First Ford Performance Track/R Cooling Kit Delivered

[50 Deep]

any update ?

Transmission and coolers are in, and the car is running well

I will add my posts from the build thread here in a few

 

[oldbmwfan]

Looks like you're about to eat that tiny little Mk1 in front of you in the first pic! I had a Mk2 GTI, loved that car even though it was a ratty POS. It's hard to have more fun than driving a car that is so slow you can be 10/10ths everywhere, all the time, and no one even knows.

 

[13COBRA]

Car looks good. What size tire is on the back? It looks like you can go just a tad bit wider, the side walls are kinda stretched.

 

[SID297]

Do you have pics of the install? Would make for a good article.

 

[jtfx6552]

What wheels and tires? What sizes and offsets? They look great! Are the light color wheels an issue with the supposed copious amounts of dark dust creating brake pads?

 

[50 Deep]

Looks like you're about to eat that tiny little Mk1 in front of you in the first pic! I had a Mk2 GTI, loved that car even though it was a ratty POS. It's hard to have more fun than driving a car that is so slow you can be 10/10ths everywhere, all the time, and no one even knows.

This is the truth. There were a few similar type cars out there that were balls out in their runs. I know those guys had a blast.

Car looks good. What size tire is on the back? It looks like you can go just a tad bit wider, the side walls are kinda stretched.

It has the stock 305 out back. I am going to run these down and then do exactly what you suggested. The plan is for a 315 or 325 section rear tire. My only issue now is that they are only available in that width if you drop down to a 30 series sidewall. My hope is that by the time replacement comes Michelin will have a 325/35/19 in the pilot 4s.

Do you have pics of the install? Would make for a good article.

Yes, I have a bunch of pics and a write up. I will bring those over later today

What wheels and tires? What sizes and offsets? They look great! Are the light color wheels an issue with the supposed copious amounts of dark dust creating brake pads?

The wheels are Signature SV101 in the same size/offset as the GT350R wheel. 19x11 / 19x11.5. They weigh about 20-21.5 lbs front and rear.

Oddly enough these do not dust up as bad as the stock wheels did. There is more concavity in these so the spokes are further from the caliper. There are also reliefs cut in the center that I believe are funneling in air and creating turbulence to blow some of the dust off. Can't confirm this, but after he autocross my wheels were barely dirty. Either way I am happy

 

[50 Deep]

Last but not least I started on the transmission cooler swap. My goal was to get the transmission cooler plumbed and in, So when it came time to drop the transmission we would be ready to go. I was able to accomplish that goal without much fuss, and will go into detail about it when I do a writeup for the install. For now here is a little picture of what should be behind the passenger side bumper on the tech package.

You will need to order the passenger side deflector from Ford, as the kit does not include it. It costs around $55

4 hours later....

Exhaust, driveshaft, and driver side catalytic converter are removed. Everything came off relative easily, no bolts were rusted down, and everything was accessible with the careful application of an extension and a swivel. Getting up and down to grab sockets and take the car in/out of gear are the most time consuming. Few more steps to go and the transmission should be out tomorrow. Very surprised at how many of these bolts/nuts are 1 time use.

 

[50 Deep]

I was going to do a full write up, but the instructions included with the kit properly display everything. I will let you all know what size sockets/wrenches you need as to make that process smoother. For now I will leave you with this photo of my progress, and would also recommend you remove the driver side O2 sensor as it will interfere with a smooth removal. Also a very tight fit up top for the last two bolts, breather tube, and clutch fluid line. The higher up you can get the car the better.

 

[50 Deep]

Some comparison shots. The new transmission with pump has the red plugs on the side for the cooling lines. You will notice that the casings are the same, but the non pump transmission has all the holes blocked off with plugs. The theory is that you can contact Tremec to buy all the internals needed to make a tech package transmission into a cooled model. Although it would require tearing the entire transmission apart, it may end up costing less than buying another. Only a theory.....

