Exterior Transformation

I will be using this page to chronicle all the work that I do to my car. I am not rich, so this will be a slow process and I will be doing things on a budget and will be happy to share everything along the way.

BEFORE:

Phase 1 Planning: I have always loved the look of Saleen convertibles with the light bar and speedster tonneau cover. Since I can not afford one, I wanted to make mine look as close as possible yet still tweak some things around. My goal isn't to create a Saleen knock-off and pretend its something its not. My goal is just to have a nice looking Stang that stands out and turns a head or too. I have owned Mustangs for 10 years and I have never gotten around to modifying them much, since they have always been my daily drivers. This time is different!

Phase 2 Body Kit: An authentic Saleen kit goes for about $1200. As much as I would love to fatten Steve Saleens' wallet, I just don't have that extra jingle lying around. I had to settle for something similar in looks that wouldn't put my wallet in shock. What good is a body kit if I don't have any money left over to install and paint it, right?

I turned to the 'net and my collection of 5.0 Mustang magazines gathering near my throne for ideas and possibly other body kits to consider. Nothing hit me as much as the Saleen-style did therefore the mission began. I priced them everywhere. I was afraid of the super cheap kits and looking for something average in price. Mrbodykit.com had what I was looking for and they were very quick to answer emails and questions I sent them. For the hell of it I checked eBay and there was the same kit I was about to order, being sold practically in my back yard! That would net me a savings on shipping of about $190! So I bought-it-now for $450.

Well today I picked up the body kit. Just need the wing and side scoops and then its off to the body shop.

After searching around I placed my orders for the Saleen side scoops and S281 Wing. Thanks to eBay and Speedworx (who replied to emails faster then I could type them).

Well things can never go smooth! But I am here to share the positive and negative. The front bumper went on pretty smooth but the rear took about 4 hours of labor to massage it into place properly. The exhaust pipes still need to be bent slightly so they exit the bumper properly. The side skirts would take too much labor to make then look right so I put the stock ones back on. Otherwise I have been pleased with their progress.

Heres some of the most recent pics (just about ready for paint):

Completion: Yesterday I picked my car up and I was very happy with the outcome. Its a great start and I will be adding more as it happens.

Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Exterior Transformation
Page 3 - Performance & Engine Modifications