Jon Torres's 1990 Ford Mustang GT

 

Jon Torres's 1990 Ford Mustang GT

 

 

My Story:

I purchased the car in April of 2018 and it was mostly stock. It had original paint other than the rear bumper which happens to be a genuine 93 Cobra bumper, aftermarket wheels, lowering springs, subframe connectors, and torque box reinforcements. As I have redone the car over the last few years, I discovered evidence of it having a roll cage at one time which explained the reinforcements under the car and I imagine that it spent some of its past life at the track. After an accident in 2020, the car was blown apart, repaired, and completely re-painted. Once the car was painted, I realized that the wheels needed to be replaced to match the quality of the paint, which led to the brakes and suspension being replaced so they looked good behind the wheels. Then I stumbled onto a motor out of a 94 Cobra that I decided to purchase, re-build and install in the car, only to find a Kenne Bell supercharger shortly after completing the motor for a deal that was too good to pass up. It was the classic snowball effect that happens to anyone who owns one of these cars. I have tried to do all of the mods and customization to the car in a manner that would look as if the car could have come that way from the factory. The goal with this car was not to make the fastest, most powerful, most technologically up-to-date Mustang. I fell in love with Mustangs as a young boy in the 1980s, my first car was a Mustang, along with the next two after that. Over the years I saw things in various versions of the Fox Body that I loved, and saw things like the Kenne Bell that I always wanted, so the goal was to make this car the perfect amalgamation of everything I personally ever dreamed of for my perfect Fox Body. I would love to say it is complete, but I know myself well enough to know that would be a lie.

Engine Build:

Built in 2021

OEM long-block motor from 94 Cobra

GT40 cylinder heads

Comp cams valve springs, retainers & locks

94 Cobra OEM Crane Cams 1.7 roller rockers

Ford Performance E303 camshaft

94 Cobra OEM roller lifters

94 Cobra OEM pushrods

94 Cobra OEM pistons & connecting rods

Sealed Power E458K plasma-coated rings

Crankshaft Supply re-ground OEM crankshaft

Melling M68 oil pump

ARP heavy-duty oil pump drive shaft

King rod & main bearings

Cloyes Street-true .25 dia. roller chain and sprockets

Crank timing sprocket set to 4 degrees advanced

Ignition timing set to 8 degrees advanced

JET-fabricated carbon fiber EGR block off plate

EGR spacer coolant lines plugged internally

Kenne Bell Supercharger:

Originally installed 2022, upgraded 2023

1995 Kenne Bell 1.5 JET-modified to have a bypass valve

Kenne Bell 1-1/2" bypass valve

Ported 1990 OEM intake manifold

MAC 70mm throttle body and EGR spacer

JET-fabricated bypass valve mounting flanges with relocated vacuum ports

JET-fabricated aluminum bungs welded to supercharger manifolds with (1) vacuum port at rear, (1) IAT pre-charge sensor and (1) spare port

IAT post-charge sensor drilled & tapped into lower intake manifold

Custom 3.5” welded aluminum power-pipe with Green cone-filter in fender

JET-fabricated 2-piece rear blower compressor support bracket

JET-fabricated rear AC compressor support bracket

JET-fabricated blower idler pulley spacer

6.5" F-150 OEM crank pulley

1990 Mustang OEM water pump pulley

Smog air pump and related components deleted

Continental 406100 100" serpentine belt

JET-fabricated high pressure AC line from compressor to condenser

JET-modified low pressure AC dryer line

Snow performance stage-2 progressive methanol injection controller

Snow performance solenoid

Snow performance 2.5 gallon methanol tank

US Plastics remote filler spout for tank

JET-fabricated bracket to mount controller

JET-fabricated bracket PCV catch mounting bracket

Ruien baffled aluminum PCV catch can

At 2000 rpm boost hits 10 PSI and stays there throughout

Produced 356 HP & 426 TQ at wheels

Engine Management:

A9L ECU

Innovate MTX-OL Plus AFR gauge

Moates Quarterhorse Tuning Chip

Fuel System:

