As promised, she didn�t stay stock for long:
The first thing I decided to do is add custom made lower grills. The point was to get rid of the stupid fake plastic side grills for more air flow while also adding some protection to the radiator via grilling the gapping hole in the center of the airdam.
Here is a picture of the stock setup:
I took out the entire black plastic piece and cut out the two side grills using a jig saw. I then painted the housing with black fusion plastic paint to hide any marks of the saw blade. Next I drilled really small holes spaced about a half inch all the way around all three openings. I used these to zip-tie the wire mesh in a sewing pattern to the plastic piece. Sounds Jerry rigged, but trust me its very secure, and in no way visible when done. Conclusion: A trip to Lowe�s to pick up the black fusion, zip ties, & aluminum gutter guard, about $15, and a half hour made for a vast improvement I think.
All Done and back on, Looks much better:
Also painted Saturn badge blue to blend in with car more
Next, after a decent amount of hard driving and with intentions of doing autocrosses in the future I decided on upgrading the stock brakes. I replaced the Stock rotors with zinc coated cross drilled and slotted rotors for better cooling. I also upgraded the pads. Additionally, I decided to take the calipers off, disassemble, clean, and paint them to match the car. I also painted on the word "redline" in the spirit of baer after market bakes (some day).
Here is a before picture of the rusty worn rotors and stock calipers:
Freshly cleaned & VHT painted calipers with "Redline" stenciled, and the shinny new C/D&S rotors:
Front
Rear
Completed Brake Work:
Had some extra money lying around and decided to start moding the redline again.
Concentration on getting a little bit more out of her by making her breath better:
After thinking about mocking up a custom intake system, I decided to just go with the K&N as the fit in the engine compartment is so tight there really is no other route to take. Plus the K&N keeps the MAFS in its� oem spot, mounted at the same angle and depth. The install was pretty simple, just much tighter then anything I�ve delt with on my Mustang except maybe header clearance.
Here is the stock restrictive system:
Here is the K&N awaiting install:
WOW, the sound from the supercharger on 2k-5k pull is awesome!!!
Some trouble with throwing SES lights once in while, but for the most part worth it
Notice the ironic Ford themed garage, I did say I was a Mustangs diehard didn�t I�
Keeping with the breathing better idea, decided to do an exhaust. Came across Magnaflow�s original prototype of their 2.5� cat back Redline system on ebay. Since it was their original mock up system, it was at a lower price then anything else I�d seen so decided to go for it. Thing fits like a glove. It is a little louder then antcipated, but will address that later on.
Old restrictive exhaust:
New system:
Nice Fit
Tips a little big for my taste
If you�re a Redline fanatic, you probably noticed in the last picture the red spring aren�t stock. Thats right, the next mod was a set of sprint 2� lowering springs.
The backs were cake
The fronts took the better part of an afternoon with a lot of frustration. Then took her to get an alignment and check things over. Ride is much firmer but not unbearable. Can feel slight driveline vibration sometimes during certain short radius turns at slow speed, no buckling, but I wouldn�t go any lower�
Overall, I think it looks 1000 times better at new ride height
Notice I put blue vinyl on the corners to blend them more with the body. Matches pretty well, but will most likely paint in the future because of the little DOT approved letters and part numbers on the lens makes the vinyl not quite right up close and in person.
I�ll leave you with the view most people get.
Many More Mods to come I Promise�
Check out the next page for some more goodies
Contents:
Pg1: Intro & Stock Pictures
Pg2: Intake, Exhaust, Brakes, & Springs
pg3: Pulley, Injectors, HPT, & Dyno
pg4: Rims, Hood, Spoilers, & Tint
