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Texatl's 4th GT Build

Texatl

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Howdy all... I figured it about time to start a build thread. I don't usually do this kind of thing, as I'm typically shy and do what I do just for me... figured usually no one wants to see a bunch of mods others have done.

But then again- I get a LOT from what you all share up. And recently another member here encouraged me to go ahead and do it. So... here we go:

My current is a 2016 Mustang GT 401a Premium Black Accent Package, 6 spd manual, 3.55 gears, navigation, parking assist, and leather.

Summary:

Suspension:
Steeda Progressive Springs
Steeda IRS Sub-Frame braces
Steeda G-trac brace
Eibach sway bars (picked up from member [MENTION=18090]Competition Orange[/MENTION] thank you sir!)
CorteX sway bar end links (picked up from member [MENTION=18090]Competition Orange[/MENTION] thank you sir!)
Ford Racing strut tower and k-brace

Engine/Exhaust:
Steeda oil separator
MBRP Stainless street cat-back
Mishimoto aluminum coolant reservoir
Ford Racing blue coil covers (cuz blue is cool! LOL) :ford:

Exterior:
Performance Pack Wheels and tires ( picked up from [MENTION=28009]Evil 5.0[/MENTION] thank you sir! )
25mm spacers
Steeda Q series Spoiler (painted black) - Update: removed
Classic Design Concepts Outlaw Spoiler (picked up from [MENTION=13665]V8Venom[/MENTION] thank you sir!)
Cervini's front chin spoiler
Ikon Motorsports quarter windows louvers-Update- dr. side removed by speed, pass. side removed by me after :lol:
Ikon Motorsport side winglets
Roush hood scoop
Roush heat Extractors (picked up from [MENTION=16197]mustangr[/MENTION] thank you!!)
Steeda hood strut kit (so awesome of a mod)

Yet to install:
Steeda CAI - enroute now (picked up from [MENTION=15869]EFI[/MENTION] thank you sir!)
GT350 Intake manifold (from [MENTION=9199]LevittownFordParts[/MENTION] thank you) and Blowfish TBA2 throttle body adapter (to use stock 80mm TB)
Steeda clutch spring and perch
SCT x4 tuner and considering who to tune with...

Future/want list:
Brembo PP brakes and stainless steel lines
Steeda bump steer kit
Vertical Links (not sure whose yet- many to choose from, all seem very similar)
Long tube headers (those are damn expensive too LOL)

Current pic:
picture.jpg


So many people, vendors, and groups have been huge helps along the way and I'll share that in upcoming posts. Hopefully I can keep ya'all interested.

I want to see how much reasonable power can be made in a N/A build using the GT350 manifold, stock TB, CAI, Long Tubes, etc... before succumbing to the FI route LOL. I don't think it'll can make as much as a CJ intake would, but it will be fun seeing where we can go with a streetable build.

Thanks for getting this far. :crazy:
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Texatl

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I've had 4 Mustangs in my life. My parents are Ford and Mustang people, so we've had a LOT of both over the years (I think my dad has had 6 mustangs- his current is a 2005 GT convertible. He's in his 70's :headbang::headbang: )

My personal cars have been:

1986 Mustang GT- built and raced some SCCA Solo II Autocross (look at those baller pro numbers LOL- hey I was like 25 hahahahaha :shrug: )
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1996 Cobra - Beauty of an engine and suspension, especially after the 86 LOL. Built for Roadracing and 4.56 gears... fun car. (can't find a pic, but will update when I do)
2007 Mustang GT/California Special Convertible.

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My 2016 was bought used (like all but one of my other Mustangs). I bought it at a Porsche dealer...

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Story is "someone" bought it, drove it for a few weeks and traded it in on a Porsche. Not sure if any of that is true. But what I do know is it had 1,650~ish miles on it. And at first they wanted full sticker (I checked the sticker from Ford for the VIN), so I waited and shopped around.

