Spring is around the corner

The Stang will soon be out of hibernation, wonder if this will be the year for new rims?

Updated Deck Design

This will be what the finished product should look like...

Deck Design

Designing a new deck. What do you think?

Guess who is 16?

Mustang is back on the road

Got the insurance back on it and went out an purchase my license plate sticker today. When I went to start it up it almost didn't catch. I think the battery was a couple of more days from being too dead to start. I took it for a good run and got the battery all charged up again. Now I just need this dam snow to stop.

Winery Cruise today

Went to the Niagara region for a Wine cruise with the Mustang club today. Beautiful drive and beautiful scenery.

Getting ready for the Hottub

Worked hard today digging up the backyard to make way for a patio for a new Hottub. YEAH!

1st dyno run for the Cobra

Went to a Dyno Day with the Mustang club today. Put the car on and found out it has 262 RWHP (rear wheel horsepower) that is right on with the expected 265 RWHP or 300 HP at the crank. Need to get a better flowing exhaust to free up some more ponies.

Cobra Interior Swap

Out with the beige in with the black. Got rid of the beige carpet, center console and lower interior moldings. Now I need to find some black leather seats.

Went to Canada's Wonderland

Weather was great.

Finally got my alignment done

Well the X2 ball joints and bumpsteer kit are in. Plus the steering wheel finally points straight now. As a bonus the car is a 1/2" lower (mystery?).

AC/DC Rocks

Went to see AC/DC last night at the Palace in Auburn Hills. WOW! can these guys still rock. Angus is the king when it comes to Rock and Roll. They have so many rock and roll anthems that they shouldn't be allowed to write new material anymore. :) Angus' 10 guitar solo had the audience begging for more and the encore finally (For those about to Rock) was absolutely incredible. AWESOME!!!!!

New black interior

Big road trip to Peterborough to pick up a black interior for the stang. My current interior is Saddle (beige) and I am not a big fan. So I am starting a new project to convert the interior to black. I got an entire interior from a 95 v6 including the dash, steering colunm, headliner, seats, carpet and all interior molded pieces. I will use most of these but may still need to get some door panels. The ones I piked up did not have the power window option so they are molded a little differnt. The dash looks like a huge project so I am not sure if that will get changed out. Now I need to start looking for 05+ leather seats and get all this stuff installed. This will be a good winter project.

Grand Bend Cruise

Went on a cruise to Grand Bend with the club today. Weather was excellent and we had 16 Mustangs all lined up going down the highway. We took a nice senic drive up through Mitchell then Godrich down to Grand Bend then back. Here is a link of the route taken: Nice little cruise

New even lower suspension installed

Well I got lucky. Another member of the mustang club was unhappy with his Eibach Sportline springs and was looking to switch to the higher profile Eibach Pro's. I have the Pro Kit and wanted to go lower. Which meant I was going to have to buy the Sportlines after already putting out some dough for the Pro Kit. Well good this John and I talked. We were both able to get the springs we wanted without having to make the additional purchase. John came over in the morning and we did the swop in the street. Only took a couple of hours. Now I am about 1/4" lower then before and his is happily 1/4" higher.

4:10's are in

Well I finally got the 4:10 gears in (well I had them put in). I am going to have to get use to the quicker shifts. Overall the RPM's aren't much higher under normal driving conditions. At highway speeds the RPM's are up about 200 to 2100 @ 60 mph. But the acceleration is way up. The throttle response is now what the badge name 'Cobra' implies. Ford should have made 4:10's a stock option on this car although I would imagine that fuel economy dictates what they put in. They could have at least made it a Factory option allowing the customer the choice of fuel ecomony vs throttle response. I would recommend 4:10's for any 4V stangs out there.

Ordered new fog lights for the Cobra

Last year I changed the headlight to clear ones. The fog lights however are the stock ones and are quite yellow now compared to the new headlights. So, I have been looking for clear replacement fog lights. I did have much luck finding anything until I came across a post about GMC Envoy fog lights fitting a Cobra. I did some more research and it seems a few people have done this. So I order a pair out of California. They should be hear next week. I will post some pics.

