Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

I love the looks of the 2008-2014 Cobra Jets but there was no way I could afford one.

This is as close as I will get, so here goes the story of the build of my S197 Mustang 3 Valve GT up to the point that I took it to the Div. 3 race at Indy in late April.
I wanted to build it for H/SA and see what the car would run with the required Stock Eliminator mods done to the car.

Link to that day @ Indy:

http://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=62048

After thinking about building one of these cars and searching all the ads on the internet for over a year, I finally got my big break in late Feb. of this year.
A friend sent me a screenshot of a rebuilt 2005 Mustang GT and I found the CL ad.
Up to this point it was the cheapest 3 valve GT I could find. I contacted the owner and locked in a deal where I would be the first person to look at the car.
After looking at it and driving it for 5 minutes, I threw the seller an offer and we exchanged cash for the title.
The car had been hit front and rear and was rebuilt with a clean KY rebuilt title. I had my car, but now I had to work fast to get it ready for Indy.

The car mechanically checked out good. It had fantastic anti-lock brakes, strong engine and the trans felt fine. This was the very first 3 valve Mustang GT I had ever driven. Up to that point I had been used to my 95 Mustang GTs.
The A/C and power steering felt great. Too bad because both would soon be taken off.


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It had the wrong headlights, turn signal markers, and was missing the lower grille and left rear side marker. I managed to get a set of headlights locally for 40 bucks.
The other items I had to get on ebay because the local salvage yard here did not have any 2005 and newer Mustangs.
So I paid about $ 140 for all the correct lights, markers and grill, so now the body of the car was legal.

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The first mod would be to allow my skinny drag wheels to work. These cars have huge (and heavy) front brakes but require a special part number ARP studs.
Thanks to the S197 forums, I armed myself with enough info to order the correct 3 inch wheel studs and a stud installer. All 10 studs were $ 123.00 delivered. Not cheap, but they are the only ones I could find.

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I also purchased a stud installer for 23 bucks. That is one great tool. I would screw a lug nut on the old stud, lightly tap on the stud while applying pulling pressure on the backside of the hub with a crowbar to try and absorb some of the impact of the hammer. Those hubs are sealed and non serviceable, so I did not want to damage the bearings any more than possible.
( I put a lug nut on the old stud while hammering it out to prevent it from hitting the ABS tone ring )

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All 5 studs were installed in less than 20 minutes and the wheel fit perfect. :)

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Next up for ol' Prep H was the driveshaft loop : $ 20.00 swap meet special with grade 5 bolts. 1/4 " x 2.0 as per spec.

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After that came the removal of the power steering pump and A/C compressor. I re-arranged the front pulleys and took the grooved one on the driver's side and put it onto the passenger side. Then I found a 49.5 inch belt in my stash of parts and tried it. Dead on perfect ! What luck.
Now I had my short belt.

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Now I had my alt. and water pump as the only items drawing from the engine.
Eventually I want to put an electric water pump on the car and relocate the alternator down low on the pass. side, but those pumps are over 400 bucks new. Maybe later.

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

This is the first fitting of the wheels and tires that I "borrowed" from my Bronco II drag truck.
The front 26 inch tires did not look good with the Mustang's wheel opening.
So I used some Hoosier 28 inch tall front drag tires that I had bought from a friend for 100 bucks. With mounting and balancing I had $130.00 into my skinnies now.

That 4wd look in the rear would be fixed later...

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Now the fun begins...this was where I started to get nervous. I did not know how the interior panels were held into place and I did not have a service manual showing an exploded view of the panel layout.
So, I just slowly pulled on a panel until it popped.
I gotta say, that sound still makes me quezzy, but luckily after the whole interior was taken out, I had only broke one tab, and that was because I took the trim out over the passenger door out of sequence.

Notice how the door panel leather trim is sagging down...a common problem on these cars. Some time with 3M headliner adhesive and thoroughly cleaning off the old gray foam from the panels fixed that.

Now that I know the sequence of removal and replacement, it would easier if the need arises.

Not shown is the huge Shaker system speaker and amp box that was located on the pass. side in the trunk. It weighed exatly 60 lbs by itself !

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

After searching the net for a roll bar kit, I felt the 8 point S&W Race Parts kit was best suited for how I wanted the bar fit the car.
My primary goal was to retain the factory seats and not have to cut the door arm rests for the side bars.
Mission accomplished on both.

