What have you done to your mustang today?

[GriffX]

Painted the TB with DTM paint and a brush.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Mrs. Claus brought floormats for Christmas. Absolutely perfect.

Here's the part number:

 

[GlassTop09]

Well as of today it looks like I may have kinda pulled it off w\ Mishimoto................confirmed today that I'll be getting a full replacement radiator free of charge for the product w\o needing to ship the defective part back to them..........they asked if I would be willing to pay a portion of the shipping costs to send it to me.........which came out to $59.50 total for my portion......so I agreed to this as you ain't gonna get a unit of this quality anywhere for $59.50 (I paid $257.95 + tax over 4 yrs ago for this same unit........currently going for $406.88 + tax) & when playing warranty claim poker, you gotta know when to call it when you know you have a winning hand & stop poking the bear...............

The main thing is............Mishimoto finally stood behind their product & the lifetime warranty they put on it.

Got a visit from FedEx yesterday........................

 

[cavero]

Doing some paint correction, which suuuuuuucks. I was using Chemical Guys V34 'hybrid compound' for several passes before I went back to V32 (cutting polish).

You can see what I was fixing with the reflection of the tube light. That came from the car cover rubbing on the paint for a couple months while the engine was getting rebuilt. So spending a lot of time on the hood and the roof.






Also spent some time working on the repaired fender where the car got hit, the paint shop left some orange peel. Not horrible but you could see it because the reflections were fuzzy. So here's an hour with the DA polisher

 

[GriffX]

You can see what I was fixing with the reflection of the tube light. That came from the car cover rubbing on the paint for a couple months while the engine was getting rebuilt. So spending a lot of time on the hood and the roof.

Learned the cover lesson from my motorcycle, a heavy cover is rubbing by wind and even a soft velour inside doesn't help. Indoors I use the thinnest plastic painters sheet I can get, no weight on the car paint.

And, I use 2000, 2500 or 3000 sand paper depending on the orange peel to flat the paint first before polish. Dry sanding is easier to see not to sand more than necessary.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

@cavero , looking great! Is that a Vapor Silver '08/09?

 

[GlassTop09]

Doing some paint correction, which suuuuuuucks.

I certainly can relate to you here.................is why I didn't get into auto body & paint & take up the family business growing up (my Dad owned\operated his own shop.......both garage & body shop & worked it for several decades until he got sick\died from cancer).......I was heavily interested\invested into the automotive mechanical side but not even interested into body & paint, not because I didn't try.........it just ain't in me to do it, so I pay someone else to do my vehicles when I deem they need this work to be done to them.

So, I applaud your efforts.........looking good to me!

 

[cavero]

@cavero , looking great! Is that a Vapor Silver '08/09?

Thanks! 06 Tungsten Gray

 

[cavero]

I certainly can relate to you here.................is why I didn't get into auto body & paint & take up the family business growing up (my Dad owned\operated his own shop.......both garage & body shop & worked it for several decades until he got sick\died from cancer).......I was heavily interested\invested into the automotive mechanical side but not even interested into body & paint, not because I didn't try.........it just ain't in me to do it, so I pay someone else to do my vehicles when I deem they need this work to be done to them.

So, I applaud your efforts.........looking good to me!

Agree whole heartedly, even if you can make a ton doing it. Just too repetitive, need a lot of care and patience. My brother in law was all amped up about doing a side business detailing people's cars after we did his Subaru. We spent the better part of 10 hrs on that car. Maybe with a rotary polisher, definitely not using a DA polisher. It just goes too slow.

Plus a lot of investment in pads, supplies, etc. I did pony up for one of these to keep the pads clean , worth every penny. I usually clean the pad after every panel, keeps if from getting too loaded up and if I picked up any grit, it won't go scratching up the next panel

 

[GlassTop09]

I most certainly will be filling out a Mishimoto lifetime warranty registry form online registering this replacement rad w\ Mishimoto.........while still NIB.

FYI for those so interested..............

Opened box on new warranty replacement Mishimoto radiator & checked tag to record the serial number.............found that this radiator didn't have a serial number stamped on the tag..............

Sent this picture attached to same email chain (for recorded evidence purposes) to Mishimoto & inquired into this & whether this is their std practice to not stamp a product serial number on a warranty replacement part to avoid honoring the same lifetime warranty policy.......

Got response back from Mishimoto to confirm that this was a mistake on them (all Mishimoto radiators should have an individual specific serial number stamped on the tag), the lifetime warranty still applies to any radiator whether initially purchased or lifetime warranty replacement, and to save a copy of the electronic shipping receipt they sent (I had already done so--is archived along w\ this entire email chain) that has all of the lifetime warranty replacement info to use along w\ this picture I took to provide evidence if this replacement radiator ever fails in the future.

So now this has already been rectified\covered on this NIB Mishimoto replacement part.........while radiator is still in box & unpackaged.

