wproctor411

I will add more detail to this write-up later. All I can say is WOW! The ride and handling have been drastically improved. The Tokico D-Specs are worth every penny and work very good with Steed Ultra Light Springs. This combo keeps the car flat during acceleration and braking. The road lines and small bumps are absorbed very well. The car doesn't have that "lower springs" feel, it has an OEM ride quality - very nice!!.

We clocked it at 410 RWHP and 390 RWTQ which is not bad for August in Indiana. A/F rations derived from the "canned/emailed" Steeda Tune file were 12.4-12.5 throughout the RPM range. With a 2% correction factor the car would be about 417-418 RWHP which is right in line with what Brenspeed has tested on other cars, using a Dynojet. Chandler and George and I felt this was a very safe tune. They typically test these cars at about 360 rwhp, so adding 55-60 rwhp with a Steeda CAI, Tune, and BBK Long Tube headers is very impressive.

Brenspeed is an experience, not just a performance shop, and the crew is awesome. The shop is awesome and the installation went very well. They have a nice long "S" turn for an entrance drive which is nice to test out the new suspension on as you leave for the highway. FYI - The roads are flat and smooth up there and I recommend a radar detector if your testing out your new modifications.

They installed the following items on my car, most of which is totally overkill, but worth it (even just for looks):
Steeda Parts:
LCA's, LCA Relocation Brackets, Upper 3rd Link, Panhard Bar, Panhard Bar Brace, Adjustable Rear Sway Bar, Heavy Duty Strut Mounts, Ultra Light Springs. (I had previously installed the shifter and CAI myself).

BBK Parts: Ceramic Long tubes and off-road X pipe. I had already installed Hushpower axel backs.

Tokico D-Spec adjustable struts and shocks. I recommend adjustable shocks and struts for anyone. These are awesome. I am "working" with them a bit to get the adjustment right but have it set about the way I like it after 300 miles of very fun driving this weekend. (I only had 3000 miles on the car when I left home for Brenspeed, now it's 3500!).

I have the Steeda Pentar Chrome wheels which are 18x9 with Nitto NT05 275/40/R18 tires at all 4 corners. I like 18" wheels -they are light weight and tires are less expensive (not that cost matters at this point), but they look much better than I had expected 18" to look on these cars. These will also clear big brakes which will be my next upgrade. I am going to buy another set of rear wheels for wider drag radials.

NHRA Nationals are warming up at Indy so the next day I can test it at a track is 9/14/11. I will update this thread from time to time.

Exhaust: BBK LT, Off Road-Xpipe and Hushpowers is a very interesting sound combination. At normal driving speeds you get a nice rumble but it's not loud at all. At idle you can hear the rumble of the exhaust. Normal acceleration turns heads, hard acceleration at WOT it's just sic and everyone looks. With the windows down it almost hurts your ears is so loud. I will try to get some video/audio soon. It has a race car sound at WOT and I love the crackle between shifts and during down shifts.

Some Pics....I have many more

Vectors2Final

Looks like a pain to rip the steering rack out for headers.... How much was labor? Curious because I really don't feel like taking the steering rack out.


Nice work, though. Enjoy.

wproctor411

The install will be 8 hours more or less so pricing depends on the shop you go with. They have to lower the k-member as well. The header install is a PIA so I paid them and it was around 850.00 to install the x-pipe and headers. I have always liked the sound I had on 2 other cars. I think AFCO may have a set that is a little less work to install but I'm not sure. I'm not a big BBK fan but 1990 5.0 has Chrome BBK headers and they still look new aside from heat-coloration and are well over 10 years old.

Brenspeed was about 2-1/2 hour drive for me so it was a no brainer. What amazed me was the guest book logs (stories)....some people have driven well over 1000 miles to get work done here....some funny stories...one poor girl drove her husband's stang to Brenspeed to get a blower installed while he was in Iraq (or Afghanistan) and I thought that was the coolest thing I've heard in a long time.

mtnbikefuel80

Subd for updates on setup

Musker

Congratulations, how exciting it must be to bring home your 'Stang all souped up!

05-1947

Congrats! Any more pictures of the wheel set up on the car?