Dealing with S&W was a great experience. Very professional and knowledgeable. :)

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I was concerned how I was going to be able to lower the main hoop down to weld the rear bars to the top of the hoop, but luckily Ford already provided me with the answer.
These plugs pop out and with a slight stretch of the feet of the main hoop, they fit thru the holes.

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

This was my very first time installing a roll bar, and I have to admit it was very intimidating to me at first until I tackled the job.

It gets tedious. Lots of fitting, remove, grind, re-fit, grind some more....and so on, and so on.

Now I know why chassis and fab shops charge what they do for a roll bar installation. A lot of time is involved to get it to fit within the tight confines of these late model cars.

I could have just hacked up the back seat and drove the rear bar thru the cushion, or replace that lightweight seat with carpeting, but I love the look of the car's factory interior. Besides, the rear seats all combined can't be more than 20 lbs.

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What I liked about the S&W kit was how the rear bars worked in the car...thru the package tray.

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As a racer that works by myself quite a bit, I have to get inventive on how to hold items without a second set of hands.
I fabbed up 2 brackets that bolted to the factory seat belt anchors and was fully adjustable.
I could now move the main hoop forward or backwards or left to right to obtain a perfect and consistent position:

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Now I had the ability to hold the hoop in the same position all the time. I had to revise it a couple of times, but this would turn out to be one of the best tools I built for this build. :)

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

At this point it is taking up a lot of my evenings after work. Plus I have to deal with mother nature as I do not have a garage.
My "garage" is well ventilated and well lit on sunny days...lol


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Another set back was figuring out the head rest problem. These cars come from the factory with forward angled headrests, but when the rear seat back angle cannot be reclined due to the seat bar, the head rest is too far forward.

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I tried figuring out how to pull them out, but no luck.
Finally, as a last resort, I went on you tube and found the answer. A piece of wire stuck into the little hole is what released the headrest.
I just turned them around for now. There is a company that makes adjustable versions, but they are not in my budget for now.


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Next came fitting the side bars. I was relieved to see that the bars do not interfere with the arm rests and I can sit in the seat comfortably.

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

I had a set back with getting an appointment with my welder, so I lost a week. In the meantime I was buying as much used parts as I could to keep the costs down.

Luckily for me, the 2005-2009 GT parts are getting cheaper because alot of guys are stepping up to the 2011-2014 Coyote Mustang GT and selling off their 3 valve stuff.

I got a hardly used JLT series 3 Cold Air Intake for $ 150.00 delivered around the same time I bought the wheel studs. Super nice condition. They sell for $ 240 new plus shipping.
I had to get my CAI before I could order my tuner because they need to know what type of CAI you are using before they can program the tuner.


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No discount on the X4 tuner. Everybody pretty much sells them for the same price. Besides, this was one item I had no interest in buying as a used item.


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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

So my day at the welder came. Everything went perfect. All the planning and prep work paid off.

From the time the car went into his shop until I drove out was 2 1/2 hours.
Everything fitted perfect and I was super happy there were not any burn marks on the interior panels.
He had done alot of roll bar installations before, so he had all the right protective equipment.

These pics were taken the day after the welding was done, and within 24 hours of getting back from his shop, the interior was all back in the car.

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I had the passenger side seat belt tabs welded on while there so in the future they will be there when I drive this car on the street.

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Trunk area rear bar mounts


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I found this at Lowes and really like this paint. Goes on nice and is great on touch ups as it blends well with the existing paint. Plus, that satin look is my favorite look for a roll bar. :)

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

When it came time for the seat belt installation, I had to fab up a h.d. 1/2 inch bolt bracket for the belt on the trans tunnel side. (I used the factory seat belt bolt hole on the door side)

The factory seat belts anchor to the seat. The 3 inch racing belts need to be alot better than that.

So I took a piece of 1/4 in. steel plate and bent it to the shape of the floor. Then I welded a 1/4 inch bolt to the plate to help hold the assembly to the floor.

The grade-8 1/2 inch bolt is captured by the welded tab on the backside. This prevents the 1/2 bolt from turning when I tighten down the nut. No welding on the grade 8 bolt means no loss of strength.


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Here is a shot from under the car after installation:

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Wrapping up the interior:


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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

The last item to install for Stock Eliminator (that is required) is the fuel sampling valve.

I debated between this device and hacking up the factory fuel line and install a "T" fitting.

