LRS Blog

LS1 Into a Mustang Part 1

2008-07-17T16:13:00Z

Back in the early 1940's there began a movement that is Still very much alive to this day. The quest for speed was an appetite that couldn't be quenched. No matter how fast you went yo ualways looked for more ways to have "just a little more". The most popular platform to start with in that era were the Ford Model A's and Model T's. It was easy to understand why these cars were so popular. They were readily available and you could pick them up for a little of nothing.

The Hobby Really took off and went to the next level in the Late 50's. Chevrolet intoroduced the legendary Small block V8. True it wasn't the first V8 available but it made good power and proved to be somewhat more reliable than the earlier flathead motors. The Automotive aftermarket started porducing speed parts and it was only a matter of time before the speed junkies realized that the Lightweight Model A was a perfect canidate for the well performing Small block Chevy. Immeidately you hade the die-hard Ford followers forming lynch mobs, but at the same time you had the hardcore racers looking to strap a seat to a bare frame just to make the "car" lighter. I tend to side with the 'rodder and have a broader perspective, looking to take great ideas and make them better.

The quest for speed is still thriving and has been magnified to a whole new level. All out race cars in the day performed as well as a Mustang GT off the showroom floor. I too have been bitten by the "speed bug" and decided to build a car to feed my appetite. Like many before hand I looked for a solid platform to start with which hands down would be the Foxbody Mustang. There are tons of them out there, you can pick them up for practically nothing, there is a huge aftermarket following, plus in my mind they are just plain cool.

I found an 86 LX Coupe that was laid to rest in a field and picked it up for $250.00 It wasn't pretty but it was exactly what I wanted to start with. I have a special place in my heart for 4 eye cars, you either love them or hate them. I chose a 4 eye coupe because #1 coupes are lighter and more sound than a hatchback, # the 4 eyes are lighter than the 87-93 cars. Keeping with the "Lighter is faster" theme I completely stripped the car down to begin the transformation.

Since it's introduction in 1997 I have been researching the LS1 platform. They come from the factory in 97-08 Corvettes, 98-02 Camaros/Firebirds, and 99-08 GM Trucks/SUVs. Though each motors has it's individual charachteristics the core design remains relatively the same. So no matter what style you find the same result can be accomplished. Earlier this year GM performance parts released a front distributor drive conversion for their NASCAR LS motor. Since they can't use Coil packs they have to use a conventional distributor setup. The best part about it is they designed it based off of the Ford Distributor. That was the the last straw... I knew I had to build one. I picked up a GM Crate motor locally from Greg May Chevrolet and began my LS1 transformation. After I un-crated the long block I pulled the Factory front cover off to install the Front mount distributor cover. While it was off I went ahead and took advantage of the situation and installed a "GTP series 4" cam which specs out at .568" lift and 232 duration on a 112 LSA. Needless to say the cam will really wake up the motor and move the little car down the 1320 pretty quickly. I've got more to come and should have some updated pics and info next week.

2008 Mustang Trends Summer Melt Down Hooters Car Show 7/12/08

2008-07-14T13:59:00Z

July is HOT in Texas, and what better way to spend it than at Mustang Trends' Summer Melt Down Car Show at Hooters in Waco,TX. This show was a blast and brought out a HUGE crowd and vehicles of all types. Live performances from local bands "Steal Loaded" and "The Affinity Index" kept the party rockin' well into the afternoon. Latemodel Restoration Supply showcased our own 2000 Cobra R and 1995 Cobra R model Mustangs in the show.

Supercharged Mustangs, cammed corvettes, shiny nitrous bottles, and polished wheels were not in short supply. It was a fullfilling sight to see that despite the condition of the economy and high gas prices, that the American tradition of bringing your hot rod out for all to see was still growing strong. Check out some of our pictures from the show, and find even more event photos online, courtesy of Mustang Trends. We will look forward to next year!

Off Topic: Nike Hyperdunk aka (Marty) McFly 2015

2008-07-08T17:16:00Z

I remember signing an online petition a few months ago requesting Nike to produce the shoe work by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=hyperdunk

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Nike%20Hyperdunk:2004025452

Well it looks like they actually decided to produce the things! But instead of calling it the McFly 2015 they call it the Hyperdunk. Nike also went viral by making a video of Kobe jumping over an Aston Martin wearing them.

Now someone needs to start a hoverboard petition!!!!

