions were simple. Fix it and make it into a competitive car. Bruce Griggs recommended the GR40R conversion and I gave him the green light to start the work.
A few weeks later, John Griggs called me and I went to pick up the car. My first impression was that it sure looked a lot lower and meaner. I also got a kick out of the big subframe connectors in the floor and the flaring of the front fenders to accommodate the longer wheelbase that the new K-member afforded. I loaded the car on the trailer and patiently waited for the next track day.
I drove the car on the street a few times and I noted that it rode firmer than before and launched harder from a standing start. The steering felt more responsive and seemed to center easily, but since I was on the street, I did not push the car very hard. Although the car felt much better, I was not yet able to determine how it would behave at the limit.
I then took the car to Buttonwillow Raceway to see what it would do in a race environment. I slowly worked up to speed to warm the tires and my brain, and I noticed I was a gear higher in a few corners. With this newfound confidence, I sped things up a little until I found the limits of the car. Sure enough, the snap oversteer problem was gone and the car was very predictable up to and over the limits of adhesion.
After a year of racing the car, the biggest advantage is that the car now transitions easily through left/right/left and right/left/right combo's that would have swapped the ends of the car before the Griggs GR40 conversion. I also notice that the turn-in is lightning fast and that I can hold the car in whatever attitude I choose through a corner. It is also now possible to throttle steer the car with ease. Overall, the GR40 conversion netted me between 5-10 seconds a lap at the tracks I race on. This may not be solely due to the suspension, but I can tell you that I drive much faster when I know I am not going to snap spin at any given time.
I highly recommend both the Griggs Racing parts and the Griggs Racing installation team to anyone who is racing a Mustang or is looking to create a great-handling street vehicle. I have greatly enjoyed my association with the shop and I look forward to working with them again on this car and on future projects. Customer service has always been top-notch and the technical support the shop offers is a very comforting aspect of owning a GR40-equipped car. Bruce Griggs, John Griggs, and Eric Pettersen of Griggs Racing have been instrumental in my preparation of the car and my competitive endeavors with it.
My car can be seen in action at races in the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Auto Sport Association as well as the Cal Club Region of the Sports Car Club of America and other venues.
John Lindsey AIX/ITE #22
1/15/01"
UPDATE: John Lindsey has been successfully racing the #22 "White Lightning" Griggs Racing Mustang in the American Iron Series in 2001. White Lightning has been the front runner in the American Iron Extreme class (AIX) while it's companion car in the AI class, Blue Thunder driven by Ryan Flaherty, has been eating up the competition there. Lindsey's 351-powered car is equipped with the complete Griggs GR40 solution and has proven to be consistently faster than any of the other Mustangs on the track. At the most recent NASA-Los Angeles Chapter race at Willow Springs International Raceway, White Lightning ran away from the field and stayed out in front despite scorching 110-degree heat and strong competition.
When asked about the weekend's success, Lindsey said "A big factor in this weekend's wins was the personal attention that Bruce and John Griggs gave the car on Saturday. They took the time to drive all the way down here to tune the Griggs-equipped cars and we all found two or three seconds after they spent some time with the cars and with us as drivers. I ran my fastest laps ever with the car after their adjustments and coaching."