 

[50 Deep]

A long night, but everything is bolted in, torqued, and lines connected. The exhaust and driveshaft are still off since I am awaiting the MGW. Fluids have not been added so I can't say there are no leaks yet. In total I have about 16 hours into the job. This could probably be cut down with a lift, second set of hands, or just experience with this car already.

Pretty much everything bolt wise under the car can be removed with basic hand tools. I relied heavily on the following.
-10mm
-13mm
-15mm
-1/2in drive ratchet, swivel, extensions
-1/4in drive ratchet, swivel, extensions
-3/8in drive ratchet, swivel, extensions
-adjustable torque wrench
-transmission jack for install
-trim removal tool

The instructions didn't list removal of the driver side catalytic converter from what I saw, but it definitely needs to come off to make life easier. The kit also includes new nuts for both sides of the exhaust

The instructions were also missing torque figures for a few items that I will list below. A few others are also not there, but these are the main ones.
-bell housing bolts 35 ft/lbs
-transmission damper 76 ft/lbs
-transmission mount bolts ??

Good news is all the bolts are pretty accessible. Top transmission bots requires every extension I owned. Reconnecting the breather tube to the transmission is a pain if you have big hands, and the retaining clip that holds it to one of the top transmission boltstuds is a nightmare. Every other bolt is there for the taking though.

I also like that the engineers bolted the starter to the block. When you remove the 3 bolts from the bell housing the starter remains in place. Do not have to worry about fiddling with it to get the bolts back in.

Word of advice for the cooler lines. Run the lines for the cooler from the fender into the engine bay first. This will give you a better idea of where to feed toe lines from the transmission into the engine bay. The brackets on the lines make it somewhat fool proof since everything will line up once bolted down.

@TDC and @barstowpo to answer your question, the deflector folds into itself like a rectangle and surrounds the grill opening.

 

[50 Deep]

Well it has been one hell of a day. First off George @MGW had a package waiting for me when I get home.

I think as men we have developed the ability to look at a woman and know based on the way she carries herself that the sex will be amazing. I have to say that this is the same feeling I get with this shifter. I have to give a ton of thanks to @Tob and George @MGW for what they did in assisting me with obtaining the shifter. Customer service was off the charts, and I hope to be able to fly down south one day to meet both of these gentleman. I owe them a huge thanks, and their generosity was tremendous. :hail::cheers::headbang:

Installation was straight forward and the original install video was a big help. I believe @Tob and @MGW will be releasing a new installation video very soon as there are a few minor differences with the new setup.

Having the driveshaft and exhaust out of the way allowed me to install the shifter through the bottom and have much more room to work. Although not necessary, I am glad I waited to do it this way. The car is just about ready to go on the floor now that the shifter is in. Just the driveshaft, fluids, and exhaust, and interior shifter pieces need to go on
My son also took his first steps today. Thus far I cannot complain, and look forward to driving the car this weekend.

 

[50 Deep]

Shit just got real! Finished up the transmission swap and getting the MGW all settled inside of the car. As well as a fresh oil change. So far it has been a very successful venture, but I need to get some miles on the car. Here are a few things I wanted to highlight...

Oil Change:

After seeing and experiencing the drama with messy oil changes I had a bit of an Epiphany. I had a small funnel laying next to me as I pulled off the inspection cover and thought it would be a perfect way to catch oil coming out of the filter. Turns out I was right. The funnel is wide enough to catch all the droplets, and sits low enough to allow clearance to reach up behind the wheel and unscrew the filter. All the oil is directed into the pan and I had VERY LITTLE run off. I think all that try this will be pleased. Saved me a bunch of time.

Oil Separator Draining

During the oil change I disconnected and drained both oil separators. This was after approximately 6500 miles of street driving. I was very surprised at the amount of fluid that came from the passenger side of the car. The driver side was bone dry. If you are operating your Shelby without one, I would purchase at least the passenger side ASAP.