Posting this as a guide for anyone who buys 1 of Mishimoto's S197 HP Aluminum radiators & you find no serial number stamped on the tag.
Also, if 1 buys a Cold Case S197 HP Aluminum radiator, check on the top of this radiator & record the engraved serial number........this number can be very hard to find\see as Cold Case engraved this number into the top aluminum rail itself thus no tag.

I missed seeing it myself a couple of times until I finally caught sight of it. I found that the serial number shows up better once the radiator is fully installed.

It pays to record\keep these serial numbers to use for warranty claims.

And Happy New Year to all.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Mrs. Claus brought me some floormats

 

[Shotokan1509]

Got it a new stable mate while putting it away for winter slumber. 2021 Tremor 402A, all the bells & whistles

 

[GriffX]

Violated the rule, "never touch a running system" or "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" and started to do the first spark plug change since 2007. First, I scratched the fender with a zipper of my jacket, than I used a left hand torque wrench to try to brake the plugs lose. Unfortunately the wrench maximum is 100 Nm and nothing happened, so I stepped back from it to think about it

 

[JC SSP]

Search the forum for options on removing those plugs from impact gun to soaking in penetrating oil, etc.

I did mine over 10 years ago. I used a complete seafoam treatment (intake, oil and gas tank) on my engine, let it cool down and then used a hand ratchet. None broke but I did have the removal tool handy just in case.

 

[rocknrod]

I don't have any miles on mine but I did them recently. But before I did I sprayed Sea Foam Deep Creep in each one waited a few hours. No issues.

 

[GriffX]

I sprayed some PB Blaster type stuff inside now and try tomorrow to break them lose. When I see it correctly, the threads are open from the top so it should do something - I hope - car is in winter storage, so I have a lot of time to do it.

 

[MrBhp]

The thing is with spark plug removal, the part that sticks and causes problems with removal, is generally not the threads. It's the lower barrel of the plug that gets fouled with combustion byproducts. I have very few issues since switching to a small impact driver. Common sense is needed to use this tool.

 

[GriffX]

The thing is with spark plug removal, the part that sticks and causes problems with removal, is generally not the threads. It's the lower barrel of the plug that gets fouled with combustion byproducts. I have very few issues since switching to a small impact driver. Common sense is needed to use this tool.

So... wasn't able to breake them lose with a normal short 1/2 ratchet..... Will step back for now,..... before I use a breaker bar or air impact wrench.

 

[JC SSP]

Strongly suggest you have the broken spark plug extraction tool handy…. Just in case.

 

[GlassTop09]

Replaced the oil filter adapter housing gasket today w\ the new revised\redesigned Ford part.........................

Good thing I did..........this is why Ford revised this gasket as shown in pictures below.

This sapsucker was getting ready to blow out & cause a major coolant leak due to the plastic deteriorating from heat cycling thus compromising the sealing rings so I caught this in time to not get stranded from this gasket failing. You can clearly see where the plastic had started coming apart (the bulges) & the coolant sealing rings was starting to collapse inward...............

This gasket is the original production Ford oil adapter gasket installed on the engine assembly line thus is 16 yrs old. Why Ford originally designed this particular gasket using plastic is beyond me...........especially when both the 4.6L 3V engine block & oil filter adapter housing are made from aluminum alloy thus no advent of galvanic corrosion from coolant\liquids contacting dissimilar metals..........

The oil leaks were coming from the oil port sealing ring failures on the adapter side of gasket (you can see where the rings had flattened out on both oil ports thus couldn't maintain oil seal while under pressure thus oil seeped out by the bottom adapter bolt--this bolt head was clean while the rest had dirt stuck over them from wind spread oil--what most thought was coming from the oil pan gaskets). Oil sealing rings on block side of gasket were still good. This is from the plastic underneath starting to deform from heat cycling under pressure.

Refilled coolant (saved in 5-gal bucket.......fresh coolant from prior new radiator\water pump install) & reinstalled same oil filter (was waiting on this work getting done before I had car serviced.......she's due) & started her up & got radiator burped\topped off then checked for leaks..........all good. Put her on the ground & drove her for a while to get her good & hot then parked back at home & rechecked all once more..........all good, oil filter is clean & dry (oil would leak down to bottom of oil filter & form droplets.......the telltale sign of this oil filter adapter gasket going bad) & no coolant leaks anywhere w\ system under pressure at full temp.

Gonna check in AM & finish cold coolant top off as needed.

I am so glad I procrastinated & didn't pull this off while I was replacing the radiator\water pump & use the old Ford designed plastic gasket.........

I would highly advise folks to get this new Ford OEM redesigned oil filter adapter gasket installed ASAP if you haven't already changed this out.........you may be riding on a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

7 years in the making but I finally got this small oil leak fixed..........only leak on the engine.