Oil PSI Gauge issues

Lately i have been noticing my oil pressure gauge has been acting funny. I watch my oil level like a hawk because the 4.6L of my era are known to drink a lil oil. But oil level has been fine. So i though, well I should just pick up a cheap mechanical oil pressure gauge to prove that it is the gauge, not the motor acting up. Easier said then done! All throughout the day i have been struggling to find clearance to put in the needed hardware for the gauge (i.e. brass fittings). Well long story short I ended up needing to get a 90 degree elbow to make room for the fittings, and as usual OSH (orchard supply hardware didn't have it ( or "Out of Stock Hardware" as I like to call it!!!!). Eventually i went a different route with the fittings and think everything is good to go, just need to fire up the car tomorrow morning, make sure there are no leaks, and secure the tubing to the harness so it doesn't rub anything. Once that is done, then will know if it was just the factory gauge acting up or not.

Update on the decals: I just got them in the mail from edecals.com, they look awesome. Put one on my car's rear window, looks great! Thank you edecals.com for a speedy delivery and great product. I will have pics tomorrow of both the gauge install as well as the decals.

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Today I had a company (edecals.com) make me some custom decals to promote the site you are reading now. Can't wait to put them on. I will have pics as soon as i get them.

I would like to take the time to thank Brian Cox who has been my contact at American Muscle.com. Without his help I wouldn't have been able to design this site. Thank you so much and look forward to reviewing products from your site.

ouch!

Earlier today I was cleaning up my engine bay on the '96 GT when my elbow caught the hood prop rod. Long story short and to not embarrass myself too much, the hood came down on my head. I miss working on my old Sable with the hood struts, lol. Moral of the story is be careful around the hood prop, or buy the hood struts, believe there are a few kits out there for my car, think it is something i need to look into.

My thoughts on the new 2010 Mustang

So the new Mustang is out, and I am not 100% sure I like it. The first thing I noticed was that rear end. Now this is my own opinion, but damn that back end is ugly. Those taillights are awful! But i have to say I really like the new fender lines and the updated front end. Gotta like that hood too. My 2005 V6's interior is its weakest point. But I think Ford has really improved on the inside of the new mustang. So is this car going to keep Ford alive through these troubled times, I am not sure, but hope so. I can't wait to see what the aftermarket does for the new 'stang. Now that I think of it, when the 2005 Mustang came out I wasn't too crazy about it, but now I own one, so maybe it will grow on me.

Stop by AmericanMuscle.com and check out their large inventory of 2010 Mustang Wheels.

Future Plans?

yesterday I got back from a weekend away down in Santa Barbara for a charity event. Unfortunately for me I was away enough from my car to almost go crazy not being able to drive it (think it had to do with the fact I was driving a Town and Country van, lol). Anyways as I was sitting in my hotel room I was thinking about what I want to do to my car.

Here is just a few things I had in mind, in no particular order

• Rebuild Motor: I have a spare 4.6L V8 from a '96-'98 Gt that I want to have rebuilt and slightly bore/stroke. Nothing crazy, just a lil bit of prep for future mods.
• Do the P.I. swap: It would be nice to update my 4.6L with '99-'04 PI heads and intake.
• Supercharger: Ok, this one is way off down the line do to money, but love the idea of supercharging my 'stang. Think I would go with the Vortech S-trim blower.
• Rebuild Trans: Just like the motor, the tranny is getting a lil tired, so a nice rebuild will be in the future.
• '94-'98 SVT Cobra front bumper with Euro Yellow fog lamps
• Install Subframe connectors: I have the full length XL kit from Maximum Motorsports, but still need to find someone who can install them
• Hood: I have changed my mind so many times on what style hood I want. But think i have it narrowed down to three different designs. If money was no object or found one cheap I would love the Griggs Racing Vented hood. The '95 Cobra R hood would look great as well as the factory '96-'98 SVT Cobra hood.
• Rear Control arms: this is an area I really need to address, car just won't hook up, just hops . I was thinking Ford Racing uppers with Maximum Motorsports lower.

