Chris's 94MGT Journal

NXcoupe · Jun 27, 2010

I didn't explain it well enough, I meant a caliper slide, not the piston itself. Like the outside rubbing the rotor. It would not result in a pull necessarily, but it was just a longshot in the dark as a suggestion. I would say it is probably tire balance or the tires flat spotting. I had a buddy chased this problem on a thunderbird he had, he eventually went back to his stock wheels and tires and the vibration went away. Sometimes cheaper tires can flat spot from sitting and give a vibration, but most of the time they smooth out after they get a heat cycle on them. That is strange, even after road force balancing it still vibrates.

TheNatster513 · Jun 27, 2010

schweeetness. deff wanna see where this goes.

95PGTTech · Jun 27, 2010

NXcoupe said:
I didn't explain it well enough, I meant a caliper slide, not the piston itself. Like the outside rubbing the rotor. It would not result in a pull necessarily, but it was just a longshot in the dark as a suggestion. I would say it is probably tire balance or the tires flat spotting. I had a buddy chased this problem on a thunderbird he had, he eventually went back to his stock wheels and tires and the vibration went away. Sometimes cheaper tires can flat spot from sitting and give a vibration, but most of the time they smooth out after they get a heat cycle on them. That is strange, even after road force balancing it still vibrates.

I do have one with a noticeable defect but it's on the back. I haven't road force balanced the rears yet. I looked through my notes in prep for the ASE Steering Test and I did see excessive caster difference or improper caster can cause a shimmy. I guess that's a fair description of the issue. My last alignment was 1.7/2.3 so that's a pretty extreme difference in caster and a very incorrect caster setting. I've been trying to find a cheap set of C/C plates and lowering springs as one of the modifications (the strut towers have already been drilled, likely after the accident). I'm hopeful this is the issue, but I may try balancing the rear tires, then rotating that bad tire to the front to see if the issue gets worse.

The caster would also explain the pull, as another note is that a car with good camber and toe settings will pull in the direction of the greater positive pull. This also might explain why it seemed to get worse after installing solid rack bushings - you'll feel a shimmy issue a lot worse through the rack. The explanation makes sense in my head - I hope it turns out like that in real life. I'll have my Thursday to myself this week so I should be able to do the door and header panel with some luck.

NXcoupe · Jun 28, 2010

Good, I've been racking my brains and those are the thoughts that came out to the forefront, wish I was closer, would like to hang out and watch this thing progress. Well, I'd stand there hold a beer and offer verbal support and crack jokes. lol. Second thought you could probably do without that, lol. You'll get it figured out.

95PGTTech · Jul 3, 2010

July 3

Really no work today, I normally start working on my stuff around 2PM, I started a little after noon today and really should have started at 11AM. Unfortunately, that meant the sales guys wanted to head out early and effectively shut my day down early (around 3 hours short) and my agenda.

Realized I don't have a battery hold down (fails inspection in PA...). Threw one of them out last week literally. Sigh.

Yanked the front bumper. Fairly quick since the last jackass had about half the bolts supposed to hold it in actually there. I had to bust out the p/s foam where the crash beam was tweaked to get to the crash beam bolts. Got it off, replaced the front crash sensors. Didn't help the light, still have a 42 code.

Drilled out the bolt that was broken off in the radiator support that holds this rad support to fender brace on and set that up.

Replaced the broken p/s headlight connector by depinning the old and new, pretty straight forward.

P/S cooler is a little tweaked so if I can chase down another parts car and get it for free I'll change it.

Drilled out the hood latch adjustment nipples and played around with it what seemed like 300 times, but now have a hood that shuts correctly and opens correctly and doesn't make the car seem more like a broken POS...very happy.

Had to drill out the header panel to fender alignment dowels...couldn't figure that one out. They were physically too small. Ran into that same issue with the old broken panel. Maybe these reproduction fenders weren't large enough to begin with?