My new project on a budget!!!

2008-07-07T14:33:00Z

I have been without a Mustang for a few years which does not sound like a big deal but when your entire livelyhood revolves around Mustang and you love the car like I do it's a huge deal. All of my friends as well as my co-workers have Mustangs. I have been looking for a car I could make a project out of and build a hot rod on a budget. I was a little up in the air as to what car I wanted. I just new I wanted something a little different. I finally decided after seeing a few good four eyed cars pass me by. I finally decided what car I wanted.

My mustang fever started with a 1986 GT which was my first Mustang. That is the one I regret selling the most!! Only problem is I have always wanted a coupe as well. So, I decided I wanted to find a good four eyed car and if I could find a good four eyed coupe it would be awsome. This decision was made about a four eyed car when my boss bought a beautiful 1982 GT one owner car. I thought about buying it but the car was a one owner and so complete it would be a shame to make a budget hot rod out of it. My wheels were really turning by this time and I new I had the fever real bad again.

That same day when I came back from lunch and I had a few minutes to spare. I hopped on Craigs list and did a search for Mustang in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. I scrolled down though just a few ads when it popped out at me. The ad just hit at 12:07pm and it was 12:20 when I saw the ad. It was like fate had pushed me toward this ad. The pictures of the car looked good and it was a four eyed coupe. Yet it is a 4 cylinder car it was in great looking shape body wise and no interior pictures. They are only asking $1,295.00 so I called the phone # on the ad and asked the usual questions. The owner told me it was a good driver car it was just old but in good shape. After asking him all about the car I asked what his bottom dollar would be. He told me over the phone he would take $ 1,000.00 for it. I immediatly started making arrangements to go look at the car. I took off from work a little early with a friend and we headed north. Here is what I bought for my new budget hot rod.

Yep! That's it! Not too bad for a 1986 4 cyl. coupe. A little faded red paint is what you would expect. But it was a Duplicolor spray can paint job. The best one I have ever seen I have to say. It use to be Sand Beige and the next picture will prove it.

It's going to be put back to the original Sand Beige color.

I always wanted granite in my Mustang!! Just kidding!!

It's even got a towing package! Wait a minute! That's a in tow package. Do miss the Catty crest around the trunk lock.

I can't forget the huge box port in the package tray for that foe 6X9.

Ok, lets face it! The car has had some odd ball things done to it but it is in really good shape. They actually tried to take care of the car. It runs great with new exhaust, clutch, smog pump, master cylinder and A/C. I wanted to show pictures of the car because I plan to document the build up through our forum. I plan to show how a car like this can be build on a budget. Look for pictures as I continue to post on the build up. The build up will be long term as funds or parts are availible.

How do you dress up a white car?

2008-07-02T20:34:00Z

I was the proud owner of a 89 GT that I put a lot of money into and take it to car shows and get-togethers as well as the track. LRS allowed the car to be included in their 2004 calander which eventually got me a 3 page photo shoot and article in a Magazine. It was an awesome experience and a car guy's dream come true! I loved the trips, the people that I met and also the attention that a pretty car brings. It was a custom paint with phantom flames, plus all the goodies that most of you probably have.

I sold the car and it's replacement is a 2003 Mach 1 which is WHITE. It is the rarest color for the 2003 Mach 1 and after owning it for 3 years I think I might know why. This is the first white car that I have owned and told my wife that I really missed the outings that we took the 89 to. She suggested that we make the Mach into a show car. I have looked in every magazine that I can get my hands on and there are literally NO white cars in the mags. What do I do? How do I accessorize my Mach? White calipers? White rims? What about the engine?I am installing a Vortech on it this weekend and that will be yet another item to "accent" however way I can.

The interior is the dark charcoal. The stripes are black and I have 03 Cobra satin rims on the car right now which I am happy with. I am lost and I am looking to you for help. Please send ideas or even pics of your white cars. I will keep you posted what I decide to do and include installtion pics and tips.

See it, Hear it, Buy it!

2008-07-01T18:21:00Z

LRS is now introducing a new medium to our product pages online to aide customers in shopping for the parts they need and want! Our new Videos & Sounds section, located below the product description, will let customers see and/or hear the product in action. This new feature will first be offered for our exhaust selections for Ford Mustang, and will eventually branch out to other products and vehicle applications such as quick installs, product information, reviews, and more! Keep checking back at www.latemodelrestoration.com for all the latest video and sound additions!