These were just a few things I was kicking around in my mind.

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Knott's Berry Farm

On April 18th, at around 7am, I hopped in my '96 GT and headed for LA. From my small apartment in San Juan Bautista, CA, it was going to be about a five hour drive. My Mustang was packed full of all the essentials for a young male heading for a weekend getaway: Plenty of Gatorade, gummie-worms, couple of sandwiches, backpack full of clothes, a digital camera, and the desire to hit the road. Once I got on hwy 5, it it about 200miles of straight nothing...so it seemed. For the most part I took it easy because there are so many highway patrol officers ready to write-up a ticket to "a guy in a mustang". My destination was Knott's Berry Farm, although I wasn't going there for the theme park...I was going to the Fabulous Fords Forever car show! Along the way, I got thumbs up from many passing cars, kids in backseats of minivans with faces pressed against the glass waving at me, and even the young at heart glancing at me perhaps reliving road trips of their own. At one point a Ferrari 308 finished in Fly Yellow went speeding by me then slowed down so we were door to door. I looked over and the "dude in all white" began revving his car, flashing his lights and took off. Before I through the car from fifth to third i was cruising at 65mph, but before I knew it i was nearing 80mph, then 100mph...and I caught up with him. He turned bright red, waved then we both slowed down, and he took the next exit, lol. About an hour later I saw him fly by me again, then about twenty mins after that the Ferrari had a CHP Charger pulled right behind him. Every gas station I stopped at, people would say things like nice car or just give me the thumbs up. I kept thinking to myself, oh I love my car. Although I did have one mishap with my car, involving a SUV running over a traffic cone and launching it into my front bumper, the car did perfect and rewarded me with 29mpg at one point. The cone managed to pop the front bumper cover off at the driver's side, breaking the plastic push pins. Along the side of the road, I zip-tied the bumper back together and somehow managed to free the cone from my BBK X-pipe, but not before melting the crap out of the orange cone, lol. After that it was smooth sailing to my Hotel for the night in Stanton.

The next morning, the day of the show I got up early and drove to the Sears parking lot next to Knott's Berry Farm for the show. With camera in hand I sat myself on the sidewalk, watching all the Fords coming into the show. It is one thing to get to walk up to a 2000 Cobra R, peer into and snap a few pics, but to see it drive up to the show, 5.4L revving up, is quite different. Eventually I made my way into the show, i was surrounded by hundreds of mustangs and people who bled Ford Blue. I was in heaven. I saw so many amazing Mustangs, ones I had only read about, 'stangs that have graced the covers of 50. Mustang and Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords, and even a few like mine. Everybody was so kind there, just waiting to strike up a Mustang conversation. It was so cool to see what people do to Mustangs of every year. Although everything was outstanding, the real highlight of the show to me was walking through the SN-95 portion and seeing a whole row of black 96-98 GT's. The owners and I talked for a hour or two, bragging, swapping tips, and what they had in store for their 'stang.

I took over 1,000 pics, but still could have taken more if it wasn't for the blasting heat and lack of time. So after a wonderful day I got back onto the road and headed home. I encourage any Mustang or Ford fan to attend next year's event!

Here is Bill Musselman's amazing 1970 Mustang Mach 1. A good friend of mine and my Auto Shop teacher when I attended Hartnell College.

Here is the award I won. The category my car competed in was 1990-1999 Modified Mustang.

Thanks Salinas Valley Ford and Thunder Riders for a great event.

Special thanks goes to my dearest friend Denise Fryn, who has always supported my hobby. Thanks also to her dad Ron who stopped by the show and took this picture.


On April 11, 2009 I attended the Thunder Riders Mustang show hosted by Salinas Valley Ford. Although I am a regular at Mustang shows, this was the first time I have ever entered my or any car for that matter. I enjoyed talking with all the other Mustang owners as well as the members of Thunder Riders who is a local motorcycle club. At the end of the day awards were being handed out. When I heard my name (mispronounced of course, lol) i was shocked. Couldn't believe it. I still catch myself staring at the award sometimes.