Driveshaft Install:

Ford has made all the driveshaft bolts one time use. Transmission flange, center bearing, and differential flange. The install instructions did not include the torque figures, but the Helm info I got from @Tob specified 41 ft/lbs. as I Installed the bolts to the differential they wouldn't thread. I looked a little closer and saw these 2 wax rings on them. Presumably to mark a used bolt, and prevent the bracket from coming off. In either case these need to be taken off before install. Peels off easy with a nail or screw driver.

Transmission Fluid:

Once the transmission was all attached I went to add the required 3.3 quarts of fluid. I nestled in under the transmission with my fluid pump ready to go. The bolt was a little hard to remove so I had to muscle it. Then all of a sudden BOOM! Red transmission fluid all over my face, and now I know how a porn star feels. I thought Ford shipped these dry!, but I was very wrong. The transmissions comes filled to the top plug. Seeing as I am the guinea pig, the rest of you can save some money at the parts counter. I still needed to fire up the car up for 2 minutes with the clutch engaged so fluid could circulate and then recheck

MGW Install:

The interior portion of the install was easy thanks to the video. I managed to pull the center console and reinstall it without breaking any clips. The new boot @MGW includes went on in place of the foam contraption. I did need to adjust my lock out a tad, but once that was done it felt damn smooth. Cutting of the leather shift boot plastic was accomplished without fuss using my hack saw. Screwed on the shifter ball and marveled at the car. I have to applaud @MGW for all the forethought put into reducing NVH. The rubber gasket on the rear shifter mount plate, rubber caps on he shifter body, extra interior sound deadening. I am not an engineer so I wouldn't know what locations were susceptible to noise, but I see how much work that must take to identify. Fully installed I cant help but admire the craftsmanship on the shifter coin and base. So glad I had @MGW do the custom coloring for me. DEAD SEXY!

I very nervously attached the battery cables, fired up the car, and it came to life. At this point I did not see any leaks and only the feint smell of transmission fluid as it began coursing through the coolers new vanes. No smoke, no bangs, no weird sounds. I hope the first drive goes well, but currently working on bleeding the clutch. pumping the pedal did not result in a proper bleed, going to need a vacuum pump.

 

[50 Deep]

Finally got the clutch all bled and fired up the car. I ended up needing a vacuum pump to get it done right. Followed the factory procedure of holding 20 inches of vacuum for 1 minute, releasing vacuum, and then pumping the pedal 10-12 times. Repeated that 3 times and we were good. I had to do a makeshift cap using a rubber grommet I got from the hardware store. Drilled a hole, attached a fitting, attached a hose and go. Here is a pic of my setup

Took it for a shake down run and so far everything works. No new noises, rattles, or leaks. I only have about 15 miles on the car but the transmission is smooth. And the shifter is just.... it's just better, the 3-4 shift puts a definite smile on my face. Very excited that the MGW will loosen up even mor with use. The stock shifter is good and I initially never felt the NEED to upgrade. I can say that I understand the hype now, and it's warranted.
Going to take the car to Eurosunday tomorrow, and a long drive Monday to check temps. Once I get some miles on it I will rhave chef the transmission fluid. I found that even after my initial startup and 2 minutes of running that I was still good on fluid and did not have to add any.

 

[GT Premi]

Car looks good. What size tire is on the back? It looks like you can go just a tad bit wider, the side walls are kinda stretched.

The R's tires are stretched over the wheels, too. Looks like they could easily accommodate a 315 in the front (ridiculous) and a 325 or 335 in the back. A 335 would be way overkill, though, considering the low amount of torque the engine produces.

...
The wheels are Signature SV101 in the same size/offset as the GT350R wheel. 19x11 / 19x11.5. They weigh about 20-21.5 lbs front and rear.

...

REally?? Hmm... Where did you get them, and for how much? You've got me wondering if I can get a similar wheel with the proper offset to fit my GT500. Are those forged wheels? I thought aftermarket manufacturers had pretty much abandoned making any forged wheels smaller than a 20". Good to see a company is still making reasonably sized wheels.