What have you done to your mustang today?

[2008_ScarlettGT]

That is the exact Cervinis hood I almost pulled the trigger on myself some 3 yrs back................tried to talk Cervinis into making a set of their hood vents w\ the metal underside water drain pan (these are a bolt on setup......sandwich to retain the underside hood strength.....) to fit a stock 05-09 GT hood & offered to pay for the development costs to get a set.........rep said he liked the idea & was gonna bring this up in their next product development meeting.............haven't heard back & haven't seen any descriptions on their web site so I guess it didn't fly.

That's gonna look sick when you get it painted!

I wanted something with airflow but I don’t like anything too outrageous. This was mild enough to scratch both so I pulled the trigger. It isn’t aligned perfectly yet, but it fits very well. I figured I’d spend more time once it’s painted. I took it for a drive to see if it fluttered at all and I didn’t notice any movement. I only took it to about 65 so it may be different at track speeds. I’m not a fan of hood pins but if they end up being necessary I’ll find a set that pushes to unlock instead of the cables and pins.

 

[GlassTop09]

Got the LMR SVE 08-09 Bullitt Replica Grille installed today...................

Got it all done w\o pulling the bumper cover off the car.

The fit was very good, actually fit was tighter than the '09 OEM GT grille (once all push pins were installed on upper cover, this grille was very solid--hardly any movement) & snugged up to the bumper cover just as good as the OEM grille did so all is good.

Forgot to take pictures of this grille w\ the top cover still off to show the improved airflow path area on DS of this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille vs the '09 GT OEM grille where the DS fog light would have been (remember Ford designed this originally w\ this 08-09 Bullitt CAI in mind....) ........this area opened up quite a bit so now there is more potential airflow volume path to access these openings I drilled & countersunk into my top cover prior to allow front high deltaP cooler airflow to pass thru DS upper cover section & section beside the DS headlight cover to access the 08-09 Bullitt CAI's opening at the DS top of the radiator core support (to remedy covering up the natural opening beside the DS headlight & edge of the top cover......approx a 3.14 sq in open area for high pressure cooler air from front of rad core support to enter the CAI)......my mod provides 4.025 sq in of total flow area to access the same entry area to 08-09 Bullitt CAI while also acting as a screen to not allow large foreign material to enter the CAI (sticks, leaves, larger bugs, etc.........only dust w\ incoming air........the pre-filter dust sock keeps the larger micron dust particles out of the filter media w\o restricting air entry into it.........1 of the things my prior tuner said was so & we proved it on my car during 1 of the dyno sessions when I had also swapped out my bad BBK #1763 62mm TB & installed the current FR 62mm TB along w\ a dust sock over the air filter.....which at this same time also proved this FR 62mm TB moved more air thru it @ WOT due to Ford's CNC porting entry work into the blades vs the BBK #1763 62mm TB......during my 4-2-20 dyno session when I had my Lunati VooDoo cams installed running thru Kooks 3" 100 cpsi hi flow cats.........judging from the dyno sheet curves.........wish I could've seen the recorded datalogs along w\ the tune calibrations used now to really see the data......). I have seen\recorded running CAI IAT's as low as 37.4*F actual off the MAF & the IAT-inferred AAT delta consistently around +3.4*F at speed so Ford knew what they were doing thru this design.........now to see if I can detect more air mass volume flow thru it into engine w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille installed (IMHO should be mostly from the ram air effect.......can clearly see where the CAI is actually sealing off against the underside hood liner......).

The 08-09 Bullitt owners who have taken off this top cover will know of what I'm talking about. The OEM fog light assemblies take up quite a bit of this area behind the OEM GT grille at the AoA where the air is trying to turn down front of rad core support towards the headlight assemblies after entry thru the grille mesh (remember the OEM '09 CAI was located on the back\engine side of the radiator core support behind the DS headlight thus this wasn't an issue w\ the '09 OEM grille.......).