What do you do with your new Mustang catalog?

2008-07-01T15:30:00Z

The new Latemodel Restoration Supply Mustang catalogs have been bulk mailed all over the country. If you have requested one, you will get one. (Unless you have a greedy mail carrier :^) If you do not receive one in the next week or so, please call us, we want to make sure that you get one.

Also, tell us what you think about it? Do you like it/dislike it? Is the size OK? Are the pictures and decriptions suitible?

What do you do with your catalogs? Do you store them in your car? garage? bathroom? Do you share your catalog?

Since our catalog has become so popular, do you keep the older versions? If so, do you have any of our original 2000-01 catalogs?

If you are a longtime LRS customer, what whas your favorite catalog cover?

Give us some feedback!

Drive your Mustang and save gas.

2008-06-24T19:05:00Z

What is your best option for saving money at the pump? It doesn't seem like gas is going down any time soon, so what do those of us that are crazy about their Mustangs do to combat the ever-rising price of gas?

Here's what I'm doing:

I'm sure many of us are in the same boat. Some of you drive your Mustangs every day. Some of you are like me. I own several vehicles, many of which are fox body Mustangs, none of which have less than 8 cylinders. My daily driver is a truck, specifically a 2007 Silverado. The Silverado gets about 17 mpg, on average, which is really good for a big, 4-door truck, but when gas is basically double what it was 2 years ago, it's as if I'm driving a motorhome back and fourth to work, 20 or so miles each way.

I needed a solution for my $100+ per week gas bill.

Here were my options:

Drive less - I'm doing this, but I can't help the fact that I drive a mandatory 40-50 miles to work and back alone, each day, 5 days a week.
Buy a cheap beater that gets good mileage - well, unfortunately, cheap beaters that are reliable are getting scarce, and not so cheap, and certainly not cool or fun to drive. I've scoured for 4-banger fox bodies and they are bringing good money now, some are as much as 5.0 cars! May sound vein, but I want a driver that is exciting. My career and hobby both are based off of my love for cars, and I get enjoyment out of having a nice ride. Don't get me wrong, I've driven some junk in my time, but I'd prefer not to.
Trade - Well, I like and need my truck, and my wife's Suburban is unfortunately not worth what it was a year ago because of the price of gas. I'm not about to take a major butt-whooping on either one of these rides just to save gas money. I don't believe that losing tons of money on a car makes sense, no matter how much gas you save.
Car pool - this is a good option, but our staff seems to be pretty spread out, and we all like our independance.

This brings me to my fifth option.....

Start driving the old 5.0 again - It's certainly not an economy car, but the mileage is better than the truck, it's still a blast to drive, it's pretty much a classic now, and I don't have to go buy another car. I think I can improve the mileage, too.

Yep, the old red 92 coupe was the option. So I had to address a few things that could help improve the mileage. About 18 mpg on average is what I've always seen from this car, so the mileage was already better than the truck. Mind you, this is driving the car with no regard for fuel mileage. The car is a 5-speed with a Cobra intake, E303 cam, GT40P heads, and MAC longtubes. The gears were 3.73's, and the timing was set at about 14 degrees initial.

The great thing about performance mods is that many improve the efficiency of the combination, therefore increasing the fuel mileage at the same time. My intake, heads, cam and exhaust did not seem to me to be hurting the mileage, so I chose address the things that were obivous and easily improved.

The gears were 3.73's. Since I had plenty of gears in my arsenal of parts, I went ahead and made the change back to the stock 3.08's. In-town mileage never did really suffer with the 3.73's, but I do a lot of my driving on the highway, so the 3.08's should be an improvement.

My extra timing wasn't hurting mileage, but I had to run super unleaded. The timing is now back to 10 degrees initial, so the car runs fine on 87 octane.

My driving had to improve. Since my Mustang wasn't my daily driver, it used to be for special occasions, or when I just wanted to rip on it. I had to re-train my self to keep the rpm's low, and slow down a little. We'll see how it improves.

I've got about a tank down since the gear change, and it appears that the car is going to help me save some money on gas. My average is up to 20. As time goes on, I may make some other tweeks that could improve mileage even more, such as an electric fan. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being back in my fox, and saving gas at the same time.

