Archive for May, 2006
One look at Agent 47’s new 03-04 Cobra Strut Tower Brace and you will notice it’s not your ordinary average everyday brace found on most late-model Mustangs. Instead it’s a unique piece of performance equipment that has an inovative design and stealthy look.
The strut tower brace is made of chromoly and weighs in at only 7.5 lbs which is signifigantly less then it’s competitors. The brace ties into the subframe and K-member and is secured to the strut towers by the castor camber plates plus two bolts that connect the brace to the vertical subframe extensions. According to Agent 47 the brace is much easier to install then it’s competitors and was also designed with clearance in mind for the throttle body along with accomodating large intake tubes.
The price on this sweet looking strut tower brace is $265 and can be ordered through agentfortyseven.com.
Indy-Tech Publishing, the publishing division of Sams Technical Publishing, LLC, has announced the release of “Ford Mustang Buyers and Restoration Guide: 1964 1/2-2007″. The book covers most everything from the original release of the Mustang to present day.
“This book is the first in a series dedicated to the muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s,” notes Richard White, Publisher at Sams Technical Publishing. “This book takes a complete approach, covering model years all the way to today.”
Ford Mustang Buyers and Restoration Guide: 1964 1/2-2007 outlines each year’s production numbers, model availability, and changes for the model year. It also discusses the opportunities that lie within that year’s models in regards to the purchase of a car for restoration purposes. Authors Peter and Nilda Sessler also include a Ford VIN decoder as well as a CD with nearly 300 color photos. This CD is a Mustang fan’s dream and makes for a great screen saver.
Authors Peter and Nilda Sessler are experts in the field of classic and muscle cars, having written over 40 books in the past 22 years. Peter has also been Editor-in-Chief of MuscleCars Magazine and personally restored a 1968 Shelby GT350 and two 1969 Boss 429 Mustangs. The Sesslers reside in Dunnellon, Florida.
To buy the book check out Barnes and Nobles or Amazon.com
News Source: Sams Technical Publishing, LLC
Well you don’t see this everyday but that is what one man from North Dakota is giving the buyer of his home. Hal Seeberg, a collector of Ford Mustangs who boasts eight in his collection has a custom-built home worth $299K in the Cottonwood Subdivision of Bismarck, ND and to the buyer he is giving them a Cherry Red 1966 Mustang convertible with black interior.
Mr. Seeberg needs to sell his home so he can join his wife, Shelley Seeberg, in St. Paul, Minn., where she’s been working at a new job since September of 2005. The five-bedroom, five-bath, 4,000-square-foot home that the Seebergs built has been on the market for a little over a month and nobody has made an offer. It’s a custom-built home with four levels and a sunroom. His teens each have their own level with their own bedroom, their own recreation room and bath.
With no offers and no interest in the house some of Hal’s friends jokingly told him to give one of his Mustang convertibles away with the house and then he ran with it. “I thought it might spice it up, “Seeberg said.
Out of all of his convertibles, this one will be a littler easier to let go of because it’s the newest in the Seeberg family. Seeberg, who is the owner of Dakota Mustang, has owned the car for just a few months. Plus it only has a V-6 engine.
He said the giveaway car is insured for $10,500, has 69,000 miles on the original engine, was restored in 1997 and is an automatic.
Check out the listing at Realtor.com
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is auctioning off his prize 1969 Boss 302 Mustang on Ebay. He has owned this car for over 25 years and has seen the car through thick and thin. The car was discovered by Dee’s brother Frank in 1979, missing the original Boss motor. Over the next five years Dee collected original replacement parts for the cars restoration until 1984 when the band hit the big time. After hitting it big Dee decided to have the car professionly restored by Superstang in Rochester, NY.
The car has been featured in a number of magazines, videos and on TV with most recently appearing on MTV’s cribs. The reason Dee is selling the Boss Mustang is because his interests are elsewhere and wants to see the Mustang be driven instead of sitting around a garage. Check out the ebay auction here.
Ford has increased production of its 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang to 9,000 units for the year. The increase comes as many speculated that Ford would produce between 7500 and 8500 cars. The increase is due to overwhelming popularity for the GT500. Ford has said all along they will produce as many GT500’s as allows. A big concern for Ford in producing so many GT500’s are with the suppliers and if they can keep up with the demand for parts.
In a letter to Dealers that included the increase production news Ford also is discouraging dealers to put hefty mark-ups on the MSRP of the vehicle. The MSRP has yet to be annouced and should come later in the month. Production of the GT500 is set to begin June 5 with some GT500’s showing up at dealerships in late June.
