The beast has come...

A place to post photos and discuss your car.
User avatar
potownrob
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 7833
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:35 pm
Cars: '17 CX-5 GT
Location: Dutchess County

Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

tankinbeans wrote:I tried stomping the non-existent clutch in my friend's Fusion the other day. It wasn't pretty.
definitely not a good feeling. do that almost everytime eye get into the little beast (golf). they also have their starter buttons in different places (the big beast is up on the dash near the wiper stalk; the little beast is down near the shifter), and eye tend to reach for the wrong location.
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
User avatar
potownrob
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 7833
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:35 pm
Cars: '17 CX-5 GT
Location: Dutchess County

Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

InlinePaul wrote:
potownrob wrote:sounds like a nice project car to me. makes the big blue beast look and feel like a whirlpool refrigerator (he says thanks). looks to be in good cosmetic shape, either way, and a fun car for you and clutchmaster to take turns enjoying.
Yep, some surface rust in a couple places, but otherwise sound body and undercarriage. So the project work excludes the finish as we like the rough edges look. The only problem is after I drive it and get into the S-10 I stomp the clutch pedal to the floor as it has maybe 3 pounds of resistance whereas the King Cobra clutch in the Mustang must be 30+ pounds? 50 pounds? It is heavy for sure.
definitely glad eye doughn't have a heavy clutch. it's heavier than your typical honda clutch, but nothing like a mustang clutch. '98 maxima clutch heaviness was similar to newer altima's, IIRC.
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: The beast has come...

Post by theholycow »

I don't think I'd put in the 3.73 gears, though in a raw toy-only car I guess I'd consider it (along with serious rear meats to put some of that power onto the pavement). If it's already reasonably easy to smoke 'em up with the 3.08 then the 3.73 would seem less optimal, not more.
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

theholycow wrote:I don't think I'd put in the 3.73 gears, though in a raw toy-only car I guess I'd consider it (along with serious rear meats to put some of that power onto the pavement). If it's already reasonably easy to smoke 'em up with the 3.08 then the 3.73 would seem less optimal, not more.
Wise advice and well taken. My head keeps going back to the tinker toy 4-bangers I have been driving and how the gears run out in them. First maxes out at 30 mph (redline in fact), but the Mustang runs out to 40 or 45 in first. But that is a good thing. Why make it have to shift sooner? That would lose time in a race. And make it harder to launch. At least with the 3.08 we can launch reasonably well. The magazine article said you still had to go easy out of the box. The main advantage of a deeper gear is getting out of the hole faster but once out of the hole, the best gear ratio is the one that gets you down the quarter without having to use 4th gear. Besides, how often will I take it to the track? Maybe never. On the road, all the fun is up to 40/45 mph or 75 if I am doing the freeway ramp run. I can get that in second. Yep. Best sell those 3.73s.

These came stock with 2.73 and option was 3.08, so I am right there where Ford engineers felt it should be for the performance angle.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
IMBoring25
Moderator
Posts: 3418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2003 5:01 pm
Location: OK, USA

Re: The beast has come...

Post by IMBoring25 »

It's not necessarily just about quarter mile times. I went from 3.27s to 3.55s in my Grand Marquis (yeah, more weight and less power, but still...) and it feels significantly more effortless going from stop light to stop light, to the point that my city mileage went up by about 25% (I did lose some mileage on the highway, of course).
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: The beast has come...

Post by theholycow »

In your case that's how it worked; you switched from highway-optimized to city-optimized.

ClutchFork's setup is already too short for ANY fuel economy optimization, really already optimized for quarter mile times...any shorter is wasted and likely counterproductive (without other changes to make use of it, at least).
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Hood latch catch turned out to be a block of wood with a bracket on it and it fell out. Can't figure how the guy had worked it so I made a latch catch from 1/4-inch steel rod. Works great and lines up nicely as shown by the red line in the last image below. You can see the previous owner had monkeyed up the hood in making his cheesy catch. You can see one of my backing plates through the slots the guy had cut. I used two of his slots and only had to drill the hole for the bolt on the left. Bent the rod using a vice and sometimes assist with a huge crescent wrench.
Image
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
Rope-Pusher
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 11607
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:44 pm
Cars: '08 Jeep Liberty
Location: Greater Detroit Area

Re: The beast has come...

Post by Rope-Pusher »

A friend of mine is noted for all the many uses he has come up with for the wire used to stick a political campaign sign into the lawn.
'08 Jeep Liberty 6-Speed MT - "Last of the Mohicans"
watkins
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 15880
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:42 am
Cars: '08 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon
Location: Salem, MA

Re: The beast has come...

Post by watkins »

Those signs themselves are pretty good. When I made my custom bumper I used some of that to extend the air shield under the front end.
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Rope-Pusher wrote: Mon Oct 22, 2018 8:53 am A friend of mine is noted for all the many uses he has come up with for the wire used to stick a political campaign sign into the lawn.
That would have been convenient and easier to bend but a bit thin for the hood catch. I used store-bought stock. But you are right about campaign sign stands being very useful.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
User avatar
Shadow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 3384
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:51 am
Location: New York

Re: The beast has come...

