Paul's 2011 Race Red GT Build
- Thread starter Paul.
- Start date
Quick update. Two weekends ago I swapped out the panel between the taillights on my trunk. My car came with the "Accessory Package 5" which included an existing trunk panel thingy, hood scoop, side window louvers, side scoops, and a rear wing. I've subsequently deleted the louvers ands scoops, and I liked the OEM trunk panel on the '13s better than what I had on my car. I picked one up used, and installed it on my car.
Here's what my original one looked like:
I pulled it off, and removed all the residue from the double-sided tape. That took a while.
The '13 panel has a bunch of clips on the back that hold it to the trunk. The '11/'12 have no provisions for these clips, so I broke 'em all off with a pair of pliers, then ground them flat for good measure.
Then I slapped on some 3M double-sided tape used for securing this type of thing.
Then BAM, peel 'n' stick. Done!
I like this one better. Easy swap. The hardest part was getting the old sticky tape off.
Paul.
Here's what my original one looked like:
I pulled it off, and removed all the residue from the double-sided tape. That took a while.
The '13 panel has a bunch of clips on the back that hold it to the trunk. The '11/'12 have no provisions for these clips, so I broke 'em all off with a pair of pliers, then ground them flat for good measure.
Then I slapped on some 3M double-sided tape used for securing this type of thing.
Then BAM, peel 'n' stick. Done!
I like this one better. Easy swap. The hardest part was getting the old sticky tape off.
Paul.
07TGGT
@user
Looks good
I thought about that, but I'm not really a fan of matte black. The trim isn't really black either, it's sort of dark gray. Either way, I actually really like how shiny it is, the bright contrast seems (to me) to make my ugly taillights look better. Now if only I had an extra eight hundred bucks for '13/'14 taillights.
Paul.
Tight Lines
Member
Very nice. Definitely better then the previous.
My buddy Dan rented out Firebird today so he and his crew could work the bugs out of his suspension in his super fast Chevy racetruck. It's been 6.90s at 210 mph in Vegas, but for some reason it's wanting to make right turns here at Firebird. It's got a Duttweiler twin turbo aluminum big block Chevrolet and a Chris Alston chassis running on a 10.5W tire. Plus, it's just super cool and I really like it. The paint is killer.
Anway, there were a grand total of three cars racing at the track - Dan's pickup, my mustang, and a slow Chevy. I gotta tell you, I've never been to a private track day, and this is the ONLY way to drag race. No lines. No tech. No hassle. No bullshit. No lines. No ricers. No nonsense. I love it.
I got there around 9 a.m. - the whole track was a ghost town all day. It was awesome.
Around 10:00 a.m., I decided to make my first couple of passes. This is the first time I've been down the track in well over a year, so I was all jittery and excited at the line. I missed third on my first pass and never got the timeslip. I hot-lapped it and lined up again immediately one minute later to make another pass. I left easy, hammered it, and speed-shifted my way down the track...
...and BAM!! My quickest pass ever, but quite a margin. My previous best was 13.282 @ 110.04 mph with a 2.184 60'.
12.917 at 107.34 mph
Here's my timeslip:
This was on a totally unprepped, cold lane, and a race weight of about 3820. My tank was full of 87 octane, but I don't know if that really makes a difference or not on the stock tune. The engine and drivetrain are still 100% factory.
Since changing my shocks/struts/springs, the wheelhop is COMPLETELY 100% gone, and drag racing the car now is night-and-day different. Instead of bouncing the axle up and down so hard that my fillings were about to shake loose, the car just spins the tires and wiggles a bit on the gear change. So much better now. As I suspected/feared though, my crappy 305/25/20 are indeed a problem. With my manual transmission, 3.73 gears, and 26" tall tires - I'm hitting the limiter about 100' from the traps. I ride the limiter the rest of the way out, which is why I'm only trapping 106/107 mph instead of my previously consistent 110 mph. If I had a taller tire, or some more RPM, I'd be able to improve my times some more. As is most always the case, my fastest pass came right away in the morning, and I was unable to do better the rest of the day - even when launching in the other lane on a heavily prepped and VERY sticky surface.
