Building Up a Pair of Mustang Restomods

Project EHR: Concluded! (For now...)

2011-10-30T20:23:00.001-04:00

I've upgraded a number of pieces in the 2001 Bullitt interior so far including a new steering wheel, shifter and e-brake boots, e-brake handle, shifter trim and other billet bits, floor mats, pillar pods, rear shelf, console cover, and an epic Dynamat install.

And while I still have not installed the Alcantara headliner I bought, or wired the lighted visors and aftermarket rear view mirror, I'm calling this project done—for now.

Here's where I started a couple months ago.

The "new" interior has some worthwhile upgrades that make it a quieter and more comfortable place to be.

I'll update individual posts as the remaining final pieces are finished, particularly the headliner and rear view mirror.

More Steady Progress on the '66

2011-10-30T20:11:00.000-04:00

We've made a little more progress on the '66 the past couple weekends. The engine is now sitting in the engine bay, and the large-diameter Centerforce clutch is installed onto the back of the engine. The bellhousing and the transmission are installed as well.

We are ordering a few more needed bits and pieces this week to hopefully get a bunch more done next weekend.

The 331 is installed in the engine bay—headers and starter bolted on.

Here's the CenterForce DF021048 installed on the back of the engine.

I'll more closely go into the EZ EFI installation in another post as work progresses (and I have more pix to offer). The Worx has come up with what appears to be a stellar solution to one bit of the install—where to install the ECT sensor. I'm looking forward to explaining that in case anyone else decides to fuel-inject their small-block Ford.

Mentioned in this post:

Project EHR: Billet Bits

2011-10-30T19:56:00.000-04:00

The model year 2001 Bullitt package offered a few billet-look items including the shifter bezel and door lock pins, as well as a real aluminum shift knob and pedal covers. I wanted to remove the billet-look items and replace them with real billet, which looks better.

I found a billet shifter bezel, and even an e-brake handle on eBay, and used the Best Offer option to knock some money off each one. (On a side note, I recommend using that eBay option whenever offered, since the reply is now automatic and immediate for the bigger sellers, and the savings can be worthwhile.)

Here's the eBay-sourced brake handle and shifter surround with the Bullitt knob.

I also found a set of billet door lock pins, but they don't seem to fit like the factory plastic billet-look ones, so I've been speaking with the manufacturer to possibly make me a pair that are threaded correctly so they'll fit better (i.e., fit flush when locked).

Project EHR: Room with a (Rear) View

2011-10-30T19:52:00.001-04:00

Two items that immediately date the 2001 interior is the stock rear view mirror and the lack of HomeLink controls anywhere.

Fortunately, Gentex manufactures a line of aftermarket rear view mirrors in addition to their OE mirrors. I bought the GENK41A, which is auto-dimming and also offers 3 HomeLink buttons to control devices in your garage or home (usually garage door openers).

I installed the mirror on the windshield, but haven't wired anything yet since I intend to do the headliner recovery at the same time. When I get the time to install the mirror, I'll update this post.

Stock mirror on left; GENK41A on right.

GENK41A on left; Stock mirror on right.

Mentioned in this post:

Project EHR: Proper Pillar Pods

2011-10-16T22:58:00.000-04:00

One of the items I wanted to swap out in the Bullitt interior was the aftermarket AutoMeter pillar gauge pods. I could have painted the black plastic of the pods to make them the correct interior color, but it's an overlay design that fits over the stock plastic pillar underneath, and frankly I just didn't like it.

Fortunately, Speed of Sound offers their gauge pillars for Mustangs. These pillars start out as stock Ford pillars so the color and grain pattern are correct, and then a pair of cool custom pods with the proper color and grain are attached. I think this design simply looks and fits much better.

To install this new pillar with existing aftermarket gauges,
I had to elongate the gauges' wiring, since those gauges
are now positioned slightly different.

Project EHR: Rear Shelf Recovery

2011-10-08T20:15:00.007-04:00

I found some time today to finish up the rear shelf fix-up on the Bullitt. After I removed the stock rear shelf, I covered the area in Dynamat. Then I covered the shelf insert itself in some of the extra Alcantara I had bought by the roll from Dallas Custom Steering Wheel to match the Alcantara elsewhere in the now-modified interior.

