Graceful yet Powerful Fastback Mustang at SEMA 2010

SEMA Car Show – Our Favorite Muscle Car Engines

Feast your eyes on a little on cubes 4.6L DOHC Ford modular motor that’s long on horsepower. The valve covers read “720 HP”. What looks like a Kenne Bell supercharger rests on top of another super clean, not-a-wire-outa-place layout that totally makes the engine bay for me. That’s the detail you’ll find at the SEMA Las Vegas Car Show.

Outside the convention halls, I spotted this slick custom Mustang Fastback. Maybe some can say if it’s a 1967 or 1968 Mustang. It’s got the 68 side scoops, but doesn’t have the side marker lights of 68. I could see those shaved off for this car, but I’d also say the 67 side scoops aren’t as attractive as the 68′s. So in the best of both worlds custom car scenario, let’s call this a 1967.5 Mustang Fastback!

I’d like to tell you more about this car, but unlike most cars at the SEMA show, there was no show card and I didn’t notice any sponsor stickers. Clean execution all the way! (too clean?)  Too busy trying to get the best coverage online, I didn’t hang out to talk with anyone with the car.

So if you have any more info about this car, or just want to give a “thumbs up!” please leave a comment below.

Best Engines from SEMA Las Vegas 2010 – Anvil Mustang

SEMA Car Show – Our Favorite Muscle Car Engines

Steve Strope from Pure Vision built this subtle but nasty 1969 Mustang Fastback with a Boss 502 stretched to 521 cubes and a mind blowing 805 ponies on pump gas. The motor is an all aluminum Boss 9 built by Jon Kaase Racing Engines. Kaase took the original Boss 429 head design and improved on it. Bolt it to a Ford 460 and have some fun! Couple the unmistakable Ford Boss looks with the ultra-clean under hood layout that’s sitting completely under the Mustang’s hood and it’s no wonder it’s a favorite engine at MyRideisMe.com.

Learn more about the Boss 9 head design from the Kaase “Boss 9″ page.

Built for Anvil, makers of Camaro and Mustang carbon fiber body panels, this new Boss Mustang Fastback should be as fast as it is beautiful. Congratulations to the Pure Vision Crew and Anvil on a great new ride!

The crew at Pure Vision did a great job documenting the build of the Anvil Mustang.  I’ll start with the video of the the engine, then step back to the intro of the car. Enjoy!

Anvil Mustang Video #2 – Kaase Boss 9

Back up to the intro:

Anvil Mustang Video #1 – Intro

Anvil Mustang Video #3 – Widened Rear Quarters

Anvil Mustang Video #4 – Electric Power Steering

Anvil Mustang Video #5 Mick’s Paint 1

Anvil Mustang Video #6 Mick’s Paint 2

SEMA 2010: Team Need For Speed RTR-X Mustang Debut

1969 Mustang – The Ultimate Street, Drift, Track Car

Our friends at Speedhunters.com just released the first photo of the finished 1969 Mustang RTR-X!  It is debuting or just debuted at SEMA 2010 an hour or so ago.  Much info has been shared about the design process that Team Need For Speed at EA Games on Speedhunters.com. Check out Build Progress and pictures.

The quick rundown of this ride can be found in the Drifting + Pro-Touring story here.  Thank you Vaughn Gittin Jr (2010 Formula Drift Champion) and Andy Blackmore (Speedhunters.com graphic artist) for dreaming up this MACHINE!!!

Drifting + Pro-Touring = RTR-X (aka The Game Changer)

This is a Mustang for all car enthusiasts, old hot rodders and young tuners alike…its the “Game Changer!”

If you like American Muscle, you’ll dig the Dynacorn ’69 Mustang fastback shell, Art Morrison custom front subframe,  individual throttle body/injected 2011 Mustang GT 5.0L 32Valve engine with 6 speed trans and Pro-Touring style.  If you like Drifting Imports, you’ll dig the slammed stance, 50-60 degree steering angle, 7000 redline, aggressive Japanese wheels sized 18×10 front and 18×12 rear with 7″ lips and Street Drift style!

Meet the ’69 Mustang “RTR-X”!  The coolest project car of 2010, due to intro at the 2010 SEMA show in Vegas later this year.

This is the answer to my “Pro-Touring + Hellaflush” Dreams!  Remember this post I did last year?

The creative mind behind this Street/Drift Mustang is Sir Vaughn Gittin Jr (ok, I added the Sir), Formula Drift points leader and “RTR” Mustang brand owner.  But you’ll also notice the “Team Need For Speed” logo in the bottom right.  This is a collabo between Vaughn, Speedhunters.com and the Need For Speed brand.  Andy Blackmore of the Speedhunters.com/Need For Speed family has helped Vaughn put his Inspired Ideas on paper (or computer screen). 

RTR is Gittin’s new brand of Mustang, I think it stands for “Ready to Rock!”.  He has 2 models so far, the RTR and the limited RTR-C.  The RTR is based on the 2010 Mustang GT and receives suspension mods, wheels/tires/brakes, and aggressive body mods with a unique paint scheme.  The RTR-C is a super limited edition (I hear only 10 will be made this year) Carbon bodied version going for a cool $135k! 

This Mustang that I’m stoked on has been named “RTR-X”, X for Extreme I presume. 

 
I love this angle.  Injection horns protruding, fender flrares bulging, wheels flush and super wide.  It has huge visual impact and stance!  Perfection, if ever I saw it in vehicular form.

