Slowly But RR Shirley

[WaffleMix]

Yeah I would like to think Shirley is a good name for her. Like Shirley Temple, the drink not the person. This is my first Mustang so forgive me if I make a ton of new mistakes and do not know the Mustang lingo. However, this is not my first V8, had a Camaro with the LT1 way back. But for the past 20 years I have been driving Japanese cars. Got rid of my PW 370Z Nismo for the 2019 RR Mustang GT PP1. It had 69 miles when I bought her.

Out With the old, old to me like seriously outdated old, Been driving 370Zs for 11 years! Oh and the Grey/Silver 5.0 next to me I was debating, it was a 2020 6SPD premium, I made the right choice with the 10SPD PP1.

In with the beautiful new! 2019 GT PP1, never thought I would love driving again till her! Way too much fun.

Anyway this is a slow build thread, cause lets be honest I am not rich, and I got kids to feed lol.

500 miles: First mod was some knock off Coyote hub-centric 25mm spacers. I love the way they look.

700 miles: inexpensive eBay GT500 style rocker panels/splitters, matte black GT emblem and Gloss black 5.0 emblems.

Well that’s it for now, she is resting easy in the garage and patiently waiting for her new front end to be finished sometime next week.

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[JakeLethal]

Nice car man!

 

[WaffleMix]

l

Nice car man!

Thank you Jake!

 

[WaffleMix]

800 miles: eBay GT500 Style spoiler, install was fun....dropped a bolt, took the trunk off and shook it out. Made a homemade template as well...just used the doubled sided tape template it came with.

Added a red 1/4 pinstripe to the GT500 Style Spoiler.. Going to change the pin stripe to red reflective tape pin stripe, I don’t care if its cheesy I like it.

 

[WaffleMix]

1000 miles: GT500 Style Front Bumper from Vicrez, says AMMP on the inside box though. My experience with Vicrez was a little rough in the beginning, that was because I spoke with a new customer care rep who was in training. They reached out to me afterwards and made things right. I am def ordering from them again. They also threw in some goodies with the bumper which is a nice touch. My paint guy down here in SWFL did a phenomenal job matching the color. He also gave me a bottle of touch gloss black and PQ race red. I did the install myself, couple of jack stands and a jack, was fairly easy, just time consuming about 4 hours total (factory bumper removal, aftermarket bumper setup and install)- not bad since I really didn’t have a clue lol,would recommend that you spray some quick detail or speed shine on the tabs and pull the tabs slightly outward/towards you before popping them in the slots. I used every bolt the kit came with and existing hardware as well from the stock bumper.

The kit did not come with any instructions. There are a couple of vids on YouTube I watched that helped but they were not detailed step by step. I also used every piece in the kit, there were no extra parts or screws, bolts, and nuts left afterwards. Took some photos for reference. I have a PP1 and people were saying it doesn’t line up with the PP1 belly pan, so I picked up a non-pp belly pan and everything buttoned right up perfectly. Fit and finish is near perfect, there are some slight adjustments I need to make. Also I was worried my ACC (adaptive cruise control) would not work or need some kind of adjustment or calibration after I installed the bumper. I thoroughly tested the ACC and works just like factory, super happy about that.

What would I do different or better - spay the tabs with speed shine, especially the hockey sticks. They were a pain for some reason. Other than that it is a pretty straight forward install. Thats it for now, will update with more pics once I get some good shots from different angles.

Well 1007 to be exact.

This box is HUGE!

What’s inside?

Some nice goodies from Vicrez. Thank You! (Weighted military vest not included lol)

4 Days after paint all cured and ready for install

I think she is put together....for the most part. Missing the side splitters/winglets but will install.

non-pp belly pan and part number, if you are like me and want it to be fully secure.

Upside down under the car view.

Secured bottom part of the winglets.

Securing winglet and splitter to belly pan with the mystery piece that took me about 30 minutes to figure out lol.

Pretty sure the non-pp fender liners might line up better, however this comes with 2 small plastic recessed pyramid shaped adapters that allow for connection from the winglet to the fender liner.

Finished...well almost, still got to put my Mustang emblem on the grill. This was fun, I learned some stuff. Wanted to share my experience with this bumper. Will post some different angles and perspectives soon. I need to get her cleaned up first.

 

[WaffleMix]

1100 miles: window tint 15% all the way around (a must if you live in SWFL).

Sun flare! Not bad for a cell phone pic lol, so happy for tint!

Considering blacking out the tails, I think either way they look good.

Daughter said to me “looks like a Camaro now”. She’s not too familiar with cars anyway, although she goes through thousands of cars a week (she’s a manager at the car rental place)....so yeah I am def throwing the Mustang emblem on her today lol

 

[WaffleMix]

Vicrez has been pretty awesome, they sent me a GT500 front spitter for my troubles. I am not a fan of splitters on splitters on splitters on splitters, but this actually looks decent and does provide some protection for my bumper.

