Sponsored

TicTocTach's 2018 EB Premium PP "Build" Thread

OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Wheel spacers for the 19x11 setup ordered today.

In a plot twist, I also ordered camber plates in anticipation of not being able to get the alignment I need with the 11" wheels and 305 tires.

Camber plates will put me into the non-stock AutoX classes, but I'm having less heartburn over that now than I was in the beginning. It takes a huge effort to really extract the best performance from the stock suspension, and I really want to end up with a great driving car more than a great race car that I can drive to work. I may never be competitive in CAM-C, but I can do whatever I want with my car and fit in there just fine.

More on these items as they come in.
Sponsored

 

Brian@BMVK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
957
Reaction score
975
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
2015 GT - Sold
Wheel spacers for the 19x11 setup ordered today.

In a plot twist, I also ordered camber plates in anticipation of not being able to get the alignment I need with the 11" wheels and 305 tires.

Camber plates will put me into the non-stock AutoX classes, but I'm having less heartburn over that now than I was in the beginning. It takes a huge effort to really extract the best performance from the stock suspension, and I really want to end up with a great driving car more than a great race car that I can drive to work. I may never be competitive in CAM-C, but I can do whatever I want with my car and fit in there just fine.

More on these items as they come in.
Good call!
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
On Sunday, I spent a little time on the car, testing how the 11" SVE GT-7 wheels are going to fit next to the strut with the 25mm spacer that is needed to use the same wheel front and rear. This lets me rotate the tires front to rear and get a little more life out of an expensive 305/30-19 tire. It was a pretty simple operation - up on jack stands, pull a wheel, pop the spacer on, and measure the gap between the wheel lip and the strut. Pics:

The GT350R wheel studs are plenty long for the extra 25mm spacer...
50261241846_4efe7da587_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -01 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Hub-centric spacer from Optimum Performance installed:
50260583643_38d0556c1e_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -02 by clair_davis, on Flickr
50260583653_555c8e3627_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -03 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Plenty of clearance:
50261241946_3cb1810ec5_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -04 by clair_davis, on Flickr

How much clearance? 11.69mm... enough that I'm going to order a 20mm spacer and see if that one will also work as well, tucking the tire and wheel under the fender a little bit better.
50261433887_96d8dc3c41_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -05 by clair_davis, on Flickr

At full droop and the suspension unloaded, the wheel is about 3/4 of an inch outside the fender.
50261433837_710363d730_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -07 by clair_davis, on Flickr

It will draw up under the fender a bunch with the full weight on the car, but it will still need a chunk more negative camber. This not only pulls the top of the tire in a bit more, but also gives more lateral grip when cornering, a win-win. I'll document that operation when I get the parts lined up.
 

Brian@BMVK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
957
Reaction score
975
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
2015 GT - Sold
On Sunday, I spent a little time on the car, testing how the 11" SVE GT-7 wheels are going to fit next to the strut with the 25mm spacer that is needed to use the same wheel front and rear. This lets me rotate the tires front to rear and get a little more life out of an expensive 305/30-19 tire. It was a pretty simple operation - up on jack stands, pull a wheel, pop the spacer on, and measure the gap between the wheel lip and the strut. Pics:

The GT350R wheel studs are plenty long for the extra 25mm spacer...
50261241846_4efe7da587_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -01 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Hub-centric spacer from Optimum Performance installed:
50260583643_38d0556c1e_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -02 by clair_davis, on Flickr
50260583653_555c8e3627_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -03 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Plenty of clearance:
50261241946_3cb1810ec5_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -04 by clair_davis, on Flickr

How much clearance? 11.69mm... enough that I'm going to order a 20mm spacer and see if that one will also work as well, tucking the tire and wheel under the fender a little bit better.
50261433887_96d8dc3c41_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -05 by clair_davis, on Flickr

At full droop and the suspension unloaded, the wheel is about 3/4 of an inch outside the fender.
50261433837_710363d730_c.jpg
Spacer and 11” Wheel Fitment -07 by clair_davis, on Flickr

It will draw up under the fender a bunch with the full weight on the car, but it will still need a chunk more negative camber. This not only pulls the top of the tire in a bit more, but also gives more lateral grip when cornering, a win-win. I'll document that operation when I get the parts lined up.
Need more camber!
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Need more camber!
I thought about trying the camber bolts I bought a while ago just to see, but I know I'm going to end up with the camber plates anyway... Since they're single-use bolts, it's a shame to throw them away just for shits n giggles. I'll have an appointment set up at the alignment shop as soon as I can get the plates installed.
 