Here's my list of tips for improving the mileage of your Mustang:

Gears - if you do a lot of highway driving, 3.73's, 4.10's, or 4.30's may not be for you
Timing - if you have a programmer, back off to the 87 octain tune. Distributor guys - back the timing down to the stock 10 degrees btdc.
Slow down - take your time and keep the rpm's down.
Air pressure - check your tires. Less air means more rolling resistance.
Underdrive pullies - they cut parasitic loss, increasing horsepower as well as efficiency
Electric fan - if you have a fox body, an electric fan will also decrease parasitic power losses
Alignment - keep your front end aligned. Badly mis-alingned front ends will result in excessive tire wear and more rolling resistance.

The Tornado fuel saver. Gimmick or Greatness?

2008-06-09T18:53:00Z

By now, surely everyone has seen the late night infomercials of towels that soak up endless amounts of water or the full body detox kits. Wow, there is a sucker born every minute. Or is there? In these desperate times, people will do whatever they can to squeeze a little more mileage from a tank of gas. In flipping through a magazine I saw a small advertisement for the Tornado Fuel saver insert. Upon further reading I saw that 1-2 MPG gains were common on several year ranges of vehicles and all you have to do is put this metal ring with angled fins into your air inlet tube and it “creates” a swirling vortex of air that is more efficient for the vehicles motor to accept. Surely not. Something that looks like a soda can wind chime cannot help me save gas.

I talked to one of our salesmen about it and he said that he has one on his Mach1 and that he saw an increase of 2 MPG. OK, maybe, if someone put a Tornado on their Camry it might make a difference, but not a Mustang, right? He had also said that he put on one his Sportrac and did not see any difference. Now I am confused. My wife drives a heavy 2007 Suburban LTZ with a 5.3L, bone stock. Sure it has E85 capability and can drop 4 cylinders on deceleration and some on the highway but we didn’t buy it for its mileage capabilities but for its kid carrying duty. But when it costs two credit card transactions to fill it up these days, you are open to anything. Yes, I bought a gimmicky Tornado. Maybe not the high point in my life but maybe I can try it, find out it doesn’t work, and sell it to some other poor sap. But what if it DOES work? I installed the Tornado in less than 5 minutes into the air inlet tube just past the air box. My wife had to make a 225 mile trip (round trip) and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try this thing out. If SHE can get good mileage, then anyone can.

She made the one way trip with 87 octane gas at 75 mph straight highway and knocked out 21 MPG! That is an increase of about 2-3 mpg!!! Could this be? Could it actually work? The return trip was lots of traffic, stop and go and hauling a table and chairs in the back and got 19.4 MPG on the way back! Again, more than I could have imagined. I am a believer. Will it work for everyone on every application? Don’t know, results may vary per application, but it worked for me and I’ll tell everyone I know that they might need to try one out.

Here is the link, you have to decide if one is right for you.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/buyersguide/tornado-fuel-saver.aspx

Now, where was my thigh master and my Blue Blockers…

Where is my new LRS catalog?

2008-05-30T19:20:00Z

Latemodel Restoration Supply has been pain-stakingly working on our all new Volume 8 catalog which is packed with over 280 pages of parts and accessories for your 1979-Present Mustang! For those of you who have patiently waited, our all new catalog is currently in the printing process and should start shipping out to customer mail boxes by the end of the month. A downloadable version of the catalog will be available online much sooner so keep checking back!

What is a Wheel Pit?

2008-05-23T14:38:00Z

The Wheel Pit on our website allows you to search for wheels and tires much easier than on a normal website. It allows you to sort for the wheel you are looking for by number of lugs, size, finish, brand and width. Soon to be added sort fields are price and style. Along with our year, make and model search you can easily find the wheel you want, with or without tires, at the best prices anywhere. With $14.95 freight on our wheels and kits, why go anywhere else!

Latemodel Restoration Supply wants to be your source for wheels and tires, so if you are looking for a wheel or tire that we do not offer, let us know by contacting eddy.davis@latemodelrestoration.com and we will try to take care of you.

What do you think? We want to know your feedback!

My '98 C/K w/ Escalade Front Clip

2008-05-21T13:21:00Z

It's been almost 3 years since I sold it, but I'll never get over it....

This was the first truck that I ever bought new. I don't have any old pictures but it went through a lot of different changes.