Dream not for sale

Springs around the corner and circumstances have changed so the Stang is staying.

Raptor vs Pistons

Got a chance to see my first live NBA game. Raptors vs Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills. The Raptors lost but I still had a good time.

Well my dream is up for sale

You can find my dream car on Kijiji.ca.  Guess dreams don't last for ever.

Changing of the Guard

Well I am in the UK and saw the changing of the guard. Also, went on the London Eye (big Ferris wheel on the river Thames). Walked across London Bridge. Saw the Parliament Building with Big Ben. Had a great time.

Down Under

Well I am in Australia. Sydney more specifically. I walked up and touch the Sydney Opera House. Awesome people and sites. Everyone should come here at least once.

All cleaned up in Cape Breton

Well I got here in 2 days. Rained the whole way here, but weather is good today. Got the car all washed and waxed...

Original Mustang tire sizes

Good post found at: MustangEvolution
---------------------------------------------------
V6 MODEL WHEELS
These are the STOCK original equipment tire sizes for the following years:
1994-1998 - (15" wheels) 205/65-15
1999-2004 - (15" wheels) 205/65-15, (16" wheels) 225/55-16
2005-2007 - (Without Pony Package) 215/65-16, (With Pony Package) 235/55-17

GT MODEL WHEELS
These are the STOCK original equipment tire sizes for the following years:
1994-2004 - (16" wheels) 225/55-16, (17" wheels) 245/45-17
2005-2007 - (17" wheels) 235/55-17, (18" wheels) 235/50-18

COBRA MODEL WHEELS
These are the STOCK original equipment tire sizes for the following years:
1994-1995 - 255/45-17
1996-1998 - 245/45-17
1999/2001 - 245/45-17
2003-2004 - 275/40-17

SPECIALTY MUSTANGS
These are the STOCK original equipment tire sizes for the following years:
1995 Cobra R - 255/45-17
2000 Cobra R - 265/40-18
Bullitt Mustang - 245/45-17
Mach1 - 245/45-17
1999-2004 Saleen - (Front 18x9") 265/35-18, (Rear 18x10") 285/35-18
2007 Shelby GT500 - (Front) 255/45-18, (Rear) 285/40-18

AFTERMARKET WHEELS AND TIRES
Now that I've covered most stock wheel/tire combo's, I'll move on to explain sizing your tires to your aftermarket wheels. Aftermarket wheels generally come in 5 sizes. These sizes are as follows:
17x8"
17x9"
17x10.5"
18x9"
18x10"

The tires you want to fit to each of these sizes are as follows:
17x8" - 245/45-17 or 255/45-17
17x9" - 275/40-17
17x10.5" - 315/35-17
18x9" - 265/40-18 or 275/35-18
18x10" - 295/35-18 or 305/30-18 or 315/30-18

Saleen Heaven

Tire calculator

This calculator should help, it gives recommended Rim widths for the tire size you specify.

Tire calculator

Tires sizes

Current tires on the car: 235/45-17 (1.7% too slow)
Stock tire size: 245/45-17

Going to:
Front: 245/45-17
Rear: 275/40-17 (0% diff)

Lions Club 10th Annual Fathers Day Autoshow

I went to the 10th annual autoshow in St. Thomas with the LAMC. There were 10 people there from the club with about 200 other cars. All types and years were represented. I would estimate that about 1,000 came out to see the autoshow. I got interview by the local newspaper, not sure if the interview will make the paper though. But it was all cool none the less. Here are some pics:





more to come, haven't uploaded them all yet!

