What have you done to your mustang today?

[GriffX]

The clutch pack was replaced about 8-10 years ago with new Ford parts. Car doesn't get raced and barely sees 1k miles a year, so it should be fine.

Absolutely! .....When I remember that I payed 80$ for the finned cover not too many years ago......
My Ford rebuild kit was bad, the shims set had too few different sizes and the color was dried out. At least Timken bearings.

 

[graybeard]

Today the '05 GT was taken on its first trip out-of-state since purchased in mid-Jan 2026.

Drove down to Stone Mountain, Georgia taking the wonderful, almost empty back roads instead of I85 / I285.

The car ran very well and fuel economy was around 21 - 22 mpg. The car is proving itself to be good on trips, except one thing I was not expecting: The seats are not comfortable for for 3-4 hours of driving in them.

The seats are OEM dark grey leather and in very good condition. But the padding comfort is not there.

I would like to have seats like what came with the '89 SHO. Those leather fully adjustable seats were the most comfortable I ever owned. I could drive 400-500 miles and arrive at the destination without any fatique stiffness. Not so with the '05 197s seats. Sore after about 2-3 hours.

 

[86GT351]

Today the '05 GT was taken on its first trip out-of-state since purchased in mid-Jan 2026.

Drove down to Stone Mountain, Georgia taking the wonderful, almost empty back roads instead of I85 / I285.

The car ran very well and fuel economy was around 21 - 22 mpg. The car is proving itself to be good on trips, except one thing I was not expecting: The seats are not comfortable for for 3-4 hours of driving in them.

The seats are OEM dark grey leather and in very good condition. But the padding comfort is not there.

I would like to have seats like what came with the '89 SHO. Those leather fully adjustable seats were the most comfortable I ever owned. I could drive 400-500 miles and arrive at the destination without any fatique stiffness. Not so with the '05 197s seats. Sore after about 2-3 hours.

Just replace the cushions.

 

[Gabe]

Absolutely! .....When I remember that I payed 80$ for the finned cover not too many years ago......
My Ford rebuild kit was bad, the shims set had too few different sizes and the color was dried out. At least Timken bearings.

I really wish the cover was cheaper, this was $269, but buying it through LMR they included the correct bolts. From what I read the cover doesn't include bolts normally.

 

[GlassTop09]

Finally got around to replacing all of the plastic heater crossover\heater core connectors (had a small coolant leak at the infamous 3/4" ID black plastic coolant crossover connector........once IM was removed the actual leak was found thru the crimp itself--crimp or connector had loosened up from all of the heat cycling.......the black hi temp plastic connector was surprisingly in good condition--looked to have been slowly leaking for quite some time from the evidence in block valley area). Noticed the crimp on the 3\4" ID metal tube end was still solid.........hhhhmmmm. All hoses were in very good condition thus didn't remove any of them--just took Dremel w\ cutter wheel & split crimps w\ screwdriver after cutting thru crimps, pulled all old plastic connectors out & replaced w\ new Dorman metal version heater hose connectors using 7\8"-1" 30 psi CTB (constant tension band) spring clamps rated for radiator\heater hose service--same as the OEM's use.

Started this work Sunday, finished it up this morning.............had to stop due to hand\finger spasms from carpal tunnel thru both wrists got so bad that I couldn't use my hands along w\ lower back pain & right lower leg pain.........while running out of daylight. Had to recover..........

Note: Removing the 2 plastic heater core connectors are a royal PITA if you don't have the special tool\pliers designed to depress the ends of the white clips against the firewall.........fought these for over 2 hrs..........finally used a pair of snap ring pliers that had a 90* bend to squeeze these clips in enough to release them from the connector then pull them out.......crossover was easy, released it w\ my fingers (easy to access).

Also changed out the CHT sensor (found out from FWM these are a 1 time install\use item--had removed this sensor several yrs back to inspect it & reinstalled it unknowingly.......also noted that these have a TQ spec @ 89 in-lbs designed to crush the tip) & replaced spark plugs as well since I had all coil covers out of the way.