So what were those inspired ideas?  Hear Vaughn in his own words: 

“The vision was pretty simple: build a badass ‘69 Ford Mustang that was aggressive, slammed, functional, unique, and would perform on both the track for drift and the street as a daily-driver. Oh yeah… and had the potential to put some decent times down on a road course. Easier said then done. Especially the “unique” part, as people have been adding their own personal flair to classic Mustangs for a very long time.”

Dig the LED tails and extra tall duckbill spoiler with green pinstripe and tucked rear bumper.

The green highlights are pureVaughn Gittin style.  Check out the green accents on his Formula D drift Mustang below.

 Vaughn’s Falken/Monster Energy sponsored 2011 Mustang.

 Dig this amazing interior!  Again, this is new technology with Drifter flare and American Muscle all at the same time.  PERFECT!!!

This picture sums up Vaughn Gittin Jr.  Super cool to all people, even little kids interrupting an interview and always stoked!  When I think of Vaughn I think of him screaming at the top of his lungs, usually on the roof of a Mustang.  LOL 

I think this car will set a new standard.  That is Vaughn’s goal and I think he’ll achieve it.  I hope it inspires other Pro-Touring and Drift car builders. 

So, I wanna know what you guys think of this car.  Is this car a “Game Changer?”  If Vaughn can build it like these renderings, it will be a Game Changer for me.  Let us know and do yourself a favor and follow the build over at Speedhunters.com.

Hechtspeed

Check out the first debut photo from SEMA 2010

Mustang Rear Gear Swap Part 2: The Install

So, if you missed Part 1, The Tear Down, read that first, then come back for this, Part 2: The Install.  So, at the end of Part 1, we had removed the old ring and pinion.   Now we’re ready to install the Ford Racing 3.73 ring and pinion gear set from AmericanMuscle.com.

First, I wanted to show you what the Ford Racing 3.73 Gear Set comes with.  Ring gear, check.  Pinion gear check.  Crush sleeve, nut and shims, check, check and check.  But remember, its SUPER DUPER HIGHLY recommended that you ditch this crush sleeve and get yourself the Shim Spacer Pack for easier preload setup.  You’ll thank yourself later, trust me.

OK with Ford OEM/Racing gears i have found that they are pretty much ground on the same centerlines. So if you measure the pinion and shim after you’ve removed the pinion bearing and match the length to your new gears by adding the correct shim to equal the first measurement, you will be very close.  Now that being said, I always have to check the gear pattern and add or subtract shims to get the gear pattern correct. it is recomended to change the shim in .003″ increments. I ended up with a .027 ” shim.  I started with a .024″ shim.

If the gear pattern is “heavy” on the toe side of the gear (contact on the inside of ring gear) you need to add shim. If it is “heavy” toward the outside edge (heel of gear) you need to remove some thickness of the shim.  Now this is where having the pinion preload shim and spacer kit really makes life easy.  Crushing the the crush sleeve is a major gig and really takes a torque multiplier to do the job right and a serious bar tool with a flange to hold the pinion drive flange.  Check out my homemade tool shown in the picture below.  As you change the pinion shim you need to add or subtract from the preload shim pack to compensate for the pinion shim, as it will change the preload on the pinion bearing. 

These Ford Racing 3.73 gears have a lightened ring gear that should decrease 60ft times due to less rotating mass.

So, now you will install the pinion gear with the pinion preload shim pack and spacer.   Tighten to 125 ft lbs.  Again, check out the homemade cheater bar that comes in handy (this is the 5th gear set for this Mustang, its had 3.08′s, 3.55′s, 3.90′s, 4.10′s and now the 3.73′s.  Not much else to try.  haha).

Once you have the shim pack dialed in, set the preload to 25 in-lbs for new bearings or 18 in-lbs for used bearings.  Dig the big ‘n’ little wheel/tire setups in the background.  Also peep the stock mufflers.  Connected to an off-road H pipe there aren’t many automotive sounds that are more music to my ears!

Next you’ll bolt the gear onto the diff and torque ‘em down.  Torque value depends on bolts you’re using.  These are ARPs.  They’re around 50-60 ft-lbs.

Install the diff ring gear, put the shims back in.  It should have a tight fit preload.

Next step is to install the right shim. 

Then you can put the caps back on and torque them to 75 ft-lbs.

Measure and adjust the side shims to achieve a backlash clearance of .008″ to .012″.

Install the axle and re-install the C-clip.  Push the axle out to seat it.

 

Here the axle is seated with the C-clip and you’re ready to install spider gear drive pin.

There’s the drive pin.  Simply line it up with the hole in the diff.

Fasten the bolt and tighten down.  Now you’re ready to replace the diff cover.  Dont forget the gear oil!

Not a great picture here with the flash, but this was to show you the gear pattern on the drive side.

And this is the gear pattern on the drive side again.  Use gear marking compound.  Yellow works better!

Well, there you have it.  Please ask questions or make comments below.  Thanks to my pops for supplying the Mustang, tools, pictures and commentary, oh ya, and the wrenching.  Nice work!  Pops might not know how to work a camera too good, but he sure knows his way around the garage.  Even if people don’t wanna venture into doing a gear swap themselves, this gives you a good idea of what goes on when doing a rear gear swap. 

Thanks to AmericanMuscle as well for sponsoring this How-To feature.

Hechtspeed

 

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