Sponsored

Brian@BMVK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
957
Reaction score
975
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
2015 GT - Sold
I thought about trying the camber bolts I bought a while ago just to see, but I know I'm going to end up with the camber plates anyway... Since they're single-use bolts, it's a shame to throw them away just for shits n giggles. I'll have an appointment set up at the alignment shop as soon as I can get the plates installed.
The plates and the resulting alignment will pull the top of the tire in. Base on your clearance, 20 mm spacers would still be a good idea.
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Confirmed today that the 20mm spacers leave a fat 1/4" clearance to the strut, so I'm going to start out with those when I get the 305 project going.

I had the front wheels off to swap out my grille - a project that has been waiting for months - and to install the PP2 splitter that I picked up a couple weeks ago. Having the nose off the car was going to help both projects, so off it came.
50336526758_786af3344b_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -01 by clair_davis, on Flickr

The grille is the Bullitt-style plain unit found on eBay for $130 or so, and the goal was to get rid of the pony in the center. I bought the grille over a year ago, and had some special badges made by a local shop I found on Etsy. These are a slightly tweaked version of the Terlingua Racing Team jackrabbit The badges are cut from 14ga steel and powder coated, so simple and specific, but pretty obscure as well. Really like how they turned out. I did the trunk finish panel swap a while ago:
50239418537_4f92afa650_c.jpg
Terlingua Trunk by clair_davis, on Flickr

After popping the original grille out using some nylon trim tools and my thumbs, I dropped the new grille in place and snapped it down to the original tabs. Everything lined up well and proceeded as expected, but it took some real force to push the tabs through the holes in the grille.
50336526643_3204035a16_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -02 by clair_davis, on Flickr
50337373177_e603227e62_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -04 by clair_davis, on Flickr

After the grill was taken care of, I started on the splitter by removing the stock lower air dam. The goal was to fit that to the PP2 splitter so I could mark where any holes had to be drilled, etc. Pretty straight forward removal, but there are a mix of trim clips and screws holding it in place:
50336526703_0a4c538fc5_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -05 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Unfortunately, it appears that the EBPP and GTPP don't use the same lower air dam piece, or perhaps the PP2 lower air dam is unique. I'm not sure which it is right now, beyond that the EBPP does NOT fit. It's obvious once you look at a GTPP lower next to an EBPP - the GT has a flat surface on top that the EBPP does not, and the leading edge is just a different shape that doesn't match the PP2 splitter:
50337373272_474a798de7_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -07 by clair_davis, on Flickr

After that project took a dump, it was time to put everything back together again and be happy with the progress I made. Overall, I'm really happy to have my Terlingua Racing tribute complete, and at least have a path forward on the splitter project. Here's the finished grille:
50337214926_709e1e7c63_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -09 by clair_davis, on Flickr
50336526553_f0d5904856_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -10 by clair_davis, on Flickr
50337215031_285c77f251_c.jpg
Grille and Splitter Install -14 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Enough for now...
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
I figured that if I'm gonna do camber plates to get the alignment I need for the 19x11 + 305/30 combo, I'm 75% of the way to a spring upgrade soooo... a set of GT350R springs arrived today courtesy of @TRAC WPN. Thanks, man!

For reference, the PN's of these springs are:

Front (L&R) - FR3Z-5310-M [tag = FR3V-5310-RB]
Rear (L) - FR3Z-5560-X [tag = FR3V-5B859-ME]
Rear (R) - FR3Z-5560-W [tag = FR3V-5560-ME]

Different PN's for the rear springs due to the Magneride requirements for counter-wound springs. Not sure why that's not a deal on the front, but whatever. My only concern is that the stock Performance Package Magneride tuning may not be fully up to the GT350R spring rates. We'll see how this goes.

