1995 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT

[OVERKILL]

Lol....that old school cobra intake was so cut apart and ported so much and so thin, it came apart under 14psi of boost so bad, it would make a plastic intake jealous.

Idk the hp with stock blocks. I was running them to 8k rpm and boost of "send it" I had 3 or 4 in my garage as spares. I was never a dyno guy until I got a r block . 306 long rod. She did get up to 886hp with that, but it ran like ish under street driving. That block got almost sawed in half by a broken con rod. Might of had something to do with high rpm and all the boost....young kid doing dumb stuff I guess.

You sound like a few of the guys I used to hang out with, lol. Run it 'til it blows and then turn it down a notch.

And let's be honest, engine electronics of 15-20 years ago don't hold a candle to electronics of today.

Yes, though EEC-IV was really bloody good, particularly when compared to what everybody else was using.

It's sad the stuff we had to do in the past for 500hp or more.

Particularly if you wanted it streetable. And then there was the rest of the drivetrain.

Today, you can pull a 2nd Gen yote, stick cams/spring/opg/headers on it and you're there. Get a 6.0 ls, stick a cam and springs in it, you're there, and even the stock ecus have more than enough control capability to make it live forever.

Yup, things started to get stupid around '03/04 with the Termi. An acquaintance of mine had one with a pair of hairdryers on it, ~850HP to the tires on pump gas, stock longblock. Guys were taking them to 1,100-1,200HP. Things have only gotten nuttier since then with 840HP available with warranty now.

 

[Vermess]

Yup, things started to get stupid around '03/04 with the Termi. An acquaintance of mine had one with a pair of hairdryers on it, ~850HP to the tires on pump gas, stock longblock. Guys were taking them to 1,100-1,200HP. Things have only gotten nuttier since then with 840HP available with warranty now.

You never lie. Still show up at some spots. Got buds with 1600-2000 hp capable cars struggling to "turn them down" running no prep or straight up "spots" and can't turn them down enough.

These days are scary with the high hp factory cars. At least back in the day we had to start at a certain hp and end up at a certain hp. That thought driving skill and respect. Every yahoo now can jump into a 840hp car and think he can handle it.

That same scenario happened two weeks ago when I went down to CT. Ran a hellcat from a dig in my s4. Rich kid with mommy and daddy money. Unprepared road. 400hp s4 took out a hellcat. It was bad. He and his buddies came back all butt hurt. They claimed my car made over 1000hp(I wish). They looked all in the car, trunk, under the seats, etc for a bottle. The bet was a large iced coffee, 4 cream, 2 liquid sugars.

It's beginning to be fun again.

 

[Finn]

Told my GF today that I'm slowly starting to understand and appreciate ladie's shopping concept and that made her quite happy.

Once she realized that I was talking about car parts and not a new sofa or such the atmosphere changed quite a bit.

 

[thastinger]

You sound like a few of the guys I used to hang out with, lol. Run it 'til it blows and then turn it down a notch.

Yes, though EEC-IV was really bloody good, particularly when compared to what everybody else was using.

Particularly if you wanted it streetable. And then there was the rest of the drivetrain.

Yup, things started to get stupid around '03/04 with the Termi. An acquaintance of mine had one with a pair of hairdryers on it, ~850HP to the tires on pump gas, stock longblock. Guys were taking them to 1,100-1,200HP. Things have only gotten nuttier since then with 840HP available with warranty now.

The Termi bottom ends were built with Manley rods, ARP 2K hardware and Mahle pistons with top rings that were way down the piston. They will easily take 1000HP provided the tune is right and the proper octane is used.

 

[Finn]

Took us four hours to change these and that includes EGR cleanup.

Front springs:

Rear springs:

 

[Finn]

 

[Finn]

Car feels good. Not too stiff, kind of like 'factory sport'.

Old springs were intact and shocks seemed to still have something in them but the new suspension got rid of the strange random wobble that the car had. Now it is different in a good way.

Glad I chose M-5300-B as I think that the C would have been too stiff for me.

Need to do some driving to let springs set and then alignment and a new tyres.

 

[researcher]

Car feels good. Not too stiff, kind of like 'factory sport'.

Old springs were intact and shocks seemed to still have something in them but the new suspension got rid of the strange random wobble that the car had. Now it is different in a good way.

Glad I chose M-5300-B as I think that the C would have been too stiff for me.

Need to do some driving to let springs set and then alignment and a new tyres.

I bet that the Bilstein's are making it feel "solid" without being harsh. Sounds like you have the optimal setup! awesome! congrats!

 

[Finn]

Right.

Yesterday we:
- cleaned MAF with appropriate spray
- changed air intake charge temperature sensor, IAC and TPS
- water pump and thermostat (old one was in the wrong way around)
- coolant
- changed engine oil and filter
- drilled strut upper bracket rivets off to allow more alignment room

Had the car buffed and waxed professionally today. Shines beautifully for a 30 year old car.