Went with the Flow

Well I couldn't wait any longer. I called Parts Unlimited and they had the mufflers in stock. I then called Mufflerman and they could squeeze me in. What is a guy suppose to do? It looks like the original exhaust came off the car. The Ford OEM mufflers were is pretty good shape for 9 years, but they were in need of replacing. Heat shield hanging off make all kinds of noise (not the good kind). Well i was in and out in about an hour and what a difference. Now it sounds like a Mustang. Two Flowmaster Series 40 mufflers sounds way way better then decade old OEM mufflers any day. I keep kidding my wife that I am going to have to get these mufflers replaced they are getting noisier. ;)

Seat Extenders are in!

The seat extender from 'Mustangs Unlimited' came today. They went in very easy. They put the seat back 3" from its stock position. With the seat all the way back I can hardly get the clutch to the floor and I am 6'3". If you are not happy with the legroom, or if your knee hits the signal lever on clutch release while making a left turn (what a pain). Then I recommend ordering the seat extenders. One think off my wish list...now lets see what I can tackle next.

Two things off the list

The cruise now works. Also got a spare key made. Only had one key and figured that was asking for trouble. I aslo ordered a new door hinge for the drivers door. It will be in next week.

The tint came out very nice. 'Tint King' ROCKS. Just in time too with the weather.

First changes

I ordered seat extenders today and made an appointment for Tint King for tomorrow. I am also heading to the dealership tomorrow to get the cruise control fixed. I have just started my modding journey and am looking forward to the trip. Lots to do (but don't tell the wife). :)

Dutton Car Show

Attended the Dutton Car show with other members of the LAMC.

There were a total of 11 Mustangs in attendance.

Cashed in on some dreams yesterday!

Well I can attest to the fact that dreams do come true. I have been Mustangless for the last 9 years and yesterday finally got around to buying myself another one. I have been looking for another GT to replace the one I had and only dreamed about getting an SVT Cobra. But yesterday I came across one for sale on the web and fully expected it to be sold. To my suprise it was still available.

It is a 1997 Cobra SVT, 4.6L DOHC (double overhead cam) 32 valve 305hp go fast dream. Only adding to the dream is the fact that it is red and of course is a 5 speed manual.

The car has only had one previous owner (again only in my dreams). And also has the original paint (another one of my wishes).

Here is a picture of the car at the car lot. I get it next week and will post some more pictures once I get a chance to shine it up.

I guess I have used up my wishes for the next few years.

The mind is an awesome thing.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs?
Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a
wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer
be
in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll
raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not
raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?
yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Just looking ;)

Well I went to the motorcycle store yesterday to take a look at
motorcycles (my wife wants to know where her husband went). I have
two close friends that both have motorcycles. So this is not new to
me. I have driven them (limited) and enjoyed it. My biggest hold
back has always been the safety factor. I am not a risk taker so I
have always avoided things which involve higher risk. I have not sky
dived, although I am sure it is the coolest experience ever. I have
not bungee jumped nor have I scuba dived. What a boring life I must
have. :)

So I went to the Ministry of Transportation and bought the motorcycle
handbook. That doesn't mean I am going to go to the Ministry next
week and pay $10.00 to write the Knowledge test, and after passing the
Knowledge test pay another $7.50 for the 90 day license. It doesn't
mean that after getting the 90 day license that I am going to pay the
$360 to attend the 3 day Motorcycle Drivers Ed held at the college
starting Sept 28th. It also doesn't mean that after passing the
Drivers Ed course that I will go back to the Ministry of
Transportation after the required 60 day waiting period (Nov 28) and
get my M2 Motorcycle License. Not to mention that after not taking
the Drivers Ed course I would qualify to take my M2 Exit drivers test
4 months earlier then the normally required 22 months.

But hey! What do I know about it? I am just looking right? ;)

No really...Just because I go into a store to look at something does
NOT mean that I am serious about it. There are all kinds of hoops
that one has to jump through to get a motorcycle licence nowadays. I
don't know anything about these things and wouldn't know where to
begin.

Morning Survey!

Which one best describes your morning:

A) Did you tear the covers off this morning and shout, "Good morning god!!!"