90 GT OEM fuel rails

DeatschWerks D200 255 LPH fuel pump

Ford performance B556V EV6 47lb injectors

Injector harness modified to accept EV6 injector plugs and extended to eliminate salt & pepper extenders

Ford FOMOCO AFH60M-20 slot-style 47lb MAF

MAF harness modified to accept slot-style MAF

Aeromotive adjustable fuel pressure regulator

Ignition System:

JET-fabricated TFI relocation

Dyna-mod ignition control module

MSD blaster ignition coil

MSD distributor cap and rotor

MSD PN8456 billet distributor

Ford Performance 9.0mm wires

NGK TR6 4177 spark plugs gapped to .032

Cooling System:

SVE 3-core aluminum radiator

OEM Lincoln Mark VIII 2-speed fan

JET-fabricated 2-speed fan control with (2) Derale fan controllers

JET-fabricated fan harness with override switch, 80 amp Maxi fuse, 40 amp low relay and 75 amp high relay

Duralast Gold 160° t-stat

Gates heavy-duty water pump

1990 Mustang OEM water pump pulley

Engine Accessories:

Rebuilt G3 alternator

Overdrive alternator pulley

94 GT high torque starter & solenoid delete

Endurance power steering pump

OEM AC compressor retrofit for R134-a

Exhaust:

BBK equal length shorty headers

JET-modified BBK 2.5" h-pipe with Flowmaster metallic high-flow 200-cell cats

Mac 2.5" cat-back exhaust

Mac 3" polished S.S. tips

Brakes:

93 Cobra master cylinder

Baer PBR dual-piston pad-guided front calipers

Baer-modified Fox Body spindles

Baer 4-lug hub with Fox Body bearings

Baer 13” drilled & slotted front rotors

OEM 93 Cobra rear caliper mounting brackets

JET-fabricated big-brake caliper offset brackets

JET-modified Powerstop Focus SVT 11.8” drilled and slotted rear rotors

OEM 87 Turbo-coupe rear calipers

93 Cobra e-brake cables

JET-fabricated e-brake tunnel-bracket

B&M Launch control

JEGS adjustable brake proportioning valve

Drivetrain:

Detroit Locker differential

31 spline axles

Ford Performance 3.73 gears

21-tooth speedo gear

Ford Motorsport Aluminum driveshaft

BBK clutch cable fire-wall adjuster & quadrant

RAM HDX 26-spline performance clutch kit

Ford Performance pilot bearing

Tremec TKX TCET17765 5-speed transmission

JET-fabricated carbon fiber shifter handle

JET-modified OEM crossmember

Ford Performance 31 spline yoke

Ford Performance diff cover with girdle

Suspension:

UPR mild-steel tubular K-member, clearanced for steering rack

JET-modified BMR tubular A-arms modified to fit UPR K-member and modified sway bar link mounting points

Whiteline rear upper control arms with MAX-C Elastomer bushings

Maximum Motorsports rear adjustable height lower control arms with poly bushings

Energy suspension polyurethane sway bar links

UPR billet aluminum CC plates

Welded-in subframe connectors

Welded-in torque box reinforcements

Welded-in upper control arm reinforcement

Steeda strut tower brace

Steeda sport lowering springs

KYB Excell-G front struts

KYB Gas-adjust monotube rear shocks

Gabriel quad-shocks

Steeda bump-steer tie-rod ends

Moog inner tie-rod ends

Exterior:

Complete 2-stage re-paint in January of 2021 by Buzzy’s Autobody

18% window tint

OEM Ford Cobra rear bumper

Cobra front bumper grill insert

Dynacorn 2” steel cowl hood

DHP custom hood-liner

Redline hood strut kit

93 GT front fenders and skirts

93 GT inner fender liners

Antennae delete

17x10 SVE 10th anniversary anthracite rear wheels

17x9 SVE 10th anniversary anthracite front wheels

Sumitomo 255/40/17 front tires

Sumitomo 275/40/17 rear tires

Ultra clear/chrome 3-pc headlights

Ultra clear fog lights

LED headlight bulbs

LED fog light bulbs

LED auxiliary light bulbs

LED tail-light bulbs

LED brake-light bulbs

OEM 86 GT tail lights

Interior:

