Magnetic Infinity Machine - 2016 GT Prem Auto Build

About me:
I'm a noob to cars and in over my head. Always wanted a Mustang and after a decade or so of saving up got my dream car late last year.

Expect this thread to be full of painful missteps including stripped screws, countless parts I drop and can't find in my engine bay, needless accidents with impact drivers, and other fantastical messes that I make as I learn to do basic crap that most of you learned by the time you were 12. There should be some pretty pictures to make up for it.

Also, I swear I'm not going to black-out my emblems like 99% of Magnetic owners do. Pinky promise.

About the car:
2016 GT Premium w/ auto transmission (LA traffic sucks and paddle shifters are fun), 3.55 gears, and those gorgeous 19" dark aluminum rims.



Here's what I've got done:

• "Go Baby Go" Start Button Decal
• White Madness Garage Auto Shifter w/ manual boot
• Corsa Sport Catback Exhaust (Chrome tips)
• Beith Performance GT350 Wheel
• Ford Performance Oil-Air Separator
• Raxiom/Diode Dynamic Stage 1 Interior LED Upgrade Kit
• Raxiom/Diode Dynamic Side Marker LED Upgrade Kit
• Raxiom/Diode Dynamic Reverse Light LED Upgrade Kit
• 3M Car Color Stable Window Tint

Here's what I've got planned:

• Ford Racing Performance Power Pack 3
• Ford Performance Track Handling Pack
• Ford Performance Radiator
• Blackvue DR650GW Dashcam
• More pointless vanity items to build my self esteem up (I can use a screwdriver!)
• And maybe headers at some point

I'll update this post to reflect changes to my WIP ~master plan~ for mods to the car as I get a better sense of what I'm doing.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the club! Looking forward to the build thread!

ps... black out the emblems.... doooeeet

Rdot9 said:

ps... black out the emblems.... doooeeet

Click to expand...

But then I'd be like every Magnetic GT out there.

I think chrome can be tastefully done. The 5.0 and GT badges are great. I will agree that the front chrome pony emblem is a bit much (it's the only thing I'd black out tbh).

And I love the dark aluminum premium wheels. All these elements together with the magnetic color gives it a little retro "Elenaor"-esque styling imo.

The first mod ever:
The famed "Go Baby Go" sticker. It's a riff off the Eleanor Build from Gone in 60 seconds. Also impossible for me to screw up.



Where I got it from:
I picked these up from [MENTION=17025]OySmallFry@SCS[/MENTION] (https://spacecityspy.com). Fun vendor - even included a few extra free decals in my package.

End results:
Overall solid quality. This is a cool cosmetic add-on but probably won't run with it forever.

Most likely, when/if I grow out of my Nick Cage phase, I'm going to switch to the GT350 button or the 2018 metal button (assuming it's compatible) for a cleaner look.

Haha I hear ya. I was a little hesitant to black everything out but had a lot of chrome accenting on my last Mustang so I figured I would go a more "stealthy" look with this one.

Look forward to updates

Exhaust Upgrade: Corsa Sport Catback

Let's talk about exhausts:

As many of you will remember, I started a poll that kinda blew-up into a mini-threadnaught. Spending 1k+ is a big deal and of course I wanted to drown myself in information (man did I learn a lot about exhausts!).

I also have to point out that at the time I wanted every mod I add to be Ford Performance. In the back of my mind, this would help if one of LAPD's finest pulls me over, or I sell the car, or I need to take it in for a repair covered under warranty.

Ford logo = less attention = less risk.

You'll see this theme a lot in this thread. And no surprise that I was pretty much set on the Ford Racing by Borla Touring. Seemed like a great sound upgrade, low rumble, no drone, decent price.

So it was kind of a big deal when [MENTION=10281]BmacIL[/MENTION] almost singlehandedly convinced me to go with the Corsa Sport Catback System instead.

The reasons were pretty clear:
1. Better sound (exotic meets traditional muscle rumble)
2. Better design (3" pipes vs 2.5" on the FRPP + double x-pipe)
3. Cooler look (the tips on this thing are pure sex)
4. +4 HP

This came at the expense of a little higher cost, losing the Ford logo, and not as much weight reduction (5 pounds less vs the 20 of the FRPP).

Where I got it from:
Thanks to a sick deal that [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] hooked me up with, I've officially joined the legions of Corsa fanboys.

End results:
The exhaust is loud when I'm on the peddle, sounds freaking amazing with that exotic Corsa tone, and quiet when I want to cruise or need to be a little more subtle. The overall level of enjoyment driving my s550 is so much higher -- it's a completely different driving dynamic.

Also did I mention the tips look out of this word?

Best. Mod. Ever.

Because I suck as a mechanic, and don't have the proper tools to even attempt putting it on myself, I took it into a local performance exhaust shop and had some pros do the install.









No more refrigerator box hanging under my car! And I can't for the life of me stop admiring the Corsa's double X-pipe design. :love:

:cheers::cheers: :ford:

Told ya! Glad you're loving it. It's, IMO, the best out there because you can truly switch if on and off when you want and when it's on, the sound is just intoxicating without being WTF loud. I also love that the interior volume is honestly quite low unless you've got your foot in it some.

Now you just have to decide if you want me to convince you on handling mods too :lol:

BmacIL said:

Now you just have to decide if you want me to convince you on handling mods too :lol:

Click to expand...

Haha. Planning on the FRPP Track Pack ~one day~.

I'm basically recreating a poor man's version of the performance pack since I'm a filthy auto user.

Aurum said:

Haha. Planning on the FRPP Track Pack ~one day~.

I'm basically recreating a poor man's version of the performance pack since I'm a filthy auto user.

