Grabber Lime 2020 GT Build Thread

[2021 Mach 1]

The next piece of the long term front end project is done

As supplied by Santa (with my other car related Christmas presents) :

I wanted this piece as in order of priority :

• My front crash bar is corroding which is A) visible through the grill on the 2018 facelift and B) is highlighted by the light paint colour.
• Remove a bit of color / add a bit of blackness behind the grill.
• Save a little weight.

The textured powder coat on this item was actually pretty good (way better than the grey on the IRS braces and the black on the front 2 point brace), but it was being stripped anyway as I didn't want to simply cable tie the front wiring loom onto it.

The front loom secures to the standard crash bar with four clips, so I used that spacing and drilled some holes (assisted by my eldest daughter) :

The holes will have stainless threaded inserts added :

It then went off for fresh powder, but I interrupted the process after the acid bath so we (with my daughter assisting) could do some brazing :

After dressing up the braze :

Smoothing all the sharp edges (to help the new powder flow and avoid thin edges) :

We also drilled a 20mm hole in the back to get debris out of it, so it can be hung from the hole for processing, and so I can easily shoot some cavity wax in there before fitting :

I'm not sure yet if I should let the hole vent (it's protected once fitted) or if I should plug it after adding the wax ?

Ref my comment above about this being the best powder coat I have had on any of my Steeda's parts - well it's still a little lacking a little with regards to surface prep ...

There is just the occasional track mark from where the grinder / sander has been run up and down it :

Ready for aqua blasting and coating :

Back from the powdercoaters :

As it will be fitted, with stainless hardware (left over from the rear diff cover) - loom dimension / P clip size courtesy of @Biggsy :

I actually owe a real big thank you, and a favour (or two) to @Biggsy from across the pond

After I provided some high quality (not … ) hand sketches, Warren provided some missing dimensions that I requested, then using them and the Steeda crash bar, I came up with this paper design :

Folded template :

Plan view of the target bolt locations :

Brace in position (ignore the perspective and strange shadows) :

Then with the paper template in position, the outermost / rearmost mounting target sits right in the middle of the adjustment slot :

As does the innermost / forward most target :

I’ve slotted the mount holes so I can allow for a little tolerance with :

• Bolt hole centres of the radar box mount.
• Vertical alignment / rotation (relative to the floor) of the new bracket.
• Rotation (relative to the axles)

Rotation relative to the horizon is adjusted by the standard radar box mount.

So I’m hoping I can consider this side of the crash bar mount finished, and I can now move onto the towing eye mount.

The towing eye mount (if I bother with it at all … ?) should be an easier / quicker design - if I can find someone with a euro / M1 with a bumper cover off the car ...

WD

Pictures very clear now

Sponsored

 

[WD Pro]

It's been a long time since I've updated this thread and I've not got anything major to report, but here are the bits that I have been up to

I went to see an old friend who’s got a few machines in his garage, so I could start work on the broken diff cover.

On the table, oil return port was first :

Then the broken bolt was machined out from the back, the drill wouldn’t budge it, and it still clung in there until the last four threads, even hitting it with a four flute end mill :

Shame on Ford for loading that bolt in shear on the minor diameter (if the joint is loose / loses clamping force)

Then the ears got taken out to M16 clearance, faced up (0.5mm) to clean up the scuffed face, and then counterbored on the back (25.4mm) to accept the M16 cap head (24.0mm).

All done :

The counterbores :

Doing the dishes :

Same guy made me new stainless spacers for the Steeda diff bush inserts, with the rears sized up to suit the M16 conversion :

And finally, the two steel pieces for the toe link bush removal / installation tool :

We finished at 1:00pm, in an unheated garage that was only a few degrees above freezing … Yes, I still had my shorts on (but not my crocs) …

Talking of crocs, I found some new charms for my next pair :

I finally managed to get my hands on a clutch pedal extender in the U.K. (thanks @Corporate_Rebel)

I removed the anodising and added a brushed finish, and as it’s going on a RHD (so the bolt heads are now on show rather than hidden), I also replaced the black steel bolts with some stainless bolts that I polished up, and spaced the top bolt out as it was hidden down the bore.

Fitted :

It matches the existing pedals quite well, along with the aftermarket foot rest, and the other anodised bits that I had previously done in two tone :

I really like the new driving position. I’ve been able to move my seat 40mm further back whilst still being able to bottom the clutch. The other pedals and wheel position are perfect for me.

Pushing the seat further back allows me to get in and out without touching the Recaro bolster (I can’t open the door past the first notch due to where I park)

My car had (from new) a damaged rubber moulding on the pedal which had always bugged me, but not enough to replace it as according to Ford (be it a young lad on the parts desk), it's not available as a spare in the UK, unless you want to buy the pedal box to get it

So I tasked my brother with acquiring one whilst he was on holiday :

Service & MOT time again ...

