Fellow Real Street Racer Bruce...
Fellow Real Street Racer Bruce Hemminger (left) is the new car sales manager at Van Drunen Ford. Early in November, Bruce worked on a dealer trade where he would procure a low-option, red '05 V-6 Mustang for our project. Here, we are taking delivery of the car one week before the PRI Show on December 3, 2004.
A little history lesson. The '88 LX coupe that I have raced in the NMRA is getting long in the tooth. 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords Editor Steve Turner has asked several times when I was going to build a new car. I was quite attached to my little red '88 coupe. It has a history. It participated in every NMRA Race from 2000 to 2004. It was the third car in the Factory Stock 11-second club. For 2003, I made the switch to the 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine Real Street class. It was July of that year the red coupe became the first car in the nines. Still Mr. Turner persisted in prodding me to consider a new ride. More on that later.
Have you ever wanted to do something but just couldn't justify it? Well, I had listened to Jim Schenk from Car Shop in Moline, Illinois, talk about how cool it was on the Hot Rod Power Tour. With a full schedule of NMRA races, it wasn't really possible. I talked to Steve Turner and asked, "What would you think if I took my Real Street car on the Hot Rod Power Tour?" Steve said, "Cool, and you can write about your exploits in 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords." Hmm, this ought to be fun. It was looking like I needed a plan.
With all the talk of the new...
With all the talk of the new Mustang, one thing was clear-it was heavy. We wanted to see just how heavy. Stories of GTs tipping the scales at more than 3,600 pounds with a driver were common. Without a driver, our V-6 Weighed 3,315 pounds. The front was 1,800 and the rear was 1,515. If we added my weight, even the V-6 is heavy. We are going to have our work cut out for us to get this car down to a Real Street-legal 3,150 pounds ['cause you know Robin's not going on a diet-Ed].
So, a month before the SEMA show in Las Vegas, I notice a post on the FFW message board about Ford Racing's Body-In-White program. I must admit that I didn't look at the new Mustang when Ford had some at Columbus and then Martin, Michigan. The pictures I had seen in the magazines really didn't do the car justice. It wasn't until Dr. Jamie Meyer made the lap down the track at Martin, that I really took notice. As I stood at the fence watching Jamie's blistering 14.70, I was taken with the retro styling of the '05 Mustang. Hmm, those new Mustangs are hot. Well, at least the looks were. After filling out the application, I thought I would not hear anything. Well, about three weeks later, I got an e-mail notification that we had been approved for a Ford Racing BIW.
As required, we sent the $3,500 to secure our car. Once at the SEMA show, a problem arose. I knew that we could never take the '05 Mustang BIW on the Power Tour as it is a non-VIN car. They are sold for the purpose of racing and are never to be licensed or titled. Once the sponsors learned that I had an '05 Mustang in planning for the NMRA Series for 2005, they were not going to settle for my old '88 coupe on the Power Tour.
To solve the VIN problem, I elected to buy a low-option V-6 Mustang to build our '05 Mustang Real Street car. While it seems costly, it also solved many other problems. First, it gave us the ability to drive the car on the Hot Rod Power Tour. Second, it seems that some parts needed to complete the car would have availability problems since Ford is building the new Mustangs as fast as they can.
OK, we really didn't tear...
OK, we really didn't tear into the car immediately. We needed to do a little promotion prior to dismantling the it. Well, actually it was way too much fun to drive. Here we are at Car Shop in Moline, Illinois (our engine guys), to get a few shots of the "before" picture. In this shot, you can see the high ride height that Ford builds into these cars.
Once the hood was removed...
Once the hood was removed (aluminum, 25 pounds), it was easy to disconnect the engine and transmission. The processor is located just behind the radiator, as is the power distribution box on the passenger-side inner fender. Since we are using the Paxton Novi 1200, it's going to be interesting to get our intake air tube into this tight area. The battery is located on the passenger side against the firewall. Ford really thought out this car. It was a breeze to work on.
The front bumper cover is...
The front bumper cover is easily removed from the '05-so easy, we will probably have it off between rounds at the NMRA races. Ford used a stamped-steel reinforcement. Lighter, but stronger parts are used throughout the new Mustang. The K-member and front lower control arms share the same construction as the K-member. Our total savings from replacing the hood and front suspension components will be less than in previous years. A good thing for people with '05 Mustangs, not so good for us.
Once the engine and transmission...
Once the engine and transmission are removed, you notice all the room. It's huge. The framerails are about 4 inches wider than the previous Mustangs. For years to come, racers are going to love this car. It has enough room for a nice Boss 429 with headers well inside the framerails. The engine mounts differently from our Fox body. It actually uses a single stud and biscuit setup like the old Flathead Fords had in the '30s and '40s [Robin was there, so take his word for it-Ed].
Another concern was the transmission...
