2023 GT Premium - My Twin Turbo Build

[2016S550]

I noticed that you are focusing on removing weight but added a rear spoiler from a PP car, just curious as to why if weight is a driving force?

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[AcceptableNebula]

I noticed that you are focusing on removing weight but added a rear spoiler from a PP car, just curious as to why if weight is a driving force?

I added it for now because I notice these cars seem to be light in the rear at high speeds. At least that's what I gather from watching videos. If the car is stable I may put the little bump spoiler back on. While the car is slow af, I'm kinda digging the look.

Weight plays a role up until the wind resistance becomes the bigger issue.

 

[2016S550]

It’s a nice look, what wheels are you looking to add? I was considering adding the PP1 spoiler to my car as well.

 

[350 Feet]

April 7th, I took delivery of this 2023 Rapid Red GT Premium. This is my first Mustang after 25 years of buying GM vehicles. I recently sold my 2016 Corvette Z06 after nearly 5 years and was looking at a new Camaro ZL1. Although I am not interested in road style racing, the ZL1 is the only viable option to hit the ground running with. The Camaro SS, even in a 2SS form, is not primed for any reasonable power without drop-ins piston/rods and a complete DI fuel system. While reading some news, I read a news article regarding General Motors funding a program that I strongly disagree with. Clearly I was aligned with the wrong manufacturer. So I called my local Ford Dealer to see what they had. After driving the Mustang, although lacking in power and adjustable suspension, it was everything I was looking for. It has everything I want, and nothing that I don't (except the wheels). The decision was easy so I bought.


View attachment 751648

Current Mods Documented
-Bumper Bracket Holes
-Steeda Front/Rear Bumper Supports
-Custom Ghosted Marker Lights
-Titanium Motor Mounts
-Shifter Knob Change
-Front Pony Delete
-Rear Seat Delete 1
-Front ARP Wheel Studs

Items being installed shortly:
- Steeda Differential Mount (Kinda)
- On3 Twin Turbo Kit
- BMR Rear Suspension
- AAD Toe Rods
- Axles/Driveshaft
- Kooks 3" Cat Back
- Fore Triple Pump
- Radium Stuff
- R901 Wheels
- GT350 Front Knuckles/Brakes/Control Arms
- MMR Timing Components

What you have there is a nice ride and a great starting point for your project. Just think, you could have ordered a similar '24 GT for a mere $63K! Feel better now? Who in their right mind would buy a new GT for the price of a '23 M1?? Love you color choice too. Enjoy!

 

[AcceptableNebula]

It’s a nice look, what wheels are you looking to add? I was considering adding the PP1 spoiler to my car as well.

I have R901 RSR monoblocks. Turns out the rim is being discontinued soon so I bought 2 sets of 20x11 for the rear, but it turns out there are no 20x10s anywhere in brushed titanium. So they are custom making them now. Should have them in 3 weeks more. I run R888Rs for roll racing but they are noisy at highway speeds. So I have NT555G2s on one set and will put R888Rs on the other. The 555s are half the price and easier to do burnouts on.

I also have a set of 17x10 F14 beadlocks and 18x5 F14 fronts for drag racing.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

What you have there is a nice ride and a great starting point for your project. Just think, you could have ordered a similar '24 GT for a mere $63K! Feel better now? Who in their right mind would buy a new GT for the price of a '23 M1?? Love you color choice too. Enjoy!

I wanted the 23 for a couple reasons. Crazy aftermarket products available for it with it being out for 8 years. Most of the bugs are either known or fixed. New model years generally have their issues. With the C7 Z06, I spent a lot of money on 'the best option at the time' mods which turned out not the best option. Second reason is I don't like the 24s Acura-like headlights nor the dash being a computer screen. Third reason I needed it now to get the whole suspension system, twin turbos and fuel system changed so I could actually race this year.

Spending $54k for a Mustang GT was something I'd never hear in the same sentence when I bought this. $63 is insane.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

Rear Seat Delete (Again)

I needed a break from the truck stop coat hanger abortion known as relocating the ECU, Fusebox, and both front end harnesses. I decided to try the Steeda seat delete kit. As luck would have it, UPS damaged it. The back is sprayed with something crunchy to allow it to keep its shape, and the box must've gotten something put on it. Since the damage was only about a 3" wrinkle, I decided to install it anyway. Unfortunately, manipulating it made the wrinkle blow out like a stepped on Hot Pocket. Putting the wrinkle aside, the Steeda unit seems to match the rear deck but it is less like carpet and more like trunk material. So the Pro to the Steeda is its self retaining form, but the con is it is less like the car carpet than the Coverking. The Coverking is about as rigid as overcooked pasta, but the match is pretty legit. The Steeda weighs 4 lbs, and the Coverking 1lb 15oz. I decided to throw the Coverking over the Steeda, and it appears to be a match made in heaven. The pair combine for just under 6 lbs, so still well ahead of the game compared to the box style seat delete kits. Hopefully the pair will dampen the road/exhaust noise a bit also, which increases drastically without the rear seats in. For now, I won't bond the two together since I need to fit it around the roll bar. I think once assembled, it'll be a great looking and functioning piece.