Can you edit your post and hit enter every every picuture? This will display them vertically and not horizontally, and makes it a lot easier to view your post.

wproctor411

I use a Mac, not a PC, and the pics show up Vertical for me. Sorry about that. I will try to edit the older post. I will load up some more pics tonight. I need to wash it first. The car feels much faster. There is no more nose dive or lift during acceleration and breaking and it corners very flat. I blew the doors off an SS Camaro last night. I have the sway bar adjusted to the softest setting and could not imagine having the car ride flatter in corners. It's more or less unreal what a few changes can make to these cars. I would like to get it on a road course and to the drag strip. I would like to get the Boss oil cooler and larger front brakes before thrashing it at a road course. I am looking at the Wilwood brake kits for it. Brakes and a lightweight driveshaft will be the last suspension mods, except for maybe strut tower braces.

I will get better pics of the car for you.

blk5.0

they sure do have a sweet looking shop

Killa-B

Looks great! I wish I could do everything you did at Brenspeed!

05-1947

Did you stay at the guest house that they provide? Brenspeed looks like a top notch vendor/shop, and I have had great mail order experience with them.

wproctor411

Yes I stayed at the house. They pulled an 11 hour day so we didn't get to the Dyno until 8pm. The car was pretty well heat soaked by then too from test driving the suspension mods.

I am posting up the dyno sheet tonight.

The house and garage pics in the posts above are from the guest house. The red lights are not so red but I didn't adjust the white balance on my camera. The guest house is nice and has cable and wifi and pretty much corn fields all around so finding a place to do burn-outs isn't hard. The garage is nice to keep your car in.

I've put about 250 miles on my car since returning, I only put 3000 on it the first year, but it's much more fun to drive now, and with good weather I've driven the crap out of it this week. Long Tubes are worth every penny. The full power-band torque gains are very easy to notice and the throttle response is much better as well.

zilla8

Awesome mods and Brenspeed is a great vendor and really know how to make these cars fly.I know how much fun you are having and if you want even more put a blower on that baby!!!!

wproctor411

Chandler said that should be the next mod. I agree. Should have enough cash by spring for a blower and maybe a shortblock.

wproctor411

I thought about doing some work myself but I didnt like putting the car on jackstands when I installed the shifter parts . the install price was right and I wanted to dyno the car so it worked out great. Is that racedeck flooring in your avatar pic?

wproctor411

Dyno Graph - My scanner will not do color at work - sorry if it aint perdy.

Big Poppa

Looks like a wonderful experience. Thanks for sharing

20115.0

I have a question about the Dspecs. What was necessary to make the 2005-2010 D-specs work for the 2011? I am doing Dspecs but the 2011 model wont be out for probably another year.

wproctor411

I used the Steeda HD mounts and GT500 strut mounts. Had to butcher the GT500 mounts just for the rubber isolaters. The guys at Steeda found them at a local dealer at a discount over retail price. I thought I saw a thread with aftermarket isolaters so you wouldnt have to buy the GT500 mounts. If you don't plan on buying the Steeda HD mounts you can just use the GT500 mounts but I wanted camber adjustment. It all fits. The unibody on the 05-12's is pretty much the same. When you look at the plastic stock mounts you will be shocked at how flimsy they are and understand why some break on lowered cars, you could smash them up with a hammer real easy. The GT500 mounts are not much more heavy duty but they are better than the OEM 11/12 mounts which have a plastic spring isolator. I mean come on Ford...spend a few bucks here or there! LOL.


I'm ordering an Aluminum Driveshaft Friday since Brenspeed is having an online sale. I also picked up some 14" Wilwoods for the front and back but will put those on when my car goes into storage sometime in November - have to machine the front spindals and take apart the rear to install these brakes (a good time to paint that raw steel with some P.O.R.). We still have some old machine shop equipmet from my dad's shop so we will be learning how to machine the front spindals for these 6 piston calipers.

I had to drive my car in the rain one time and the axel is totally rusted but it does not weakin the steel at all - the rust stops after a layer is rusted on it, but it looks terrible compared to the other parts.

06GT

What is with the "lonely kitchen" pic?

20115.0

same thing I was thinking lol