Glowshift boost gauge, fuel pressure gauge, and IAT gauge

Glowshift pillar pod, heated to conform to OEM fitment with mounting holes counter sunk like OEM and screwed on independently like OEM

OEM 1986 SVO front seats

JET-modified OEM 1999 seat tracks to lower seat height

OEM 1986 SVO rear seat upholstery installed on 1990 rear seat foam with color-matched seat belt trim bezels

OEM 1986 halo headrests color matched to SVO seats

Custom upholstered door panel inserts to match SVO seats using NOS fabric

Factory gauge cluster modified to have orange needles

Innovate MTX-OL Plus AFR gauge modified to fit behind cluster surround with only digital display exposed through custom rectangular opening in OEM cluster surround

Speed Dawg custom white and metallic-graphite shifter knob

5.0 Resto Cupholder center console

Billet-Buttons launch control button

Billet-Buttons methanol override button

Momo Montecarlo steering wheel

JET-fabricated cruise control button mounting bracket (mimics Saleen style)

OEM 87-89 cruise control buttons

JET-fabricated steering wheel hub adapter

JET-fabricated steering wheel hub trim ring

JET-fabricated 2-din radio relocation-panel

Keyless entry & trunk lock

JET-fabricated Fox Body-Basslink subwoofer

Pioneer 2-din Bluetooth radio

Powered hidden antenna

Audiovox backup camera

Polk Audio 3.5" dash speakers

Pioneer 6.5" door speakers

Kicker 6"x8" rear speakers

LED interior dash & overhead lighting

General Info:

All custom fabrication, wiring, modification, mechanical work and design was done by owner Jon Torres (JET)

All paint and bodywork was done by Buzzy’s Autobody. R.I.P. Buzzy, it was my honor to have known you!

Original SCT Dyno tuning was performed by Eastspeed Automotive

Current tuning is being performed by Jon Torres and Michael Picardi using Quarterhorse software

Detailing - Wash and Maintenance

I have another post about how to clay bar a car in minutes rather than hours.  What I didn't cover is how to maintain the finish.

First, I use the two bucket method.  There is a soap bucket and a rinse bucket which has a grit guard in the bottom.  The soap I use is Chemical Brother's Mr. Pink.  I fill both buckets 3/4 of the way to the top, then add a healthy squeeze of soap to the soap bucket.  

To start, I thoroughly rinse the car.  Then I use a chemical brothers microfiber wash mitt soaked in the soapy water bucket to wash the car.  I do one 'section' at a time, then thoroughly rinse the mitt in the rinse bucket, then into the soap bucket, and onto the next section.  The sections are:  Half of the roof and drivers side windows (top half of the doors), drivers side half of the windshield, half of the hood and front fender, bottom half of the drivers side, trunk and rear bumper and half of the rear glass.  Then I rinse the soap off the car.  I then do the front bumper / grill twice and rinse that.  Then the same sections for the passenger side.  

Last I do the wheels.  I use a wheel brush from the soap bucket, soap the wheels, clean them, then as I'm spraying the wheels I go over a second time.  This gets the brush nice and clean before going back to the soap bucket.  

I use a leaf blower to semi-dry the car.  This gets most of the water off, but leaves some small water drops behind.  

Lastly I dump the rinse bucket, rinse it and fill it again with clean water.  Then I put a clean microfiber towel in the rinse bucket and wring it out as best I can.  This leaves the towel damp and preps it for drying the car.  I fold it in half, then in half again - this will give me 8 squares to work with.  I spray the square I'm using with TEC583 which is diluted 1:1 with distilled water.  Then I wipe down a section.  Next section gets a new clean square and a fresh spray with the TEC583.  Once the entire car is done, I let it sit for 10-15 minutes before I buff the car with a dry microfiber towel.  

This really makes it shine, and adds a layer of protection in between wax / sealant.  

For Sale: 1999 Cobra

 I'm posting this for a friend of mine.  

47k miles on the car.  

