2015 Magnetic Metallic Mustang GT PP - Whipple Gen5 Stage 2 Build

[Mantis]

I have been waiting a loooong loooong time to kick this one off. I have been a garage jack stand tinkerer for years and while the projects have changed over time, my passion to build-it vs buy-it remains the same.

Started with a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T (in-line 2.0l 4-cyl) that made 450hp to the wheels on 22psi 93 pump. Car was fun but had to sell it due to family funding issues.

A few years later, financial situation improved and I found myself in a 2002 Sonic Blue GT. I REALLY enjoyed that build with a custom Vortech V3si kit. My build thread is on moddedmustangs and has over 88k views. Moved to California and was forced to sell the car due to strict emissions and visual inspections. I refused to put it in storage or return it to stock.

Moved to an ecoboost 2015 F150 for a short while and enjoyed off roading in the SoCal desert but found myself longing for the sports cars again.

Here we are today, back in PA and with a 2015 GT pp car. I have first hand experience with turbos and centri's but have yet to embark on the journey of twin screw but am VERY excited.

My parts are on the way and hopefully in time for Christmas. I fully intend to document it much the same way I did for my 02 build. Hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

Link to my old build

https://www.moddedmustangs.com/threads/02sonicgt-vortech-v3-treadstone-trv25-build.251188/

Some of the picture links are broken, darn photobucket changes really hosed it all up. It is a fun read if you have the time, you get to see my errors and how things evolved until I got to the end product. Never did get it on a dyno but it was hella fast.

More to come....

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[turnswrench]

Along for the journey!

 

[Mantis]

Current mods (mostly cosmetic to add to the red leather interior):
1) Pypes Pype Bomb axle back exhuast (love the low rumble but the drone is intense around 2k rpm). Had an MRT H pipe installed but removed it as it was too loud for me with the pype bomb.
2) K&N drop in filter
3) SCT LiveWire with canned tune (likely selling after whipple build)
4) matte black 10" wide stripes with red pinstripes
5) various interior red accent pieces
6) GT350 steering wheel with red stitching
7) Hurst rear wing matte black
8) plasti dipped all badges and pony to matte black
9) painted calipers red with G2 paint kit
10) red pony sticker for steering wheel
11) carbon fiber looking center cover for steering wheel
12) red aluminum knob covers for radio and headlights
13) eject button for cigarette lighter
14) black and red cup holder inserts that are rubber.
15) black and red shift knob

 

[Mantis]

I would like to get opinions on the red pinstripe I added to the rims. I have mixed feelings about it myself and am leaning towards removing it. Initially I did it because it went well with the racing stripes and tied to the interior being red. People that see it say keep it....I dunno.

 

[mindo389]

Go for it! After today, I'll be taking up the remainder of my paid vacation days to end out the month. Now I'll have some good reading to fill out some of these days

 

[Mantis]

Here is what I have on order thus far. This set me back some serious $$ so it will be a LONG time before I add anything else to the car. Thank goodness for Black Friday savings @TeamLethal

1) Whipple Gen 5 Stage 2 Kit (black) + Oversized Heat Exchanger + 170deg thermostat
2) Autometer dual gauge A-Pillar Pod
3) Whipple mechanical boost gauge -20/+20 (if I need more than this it is new motor time)
4) HP Tuners N-Gauge (no custom tune). I will use this for datalogging and hope to find a way to squeeze it into the A-Pillar pod
5) McLeod RXT 1200 HD Clutch with Billet steel flywheel
6) UPR stainless clutch line
7) Ford OEM slave cylinder
8) high pressure pilot bearing
9) Blowfish racing trans mounted shifter bracket
10) Mishimoto Black coolant expansion tank (draining the coolant might as well get rid of that eyesore)

I don't plan on taking it to the track until I do the axles but I knew the clutch would not last long and added that to the build while I had the car apart. I always make sure to datalog prior to custom tuning so I can learn the characteristics of the car prior to any other changes. I realize it is possible to install the ecoboost gauge where my standard non-boost PP gauge is in the center of the dash, it is just not convenient there and I have always enjoyed A-Pillar gauges.

I have never attempted a clutch install myself but consider myself mechanically inclined so keep your eyes out for any questions as I will attempt to do that on jack stands....

This is not my daily driver so I can take my time with the build.

If anyone is interested in the wing install let me know, I took plenty of pictures along the way on that one. I did not have a factory wing so no prior holes to worry about, but boy is it stressful drilling holes in the decklid.

 

[Mantis]

Parts started to arrive.

Autometer dual gauge A-Pillar
Whipple boost gauge
HP Tuners N-Gauge

From research I knew mounting the N-Gauge in the A-Pillar would be a challenge. I think I have a straight forward solution and ordered a part based on my mockups.