But- I couldn't find what I wanted... so I started contemplating ordering a car from Lebanon Ford (semi-local dealer, worth the drive). But just before I did- I took another look at the the Porsche dealer website. There I find a price drop after almost a month. I go in the next day Sunday (one of the few open on a Sunday here is Ohio). They are short staffed. Sales person tosses me the keys and says "go test drive and have fun".

I tear ass around, love it, and bring it back. I tell the sales guy "That car is horrible, simply horrible. I'm going to have to take it so no one else is ruined by it!" :crazy: I throw down what I thought was a stupid number for a full warranty 1,600 mile basically new car with all the goodies. He says "its yours" :eyebulge: says manager doesn't want it on the lot anymore (snobby, it was sitting next to a $90K used Jag F-Type convertible...) and they were having trouble moving it AND its a Mustang in the high rent district.

So 90 minutes later... I'm home with my 4th Mustang

picture.jpg


And so it begins- muhahahahahahahahahaha :headbonk::love::headbang:
 
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Texatl

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Within the first 100 miles, the bug had hit (well the bug hit when I bought the car- I knew what I was going to do... hence why no PP. BUT... I wish I had them brakes). But I digress.... First mod- replace the exhaust.

Holy Snikies! :eyebulge: I clearly hadn't seen a 5.0 cat-back in a while. Those things have gotten expensive $$$$. So, I got into conversation with a local shop. I live in SW Ohio and Team Beefcake is within 20 mins of my place. :thumbsup:

[MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] (huge thank you sir!!!!) hooked me up with an MBRP full stainless street cat-back system. So with somewhere about 1,700-ish miles I put her in the air in the garage and installed the exhaust. Easy easy install.

The stock system sat around until a couple of months ago and a local M6G member came by a picked it up.

A couple of weeks later (after exhaust install)... I couldn't help myself, and I put in a call into Steeda. You see- all of my previous Mustang's except the GT/CS has had Steeda suspension components. So naturally I was going to piece meal in their equipment. A quick call to [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION] and I was all set with phase 1 - Steeda progressive springs for the S550. And... back up in the air she went. LOL

picture.jpg


The outcome:
picture.jpg




picture.jpg


Also in those pics I added 25mm spacers all around- which IMHO really improved that way the wheels/tires look in the wheel wells.

Now- one would think I was smart enough to get the jacking rails with the springs... nooo, I ain't that smart. :doh: But damn I wish I was.

:crazy: I got those in the next order... with the G-Trac Brace. :ninja:

Jacking rails- quite possibly the best sanity item ever purchased for working on a mustang. :love:
 
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Texatl

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:-) sorry pics above are all cell phone pics. Hopefully they will get better over time as I start using my wife's "real" camera and some decent editing tools. But I am a fast learner.

But the next few posts will still be celly pics...
 

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look great tex
 

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Texatl

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Immediately after installing the Steeda Progressive Springs, I noticed I was getting a slight buh buh buh noise in the front end over any road imperfections or bumps. I started thinking- "well, crap... how did I mess this up?"

So I hit up [MENTION=10893]David@Steeda[/MENTION] to see what I did wrong. After a short phone chat- he knew exactly what I messed up. I had not torqued the top strut nut to specification after installing the spring. :frusty: I knew better than that... ugh.

HUGE Thank you [MENTION=10893]David@Steeda[/MENTION] . Not only did he get back to me fast, but was awesome to work with and was non-judgemental. His only concern was to assist me in fixing the issue. Kudos on the awesome customer service!!! I thank you so much :thumbsup:

Now, at the top of the strut you need to hold the center shaft while tightening the strut nut with a torque wrench. Easier said than done LOL. I went searching online and could not find a 21mm strut socket. Yes, they make such a thing. I did not know this. I got a few search results, but they weren't available, or rarely available in that size. Oh there were some for other sizes, and I saw reference to BMW models for many of them. But finding the 21mm- no dice at that time. BUT- What I did see was a picture of the tool... Not complicated but also not available.

So rather than take it to a shop, I wanted to tackle this. So with the online images studied, I decided to make the tool. Beware the below pics aren't pretty... I clearly am not a metal worker, have no high end shop tools, no lathe, etc... LOL. But, here's what I did.

