ReplicaR's Time Trial Mustang build *Engine Rebuild*
- Thread starter ReplicaR
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Beauty..
DKblue98GT
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Looks fast, and fun!
So, slight setback. I've test fitted the rear bumper today, and it looked a bit warped at the top, but I didn't think it was such a huge deal. Today I found that I was very wrong. The rear bumper is so warped that I can't even fit onto the car. Very disappointed, decided that I don't want to deal with any more set backs, and called Saleen to order new front and rear bumpers. Their sales rep was kind enough to discount it to the point where total price would equal to buying the whole kit, because buying up separate parts would have been more expensive. So, I will probably get these in a couple of week, then a few weeks later, I'll have the car in the paint shop. Hopefully all this struggle will be worth it, but I've got a feeling that it will be. Now I know that once I get the car from the body shop it will look perfect, no excuses.
Got the call from Saleen saying that the bumpers are ready, going to pick them up this week. I was also able to get in touch with Kaenen (yeah, they are still in business, can you believe that?), and order S351 wing from them. From what I've heard Kaenen composites are top notch, even better quality and fitment than original Saleen stuff. The S351 wing from Rocketz doesn't have the right gap between trunk lid drooping too low in the middle, and under aerodynamic load, it actually touches the trunk lid, as evident by this picture. I sincerely hope that Kaenen fitment is better, because I'm running out of options here.
Picked up the new bumpers today. I was kinda expecting for them to improve a bit on the design, same way they did on the side skirts, but unfortunately, it's the same as original. Seems to me that all of the Saleen Performance stuff is outsourced to a shop nearby where they are, which cranks out a bunch of bodykits. The kit itself seems like it's good quality, but one thing that I wish it had was maybe predrilled holes, or preinstalled mounting brackets, so that installing bumpers would be a true bolt on affair, which unfortunately it isn't. I'm pretty happy that I won't have to deal with any of that, and let the professionals in a body shop take care of the whole thing. I'm hoping to have it all installed within next month or so, and in the meantime, I'll knock a few other things out as well.
Love the car. If you decide to sell the wing you have now let me know
I'm sending it back for full refund.
Today I did a couple of things.
1. Rear Window Defrost Delete Plate: I lost mine during the interior rebuild. After getting tired of looking at a hole, I was able to find one on ebay, granted in saddle instead of black. I decided to put my airbrush to work, and painted it to match Russian flag colors, to celebrate my heritage. Primer, some masking, and a few coats of clear to finish it off, and it came out pretty good in my opinion.
2. Rear Spoiler Replacement: Kaenen spoiler came in yesterday, so I swapped it over, and surely enough the fit and finish was much better. The gap between the bottom of the spoiler and the trunk lid is even, the front edge of the spoiler is totally straight, by comparison to the old one which was a total mess. Pretty happy with this outcome, the old one is boxed up and on its way back to the seller for a refund.
Old Spoiler:
Old and New Spoiler (check out the crooked front edge on the old one):
New Spoiler Installed:
1. Rear Window Defrost Delete Plate: I lost mine during the interior rebuild. After getting tired of looking at a hole, I was able to find one on ebay, granted in saddle instead of black. I decided to put my airbrush to work, and painted it to match Russian flag colors, to celebrate my heritage. Primer, some masking, and a few coats of clear to finish it off, and it came out pretty good in my opinion.
2. Rear Spoiler Replacement: Kaenen spoiler came in yesterday, so I swapped it over, and surely enough the fit and finish was much better. The gap between the bottom of the spoiler and the trunk lid is even, the front edge of the spoiler is totally straight, by comparison to the old one which was a total mess. Pretty happy with this outcome, the old one is boxed up and on its way back to the seller for a refund.
Old Spoiler:
Old and New Spoiler (check out the crooked front edge on the old one):
New Spoiler Installed:
nitroram33
Active Member
Sooo, how'd you get in touch with Kaenen lol?
nitroram33
Active Member
Thanks! The Cervinis wing on my car now is splitting pretty bad, looks like it's time for an S351!
nitroram33
Active Member
My S351 wing showed up today, they're quick. Thanks again!
nitroram33
Active Member
Waiting on some plastidip to show up that's sorta close to what color the car is now, won't actually get painted until the car does.
I love this thread and your car!! What shop do you bring your car to? I’m in SoCal and am looking for a place to work on my 99 Cobra.
And regarding your Enkeis, would I be able to put the same size on my front with just pulling the fenders, or am I going to have to have a lot of camber as well?
I hope to get my cAr running some day and hopefully take it to the track some time.
And regarding your Enkeis, would I be able to put the same size on my front with just pulling the fenders, or am I going to have to have a lot of camber as well?
I hope to get my cAr running some day and hopefully take it to the track some time.
The shop I use is called Gear Driven Automotive, the head mechanic Saul has extensive experience with all things Ford and other domestic cars. He was the one who went through my motor after the initial build, and it's been pretty reliable since. If you google the shop name, you will find it in Reseda.
I think you should be able to run the Enkeis in the front without having to pull the fenders much. The good thing about new edge mustang is that pulling and rolling fenders on it is much easier than sn95, so even if there is some minor work required, it won't be difficult.
Thanks for the info! Much appreciated!!
Jay
edit - you’re running 17x10s, right? Would that be too much for the street? It’s not going to be a daily driver, just canyon carving and hopefully Buttonwillow or Auto Club Speedway.
Jay
edit - you’re running 17x10s, right? Would that be too much for the street? It’s not going to be a daily driver, just canyon carving and hopefully Buttonwillow or Auto Club Speedway.
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Honestly, it really depends on your budget. Back when I used to daily drive my car, I had a separate set of wheels that I would swap over for track days. 10 inch wheel may seem like a lot, but in reality considering the currently production cars, it's pretty standard size. I wouldn't bother with 17s anymore, hardly anyone makes the new performance compounds in that diameter. I would get a set of 18x10, which would give you access to all the newest tires, and would also allow you to rotate them.
This shall be my new desktop wallpaper at work.
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