Meanwhile, the engine is prepared for removal, and all the components that won't be reused are unbolted and set aside for resale, including the air inlet and intake, fuel rails and injectors, coolant crossover tube, throttle body, and serpentine-belt tensioner. The engine/transmission will soon be removed from beneath by dropping the K-member. | 
Inside, the P-51A cockpit is receiving a Roush electroluminescent gauge cluster, aluminum pedal trim, doorsill plates, carbon-fiber dash trim, and "P-51A"-embroidered floor mats. There's a lot of room to work in while the seats are out. | 
Up front, the factory fascia goes away in preparation for the P-51A's much more aggressive replacement. Notice that in preparation for lowering the K-member/engine assembly, the struts and front brakes have been removed. Both will be replaced with Roush upgrades. |
Roush Industries built these hydraulic cradles specifically to ease removal and reinstallation of the S197 engine and tranny while still attached to the K-member. The removal operation is a team effort, with one man slowly raising the hoist while the other two simultaneously watch for issues and gently lower the cradle. | 
After some further component stripping, including unbolting the tranny, clutch, and factory six-bolt flywheel, the long-block is separated from the K-member and sent to the engine crew at Performance Assembly Solutions (see sidebar) for teardown and rebuild. | 
With the K-member still firmly pegged to the cradle, the P-51A's 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers are bolted in place, along with their braided flex lines. |
Out back, the fuel tank is removed while on the workbench, the GT fuel pump is replaced with a GT 500-style twin-pump assembly. This also requires the addition of a second pump-driver module and running some additional power wiring the length of the car. Note also that the P-51A's Stage 3-spec rear suspension components are mostly installed here. Only the rear brakes remain to be upgraded. Roush Stage 3 suspension hardware (except for the springs) is red; Stage 2 counterparts are blue. | 
Behind the P-51A's assertive fascia, the area behind the new grille has been sprayed satin black so it blends in; the intercooler heat exchanger and pump have been installed and plumbed. | 
The GT engine harness receives some needed modifications on the work bench, including relocating the air-charge temp function from the mass air meter to a separate sensor that detects blower discharge temperature. The throttle-position-sensor harness is repositioned to account for the new throttle body location. |
Meanwhile, in the interior trim department, the front and rear seats are disassembled and deskinned of their cloth upholstery. On the buckets, the bottom cushion foam is retained and the seatbacks receive a new, more supportive foam structure. | 
Here, Matt Rogers removes the old foam from the passenger-side seatback. The rectangular black box on the frame is the side airbag. | 
The P-51A seatback foam in the foreground is more aggressively bolstered than the factory GT foam. It also has a different profile in the shoulder area. |
During the reupholstery phase, a steam wand is used frequently to soften the new leather/suede covers and work out any wrinkles. The rear seats get matching upholstery, minus the "P-51A" embroidery. All the crew in the trim department seem genuinely obsessed with the quality of their work, to the point of being competitive with one another. By the way, the set of seats that originally came out of the car are what go back in. | 
In true OEM-quality fashion, Roush doesn't mess around. The passenger bucket has a load sensor to determine passenger weight. In the event of an accident, if there is less than 54 pounds on the seat, the passenger-side airbag will not fire. This is a safety measure for small children, who can be injured by airbag deployment. Before going into the P-51A, the reworked passenger seat is put on this computerized test rig to be sure the load-sensor calibration hasn't been affected by the seat modifications. | 
Once the engine comes back down the hall from Performance Assembly Solutions, it gets dressed for reinsertion into the waiting P-51A. Notice that the tranny, tranny mount, H-pipe, and new Roush/Hurst shifter are already in place before the elevator goes up into the engine bay. |