Here's the rear speaker system of the stock Mach 460 stereo.

I covered this area in Dynamat, while leaving the speakers and middle ports uncovered.

The key is to leave the speakers as unobstructed as possible,
so nothing interferes with the stereo sound. But you have to add something—or you'll see the Dynamat under the grills.

I used the black felt (right) under the speaker grills. Alcantara (top) and just about any fabric will muffle the highs and midtones. The stock grey material (left) allows sunlight through (and lets sound through too.) Speaker grill cloth would be ideal.

Here's the underside, with the felt installed. I stretched the felt a bit with my hands to open up the fabric a little more.

Before installation in the car: the felt allows sunlight, and sound, to pass through.

Here's the rear shelf covered with Alcantara, with the speaker grills and baby seat anchors reinstalled. I simply covered the existing carpet with the Alcantara using 3M spray glue. (Stock carpet seen in foreground.)

I don't know what the durability of this Alcantara will be, but the look is great.

With the additional covering, and a new layer of Dynamat, I actually had to readjust the Mach 460 Bass/Treble/Fader a bit to get the sound I wanted.

Mentioned in this post:

The '66 Engine is Getting The Worx!

2011-09-17T22:35:00.001-04:00

Don't think the Bullitt is getting all the attention—steady progress is being made on the new 331 that's going into the '66 Restomod. The Worx in Fredericksburg, VA, has been working on the '66 Mustang for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product here shortly.

The new roller 302 block is outfitted with a Canton windage tray,
oil pump pickup, and a Melling HV oil pump.

The aluminum heads and intake are being reused—along with
all-new ARP hardware, Fel-Pro gaskets, and trick Cometic head gaskets.
The Millerspeed pulleys are visible, as is the new Canton oil pan.

The MSD distributor and ceramic JBAs are being reused,
but the complete FAST-EZ EFI kit is brand new.
I'm looking forward to being fuel injected!

Mentioned in this post:

Facelift for the Bullitt!

2011-09-17T21:00:00.005-04:00

The front of the Bullitt had hundreds of chips and scratches after years of racing, so I figured I'd get it fixed up. Recently, I was able to purchase new headlamp housings for about $95 each from a local dealer, and CJ Pony had a sale so I picked up a replacement piece for the bent Mach 1 lower spoiler too. These pieces come off when the bumper cover is painted, so I installed new ones during reassembly.

Before, the front bumper had hundreds of paint chips.

I removed the bumper cover and dropped it off at Capital City Auto Body in Wake Forest. Two days later, I had the cover back with great body work and a great paint job for only $350. I thought that was a great deal.

I also took the opportunity to clean the now-exposed mass air flow meter housing that was hiding behind the bumper cover. The inside of the housing and the wire filaments were covered in red oil from a new K&N air filter. I also cleaned the filter itself with the K&N cleaner kit and lightly oiled it again. The car actually runs much better now.

Doesn't take long to strip the front body work from the car.

The painted bumper cover as returned from Capital City Auto Body.

In the end, everything went back together quickly, and I think the results look great for a reasonable cost.

Done! The front of the car looks new again.

Mentioned in the post:

Project EHR: Leather Interior Bits for the Bullitt

2011-09-12T21:24:00.001-04:00

The Bullitt interior updating is in full swing. Recently, I've received a box of goodies from Dallas Custom Steering Wheel.

Here's a stock Mustang steering wheel that has been pretty heavily modified.

It has Dark Charcoal leather with matching Alcantara and silver stitching.

I asked for the wheel to be extra thick
with wide Porsche grips molded to the rim.

I carried the Alcantara over to the shifter and handbrake boots with silver stitching. And we added Dark Charcoal leather and extra padding to the armrest too.

Unlike other companies, DCSW installs the boots onto your boot frame.
So you just pop them back into your car rather than gluing and stapling them yourself.