Got the header panel up (the goal for the day) minus a few missing bolts. Hopefully I can track down another guy with a parts car for all this odds and ends stuff and not get killed on it. This is the little nit picking stuff where I always lose money/time.

I was going to have my wife bring the front bumper and crash beam from the garage but heard of the closing early so I just parked it outside. She was coming over for dinner anyhow next door to my work so I'll wrap this part up Monday. I'm scheduled 8-2 so I'm assuming another early close (there is only one of the four service writers and three techs besides me there so I'm assuming a super dead day). Just trying to get one or two things done at a time - if nothing else, this car is teaching me to be cheap/creative/make stuff work instead of my normal throw money at it.

Maybe I'll man up and just fiberglass repair this hood; I can't seem to find one. Everyone wants either $100+ for a stock one or has an aftermarket one they want $200+ for or their parts car got hit in the front. I did some minor adding of fiberglass to my SVO side skirts so it shouldn't be THAT bad...

No additional costs on this day leaves me at...
Total Invested To Date:
$2420.97

NXcoupe · Jul 4, 2010

I know what you mean about the hood alignment, nothing drives you crazier than having to have 2 people to open the hood, or the hood rattles, sticks, etc. Coming along, you're gettin there!

95PGTTech · Jul 5, 2010

July 5

Slow day at work. Was expecting to be able to work on it 2-6pm but the salesmen decided they wanted to go home at 2pm so really only had fifteen minutes or so. Just enough time to throw on the crash beam and bumper with a few bolts to drive home. Thank God while I was bored through the day I got the crash beam and bumper ready to go on.

Washed the bumper, removed those stupid black half-lips that always catch curbs and speed bumps. Removed the fog light delete plates and replaced the driver side bracket that had a stud broken in it. And gave it a good wash, what a difference.

The crash beam all it needed was the fog lights swapped over to it so I took them apart and lubed everything up so they could actually be adjusted. Still need a new d/s fog light unit but bent up the p/s bracket so I don't need that anymore. I drilled the bumper and mounted the HID ballasts how I like on Mustangs. I'll wait to install the nice headlights and HIDs until post-paint.

The gap on the p/s is pretty good but I'm not sure what's going on with the d/s yet, a product of literally putting it on as they're closing the lights. If I don't get pulled over for no front turn signals, I'll address the rest Wednesday after a normal day of work (my day off was switched to Tuesday this week and my parents want to go on some family day trip and what not).

One little thing at a time, that list grows and shortens, grows and shortens.

No additional costs on this day leaves me at...
Total Invested To Date:
$2420.97

brad94GT · Jul 5, 2010

sweet

95PGTTech · Jul 7, 2010

July 7

Fixed the gap, installed the corner markers so I can drive legally (I think), and located some more missing hardware. I need a bucket of Mustang bolts is what I really need. I had to drill out some of the mounting holes in this aftermarket header panel but it all ended up fitting decently.

No additional costs on this day leaves me at...
Total Invested To Date:
$2420.97

JDwhite98gt · Jul 14, 2010

wish you were a little closer but I have a 20 gallon bin with only mustang bolts in it just taking space in my parents garage lol they are so pissed use their house as a stash spot. Well the resto is coming along nicely.

95PGTTech · Jul 15, 2010

That would be well worth the trip if you'd be willing to deal. I'm about 2 hours from MD and I'm going on a vacation on the 22nd in the Poconos. Might be able to make a stop going down Thursday or back up Sunday if you're game.

Been doing a lot the last couple days with the driver side door and diagnosing the right rear noise which has presented itself again over bumps. We got it to happen yesterday on the lift by LIFTING UP the suspension where as before we were just standard jouncing down on the rear fender like as is done in a state inspection. More pictures when both are finished.

JDwhite98gt · Jul 16, 2010

you can have it all for free if you help me diagnose a driveline vibration that I'm having :dontknow:

Twista · Jul 17, 2010

nice thread

95PGTTech · Jul 17, 2010

JDwhite98gt said:
you can have it all for free if you help me diagnose a driveline vibration that I'm having :dontknow:

explain more. PM or here is fine. it's more of a curiosity thing than anything else with me really, lol.
speeds? increase with speed? increase with rpm? gears? turn left or right? brake or hard accel? modifications?