Here is a pic of the pillar replacement. This does not go over the existing, it completely replaces the factory piece. Nice thing is it includes the speaker mount. Each hole measures 2" so I will need to dremel them open slightly based on each gauge. The "finish" is more glossy and textured than stock but it does not bother me.

The small portion of the n-gauge is exactly 2", if it were not for the size of the gauge itself it would fit perfectly. I thought about using a heat gun to reshape the pillar but wanted to exhaust my other idea first.

Used a scrap piece of cardstock cardboard to create a 2" ID tube. Good old 2*3.14*R = circumference

Used some packing tape to close the loop

NGauge slipped right into the tube nice and tight. Then shoved with some extra grunt the tube into the pillar mount. It fits solid and I can flip it upside down and nothing moves or drops out

this is approximately the viewing angle once installed.

Based on this test I ordered a 2" exhaust coupler which is made of steel and has a 2" ID. I hope the thickness of the metal adds at most 1/8" which I can dremel the opening to accommodate. Arrives Sunday so I will let everyone know how that works out.

 

[Vert]

Parts started to arrive.

Autometer dual gauge A-Pillar
Whipple boost gauge
HP Tuners N-Gauge

From research I knew mounting the N-Gauge in the A-Pillar would be a challenge. I think I have a straight forward solution and ordered a part based on my mockups.

Here is a pic of the pillar replacement. This does not go over the existing, it completely replaces the factory piece. Nice thing is it includes the speaker mount. Each hole measures 2" so I will need to dremel them open slightly based on each gauge. The "finish" is more glossy and textured than stock but it does not bother me.

The small portion of the n-gauge is exactly 2", if it were not for the size of the gauge itself it would fit perfectly. I thought about using a heat gun to reshape the pillar but wanted to exhaust my other idea first.

Used a scrap piece of cardstock cardboard to create a 2" ID tube. Good old 2*3.14*R = circumference

Used some packing tape to close the loop

NGauge slipped right into the tube nice and tight. Then shoved with some extra grunt the tube into the pillar mount. It fits solid and I can flip it upside down and nothing moves or drops out

this is approximately the viewing angle once installed.

Based on this test I ordered a 2" exhaust coupler which is made of steel and has a 2" ID. I hope the thickness of the metal adds at most 1/8" which I can dremel the opening to accommodate. Arrives Sunday so I will let everyone know how that works out.

Looking like a good idea. I'll be following this since I just purchased the same exact whipple kit and my NGauge is already taking up one of my vents so I need an alternative with a boost gauge.

 

[Mantis]

Received the 2" ID to 2" ID exhaust coupler from amazon on Sunday. The NGauge pushed into it VERY snug....almost too snug. I ended up taking a dremel to the inside a bit to clean up the sharp edges and smooth out the surface. Takes a bit of effort but I can pop it in and out with a bit of force. Worst part about this was cutting the darn coupler. A vice may have helped but at the risk of deforming the coupler. Not much to hang onto while cutting it with a hacksaw but I got it done with a bit of arm pump and bloody knuckles lol.

next step hopefully this weekend is to mock it up in the car. I am more than comfortable to leave them press fit into the pod. I had to dremel the opening of both ports for these gauges. Less for the whipple gauge than the NGauge pipe. Trick I used was to use automotive touch up paint to mark how much I wanted to take off. go slow with the dremel or it melts the plastic and take a LITTLE off at a time. Once you go too far your toast. If I needed to firm up how they sit in there I had planned to use hot glue, but there is no need.

 

[Mantis]

Looking like a good idea. I'll be following this since I just purchased the same exact whipple kit and my NGauge is already taking up one of my vents so I need an alternative with a boost gauge.

Yeah I refused to give up one of my vents and found the location to be more difficult to glance at while driving under acceleration. I prefer the eye level pillar gauges for quick glance and I think they look good

 

[Mantis]

Pulling ....errrr.... ripping the factory piece off is a pain in the butt. There is a plastic anchor lead close to the top that is tricky to get off. You have to quarter turn then push through a hole then quarter turn again.
Once that is off you need to reach in and disconnect the speaker plug which came off easy. Soft pressure push tab at the top.

couple clips hold the factory speaker in place and once it is out the speaker cover can be popped out by pushing in on one of the clips. Everything installed nicely in the new pod and I temp pushed it up into place.
The factory clips are not used. You screw the new pillar in with a single screw.

Overall I am very pleased with placement of the gauges and how this came out. Finish is very different than factory but since it is a full replacement it does not jump out. I will take a comparison pic another time when I final mount everything. Still need to run the wires , boost line and obdIi for the ngauge.

 

[Mantis]

Some pictures of the old ride for fun

this treadstone trv25 was an amazing intercooler with very low pressure drop.

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