Shifting_Gears
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2018
- Threads
- 88
- Messages
- 2,027
- Reaction score
- 1,687
- Location
- South Florida
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 Mustang GT
- Thread starter
- #1
I have the pleasure (or burden, depending on how you look at it) of owning a 2000 GT and my 2016 GT. Here's the story of mine.
Got the car at the end of high school and it taught me a lot about respecting power (not that it has much by today's standards). I had already gotten into wrenching on my first car, a Jeep XJ, but this opened a whole new universe. It was about going fast.
The mod list:
MGW short throw
K&N intake
Professional Products 75MM TB and ported plenum
UPR X-pipe
Mac Flowpath catback
J&M weight jacker LCA's
Roush springs
4:10 gears
RAM HD (I think) clutch
RAM billet steel flywheel
"Self tuned" via Diablosport
17x8 OEM and 17x10.5 Bullitt wheels
PREVIOUSLY I had a 125 shot Harris Speed Works wet nitrous kit
It served DD duty from 2006 until 2012 (I believe) where it ventured out to its last Mustang Week (I grew up in Myrtle Beach, so I attended yearly) when it went on jack stands. I decided it was time to pull the axle and rebuild the rear. The gears always whined and I was getting really bad one wheel peel. Hard nitrous launches on DR's ultimately did the clutch and rear end in.
Fast forward, life happens and it just sat. 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016... I had enough. People we asking to buy it and I was close to letting it go. I put on my big boy pants and started making a conscious effort to rebuild the rear end in the garage. Well, come 2017 I had an opportunity to make a massive career change which required relocation. Axle went into storage and the car sat. 2017, 2018, 2019... then COVID happened. I thank God I did not lose my job, but we were shut down for about 90 days, a decent chunk of that I spent back home.
I went to work like a bat out of hell:
Rebuilt the rear, LSD with carbon clutches
New front calipers (old ones were seized)
Brand new shoes (with some meaty Mickey's out back)
Oil, trans, coolant changed
Fuel pump
Battery
Idler pulley
The car made its first drive in May 2020. It was around the neighborhood on dry rotted tires and sticky brakes. The sound of that old, catless 4.6 bellowing to life and propelling the car under its own power was overwhelming at the moment. All the good times, races, hanging out with buddies all came back in that moment. I left the car nearly ready to hit the road (needed registration, new tag).
We returned in November. Game time. Got the registration, tag, tires and brakes squared away. Now the real test - driving it back 670 miles from South Carolina to South Florida. ZERO ISSUES! I half expected to get and hour or two away and it shit out, but no - the car drove with a vengeance the whole distance. It was the coolest shit ever. I love this pile of shit, even though it now needs paint and I have A LOT of work to do to bring it back to "nice" condition. I love to beat around in it - despite the fact it's claustrophobic, handles like a barge and is waaaaay slower than the 16.
Back in its prime:
Got the car at the end of high school and it taught me a lot about respecting power (not that it has much by today's standards). I had already gotten into wrenching on my first car, a Jeep XJ, but this opened a whole new universe. It was about going fast.
The mod list:
MGW short throw
K&N intake
Professional Products 75MM TB and ported plenum
UPR X-pipe
Mac Flowpath catback
J&M weight jacker LCA's
Roush springs
4:10 gears
RAM HD (I think) clutch
RAM billet steel flywheel
"Self tuned" via Diablosport
17x8 OEM and 17x10.5 Bullitt wheels
PREVIOUSLY I had a 125 shot Harris Speed Works wet nitrous kit
It served DD duty from 2006 until 2012 (I believe) where it ventured out to its last Mustang Week (I grew up in Myrtle Beach, so I attended yearly) when it went on jack stands. I decided it was time to pull the axle and rebuild the rear. The gears always whined and I was getting really bad one wheel peel. Hard nitrous launches on DR's ultimately did the clutch and rear end in.
Fast forward, life happens and it just sat. 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016... I had enough. People we asking to buy it and I was close to letting it go. I put on my big boy pants and started making a conscious effort to rebuild the rear end in the garage. Well, come 2017 I had an opportunity to make a massive career change which required relocation. Axle went into storage and the car sat. 2017, 2018, 2019... then COVID happened. I thank God I did not lose my job, but we were shut down for about 90 days, a decent chunk of that I spent back home.
I went to work like a bat out of hell:
Rebuilt the rear, LSD with carbon clutches
New front calipers (old ones were seized)
Brand new shoes (with some meaty Mickey's out back)
Oil, trans, coolant changed
Fuel pump
Battery
Idler pulley
The car made its first drive in May 2020. It was around the neighborhood on dry rotted tires and sticky brakes. The sound of that old, catless 4.6 bellowing to life and propelling the car under its own power was overwhelming at the moment. All the good times, races, hanging out with buddies all came back in that moment. I left the car nearly ready to hit the road (needed registration, new tag).
We returned in November. Game time. Got the registration, tag, tires and brakes squared away. Now the real test - driving it back 670 miles from South Carolina to South Florida. ZERO ISSUES! I half expected to get and hour or two away and it shit out, but no - the car drove with a vengeance the whole distance. It was the coolest shit ever. I love this pile of shit, even though it now needs paint and I have A LOT of work to do to bring it back to "nice" condition. I love to beat around in it - despite the fact it's claustrophobic, handles like a barge and is waaaaay slower than the 16.
Back in its prime:
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