I went a bit wild here and bought some lighted sun visors on eBay for about $25. (Mine had mirrors but that was it.) Then I sent them to DCSW too for leather. I also bought a roll of Alcantara to cover my headliner and package shelf in the Bullitt too.

I think the wiring harness should plug in behind the headliner.

Stock Ford mirrors are kinda chintzy from this era.
But these are now kinda chintzy—but with cool leather! :-)

I'll update the blog when everything is installed in the next week or two.

Project EHR: Floor Mat Menagerie

2011-08-26T21:18:00.005-04:00

One challenge outfitting the 2001 Bullitt interior is the unusual Dark Charcoal color (code 9W): it really looks like dark smoke, but is clearly not black, or even grey. Some pieces of the dash and pillar coverings and headliner appear to be another color entirely. I decided to get some floor mats since the Mustang only comes with two for the front, and well with my five- and seven-year-old kids riding in the back seats, four mats would be better.

There are two brands of floor mat I zeroed in on: ACC and Lloyds. ACC makes carpet kits for many cars, including Mustangs, while Lloyd Mats pretty much owns the high-end floor mat business. One thing to get out of the way now: you won't find an exact match to the Dark Charcoal carpet color (unless you have already replaced your carpet itself with the ACC replacement kit).


Four ACC mats with Bullitt logos (in front) are $100 (or $60 plain). Photo shows 2 original front mats and 2 ACC replacements.

I decided that I didn't think the ACC color was quite right for me, the Bullitt logos were redundant since the threshold sill plate says Bullitt in black already, and I really wanted contrasting binding around the edges like the GT500.

Enter Lloyd Mats. Simply put, getting color samples was a hassle from the Lloyd Mat distributors. I called seven or eight and two agreed to send some samples, but only one ever did (and it took a month). Lloyd Mats sent some additional samples directly when I had given up on seeing anything from their distributors.

I'm posting the color samples here to hopefully save others the hassle. Of course if you have a common color carpet, e.g. Black, there's no benefit in seeing the samples beforehand. :)

Actual Lloyd Mat samples against clean Dark Charcoal Ford carpet.
The flash went off here, so use as reference for color saturation, not hue...

I went with Ebony "Ultimats" with Silver Neon binding. Ordering for a 1999
instead of a 2000-2004 opens up some additional Mustang logo options.

The mats fit great and add some visual interest to the interior.

The rear mats even have an angled edge that fits around the roll bar. :)

I ended up buying these from the CarID website since they had come through with the carpet samples, although I had never bought from them before. The mats were $140 after a $10 coupon online and arrived in just two weeks. (The Neon Binding, rather than a carpet color binding, was an additional $9 option, while the Mustang logos were $29, all included in that price. Silver thread was no extra charge.) The preliminary research was a hassle, but I definitely like the look of the mats.

Project EHR: Laying the Foundation for a Quiet Interior

2011-08-26T20:53:00.002-04:00

The first project to tackle on the Bullitt was to quiet down the noise in the cabin. The Nitto tire upgrade helped calm road noise at the source quite a bit, but the drone of the exhaust quickly grew tiresome and my four- or five-hour drives were draining. I have used Dynamat Extreme before on my '66, and it is just a great performing product.

Amazon sells boxes for about $130 shipped, which is a great price.
Each box of Dynamat weighs 20 pounds.

I removed the seats obviously, but did not completely remove the center console because it wouldn't come out without lifting the hand brake handle straight up and that wasn't happening (without breaking something). Use work gloves to avoid Dynamat's death-by-a-thousand-cuts syndrome, and a small roller or stiff plastic bottle helps flatten it all out. I did this in 90-degree heat, which helped the product lay out easily, but was pretty uncomfortable for me. :)

Dynamat on the driver's side,

and on the passenger's side,

and under the rear seats,

and in the trunk.

I used almost all of two boxes. I'll buy a third box here shortly to finish the trunk, and then do the rear shelf and roof. Not sure I will do the doors, but probably will if I have some product left.

So far, the cabin is quite a bit quieter. I'm kicking myself for not using my iPhone's decibel meter app to give concrete numbers for before vs. after, but the improvement is noticeable even though I'm maybe 2/3 done.