The goal is for a spring rate upgrade with a very minimal drop, and the R springs should do the trick. My car is slightly heavier than a R (sadly), so I'm expecting the final ride height to be about the same as the R. That's probably as low as I can go without rubbing the stock splitter on the driveway every day.

The PP2 splitter may be a no-go after I get the springs installed, so that project is on hold for a bit longer. I do have all the rest of the parts for the PP2 install short of the GT PP1 splitter, so that's ready to go if everything works out.
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
After searching here and on the Vorshlag site, I was able to confirm that the PP1 splitter is the part needed to adapt the larger PP2 splitter to my car. The PP1 splitter is already larger than the base GT / Ecoboost splitter, so that may be a challenge with my driveway. I'll try that first without the additional PP2, but will go ahead and install all the other pieces needed for the PP1 splitter - the under tray and a couple braces as shown on the Vorshlag list. All of those parts are waiting in the garage, so I'll give them a go when my eBay PP1 splitter arrives.

The GT350 springs are going to go on first, and then we'll see just how much ground clearance I lose before taking the PP2 splitter plunge.
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Springs are now installed - took a lot longer than I had hoped, but I have to be careful to not break my daily... even in COVID times. As tragic as breaking my car might be, it's not as bad as forcing my wife to leave her car outside overnight... twice... It all worked out well in the end - no broken parts beyond a clip for a sensor wire on the pass side strut. Details of the task:
Job 1, getting the into working space with the new Quickjack:
50776305088_56623d3172_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

Before I tore anything apart, I marked the location of the strut in the tower so I could get as close as I could to the stock alignment.
50776305038_f110c9925e_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

Then the fun began:
50776305593_25528eeaa5_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

The Magneride struts are really unusual under the dust boot:
50777061266_25cc587534_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

The front Shelby springs are significantly shorter than the EBPP+MR springs:
50777174557_b46ed6c436_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

The J&M caster/camber plates were really nice and were an easy install:
50777062511_4689241f6e_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr
50777062546_3d1c56f85f_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

In the back, the Shelby springs were again much shorter than stock - and a lot thicker, too:
50777062441_d1447db041_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

I was hoping to use a spring compressor to get the stock rear springs but there wasn't enough space to make the compressor work. Ended up dropping half the rear cradle anyway, but it wasn't a big deal.

After I got everything buttoned back up, I dropped her back down on the ground expecting a tiny drop from the Shelby springs - a half inch would have been OK to help keep the PP2 splitter off of the driveway incline. I drove her around the block to settle things down, and then measure the drop. It definitely looked pretty mild:
50777062026_2279fe06f1_c.jpg
GT350R Spring Upgrade by clair_davis, on Flickr

When I measured the drop, I had to do a double-take on the measurements. Zero drop. As in exactly the same in front, and about 1/10" in back. Wow. This car weighs a few pounds MORE than a GT350R, so I figured the drop would be about the same as the R, but I didn't expect the stock EBPP+MR suspension to be the same as the R as well. I can live with that, but it does mean that the wheel well gap will be that much larger when the 305's go in.

The time I put into locating the strut in the tower paid off and the car felt exactly the same as before the swap. I still needed to get a proper alignment, since the extra camber up front is what I need for the 305 swap. I took the car to Lonestar Elite Automotive to take advantage of his new Hunter alignment equipment. Bonus, he's an S550 owner as well:
50818694012_2f50189d2a_c.jpg
At the alignment shop by clair_davis, on Flickr

Results were spot on with the specs I gave him - real close to the GT350R track numbers:
50817186178_e17eef34af_c.jpg
2021-01-08_Alignment-Front by clair_davis, on Flickr
50818028907_1c9019b0ba_c.jpg
2021-01-08_Alignment-Rear by clair_davis, on Flickr

The new alignment feels lighter - it's easier to steer, even in Track mode. Not sure I understand that, but I like it. Need to put some more miles on it and learn the new feel.