Went to Harbor Freight. (Figured if I am going to purposely tear up a good socket, might as well not spend a bunch of dough) I bought a deep well impact 21mm socket. Took my trusty dremmel tool with heavy duty cut off wheel and cut a window into the side of the socket.

picture.jpg


I had to adjust a couple of times, because I needed to make sure:
a) I could get the 10mm wrench inside to hold the strut shaft top
b) I could actually turn both and get enough leverage to torque the outside.

This resulted in roughly a little more than half of the body side to side. This is a balance because you don't want to weaken the body so you can actually torque to specification (76ft/lbs I believe, thats the torque spec on the following thread see this post but I don't have a shop manual to confirm. So, proceed at your own risk) And positioned up/down with enough to again get the 10mm wrench on the shaft and hold the shaft.

picture.jpg


picture.jpg


Yes I found this thread and it discusses a couple of other Harbor Freight tools that may get it done, and an electric impact gun.

For better or worse, I did this and it worked perfectly. It only took a couple of minutes to torque the nuts and have a sound free front end again.

Did I take the harder, longer way?? I dunno?? But, this was the path I took. It worked. It ain't pretty. :tsk: I have no shame :ninja:

Well maybe a little. :doh:
 
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Texatl

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Glad you put the sway bars and endlinks to good use, and thanks for the catback :)

Looks good. PS, skip the side scoops, IMO.
You are welcome on the cat back. LOVING the sway bars and endlinks, thanks again sir! And yeah I'm thinking the same on the scoops.

Maybe I should post up a pic of the scoops in black on the side... :lol: it kinda doesn't look good LOL. They need to be sprayed magnetic to be possible. There was a little tape left on them, enough to stick shortly (got them used on here) so it held on the side for a few. But just for a quick pic.
 
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Texatl

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OK- here is the big love :love::love: and thanks post... Above I added All the member's here who I have purchased parts from. ALL have been great experiences and great people. I am a thrifty dude, so I do pick up used parts when it makes sense. Thank you thank you to the members here!

But, I also want to extend some love to the site vendors:

My MBRP cat back exhaust was bought from [MENTION=10926]beefcake[/MENTION] . It was the first part I picked up and not only got a great price, but great service. They shipped it for free. I offered to pick it up (local) if that was easier for them. They said- "no, sit tight and relax, we got this." What a great bunch. Thank you Terry!

Most of my Steeda parts (with the exception of the CAI I just picked up and Oil Separator) were bought direct from Steeda. [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION] , [MENTION=10893]David@Steeda[/MENTION] and Jigar (sales rep) have all been fantastic to work with. If you ever have the need- hit them up and they will take care of you!

The Roush Hood Scoop, Cervini's chin spoiler, FRPP Strut Tower brace, Blue FRPP coil covers were purchased from LMR during the Christmas in July sale. Great experience- fast shipping and excellent customer service. I had one issue with the hood scoop, it arrived damaged from the shipper bouncing it around. Certainly not LMR's fault. It was a quick and painless claim process, and they had the new one out the door the next day. Trey in their customer service even called direct to keep me updated AND called back to check that the new one arrived in pristine condition. Which it did. Thank you LMR! :clap2: You can hit up [MENTION=30837]Ziad@LMR[/MENTION] or [MENTION=11825]Tyler@LMR[/MENTION] here on the forums.

Mishimoto coolant reservoir, Blowfish TB adapter, and Steeda Oil Separator were purchased from CJPonyParts (also during 4th of July sale). Great experience and fast fast shipping. Was surprised when I expected the Mishimoto part on a Monday and it arrived the previous Friday night! Awesome. Hit up [MENTION=20475]Dave@CJPP[/MENTION] here on the forums.

The GT350 Intake manifold was bought from [MENTION=9199]LevittownFordParts[/MENTION] . Benny posted here that they had one left of the OEM part numbers (before going to the FRPP p/n) at a great price. I was lucky enough to see the post and snatch it up. Shoot- I think it arrived in 2 days... Thank you Benny.