Another concern was the transmission tunnel. It appears to be higher yet narrower. We are concerned that our scatter shield is going to be tight here. It may need a little "massage" when we get ready to install our current 5.0 and Tremec TKO transmission.
Once most of the driveline...
Once most of the driveline had been removed, we moved to the interior. The Mustang is different in so many ways, I wondered if I had bitten off too much. The dash sits farther back than in previous Mustangs. The shifter is remote-mounted and is closer to the driver's position. Without a remote shifter for our Tremec TKO 600 transmission, the shifter would be located where the radio is mounted. The '05 five-speed cars use a hydraulic throw-out bearing to actuate the clutch. As this setup is an unknown, Racecraft will install a cable-actuated '93 pedal assembly into the car. You can also see the "fly-by-wire" throttle assembly. Racecraft will install an earlier cable throttle assembly as well.
This is the rear seat area....
This is the rear seat area. The two large, plastic circles are access covers for the fuel pumps. The fuel tank is mounted under the rear seat area and straddles the driveshaft. That is why the mufflers are after the rear axle. The large bolt in the center rib is for the upper three-link mount.
We turned to fellow Real Street racer Bruce Hemminger to locate a suitable Red V-6 Mustang to use as a donor car. We took delivery of the car from Bruce in December two days before the PRI Show. We then commenced with dismantling the car. I must say that it's an uneasy feeling taking apart a brand-new $20,000 car. My wife could not understand why it was necessary to destroy such a nice car.
Prior to removing the drivetrain, I worked out a deal with Mustang Parts Specialties in Winder, Georgia, a nationally recognized outlet for used Mustang parts, to purchase the pieces that we removed from the car. It saved us the time required to list and ship the parts individually. The engine and transmission came out as a unit. It was a change from working on a car with rusty, old bolts. With barely 500 miles on this car's odometer, even its exhaust was easily removed. After the interior was removed, it was off to Racecraft in LaSalle, Illinois, for the rollcage, K-member, and Strange/Motive 9-inch rear axle assembly
By this time, my wife wasn't...
By this time, my wife wasn't speaking to me. I was sure glad when Christmas came and she was nice again. Trust me, it wasn't easy taking apart a perfectly good, brand-new car. I had to keep thinking I can put it back to stock if the money doesn't come. The height of the trans tunnel is noticeable here. I would guess that Ford did this for rigidity. It's not as if the car sits low and needs to drop over the driveline. It's becoming clear where the extra weight is in the new 'Stang.
This intimate disassembly emphasized that several things are radically different in the new Mustang. One is the location of the fuel tank under the rear seat area. Another is the three-link rear suspension compared to the previous four-link design. But it's the total package that really stands out. My hat is off to the engineers who designed the new Mustang. Taking the car apart was a breeze. It seems they used common sense and considered future modifications in their efforts. The framerails are spread wider apart, the rear overhang is longer while the front is less. The weight bias is the best we have ever seen in a Mustang, something we hoped would be an advantage in our class.
The changes throughout the chassis seemed to have prioritized rigidity while saving weight where possible. The hood is aluminum and weighs about 25 pounds-some aftermarket hoods aren't that light. The K-member is a welded-stamped-steel design and is lighter than the previous stamped-steel units. Our efforts to take weight out of the car were diminished by Ford's focus on saving weight. Before you say the cars are heavy, remember they put the weight where it would do the most good-in the structure.
Next month, we will talk about the unique parts that Racecraft developed to put the '05 Mustang on the racetrack.
This is the rear axle and...
This is the rear axle and gas tank. The driveshaft has been removed as well as the exhaust system. Unlike the GT, the V-6 uses a one-piece driveshaft that has an accordion-style slip coupler in the middle of the shaft. We will install a one-piece driveshaft from Strange Engineering.
Once the car was gutted, and...
Once the car was gutted, and the windshield had been removed, we shoved the car into the trailer a few days after Christmas. The neighbors were looking out the window wondering if I was running a chop shop. We loosened most of the suspension so removal at Racecraft would be a breeze. As you can see, the most important modification has been performed-the installation of the 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords license plate.
New Year's Day 2005-the car...
New Year's Day 2005-the car arrived at Racecraft's new facility in LaSalle, Illinois. Once inside with the aid of an impact wrench, I had the suspension out in about 20 minutes. We were ready for Racecraft to start developing the suspension components, as well as install our 10-point rollcage.
This is an area in front of...
This is an area in front of the firewall. There is a plastic cover that closes off the area between the windshield and hood. Later, it will prove effective in hiding a multitude of sins. It is great for routing wires and brake lines out of sight.
I told Bruce to get used to...
I told Bruce to get used to looking at the back of my new Mustang. His response was, "I want to look at it now, because I won't be seeing much of it this season." Bruce is as pumped as I am with the '05 Mustang in Real Street. 5.0