Mustang Re-Fresh, or . . . the "M-ullitt"

[Paul]

No, not this kind of mullet. . .

Although Chuck "almost" pulls it off


"M-ullitt", as in kind of a hybrid (Jeez, I hate using that word now...) between the Mach 1 and the Bullitt.

We bought this Mustang new off the lot in November 2000 for a couple of different reasons: Our other car (Dodge Shadow) was 10 years old, and was ready for replacement - - or at least I was ready to stop being seen in it; I had just finished a pretty aggressive driving school; we figured since we keep our cars for longer than most, it'd still be okay to drive a 10+ year old Mustang than most other smaller cars.

So, here a few photos from December 2000, just a plain ol' Mustang GT, in "True Blue".

Only significant upgrades was the Posi-rear end and optional Torque Thrust rims.

So within a year or so Ford releases both the Mach 1 and the Bullitt - - two versions of the Mustang that I really would have waited to buy had I known of their impending release, but not enough to take the financial bath or a newer trade-in of our 2001 GT for one.

As much I liked the Mustang, I was never a big fan of the "Cosmetics", and by that I mean the non-functional hood scoop, faux side scoops, and rear spoiler. . .

Since we planned on keeping the Mustang for a while (13 years of ownership and less than 85,000 miles), figured the car was due a re-fresh.

So I bought a larger wheel set about five years ago, bumping up from the OEM 17" x 8" rims to 18" x 9" rims, but still in the Torque Thrust style. About a year ago I severely gouged one of them on an off-camber curb. Fast forward to this summer and the opening of a powder coating place within a mile or two of the house. So I show them the gouged up Torque Thrust and was assured they could be brought back to like new. Since it was time for new tires, I went ahead and had the set powder coated in a similar color, but kind of went with the "black chrome" look on the outer rim. Here's the rim, with caliper cover, tires are Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetricals in 275/40ZR18, which really fills up the wheel wells.

Paul

 

[Paul]

So, now that the wheel set was perfect, the car needed some work. Nothing serious, a few door dings here and there, the rear bumper fascia was dinged up, and the hood had been cracked, so there was a "spider web" of the paint.

So the re-fresh included some body work on the rear end, to include the deletion of the trunk spoiler - - a tribute to the spoiler-less Bullitt. I realize this look won't appeal to everyone, but I think the rear of the Mustang looks much better without the spoiler. Here's a recent picture:

Since I had to have some work done on the hood, I opted to remove the OEM non-functional hood scoop and replace it with a "shaker" functional scoop from CDC, with a nod to the Mach 1. Had the applique painted the True Blue color scheme instead of the flat black that was standard for the Mach 1.

Here's some photos of the CDC Shaker install:

Used a generous amount of automotive silicon to stabilize the applique and bolster the connections.

No turning back now. . .

Paul

 

[Paul]

The laundry list of upgrades for the Mustang re-fresh:
1. Tint
2. Sequential Rear turn Signals
3. Caliper Covers
4. "Powered by Ford" fender emblems
5. CDC Shaker Hood
6. Borla cat-back exhaust
7. Goodyear Eagle F1 tires with
8. Freshly powder-coated 18 x 9 rims
9. Chin Spoiler

Ready for another 13 years. . .

Paul

 

[Albino 94LTD]

No suspension upgrades?






yet?

 

[Paul]

No suspension upgrades? yet?

None yet on this one, but added some 4x4 suspension **** on the "Natches Before the Snow" thread . . .

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[JDraper]

Looks Nice..How about adding a grille delete kit? It was standard on the Mach 1's and cleans up the nose nicely.

 

[Paul]

Looks Nice..How about adding a grille delete kit? It was standard on the Mach 1's and cleans up the nose nicely.

On the fence on the grill delete kit; it does clean up the front end a bit, but I'm not a huge fan of the "void" left behind, with view of the radiator . . . maybe on the list for Re-fresh II.

Thanks for the comments.

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[Rick]

Looks good Paul

I vote for the grill delete also, but I'm just as prejudice as Mr. Draper

 

[Maniak]

For the tail lights.. Personally I like "chase" lights better than sequential lights..

Meter4it is the one we use our '06 and its been flawless. When we thought we had an issue with the unit they helped me track down the problem (turned out it was a factory connector under the trunk carpet) but they were willing to send another unit out even though we were out of warranty.

I've been wanting to do the Shaker hood for a long time.. just can't get up the nerve to do something like that to Yolanda's car..

I really like how that shaker came out on yours...

~Mark

 

[Turdle]

Like button pushed for the rear spoiler delete.

 

[Paul]

I've been wanting to do the Shaker hood for a long time.. just can't get up the nerve to do something like that to Yolanda's car..

I really like how that shaker came out on yours...~Mark

If you look at my hood compared to JDraper's, you can see the difference between the kit "applique" on mine and the OEM Mach 1 hood. It's really a pretty simple install, but glad I found a inter-web site that recommended the liberal use of silicon. . .

No significant noticeable increase in h.p., but definitely a cool upgrade. Also received a lot of positive comments on the spoiler delete.

Paul