|
|
|
2006 MUSTANG GT
The latest addition to the garage...One I didn't see coming!
|
|
|
I have owned four Mustangs in the past, but it has been a long time since I had the last one. I have always loved Mustangs, and when Ford revamped the 2005 Mustang, I knew I had to have one. I took a road trip last Summer, and rented a V6 Mustang convertible. I figured if I couldn't have one, I could at least "have" one for a few days. That was a mistake, as after having it three days and adding 650 miles to the odometer, it was hard as hell to bring it back. Well, since then, I have had alot of things going on, and wasn't even thinking of another car. I was looking online a couple weeks ago at Mustangs, just to see whats out there, and came across this one. I just could not pass it up. I went to look at it, took it for a little drive, and thought I was doing the right thing by leaving it at the dealership. Three days later, and alot of blah blah blah from the wife, I went to get it. Women just dont understand.
|
|
|
|
It's a 2006 Torch Red GT, 5 speed Tremec transmission, with 3.55 gears in the rear. Here you can see the Roush rear spoiler, the quarter window louvers, the side scoops, and the rear "blackout panel". You can also see the black stripe at the bottom of the door, that said "Mustang GT". It seemed a bit redundant to me, as it is real close to the "GT" fender badges. I removed the stripes from both sides. There was also pine sap type stuff all over the hood, top, and trunk. I am not sure what it was, but rather than hitting it with a buffer, I opted to hand rub it. Well, after 3 coats of 3M Perfect-It rubbing compound, two coats of Meguiars polish, and two coats of Meguires wax, it looks and feels like new.
|
I was thinking of maybe going with aftermarket wheels for more of a nostalgic look...Something like Torque Thrusts would be cool, but they look too much like the factory Ford wheel. Centerlines would be cool, but it's more of a touring car than a drag car. I then read up on the wheels that are on it now. Seems the 18" wheels were an option only in late 2006. The 18" SVT wheel is the largest wheel Ford has put on a regular production Mustang. There is also two finishes available- painted, and these here which have the painted spoke centers, but polished everywhere else. I am not sure what all it consists of, but Ford apparently "tuned" the suspension accordingly to accommodate the 18's. They kinda remind me of the wheels on 65-66 Shelby GT350's, with the wide spoke. Now that I have owned the car for basically 4 months, I have not seen another Mustang with these wheels, so there cant be alot of them out there. With that in mind, I decided to keep them.
|
|
|
|
Here you can see the Roush hood scoop. Also, the black rocker stripes are gone. It looks alot cleaner, and not so "busy" with the MUSTANG GT stripe, right under the GT fender badge. The stripe was not factory.
|
Inside, theres the Shaker 500 stereo system, which I think sounds great. Ford also offers the Shaker 1000, which is 1000 watts of power. Maybe I'm getting old, but 500 seems to be enough. LOL Also on the inside is a Hurst short-throw shifter- and that it is! The round shifter handle travels 2" from 1st to 2nd gear, and is tight, with no play. That will take a little while to get used to, as I am used to the Probe, and there is alot of play in the shifter on the Probe. Another add-on is the Roush carbon fiber panels on the dashboard around the stereo, on top of the console, and on the arm rests- around the window switches, and around the inside door handles. It adds a really nice touch, and looks like it belongs there. Another cool thing is the "My Color" thing for the gauge lighting. You can select one of 125 different colors, which is basically just shade or intensity levels of red, blue, white, green, orange, and purple.
|
|
|
|
One other thing that I thought was cool is the "Stars and Stripes" horse emblem in the grille. The 4.6 engine is to the best of my knowledge stock. The only thing different I can see is the addition of a K&N air filter.
|
Here's what I like to refer to as the "LS1 view".
|
|
|
|
A pretty cool picture. I wanted to leave the flash off, but to do that, the shutter is open longer. I tried to hold the camera as still as possible, but it still came out blurry. It would be a really cool pic if it was at speed.
|
I was wanting to get headlight covers for it, but from what I have heard, GTS' headlight covers do not want to stay on. I would also be concerned about one (or both) coming loose, and scratching the paint. I found some static cling window tint, with no adhesive, and figured I'd give it a try. I made a template for the headlights, fog lights, front turn signals, and rear side marker lights. I will post a better pic of them all when I am completely done.
|
|
|
|
Well, I managed to get out for awhile today, and took a drive to Rising Park in Lancaster, Ohio. It's a better picture of the headlight covers. Still kind of concerned about how well they will come off eventually, but as for durability, they are doing great.
|
Heres the Roush springs. The springs are supposed to lower the car 1" in the front, and 1.25" in the rear. I plan to install them at work, as it would be much easier with a lift, but now I am waiting on the weather. As of now, theres about 7" of snow on the ground. I don't want to go crazy with the Mustang mods, as I need to get back on the Cobra...But I do plan, at some time, to tint the windows, a little exhaust work, and maybe a different hood and front bumper cover.
|
|
|
|
The Roush springs are finally on. I didn't bother to align it yet, as I plan to drive it a few times and let it settle as much as it's going to. I don't expect it to settle much at all though. It will however be a little lower in the rear, as I only have 1/8th of a tank in it- trying to run out the rest of the "old" gas before filling it up. I cant comment on any improvements in handling, as it's a short drive home from work, and I was paying more attention to the car driving slightly different than normal- surely due to the alignment. To be more specific, you can feel a little drag when just starting to turn the wheel to the left or right, and also, the steering wheel doesn't center back up as well as before after turning. Minor? Yes...but I can tell a difference. This is also a good pic showing the headlight covers.
|
Well, I have had the Mustang for a year now. For that reason, I kind of wanted to do something to it. A good bang-for-the-buck upgrade is an air intake and tune. After doing some research, I decided to go with the C&L "Street" intake, and since most tuners use SCT, I opted for the SCT X3 from Brenspeed with a 93 octane tune. I don't know why Ford de-tunes these things as much as they do, as there is room for adjustments, and I will say that they do make a difference. It revs more effortlessly, and you can feel the torque. It was a blast to drive before, and is even more fun now. Yea, the gas will be a little more expensive, but in the 13 months I've had it now, I have only put a little over 1,300 miles on it.
|
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