Anyway- I wanted to give some thanks to the vendors here who I have dealt with. They are all site supporters and take great care of their customers. Thank you all!! :love:

:clap2::clap2:
 
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Texatl

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Ok... well... I went to Cars N Coffee this morning. And it was an awesome turnout. It was c&c dayton, which moves the location around the miami valley (Ohio) each week. This week was Austin Landing.

Great turnout, 4 parking lots full! Lots of Mustangs.

But- (since this is a build thread) I had a de-build moment. C&C claimed a victim (or took a part offering for the cars gods). The Ikon Motorsport side louvers are no more. ;-) embarrassingly enough one came off on the freeway going home. So they have both now been deleted.

Buh bye louvers. Buh bye. ;-)
 
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DarkHorse5.0

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Ok... well... I went to Cars N Coffee this morning. And it was an awesome turnout. It was c&c dayton, which moves the location around the miami valley (Ohio) each week. This week was Austin Landing.

Great turnout, 4 parking lots full! Lots of Mustangs.

But- (since this is a build thread) I had a de-build moment. C&C claimed a victim (or took a part offering for the cars gods). The Ikon Motorsport side louvers are no more. ;-) embarrassingly enough one came off on the freeway going home. So they have both now been deleted.

Buh bye louvers. Buh bye. ;-)

Had a side louvre fly off my car too a while back. Luckily Cervinis also has great customer service and support and sent a replacement quickly. But to prevent it from happening again I used a small bead of silicone on the inside of the louvre. No issues since :thumbsup:
 

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Great looking 'stang and build thread. I'll be following your progress. (And good choice on the scoop delete, IMO)
 
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I've been lagging on updates... Need to get my GT350 Intake Manifold, Steeda CAI, and tune installed. I have been torn between where I should get a tune (I have a SCT x4 ready to go). Torn for the following (likely irrational) reasons:

1) I'm a cheap ass :crazy:
2) there are some really great tuners out there
3) Lots will say Lund and they are $$$
4) VMP is quite capable from what I read and a little less $
5) Bama is cheap comparitively for 2 custom tunes- but get a bad rap online in some places
6) I'm a cheap ass :headbonk: and when presented with mulitple decisions points... I can get a little analysis paralysis. :frusty:

So here's what I think the response to this will be:
1) you get what you pay for. and I agree :amen:
2) 70% will say - Lund
3) 20% will say - VMP
4) 9% will say AED/Palm Beach, etc...
5) 1% will say its your car...
:lol::lol::lol:

See why this is so hard. I have never tuned a car with a tuner before. I truly don't know what to do. My expectations is a really good street build and street manners, with more power (would love to see 450+ at the wheels with GT350IM, Stock TB, Steeda CAI, MBRP Cat Back, etc... reasonable expectations???? I dunno). I don't go to the drag track, I would love to get back into autocross, etc.. (its been a few years) :D . Would love some thoughts and feedback- the folks here are awesome!

In the meantime- a little update. Some roush heat Extractors made its way to the house today. Thank you [MENTION=16197]mustangr[/MENTION] !! This got a :shrug: :confused: from my wife LOL

Pic-
picture.jpg
 
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Texatl

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Also- kinda off topic. I picked up a 2002 GT Premium Coupe, 4.6L, 5 spd manual, black leather interior, Mineral Gray Metallic, 100% stock, no rust, garage kept with 98k miles as a father/son project car.

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Seriously though.... a picture says a thousand words. The look on his face when I told him it ours to build...

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:headbang::headbang::headbang: :ford:

The mustang :love: runs in this family. Would love to get a pic sometime of my 16 GT, my father's '05 GT Convertible, and the 02 GT all together! So many miles apart but we may make something work LOL

Plans here- 1st up spacers to run the Black Accent wheels off the 16 GT on this car. Cat back exhaust and lowering springs and new headlights already enroute. Oh yeah- we will start this one right. Now need to find a good SN95/New Edge forum for that build... anyone know of any??
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