MAF cleaning and new sensors brought the engine back alive. Pulls now quite nicely and freely through gears.

 

[Finn]

I have been driving it a lot on highways and backroads lately to clean the engine gently. Seems to work as engine is feeling better and better.

I feel that one thing that should be addressed are motor and transmission mounts. And clutch - but more of that later.

Based on people's comments on several forums it seems that the quality of rubber mounts nowadays is rather bad and people tend to recommend urethane ones instead.

If I would go with Energy Suspension mounts do you think that the noise/vibration would increase compared to new rubber ones?

Are there any OEM quality rubber mounts available anymore?

 

[OVERKILL]

I have been driving it a lot on highways and backroads lately to clean the engine gently. Seems to work as engine is feeling better and better.

I feel that one thing that should be addressed are motor and transmission mounts. And clutch - but more of that later.

Based on people's comments on several forums it seems that the quality of rubber mounts nowadays is rather bad and people tend to recommend urethane ones instead.

If I would go with Energy Suspension mounts do you think that the noise/vibration would increase compared to new rubber ones?

Are there any OEM quality rubber mounts available anymore?

I had the Energy Suspension mounts, would highly recommend them, they are quality units.

 

[Finn]

Waiting for wheels to arrive.

 

[Finn]

So, the Japan Racing JR6 wheels arrived at my dealer. Specs were according to OEM SN95 wheels so they should fit. And they would. If they would.

I said to my trusty mechanic that let's check that they are round and straight before putting tyres on. And indeed one was round and straight.

One was perfect, second was OKish, third was out of round and fourth was out of round a lot. Looked like they had put the rims in machine not straight. So they all are going back to factory.

That is quite sad as I really liked the look.

As replacement wheels would take at least two to three weeks we agreed to cancel the order and install the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS6 on OEM wheels.

The old tyres were some horrible Antares M+S. With the Goodyears Mustang is now a completely different car.

Four wheel alignment still on Thursday and I think that'll do for this year.

 

[researcher]

So, the Japan Racing JR6 wheels arrived at my dealer. Specs were according to OEM SN95 wheels so they should fit. And they would. If they would.

I said to my trusty mechanic that let's check that they are round and straight before putting tyres on. And indeed one was round and straight.

One was perfect, second was OKish, third was out of round and fourth was out of round a lot. Looked like they had put the rims in machine not straight. So they all are going back to factory.

That is quite sad as I really liked the look.

As replacement wheels would take at least two to three weeks we agreed to cancel the order and install the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS6 on OEM wheels.

The old tyres were some horrible Antares M+S. With the Goodyears Mustang is now a completely different car.

Four wheel alignment still on Thursday and I think that'll do for this year.

sorry to hear the aftermarket were bad, but smart move to check them before installing! So much junk out there lately in the aftermarket parts.. I can just imagine how the Goodyear's changed the personality of the mustang! Sounds like you have a really good setup now!

 

[Finn]

Man should know his limitations...

 

[HM12460]

Now i'm depressed to realize the SN95 Mustang is 30 years old.

I remember looking at them brand new at my local Ford dealer. Hard to believe it has been that many years.

 

[Finn]

Right. Brakes.

Mustang has fairly new brake pads of unknown brand by previous owner. Rotors also look to be in very good condition, so good that they are most likely not original either. We have changed fluid and bled the system and there is no air left in system.

Everything works but brakes are bad. It feels like pads take a while until they heat up and only then start to brake.

I tested on highway that if I braked softly once or twice to heat up the pads and then braked there was decent amount of "stopping power". But there may be no time to heat up the pads first. So pads need to be changed.

I was considering rebuilding the calipers but remanufactured ones are affordable so I decided to change calipers with most likely Raybestos remanufactured calipers and replace the master cylinder as well. This probably a Raybestos too. I have new hoses waiting for installation.

Any comments on Raybestos as calipers and/or master cylinder?

What about the pads? It seems that OEM was ceramic so that'll be fine for a daily driver.

This is the list of Rockauto pads of brands that I'm familiar with. Any suggestions/recommendations of these?

 

[DuckRyder]

IMO there is no way i would replace a a factory caliper with a aftermarket rebuild unless it was past saving/broken in half etc.

No opinion on those pads, except i'm no longer a Wagner fan...

 

[researcher]

The one pad I do know of is the ProAct by Akebono, it has good bite, does not require the brakes to be pre-warmed. Works well in cold temps. Personally I like the performance pads I have which are carbon/kevlar made by Porterfield Brakes. But those are made in California. For you in Europe I'd say the ProAct would be nice and not expensive.

 

[Finn]

I am considering the refurbished calipers because even if I get seal kits for original ones there is a chance that we might find these pitted or something. In such a case it could be avoided with refurbished ones available.

But considering the general good condition of the car we are probably not so likely to find calipers pitted.