It's Terminator time here. Yes, we know this doesn't happen all-too often here in Tech Inspection. However, it's with good reason that we haven't focused much on quick bolt-ons for Ford's first-born supercharged 'Stangs.

Thanks to a burgeoning aftermarket, our Mustang hobby has spawned fans of all of the popular EFI platforms over the years. The latest group of hard-core 'Stangbangers in the Mustang Nation is the ever-growing contingent of '11-'13 Coyote 5.0 GT owners who have taken to immediately modifying their new Ponies.

Holding an elite spot between the Mustang GT and the Shelby GT500 is the vaunted Boss 302. Built as a sinewy, naturally aspirated corner carver, the Boss is better in every way than the GT, and came close to challenging the GT500 before the arrival of the world-beating '13 model. All told, the Boss is a lust-worthy auto in stock form.

We hope by now you've had an opportunity to read our introductory report on our latest Mustang-build project (“Beg, Borrow & Deal,” Jan. '13, p. 74) and fully digest the scope of the modifying/rejuvenation effort for our '91 hatchback LX, which we've dubbed Cheaper Sleeper. For those of you who are a bit behind in your reading, Sleeper is a stone-stock Fox that Tech Editor KJ Jones picked up for a song back in early 2012.

Power-adder Coyote fans are a happy bunch. The free-breathing V-8 eagerly responds to power inducements, and enjoys well-engineered cooling and fuel systems. Up to the octane limits of pump gasoline—about 540 rear-wheel horsepower—making Coyote power is about as easy as howling at the moon.

Sometimes in the process of trying to keep up with the newest developments in the ever-evolving Mustang world, you might assume we leave the older stuff behind. While we can say that's not the case, there's nothing like presenting a project to prove we're sincere when we say that all of the Ponies from the modern era are important.

It’s easy to get swept up in the majesty of modern V-8 Mustang performance. Our magazine was born of V-8s, and we still spend most of our efforts regaling in the splendor of eight- cylinder muscle. Modern Mustangs are great, and their performance potential is seemingly limitless. However, if you plan to daily drive your Mustang and your funds aren’t unlimited, you might be drawn to the 3.7-liter V-6.

After my Coyote-powered '94 Cobra went down the road, I picked up a '01 Bullitt to replace it. Going from the rev-happy Four-Valve 5.0 Coyote to a pedestrian Two-Valve 4.6 is like going from dating Marisa Miller to looking for a mail-order bride. Sure, it's still a woman (you hope), but in both instances it's a huge downgrade.

Corn Compatible
If your Mustang runs on corn, check out Holley Performance Products' new E85-compatible, billet HP and Dominator fuel-system components. The use of E85 fuel is more taxing than gasoline, and the fuel-system components must also be E85 compatible. Holley says its HP and Dominator fuel pumps passed the 1,000-hour, heated E85 testing cycle to ensure durability. The corresponding HP and Dominator fuel-pressure regulators use a diaphragm material compatible with pump gas, diesel, alcohol, and of course, E85. Plus, Holley's HP and Dominator filters utilize E85-compatible Viton O-rings.

Let's face it -- Mustang folks' favorite pastime is planning, saving, and installing upgrade mods, then finding some open pavement to test them out. It's a way of life.

Regular followers of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords are aware that our tech projects typically cover various ways of taking '86-to-present, V-8-powered Mustangs to the next level. This usually entails removing original equipment and installing bolt-on parts that promote increased horsepower and torque at the rear wheels.

Get My Shift?

Water injection has been around forever, but after going in and out of fashion for decades, it's gaining a firm foothold in the performance-car world. A big reason is Matt Snow at Snow Performance is dedicated to educating the world that water is less expensive than race gas, and almost as easy to install. His line of computer-controlled water/methanol injection kits has proven popular with supercharger fans where boosted induction air temps are hot enough to bake a turkey, and now he's showing naturally aspirated powerplants benefit from water as well.

At this point, you'd have to be freshly awakened from a long, hard sleep to not be aware of the phenomenon that is Coyote mania. Yes, the '11-'13 V-8 Mustangs have been the talk of 'Stangland for nearly three years. We've done more than our due-diligence to stay at the front of the pack, when it comes to checking out the new hotness, and giving you the first look on these pages.

