With this installation project, we're adding launch-assisting pieces from SLP, Hurst, MSD, Eaton, Strange Engineering, and Nitto. Those of you reading this report will know the deal, as will enthusiasts who are sharp enough to spot the additions under the hood or happen to look inside the car and see the pistol-grip shift handle (once it's in place).
The following photos and captions detail the project Mustang's new sneaky stuff, as well as the Pony's long-anticipated showing on the dragstrip. Although our job was done with the help of Saul "The Surgeon" Gutierrez of Extreme Automotive and Daryl Lashmet of B&D Racing (who handled the rearend upgrade), everything we've added can be installed by mechanically adept do-it-yourself enthusiasts in the friendly surroundings of their home garage.
This photo shows the difference between the factory brake line that runs between the master cylinder and proportioning valve and SLP's prebent master-to-solenoid line. SLP's line follows the same curvature as the stocker, but includes extra tubing, which compensates for the addition of a solenoid in the brake-line system and allows the line to be connected to the master cylinder without modifying or moving anything.
Bending brake lines for a perfect fit is arguably the toughest part of installing a line-lock device in a 'Stang, and the difficulty is doubled when you're working in the tight confines of a New Edge car. It's cool to see that SLP has thought this problem through and provided pieces to eliminate this tough task and make this installation easy.
If we weren't talking about it in this report, you wouldn't know SLP's Mustang line-lock is even in place on our project '02 Pony-until you saw the car standing stone-still in the burnout box with the rear tires blazing up a storm. Bleeding the brakes, then tapping into a hot power source and setting up activation switches are all that's left once the lines and solenoid are secured. We'll talk about that elsewhere in this story.
Hurst's Billet/Plus Competition shifter (PN 391 5035; $226.26) and pistol-grip shifter handle with momentary button (PN 1536200; $83.96) make up the second weapon in our GT's arsenal of undercover upgrades. This billet shifter (for Mustangs equipped with Tremec 3650 five-speed transmissions) is designed to shorten the throw between gears by 30 percent, which can definitely help quicken e.t.'s. While the shifter accepts the factory shifter boot and knob-which will leave curious challengers (or anybody else who looks inside the 'Stang) clueless as to what's going on down below when the car is in street mode-we're setting the pistol-grip up with connector plugs for a quick-and-easy swap when it's race time.
After removing the shifter boot and dust cover, then unbolting the shifter that was in the GT prior to this exercise and scraping away the Ultra Gray adhesive that was used to secure the original stick, Saul applies a fresh bead of silicone to the shifter housing before setting in place our new Hurst piece.
Our Hurst Billet/Plus gear selector fits squarely in place on the tranny (the ball on the bottom of the stick must be properly seated before securing the shifter). Hurst recommends tightening the included hardware with 15-20 lb-ft of torque. With this step completed, we move on to installing the third component in our stealth 'strip package.
MSD's Launch Master (2Step) for modular Fords (PN 8734; $221.40) is next. We're using this device with hopes that it brings consistency to our GT's launch, and, through trial and error, helps improve its 60-foot times as well. Incorporating the plug-and-play 2Step system in the sneaky scheme will allow us to make launch-rev adjustments (in 100- and 1,000-rpm increments) according to track conditions, the type of wheels and tires that are on the car, suspension settings, and more.
The 2Step is designed for coil-on-plug ignitions, and it features a main wiring harness that drops right on top of our project 'Stang's 4.6 and blends right in with the factory wiring. The system is completely plug-and-play and can be activated through a ground or a 12-volt signal.