Mike's Guard GT

[MrMike]

I should've made a build thread last year when I really began working on it, but better late than never!

I'll add more pics and links to the mod list as I build up the thread.

Mods in chronological order by install date

• Ford Performance GT350R Strut Tower Brace Kit (M-20201-GT350) (3/5/23)
• Additional Performance Pack Bracing (Lower K-Brace, Upper Extension Panel) (5/12/23)
• Apex SM-10 19x10 w/Continental ExtremeContact Sport 285/35R19 (5/17/23)
• Ford Performance Track Handling Pack (M-FR3A-M8A) (6/1/23)
• Ford Performance Touring Cat Back with GT350 Valance (M-5200-M8TBV) (6/1/23)
• Ford Performance Pack Radiator (FR3Z-8005-G) (6/16/23)
• GT350 Rear Splash Guards (Levittown Package) (6/22/23)
• Center console and knee pads w/stitching from a 2023 w/401A (2/10/24)
• GT350 Shift Knob (2/17/24)
• BG Transmission / Diff Fluid (3/31/24)
• Ford Performance Bullitt Brake Kit (M-2300-BUL) (4/20/24)
• Ford Performance PP Front Control Arm Kit (M-3075-F) (4/20/24)
• Mach 1 Front Knuckles and Hubs (4/20/24)
• Refreshed GT350 Rear Diff (7/5/24)
• Ford Performance Power Pack 3 (M-9452-M8) (7/13/2024)

I originally bought my Mustang new in 2016 with the intention of it being a comfy but fun daily driver. 401A, Premier Trim, manual, spoiler delete. A good friend helped me get it when I was driving a BMW that spent too much time in the shop so I have some emotional attachment to it. Aside from A/C issues that plagued many 15-17s, it has been a very reliable car and has never left me stranded.

It served me very well as a first time home owner with the big trunk and fold down back seat.

I used to have a 350Z and a Jeep Cherokee, and that was my happiest vehicle stable, so in late 2022 I started shopping for a 4x4 to accompany my Mustang. I began my search looking at 4 door Wranglers thinking that would be the closest to what I had. I went to a local used car dealer (like CarMax) to drive whatever they had on the lot. I drove 3 Wranglers (4dr 2.0T Sahara, 2dr 2.0T Rubi, 2dr V6 manual Rubi), a Tacoma (TRD OR), and a Bronco. All it took was that one drive in the Bronco and I knew it was my 4x4 of choice. My search began for a Bronco that wasn't overpriced.

I found a silver 4dr Wildtrak about an hour from me that someone ordered and decided not to buy. Still had the plastic on the interior and 7.2 miles on the odo. Once I had the Bronco in my garage, I felt free to modify the Mustang however I wanted. It is a fun daily driver in a totally different way from the Mustang.

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[MrMike]

• Ford Performance GT350R Strut Tower Brace Kit (M-20201-GT350) (3/5/23)

Easy install, just needs a 3/8" ratchet, torque wrench and a 15mm deep socket for the strut tower nuts (W712334-S440). Clip remover can help with the plastic fasteners also.

I scored this for a decent price on eBay, big fan of the style. Cleaned up the engine bay just a bit while I was in there. It hadn't been cleaned at all since I bought the car.

 

[MrMike]

• Additional Performance Pack Bracing (Lower K-Brace, Upper Extension Panel) (5/12/23)

Let me start by saying I did this backwards. For anyone doing bracing mods to a non-PP car, this should be your first mod.

The K brace underneath is relatively straight forward. I recommend this thread for part numbers and instructions.

I did not take pictures of installing the extension panel but I sure wish I did. That is the first bracing mod that should be done on any non-PP car. I used a long 10mm ratcheting wrench and I did not remove the wipers. I used wood shims to create enough space to get the extension panel in. It's annoying as hell. It is surely easier if you buy a wiper puller and remove them.

 

[MrMike]

• Apex SM-10 19x10 w/Continental ExtremeContact Sport 285/35R19 (5/17/23)

Ordered the wheels from Apex in March on sale and they took a bit to come in. I scored the tires for a nice deal since the ECS 02s were out and there were leftovers.

I went with these TPMS sensors from Tire Rack. Metal stem and worked perfectly, no need for the programming tool.

I went with these gorilla lug nuts.

Once I got the tires mounted, I ceramic coated the wheels with Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armour.

Old v new

Post-ceramic coating

On the car

 

[MrMike]

• Ford Performance Track Handling Pack (M-FR3A-M8A) (6/1/23)
• Ford Performance Touring Cat Back with GT350 Valance (M-5200-M8TBV) (6/1/23)

A friend of mine helped me with this. It was a bit intimidating since before this I had never done any serious wrenching on any car at all. 100% learning experience going in.

I purchased many tools (a lot from Tekton) to get this done. I would recommend the same to anyone.

The kit is very well packaged and Ford Performance's instructions are excellent. When I reached out to them they were very helpful regarding the kit and my questions with the installation.

My cat really liked the box the rear diffuser for the exhaust came in:

Front suspension in:

The rear was more difficult than the front. I recommend having a second jack on hand for the subframe. You don't have to drop it entirely, just support it.

The rear toe link knuckle bearing was a butt. One of them got messed up in the process because I wasn't using a large enough socket with the press kit. Based on my experience, 36mm is the correct size for pushing the old bearing out.

Dropping the old exhaust:

New exhaust on:

All done!! Car drives great with this suspension. It feels like an actual sports car. This should've been an option from the factory.

 

[MrMike]

• Ford Performance Pack Radiator (FR3Z-8005-G) (6/16/23)

I purchased this from LMR and it came well packaged.

