Godzilla 2.0 Build (2020 Mustang GT)

[zackmd1]

I love scuffing…. I love scuffing…. I love scuffing….

If I say it enough, I’ll start believing it right??

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[zackmd1]

Hopefully next weekend we will have a nice black engine bay. Going with satin chassis black as final color hasn’t been decided yet. Black will give it a bit of a classic look as older mustangs had black engine bays and gives me freedom to pick whatever color I want and possibly change the color in the future.

 

[zackmd1]

BMR K member arrived! Needed this to push the sway bar forward some as the few that have swapped Godzillas into the S550 have ran into a clearance issue with the sway bar and the crank pulley. The BMR K member gives me room to make custom brackets and slide the sway bar forward likely about an inch. Also got the wheel wells undercoated over the week. Hopefully will have the engine bay paint complete this weekend.

 

[zackmd1]

Now the fun part can begin...

 

[zackmd1]

And now the wait for parts. Ordered new insulation panels except for the one that is oddly priced at $500 from Ford… All others are under $100.

 

[Sonicblue_5.0]

I love scuffing…. I love scuffing…. I love scuffing….

If I say it enough, I’ll start believing it right??

Yeah, I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I’m currently sanding mine down for a complete repaint. It’s fun to a certain extent, and then you take a step back and realize you’ve only done like 25%... But I can keep pushing myself because I somewhat know what the end result will look like. It starts getting exciting once the primer goes down.

Another awesome project! Ever since I saw what you did with the yellow S197, I can’t get the idea out of my head of doing something similar with my 2005, but with a 5.0 and a manual. Can’t wait to see what this project turns into!

 

[zackmd1]

For anyone wondering.... Yes you can put a GT500 console top on a standard S550 console base. Right is the GT500 and Left is the S550 standard base. Going to create a new top plate to adapt it for a physical shifter and switch to the dual caliper with electric parking brake for the rear.

(console lid will be replaced)

 

[CBETPTA]

Just curious, why an electronic parking brake vs manual?

 

[zackmd1]

Just curious, why an electronic parking brake vs manual?

I rarely use the parking brake with an auto and have no desire for drifting so electric vs manual makes no difference to me.

That and wanted to go with the dual brembo caliper from the S650 which is electric. Plus, I think the 500 console looks significantly better then the standard S550 console.

So ultimately just personal preference….

 

[CBETPTA]

I forgot that you have an automatic. I used the dual caliper Shelby Wilwoods for my GT. I enjoy your builds. Any update on the E-Stang?

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

The E-stang is dead in the water. His states emission laws would require him to get it tested and it would fail because he has no cats and the car originally had them. So basically the project became a legal quagmire so he pivoted and decided to stay with an ICE engine. This build is the same car.

 

[zackmd1]

The E-stang is dead in the water. His states emission laws would require him to get it tested and it would fail because he has no cats and the car originally had them. So basically the project became a legal quagmire so he pivoted and decided to stay with an ICE engine. This build is the same car.

I have hopes to resurrect it in the future! Just need to figure out the legal loophole to do it…. Since this car was originally slated to be the parts car for the electric, using this build to get a bit more familiar with the parts and electrical interfaces required for the electric. An electronic parking brake is one of those items as an electric motor typically has no park gear. (Mach e has a park actuator but no controller exists to use it…)

The 500 console was also going to be part of the electric build and use the rotary shifter…

 

[Sumjay]

I rarely use the parking brake with an auto and have no desire for drifting so electric vs manual makes no difference to me.

That and wanted to go with the dual brembo caliper from the S650 which is electric. Plus, I think the 500 console looks significantly better then the standard S550 console.

So ultimately just personal preference….

Zack, have you test fit the rear hardware yet for your brakes? I’m working on the same swap, and the factory rear hoses from both generations will be too short. Another user, forgot his handle so I’ll tag him later, had success with the swap. Not sure how he handled the hose problem but his car is an Ecoboost base so I’m not sure if the hardline is positioned differently.

My IRS is coming apart this weekend and will be down for most of next week. Let me know if I can be of any help with measurements or photos. I’ll update the post I made on this topic and share a link.

Also - talked to Steeda on Reddit regarding developing a kit for a handbrake caliper that works with the swap. They said:

“4 pistons look great and are perfectly fine for street use but on a S550 they can be tricky. The S650 abs module calibrations are programmed for them and keep the bias at a normal rate. On the S550 GT the module is not setup for the better clamping force of a 4 piston, and because of that the rears bite very hard you really need to be on your game when on a racetrack otherwise the rear will want to come around under heavy braking. Basically, I would not recommend a novice driver running a 4-piston on the back, until they get a whole lot of seat time.”

