Grabber Lime 2020 GT Build Thread

[mike3105]

So you’re applying wax on to a ceramic coating ? If so that’s not something that is recommended as it can compromise the efficiency of the ceramic coating hydrophobic layer.

I think you might've mistaken me with someone else. I'm using Ceramic plus the CQuartz topper for it.

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[WD Pro]

MP concepts splash guards compared to the OE Ford version (in approximately correct position) :

This is behind the fender liner :

Standard splash guard mounting :

Two screws, a location pin and some tape :

I removed the metal clips as they are no longer used and it seems pointless to leave them there just to attract rust.

If you want to retain all the fender liner mountings, the MP Concepts guard needs an extra 8mm hole :

I might have gone a little overboard with the VHB …

Mounted :

IMHO, they look much more OE when compared to any of the other aftermarket offerings :

Whist not as big as the other aftermarket offerings, they are a similar design to the GT500, GT350 and Mach 1 pieces so they should offer some protection - at the very least they will stop the paint getting stripped from the painted bumper edge

Whilst the well liner was out I took the opportunity to correctly align the trim piece from the factory setting :

To this :

Which is only a small change, but it makes a big difference visually. The right side is worse, you can see daylight through the gap …

Then the time consuming bit, clearing the excess under seal overspray - yes, it was as bad as it looks in the photos :

Ford even do the tyres to stop them from rusting :

Strong paint cleaners work but they are slow, as is clay. Sometimes you have to get the big guns out but even with thinners, it’s still not a quick job

My wheel detailing station :

Not as fancy as some people workstations (yes that’s at you guys @DFB5.0 @kilobravo and no, you’re not spending any more of my money ) but it did the job

About three hours went into that wheel but at least it’s got a shiny barrel now rather than the dull patchy look it had previously - and I’m glad Ford only chose to under seal the back wheels (they leave the front ones much cleaner).

Cut some silicone nut caps down to hide the lockers a bit :

Took the chrome pony out in preparation for a colour change :

Now I just have to motivate myself for round two - AKA the other side …

WD

 

[s1ms]

Love it. The build quality of your car will soon reach the level of German cars. Keep on doing it. I was also thinking that you should start offering these improvements to us all. We'll bring biscuits haha

 

[WD Pro]

Love it. The build quality of your car will soon reach the level of German cars. Keep on doing it. I was also thinking that you should start offering these improvements to us all. We'll bring biscuits haha

Thanks for the comment but I’m not sure on the bit about German build quality … lol

If we use a new house as the example, I’m not doing anything with the bricks and mortar, I’m simply doing a bit of painting and decorating whilst working through the snagging list

The seat I removed to repair the transport damage – it’s now mounted better than Ford managed (i.e. it doesn’t squeak), but it’s still Fords seat bolted into a Ford built car

Similar with the realignment of things, this was the other side rear valance (finger provided purely to provide a bit of contrast to highlight the gap lol) :

And after 60 seconds with a 7mm socket :

It now fits as intended, but it’s still Ford’s parts

Pulled my finger out and got the other side done. About a third of the spokes also had the under seal overspray (that’s a lot of overspray when you consider the spoke count on a PP1 wheel … ) and that doesn’t include the light dusting that was pretty much all over the rest of it but the camera doesn’t capture :

I am really glad this was a ‘one off’ job and not a maintenance job that will need repeating ...

I should have mentioned that the wheels final prep was the Turtle Wax ceramic polish – seemed to be a good final step considering I just can’t put any more time into the wheels at the moment, it’s a mild cleaner polish that leaves a deep finish and some ceramic protection.

I also got to try out some tools I bought specifically for the Mustang :

Breaker bar to cope with the high nut torque, nice socket so I don’t mark the finish on the black nuts and the other things are the ‘reverse logic’ wheel changing studs to help with heavy wheels and big brakes. I was surprised how much easier these items made wheel removal / replacement :

Interestingly the nut torque as supplied from Ford was considerably lower than I expected (and lower than a nut I correctly torqued as a sanity check).

Really happy with the splash guards, they blend in and suit the car really well :

I kind of wish ford did something like them and offered it as an extra, especially for the front

The McGard nuts seem really nice quality Is it wrong to line up the valve, badge and the position of the locking wheel nut … ?

