Mustang Trip to Goodguys Cancelled..... Again

Unfortunately, I had to decide against driving the Mustang to the Goodguys show again this year.  The chance of rain here is only 30% tonight and on Saturday with is questionable.  

However, the chance of rain this evening, overnight, and tomorrow morning in Keller where the show is located is much greater.  The chance this evening is between 80% and 50% so it is just not worth it.

Update: I made it back from the trip to Goodguys (without the Mustang) and the weather was great for the show.  However, it did rain really hard on Friday evening.  While I really wanted to take the Mustang, it was the best decision to not drive the Mustang this year.  I'm a bit disappointed this has happened two years in a row.  I should not worry as much about the rain but with the rust on the car, I don't want it to cause more damage or get road grime on everything.

Rear Suspension Height Issues

Last Saturday, the entire family hopped into the Mustang for a trip to Chili's for lunch.  The rear suspension height is really low to start with but with the trunk fully weighed down and everyone in the car, the back end was really low.  So low, that when I hit a bump, I could hear the tire drag.

I checked the car after it happened the first time and found no damage.  I decided it take it easy and finish out the trip.  However, on the way back, we hit a big bump and it sounded quite bad.  When I made it home, I checked the tire to find something damaged the side a little.

I checked the fenderwell and found an uneven piece of metal which must have caught the tire.  I took out the air grinder and made it smooth so that it would not happen again.  However, it was clear the rear of the Mustang was going to need to be raised up some.  I found the best option was a set of extended shackles for the rear leaf springs.  A few days later and Summit had them on my doorstep.

My understanding is that these 1" extended shackles should raise the back end by 5/8".  That is not a ton but it is better than nothing and seems to one of the only options.  Just to check for myself, I started off the process by measuring the rear height and found I'm at 25".  This is with stock shackles and Grab-A-Trak 4.5 mid eye leaf springs.

The actual part is made by Scott Drake.  The part number is C5ZZ-5776-GTL.  

I measured them and compared them to the stock size shackles.  They are 1" longer at 5.5" from bolt center to bolt center.

It took a while to install them over the last two nights.  The bushings just did not want to come out and the new ones were just as hard to get in.  However, I was able to get the job done.

Update: After driving around some, I checked the height of the rear and it seems it was raised by about 3/4".  I drove to Buffalo Wild Wings a few days ago with my wife and the raised height seemed to keep it from rubbing.  The real test will be putting the kids in the back seat and driving around.

Instrument Cluster Project

As I drove around last night, I noticed two problems with the instrument cluster I'd forgotten about.

The first problem is related to how I installed the Autometer gauges.  When I installed the gauges, I had to remove the bezels to fit them behind the stock panel.   The difficulty is that there is nothing to hold the glass face on each gauge without the bezel.  I'd read a few people had luck with super gluing them on so I took that approach.

The approach worked great until the glass face was back light by the instrument cluster lights.  Then it was apparent there was a residual or haze caused by the super glue.  In order to fix it, I used some super glue remover to take the glass faces off.  I then used some clear epoxy to attach them back on.  I tested the new solution out and it looks much better.

The second issue issue is with the headlights and the instrument cluster lights.  They seem to pulse in intensity.  Additionally, when I turn the dimmer for the instrument cluster lights, they will just turn off.  This was related to the new headlight switch I purchased.  I was replacing the factory one which worked fine because I was afraid it would go out and leave me without headlights.  Luckily, I kept the original and reinstalled it which corrected this problem.

Preparation for Goodguys

I've spent a little time work on the Mustang to prepare for the drive to Goodguys this coming weekend.  I'm not really worried about the trip but it honesty makes me a little anxious driving the Mustang.  It is almost like I can't relax as  much as I do when going on a trip in any other vehicle.

I purchased a new Kidde auto fire extinguisher and mounted it under the passenger seat.  The 2.5 lb bottle came with a bracket which I mounted to the seat riser.  I don't like putting holes in the car but this keeps it out of the way and from rolling around.  I hope I don't need it but I figured it would be safe insurance.  The old one I've been using is so old I'm a little worried it would not work correctly.

As I prepared the car, I noticed the engine was about a quart low on oil.  I topped it off with Valvoline VR1 race oil (10W30) which is designed for flat tappet cams.  Once the quart was added, the dip stick showed it was between the second to last and the last fill indicators.  The mileage is currently at 2339.

The Mustang is good on brake fluid and transmission fluid but I'll take some transmission fluid just in case.  The coolant level was likely fine but I was able to top it off just a little.  I'll be taking a little extra water also as the most likely issue I'll have will be with cooling the engine.

I adjusted the headlights after dark tonight.  The driver side needed to be angled down a little.  Once that was done, I found that they lit up the road quite well.

I packed up some items in the trunk for the trip as well.  My tool box has just the basic tools that I might need.  I have a little gas, a half gallon of water, and the grey container has all my maintenance parts including plug wires, filters, belts, and other items.  I kept most the items I originally took off in order to use as backups.  I also have jumper cables on the left and a socket set on the right.

Disappointment with Bilstein Sport Shocks

I've found that if I hit a bump in the road, the front of the Mustang makes a loud noise.  At first I thought it was something loose.  However, as time has passed, I've considered it is most likely the shocks not being able to adequately control the improved coil springs on the Mustang.  This lead me to searching for a new set of front shocks.

After searching for a while, I settled on some Bilstein sport shocks sold by Street or Track.  It was a tough decision as the shocks are $125 each.  The price of one of these is what I spent on the entire set of KYB shocks currently on the Mustang.  However, I decided to go ahead and buy a set with my birthday money.  If they solve the problem, I'll buy a matching set for the rear.

The shocks arrived a few days ago, and I set the boxes in the garage without even checking the shocks.  I decided to pull them out of the boxes tonight to look them over.  I was surprised to find both of the shocks are rusted on the top mounting points.  Needless to say, I'm rather disappointed that the new $270 set of shocks are rusted.

I've sent an email to Street or Track about the shocks but don't really know what options are possible.  I'd hoped to install these before the trip to Goodguys next weekend.  If I ship these back for a new set, that is certainly not possible.  I could media blast and then paint them and it would work out fine.  I just don't feel that is something I should need to do to make a brand new set of $270 presentable.

I guess I'll wait to see what I hear back from Street or Track.