So I am not a fan of stickers so I am sorry Vicrez but the sticker had to go, and the although I do like the Mustang emblem in the front, I feel like the chrome is a little distracting to this bumper so I blacked it. I can always go back to chrome or take the emblem off, still undecided but I think it looks a little cleaner now.

 

[WaffleMix]

Baby Steps for my Suspension

1200 miles: Steeda front and rear sway bar with upgraded mounts. What a PIA to install...the mounts not the sway bars lol. But they sure do look nice.

Front OEM vs Steeda

Rear OEM vs Steeda

Front installed.

Rear installed....those mounts......getting the rubber bushings in them...WHAT A PIA...I used so much grease and a freakin rubber hammer just getting the bushings inside the mounts before installing the rear sway bar...they are extremely snug.

Yes I know...I have BMR adjustable sway bar links on the way. I set it to the stiffest setting in the rear....let me say that it is a significant improvement. The rear feels very predictable and the movement is exactly where I want it.

What I would do different: Invest in some better tools. So I did! I would also order and install the adjustable sway bar links at the same time....newbie moves!

I used a pair of jack stands and a jack for this, and this is my first solo sway bar installation. Last time I did sways was 20 years ago and I had a lot of help from my good friend. Took me quite some time to install these since I am OCD and a perfectionist.

Final thoughts and impressions: The front sway bar feels lighter and stronger compared to the stock OEM sway bar, however I did not weigh them. The front is not set to the stiffest setting, it is at 2 and I feel like 3 or 4 the stiffer settings would be more noticeable. The rear sway bar made a huge difference and is very noticeable. I will adjust the fronts when the end links come in.

 

[Rapid Red]

good write up interesting

 

[WaffleMix]

good write up interesting

Thank You, that means a lot to me!

 

[WaffleMix]

Starting to Crawl with BMR Magneride Handling Springs

1209 miles: BMR Springs Installed

So I asked around for places to install my springs besides my garage. Didn’t really get many local responses. Not to mention I have never install springs before. I have done coilovers with the help of a friend, which he did most of the work while I just passed him tools, this was 11 years ago lol. So this was my first spring install and it can be done easily just by yourself. Only used jacks and jack stands. A lift would have reduced the time to install. The biggest obstacles during this process were as follows

1. Trying to remove the splined bolts in the front shocks with a household hammer. That is a big no-go. I went to lowes and picked up a 4lb mallet and the bolts came out after a few dedicated whacks. Before that...I spent 30 minutes sweating and banging the bolts for no reason just making a ton of noise with a regular hammer. With the 4lb hammer 3 or 4 whacks and they were out. YouTube makes it look easy lol.

2. Rear springs, for the life of me I had to find some type of leverage to squeeze the rear springs out. I had a 4 foot 2x4 that I keep around for situations like this and it worked. Before that, I was struggling bad. Pulling and yanking, I used so many different techniques and the one that came through was the wedging of the 2x4 on the rotor and the frame.

3. Finished the driver side rear, at least thats what I thought, and started the passenger side rear I quickly realized I didn’t seat the rubber properly on the drivers side.....FML so I before continuing the passenger side and I had to redo the drivers side rear, my OCD would not let me complete the passenger side until the drivers side was done right. This time it took me about 20-30 minutes to do since I was well versed on how to remove the rear spring after spending 45 minutes pulling and yanking the spring out until I got the 2x4.

Install was not too bad, considering this was my first time and all I did was watch YouTube videos on how to do it. It took me about 8 hours or so since I had no idea about the splinted bolts being such a PIA and the rear spring. I could probably knock it out in 2 hours now that I know what I am doing. It was a great learning experience for me.

Ride quality did suffer a tad, regular mode now feels like a hair short of sport mode. Sport mode feels AWESOME! Track mode feels INSANE! I love the way the car handles now. I am just waiting on the sway bar end links to stiffen up the front a little.

Appearance, although BMR states that it is a 3/4 or 0.75 inch drop, it looks to me much lower than that. I was debating between BMR and Steeda for a while. I had Steeda magneride springs on order. I cancelled my order after installing the GT500 bumper, I decided that less of a drop was vital If I wanted to keep my front bumper intact for DD. In addition, I prefer a linear spring over progressive. Also honestly, not that it matters but I don’t care to much for color matching parts under the vehicle as I care more for performance. So for me BMR was the best choice for my DD magneride.

I also measured the front bumper, side skirts and wheels prior to installing the springs. I have yet to take post measurements as I am waiting for a couple hundred miles for the springs to settle. In addition, I drove around for 50 miles cruising and spirited and I am happy to say that there is absolutely no NVH.

Front

Rear OEM vs BMR comparison

Rear before redoing it again....

