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Messages - sarjxxx

1
Body/Appearance/Interior / LED Bulb Conversion (Whole Car)
Quote from: softtouch;466137
Good news!!
I think the led bulbs only working one way in the socket is a voltage polarity thing. Since the D in LED stands for Diode.

yep, that's correct. Some of the "fancier" bulbs have a regulator of sorts inside that can change the direction of polarity on the fly as I understand it but traditionally it's always a good idea to test your LED bulbs before you put the sockets all back together and button everything up... Go ahead, ask me how I know :hick:


Eric that looks great. Was that the last bulb? Everything fully converted now?
3
Lounge / Cougars!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: jcassity;466134
thanks,, painted it under a tarp outside last fall

i gifted myself with the ultra rare gold trim grill thanks to sunburst gold spray in a can!

nice... it goes so well with that body color. I think it looks much better than chrome would.
4
Exhaust / dual exhaust
Quote from: jcassity;466130

am i ok to use the smaller 2'' if this Hpipe is full dual?  since each engine head is able to uses both pipes?

or do the studies show the X pipe is better?

That's not really how it works. Each head is able to use both pipes, but not at once. What you are getting with the H/X pipe setup is a transition that allows the exhaust pulses to essentially travel the path of least resistance. The idea is to allow the gas pulses to change direction at the crossover if there is a lower pressure area on the opposite side to "pull" it out, creating scavenging. Kiiiiiiinda like slip streaming or drafting on the highw--- I mean racetrack....

This is why an X pipe is generally considered a more efficient crossover design as it allows the gases to more easily change direction gradually if necessary, without taking a sharp 90* bend through a separate pipe like an H setup. The "drawback", if you can call it that, is that an X pipe has a smoother output sound whereas an H pipe will have a bit rougher sound. The difference in HP on the dyno is usually slim to none though.

This is why 2+2 does not equal 4 when talking about crossovers. It is absolutely better than running a "true dual" setup with no crossover but still shouldn't provide the flow capacity of a full 2 1/2 system. If it were me, I would go with 2 1/4 if possible. I have seen tests done that even in 400+ hp engines, the upgrade to full 3" dual was a negligible gain on the dyno. You could probably get away with 2" if you're not doing any major engine mods but it kinda depends on the HP output that you are looking to achieve as that will determine how much air/exhaust gases will be flowing. As long as you're not maxing the flow capacity of your exhaust system any size upgrades beyond that will not make enough difference to be worth it.

Looking at the chart posted above, I would say 2" - 2 1/4" should be sufficient...
5
Misc Tech / Gas tank removal and such,, finally I get how to do it right
Yes back when I changed the fuel pump I was in too big of a hurry to get it done ( the car was a daily at the time ) and we ended up just razor-knifing the filler neck from the overflow container to get it done.:punchballs:

Ever since that day  my filler neck never sat in the right place (obviously) and I had to pull it back out and angle it correctly everytime I wanted to fill up....

Now I know the correct procedure to install the replacement overflow container that I picked up a couple years ago!:hick:
7
Suspension/Steering / Front Tires Rubbing on Struts
Quote from: fordman3;466079
Aren't all the Fox-body wheels a lug-centric design?

This is possible, I don't know as much about fox wheels as I do about S197 which is what I have been working with lately, and that's not a whole lot lol. I'll see if I can dig up some info on it if no one else responds before I get to it

Quote from: fordman3;466079
Are you saying that the spacer itself needs to fit the hub snugly to prevent shearing the lugs off?

Exactly. It's not considered "necessary" by some, and if you are only spacing 1/4 inch it certainly stands less of a chance of being a problem than some of the more extreme 1"-1.5" spacers, but I have heard of it happening with 1/4" spacers

Quote from: fordman3;466079
Would 4 high-grade washers per wheel serve as an acceptable spacer instead of a one-piece spacer per wheel?

....And it's for that reason that I would definitely not recommend this
8
Suspension/Steering / Front Tires Rubbing on Struts
Just make sure you buy hub-centric spacers in the correct size for your application. Else you run the risk of shearing your wheel lugs off. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no reason any hub-centric application designed for fox-body mustangs wouldn't work.
9
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / what happens when you drive your car with broken motir mounts for a year.
Thread resurrection!