To save my tech a bit of work, I removed the strut brace and battery cover, which allowed me to inspect the battery terminals (as there are numerous rumours about terminal corrosion).

• 4.5 year old OE battery
• Noco grease
• Outside kept
• Sporadic usage
• Tender (CTEK) usage
• Tender ‘wrongly’ connected
• Zero BMS issues

Drop off :

Who stuck that on the front ?

Well damn, it’s fallen off again already …

All done, with a clean bill of health, and another 12 months ticket

Lets not get into discussions (again) about Fords recommendation for plug replacement at four years ... lol

I finally had the brake lamp recall done, with no ill effects with regards to Forscan mods / customisation etc

Interestingly I filled it up just after it’s service and the range to empty jumped to an all time high (even though the calculated mpg for that tank was 11.25) :

I think the battery disconnect / KAM reset must mess with the calculation as 28 miles later, normal service resumed :

I fitted the part I didn’t know I needed …

Steeda shift collar, bought from the forum, and refinished before fitment :

We won’t talk about this bit of an unexpected job …

I was hoping that this mod would get rid of my high RPM (7k+) shifter buzz, and as part of my research I ended up in another thread, and soon realised that my shifter was actually assembled incorrectly by Ford.

I will include the info here as it may help others in future :

-----------------------------------

From what I can tell (and if Ford would have assembled mine correctly), that white spacer is held down by the o ring, and the o ring is held down by the standard reverse lockout collar when it's in its lower / home position i.e. even if the spacer and o ring move up a little when the collar is lifted and reverse is selected, they will get pulled back down the shaft by the collar when it returns to its home position. The o ring also acts as a buffer / isolator between the white spacer and the lock out collar.

Note that the standard collar does not have the upper internal o ring like the Steeda collar.

I think that my rattle was coming from the incorrect assembly i.e. my shift collar sitting directly on top of the white spacer, coupled with the following :

• No internal o ring in the top of the standard collar.
• My change of shift knob to the Ford Performance version (no leather wrapped up inside the internal bore to act as a buffer / sound deadener to the standard shift collar).

The replacement Steeda collar appears to be designed to operate in exactly the same way as the original (with regards to keeping the o ring and spacer down in position), but has the added benefit of having a second internal upper o ring to keep the top of the aluminium collar from contacting the shaft, therefore adding additional sound deadening / metal part isolation In that area.

Now some random pictures to help with understanding the above.

Standard and Steeda components - note that the bottom of the standard shift collar has been removed as it gets broken during removal of the standard shift boot :

Standard (MT82) shifter :

Standard assembly order (I think) :

Spacer and o ring position after fitting the standard collar in the home / bottom position (same position with the Steeda collar) :

A right pair of knobs :

As I’ve seen a few posts in the past asking - mine takes 11 full turns (approx 14mm of thread engagement) to sit in a nice position that still allows easy engagement of reverse. 12 turns still worked, but the ridge on the collar was right up to the underside of the knob.

11 turns, and reverse :

The only problem I have now the buzz is gone, is the loss of my audible 'shift now' warning ...

Note for anyone doing this mod on the standard shifter : ensure the roll pin is central in the shaft :

If that pin is not centered, there is a chance it will cut into the inner bore of the Steeda collar (possibly adding NVH ?) :

-----------------------------------

For anyone considering this mod, I would also suggest you take a little bit of time to adjust the fitment of the shift boot around the collar to get the folds evenly spaced, before finally tightening the cable tie (if you don't, it can look a bit uneven and it won't sit nicely).

In addition, if you buy second hand (like me) or mess up your initial fitment wasting the supplied low profile cable tie, it is possible to use a normal cable tie

You will need a small headed tie so the head can fit unobstructed down the recess in the white plastic collar that the shift collar clips into without obstructing the locking mechanism, or causing an interference with the shift boot that's folded over it (that statement will become much clearer when you have the components in hand).

Low profile cable ties are available as a replacement, but I found them difficult to source (in the U.K.) without buying a (very expensive) bulk pack.

I also went a bit easier on the thread lock this time around ...

First time (Ford knob) was tight, but it was possible to remove it by hand.

Second time, I got a full turn or so and then it locked up solid. I had to resort to wrapping it in a latex glove, and then this to get it off :

I genuinely thought I was going to destroy the knob, or at least pull the brass insert out of it.

First replacement was fitted with loctite 243 (blue), and I completely covered all the male and female threads.

This time around I used loctite 242 (still blue, but a little weaker), and just put a single stripe down one side of the male thread. It seems to have secured it well, but time will tell

I’ve also got some 271 (Red), it’s a good job I didn’t use that !

I've just put a fifth year warranty on the car - mainly to buy me some more time whilst I decide what route to take with the oil cooler, and also to see how the older cars go on with LED headlights and digital dashboard reliability etc ...

WD

Edit to fix a picture link

 

[s1ms]

missed your updates!

Sponsored