B) or did you put the pillow over your head and say "good god, morning"

(courtesy of Jim J)

I have crossed over to the dark side!

Well I went and did it. I bought a Mac, more precisely I bought and
iMac. I must say that the iMac is the coolest looking computer I have
ever seen. I am very comfortable in PC Land but am definitely a noob
in MacWorld. I can now feel for those people that get their first PC
and aren't sure what to do with it. Don't get me wrong I was up and
running with the iMac quire quickly. It has a very intuitive
interface and the built in help is awesome.

I would go so far as to say that someone that has never used a
computer before would be better off getting a Mac (oh my god have I
been assimilated that quickly). The iMac comes complete with quite a
lot of software right out of the box. You can start dealing with
photos, movies, music right away. I have played around with iPhoto
and it does an awesome job building photo albums. iTunes works great
(but we already knew that). My next big adventure is going to be with
iMovie.

I had to do some research because my camcorder (old) does not have
firewire. It only has a composite output. To make a long story short
I need to buy a hardware converter to take the composite signal and
turn it into a DV signal (firewire). I found a converter by Canopus,
model ADVC-55. It sells for about $280 CDN. Once I get a hold of
this I can start to download my home movies into the iMac and see what
this Mac thing is all about.
If anybody has any insight on this I would appreciate some help. We
all start out as noobs but eventually with enough time and patients we
become somewhat of an expert ( at least in our own minds).

Ford family pricing is back! :)

If you are in the market for a Ford now is the time to buy. Until
August 31 Ford Family pricing is available. This equates to a hefty
savings on a Mustang $4,400 or 12% (see below). I just bought a new
house and don't know if I can justify the cost of a new car at the
same time. Translation my wife won't let me get one yet (I know, I
can hear you now but I am just being honest so don't slam me LOL).

I just priced out a 2006 GT with all the options and here is the grand
total (excluding taxes). Oh yeah an now there is only 6% GST instead
of 7%. Another discount is a manner of speaking. $330 in my favour
at least. If only I lived in Alberta then I could save the PST. I
wonder what the wife would think about...yeah right! :)

2006 Mustang GT - GT 2dr Coupe Date: June 18, 2006

†Base MSRP $32,999
Selected Equipment

Wheels: 18" Premium Aluminum $895
Wheel Locking Kits $45
Leather-Trimmed Sport Bucket Seats $895
Active Anti-Theft System $295
Front Seat Side Air Bags $495
Interior Upgrade Package $635
Charcoal Aluminum Instrument Panel Applique $0
Dark Charcoal w/Leather-Trimmed Sport Bucket Seats $0
Torch Red Clearcoat $0
Standard Equipment

4.6L V-8 SOHC w/SMPI 300hp
5 speed w/OD
4-wheel ABS
Traction control
P235/55ZR17.0 BSW performance AS tires
Engine block heater
Battery with run down protection
Air conditioning
Shaker 500 AM/FM stereo 6-disc CD, MP3 capability
Daytime running lights
Dual power remote mirrors
Variable intermittent wipers
Painted aluminum wheels
Dual airbags
Airbag occupancy sensor
SecuriLock ignition disable
Rear window defogger
Tachometer
Reclining front sports seats
50-50 folding rear bench seat

A/C Excise Tax $100
Destination and Delivery $1,200

Coupe Pricing
*TOTAL MSRP $37,559
**Ford Family Price $33,069

Convertible Pricing
*TOTAL MSRP $41,559
**Ford Family Price $36,469

If you want a convertible it is now priced $1,100 below regular coupe
pricing. I can't stand it. LOL

Enough said!

Hello Grand Prix GTP

I am now the proud owner (short term) of a 2004 black Grand Prix GTP. Very nicely equipped! Leather, power everything, heads up display, 6 disc cd player, F1 paddle controls for shifting. This car has all the toys. I'm not quite ready to justify the purchase of a mustang (not a big enough down payment yet). So I thought I would step into something that would help ease the pain. This car is sweet. I know a Ford guy giving props to a GM. What can I say? The car is nice. Like I was saying on my last post I found this lease take over on leasebusters.com.