Reading over this one reminded me of when mine went out. IIRC the 88 3.8 has 3 mounts and 2 out of 3 were separated. It used to always *CLUNK* down after I let off the gas from a stop and scare the  out of me... I thought the trans was going or something possibly worse. Took a friend of mine who had much more experience at the time to say "hey nah it's just your motor mounts" and we popped the hood and I power braked it, got to watch it try to twist out of the engine bay... lol good times
11
Other Vehicles / My current rides
And second, the white pony:

2011 Mustang V6. 3.7 Cyclone V6 and 6-speed MT-82 manual. Again, base model car, no options just standard equip and sport appearance package which that year consisted of some decals -- OMG wOw. Got it in 03/2017 with about 54,000, about to hit 82,000 next week.

When I got it...





...And again, same thing with this one, got some factory takeoffs from a 2018 GT, 18" with the Pirelli all seasons




And a glamour shot :P



Got a lot planned for this car. So far haven't done much... It came with a custom axle back already installed, I don't know who makes the lers, all I know is they're a chambered design and are black with "Made in USA" stamped on them. They sound pretty good for the car, nice and mellow mostly.  Also came with near blackout tint installed. Looks good on the car but makes it  hard to see at night.

The first thing I did was install a custom shifter bracket and bushing to firm up the shifter. Just look up the MT-82 if you don't already know about it and all the shifting issues it has... But the new piece definitely helped out. Most of the lockouts I experience now are just from a lazy clutch foot lol. I threw on a short antenna just because I got enough funds from a gift card to take care of that lol. And obviously I slapped on some new wheels. I have new lugnuts and center caps on the way next week for those to finish everything up. I also did a full LED conversion on the car as there were still a few incandescent bulbs installed in the car from factory. The only thing I didn't update was the turn signals as I have new headlight housing I will be switching to down the line.

Next up will be upgraded brakes and headers. Eventually going to replace the factory H/X hybrid resonator mid pipe for something a little better designed as well. Mostly I have just cosmetic details to update. Planning on painting the roof black, and adding the GT/CS style spoiler in black as well. Also going to be adding a custom decklid panel that deletes the big ugly faux gas cap cover and smoothes it out all the way from taillight to taillight, and just putting the running pony logo on there. Got those ideas from the 15+ models. Have a small decal set in mind for the hood too that should help tie it all together. Also got my eye on an upgrade to the headlights that changes it to a one piece design that imitates the 15+ style "shark gill" headlight look and mods the running lights to be sequential turn signals in the front. Going to install the taillight bezels as well. Considering smoking the taillights, but I like the red look too. Probably going to leave as stock. Still deciding between the Pony Package grill or the GT/CS grille for the front; leaning towards the pony package though...

Planning to do some updating in the interior as well, such as installing the GT500 steering wheel and getting a leather shifter . Also going to be modding the door panels to have leather inserts instead of vinyl and also the shifter and e-brake dust boots to leather. Not much else there except for better seats somewhere down the line too as a possibility.

Not much planned for the drivetrain. Like I said, shorty headers should be going on soon and eventually a new H-pipe. Also will be getting a tune update and swapping the rear end from 2.73 to 3.31 for a little better accel. Eventually will have to get an aluminum driveshaft too since the stock one blows up at ~130 mph!
12
Other Vehicles / My current rides
Well since the Cougar is still out of commission, I figured I'd post up a little of my other 2 Fords....

First up is the F-150, 2012 XL. 3.7 Cyclone V6 and 6-speed auto with select shift. Base truck, gray vinyl seats inside with vinyl floor. Only included option was tow package with the factory installed Class III hitch and 4/7 pin trailer hookup. Got in in 10/2015 with just over 14,000, just turned 53,000 last week.

When I bought it...




And a little update after I added the new wheels - factory takeoffs from a 2017 - added step rails, replaced the gas door, got a vanity plate, and a few other things not visible...



Not a whole lot planned for this one, going to keep it mostly mild. Came with a nice 1 in/2 out custom Flowmaster  cat-back on it when I got it, and I will be throwing a set of shorties on it eventually.
Aside from that, will be replacing the headlights, taillights, and front grille with the Raptor style look. Probably going to swap out the steering wheel for leather too. Not much else really planned for it now.

May eventually get an overhead console swapped in from a better optioned truck as well as power door locks and windows. I installed the cruise control switch and once I get the dealer to flash the VCM and turn it on that will be good to go. Might throw a trailer brake in there one day but haven't seen a need for it yet.
15
Electrical Tech / Electrical issues
Quote from: softtouch;465967
A new switch and cable harness plug would be the fix.
Or take the heavy electrical load off the HL switch by installing relays to carry the load.

This is a good idea no matter what, it will make the headlights brighter to by eliminating the "bottleneck" of the stock headlight switch, and is also a good fire prevention measure...