Mentioned in this post:

Project "Executive Hot Rod" (EHR)

2011-08-26T20:33:00.007-04:00

After owning the 2001 Bullitt for more than a year and realizing it is really a great car (just like I thought), I've decided to revamp the interior. The interior is basically stock now except for some gauge rings and a couple Autometer gauges and a roll bar.

I think the interior could use a little more contrast (specifically beefing up the silver accents with real aluminum), could be much quieter, and have a look and feel a little more like a modern car, but perhaps not necessarily a modern Mustang. It was built a long time ago, and of course Ford tried to save money on the design and finish of the car. So there's room for improvement here, but with an eye toward staying true to the Bullitt theme.

Here's where I'm starting:

The Bullitt interior has a lot going for it; I'm going to try to build on that.

Some examples of more modern design for inspiration:

2011 Shelby GT500: Leather, Alcantara, and deviated stitching.
Floor mats are darker with logo and silver binding.

2005 Ford GT: Aluminum accents and a honking fat steering wheel.

911 GT3 RS: Alcantara and leather throughout with dash gauge pod.

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: Leather, Alcantara, and dash gauge pod.

I'll update the blog as I make progress...

Rat Rod: Revisited

2011-08-26T20:04:00.001-04:00

On my cross-country journey to bring home a silver 2006 Mustang GT back in August 2009 I happened upon a slammed rat rod traveling down the highway in Tennessee. In fact, it was so wild I snapped a photo for the blog.

Fast forward two years to just last weekend when I was checking out the "Carolina Classics at the Capitol" car show in downtown Raleigh. I happened upon a rat rod that I thought was the same car. Upon closer inspection, some of the details were a little different, but the tall red wheels sure looked the same. I spoke with the owner (and showed him a pic on my iPhone) and confirmed in fact that his buddy owns the very car I saw in Tennessee. After needing to sell the wheels for a new rear end that required a different offset, they now are sitting under this cool '28 at the show. Small world...

This car drew a crowd at the show.

This is a '28.

Embracing the term Rat Rod.

Batwing air cleaner, too cool.

L O U D

Hand painted

Street legal?

1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3.

2011-07-05T20:19:00.001-04:00

I recently bought a set of WebElectric Sequential turn signals (STS-1MSS Pre-wired Harness) for the 2001 Bullitt. I waited a while since there was one aspect of the plug-n-play turn signal kits on the market that I didn't like: the brake lights sequenced once when the brake pedal was pressed. In fact, using the hazard lights caused the turn signals to sequence as well. Luckily for me, WebElectric updated their plug-n-play offerings, and now the kits function as (I think) they should.

Here's the WebElectric kit. It's really a plug-n-play deal. The phone cord connects the two harnesses, and keeps the brake lights and hazards from sequencing at all.

Here's the driver's side harness installed in the tail light housing. The only thing I didn't like was that the rubber grommet (left) is straight in the kit, unlike the 90-degree one from Ford. I taped the wires down when installed.

It's worth noting that I put a small blob of 3M Strip Caulk (every classic car guy has some of this around) at the bottom of each tail light housing assembly post in the photo above (the gold threaded posts) to keep water out of the trunk. Also, all three of the bulbs are illuminated in each housing when the lights are on or the signals are in use. From Ford, only two bulbs on each side are in use. Having additional lighting out back must be a good safety feature too.

Here's a quick video I posted showing the sequential turn signals in action. Perhaps it would be nice if they were a tad slower, but this really doesn't matter much. With LED bulbs installed, they'd probably be pretty cool too.

Flux Capacitor

2011-07-05T19:53:00.002-04:00

I was watching the "Back to the Future" movies the other day with my kids who are now 7 and 5. These movies are loaded with neat little details, and it really helps to have HD and a DVR to see them. Checking out what others are saying online is interesting too.

I noticed that in Back to the Future II, there's a scene in Biff's office, where there are magazines visible on his desk. There could have been any magazine placed there, but what kind of magazine was on top? A Mustang magazine! Biff is obviously a car guy, but I'd like to think he's a Camaro fan instead! :-)

Check out the Mustang magazine on Biff's desk, to the left of Marty McFly.