Owners of 2003-04 Cobra Terminators will get a kick out of these ID badges for their Cobra’s. I came across this site one day as one of my members over at FordPower.net showed off his unique Cobra ID tag. These ID tags are pure novelty items and are made of 25 gauge brushed aluminum with a bonded urethane coating to display your unique vehicle/owner information. The tags come with double-sided tape for easy removal. Each badge contains VIN, Build Date, Build # and the owners name.
The site sells three different badges for you Cobra. Two badges are made for the engine compartment (1 3/4″ x 4 1/2″, 2 1/2″ x 5 7/8″) and can be placed under the hood on the radiator shroud and lays right under your hood prop (pic below). The other badge can be placed inside the car to the left of the cigarette lighter.
Prices for ID Tags:
- $22.50 - (1 3/4″ x 4 1/2″) - Includes VIN, Build Date, SVT Build#, owner name
- $22.50 - (1 1/4″ x 3 1 1/2″) - Includes Build Date and SVT Build#
- $25.00 - (2 1/2″ x 5 7/8″) - Includes VIN, Build Date, SVT Build#, owner name
Payment is done through PayPal and delivery usually takes between 8-10 business days after your order is placed. I have added a few pics below so you can get an idea of what the badges look like. For more information click here.
Well you knew it was coming and now it’s official, Ford has upped the rating on the Shelby GT500 to 500 base horsepower from the previous number of 475. The 500 hp rating was obtained using the Society of Automotive Engineer’s latest standard and was witnessed by an objective third party.
The Shelby GT500 goes into production in late June and should be available at dealerships sometime in July. If you were one of the lucky ones to get your name on a dealers list and plunk down your deposit you should get your car sometime this Summer.
Ford Press Release:
The most powerful factory-built Mustang ever just got even more potent. Final certification testing of the Shelby GT500’s 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 shows it will produce 500 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque – 25 more horsepower than preliminary estimates.
“With 500 hp and the Shelby name, this car is an instant legend,” said Hau Thai-Tang, director, Advanced Product Creation & SVT programs. “This is the most powerful, most capable Mustang ever.”
The Ford Shelby GT500’s supercharged 5.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 is a result of Ford’s experience in developing the modular V-8 and V-10 engine series. The engine is force-fed air via a “Roots-type” supercharger providing 9 pounds per square inch of boost. It borrows the four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings, from the Ford GT engine.
The Shelby GT500’s 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 will be built at Ford’s Romeo Engine Plant in Romeo, Mich. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
The right to purchase the first 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 was auctioned for $600,000, with the proceeds benefiting the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation. The 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 goes on sale this summer.
Technical Specifications
- Type - V-8
- Manufacturing location - Romeo, Michigan
- Configuration - Iron Block and Aluminum Heads
- Intake manifold - Cast-aluminum with Roots-type supercharger and air-to-water intercooler
- Exhaust manifold - Cast iron
- Crankshaft - Forged steel
- Throttle Body - Dual 60 mm, electronic
- Valvetrain - DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
- Valve diameter - Intake: 37.0 mm; Exhaust: 32.0 mm
- Pistons - Forged aluminum
- Connecting Rods - Cracked forged steel I-beams
- Ignition - Coil-on-plug
- Bore x stroke - 3.552 x 4.165 in. / 90.2 x 105.8 mm
- Displacement - 330 cu. in. / 5,409 cc
- Horsepower - 500 hp @ 6,000 rpm (SAE Certified)
- Torque - 480 lb.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm (SAE Certified)
- Compression ratio - 8.4:1
- Redline - 6,250 rpm
- Idle Speed in Neutral - 750 rpm
- Engine control system - Spanish Oak PCM
- Required fuel - Premium
- Fuel Injection - Electronic returnless sequential
- Oil capacity / type - 6.5 quarts / Motorcraft 5W-50 Full Synthetic Motor Oil
- Coolant capacity - 21 quarts
- Peak Boost - 9 psi
On any given day you can cruise over to Ebay and do a search in the motors section for ‘2007 Shelby’ and you will see anywhere from 10-15 auctions for the new 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang. Even though the Shelby GT500 has not been produced dealers are still auctioning off there alotment or space in line to order one. What you are actually bidding on is the amount over MSRP you are willing to pay. It’s not unusual to view auctions in the $5K-$10K range and I have even seen an auction go for as much as $20K.
The million dollar question is WHY? Why would you pay such a high markup on a car they are producing 7500 times over. I guess some people have the complex about being the first to have one. I myself will wait for a few months or maybe even six to purchase one at MSRP. If you think I am dreaming about getting one at MSRP, come talk to me six months after they are out and we will see who’s right.
