Thursday, April 30, 2009

Mods part 3




Shifter: The stock shifter in a Mustang just doesn't cut it. That 2-3 shift can be a real pain, even in daily driving. Before I bought aftermarket shifter i thought i would see if there could be any improvements made to the stock shifter. I installed the Steeda bushing kit. Easy install and very cheap. It did improve the firmness of the shifts, but still a long throw and continued to have problems with the 2-3 shift. So i bought a Steeda Tri-Ax short shifter. The installation was straight forward and easy enough to say anyone with some free time and a few basic tools can do it. The shifter has this spring deal that really helps that 2-3 shift, kinda like it is guiding you to that gear, not the other way around. The shifter let me use the stock knobs, never had problems with that. It has two height positions, i drove for a long time with the shifter arm in the top position but one day thought i should try the lower one. It does lower the shifter arm and does require a bit more leverage, but i enjoyed it enough to keep it that way. I have had that shifter for three years and the only real problems I have had was the bolt kept coming loose, so i put a lil bit of lock-tight, cured the problem. Someday i would like to switch to the MGW shifter to see what all the hype is about.




Clutch: this modification was required due to a coolant leak i had that had. Coolant leaked down the back of motor and rusted out throw-out bearing. I bought the Ford Racing King Cobra clutch because i had one in my 1983 GT and loved it. At the same time i replaced the worn-out stock plastic quadrant with a Steeda double hook aluminum quadrant along with the Steeda cable and firewall adjuster. Everything is great with the cable and quadrant, but i still am having problems with the adjuster. The set screw used to lock the adjuster in the desired position has stripped out, so i went to OSH and bought a new set screw that was not only stronger but was a bit longer so it is easier to adjust. I also did this mod on my 1983 GT but never had any problems with any of those pices.




Brakes: My rotors where a little worn out so i decided to not have them turned, but instead I replaced all four rotors. I went with PowerSlot Slotted rotors. They are coated so they don't rust, help get rid of brake gasses and heat. I wish the company would have upgraded the rear disc ti vented disc, but other wise happy with them. I put the Hawk HPS street pads and J&M ss braided front brake lines to further improve the braking capibility. All these parts i was able to install myself, but when it came time to bleed the brakes I just couldn't get the air out, so i had my local Ford service tech do it. While i had everything apart I painted the calipers yellow. This is what started the Black and Yellow theme on my car. I was at a autocross and saw a Porsche 996 911 GT3 in black with the optional brake upgrade. Porsche paints the calipers yellow, which really caught my eye. The cailper paint is super easy to use and really stands out.




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