Hot Stuff!

2011-06-19T22:26:00.005-04:00

Here's an easy, inexpensive, and pretty quick project, that looks good IMO. The JBA 3" cat-back exhaust on the Bullitt sported a silver aluminized coating. This coating looks good for a while, but does rust over time. From the rear of the car, the pipes look just huge, and I'd prefer them to blend a bit more.

So, I decided to scuff down the cat-back pipes and paint them satin black. I used VHT Satin Black Engine Enamel over some Duplicolor Engine Enamel Primer (that I had on hand). I'd consider using the VHT without primer if I didn't have high-heat resistant primer.

In the foreground is the aluminized pipe after cleaning only.
In the background is a cleaned, primed, and painted pipe.

Within a couple hours I drove the car over 200 miles, in the rain at times, and the paint didn't flake or discolor.

The pipes blend in better under the car when they are black.

Update 11/06/2011: After 2,000 miles of driving, here are a couple pix of the painted cat-back exhaust pieces.

The tailpipes remain black (albeit dirty from driving in the rain).

But the mufflers and pipes before the mufflers are burning up the paint. A little disappointing.

Mentioned in this post:

Freshening the Gearbox

2011-06-19T21:55:00.005-04:00

Just a quick update from the '66. The T5Z was in nice shape and had fewer than 10k miles on it. But it was leaking due to age affecting the silicone. The Worx disassembled and inspected it, cleaned everything up, replaced the tail shaft bushing and seal, and let me put a coat of silver paint on it before reassembly. The new Steeda Tri-Ax short shifter is sitting on top.

This Tremec T5Z was bought new by the previous owner.

We used The Right Stuff silicone in grey to reseal the case.

Mentioned in this post:

New Nittos on the Bullitt

2011-05-14T19:49:00.001-04:00

I recently bought tires for the Bullitt. The wheels are custom Bullitt 5-spokes in 17x9 (front) and 17x10.5 (rear). The tire sizes required are 275/40/ZR17 (front) and 315/35ZR17 (rear). The Dunlop Star-Specs that I bought for the '66, and really like, don't come in these sizes.

The tires that were on the Bullitt were BFGoodrich T/A G-Force KD, issued in 2007 for this car's final One Lap of America race. The BFG's are great tires, particularly back then, and generally run wider than other brands.

This marking on the old BFGs denotes "2007 One Lap Of America".

Today, this 315 tire size with a 17" diameter is considered very unusual. Most performance cars today run at least 19- or 20-inch wheels. Even economy cars are running 17-inch wheels today, and definitely not this wide. Nitto makes tires in this size, in their popular NT-05 among others. Nittos are also known to be a little narrow, which worked out well for me.

The Nitto 315/35/ZR17 is a bit narrower than the BFG, but this isn't a bad thing.

The BFGs stuck out a bit.

The Nittos fit the wheels better, and fit the car better too.

The performance of the Nitto is just great—very quiet, responsive, and sticky compared to the BFG. I've used them in the rain already too, and they perform fine in normal driving. The tread is not particularly deep, Nitto claims 7/32" tread depth on this tire (6/32" on the race version NT-05R), while other tires seem to be in the 9-10/32" category. But drivers aren't buying the NT-05 for long life, but rather maximum performance. The price is fantastic too, if that weren't enough.

But wait, there's more. :-) Reducing unsprung weight at the corners of a car is a good thing, and the NT-05 delivered for me here too.

Here are the weights, compared to the used, but not used up, BFGs:
Nitto: 275/40zr17 98w
27.5# vs. BFG 29.2#
Nitto: 315/35zr17 102w
29.9# vs. BFG 31.6#

The Snowball Effect... :-)

2011-04-08T12:48:00.001-04:00

It's been a couple months since my last post. A number of things have happened, and a number more are in the pipeline, so I'm presenting an update. There's a new service shop in Northern Virginia called The Worx Garage, and having known the shop's owner for many years, I know he does great work. So, the '66 is up there getting a full mechanical upgrade. (Woo hoo!)