Now that I have seen how this grille looks installed, I'm definitely gonna install a Mustang tri-bar pony emblem on DS of this grille at some point in the future as this appeals to me w\ those red-white-blue vert bars w\ chrome pony in the center of them against all of the black background. Also, gotta get off it now & restore my DS HID headlight lens........have had the kit for quite some time (will be the 2nd time this was done.........car catches the full power of the NM sunshine from the W........why you see the clear coat peeling off my front bumper.......need to replace this bumper cover 1st to fix some underneath stuff before getting all repainted......CoF won't allow a full awning to be installed over this parking spot due to infringement into overhead power line easement.......I tried.....).

So, I'm gonna have to invest into some exterior car & truck covers once I get my car & truck repainted (the Dodge is far worse off due to it doing a LOT of sitting..........have had some of it repainted prior back in 2017 due to same sun induced damage..........needs it redone again......).

 

[GriffX]

"Also, gotta get off it now & restore my DS HID headlight lens...."
just done this, 400/600/800/1200/2000 sandpaper and a DA polisher. There is a controversy if you should clear coat or use a protection spray like from Meguiar on top of it. I decided to polish it, because spray something on a 2000 sandmark will give you a optical barrier like a prism, despite it looks clear. Maguiar Headlight coating is hard to get in Europe, it is basically a UV protector which needs to be re-applyed every year. I will see....

 

[GlassTop09]

Got the LMR SVE 08-09 Bullitt Replica Grille installed today...................

Got it all done w\o pulling the bumper cover off the car.

The fit was very good, actually fit was tighter than the '09 OEM GT grille (once all push pins were installed on upper cover, this grille was very solid--hardly any movement) & snugged up to the bumper cover just as good as the OEM grille did so all is good.

Forgot to take pictures of this grille w\ the top cover still off to show the improved airflow path area on DS of this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille vs the '09 GT OEM grille where the DS fog light would have been (remember Ford designed this originally w\ this 08-09 Bullitt CAI in mind....) ........this area opened up quite a bit so now there is more potential airflow volume path to access these openings I drilled & countersunk into my top cover prior to allow front high deltaP cooler airflow to pass thru DS upper cover section & section beside the DS headlight cover to access the 08-09 Bullitt CAI's opening at the DS top of the radiator core support (to remedy covering up the natural opening beside the DS headlight & edge of the top cover......approx a 3.14 sq in open area for high pressure cooler air from front of rad core support to enter the CAI)......my mod provides 4.025 sq in of total flow area to access the same entry area to 08-09 Bullitt CAI while also acting as a screen to not allow large foreign material to enter the CAI (sticks, leaves, larger bugs, etc.........only dust w\ incoming air........the pre-filter dust sock keeps the larger micron dust particles out of the filter media w\o restricting air entry into it.........1 of the things my prior tuner said was so & we proved it on my car during 1 of the dyno sessions when I had also swapped out my bad BBK #1763 62mm TB & installed the current FR 62mm TB along w\ a dust sock over the air filter.....which at this same time also proved this FR 62mm TB moved more air thru it @ WOT due to Ford's CNC porting entry work into the blades vs the BBK #1763 62mm TB......during my 4-2-20 dyno session when I had my Lunati VooDoo cams installed running thru Kooks 3" 100 cpsi hi flow cats.........judging from the dyno sheet curves.........wish I could've seen the recorded datalogs along w\ the tune calibrations used now to really see the data......). I have seen\recorded running CAI IAT's as low as 37.4*F actual off the MAF & the IAT-inferred AAT delta consistently around +3.4*F at speed so Ford knew what they were doing thru this design.........now to see if I can detect more air mass volume flow thru it into engine w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille installed (IMHO should be mostly from the ram air effect.......can clearly see where the CAI is actually sealing off against the underside hood liner......).

The 08-09 Bullitt owners who have taken off this top cover will know of what I'm talking about. The OEM fog light assemblies take up quite a bit of this area behind the OEM GT grille at the AoA where the air is trying to turn down front of rad core support towards the headlight assemblies after entry thru the grille mesh (remember the OEM '09 CAI was located on the back\engine side of the radiator core support behind the DS headlight thus this wasn't an issue w\ the '09 OEM grille.......).