It's no secret, nor is it by accident that a majority of our tech reports focus on engine/drivetrain-performance upgrades for late-model Mustangs. Handling and braking improvements also get love on these pages, but we admit the bulk of our mods coverage focuses on horsepower and ways of making more.

It's no secret that tuning is the most critical element of today's Mustang performance scene. Ever since the 1996 arrival of second-gen On Board Diagnostic technology for all vehicles, manipulating Mustangs' Powertrain Control Modules -- via their OBD-II ports -- has become commonplace.

Lockless Monster
I have an '04 GT that’s pretty well built. All of the mechanicals are perfect, but I’m now having a problem with the door locks of all things.

It's still hard to believe how far the Mustang has come since the sunset of the New Edge run. As the S197 Mustang was born, it ushered in a whole new era of Mustang performance and driveability. The leap from '04 to '05 was huge. Yet in 2010, there was another big step ahead. These days the difference between the likes of a Boss 302 and its predecessors is flat-out mind-blowing. "The '04 and earlier cars were fine, and they adapted well to aftermarket modifications," Steeda President and CEO Dario Orlando explained. "The '05-and-later platform provides an even better basis upon which we can apply our aftermarket expertise to further enhance performance. Overall, the S197 platform is a stiffer and more advanced chassis, which provides Mustang drivers enhanced overall performance levels."

Alove for modifying, personalizing, and building hot Mustangs is one element of the DNA in all of us at the mag, and just about anyone else who faithfully reads 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords. Yes, we, in a sense, live for badass Ponies and rightfully take pride in having a role in their development. Through the years, the magazine's full-time and extended staff members have taken part in many Mustang builds. Some projects are high profile and have been successful, and there are some that unfortunately have languished into that area of the almost forgotten. And there are great ideas that still haven't come to fruition.

When it comes to drag racing, there are two schools of thought. One group subscribes to the notion that real race cars have three pedals, while the other contingent believes an automatic transmission is the best way to get from Point A to Point B in the shortest amount of time. Stick-naysayers' argument is that forward momentum is killed on gear changes. An automatic...they'll tell you, maintains forward momentum on gear changes. Stick bangers answer that argument by simply saying, "You must not know how to drive a stick!" And that's their only argument, and frankly, besides saying a stick car is more fun to drive, in their head, that's the only argument they need.

Kenny Brown has a long history of Mustang chassis-building. Perhaps Kenny staked his claim in the '80s when the Saleen race team dominated the Escort Endurance Series championships. Those Mustangs were built by Kenny and proved unstoppable in the hands of Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, and, of course, Steve Saleen, among others. Kenny went on to build many Mustangs and Fords, including a signature line of Mustangs, and he was a player in the suspension-parts field for decades. Fame and the business grew for years, but as Kenny put it, he tried working himself to death and came down with a nasty series of pulmonary infections that derailed him for years. The good news is Kenny Brown has beat the bugs and is back in the Mustang chassis market.

Our never-ending technical exploits continue this month with a project that solidly supports Editor Steve Turner's staunch position about late-model Mustangs: "They're made to be modified!"

A few months and issues of your favorite Mustang magazine have gone by, and we hope you've had a chance to read and absorb the cover story of our Oct. '12 issue. In the article (“The Main Event,” p. 52), your scribe takes representative 'Stangs from four of our most popular Mustang platforms, and evaluates the percentage-difference in performance gain for each of them with bolt-ons. Our rules of engagement for that effort meant that the parts we used had to be available for each Mustang platform in our control set. Since such pieces are not yet developed for the newest 5.0 Ponies (and we doubt they will be), underdrive wheels didn't make the cut for the battle.

Thank goodness for the aftermarket. Every time the factory forgets to add a facet to a car, the aftermarket is there with solutions. Over time, the factory often takes the aftermarket hint and adds features to its cars. There is one area that the hint hasn't been heard, and that's under the hood. The Mustang still has a hood prop-rod. Not only does it get in our way on photo shoots, the prop rod just looks archaic these days. Moreover, it's just not cool to roll into a cruise night or a car show and prop your hood with a prop rod. Not only is it unsightly, but it's unsettling as well. You don't want the breeze or a passerby to knock the hood off its perch and have it push back or crash down.