Here are the rest of times for the day:
12.94 @ 105.69 mph - 1.971 60'
13.098 @ 106.18 mph - 2.084 60' (hot lap)
12.980 @ 106.06 mph - 1.989 60'
12.988 @ 106.07 mph - 1.934 60'
13.145 @ 106.04 mph - 2.077 60' (hot lap)
You can tell by the consistency of my mph how much the stock rev limiter is hurting me. Either way, I really had a great time at the track. I had forgotten how much fun it is. I'll definitely be back once I've got some stuff worked out, like tires or a tune. I think on slicks/skinnies I could get into the 12.50s with some work, even being a crappy driver. I'd also want to weld my axle tubes for a little extra comfort.
A little cooldown after the first pass.
Since no one was around. I could park my car pretty much anywhere I wanted and take pics.
What a great day. I wish all track days could be like this. I have a few videos, but I don't have a Youtube channel or anything so I gotta figure out how best to host those. I have a good one of my 12.94 pass, and a crappy one of my 12.91 pass.
Paul.
Anway, there were a grand total of three cars racing at the track - Dan's pickup, my mustang, and a slow Chevy. I gotta tell you, I've never been to a private track day, and this is the ONLY way to drag race. No lines. No tech. No hassle. No bullshit. No lines. No ricers. No nonsense. I love it.
I got there around 9 a.m. - the whole track was a ghost town all day. It was awesome.
Around 10:00 a.m., I decided to make my first couple of passes. This is the first time I've been down the track in well over a year, so I was all jittery and excited at the line. I missed third on my first pass and never got the timeslip. I hot-lapped it and lined up again immediately one minute later to make another pass. I left easy, hammered it, and speed-shifted my way down the track...
...and BAM!! My quickest pass ever, but quite a margin. My previous best was 13.282 @ 110.04 mph with a 2.184 60'.
12.917 at 107.34 mph
Here's my timeslip:
This was on a totally unprepped, cold lane, and a race weight of about 3820. My tank was full of 87 octane, but I don't know if that really makes a difference or not on the stock tune. The engine and drivetrain are still 100% factory.
Since changing my shocks/struts/springs, the wheelhop is COMPLETELY 100% gone, and drag racing the car now is night-and-day different. Instead of bouncing the axle up and down so hard that my fillings were about to shake loose, the car just spins the tires and wiggles a bit on the gear change. So much better now. As I suspected/feared though, my crappy 305/25/20 are indeed a problem. With my manual transmission, 3.73 gears, and 26" tall tires - I'm hitting the limiter about 100' from the traps. I ride the limiter the rest of the way out, which is why I'm only trapping 106/107 mph instead of my previously consistent 110 mph. If I had a taller tire, or some more RPM, I'd be able to improve my times some more. As is most always the case, my fastest pass came right away in the morning, and I was unable to do better the rest of the day - even when launching in the other lane on a heavily prepped and VERY sticky surface.
Here are the rest of times for the day:
12.94 @ 105.69 mph - 1.971 60'
13.098 @ 106.18 mph - 2.084 60' (hot lap)
12.980 @ 106.06 mph - 1.989 60'
12.988 @ 106.07 mph - 1.934 60'
13.145 @ 106.04 mph - 2.077 60' (hot lap)
You can tell by the consistency of my mph how much the stock rev limiter is hurting me. Either way, I really had a great time at the track. I had forgotten how much fun it is. I'll definitely be back once I've got some stuff worked out, like tires or a tune. I think on slicks/skinnies I could get into the 12.50s with some work, even being a crappy driver. I'd also want to weld my axle tubes for a little extra comfort.
A little cooldown after the first pass.
Since no one was around. I could park my car pretty much anywhere I wanted and take pics.
What a great day. I wish all track days could be like this. I have a few videos, but I don't have a Youtube channel or anything so I gotta figure out how best to host those. I have a good one of my 12.94 pass, and a crappy one of my 12.91 pass.
Paul.
GrnBullitt08
Dale Jr
Paul,
You have a tune right?
You have a tune right?
white95
boost or bust
Nice work making people jealous, as always Paul.