Post by Shadow »

I had two of these Mustangs back in the day, both purchased new. They were quick back in the late 80s & early 90s, but by today's standards, a V6 Camry will outrun them. Still though, lots of low end torque to have fun with. My first one had the highway gears in the rear end (2.73) and my second one had the 3.08, which is still considered a "highway gear" to just about anyone. You'd have to step up to 3.55, which was a great option for a street car that spends some time at the track. 3.73 gears were good on the street and a lot of fun at the track. The idea in these cars is to be into the powerband for 4th gear when crossing the line at the end of the 1/4 mile. I had my second Foxbody running 14.20s with not a lot of modifications. Bone stock, it was maybe 14.80s at best. I don't really remember exactly what it ran stock, but I do know it was close to 15 seconds.
Image
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Shadow wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:28 pm I had two of these Mustangs back in the day, both purchased new. They were quick back in the late 80s & early 90s, but by today's standards, a V6 Camry will outrun them. Still though, lots of low end torque to have fun with. My first one had the highway gears in the rear end (2.73) and my second one had the 3.08, which is still considered a "highway gear" to just about anyone. You'd have to step up to 3.55, which was a great option for a street car that spends some time at the track. 3.73 gears were good on the street and a lot of fun at the track. The idea in these cars is to be into the powerband for 4th gear when crossing the line at the end of the 1/4 mile. I had my second Foxbody running 14.20s with not a lot of modifications. Bone stock, it was maybe 14.80s at best. I don't really remember exactly what it ran stock, but I do know it was close to 15 seconds.
Whelp, I have the 3.73 gear set and it would be fun, but everything is working quite well, so hate to mess with it. We aren't going to the track or planning to race, so the fun factor is the main thing and it has plenty of that. Perhaps in a year or two we will want more giddy-up and can have someone stuff that 3.73 into the pumpkin. There is a shop near me says they can do it for around $250.

Fuel mileage has improved from an initial 9 mpg with mostly stoplight runs to a decent 14.4 with a nice mix of stoplights and cruising. But we are not in it for fuel mileage. :lol:
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
User avatar
Shadow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 3384
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:51 am
Location: New York

Re: The beast has come...

Post by Shadow »

ClutchFork wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:24 pm

Whelp, I have the 3.73 gear set and it would be fun, but everything is working quite well, so hate to mess with it. We aren't going to the track or planning to race, so the fun factor is the main thing and it has plenty of that. Perhaps in a year or two we will want more giddy-up and can have someone stuff that 3.73 into the pumpkin. There is a shop near me says they can do it for around $250.

Fuel mileage has improved from an initial 9 mpg with mostly stoplight runs to a decent 14.4 with a nice mix of stoplights and cruising. But we are not in it for fuel mileage. :lol:
Yes, great fun at the expense of pretty bad fuel economy. Back when I had mine, I remember gas being not a lot more than $1/gallon in the NY area. That was back in the late 80s and gas mileage wasn't something most people even thought about.

Regarding those 3.73 gears---they'll be a ton of run around town, but if you ever take any kind of extended highway trip, they'll probably become tiresome quickly. Your cruising RPM will be a bit above what would be considered a "relaxed" RPM. I miss my old Foxbody Mustangs. I really wish I would have kept my black one. There's a lot of YouTube guys who have channels dedicated to Foxbody Mustangs and the community is still really active. If you ever have a chance to go to Mustang Week, you'll see tons of FoxBody Mustangs. Or Foxtoberfest is another good event.
Image
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: The beast has come...

Post by theholycow »

ClutchFork wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:24 pmPerhaps in a year or two we will want more giddy-up and can have someone stuff that 3.73 into the pumpkin. There is a shop near me says they can do it for around $250.
Grab a matching, complete axle (drum to drum) at the junkyard and stuff the gears into that one. Then swapping is a relatively simply, cost-free backyard job and you can do it seasonally or for special occasions (plus you'll always have a spare ready if you manage to chew up the gears or something).

Beautiful work on the latch catch.

Coroplast (campaign/roadspam sign stuff) is a favorite material of mine.
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

theholycow wrote: Fri Nov 02, 2018 8:28 am
ClutchFork wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:24 pmPerhaps in a year or two we will want more giddy-up and can have someone stuff that 3.73 into the pumpkin. There is a shop near me says they can do it for around $250.
Grab a matching, complete axle (drum to drum) at the junkyard and stuff the gears into that one. Then swapping is a relatively simply, cost-free backyard job and you can do it seasonally or for special occasions (plus you'll always have a spare ready if you manage to chew up the gears or something).

Beautiful work on the latch catch.

Coroplast (campaign/roadspam sign stuff) is a favorite material of mine.
Thanks. We aimed to get a hood latch catch one way or another, hood pins being a last resort.. We did not want to buy a new hood.

Yeah the second axle housing is a nice idea, especially with 5-lug axles. Presumably the 3.73s would put more load on the 4-lugs. But I want to keep the costs down. I was thinking that they must make high strength lug bolts for performance applications. Would not be a bad idea to install them at least in the rear of this 4-lugger regardless of what gear ratio we are running.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
Post Reply