Plugs (NGK Iridium IX 0372) looked good........been in service since 6-30-23 w\ no damage to electrodes, porcelains or shells showing material transferring so cylinders\pistons are in good shape & OEM IM is distributing air\fuel very consistently across all cylinders. IM Readiness misfire data showed these plugs were firing well w\ good cyl combustion stability--counts were always recording in single digits--even thru WOT hits. Porcelains show fueling was a little rich at some point & time (have made several fueling changes across these plugs service length thru FI DPOI, Transient Accel\Decel maps--fuel puddle sizing & DFCO--to protect cats from over temp along w\ a MAF recalibration--cut 3.5% fuel--following an air filter changeout from a clean K&N E-1997 08-09 Bullitt replacement air filter to a new OEM Ford 08-09 Bullitt FA1895 replacement air filter that showed the MAF curve was off--over fueling.....along w\ a few bottles of GumOut All-in-One Fuel treatment ran thru fuel system after oil changes........) but wasn't too bad since plug porcelains weren't black but a semi dark brown. Replaced w\ same........these plugs are a solid choice to run in a NA late 08-10 4.6L. Will be running these for the long haul this time.

Got all filled, burped, checked & test driven........all looking good (engine block valley is dry & connectors are sealing & system is holding pressure......). To recheck once engine has cooled off........but all is looking good so far.

On to the next project..............

 

[Recon]

Well originally thought the slave cylinder was problem, but now she’s getting a clutch and several other things. Spent hours searching and several phone calls. I could piece together everything oem ford except the pressure plate. I thought it was a musing that google was damn certain I wanted a pressure plate for a 6.8 V10 F250 instead of a 3V mustang.

 

[Blue03Cobra]

This weekend, one planned and one unplanned (but came with an upgrade):

In working on the front suspension, it was obvious the front air dam had seen better days...





But while parking on the lift...snap went the passenger side parking brake cable, at the distribution block.




Once installed and adjusted, the brake handle now tightens/stops halfway up, from where it was...so definitely an upgrade, there.

 

[GlassTop09]

Got all filled, burped, checked & test driven........all looking good (engine block valley is dry & connectors are sealing & system is holding pressure......). To recheck once engine has cooled off........but all is looking good so far.

Checked degas reservoir this morning while setting out trash for coolant level on fully cold engine & block valley area for signs of leakage..........cold coolant level was in center of the cold fill range & block valley area under IM was bone dry, so parts & repairs are verified sound. All good so now I can rest assured that this is fully resolved going forward.......

From my observations as to why the crimp clamp is always leaking at the plastic crossover connector instead of at the other end where the crimp clamp is used on the metal tubing........is due to the crossover plastic connector sealing shank losing conformity (shrinks in diameter if shank is put under constant tension.....) along w\ the crimp clamp losing some of its tension from heat cycling over time at this hottest point thus will start leaking during engine shut off\cooldown while still under system pressure from connection contracting. The metal connectors should resolve this since the metal sealing shanks won't shrink or degrade like the plastic will (IMHO is the reason why the other end usually holds up), but this is also why I went w\ the 30 psi CTB spring clamps over a worm clamp--these CTB spring clamps will move when heat expands the connections then will contract when the connections cool down to constantly apply the sealing tension on connections........this is the science behind why OEM's use these type clamps for radiator\heater hose service......also is a perplexing thought as to why Ford didn't use them here........has to be due to the connectors being made from plastic thus used a crimp clamp installed at a certain fixed tension........ie, a cost saving move IMHO.

1 item of note that I forgot to mention for those who haven't replaced these connectors yet.........when you push the new connectors on, you should hear\feel a "click" when the metal ring pushes thru & seats onto the inside of connector so the 2 latches will snap down against the metal piping indicating that these connectors have fully latched........don't settle on hearing this.......test connectors latching by attempting to pull them back off several times after install. I had the 3\4" ID connector at the heater core not fully latch at 1st attempt due to the tight fit & pulled back off........had to use my fist to fully drive it home on 2nd install so the 2 plastic latches fully dropped when the metal ring went past them.

Posted for informational purposes...............hope this helps.

 

[Kev555]

Just purchased an SCT tuner

 

[brasil]

got rid of the " soundblaster " or what ever system... installed a new OEM UCA... Clunk while sifting is nearly complete gone now.

and checked the backlash.. 0.0012 ( left the BL alone..because when I check the BL with a hot diff ..BL was 0.00105 .. so on the German Autobahn there is a little safe gap for instance )

Changed the diff oil..