Enough for now... but the FedEx truck should be dropping off some PP2 sway bars today. That's a project for later.
 

Sponsored
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Sway bars arrived - 2020 PP2 from a salvage yard ePay store:
50821900406_4b08a2d768_c.jpg
PP2 Sway Bars by clair_davis, on Flickr

Front PN JR3C-5482-DA:
50821900476_9a38bd0cbf_c.jpg
PP2 Sway Bars by clair_davis, on Flickr

Rear PN JR3C-5A772-DA:
50821996867_f14cdbacd1_c.jpg
PP2 Sway Bars by clair_davis, on Flickr

Hopefully they'll go on next weekend.
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Getting ready for the sway bar swap this weekend, I checked the bars that were on the car from the factory. I was under the impression that the EBPP cars came with something similar if not exactly the same suspension as the GTPP (minus the Brembos) - but it's looking more like just the base GT suspension with 19x9 wheels. Pisser.

Front 32mm bar:
50829738381_6620e8d7e3_c.jpg
Ecoboost Performance Package Front Sway Bar PN by clair_davis, on Flickr

Rear 21.7mm bar - lucked out and found this tag in the driveway after it fell off the car:
50833037643_c152162f49_c.jpg
Ecoboost Performance Package Rear Sway Bar PN by clair_davis, on Flickr

And for yet another wild card, I found a Magneride VDM from a 2018 GT350 for a good price - well below $100. Will it work? Don't know, but the risk was worth a few bucks. The GT350 has shocks/struts similar to the EBPP and GTPP units, not the reduced slots found in the GT350R. Hopefully this VDM will have a calibration a little more refined than the EBPP. For what it's worth, the EBPP calibration seems to work just fine, perhaps a little underdamped. We'll see.
50833080908_8a6bab74dc_c.jpg
2018_GT350_Magneride_VDM by clair_davis, on Flickr
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
Installed sway bars from a 2020 PP2 yesterday.
[EDIT] I meant to add a link to this LMR video that was really helpful in doing the job - the rear bar went on in about 15 minutes, but the front bar was a workout. The key is releasing the brake lines that are clipped to the chassis inside the engine bay, and I wouldn't have done that without the hint I got here:


[/EDIT]
Along with the GT350R springs I installed over Christmas, the car is pretty tight now. Still pretty amazed how well Magneride does at taming the ride - normal feels about like Sport+ now, but even Track mode is still totally manageable for driving around on decent paving. Not enough time to test anything, I finished her up just in time to drive down to the BBQ joint to pick up dinner. Will put a few more miles on her today.

Interesting thing was that the front bar I got (ePay auction from a salvage company) had one bent end link and some nasty undercoating on the bar. I have heard that the factory end links are prone to bending, but wasn't sure how big a problem that might be. but the bend on this one was obvious:
50843588462_433eaefd70_c-jpg.jpg

PP2 Sway Bars by clair_davis, on Flickr

Granted, this is from a wrecked car so who knows what happened. I kept my original links for now but will keep an eye on things.

I'll push the car a little harder while I get a feel for tail-happy she might be, and think on how the EBPP MR controller is handling the higher rates. In the meantime I'll research a bit more on whether or not the GT350 controller is truly plug-n-play.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
More pieces coming together... a couple weeks ago, I checked interest on someone to buy my half-worn 285/35's hoping to find a buyer before I committed to the 305/30's. Well, that took all of 15 minutes on a local Mustang FB page (DFWS550s), so I jumped ahead on ordering the 305's. Miserable weather for the last week so I don't have a ton of photos and, well, it was at a tire shop for the work. Here's the best shot I could get between the storms...

50867797303_34ef959517_c.jpg
Fog by clair_davis, on Flickr

I used 20mm billet spacers from Optimum Performance after verifying that they would have enough clearance to the strut. The GT350R hubs & long studs have plenty of room for the spacer and still require open-ended lug nuts:

50867834033_e9a5b4714f_c.jpg
Spacer by clair_davis, on Flickr

Plenty of space between the wheel/tire and the strut on the +50mm offset wheels:

50868649092_a540afbf5e_c.jpg
Spacer by clair_davis, on Flickr

Next project - PP2 splitter.
 