This loaded to the hilt car is only costing me $2.00 more a month then the featureless (but still fun) Mazda Protege I was driving. The list price on the GTP is double that of the Protege. The low cost is due to the fact that is was a GM employee original lease. HUGELY discounted!! This car lists for more then the Mustang I want to purchase, $4,000 more, but the monthly payment is about half.

If only I could have found a Mustang deal like this. :( Well for now I will happily drive this beaut around anxiously waiting for the day that I can go into the Ford dealer and do something more then dream.

Cheers from Seattle (will be home soon) :)

Bye bye Mazda Protege5

Well my lease with my Protege finally came to an end and I decided to not buy it out. I instead took over another lease that I found on leasebusters.com. I had been searching for weeks when I found something that caught my eye...

more on that story later cause I got to go. Am out in Seattle (yeah) got to get to the customer site, I will post later when I get some more time

Thinking about getting a Jeep

Well I am not quite ready to set $40,000 down on a new Mustang (although I would love to). My lease on my Mazda is up in 2 months and I am thinking about taking over someones short-term lease. I don't see me realistically getting a Mustang until next spring, so I need a some transportation for about a year.The Jeep has always interested me. Fun in the summer (sans top) and a very good winter vehicle too. The best of both worlds. It almost makes me reassess wanting a Mustang (I said 'almost'). I am going to go test drive one today to see if I like them or not.

Carroll Shelby has done it again!

You don't want to run into this little v6 at a red light. Packing over 350hp you would be left in the dust.

Get the complete story at Mustang Heaven

A picture is worth a thousand words

In this case 38,000 of them!

No more Red 05 Mustangs left

I'm not sure whether to believe the sales guy or not. I went by the dealership yesterday to price out my Mustang and I was told there are not more Torch Red GT's left. He built me a 2006 GT and told me that he could have it by December. On another note, Ford announced employee pricing yesterday to everyone, this offer was also extended to Canada. Yeah you guessed it. The Mustang is EXCLUDED from this offer. That sucks!

Another thing that sucks is the financing that Ford offers on the Mustang. 6.9% on purchase and 9.9% on a lease. They are crazy if they thing I am going to pay that. I could finance a Porsche for less.

So I sit hear patiently waiting and hoping. Maybe during the dead of winter I may have a better chance. Right now the dealers can't keep them on the lots. So on a cold day this winter when there isn't anybody looking for a hot Mustang I will make my move.

Until then, I am still Mustang Fan and still mustangchallenged.

More Mustang power...Oh yeah!

PAX1001851 - Paxton Supercharging System For The 2005 Mustang GT

Paxton Automotive announces the 2005 Mustang GT Supercharging System. This system will increase horsepower from 300 to 420 and torque from 320 lb./ft. to 385 lb./ft.

Visit v8power.com for more details.

How I became mustang challenged

I have always been a mustang fan. It is my dad's fault you see when I was born my dad had a 67 mustang and it got into my blood. I have owned 3 mustangs spanning 13 years. So for most of my adult life I have driven one. I am now zooming around in a Mazda Protege 5 which is great, but it isn't a mustang. After selling my last GT in 1998 to buy a house I have been longing for a mustang daily.

Until recently I have always wanted a 1993 GT. I was not fond of the change Ford made to the mustang in 1994, although the Cobras are pretty sweet. In 99 further changes stared to catch my eye. Two years ago the 2003 Mach 1 really caught my eye, but car leases and my situation at the time prevented me from getting one.

Fast forward to now... Am I glad I have waited. The new 2005 Mustang GT is awesome!! With plans to get a new 2005 in the works, Ford releases the news of a pending Cobra next year. What to do? I figure the next new car that I buy, will be the last new car that I buy. So, why not wait and get what you have always wanted? So here I am caught between my dreams and time. Hence my dilemma being Mustang Challenged. Enjoy!