Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (Mike Ruff)


Well, it's finally time to start doing some slightly more serious mods to
my Mustang, so I started going back through my saved files looking for the
procedures people had already outlined. I must have left my brain in my
other skull, because I can't find any of the detailed procedures people
have posted on installing Hurst shifters and cat-back exhaust systems.
If anyone has saved off such posts, I would greatly appreciate it if you
could forward me a copy. I know the basics, it's the nit-picky little
non-obvious details I'm worried about. Specifically:

1. Are there any locations that need special attention when installing
the cat-back system, like Loc-Tite on certain bolts, or anti-seize,
or lubricating the hangers? Any tips on orienting the clamps?

2. I know that you need to seal around the base of the shifter when you
reinstall it, but are there any recommendations about what type of
sealant to use (or more importantly, to avoid)? Will the stock
shifter handle bolt on to the Hurst shifter, or must I use the Steeda-
type stainless bushings? If the latter, do I get the bushings that
are intended for the T-5 shifter, to match the handle, or for the
Hurst shifter? Does the shifter need to be lubricated? What about
the rubber isolator or whatever that people have modified to use
with the Hurst?

Sorry for all the pesky questions, I just want to avoid seriously
screwing anything up. While I'm at it, is it a bad idea to install a
set of camber/caster plates which allow the extra suspension travel on
a Mustang with stock suspension (i.e., can the extra travel hurt the
stock, unlowered suspension)? The reason I want to do this soon is
that I just got new tires and the guy that did the alignment could
only get the camber settings to -0.7/-1.1 deg, and I don't like that
-0.4 deg imbalance.

Speaking of the new tires, I went with 245/45-16 Dunlop D40 M2s on the
stock 16x7 five-spoke rims. Since these tires are slightly smaller in
diameter than the stock 225/55-16s, does this effectively raise the
axle ratio? If so, should I choose to go with a 3.27 later rather than
a 3.55 because of the extra torque multiplication introduced by the
smaller tires?

Finally, (whew!) I have gotten sick and tired of the corrosion on those
$@#*$@#*$ top terminal batteries Ford uses in the Mustang. I looked
back at the August 1994 issue of Mustang Illustrated and found a short
blurb on Pro Start Lifetime battery connectors, which permanently mount
over the top terminals of the battery and provide a screw terminal at
one end (you have to cut the old "lugs" off of the battery wires and
replace them with eyelets). The new terminals even have a grease zerk
fitting to help prevent corrosion. The question: has anybody out
there ever tried these things? If the price is reasonable, I think I
may give them a shot.

Thanks for listening,
Mike Ruff