And more importantly, how will I cope when I do the front wheels as they have the offset valve …

WD

 

[Kristian87]

Ooh the ceramic on those wheels

Mine will have their first clean at the weekend since being refurbished, I won't be taking them off though. I do have some wheel sealant that I may apply to the front faces. What did you use to apply the polish?

 

[WD Pro]

I’m not sure Turtle Wax ceramic is true ceramic, at least not compared to the stuff some guys use … lol

Nothing fancy equipment wise (I haven’t got a polisher small enough to be worthwhile on a PP1 wheel), all done by hand using standard Microfibres. They look way better than they did (even taking the overspray out of the equation), but they are not perfect. I had kind of hit that ‘time v results’ break even point

I am considering that turtle wax ceramic specifically for black stuff, it’s got fillers and black dies in it but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, especially on a wheel.

I got a great deal on the turtle wax stuff, it was reduced at Halfords and they sent me £5 off a click and collect order with no minimum value. For less than £10 I’m very impressed !

WD

 

[Alfa Male]

Really happy with the splash guards, they blend in and suit the car really well :

I kind of wish ford did something like them and offered it as an extra, especially for the front

WD

The rear splash guards look great. Re the front guard I’ve got the ZL1 Addons Delux Rock Guards which are really good quality

Link to pro

https://nemesisuk.com/products/zl1-addons-mud-lux-mus6g-f-r-mustang-2015-20

Couple of old pics for reference of them fitted on mine

I didn’t fit the rear guards though as they were a little too wide for my liking. The ones you have fitted look much nicer and balanced so may opt for these instead

 

[raptor17GT]

Thanks for the comment but I’m not sure on the bit about German build quality … lol

If we use a new house as the example, I’m not doing anything with the bricks and mortar, I’m simply doing a bit of painting and decorating whilst working through the snagging list

The seat I removed to repair the transport damage – it’s now mounted better than Ford managed (i.e. it doesn’t squeak), but it’s still Fords seat bolted into a Ford built car

Similar with the realignment of things, this was the other side rear valance (finger provided purely to provide a bit of contrast to highlight the gap lol) :

And after 60 seconds with a 7mm socket :

It now fits as intended, but it’s still Ford’s parts

Pulled my finger out and got the other side done. About a third of the spokes also had the under seal overspray (that’s a lot of overspray when you consider the spoke count on a PP1 wheel … ) and that doesn’t include the light dusting that was pretty much all over the rest of it but the camera doesn’t capture :

I am really glad this was a ‘one off’ job and not a maintenance job that will need repeating ...

I should have mentioned that the wheels final prep was the Turtle Wax ceramic polish – seemed to be a good final step considering I just can’t put any more time into the wheels at the moment, it’s a mild cleaner polish that leaves a deep finish and some ceramic protection.

I also got to try out some tools I bought specifically for the Mustang :

Breaker bar to cope with the high nut torque, nice socket so I don’t mark the finish on the black nuts and the other things are the ‘reverse logic’ wheel changing studs to help with heavy wheels and big brakes. I was surprised how much easier these items made wheel removal / replacement :

Interestingly the nut torque as supplied from Ford was considerably lower than I expected (and lower than a nut I correctly torqued as a sanity check).

Really happy with the splash guards, they blend in and suit the car really well :

I kind of wish ford did something like them and offered it as an extra, especially for the front

The McGard nuts seem really nice quality Is it wrong to line up the valve, badge and the position of the locking wheel nut … ?

And more importantly, how will I cope when I do the front wheels as they have the offset valve …

WD

yeah i think i might be ordering a couple of the ‘reverse logic’ wheel changing studs you talk about. Look a really neat idea, US company only for ordering as I cannot see anywhere else selling them UK based. Oh well

 

[GR11M]

Might have to take a look at those MP splash guards, the stock ones are gravel traps

 

[PKs]

yeah i think i might be ordering a couple of the ‘reverse logic’ wheel changing studs you talk about. Look a really neat idea, US company only for ordering as I cannot see anywhere else selling them UK based. Oh well

I have the Reverse Logic brand bought in Australia but I recently saw another brand of the same thing on the US forum that may be easier to get in UK. I remember there was a youtube of a tarted up "muscular" woman demonstrating their use. Sorry that's all I have.