Here's the block in the middle of teardown.

I was pretty sure the head gaskets needed replacing, and while they definitely did, a thorough check of the engine revealed that the block really needed replacement due to cracked (and sleeved) cylinders that were too far out of round. So, we are leaving the '68 block behind and going with a late-model roller block. This allows us to use a one-piece rear main seal, and roller cam and lifters. I could have used a retrofit kit to fit a roller cam with small base circles into the old block, but the kit, cams, and lifters tend to be expensive. Fortunately, the existing forged 331 stroker crank, and rods and pistons, are being cleaned up, balanced, and reused.

Some of the parts after removal. The rest is in the trunk. :-)

We are using a new roller cam, even though the previous one made good power. The new one is more streetable and should make similar perhaps better power. Topping off the engine will be the F.A.S.T. E-Z EFI fuel injection kit, to replace the Quick Fuel Technology carb.

The aluminum Edelbrock heads will be reused with ARP head bolts this time.

The clutch was discovered to be the stock-style small 10" unit that will be replaced with a slighter larger, but much stronger, Centerforce Dual-Friction Kit. A new Ford Racing billet flywheel is replacing the stocker.

The T5z transmission is a leaker, but with very low miles, so it will be resealed.

I figured this upgrade is in line with the "restomod" theme (adding performance as well as reliability.) Photos are being taken of the work in progress, so I will update when I can.

Tips & Tricks

2011-01-22T11:56:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to add some tips that I either found online or figured out as I went along with recent work. Here are two:

(1) When removing a harmonic balancer you can put the crank pulley bolts back into the balancer and then put a pry bar between them to hold the balancer still. Then loosen and remove the large balancer center bolt with a large breaker bar.

This procedure works well, but hopefully the bolt is not rusted
or seized into the crank snout.

(2) There are a number of ways to keep track of water pump bolts when replacing the water pump, but the best solution I found was to find a water pump template online and print it out. :-) I wish I could find the template I used so I could link to it, and give credit, but I can't find it...

I used the template at left to hold the stock bolts.
The template at right holds the new ARP bolts I am using instead.
Both paper templates are taped to a cardboard box to hold the bolts easily.

Wheel of Fortune?

2011-01-22T11:32:00.008-05:00

[See Both Updates at End...] I had planned to purchase the aftermarket Ford Racing steering wheel (M-3601-B) for the 2001 Bullitt. I liked that the wheel had a much thicker rim, is the proper Dark Charcoal color, is OE quality, and is pretty reasonably priced at $200-$240. But I hadn't been able to find one in stock the past couple months at the less expensive places, although this modification has been around for many years.

Here's the Ford Racing M-3601-B steering rim installed
with factory Cobra wheel horn, airbag, and cruise switches.

I then saw Wheelskins leather steering wheel covers being advertised online. I remember these from the 1980's personally, and they've been around longer than that. These days the covers are not just slick genuine leather, but come in multiple colors and even have perforated leather available as well. The good news is they are only $43 shipped and come in Charcoal leather (or better yet) Black for a Bullitt.

Here's the charcoal Wheelskin, size AXX, in charcoal leather
with perforated leather on the sides only. Some other colors are shown at right.
They have a light grey, and red too, not shown. Black ended up being the right
color for a Bullitt.

The best deal on these is on eBay from a reseller. But the Wheelskin company will send you an extra needle and more thread for free if you want to try a fancy stitch. (I recommend requesting these for spares.) It's best to research a little online before starting, but using a regular stitch the job is about as difficult as tying a shoe. :-)

The Charcoal color is too light by two shades in sunlight
for the Bullitt's Dark Charcoal interior.

Some tips for a 2001 Mustang: (1) don't bother stitching around the four steering wheel spokes with "dummy stitches", they don't look that good anyway; (2) use a standard stitch, the waxy lacing is too obtrusive on fancier stitches and doesn't pull as tight; (3) stitch in four separate sections between the spokes, not the entire wheel at once like most folks do, you can get the lacing tighter and even rest mid-job if needed; (4) do a double stitch as the last stitch before each spoke for strength; and (5) start lacing in the middle of the rim between the spokes and work out to each spoke. Although I didn't use this tip for my install, if you use multiple color leather, you can get multiple color lacing too.