No. The motor/driveline is 100% stock as delivered from Ford. The car has never been tuned. It made 375 rwhp / 364 rwtq a couple months ago here in Phoenix.
Haha, thanks man.
GrnBullitt08
Dale Jr
Nice. I ran a 12.92 bone stock on mine. Those tires aren't helping lol. I ran that 12.92 on stock 235s lol.
I think the tires have better traction than the stock 255/40/19 Pirellis, but the height is kiling me. Looks like I'd probably be well into the 12.80s or maybe even very high 12.70s with some 91 octane in the tank and a taller tire that would let me keep accelerating the last 100 ft.
GrnBullitt08
Dale Jr
Definitely.... My friend squeezed a 12.70 out of his Brembo 3.73 car before we broke the ring gear.
R1V3R5
5-Oh!
Car looks great. Awesome having the track to yourselves!
GrnBullitt08
Dale Jr
Unreal
Senior Member
You could borrow my ET streets if you wanted to see the difference, assuming I'm not using them.
That MT-82 isn't gonna like that....you slap them around a little and they fall apart
I can agree there, been there, done that. Hence why my second 5.0 is a 6R80.
GrnBullitt08
Dale Jr
Yup I know that feel as well....I blew my Trans, twisted a drive shaft and broke the rear in one summer....
Did a little work on the car today, despite the heat. I ordered an MGW shifter a few weeks back, and it took a while to get here. Remember when shifters were installed with four bolts and it tooks 20 minutes? Not anymore. This thing is some kind of CNC masterpiece/monster.
Anyway, on to the install pics.
Here were are getting started:
Pull the console:
Remove the factory insulation to reveal the OEM shifter boot.
Yank that shifter boot and you can see the stock shifter.
After unbolting a bunch of crap from the bottom, plus the four bolts on top, you can pull it out.
Here's the OEM shifter assembly. It's a lower box, shifter handle, and rear mount.
Here it is next to the MGW monstrosity. The MGW really is a nice piece, and very well thought-out. They keep making improvements to it and releasing new designs. This is the latest.
After a ton of work underneath the car to get everything bolted in and attached to the shifter linkage, you can put this thing in.
OEM dust boot goes back in place.
Additional layer of mass-loaded vinyl lead-core sound deadener is provided. Pretty nice.
Put on the rest of the factory insulation and connect everything.
BAM! Done. Took about three hours on my back in the garage using jackstands. It also somes with a nice heat shield with extra sound deadener that even Cartech would be jealous of.
I only drove the car two miles, but my first impression is good. Only a tiny bit noisier than stock. Shift feel is firm and tight. The 2-3 shifter is VASTLY improved... no more missing third at the track. This thing has a big ol' spring in it to center the handle in neutral, which makes that shift much better. Now that I have a fancy shifter and some big sticky tires, I'm excited to get back to the track sometime.
Paul.
Anyway, on to the install pics.
Here were are getting started:
Pull the console:
Remove the factory insulation to reveal the OEM shifter boot.
Yank that shifter boot and you can see the stock shifter.
After unbolting a bunch of crap from the bottom, plus the four bolts on top, you can pull it out.
Here's the OEM shifter assembly. It's a lower box, shifter handle, and rear mount.
Here it is next to the MGW monstrosity. The MGW really is a nice piece, and very well thought-out. They keep making improvements to it and releasing new designs. This is the latest.
After a ton of work underneath the car to get everything bolted in and attached to the shifter linkage, you can put this thing in.
OEM dust boot goes back in place.
Additional layer of mass-loaded vinyl lead-core sound deadener is provided. Pretty nice.
Put on the rest of the factory insulation and connect everything.
BAM! Done. Took about three hours on my back in the garage using jackstands. It also somes with a nice heat shield with extra sound deadener that even Cartech would be jealous of.
I only drove the car two miles, but my first impression is good. Only a tiny bit noisier than stock. Shift feel is firm and tight. The 2-3 shifter is VASTLY improved... no more missing third at the track. This thing has a big ol' spring in it to center the handle in neutral, which makes that shift much better. Now that I have a fancy shifter and some big sticky tires, I'm excited to get back to the track sometime.
Paul.
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