JDwhite98gt · Jul 19, 2010

OK mods first.
Front:
Tokicko Struts, MM cc's, Ford C springs, bumpsteer kit
Rear:
Tokicko shocks, C springs, 4.10 rear (just rebuilt had to re-shim twice, but vibration existed before rear install), hotchkis boxed LCA's, replaced UCA axel bushings. The onlt poly bushings I have are in the LCA's and look ok.
Vibration is above 55mph and somewhat subtle unless I lift my foot off the gas then whole car vibrates, sounds somewhat like Druuuum Drummm Druuuum. Feels as though its comming from the rear but steering wheel vibrates slightly as well and I can feel it in the floor and in my seat. Cant even make out what cars are behind me in the rearview while this is happening. Changed U-joints(Lifetime warranty Duralast non greaseable) last night and rotated driveshaft 180 degrees thinking it may be the issue....no change. Also do not now if it is related or not but sometimes when braking +clutch+ go to change gear the shifter will shake side to side between shift gates (braking+clutch+take out of fourth gear+neutral(shifter wobbles) +now into 3rd gear) dont know if that makes sense or not.

I orginally thought it was a rear end problem so I recently had a friend who knew what he was doing install some 4.10's with master bearing kit but I did not rebuild the posi unit because I still burn 2 tires in a straight line or around a corner. I may need to road force balance the wheels and tires but I doubt thats my problem. Maybe a wheel is bent on the rear? I do not have a spare set of wheels to test this

greenscobie86 · Jul 19, 2010

Very informative thread... Your build is pretty much EVERY car I've ever owned, except I had to do it with much less resources and didnt have the knowledge/skill/facilities you do.

Keep up the great posts!!!

95PGTTech · Jul 19, 2010

JDwhite98gt said:
OK mods first.
Front:
Tokicko Struts, MM cc's, Ford C springs, bumpsteer kit
Rear:
Tokicko shocks, C springs, 4.10 rear (just rebuilt had to re-shim twice, but vibration existed before rear install), hotchkis boxed LCA's, replaced UCA axel bushings. The onlt poly bushings I have are in the LCA's and look ok.
Vibration is above 55mph and somewhat subtle unless I lift my foot off the gas then whole car vibrates, sounds somewhat like Druuuum Drummm Druuuum. Feels as though its comming from the rear but steering wheel vibrates slightly as well and I can feel it in the floor and in my seat. Cant even make out what cars are behind me in the rearview while this is happening. Changed U-joints(Lifetime warranty Duralast non greaseable) last night and rotated driveshaft 180 degrees thinking it may be the issue....no change. Also do not now if it is related or not but sometimes when braking +clutch+ go to change gear the shifter will shake side to side between shift gates (braking+clutch+take out of fourth gear+neutral(shifter wobbles) +now into 3rd gear) dont know if that makes sense or not.

I orginally thought it was a rear end problem so I recently had a friend who knew what he was doing install some 4.10's with master bearing kit but I did not rebuild the posi unit because I still burn 2 tires in a straight line or around a corner. I may need to road force balance the wheels and tires but I doubt thats my problem. Maybe a wheel is bent on the rear? I do not have a spare set of wheels to test this

A bent wheel will increase with speed, doesn't sound like your issue. No play in the front end? 6-12 or 3-9? Pull hard on the bottom (6) outward? pull bottom fore and aft? No rack/column/rag joint play?

Hard to diagnose stuff over the internet, but I'd check the motor and transmission mounts. A pry bar is a pretty easy test, or just watching while someone revvs the car.

Next test drive, do 60mph if the vibe happens at 55mph, push in the clutch and take it out of gear (neutral) and let the clutch out trying to stay above 55mph. Figure out if it happens without the engine as part of the picture. I assume you checked the balancer...