Overall, I think a Wheelskin is a really good addition with much better feel when driving. It was much less expensive than a complete steering wheel swap, and probably takes about the same time to complete (60 minutes). I also like how the lacing bunches the leather a bit, giving a consistent ridge to grab onto, unlike the smooth aftermarket wheel rim. I'd give my first install a solid B, some folks will try the fancier stitches and make them look good too.

I'm planning to do this one over—I'll use the Black leather instead to try it out—but neither would be an exact match for a Dark Charcoal interior. Other Mustang interior colors might be easier to match.

[Updated January 28, 2011] Ok, I just bought the Wheelskin in Black with perforated leather on the sides only to match the Ford Racing wheel. I installed it as described above, but with black thread to match the cover. The color is very close to the Dark Charcoal of the Bullitt interior, and recommended instead of the Charcoal Wheelskin.

Here's the Black Wheelskin draped over the Charcoal Wheelskin
on the Dark Charcoal Bullitt interior. I took the photo in direct
and indirect sunlight to show the color differences.

The finished product in Black looks really good! I see that the airbag cover is now not quite the right shade so I'll be tending to that next. :-)

The installed Wheelskin looks really good in Black, and is a huge
improvement over the stock plastic-feeling rim. And a great
deal for only $43 and a hour's time.

[Updated October 8, 2011] As part of Project Executive Hot Rod, I installed a custom-made steering wheel in the Bullitt. For the money, the Wheelskin is a good deal. The custom wheel was more than ten times the cost of a Wheelskin...

Rings Around the Gauges

2011-01-19T21:09:00.001-05:00

I just installed a set of gauge rings from Explicit Auto in the 2001 Bullitt. I saw photos online of these rings, and I immediately liked the satin finish rather than the more common chrome or shiny finish I see elsewhere. I believe Explicit Auto is not officially in business anymore, but I was able to purchase a leftover set of rings.

The install is straightforward, and the directions supplied in the kit are super. The rings are plastic and they install from behind the gauge bezel. This installation gave me a chance to clean out the dust that had accumulated in the gauge cluster over the past ten (!) years. I think the finished product looks pretty good.

The gauge rings look good with the silver Autometer bezel at left.

The satin finish goes well with the other Bullitt interior features
such as aluminum shift knob and pedals.

Happy New Year: Out with the Old, and In with the New

2011-01-11T18:30:00.004-05:00

I finished installing an Energy Suspension 4.2135G Shackle Set on the '66. I had noticed that the rear of the car would sway a bit and get loose under acceleration. Also, the driver's side of the rear was about 1/2" lower than the passenger side when the car was just sitting.

I knew that the car had a set of mid-eye 5-leaf springs with rubber eye bushings and stock shackles with Milodyne bushings from around 2002. I didn't want to spend the $250 and up for a set of new springs, and then $80 for shackles, until I knew I had to. So I bought the Energy Suspension shackle kit to update the old leafs.

Energy Suspension 4.2135G Leaf Spring Kit
includes 9/16" shackles and bushings for 1/2" front eye bolts.

The front eye bushing was in need of replacement.

[Photo Above] I removed the inner sleeve from the eye bushings by drilling them (the drill bit walks around the sleeve) and hammering them with a small socket extension. Then I used a 38mm socket and hammered the bushings and outer sleeves out together (lubed with PB Blaster), then hammered the socket back through. I originally bought the 38mm socket to fit the front of the Global West adjustable strut rods and it works here too. (Serendipity, baby!) Loud, lousy job, but it works...

The front eye bushings installed.

And on the car (before final torque).

Here are the new 9/16" shackles vs. the old 1/2" shackles.
Big difference.