The "trick" to this is just rubber tubing and a nice container to drain into. I used one of these from Amazon.

Getting the old one out wasn't bad, but you need some patience getting the new back in and lined up properly with the condenser.

Removal:

New out of box:

New in:

Fill 'er up. The burping procedure was super easy. Start the car for a bit, add more fluid, repeat until it looks good.

 

[MrMike]

• GT350 Rear Splash Guards (Levittown Package) (6/22/23)

I picked these up from Levittown since I figured they would be a nice addition to the exhaust kit from Ford Performance.

Not a big deal to install. Wheel off, wheel liner off, and they go right in.

 

[MrMike]

• Center console and knee pads w/stitching from a 2023 w/401A (2/10/24)
• GT350 Shift Knob (2/17/24)

The interior trim pieces were a lucky score for me but I feel bad for the car it came from as it only had 363 miles. I got them from Midway Mustang.

To anyone else planning this mod, either plan to replace the shifter boot at the same time or push the shifter boot out from underneath. The clips on the shifter boot trim are extremely delicate.

 

[MrMike]

• BG Transmission / Diff Fluid (3/31/24)

More of a maintenance++ thing, but I feel like OPMustang (@Optimum Performance) deserves a shout out for this kit.

https://www.opmustang.com/store/p7/BG_PRODUCTS_COMBO_KIT_2015_-_2024_MUSTANG_-_Transmission_and_Rear_Axle_Fluid_(In_Stock).html#/

Instructions were great and made the job way easier. I recommend a special 8mm tool for the transmission fluid filler:

I feel that the transmission fluid did make a difference, and I will only be using BG going forward in both my transmission and differential.

 

[MrMike]

• Ford Performance Bullitt Brake Kit (M-2300-BUL) (4/20/24)
• Ford Performance PP Front Control Arm Kit (M-3075-F) (4/20/24)
• Mach 1 Front Knuckles and Hubs (4/20/24)

This was my big mod package for 2024 and my buddy who helped me with the suspension came back to help again with this.

I also changed the brake fluid to Castrol SRF at this point.

Ceramic coated the calipers. Again, C5 wheel armour.

Get the old nonsense off the car.

Mini sledge hammer: the best removal tool for tie rods.

Shiny and new:

The most important part of replacing the rear calipers is *mostly* following the instructions for the emergency brake. It is possible to over-tighten, and it can take way more pulls of the lever than the shop manual recommends before the cable should be tightened again. I highly recommend the shop manual's approach of tightening multiple times vs attempting to get it perfect in one go.

I did manage to score some pics of the emergency brake adjustment cable in case anyone finds this and is struggling:

 

[MrMike]

On 6/10 I took the Mustang to it's first HPDE. I had an awesome instructor and had a great time on the track! I'm already planning my second day back at the end of July.

 

[MrMike]

Next mod currently in the works is a Torsen differential. I have a refreshed one coming from @JohnVallo who is a pro at S550 rear diffs.

There's a decent amount of parts involved in this swap if you're in a 15-17 S550 and want to move to the newer, better rear flange from the 18-23 S550s.

The differential mounting bolts are HB1 (W717748S439) and HB3 (W716983S439) in the below diagram.

A new 18-23 manual driveshaft is JR3Z-4R602-Y. Note that the bolts that mount to the transmission side are not included (HB1, W719298S439) nor are the mid-point mounting bolts (HB2, W717822S439).

The remainder of the parts (marked with the orange squares) are included and pre-assembled:

 

[2morrow]

Nice work! Great to see another Guard car out there on track! If you ever come out west, hit me up.

A couple things:

Rear Diff: Have you thought about utilizing the AL diff housing? There's a nice weight savings there.

Midway Mustang: I had a horrible experience off their facebook site where they tried to scam me on insurance over a $70 part. I told them to go F themselves and wasn't too worried about the money. Understandably theres a lot of clone Facebook pages. Did you call them directly for your transaction?

Lastly, if you ever get into weight savings via Li battery, DM me, I got a nice offering in that category.

Keep up the great work!
-Todd

 

[MrMike]

Nice work! Great to see another Guard car out there on track! If you ever come out west, hit me up.

A couple things:

Rear Diff: Have you thought about utilizing the AL diff housing? There's a nice weight savings there.

Midway Mustang: I had a horrible experience off their facebook site where they tried to scam me on insurance over a $70 part. I told them to go F themselves and wasn't too worried about the money. Understandably theres a lot of clone Facebook pages. Did you call them directly for your transaction?

Lastly, if you ever get into weight savings via Li battery, DM me, I got a nice offering in that category.

Keep up the great work!
-Todd

Thanks man, love my car and I hope for many more years with it.

I won't be going this way because it's a full build and I'm not good enough to benefit from that weight savings in the rear, but what you're suggesting regarding the diff is technically possible. If you start w/an empty aluminum housing and use a T2R diff it should work. I think the stock aluminum diffs have a weird offset differential inside so you'd have to gut an already populated pumpkin.

I just want to get a good near-new Torsen in the car.

I have some interest in weight savings in the front of the car, especially after adding all that bracing.

I wonder if that's not the real Midway Mustang. I bought from their eBay Store.

 

[MAGS1]

• Center console and knee pads w/stitching from a 2023 w/401A (2/10/24)
• GT350 Shift Knob (2/17/24)

The interior trim pieces were a lucky score for me but I feel bad for the car it came from as it only had 363 miles. I got them from Midway Mustang.

To anyone else planning this mod, either plan to replace the shifter boot at the same time or push the shifter boot out from underneath. The clips on the shifter boot trim are extremely delicate.

Got part numbers for the console and knee pads? Looks great

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