ABS is outside of my expertise. I would expect the S550 to be able to adapt to the S650 hardware. The GT350 kit existing proves that - I wonder if Steeda’s experiences are from this kit on the #20 car. I know the 350 rear setup is huge, and the increase in size over stock is much larger than that of the front. The S650 rear setup being much more conservative makes me believe that system will be much more manageable. Just want to put all my info out there - don’t know what might help.

Another note: the other user I mentioned had issues with rear toe. He mentioned it could’ve been an issue with his vehicle specifically, but you might want to throw adjustable toe links in the cart, and possibly camber arms while you’re at it. I have the Steeda part for both on my car.

 

[zackmd1]

Zack, have you test fit the rear hardware yet for your brakes? I’m working on the same swap, and the factory rear hoses from both generations will be too short. Another user, forgot his handle so I’ll tag him later, had success with the swap. Not sure how he handled the hose problem but his car is an Ecoboost base so I’m not sure if the hardline is positioned differently.

My IRS is coming apart this weekend and will be down for most of next week. Let me know if I can be of any help with measurements or photos. I’ll update the post I made on this topic and share a link.

Also - talked to Steeda on Reddit regarding developing a kit for a handbrake caliper that works with the swap. They said:

“4 pistons look great and are perfectly fine for street use but on a S550 they can be tricky. The S650 abs module calibrations are programmed for them and keep the bias at a normal rate. On the S550 GT the module is not setup for the better clamping force of a 4 piston, and because of that the rears bite very hard you really need to be on your game when on a racetrack otherwise the rear will want to come around under heavy braking. Basically, I would not recommend a novice driver running a 4-piston on the back, until they get a whole lot of seat time.”

ABS is outside of my expertise. I would expect the S550 to be able to adapt to the S650 hardware. The GT350 kit existing proves that - I wonder if Steeda’s experiences are from this kit on the #20 car. I know the 350 rear setup is huge, and the increase in size over stock is much larger than that of the front. The S650 rear setup being much more conservative makes me believe that system will be much more manageable. Just want to put all my info out there - don’t know what might help.

Another note: the other user I mentioned had issues with rear toe. He mentioned it could’ve been an issue with his vehicle specifically, but you might want to throw adjustable toe links in the cart, and possibly camber arms while you’re at it. I have the Steeda part for both on my car.

I have not yet! Some of my stuff is still on order or to be ordered as I am currently focusing on getting the engine installed.... It would be great to hear what you encounter! I was planning on going with adjustable toe arms so I shouldnt have any alignment issues. I would be willing to bet though that it might have been a one off problem with his car as the subframes did not change with brake packages... Toe arms might be differet though as I have not cross referenced the PNs yet...

Also kinda expected there to be brake bias issues. Likely will be just fine for the street, but any signficnant track use would be challenging like they said. The solution is to swap in a GT500 ABS module... I actually have one left over from the 06 project. The reason I didn't use it in the 06 though was that I could not get it to stop complaining that there was no VDM module present (magnaride). So I'm hoping that is a solvable issue through forscan if the abs module needs to be swapped. The 650 moved to an electrically assisted brake setup instead of vaccum. Physically it will bolt right up and the lines are even designed to connect exactly where the S550 abs module would have been but you would need to provide a higher amperage 12v power source that currently doesn't exist. Then comes the question of if the 650 abs would properly communicate with the 550 system...

 

[Sumjay]

I have not yet! Some of my stuff is still on order or to be ordered as I am currently focusing on getting the engine installed.... It would be great to hear what you encounter! I was planning on going with adjustable toe arms so I shouldnt have any alignment issues. I would be willing to bet though that it might have been a one off problem with his car as the subframes did not change with brake packages... Toe arms might be differet though as I have not cross referenced the PNs yet...

Also kinda expected there to be brake bias issues. Likely will be just fine for the street, but any signficnant track use would be challenging like they said. The solution is to swap in a GT500 ABS module... I actually have one left over from the 06 project. The reason I didn't use it in the 06 though was that I could not get it to stop complaining that there was no VDM module present (magnaride). So I'm hoping that is a solvable issue through forscan if the abs module needs to be swapped. The 650 moved to an electrically assisted brake setup instead of vaccum. Physically it will bolt right up and the lines are even designed to connect exactly where the S550 abs module would have been but you would need to provide a higher amperage 12v power source that currently doesn't exist. Then comes the question of if the 650 abs would properly communicate with the 550 system...

Could you hardwire the module directly to the car’s charging system? A switched relay and a direct 12v power line should be able to provide all the power the unit needs; the GT500 alt outputs the same 200 amps that the GT Premium’s does.

As far as I know the only toe link variants across the 18+ cars is that for 18-20 there’s a base model link and a link for PP cars and above, but for 21-23 it’s all the same link. Aftermarket toe links will work across all models so you shouldn’t have an issue.

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