Now that I have seen how this grille looks installed, I'm definitely gonna install a Mustang tri-bar pony emblem on DS of this grille at some point in the future as this appeals to me w\ those red-white-blue vert bars w\ chrome pony in the center of them against all of the black background. Also, gotta get off it now & restore my DS HID headlight lens........have had the kit for quite some time (will be the 2nd time this was done.........car catches the full power of the NM sunshine from the W........why you see the clear coat peeling off my front bumper.......need to replace this bumper cover 1st to fix some underneath stuff before getting all repainted......CoF won't allow a full awning to be installed over this parking spot due to infringement into overhead power line easement.......I tried.....).

So, I'm gonna have to invest into some exterior car & truck covers once I get my car & truck repainted (the Dodge is far worse off due to it doing a LOT of sitting..........have had some of it repainted prior back in 2017 due to same sun induced damage..........needs it redone again......).

View attachment 117666

View attachment 117667

After looking for a while I settled on these 2 Mustang Tri-Bar Grille Emblems from Scott Drake in picture below...........

These are original all metal replicas that have the metal standoffs to mount solidly to grille.

I plan to mark out the honeycomb area around the top 1969 Mustang grille emblem to cut out down to the flat section of grille to allow the emblem to lay flat then drill the 2 mounting holes thru flat to secure the emblem to the grille, then contour the surrounding honeycomb away from the emblem at approx a 45* angle, then use some type of polishing to smooth up the cut honeycomb edges so the grille looks like this spot was made for this emblem.

The other 1967-68 Shelby Mustang emblem I plan to mount it on my strut tower brace's center plate.

Checked LMR's site & saw that the replacement Bullitt grille has shipped out Monday & is OTW...........so this will get done on this replacement grille then swapped to car after completion.......... w\ current Bullitt replica grille becoming a spare.

This part is for those so interested.............

In the meantime, I drove her today for the 1st time at higher speeds in excess of 35-40 MPH as well as stop & go traffic w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille installed & engine\car does seem to be a little more responsive to throttle transients indicating some improvement in ram air application (look at the picture of my top cover mod in my prior post #28,762 & you'd see that the DS fog light assembly was potentially restricting area volume access behind the OEM '09 GT grille to the holes drilled in the top cover\headlight cover in front of the 08-09 Bullitt CAI entrance that are now unshrouded w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille......)......especially once the RPM's crossed 2,000 & up (SBE 4.6L bore & stroke reaching\exceeding critical piston peak velocity\speed @ 70* ATDC during intake stroke that matches\exceeds the overlap scavenging velocity created from exhaust pulse outflow\tuning thru exhaust manifolds\LTHs during the exhaust stroke thus increasing inertial cyl filling or "supercharging"........).

But this won't show\record anything concrete--even though it may be true--simply due to airflow rate thru induction being controlled by the TB--part throttle during CL under TQ Management--instead of "on the cam"--means the TB is full open during OL PE\WOT thus TQ Management should be out of the way so any measurable improvement in the induction side should show up during WOT thru the MAF readings at comparable air temp & density........as long as the EXHAUST side can remove it w\o excessively raising exhaust backpressure causing the induction side to reduce in proportion thus balance.......

We'll find out in due time...............Lord willing.

 

[GriffX]

2 Mustang Tri-Bar Grille Emblems from Scott Drake in picture below

I have the smaller ones at my fender, the chrome has a good quality, but the blue and red color has faded over time, but not a big issue. Best point, they are made from metal.

 

[GlassTop09]

After looking for a while I settled on these 2 Mustang Tri-Bar Grille Emblems from Scott Drake in picture below...........

These are original all metal replicas that have the metal standoffs to mount solidly to grille.

I plan to mark out the honeycomb area around the top 1969 Mustang grille emblem to cut out down to the flat section of grille to allow the emblem to lay flat then drill the 2 mounting holes thru flat to secure the emblem to the grille, then contour the surrounding honeycomb away from the emblem at approx a 45* angle, then use some type of polishing to smooth up the cut honeycomb edges so the grille looks like this spot was made for this emblem.

