2010 Changes- A Prequel

Dont get me wrong I love the way my car looks now, and I dont plan on doing any major drastic changes, such as an APR Widebody.  Even though Id like to do something like that, the desire for major cosmetic modification dwindled on my last vehicle.  As most already know, Ive taken the cowl hood off my car and stock is going on shortly.  This is the begginning of the first part of changes on the car.  Below is a list of what Im hoping to have done by the end of the year and hopefully may be the last bit of modification that I do, but you know how that goes…. 

– CDC Shaker Hood Induction System

– APR Carbon Fiber Front Splitter

– APR Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser

– Tein Flex EDFC Coilover Suspension

– Forged Bottom End

– Up the boost (shoot for 600rwhp)

-Long tube headers (with high flows) into a Corsa Exhaust

– Upgraded LCAs, Subframe Connectors

– 10 point Roll Cage

Its already March and Im already falling behind!

Warm Up Runs @ Little Talladega

I had an absolute blast on my track day, despite not having the best weather, I still made the best of it.   Summer Tires, 500rwhp, and RWD dont mix well with rain, but at least my video came out good!  Check it out below as I go out for some warm up laps around the course.

Video Tests

Videography is something I dabble in every now and then, but in the past year Ive had a chance to test some pretty nice pocket cams.  This time Im able to test my dads Kodak Zi8 HD (1080p @30fps or 720p @ 60fps) camera.  Its a great camera with good image stabilization and great performance.  I havent tackled uploading videos at 60 frames per second to youtube, but since my track day is coming up I decided to try some different camera angles.   I turned the mic up on the camera so the sound became a little too loud especially in my car but this was the outcome.   Ill have a full review of the camera with features after the track day.

Die Hard Mustang Fan Since Day 1?

…not quite.

Ever since my high school days of owning my first car, Ive always had an open mind into what type of vehicle I truly wanted.  No matter what car was given to me or purchased, Ive always tried to make the best of my situation from the “cards” that were dealt to me.  In high school the 99ish Honda Prelude was the nice car, and I wanted one so bad!  Along with the 97 GSX Eclipse, but I would have settled for a measly 420A powered Eclipse.   Either way, my first car was quite the polar opposite; a 1993 Mercury Sable (based of the Taurus platform).  It was an alright car, had a decent amount of torque from its Vulcan motor and a top speedomoter reading of 85mph!

After a year or so of owning that car handed down to me it was a decision to trade it in since it was starting to have issues.  I originally wanted to go to the Honda/Mitsuibishi dealership to look at an import to trade it in for, but like most teenagers my age, my credit rating was low and I didnt have enough credit.   However, my only course of action was to head to a Ford dealership.  My family has generations that worked for Ford in Michigan, and my family has bought nothing but as long as I can think back.   During that time period I was looking in the early 2000’s and my budget, the Ford Escort ZX2, Ford Focus, and Mercury Cougar were the top cars I was considering.  Long story short I decided on the Cougar.  Not a lot of people had them, it looked superb for its time (still does to this day in some ways), and had a pretty decent V6 (now anemic to todays standards).  I was thrilled, you couldnt take the smile off my face for some time to come!  After 3-4 years of ownership.

This little old stock Cougar turned into this little gem you see on the right.   I was

really proud of what I had accomplished with it, but as many that grow older with a car, I desired more.  I desired more performance, which something that car could not have given me.   Time had passed and eventually a good buddy of mine called me and told me that he had a 1985 300zx for sale that he had to get rid of because he was going out of state.  I jumped on the deal and was then a new owner of a Z car.  A car I truly miss, and wish I had never got rid of.   It wasnt the prettiest car, but it was comfortable and it had a lot of character new cars even today I dont believe have.

The Z car was great!  Until the Summer time!  It had no AC!   Frustration and anger brought me to sell this car privately on an automotive forum.  Which brings me to the point of regret.  The kid I sold it off to trashed it months later and I saw the car in a dilapidated state it never should have been in.  I never felt more betrayed when it came to a car Ive owned.  But things were looking up for me.  The money sold from the Z car was going towards a down payment on a 2004 WRX.  A car I had been eying for a long time!