[Photo above] Here's the driver's side (before final torque).. Notice the swapped bolts: This is the only way they'd fit. (Regarding tailpipe clearance on the driver's side, make sure you let the car rest fully on the springs to observe—the shackles pivot a great deal when the car sits on the ground vs. being jacked up in the air. I put a small dent in my large Magnaflow tailpipe to accommodate, but this probably wasn't even needed.) The top bolt requires pushing the sleeve in just a bit from the inside and inserting the bolt through the outside. I was puzzled for awhile on this one...

The passenger side installed (before final torque),
much more room thankfully.

The kit seems just great, and a great value as usual on Amazon. I'd recommend swapping the leaf bushings out one leaf at a time, and installing the shackles first, then the front eyes, then the axle u-bolts. I swapped leafs side-to-side, so I removed both leafs at once and tried to keep the rear axle on jack stands under the car, by myself. The axle did tip to one side and bruised the black axle paint a bit (and my ego), so be very careful if you work alone. Remember to use the supplied grease on the bushings and sleeves, and even on the bolts where they fit into the sleeves. Apply final torque to all the bolts while the car is resting on the ground, not jacked up.

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Billet Belt Drive Bonanza!

2010-11-30T21:20:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while an upgrade comes along that's a "must-have" in my book — a great blend of increased performance and nicer appearance — and for a reasonable price. I recently installed a Millerspeed Belt Drive System on the front of the 331, and the "wow" factor is simply off the charts. Millerspeed offers 2 belt widths — 1" and the wild 2". I went with the narrower 1" kit for the street.

The 1" wide kit for small-block Ford. (Millerspeed photo)

...and the 2" kit with alternator fan/bracket
and power steering pump. (Millerspeed photo)

Previously, I had installed a March 1550 aluminum pulley kit on this engine, and it was an upgrade for me at the time, replacing the heavier stock-style steel pulleys. I bought the March 1-groove pulley kit (#1550), and then bought a shorter belt, so soon I had about $225 in that kit. Immediately, I noticed a crank pulley wobble, but couldn't confirm it until much later when I happened to buy a new balancer, and the pulley still wobbled. A digital caliper then showed the holes were drilled very slightly off-center. In addition, my new 3G alternator upgrade required a minimum of a 2-groove alternator pulley to turn the alternator under load, so I definitely needed a new pulley kit.

Here's the March 1550 kit I'm replacing. Belt is not included.

Enter Millerspeed... This kit has been offered for at least the past few years, and has had some positive press, but I hadn't heard of it until I stumbled upon a Millerspeed auction on eBay last month. Here's the 1" kit I bought — the wild 2" kit usually runs about $325.

Here's Millerspeed's small-block Ford kit. Belt is included.

The belt drive system installs as easily as any other pulley kit, and the quality is absolutely top-notch. The 2" kit gives off noticeable belt whine, similar to a supercharger setup, but the 1" kit is quiet.

The Millerspeed kit installed.

...and another angle.

Here's a video of a small-block Ford in a Cobra to give you an idea of the appearance and sound using the wider (and wilder!) 2" kit. I think either kit is just superb.

Shifty Shifter Shifts Again

2010-11-15T22:33:00.006-05:00

The Tri-Ax shifter in the Bullitt was noisy after years of hard use. There was a loud buzz or rattle above 4000rpm under hard acceleration. Steeda rebuilds these units at their Georgia facility. I sent it in and a couple days later had it back fully rebuilt, for free. Great customer service.

A shifter gasket kit from AmericanMuscle.com didn't fit,
so I used some grey RTV instead.

I set the Tri-Ax shift "stops" further out than normal,
since the TR3650 apparently has internal shift stops.

I reinstalled the lower shifter boot (Ford #1R3Z-7277-AA for $13.80).

I replaced the torn upper shift boot (Ford #3R3Z-7277_AA for $35.98).

The Tri-Ax handle is lighter than the stock handle,
but the stock handle will work if you prefer the length.

Here's the finished install with the Bullitt knob and boot.

Amazon now has these Triax shifters for, at the time of this writing, $169.99 with free shipping. That's a great price for a great shifter like this. The links are for the TR3650 shifter (Left) and the T5 shifter (Right).

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