Follow the Mustang from the day we bought it through teardown, repairs, fabrication, testing, and eventually race weekend.
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Before we had a car, most of the work happened behind a laptop. We put the team together, built this website and our sponsor packet, made a budget, and started reaching out to people and businesses who might want to help.
It was not the most exciting part of the project, but it gave us a real plan and eventually put us in a position to start seriously looking for a car.
After a lot of searching, we finally bought the car: a 2005 Ford Mustang GT Premium with Ford's 4.6L 3-valve V8 and a 5-speed manual transmission.
Buying it was the point where this whole project started to feel real. We can finally stop talking about what we might build and start taking apart an actual car.
We liked the Mustang because parts are widely available, there is a huge amount of information out there about the S197 chassis, and it gives us a relatively straightforward rear-wheel-drive V8 car to learn on. More importantly, we finally have something sitting in the garage that we can work on.
Our 2005 Mustang GT before the teardown began.
Almost immediately, the Mustang gave us our first real problem: a very loud and irregular metallic clacking/slapping noise coming from the passenger-side front of the engine.
We pulled the passenger-side valve cover and started checking the valvetrain and timing area. We have looked at the cam, followers, springs, and the visible section of timing chain, and so far nothing up top looks catastrophically broken.
Right now, our best guess is that the noise is coming from the timing system, possibly a chain tensioner, guide, or another part of the timing drive. We have not confirmed that yet, so we are trying not to just throw parts at the engine.
Before we spend money on the repair, we want to make sure the rest of the engine is healthy too.
If we confirm that the timing system is the problem, it is a very fixable one. The front of the engine has to come apart, but the chains, guides, tensioners, and related parts can all be replaced. Those are also exactly the kinds of parts we would rather refresh now than trust for a 25-hour race.
While we figure out the engine noise, we have also started stripping the car and going through everything that will matter once it becomes a race car.
The factory seats, carpet, trim, sound deadening, and other interior pieces are coming out so we can inspect the chassis and eventually make room for the roll cage, racing seat, harness, fire system, and the rest of the safety equipment.
We are doing the same thing mechanically. Since we already have the car apart, we would much rather replace something questionable now than discover it halfway through the race.
We are not chasing a huge horsepower number. We would much rather have a slightly slower Mustang that can take 25 hours of abuse than a faster one sitting in the paddock with the hood up.
After tracing the Mustang's engine noise to the front passenger side, we spent weeks taking the engine apart and investigating the timing system.
We found debris from an earlier timing-system failure clogging the oil pickup. That restriction had affected the oil supply to the timing-chain tensioners, and we initially believed replacing the damaged components would solve the problem.
We replaced the timing chains, guides, tensioners, and related timing components, along with the oil pump, pickup tube, oil pan, water pump, and other parts. We also installed cam phaser lockouts.
Once everything was back together, we started the car expecting the noise to be gone. Unfortunately, the knocking was just as loud as before. We knew there was something else going on.
Further testing finally revealed the source of the knocking. The oil pickup had been clogged with debris from the previous timing-system failure, restricting oil flow and starving the No. 1 connecting rod of lubrication. The rod had failed.
This was obviously not the result we were hoping for after rebuilding the timing system. Rather than trying to repair the damaged engine in place, we've decided to replace it with another 4.6-liter V8.
The good news is that most of the new components we've purchased can be reused on the replacement engine, provided they pass inspection. The money and work we put into the timing and oiling systems won't be entirely wasted.
We've now disconnected the original engine and have everything prepared to pull it out. Our goal is to get a healthy replacement engine and begin installing it on October 25, assuming everything is ready.
Before starting the replacement engine, we'll inspect the components being transferred, make sure the oiling system is clean, and verify that everything is working properly. Getting the Mustang running reliably is our immediate priority.
The engine isn't the only part of the Mustang we've been working on. While the front end has been apart, we've also started making changes to the cooling system and preparing the car for track use.
We removed the factory radiator and purchased a Cold Case aluminum performance radiator to replace it.
The original grille has been removed in favor of a simpler mesh setup, which we're preparing as part of the front-end modifications.
We've made openings in the front bumper for ducting that will direct outside air toward the brakes.
We've purchased replacement headlights, hood pins, new gauges, an AGM battery, and additional equipment for the build.
There's still plenty of installation and testing ahead, but it's nice to be making progress on other parts of the car while we work through the engine replacement.
On October 10, we had a booth at Silicon Valley Motor Club's Cars & Coffee in Portola Valley. We brought our project materials, talked with attendees about the Mustang, and got to meet plenty of people interested in what we're doing.
SVMC had also featured the team in its newsletter and generously organized a donation-matching opportunity for members, along with a merchandise drawing.
Raised toward our $15,000 project goal
We raised $2,500 through the Cars & Coffee event. Rick and Deb Pankrat also generously donated another $1,000, bringing our total fundraising to $7,000.
A huge thank-you to Silicon Valley Motor Club, everyone who donated, and everyone who has supported the project so far. The response from the community has been incredible, and we're grateful to have so many people behind us.
With the engine replacement ahead and plenty of safety and reliability work still to do, this support makes a real difference.
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