1st pic is just the Steeda. 2nd is the Coverking over the Steeda.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

Boundary Oil Pump Gears/MMR Timing Upgrades/ATI Balancer

After having every Coyote driving friend warning me of exploding oil pumps, I decided to change mine out while I had the car apart. I didn't even plan on doing these right now. I had a good chunk of the nose apart to relocate the wiring harnesses, so I didn't see a better time than the present.

Of course, it's not possible for me to just remove a bunch of shit and not look for a few other weak links. The plastic timing chain guides and the tensioners seemed like low hanging fruit. I am happy with the MMR quality so far that I have seen, so I got the billet guides and tensioners. A slight increase in weight but the stability of the guides is unmatched.

I ordered a couple of the 18+ balancer pullers before starting. Nothing fit. I ended up getting it off with a 3 jaw puller. After getting it off, it was clear why the others failed. The diameter of the 3 tab pattern has shrunk in 2023, and the pullers just simply miss the tabs.

Swapping all this out is all over YouTube if you want the details. All of it is pretty straight forward. I got my first taste of the discolored timing chain links in the 32v InTech 5.4 in the Lincoln Navigator. Twenty years later, I dislike them as much. The MMR products are machined to perfection. Every pin and guide is a slip fit over the pin. After tightening the included ARP bolts, the guides have no side-to-side play.

The hardened Boundary gears are also a piece of work. Fit and finish is absolutely perfect. They must have at least one employee that goes home and still thinks about oil pump gears, because someone who doesn't like their job doesn't dot ever 'i' and cross every 't' like these gears do. I do a lot of machining, and I couldn't find a single thing to criticize.

The ATI was a nice surprise, as it was a 2.75lb savings over the stock balancer. 13.75lbs vs 11 lbs.

I don't really buy into the exploding oil pump gears on most Coyote builds, but since I will be using a 2 step to spool my turbos, it seems like cheap insurance.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

2014 Alternator

Part of the On3 twin turbo kit requires changing the alternator to a 2014 alternator. Apparently the rear 12v stud makes contact with the hot side, and the 2014 version is roughly the same but the 12v stud comes out on the side.

So I ordered a 2014 Alternator. Upon arrival I tossed it on a scale and was excited to find there is a 4 pound difference between the 2014 and 2023 alternators. Unfortunately, 2 lbs was because the 2014 doesn't have an Overrunning Alternator Pulley (OAP), and I'm assuming the guts internally have been beefed up for the higher redline of the 2018+. The OAP really does a fantastic job on vehicles, keeping the belt tensioner from bouncing around non stop. I can't imagine how much it would move on a car revving to 8000+ rpm and a 10 speed constantly changing the revs quickly.

With knowing the 2014 is an exact plug n play unit in the 2023, I decided to start digging into the 2023 unit. Turns out, its design is very similar. The 2023 model still has the side mount hole for the stud to be there. The downside is the windings are brazed in place, making removal of the power bar very complicated.

I removed the rear stud by cutting it off. I took a flange nut and milled of one side of the flange, effectively making a nut that could hold itself off the bent portion of the bar. Getting a wrench to hold it would be very difficult also, so this was necessary to hold the nut. I used some red loctite to keep the nut on the stud. Next was to shorten the mounting collar, as it would be very close to the body. Shortening that allowed the perfect amount of threads left to make sure everything assembled like it came from the factory. I reinstalled the brushes, and with a few modifications to the protective plastic collar and back cover finished the project. I was going to make a plug for the hole in the back cover, but since most of it is open, it seemed pointless.

Removing the mounting stud/nut from the front timing cover, and replacing both bolts with titanium yielded a savings of 59 grams. Also took the opportunity to paint the housing as it looked like it had 80,000 miles on it already even tho the car is only a few months old. Some 2k urethane rally silver paint will hopefully keep it looking new.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

On3 Turbo Kit

I ordered the Top Mount On3 Twin Turbo Kit about 8 weeks ago, and the next day called Comp Turbos to order a pair of their Gen 3 oil-free turbos. I've always wanted to try them, and I didn't want to drill a hole in my oil pan. I figure if they suck, then I will switch to oil fed Garretts. The more recent reviews are that they are pretty legit and reliable.

I have been doing some of the items required to install the turbos here and there for the last couple weeks. Wiring relocation, mounting the intercooler etc have been completed. When I ordered the turbos, Comp indicated that their current production time was about 3 weeks. At 3 weeks, I called to inquire the status of my order. They said their production time was actually 3-5 weeks. If 5 was EVER mentioned, I would've called Garrett for an off-the-shelf model instead. So I called back at 5 weeks to find out why I never got a tracking number. They said they were ready to go but during the last inspection, the 65mm exhaust wheels suffered from a rare issue they discovered with the 65mm wheels. The good news is they had machined me new ones, and were in QA for inspection. Should definitely be done by next week. You may or may not be surprised that 7 days later, they still had not shipped. This time, the foundry making the exhaust housings was behind and mine should show up Monday or Tuesday. I calmly lost my shit. I asked how were they ready to ship last week if they didn't have exhaust housings? I explained how 7 weeks was my limit before I throw in the towel. I told them that if the turbochargers weren't in my hands by next Friday, that was it and the order would be canceled with the help of Amex. Somehow, with some type of magic involved, I got a tracking number and the turbochargers left THAT day. The foundry must have thrown 2 in the back of a truck and ran them out to them....