The other 1967-68 Shelby Mustang emblem I plan to mount it on my strut tower brace's center plate.

Checked LMR's site & saw that the replacement Bullitt grille has shipped out Monday & is OTW...........so this will get done on this replacement grille then swapped to car after completion.......... w\ current Bullitt replica grille becoming a spare.

This part is for those so interested.............

In the meantime, I drove her today for the 1st time at higher speeds in excess of 35-40 MPH as well as stop & go traffic w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille installed & engine\car does seem to be a little more responsive to throttle transients indicating some improvement in ram air application (look at the picture of my top cover mod in my prior post #28,762 & you'd see that the DS fog light assembly was potentially restricting area volume access behind the OEM '09 GT grille to the holes drilled in the top cover\headlight cover in front of the 08-09 Bullitt CAI entrance that are now unshrouded w\ this 08-09 Bullitt replica grille......)......especially once the RPM's crossed 2,000 & up (SBE 4.6L bore & stroke reaching\exceeding critical piston peak velocity\speed @ 70* ATDC during intake stroke that matches\exceeds the overlap scavenging velocity created from exhaust pulse outflow\tuning thru exhaust manifolds\LTHs during the exhaust stroke thus increasing inertial cyl filling or "supercharging"........).

But this won't show\record anything concrete--even though it may be true--simply due to airflow rate thru induction being controlled by the TB--part throttle during CL under TQ Management--instead of "on the cam"--means the TB is full open during OL PE\WOT thus TQ Management should be out of the way so any measurable improvement in the induction side should show up during WOT thru the MAF readings at comparable air temp & density........as long as the EXHAUST side can remove it w\o excessively raising exhaust backpressure causing the induction side to reduce in proportion thus balance.......

We'll find out in due time...............Lord willing.

View attachment 117739

Got this in the mail today........pictures below:

This Scott Drake '69 Mustang Grille Emblem is gonna be an easy install..........don't need to modify anything on the 08-09 Bullitt Replica Grille as this emblem will easily clamp\bolt onto its honeycomb mesh.........emblem is designed to go on the DS of grille (black spacer mounted on back side of emblem is angled to fit any DS Mustang grille's slope so emblem is facing straight outwards.........just figure out where you want it mounted then drill 2 5\32" holes thru the back side DS flat between the honeycomb then apply the self-threading cap nuts & tighten her up.........done (the bracket is used to clamp emblem onto open grille honeycomb mesh\horizontal bars......otherwise not needed).

Emblem is 5" L x 2" W main body--running horse is 4" W so will fill up\cover about 1\3 to 1\2 of the DS flat area section, so it'll look like it was meant to be here. The standoffs are 1 1\2" long, the Bullitt grille mesh is 3\4" deep (figuring the flat is approx 1\8" to 3\16" thick) so will have plenty of standoff to run the cap nuts on using some washers if desired or not. Might try to use some blue LocTite on these nuts to see if this will help keep them tight............don't think it'll work but no harm in trying..........

This will be easy enough to install on the existing Bullitt grille w\o removing it from the car..........just remove the top cover to allow access to the grille backside area..........plenty of room.

Also got the 2nd LMR '08-'09 Ford Bullitt Replica Grille (replacement for the "damaged" grille shipped earlier........) today as well............noted someone had cut the package tape to open the package........assuming for inspection.........but didn't retape it closed when delivered, so after I pulled it out to inspect it myself (part was pristine, still wrapped in the plastic bag they come in w\ end foam still attached & undamaged as well as the box it came in........the chrome accent trim had started coming loose on this 1 due to the poor 2-sided tape used.......pushed it back in place & stuck it back together for now--to fix this w\ some 3M 2-sided tape w\ 3M adhesive promoter applied in future......) I put it back in the box & taped it closed for storage.

Thus, I got a "2 fer 1 deal" out of it.........no questions asked from LMR.........just handled it.

From this experience, LMR will now exclusively be my 1st choice for any Mustang parts going forward & will get my money on anything bought from them........no questions asked or haggling..........