There she was, finally a car I worked hard for!  A 2004 San Remo Red Subaru WRX.  A car I owned at 30k miles and got rid of at 90k miles.   All wheel drive, nice performance, turbo, practical, and FUN!  I was truly in love with the car, it was pretty quick for what it was, and gave me that “tuner car” feel when driving.   I had so many good memories with the Subaru community that I will never forget from tuning with Scott Siegel to the people at SoG that made my experience awesome.  With every car though comes the downsides. The paint quality or lack there of, the idle pulley going bad, to the axels going bad.  The car was becoming more of a repair money pit than a fun car to own.

I had to make the decision to get rid of it.  Things happen for a reason right?  Well that statement held so true now that I look back on things.  I have always been a fan of Cobras and thought maybe someday I would own one, but any Mustang was really not in my mind.  I test drove many cars, from the Audi TT that lacked any practicality I needed since it was still a daily driver, to the boring 325i that left me wanting, to the BMW Z4 I had considered that made me feel more feminine than anything.  After much deciding, I went to go trade the Subaru in at Subaru of Gwinnett on an early Sunday morning for an 07 WRX.   As I pull into the dealership, low and behold, someone was buying it from under me.  The car I had decided on , wasnt going to be mine, and I was left with a tough decision until I saw that white Mustang GT parked in front of the lot. Immediately, I asked the sales guy if I could go drive it.  I went on a test drive and fell absolutely in love with it and the S197 Chassis.  It was very lightly modded which was nice, but it looked/sounded/and felt like everything I had wanted in a car.  A V8 owner I soon became as I drove her off the lot:

There she is the day I bought her.  And every single day since then I enjoy and love the car more than I ever thought I would.  Basically, my life has gone in many different directions so far and I truly have enjoyed every second of my automotive endeavors because I kept my mind open to different possibilities, something I hope people decide to do when they look at another car.  No a Mustang might not be for you, but that hardcore Honda guy may want to go take a drive at the Mazda dealership, you never know what you may find out is hidden deep inside!

— George

So what all is in my car?

“So whatcha got done to her?”
… Is a question I get a good bit.  So I will describe every little nook and crevice of my car.

First thing’s first…

Go Fast Mods (Dynoed: 496rwhp/ 440lbs TQ)

-Stock 3 Valve 4.6 Liter

– Paxton Novi 2200 High Output Centrifugal Supercharger running around 8-9psi

-Paxton Front Mount Air to Air Intercooler

– Pypes Catless H Pipe ( I have not gone with an X since I plan on adding a torque control arm)

– Pypes M-80 Resonators

-SLP Loudmouth Axle Backs

-Hurst Short Throw Shifter

Now onto the Turn Fast Modifications

My car has what most would consider a Stage 3 Steeda Handling package.  All of that includes the following:

– Steeda Sport Springs

– Tokico D-Spec Adjustable Struts

– Steeda Adjustable 34mm Front Sway Bar

– Steeda Adjustable Rear Sway Bar with Billet Endlinks

-Steeda X5 Ball Joint Kit ( Steeda’s X5 ball joints change the bump steer geometry.)

– Steeda Bump Steer Kit

– Steeda Front Strut Bar

– Steeda Rear Sway Bar

And finally… the Pretty stuff!

-Cervinis 2.5 inch Cowl Induction Hood

-Ford Racing FR500 18×10 wheels

– Ford GT500 Rear Spoiler

– CDC Aggressive Front Chin Splitter

– CDC Rear Panel Decklid

– 10 percent Tint

– Swapped Leather Seats

The GT’s First Drift Event

Quite an eventful weekend.  Originally, I had gone to Turner Field to take photos for the Southeast Drift event, however later in the day things went in quite a different direction!  Marcos Ruiz, pro-drifter and head of South East Drift , had the opportunity to take my car out on the track for a couple hot laps!   On our walk to the car, Marcos questioned what I had done to my car,  I explained to him everything that was done and he seemed quite excited to take it out!   Our first lap was a warm up lap and he got a feel for the car, the car was also starting to warm up as well so he wasnt hard on it at all.    As you can see in the video below, this is the result of the second lap!

Zero body roll, stability, power, and control!   I was very happy to see the car perform so well after all the money I have put into it.  Not only this, but this gives me the confidence to know that if and when I decide to take her back out myself, I know it is capable of doing exactly what it did in the hands of a pro driver.

Dont forget, on March 12th 2010 is my first track go around with the current setup.  I cant wait!

-George