In the end I splurged and spent 35 bucks for the Metco piece. It mounts between the fuel pressure sensor and the fuel rail.
It has (2) 1/8 pipe ports so later I can install a fuel pressure gauge. :)
Then I purchased a 1/4 turn ball valve off of e-bay for 10 bucks and the 1/8th pipe to 3/16 brake line fitting at the local auto parts store.

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I had a piece of brake line laying around so I bent it to exit the fuel where the sampling cup can easily get to. (Please excuse the dust on the engine. I did not have the time to give the engine a bath before I had to go)


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I use a worm clamp to prevent the handle on the valve from vibrating to the open position.


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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

The car's looks came next.
That jacked up look had to go...

So I ordered a set of $ 89.00 BMR springs with my Summit discount code.
They advertise them as 1.5 in. lowering springs and they lowered my car exactly 1.5 in.

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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

And this is the final look before I added all the window decals and headed to Indy:

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The very last item was to flush out all the 93 octane pump fuel from the tank as well as replace the fuel filter before adding the VP C-11.
I had to remove the back seat and gain access to the pump hat on the drivers side.
Luckily for me the passenger side tank does not work. The drivers side is supposed to pull fuel from the pass. side, but this car was not doing that. Works in my favor because the most fuel I will put into it is 5 gallons.

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I went old school with the Mustang to Indy. (open trailer)

If there is one downside to this body style it is the shear size of the car.
I cannot look out the window and see the front tire.

The problem with this car is that with the skinnies on the front makes it so wide I cannot drive the car onto the trailer safely without risking hit the fenders.

So...I had to take the front wheels off and put the stock wheels on in order to safely load the car on the trailer.

Eventually I will buy a h.d. winch and winch it onto a trailer so that I can leave the skinnies on all the time.



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Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

And that wraps up phase 1.
I could not run Project Preparation H in H/SA because the car was too light and there was no way I could legally add weight to the car in time at the track.
I could not move up to G/SA because I did not have a SFI harmonic balancer.
I had to pick another year so I entered it as a 2009 in I/SA.



Up to this point as the car went down the track I have about $ 7,200 in it.
Not exactly a dime rocket...more like a quarter rocket.

My goal is to run at least 2 tenths under index for less than $ 12,500 for everything.

I ran 9 tenths over index spinning and overweight with stock 3.31 gears, stock torque convertor, stock engine and running thru the stock catalytic convertors.

I think if the car was at min. wt. and had hooked, I would only be .75 sec. off the index.
Not a bad starting point I believe, but still aways to go.

My plans for phase 2 is drag gears for the rear as well as transmission upgrades.
I already have a set of longtube headers for it.
A new tune will be needed after those mods as well as raising the shift points and shift firmness.

The rear suspension will get a makeover using Cobra Jet lower control arm relocation brackets, BMR control arms, adjustable panhard bar, an air bag in the right spring, and a hd and adjustable upper control arm.

There are areas that can be improved like those huge heavy brakes on the front.

The last items on the list involve going into the engine itself.
I would love to run under index with the factory longblock.

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

This sounds like a project Bruce Sizemore should be involved in since he made the "Preparation H name" so popular back in the 70's winning most of the races he entered.His 6 cylinder Ford was always in the low 11's running in Modified Production.

Jim Hill

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Great job so far. Thanks for a great read.

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Very nice Alan! Thanks for sharing! This looks like a very cool project, good luck and keep us posted.

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

How did project end up? Thinking of building a 2005 stocker as well

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Just a bit of advice, for the '05- '08 4.6 3V, at 300 hp way overfactored, think 2009, same car body, more compression, better cylinder head selection, better TB, piston, oil pan, etc, and At 270hp not optimum but way better than 300 hp !!

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Yea, so my brother and I are doing basically the same deal with the 1996 Mustang..which we will claim as a 1997. We have a 10K cap for now..looking at T/SA with 14.40 index. Doing 8.8 rear 5:13, have a C4 will get a converter too. We will also do rollbar because rag top. Rear suspension upgrade. Wheels Tires. The only motor work thinking of is long tube headers, valve job plus cutting heads. Will leave stock shortblock for now.

Only challenge would be fuel injection? Without overdrive tranny in loop, could we still use stock FI computer? Or what type of "cheap" aftermarket stand alone unit?

Will & Rob Lamprecht

Re: Project " Preparation H "...preparing a 2005 Mustang GT
 

Mega-Squirt is very popular. Unsure of what they offer for your car.