The only way they don't get my money going forward is due to them not having the part available in their inventory & don't stock\sell it.

Had my left leg GSV ablation (infra-red vein block) performed today (hopefully the venous insufficiency I had in both lower legs for 14+ yrs is now mostly resolved......right leg was done last Friday.......follow up check Tuesday showed successful......) so once I get past this compression wrap & into compression hose from successful follow up check in 4 days, this emblem is gonna get installed..........if not sooner......

I got the 67-68 Scott Drake Shelby emblem today as well............will take pictures of it once I install it onto my strut tower brace's center plate.

 

[GlassTop09]

Got this in the mail today........pictures below:

This Scott Drake '69 Mustang Grille Emblem is gonna be an easy install..........don't need to modify anything on the 08-09 Bullitt Replica Grille as this emblem will easily clamp\bolt onto its honeycomb mesh.........emblem is designed to go on the DS of grille (black spacer mounted on back side of emblem is angled to fit any DS Mustang grille's slope so emblem is facing straight outwards.........just figure out where you want it mounted then drill 2 5\32" holes thru the back side DS flat between the honeycomb then apply the self-threading cap nuts & tighten her up.........done (the bracket is used to clamp emblem onto open grille honeycomb mesh\horizontal bars......otherwise not needed).

Emblem is 5" L x 2" W main body--running horse is 4" W so will fill up\cover about 1\3 to 1\2 of the DS flat area section, so it'll look like it was meant to be here. The standoffs are 1 1\2" long, the Bullitt grille mesh is 3\4" deep (figuring the flat is approx 1\8" to 3\16" thick) so will have plenty of standoff to run the cap nuts on using some washers if desired or not. Might try to use some blue LocTite on these nuts to see if this will help keep them tight............don't think it'll work but no harm in trying..........

This will be easy enough to install on the existing Bullitt grille w\o removing it from the car..........just remove the top cover to allow access to the grille backside area..........plenty of room.

Also got the 2nd LMR '08-'09 Ford Bullitt Replica Grille (replacement for the "damaged" grille shipped earlier........) today as well............noted someone had cut the package tape to open the package........assuming for inspection.........but didn't retape it closed when delivered, so after I pulled it out to inspect it myself (part was pristine, still wrapped in the plastic bag they come in w\ end foam still attached & undamaged as well as the box it came in........the chrome accent trim had started coming loose on this 1 due to the poor 2-sided tape used.......pushed it back in place & stuck it back together for now--to fix this w\ some 3M 2-sided tape w\ 3M adhesive promoter applied in future......) I put it back in the box & taped it closed for storage.

Thus, I got a "2 fer 1 deal" out of it.........no questions asked from LMR.........just handled it.

From this experience, LMR will now exclusively be my 1st choice for any Mustang parts going forward & will get my money on anything bought from them........no questions asked or haggling..........

The only way they don't get my money going forward is due to them not having the part available in their inventory & don't stock\sell it.

Had my left leg GSV ablation (infra-red vein block) performed today (hopefully the venous insufficiency I had in both lower legs for 14+ yrs is now mostly resolved......right leg was done last Friday.......follow up check Tuesday showed successful......) so once I get past this compression wrap & into compression hose from successful follow up check in 4 days, this emblem is gonna get installed..........if not sooner......

I got the 67-68 Scott Drake Shelby emblem today as well............will take pictures of it once I install it onto my strut tower brace's center plate.

View attachment 117823

View attachment 117824

View attachment 117825

View attachment 117826

Went for a morning walk before it got too hot (part of recovery instructions for lft leg GSV ablation......to speed up healing & prevent DVTs from forming in the process......) & felt so good afterwards that I couldn't wait.....................so I got out my tools & went to work...............

Installed my Scott Drake '69 Mustang Grille Emblem on DS of Bullitt grille in middle of blocked off section as well as added 16 more .250" holes in top cover (added another .7854 sq in of flow area to existing mod area......) to finish this up.