Click to expand...

Not a bad direction to go. I made it my build mission to make myself a more daily usable car (3.31 gears, ability to have 18" wheels) that handled better than the PP. I'm there now, though a little bit more on the handling/track side than the street side of things. It's still comfortable enough, but I'd probably like my commute and errands here and there more with a little softer setup. I did A LOT of research into what was available before buying, and am happy. If you have any questions, PM me. I know quite a bit about suspension design and vehicle dynamics and am more than happy to help others figure out the best package for their wants, at least based on the information available.

For handling I'd start with the BMR cradle lockout kit and rear LCA bearings to get the IRS stable. Springs and dampers certainly are a major part of how the car drives, but those things are what I'd start anyone on before touching springs, dampers or bars.

Aurum said:

Let's talk about exhausts:

As many of you will remember, I started a poll that kinda blew-up into a mini-threadnaught. Spending 1k+ is a big deal and of course I wanted to drown myself in information (man did I learn a lot about exhausts!).

I also have to point out that at the time I wanted every mod I add to be Ford Performance. In the back of my mind, this would help if one of LAPD's finest pulls me over, or I sell the car, or I need to take it in for a repair covered under warranty.

Ford logo = less attention = less risk.

You'll see this theme a lot in this thread. And no surprise that I was pretty much set on the Ford Racing by Borla Touring. Seemed like a great sound upgrade, low rumble, no drone, decent price.

So it was kind of a big deal when [MENTION=10281]BmacIL[/MENTION] almost singlehandedly convinced me to go with the Corsa Sport Catback System instead.

The reasons were pretty clear:
1. Better sound (exotic meets traditional muscle rumble)
2. Better design (3" pipes vs 2.5" on the FRPP + double x-pipe)
3. Cooler look (the tips on this thing are pure sex)
4. +4 HP

This came at the expense of a little higher cost, losing the Ford logo, and not as much weight reduction (5 pounds less vs the 20 of the FRPP).

Where I got it from:
Thanks to a sick deal that [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] hooked me up with, I've officially joined the legions of Corsa fanboys.

End results:
The exhaust is loud when I'm on the peddle, sounds freaking amazing with that exotic Corsa tone, and quiet when I want to cruise or need to be a little more subtle. The overall level of enjoyment driving my s550 is so much higher -- it's a completely different driving dynamic.

Also did I mention the tips look out of this word?

Best. Mod. Ever.

Because I suck as a mechanic, and didn't have the proper tools to even attempt putting it on myself, I took it into a local performance exhaust shop and had some pros do the install.

No more refrigerator box hanging under my car! And I can't for the life of me stop admiring the Corsa's double X-pipe design. :love:

IMO, the before/after pictures are really telling of the quality difference between the stock and Corsa systems.

Click to expand...

very nice

Aurum said:

I'm basically recreating a poor man's version of the performance pack since I'm a filthy auto user.

Click to expand...

Haha, 6R80 FTW! :first:

Auto Shifter Upgrade: White Madness Garage

Upgrading the Shifter

I'm a proud auto S550 owner and brush off the "manual or GTFO" school of thought. I live in a big city with lots of terrible traffic. The auto transmission is smooth and flexible. The paddles give me an aspect of manual control when I want it -- especially when I'm doing a canyon road drive.

The only problem is really the stock shifter looks like a sex toy for some reason. :headbonk:

Options

There's basically two ways to roll with this upgrade:


I wasn't hot on the Hurst because I'm not a fan of the pistol grip style and I don't dig parts that have a really prominent brand that detracts from the OEM feel I'm still trying to respect. The WMG option was perfect. You have a variety of ordering options and colors for all tastes, quality parts (seriously, this thing has some serious heft), and good customer service.

Where I got it from:

I ordered direct from Ilja over at White Madness Garage. Funny story, it took three shipments to get it right. First time there was a blemish on the knob. Second time he accidentally sent someone's ruby red order to me. Third time was the charm, thankfully. He's a one man shop and does quality work. Because the communication was good and the overall product solid, I'm not going to get upset at a couple mistakes.

Also note, because I'm not big on the auto boot (it's cluttered and ugly), I took this opportunity to swap it out for the manual boot I picked up from LMR.

The Install

This was mostly easy. I didn't even lose a screw or damage my interior (miracle of miracles).

You simply remove the plastic coin holder, pop-off the plastic chrome trim piece, snap off the base and raise it above the shifter so that you can get to the screws holding it in place. The hardest parts were a.) using a bottle cap to hold tie the new manual boot in place and b.) lining up those darn screws to install the new shifter base. There's a special place in hell for the Ford engineer that choose to put the screws facing the console.

The end result:

I ended up choosing the brush metal knob. It goes perfectly with the S550's interior styling. I love every aspect of the new shifter -- the action is smooth, the feel is great, and it makes an already great interior look better by removing a cheap-looking plastic part.

The manual boot cleans up the look of the interior. It also confuses the hell out of valets and Ford service workers.

Totally worth in my opinion.

The pictures say it all.



View attachment 118353

Hey i was looking over your thread! its awesome!!!


I got a question, how did you remove the P R N D S from the shifter when you replaced it?

that seems like something i definitely want to do!!

MagGT said:

Hey i was looking over your thread! its awesome!!!


I got a question, how did you remove the P R N D S from the shifter when you replaced it?

that seems like something i definitely want to do!!

Click to expand...

I picked up the manual boot from LMR and replaced the busy-looking auto boot. It's part #GR3Z7277DA if you have a preferred Ford OEM distributor. It's simple to do -- just need to tie the manual boot to the new shifter with a ziptie or bottle cap.