 

[raptor17GT]

I have the Reverse Logic brand bought in Australia but I recently saw another brand of the same thing on the US forum that may be easier to get in UK. I remember there was a youtube of a tarted up "muscular" woman demonstrating their use. Sorry that's all I have.

haha I remember the video, think it was for gt350/500 caliper bolts but yes i'm sure she did a video for wheel removal as well. I shall go looking, purely for the parts of course

 

[WD Pro]

Might have to take a look at those MP splash guards, the stock ones are gravel traps

Yes the OE are hollow on the section that wraps the edge and some of the gravel that was stuck behind them was bigger that the gap to get in there in the first place ? !

I think the stock ones left in position for a long time might start to mark the paint on the edge - could be a problem for a mid life removal ?

yeah i think i might be ordering a couple of the ‘reverse logic’ wheel changing studs you talk about. Look a really neat idea, US company only for ordering as I cannot see anywhere else selling them UK based. Oh well

I have the Reverse Logic brand bought in Australia but I recently saw another brand of the same thing on the US forum that may be easier to get in UK. I remember there was a youtube of a tarted up "muscular" woman demonstrating their use. Sorry that's all I have.

haha I remember the video, think it was for gt350/500 caliper bolts but yes i'm sure she did a video for wheel removal as well. I shall go looking, purely for the parts of course

Mine came really quick from the states so don’t worry about shopping over there, mine also dodged any extra fees

There not something I would have bought for myself, I like to gather stuff like that up and then spend Christmas / birthday money on things like that

I was surprised how they helped, they bring the struggle closer to your body and away from the brake, and those rear PP1’s are heavy … !

I think the other ones were ‘calliperflexion’

WD

 

[mhdgsn]

MP concepts splash guards compared to the OE Ford version (in approximately correct position) :

This is behind the fender liner :

Standard splash guard mounting :

Two screws, a location pin and some tape :

I removed the metal clips as they are no longer used and it seems pointless to leave them there just to attract rust.

If you want to retain all the fender liner mountings, the MP Concepts guard needs an extra 8mm hole :

I might have gone a little overboard with the VHB …

Mounted :

IMHO, they look much more OE when compared to any of the other aftermarket offerings :

Whist not as big as the other aftermarket offerings, they are a similar design to the GT500, GT350 and Mach 1 pieces so they should offer some protection - at the very least they will stop the paint getting stripped from the painted bumper edge

You prompted me to examine mine and apart from being full of grit, as you mentioned, I'm not even sure my passenger side one is attached with screws or bolts - it pivots - so might be only held on with the sticky tape you describe! How that feeble piece of plastic can serve any purpose as a splash guard is beyond me anyway.

So you've piqued my interest in these replacements - they maybe my first ever "mod" Can I ask where you sourced them? And also why the screw holes on them appear to be rectangular??

Cheers
M

 

[WD Pro]

Hi,

The Ford items aren't really a splash guard - its part of some requirement that the tyre edge can't be seen when viewed from a certain angle, hence it strange position. A lot of cars have something similar, some are now moulded into the bumper.

The front edge of the Ford guard that you see is only located by 'hooking' itself around the edge of the bumper (which it doesn't do very well) and once it's only partially hooked, it will pivot inwards towards the centre of the car easily.

I got mine from here : https://www.american-horsepower.de/...t350-style-wheelhouse-winglets-15-21-all-2693

They are not the cheapest of things for what's essentially a bit of moulded plastic and they have gone up a little in cost since I bought mine, but they are a lot cheaper than a bumper respray when that edge gets chipped which is especially noticeable on the lighter colour cars (I spent some time at an American car show checking out that area on other mustangs)

The screw holes are slotted to provide a bit of vertical adjustment, but in reality the adjustment (on my car) was limited due to the upper and lower edges in the back of the bumper. If i could be picky, I would have liked MP to make the guards just a little lower and to mate with the black trim on the bottom of the bumper rather than finishing level with the painted part. They are a 100% reversible mod though so if a better option comes along in the future I still have the option to change them out.

Hope that helps and yeah, sorry for spending some of your money ...

WD

 

[WD Pro]

I took these for another member but I might as well add them in here

McGard nuts expose a small ring of silver on the PP1 wheels, 'if' your anal enough to get down and look down the bores :

Note that the McGard's fully contact the taper in the wheel i.e. they clamp the same area as the standard nuts, but the cosmetic part of the bulge is a little smaller.

Quick fix :

34.5mm ID 3mm section EPDM o rings. I soaked them in 303 and they pop straight on gripping the diameter around the base of the nut

WD

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