This is how I've envisioned this to look.......didn't want to put anything in center of open mesh area but it still says "Mustang" boldly w\ style. Used the included bracket on the back side to take up some of the standoff's length which came out perfect to set the cap nuts bite right at the area of standoffs where they really starting to bite into them good & tightened up very snugly to grille............trying to move the emblem side to side just wiggles the whole front of car.........she tight! Can't see any part of the standoffs from the front side of grille........only emblem against the honeycomb mesh thus a very clean look & fits the grille's DS slope very well (black emblem spacer was designed to fit this DS grille slope\angle so emblem looks flat from front.

Very pleased w\ the look, fit & finish so this LMR '08-'09 Ford Bullitt Replica Grille w\ '69 Ford Mustang Grille Emblem project is now complete so no going back to the '09 OEM GT Grille...........

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

 

[JC SSP]

Emblem and grill looks great!

I put in the lower honeycomb grill inserts years ago… thought about dremling the factory one but decided against it.

 

[GlassTop09]

Now you can see how much back side area behind DS section of grille where the fog light assembly would have been (where the emblem is mounted), was recovered for air flow passage to the Bullitt CAI's entrance @ top of the DS radiator core support thru installing this Bullitt replica grille vs the OEM GT grille w\ fog lights installed.

Since I've installed this Bullitt replica grille, I've noticed that the dust sock covering the air filter in my Bullitt CAI is staying swept clean across all of the front side facing CAI entry & top side w\ only some dust collecting on the back side & underneath of dust sock & the bottom of CAI housing is covered w\ a full layer of collected dirt\dust (where the air doesn't swirl to pick it back up thus settles out of the way.........excellent sign that some ram air properties are present when car is moving at speed......) but no trash is collecting w\ it so this setup is working well (all incoming air to Bullitt CAI entry is now flowing across the front of radiator core support after entry thru grille so is high deltaP air which slows any air coming up from underneath just aft of front bumper behind\beside of the DS headlight assembly--this is where the trash used to come thru......now is rendered lower deltaP air so just continues flowing underneath the car instead of rolling upwards towards the area beside the DS headlight thus no more trash is getting picked up off road surfaces & carried to the CAI entry & getting stuck in the .250" holes--why I had installed the corner radiator cover extensions prior then drilled the .250" access holes in DS covers to act as a screen while retaining the cooler front side ambient airflow into this Bullitt CAI.......used to dig out quite a bit of trash prior installing them, mostly pieces of busted up tumbleweeds & some leaves & larger dead bug debris prior......what also prompted me to start using dust socks\pre-filters on my Bullitt CAI cone air filters.......got tired of having to do this on a more regular basis........NW New Mexico for ya!).

 

[GlassTop09]

Emblem and grill looks great!

I put in the lower honeycomb grill inserts years ago… thought about dremling the factory one but decided against it.

View attachment 117836View attachment 117837

Damn............now you've done it...........I gotta get those for my ride now!

 

[cavero]

Damn............now you've done it...........I gotta get those for my ride now!

+1 I got a set last year, don't know why I ever waited

 

[cavero]

Passed the 3 month mark last week, no mustang. On the plus side, I've gotten a lot more time on the bikes. Between the bikes and my wifes MS3, it kind of scratches the itch of not having the V8 manual but it's not quite the same.

Man, I'm really starting to consider picking up another car to fill in the gap until I can get mine back. It's stupid, I know. But I've got that spot open in the garage and I'm telling myself I can sell it when the shops finally done.


Speaking of, Talked to the shop this week and they got the gas pedal issues resolved (sluggish on the initial tip in, and wouldn't engine brake) with a throttle relearn, mentioned something about a keepalive but can't remember specifics.

On the emissions checks, they said they're waiting on HP Tuners to get them a more recent copy of a stock tune (I.,e. "Upgrade my operating system") so they have more knobs they can turn. But apparently HP released a new update a couple weeks ago and it's causing everyone problems

 

[GlassTop09]

Emblem and grill looks great!

I put in the lower honeycomb grill inserts years ago… thought about dremling the factory one but decided against it.

