The first thing I did was tweak the suspension with Eibach springs and
Tokico D-spec adjustable shocks. A Hurst shifter made rowing
through the gears more fun. In 2011, I upgraded that to a Barton
shifter for increased firmness. A JLT Cold Air kit boosted the power
a little and a set of CHS lower control arms tightened up the rear
suspension.
After a few years, I wanted more oomph from the 4.6 so I
added a Roush M90 supercharger. This made a noticeable difference
yet was perfectly streetable while, remarkably, not hurting my gas
mileage. I was happy with this for a few years
until I got a ride in a 540 hp Rousch. It was time to
step it up again.
In order to take full advantage of the TVS 2300 supercharger, I had to
update the whole bottom end. The stock rods, pistons & crank
aren't designed to handle much more than about 400 hp. The easiest way to go was to
get a complete Roush forged
short block.
This setup is now identical to the
P-51's and the
540RH's. Included in
the install was an aluminum flywheel & the P-51 clutch & pressure plate.
The heavy duty clutch is less forgiving than the stock clutch and doesn't like to be slipped.
You have to develop a feel so you can let it out quickly. Fortunately,
the low end torque is plentiful enough that it
handles it nicely. And the clutch doesn't slip under power.
The addition of the bigger SC affected several things. A Roush
Anti-Wheelhop upper control arm was now a necessity and an aluminum 1
piece driveshaft seemed like a good idea, too. The Shelby wheels &
tires look nice &
improved handling. I also added Autometer gauges to measure
boost/vacuum, AF ratio and oil pressure.
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Latest Addition
Erie winters & a supercharged engine are not compatible. I can't
change the weather but I
can park the car. The problem is
that this car has a propensity to discharge the battery if you forget to
shut off the radio. I decided to take the battery completely out of the equation in the
winter when the car is in storage.
Custom Audio installed a
battery disconnect switch that allows me to isolate the battery with a
flick of the wrist. They mounted the switch under the hood,
rewired, re-routed & re-loomed the cables so it looks like a factory
installation. Maybe better. If you check the 3 open-hood
photos directly above, you can see the "before" pics. Below are 3
pictures showing how nicely they mounted the switch on the passenger
side shock tower.
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I almost forgot to show how I combined my passions of cars & cuemaking.
This is the shift knob I made from a cueball. The big, fat, heavy
ball feels great in the hand and is the perfect compliment to this car.
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Some additional pics of the interior
Views inside the driver's side & passenger's side. The gray
carpeting has been protecting the factory Mustang floor mats since the
car was new. They are simply bathroom throw rugs that collect the
dirt & prevent any moisture from getting through. I made a custom
Delrin ring that allows me to attach the factory shift boot to the
Barton shifter. It looks like a stock setup but sure feels
different! The gages are tied to the parking lights & will light
up in green whenever the lights are turned on.