My Red Pony

[Vlad Soare]

It was already dark when I got home this evening, so I had the chance to see the effect of the new LED reversing lights. They're great. Now the back-up camera works perfectly in low light.

My OBDLink EX has arrived. This is what I've changed so far:

- four turn signal flashes instead of three
- disabled the double honk when the key leaves the car while the engine is running
- disabled the 'door open' chimes (both ways, i.e. opening a door while the engine is running, or starting the engine while a door is open)
- disabled the green upshift/downshift indicator on the dash
- auto door lock (upon driving off from a standstill)

Sponsored

 

[Vlad Soare]

Red dash, to match the colour of the car.

Oops! I took pictures while driving. Shame on me!

 

[Vlad Soare]

I checked the catch can today. I was curious as to how much oil might have collected in it in a thousand kilometers. Not much, apparently, though it's enough to make me glad I installed the can.

It's difficult to take a clear picture of the black can interior. A disposable cup gives you a better idea of the quantity.

I used a syringe to measure it. It's exactly five milliliters.

The bottom of the can can be unscrewed and removed for emptying using your bare hands, without removing anything but the radiator cover (which is a piece of cake). It does take a bit of fiddling, though, and you need thin hands. Otherwise you can follow Mishimoto's instructions and remove the hoses and the screws that hold the can to the bracket, then take out the whole can. This will be necessary from time to time anyway, in order to clean the brass filter and baffles, but just for a quick oil level check and emptying I think it's a bit of overkill.

I'm so happy I installed the catch can. All this oil would have gone into my engine, soiling everything in its way - throttle body, intake manifold, valve seats, valves... everything. Yuck!

 

[Vlad Soare]

New change - black side emblems.
The silver ones looked terribly out of place, since there was nothing whatsoever in chrome or silver on the sides of the car, not even the wheels. Not even the wheel nuts for that matter (the picture below is old; in the meantime the lug nuts have turned black).
Now everything looks as it should.

Before:

After:

The trouble is that having started this, I now feel an irresistible urge to continue. Now the chrome pony on the front grille looks out of place. And there's slight problem with that. I know the pony is also available in black, but I'm not sure how it would look on a black grille. I like the grille pony, to me it's a defining feature of any Mustang, so I'm not sure if making it harder to see would be a good idea. I'm afraid it might become next to invisible. I don't know; I'll think about it.

However, I have no such qualms about the rear badge. That must become black. The can of Plasti Dip has arrived, and I'll give it a try first, before considering more expensive options - like replacing the deck lid. Who knows, it might turn out just fine.

 

[GP2017GT]

The pony is now prepared for winter. Let it snow!

You seem to take very good care of your car and appear to be very meticulous, why drive it in the snow. Is it your daily driver?

 

[Vlad Soare]

Yes, it is my daily driver, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to enjoy it as much as I can, for as long as I can. Life is too short. Besides, it's not that bad around here. It snows just twice, or sometimes three times per winter, only for one or two days, and the roads get cleaned immediately after that. But even when there's no snow it's still cold enough to make winter tyres necessary. Not Canada-cold, mind you, but still below freezing.
My holiday house in the mountains, on the other hand, is a different story. It can snow a lot there, and roads are steep, and sometimes you have to drive through a lot of fresh, fluffy snow. We spend our winter holidays there and always take the 4x4 Kuga. I wouldn't go there with an RWD in winter.

 

[Rapid Red]

I temporarily solved the orange reflector problem. Red foil.
It's transparent enough not to hinder the function of the reflector.

Before:

After:

This will have to do until I manage to source some real red reflectors.

What was the source for the red foil, not seen that before? Without realizing it you may have started a new trend, blends well .

 

[Vlad Soare]

It's from a local company that sells all kinds of stickers and foils for car exterior styling. The link may not be of any use to you, but at least you can get an idea of how the product looks.

https://www.stickermag.ro/folie-transparenta/folie-transparenta-colorata-rosu-50x100-cm/

It's a self-adhesive sheet of PVC, thick enough to make it easy to install without creases or air bubbles, and, since it's designed to be installed on the exterior of a car, presumably resistant to the elements as well. We'll see about that. So far it's holding out just fine, but it's still too early to tell.

I think this is similar. Vinyl instead of PVC, but otherwise the same.
https://www.amazon.com/VViViD-Trans...ds=red+transparent+film&qid=1605372088&sr=8-4

Edit: at a second glance, no, they say it's for interior use. You need one for exterior use. But anyway, you get the idea.

 

[Rapid Red]

Thank you.

It's from a local company that sells all kinds of stickers and foils for car exterior styling. The link may not be of any use to you, but at least you can get an idea of how the product looks.

https://www.stickermag.ro/folie-transparenta/folie-transparenta-colorata-rosu-50x100-cm/

It's a self-adhesive sheet of PVC, thick enough to make it easy to install without creases or air bubbles, and, since it's designed to be installed on the exterior of a car, presumably resistant to the elements as well. We'll see about that. So far it's holding out just fine, but it's still too early to tell.

I think this is similar. Vinyl instead of PVC, but otherwise the same.
https://www.amazon.com/VViViD-Trans...ds=red+transparent+film&qid=1605372088&sr=8-4

Thanks very much, I will use the wording and track it down.

 

[fmc_smt]

I see a black pony in your future .

 

[Rapid Red]

What was the source for the red foil, not seen that before? Without realizing it you may have started a new trend, blends well .

Well it turns out my car and a 2020 are red, how strange.
One less bookmark LOL

 

[Vlad Soare]

New mod: Ford Performance carbon fiber shift knob, plus Steeda black delrin lockout collar.

The shift knob looks and feels great. Photos don't do it justice.
Size-wise it seems to be just a tiny bit bigger than the stock one, but that's only visible in a side-by-side comparison, and only if you look carefully. Actually, I'm not sure whether it's indeed larger in diameter, or it's just the original one's flat top that gives this impression.

Weight-wise, my scale says it's lighter, but I couldn't feel that. It feels nice and reasonably heavy.

 

[Vlad Soare]

New mod: Steeda improved clutch line to master cylinder.
Considering how hard I had to pull on the original line to take it off the nipple, I don't think it would have ever come out by itself. It would have probably been just fine. But I had no way of knowing that beforehand, and it was a constant source of anxiety to me. Every couple of days I would open the bonnet just to check if the hose was still looking fine.
So, problem solved.

 

[WD Pro]

How much fluid did you loose, was it a tricky process and did you need to bleed the clutch ?

WD

 

[Vlad Soare]

Very little. I couldn't even perceive a change in the fluid level in the reservoir. It was at Max when I started, and it was still at Max when I finished.
There were two tricky bits.
First, removing the firewall end of the hose. I don't think it's tighter than the other end, but there isn't enough space to wiggle it while pulling, which makes it harder.
Second, tightening the clip at the firewall end. You can't tighten it with your bare fingers, and there's not enough space to insert just any tool. You'll need a pair of very long and thin pliers, preferrable with a curved tip, but I didn't have anything like that. Luckily I managed to find something else that worked.

Sponsored