View attachment 117836View attachment 117837

+1 I got a set last year, don't know why I ever waited

Got incoming now...........thanks to y'all.................

https://www.cjponyparts.com/silverhorse-racing-lower-grille-insert-honeycomb-pair-gt-2005-2009-bullitt-2008/p/G95/

LMR doesn't stock\sell these...........only the OEM lower grille assembly itself (what I already have....) so I checked around & found them at CJ Pony Parts!

I never thought about this section of the S197 front bumper grilles until y'all posted...........

Once seen I can't unsee it now w\o doing something about it!

 

[JC SSP]

Consider putting a couple of these on those grill inserts.

 

[GlassTop09]

Passed the 3 month mark last week, no mustang. On the plus side, I've gotten a lot more time on the bikes. Between the bikes and my wifes MS3, it kind of scratches the itch of not having the V8 manual but it's not quite the same.

Man, I'm really starting to consider picking up another car to fill in the gap until I can get mine back. It's stupid, I know. But I've got that spot open in the garage and I'm telling myself I can sell it when the shops finally done.


Speaking of, Talked to the shop this week and they got the gas pedal issues resolved (sluggish on the initial tip in, and wouldn't engine brake) with a throttle relearn, mentioned something about a keepalive but can't remember specifics.

On the emissions checks, they said they're waiting on HP Tuners to get them a more recent copy of a stock tune (I.,e. "Upgrade my operating system") so they have more knobs they can turn. But apparently HP released a new update a couple weeks ago and it's causing everyone problems

Hang in there, cavero........gonna be alright.........does this suck? yes, but just hold on.............you've spent too much money to back out now, IMHO.

IMHO, you've just been caught in what I call a malaise period where most old 3V tuners are having to relearn these same old calibrations to be able to do what they've always been able to do under OL PE\WOT on dynos......but now also to do things during CL-part throttle operations that also don't interfere w\ the underneath emissions coding\operations within the calibrations so this stuff stays fully operational\functional as well.........has nothing to do w\ making power at all & never did.........but somehow this got misunderstood\misrepresented back in the day & has become "truth" over time thus ignored so most are paying the price for this nowadays.........gonna take some a while to get to the bottom of your issue.

I'll attempt to help you w\ understanding this much of the issue from an outside perspective concerning the rear NB O2 sensors not reading thru the ECU (what I type from here on is concerning the NB O2 sensors our 05-10 S197's use....) ..........since all NB O2 sensors (both NB & WB......WB are just more accurate & have a wider range of accuracy vs a NB but BOTH are accurate at stoich.......) are self-generating low AC voltage signal outputs using the chemical reaction between the reference air\oxygen sample vs the same actual air\oxygen in the exhaust post combustion or post catalytic converter (this chemical reaction within the element is what generates the low AC voltage outputs.....exhaust oxygen% = ref oxygen% = 0 voltage output or full lean--exhaust oxygen% < ref oxygen% = low AC voltage output > 0 depending on the scale difference--< 300mv is considered lean.....the larger the difference the higher AC voltage output is generated thus > 600mv is considered rich--engine stoich is considered when the voltages remain between 300mv to 600mv around the 450mv threshold--until exhaust oxygen 0% to ref oxygen 100% = max sensor AC voltage output or full rich--between 900mv to 1,000mv.....) to determine\gauge the % of oxygen to fuel using the in-calibration fuel stoich AFR setting for engine AFR control or controlling\determining the efficiency of the catalytic converter operations, the ECU is only reading the low level AC output voltages generated from the NB O2 sensors to then use to do its thing. The ECU is only directly controlling the NB O2 sensor heater circuits to facilitate heating the elements up quickly enough for the NB O2 sensors to start reacting & generating the low-level AC voltage outputs then help to maintain the temps to these elements so the NB O2 sensors constantly & consistently operate.