OP
OP
TicTocTach

TicTocTach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
980
Reaction score
994
Location
DFWTX
First Name
Clair
Vehicle(s)
2018 EBPP
The PP2 splitter was something I have wanted to add to my car from day 1 - I remember going through the online builder and seeing the PP2 option and adding that to my EB build only to find the V8 mandatory... Pissed! Why wouldn't a handling package be available with any engine? Well, we know that went and that's what sent me on this mission.

The splitter was the visual icing on the cake for the PP2 redo, and it really only made sense after everything else was done. My driveway is pretty steep, and even the puny EB/Base GT splitter would drag if I wasn't careful. When the GT350R springs didn't lower the car at all, I had a chance of everything working OK.

This was NOT a cheap upgrade. The splitter alone lists for around $400, and a base GT or EB has a host of other parts to make the splitter work as well:
50906056713_a75221c17f_c.jpg
PP2_Splitter_Expenses by clair_davis, on Flickr

If you're starting with an EBPP, you don't need the Lower Crossmember Brace, Bolts, or Insulator - they're already on the car.

50896835311_c70a0d6f62_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

If you're starting with a GTPP, you can also (obviously) skip the PP1 lower lip and undertray. That makes for a half-price project compared to starting with an EB, so a pretty big deal. The guys at Vorshlag did a good job of showing what you have to do to install the pieces:

https://www.vorshlag.com/forums/for...aero-body/58939-2018-mustang-gt-pp2-undertray

I found a couple things that differed in my experience that I'll outline here.

First, order of assembly matters. Install the PP1 lower lip / splitter, then the undertray, then the PP2 splitter. There are a crap-ton of fasteners and you just can't get to everything unless you do it in order. If your PP1 lower lip is like mine and doesn't have pre-drilled holes, you'll have to locate those and drill them. I used masking tape barely stuck down so that the locating pin on the PP2 splitter would leave a dark spot, and then drilled holes slightly larger than the pin.

50896834746_cee9de30e3_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

Speaking of fasteners, there are 21 (!) POM rivets required to install the PP2 splitter, and they require a special tool. The Ford parts seemed to be pieces of crap. They didn't expand right about 25% of the time, and some didn't grip at all. Ford lists those rivets at $6/EACH. I ended up redoing ALL of them and using slightly larger (6.3mm) rivets from Harbor Freight. Two variety packs with 40 rivets in this size is about $22, so no real heartburn.

Pro-Tip: to install this big, relatively floppy piece of plastic, you'll hang the ends inside the wheelwells as the instructions say, but then you need to support the middle. I used my height-adjustable rolling stool to hold up the center while I started all of the screws. Then push all of the rivets in place and do any adjusting necessary. Shouldn't be a problem getting all of the rivets in place at this point, and the slightly thicker HF rivets worked great.

50896949302_9db07e5f16_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

I popped a couple down on on either side of the stool, then removed it and snapped everything else down. With the rivets tight, go back and snug all the screws down and you're just left with finishing up.

One benefit of the PP1 undertray is the large brake cooling channels that are molded in. You can see them here:

50896119158_61f7c66a07_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

The problem on anything but a PP1 is that the fender liners block these channels. I cut notches in the liners so that the channels could push as much air up into the brakes as possible:

50896834676_3073c765c1_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

I had to relocate a push-clip hole to work on the PP1 undertray anyway, but no big deal.
50896834621_3b0217a3d4_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

Button up all the rest of the push clips, and voilĂ :
50896950527_0936728fff_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Install by clair_davis, on Flickr

Finally had a break from the rain, so I washed the car and took a few pics of her FINAL - pretty sure anyway - visual form:

50898668577_63fe76c3ec_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Installed- Clean by clair_davis, on Flickr
50898652002_13f533c355_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Installed- Clean by clair_davis, on Flickr
50897837183_fef43201bf_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Installed- Clean by clair_davis, on Flickr
50897837823_727612619a_c.jpg
PP2 Splitter Installed- Clean by clair_davis, on Flickr
Sponsored

 
 




Top