I think this is the first time I went through your entire thread. And I have to say you have done it right. I am more into road race now, but if I were building an FP car today I would follow a similar path. Personally I believe lowering both sprung and unsprung weight is the key. I really like your brake and wheel setup. The only disadvantage you have is not using an early 240 shell to start with. But you have almost compensated for that. I am familiar with the John Thomas car and really his only advantage is the weight, a strong Rebello engine, and most of all, his extraterrestrial driving. He runs like 30 or 40 lbs ballast in passenger floorboard. Keep tuning and improving!