1 of the things I've recently noticed concerning HPTuners VCM Editor software is that it appears that HPTuners has completely removed the NB O2 sensor enabler access from the software thus access to enable\disable the rear NB O2 sensors in the tune calibration........this used to be accessible in older revisions, but it appears that the EPA pressure has caused them to take this ability away fully so this may be what your tuner is waiting on to get restored........for them only. Don't know for sure thus only speculation.......but I know for sure about the HPTuners VCM Editor software because I use it myself.............this removal could make your issue even harder to TS using HPTuners..........unless your tuner has another software that can allow access to then do the TS'ing........... May be why your tuner is looking for a clean, unmodified 2006 MT HPTuners .hpt translated tune calibration from HPTuners--the rear NB O2 sensors will be enabled in the tune by default..........

So, there are only 4 causes I can think of that can cause what you're experiencing to happen w\ the ECU.........1. the NB O2 sensors themselves are bad (you said this was ruled out......), 2. the wiring between the NB O2 sensors & the ECU is bad (you said this was ruled out........), 3. the tune calibration getting corrupted somehow thus needs replacing\retuned w\o causing code corruption again (your current tuner is working on........) & 4. the ECU board pin traces that pass the NB O2 sensor voltages from the NB O2 sensors thru the wiring into the ECU processor have failed (this is hard to trace due to the ECU using no bias voltage on these board traces to check them for integrity........will screw up the incoming low level AC voltages thus can't be internally checked by ECU which uses DC voltage to operate........).

Don't be surprised that a bad ECU board can be the culprit w\ both #3 & #4 causes..........the ECU is 20+ yrs old (MY @ 2006 part......) & has been heat cycled a LOT over them yrs...........underhood heat\temp is not friendly to electronics.........why the ECU is mounted where it is......to get fan wash over it to control internal board temps.........

But also, might check the grounds @ G100 & G102 (on PS of radiator core support beside each other........all ECU board grounds terminate to either of these 2 ground spots) then check the ground spots continuity between G100-G102 & the -neg terminal on shock tower where the neg batt cable attaches......if this reads greater than 1-2 ohms then consider to run a separate ground wire (IMHO min 10 awg or larger.....) between the 2 points in future to remove the potential ground offset thru the radiator core support to lower structure between the ECU & batt.......this can cause lots of electrical issues within the ECU itself as well as the cooling fan (they originally ground here @ G100-G102.....) over time.

Hope this can help you out somewhat..........FWIW.............

 

[GlassTop09]

Consider putting a couple of these on those grill inserts.

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Thanks for the tip! I was considering to use pop rivets but these are easier to apply............I already have an assortment of them as well.

 

[GlassTop09]

Went for a morning walk before it got too hot (part of recovery instructions for lft leg GSV ablation......to speed up healing & prevent DVTs from forming in the process......) & felt so good afterwards that I couldn't wait.....................so I got out my tools & went to work...............

Installed my Scott Drake '69 Mustang Grille Emblem on DS of Bullitt grille in middle of blocked off section as well as added 16 more .250" holes in top cover (added another .7854 sq in of flow area to existing mod area......) to finish this up.

This is how I've envisioned this to look.......didn't want to put anything in center of open mesh area but it still says "Mustang" boldly w\ style. Used the included bracket on the back side to take up some of the standoff's length which came out perfect to set the cap nuts bite right at the area of standoffs where they really starting to bite into them good & tightened up very snugly to grille............trying to move the emblem side to side just wiggles the whole front of car.........she tight! Can't see any part of the standoffs from the front side of grille........only emblem against the honeycomb mesh thus a very clean look & fits the grille's DS slope very well (black emblem spacer was designed to fit this DS grille slope\angle so emblem looks flat from front.

Very pleased w\ the look, fit & finish so this LMR '08-'09 Ford Bullitt Replica Grille w\ '69 Ford Mustang Grille Emblem project is now complete so no going back to the '09 OEM GT Grille...........

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

View attachment 117833

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Ok.............for all of the 08-09 Ford Bullitt purists out here in the forums, I sincerely apologize for messing up this 08-09 Ford Bullitt replica grille by installing an emblem on it.........I know this is far beneath the status of this special vehicle & Steve McQueen is turning over in his grave for me doing this. Please don't let this "sin" cause me to not get accepted into Ford Bullitt heaven for being a "poser".............

Hey, at least I did this to a replica part, not the original...................