 

[Gabe]

got rid of the " soundblaster " or what ever system... installed a new OEM UCA... Clunk while sifting is nearly complete gone now.

and checked the backlash.. 0.0012 ( left the BL alone..because when I check the BL with a hot diff ..BL was 0.00105 .. so on the German Autobahn there is a little safe gap for instance )

Changed the diff oil..

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Have you checked the upper bushing on the rear diff?
It's an item that's often overlooked and by now they're usually cracked to shit.
I used the Prothane kit when I replaced the one in my '13 and in my wife's '08

 

[graybeard]

Performed a short checklist on the '05 GT. Have not driven it but 30 miles in the last two weeks since the 300+ mile trip to Georgia and back.

All fluids still FULL and clean.
No drips on the concrete. No leakage under the hood. This is good.

I've had this car over 3 months and just now noticed the turn signal taillights are the sequential type. Was this OEM on the 2005 GT?

 

[cavero]

Performed a short checklist on the '05 GT. Have not driven it but 30 miles in the last two weeks since the 300+ mile trip to Georgia and back.

All fluids still FULL and clean.
No drips on the concrete. No leakage under the hood. This is good.

I've had this car over 3 months and just now noticed the turn signal taillights are the sequential type. Was this OEM on the 2005 GT?

Nope, there's probably a module hiding in the trunk somewhere. It was a pretty popular mod back in the day (WebElectric was the most popular one?)

 

[StockishS197]

Upgraded to 4 POT Brembos up front.

 

[brasil]

Have you checked the upper bushing on the rear diff?
It's an item that's often overlooked and by now they're usually cracked to shit.
I used the Prothane kit when I replaced the one in my '13 and in my wife's '08

@ Gabe all bushings are new right now.. the last item was the UCA that needed to be replaced.
much much better now.. the "shift clunk " is gone.. The culprit was the POLY Bushing in the UCA ..

 

[graybeard]

Set up a cellphone to take videos of the '05-Mus GT tailpipes:
1. When started cold.
2. When started warmed up after a drive.

The GT has set in the carport for over a week when doing the cold start video.
Results:
1. Cold start: Puff of blue smoke from both t'pipes.
Revved engine a bit and it cleared. Revved engine again and a small puff of blue smoke came out of the right pipe only. Then no more puffs of smoke.

2. Hot start: No blue or black smoke at all. Revved engine several times and no smoke at all.

Now it needs to be determined how the oil is getting into the cylinders when the car sets.
Valve guides?
Vortech V2 (lubricated by engine oil).
I don't think the rings are a problem. Perhaps there is some other way (?).

I tried to upload the videos to this thread, but the file size is too large (244MB). I need to find some app which can reduce the file size, yet still have fair viewing.

 

[StockishS197]

Set up a cellphone to take videos of the '05-Mus GT tailpipes:
1. When started cold.
2. When started warmed up after a drive.

The GT has set in the carport for over a week when doing the cold start video.
Results:
1. Cold start: Puff of blue smoke from both t'pipes.
Revved engine a bit and it cleared. Revved engine again and a small puff of blue smoke came out of the right pipe only. Then no more puffs of smoke.

2. Hot start: No blue or black smoke at all. Revved engine several times and no smoke at all.

Now it needs to be determined how the oil is getting into the cylinders when the car sets.
Valve guides?
Vortech V2 (lubricated by engine oil)?

I don't think the rings are a problem. Perhaps there is some other way (?).

I tried to upload the videos to this thread, but the file size is too large (244MB). I need to find some app which can reduce the file size, yet still have fair viewing.

Blue smoke on cold startup is common from the PCV system. It works really well on these cars so it pulls a lot oil into the intake.

Get a good catch can and it will probably solve your problem.

 

[JC SSP]

Could also be some oil getting past valve seals? Doesn’t sound too serious but consider pulling the spark plugs and inspect…

 

[graybeard]

JC SSP:
Yes, worn out seals allowing the oil to be sucked in down the worn out valve guides.

After replacing the valve guides, I use to use Teflon insert valve stem seals which were better than what came with the older American made cars, which used neoprene.

 

[Forty61]

Sitting in it in traffic right now.. brakes aren't great but a hell of a lot better than before and no more squeaks, AC works from the right vents, no weird issues yet..

Fingers crossed it's all good, I need to drive it for a week while the Bronco is in the shop. So excited to pay for 93 for a week lol.