The good news is they arrived, packed extremely well, and looking to be a quality product. The On3 kit, surprisingly, can be said the same of. The welds are legit, the piping is pretty thick, and overall I'm very happy with the fit. I seriously anticipated having to fix a bunch of poor quality stuff, but that is not the case. The wiring stuff required a lot of work, as their parts for that did not work. That is a story for another day.

While still waiting 3 weeks for my MMR Valve Covers, I decided to take the stock exhaust system off and start installing the turbo manifolds. They fit nicely, and are the same weight as the factory pieces. Very thick and sturdy. I had the entire hot side coated by Central Connecticut Coatings. They look great, but the Cast Iron color coat and possibly the coating can be scraped off with my fingernail, and wiped off with brake cleaner. Other friends of mine have their polished aluminum ceramic coating, and its tough as nails. So I will call them tomorrow and see why this is happening to mine.

While installing the passenger side manifold, the fit is pretty tight between the motor mount bracket. My finger won't fit in between the cast aluminum motor mount bracket and the manifold. So I ordered up a set of BMR brackets. They say there is more room for turbo piping and headers. They arrived today, and they must have had a typo on their site. They must've meant that there is LESS room as they hit the manifold LONG before being able to get bolts in. So those are going back. I will design my own out of titanium at some point this year to pair up with the titanium motor mounts. For now, I would like to just get it tuned and get a few runs on the new setup.

More to come soon!

 

[DadzMach]

Very cool build and you are obviously very talented. Looking forward to watching your progress!

 

[AcceptableNebula]

MMR Billet Valve Covers
Odometer: 534 miles

Well after an unannounced 3 week wait for these, they finally arrived. To keep with the theme of halfassed effort and customer service, MMR did not disappoint. The instructions say you must have 11-14 valve cover gaskets for these. The 11-14 gaskets don't fit these covers at all. Without the spark plug and VVT seals, I had to hunt for those. A local dealer ordered them at the tune of $206. All of this is annoying and not really that surprising to me. People just don't care anymore. Nothing shows that more than sending $1500 valve covers with mismatching components and missing the laser etching. The machining is nice and overall they are well built. So well built, adding these to your car will tack on slightly over 9 lbs over the weight of the stock plastic covers. I don't want melted plastic valve covers so the options are limited.

The other hurdle is these things have zero contour, so the downpipe clearance was reduced. Passenger side downpipe needed a little massaging to clear the cover. I will need to press in a small dimple tomorrow with the press. Drivers side seams to clear with a slight rotation of the turbo. Hopefully 1/4" or so is enough clearance with the ceramic coating.

The towel has the engine harness and PCM contained for the moment.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

Turbo Touch Up
Odometer: 534 miles

Overall I am happy with the Comp Turbochargers, one thing was bugging me though. Stainless housings, and anodized billet pieces everywhere have a nice look to them. However, the yellow zinc coated clamping bars are horrible. Those will rust in no time (I presume) and bug the shit out of me, especially since everything else will be ceramic coated. So I decided to put the finishing touches on them no one else cares to do. I mean for $4000, you'd think you could get stainless steel at least.

I recreated the clamping bars out of 0.125" titanium and replaced the steel bolts with Titanium versions.

While the goal was to make them rust proof, it did save about 1/4 of a pound.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

Antigravity Battery Holder Part 1
Odometer: 534 miles

While I won't make it to the drag strip for a least a few more weeks, I wanted to get a start on this. I saw a few different setups. None that I really wanted to spend $160 on. So I decided I wanted to make my own. Since the battery weighs 4.5lbs, I wanted to make sure I could make something strong and light. Preferably under 1 pound.

So I measured my stock battery and it's mounting feet. Drew that up and then created a pocket for the battery to sit in. Utilized a hexagon pattern in the floor to remove unnecessary weight but still keep it rigid.

I chose Carbon Fiber PE plastic to print the base. Printed at a 1.4mm layer height, having a small layer height, but still keeping the print time to just under 42 hours. This PETG plastic is 20% carbon fiber and stays rather rigid, even at elevated temperatures. It's print temperature is 250 C. Pretty sure if the battery gets that hot, we have bigger problems.

I made the 3 legs out of 6061 aluminum. I think this is a better selection for the strap fixture. The top will also be out of 1/4" aluminum. I will anodize the legs black later in the week when I get back from travel. Top will be red to match the valve covers and waste gates.

 

[AcceptableNebula]

Antigravity Battery Holder Part 2
Odometer: 534 miles

Got the rest of the battery holder finished. While I had black Cerakote in my gun, I decided to just ceramic coat all the pieces black.

The completed assembly (w/battery) weighs 5lbs 10oz. A weight savings of about 25 lbs over the stock battery for race days.

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