Started with a 2 inch drop shackle and some 15x10 with 295/50/15, After that I wanted it a little lower so I added a 2/4 with the same wheels and tires. That lasted a few months and I ordered some Centerlines 17x8 & 17x9.5 with 245/45/17 and 275/40/17 and added 2in drop spindles and a flip kit so that made it a 4/6. It stayed that way for a little over a year. Well I wanted it lower so I ordered some Eibach 3 in drop coils and a 1 in shackle so that made it a 5/7.

Now I see why I had so much money in it because I changed it so many times!!!

The 17's looked small when everyone started running 20's at the time I worked for Discount Tire so I started looking into wheels, Well after several days I found the wheel that I fell in love with. It was 20x8 and 20x9.5 Billet Specialties twin spin with Michelin pilots 245/40/20 and 275/35/20 I dumped $4,800 on that set up, but it was money well spent.

I wanted to get it bagged so bad! I was on the list to take it to Loco Motive in Houston. I waited over a year and Mike Cotter was next in line his truck and for whatever reason gave me his spot in line. So there it sat for the next 6 months, Yes I was not thinking it would take that long but the guy that did it has a full time job and does this on the side, plus his work is topnotch. But when I picked it up it was perfect I drove the truck bagged for 3 years with out a single problem.

Here are the specs when everything was said and done:

1998 Silverado RCSB
20X8 Billet Specialties w/ 245/40/20 Michelin Pilots
20x9.5 Billet Specialties w/ 275/35/20 Michelin Pilots
Matching steering wheel
Full air ride with a 2 link rear, Firestone bags, 3/8 lines, nitrogen, no compressor's
2 Inch drop spindles
Sir Michael's roll pan
Tailgate handle relocator kit
Escalade front clip
Mike Cotter painted the tailgate and added some tribal ghost flame
Leather seats out of Tahoe and center console gauges were mounted were the drink holder was.
I did have a stereo system But I can't remember what it was.

Here are some pics, enjoy!

2010 Ford Mustang?

2008-05-16T15:50:00Z

There has been alot of new info concerning the re-design for the new Mustang 2010 model year. If what I hear is true, I will have to save my pennies! A Shelby inspried front end, rear quarter panel "hips" and an all new 400hp 5.0L modular engine? Where do I sign?! There are also rumors that the base model V6 will get an all new 3.5L twin turbo engine that pushes over 300hp. The Mustang will deffinately have to step up the game in HP #'s if it is going to compete with the new 5th gen Camaro also set to debut in 2010, as well as the current SRT-8 Dodge Challenger that is already available.

How do you think the Mustang will stack up against the competition in 2010? What effect do you think $4.00+ gallon gas will have on the sports car market in 2 more years?

Speed Racer and other cartoon classics

2008-05-07T13:25:00Z

Speed Racer will be in theaters this weekend and the movie seems to feature both live action and heavy computer animation. A far cry from the original Speed Racer cartoon, but should do well at the box office. It really makes me think of my childhood (as I am 35 years old now) and automotive catoons of yesterday when there was no 24 hour cartoon channels. When you woke up at 5:00 in the morning every Saturday to start watching cartoons as soon as the National Anthem stopped playing. (Does anyone else remember them playing the national anthem before programming started and after programming ended?, Well, maybe that's another blog) Back to cartoons.

The question is NOT what your favorite cartoon, but what was your favorite automotive cartoon? Was it Speed Racer, Transformers, Wheelie and the Choppers, Speed Buggy, Turbo Teen, Wonder Bug or Maybe the Wacky Races. I'm sure that there are more, let em hear them!

the original Speed Racer

Wheelie and the choppers

Speed Buggy

Transformers

Turbo Teen

Wacky Races

Wonder Bug

Oh, and don't forget the "Car of Tomorrow" cartoon that popped up every once in a while!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTjof5fqQo

05-08 Steeda Sport Springs

2008-05-05T19:16:00Z

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I installed a set of lowering springs on the GT this weekend. To be honest, I had not done a set of 05+ springs yet. I have done multiple springs on a lot of other vehicles but none have been this easy. I went with the Steeda Sport Springs. The installation went great and the drive is even better. I must say that the car still rides as smooth as factory and handles much better. No more nose dive or hard leaning during turns. I would highly recommend these springs to anyone. You can install them in under 2 ½ hours with no more than few hand tools, jack stand and good jack.

Before:

After:

Info on the springs:

Lowers the vehicle approx 1 inch front, 1 1/4 inch rear.