Back together and cleaned up

Will post measurement photos shortly. Alignment scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

 

[WaffleMix]

1500 miles: Alignment & BMR Adjustable Sway bar end links installed

Was a simple easy install. But after driving it for 50 miles I heard a noise in the front. So I decided to look and inspect the end links, they were extremely tight so nothing loose. I took them off and reversed the ball head of the link closest to the Magneride connection and put the ball end of the link on the inside of the sway bar. Exactly like the rear setup. I also put it on the highest setting of the Steeda Adjustable sway bar. In addition I used thread lock this time.

Test drove it and absolutely no noise. I thoroughly test drove it around sharp curves and corners, let me say that I am extremely pleased with the BMR/Steeda setup. It stays planted. Although I noticed on one of the hard turns there was l slight lift in the rear, kinda hard to explain It. Pretty sure the BMR lockout kit is next on my list of suspension mods.

The alignment went pretty well. Nothing major with the BMR springs, I most likely could have went without an alignment and not noticed until the tires needed to be replaced. Springs feel settled in but I will give it another 100 miles before I take the measurements of the drop. People keep asking if I lowered my car now, that 3/4 inch drop def does make a difference in appearance. My better half states she also noticed a difference on how the Mustang handles and comfort as well.

These adjustable end links seem very well built.

Alignment sheet, 0 thrust and 0 steer now so I am happy with it for a DD. After a few more suspensions mods I will adjust the front. In the meant time this will do. They started to run out of ink but you can pretty much tell what the numbers are. .

 

[Rapid Red]

Good work, exactly the way to diagnose a problem.

 

[WaffleMix]

The Spoiler Wars: 1550 Miles

After trying 4 different style of spoilers, PP1, iKon GT350 Track Spoiler, iKon Duckbill, Anderson Composites CF GT350R, I have finally found the proper look for the rear trunk. The quality of the iKon spoilers are ok, seems like more work than its worth Ie paint correction and fitting. The AC Spoiler Is superior in every way, quality, fit and finish. This is a case of you get what you pay for.

Moving forward

I decided to fab my own cover since I put the AC GT350R spoiler on and it came out decent. Someone should produce these with different colors and maybe etching. I made mines out of a piece of aluminum and parts you can find at local hardware store. Took about 2 hours to make. I have searched online for something like this and no where to be found. I wanted it to function as a spot to push the trunk lid close so I don’t smudge/scratch up my spoiler and lid panel, as well as serve as a spoiler hole cover. Tested it out thoroughly in Florida heavy rain and works flawlessly. Anybody can make this, used a dremel to cut and grind the aluminum and a drill for the holes for the binding screws thats it. Also used some gorilla epoxy for the elongated oval hole. Had some carbon fiber vinyl lying around that I never used and decided to give this a wrap, never wrapped anything before. I will likely re-wrap it as the direction of the CF is in the opposite of the AC GT350R spoiler. Also gives me the option to go back to stock or whatever spoiler. I think it looks decent for around $20 bucks of materials and a few hours of time. Here are some pics I took along the way. Hope this helps anybody out there worrying about spoiler holes.

Getting rid of this duckbill, I always wanted one but it doesn’t feel right on my Mustang for some reason.

The mess of 3M VHB residue was no fun to remove.

Cleaned and ready for install. Decided to clay and polish the deck lid while I was cleaning the trunk.

This is the one! Oh AC GT350R install was fun, those plastic guide templates kept falling out of the holes nearly every time I went to put the spoiler on lol. Since I did the install solo, it was a real learning experience.

Time to fab. Some parts from Home Depot. Picked up a few extra things I didn’t use, just in case my idea would flop.

Plate cut and test fitting. Measurement is 9 in length 2 in with, this was the thinnest aluminum they had at Home Depot, its 1/8 thick.

Another angle of view.

Wrapped in CF vinyl.

Installed.

Another POV

So what about the elongated oval hole? I took a piece os painters tape, taped it from the topside/outside of the trunk lid, used Gorilla epoxy and filled the hole from the inside of the trunk. I then used a glue gun with the toughest dent remover glue and sealed around the epoxy for extra measure. The epoxy and glue dry clear. I didn’t really have to use the glue gun since the epoxy sealed it extremely well, but my OCD kicked in. Also used thin rubber gaskets for the binding screws on both sides of the trunk because I am extra.

Once the epoxy dries remove the tape.

Looks decent and not too shabby for my first time doing anything like this, cutting aluminum and wrapping vinyl. Also no metal washers on the topside of the trunk, only the thin rubber gaskets which cause a slight lift.

I will likely replace the metal washers on the inside of the trunk lid as they are not properly fitted to the binding screws but do the job for now. Def going to re-wrap the plate. Anyway hope this helps some people out there and give them an idea of how to cover the spoiler holes without going to the shop or swapping trunks.

 

[WaffleMix]

1900miles: Clayed, polished, ceramic coat. Nothing fancy or expensive, Turtle Hybrid Ceramic. Extremely pleased with the results

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