Interior

Black interior

Corbeau seats with harness bar and two 5 point harnesses

Shift light, boost gauge

SCT Tuner

Engine 

Made 500/ 415 on the dyno

Vortech V2 supercharger with air to water after cooler 

3.4 pulley

Granatelli coils

MSD Launch control / 2 step

MSD Tach Driver

MSD RPM switch

Thump racing belt tensioner and idler pulley

Anderson power pipe kit

BBK Throttle body

Ford Racing 42lb injectors

Ford Motorsport shorty headers

MAC mid pipe with cats

MAC cat back exhaust 

Kenne Bell boost a pump

Chassis and Suspension

K Member brace

IRS bolts, and urethane bushings for subframe, differential mounts and lower rear control arms.

Battery relocated to rear, with kill switch

Urethane engine and trans mounts

Eibach Sportline springs

Bilstein shocks and struts

Steeda sway bar with billet sway bar mounts and urethane bushings

urethane sway bar end links front and rear

Maximum Motorsports full length weld in subframe connectors 

Bump steer kit, front and rear

Steeda X2 ball joints

Aluminum offset steering rack bushings

Rear shock tower brace

Steeda caster camber plates

Drivetrain

Rear diff cover / brace

Ford Racing 3.73 ring and pinion

Track Loc differential

Ford racing driveshaft and Lakewood loop

Tremec TKO 600 transmission, rebuilt / upgraded

Pro 50 shifter

Fidanza flywheel

Lakewood blow proof bell housing 

Center force dual friction clutch

UPR Clutch cable firewall adjuster

Maximum Motorsports quadrant

Power stop drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads

SLP line lock

Exterior

White paint just corrected and sealed

Chin spoiler

Smoked headlights

Sequential tail lights

Ford FR500 wheels, staggered with 9x17 front and 10.5x17 rear, powder coated gloss black

Nitto NT555G2 tires around 1k miles

245 40 17 front

315 35 17 rear. 

1994 Mustang Cobra

@geargambler on Instagram

Engine

Dart SHP bored to 4.155

Scat forged crankshaft, 3.25 stroke

Liberty rods

CP-Carrillo bullet pistons

FTI custom Camshaft

AFR 185 heads ported and upgraded with larger valves

LGM shaft mount rockers

Romac balancer

7 quart pan

Trick flow R intake

Andersen power pipe

BBK 75mm throttle body

Ted Jenkins fuel lines

Siemens Deka 80lb injectors with Kirban regulator

Tuned with a Moates Quarterhorse and Binary Editor by Ted Jenkins from Tuning Innovations.

Drivetrain

RAM billet aluminum flywheel

RAM powergrip clutch

QuickTime Bell housing

Tremec TKX TCET-18085

PST custom driveshaft with strange chromoly trans and pinion yokes. Upgraded 1350 u-joints.

8.8 welded and straightened

Torsen differential with Ford 3.55 gears

Trick flow main cap stud kit

Strange 31 spline axles with ARP wheel studs

GT500 differential cover.

Exhaust

BBK 1 3/4 primary long tubes modified with a 3 inch V-Band collector, Jet Hot coated

Custom 3 inch stainless H-Pipe

Gibson 3 inch MWA mufflers with V-Bands front and back

Pypes polished stainless 3 inch tailpipes

All welding and fab done by Lou at Herfurth Aluminum Racing Mufflers

Chassis and Brakes

Racecraft road race tubular K-Member

Racecraft A-Arms with factory style spring perch

TeamZ 3/4 drop solid motor mounts

Tokico D-Spec adjustable shocks and struts

Eibach pro-kit springs with Prothane isolators

Maximum Motorsports full length weld in subframe connectors

Maximum Motorsports lower control arms with adjustable spring perch

UPR Double adjustable upper control arms

Spherical bushings on the rear end side, poly bushings on the chassis side

Rear has been centered and pinion angle set

Cross drilled and slotted rotors, powder coated

Cobra calipers, speed bleeders and maximum Motorsports brake lines

Interior

Corbeau LG1 seats

Pioneer DEH-80PRS head unit

Stock Mach 1000 amps and speakers

Zapco ST-500XM II

Dual JL Audio 10w6

Zenclosures custom box

Paint and Body

Cervinis 3.5 cowl hood

Full custom paint done by GCR’s Auto Collision

Tint by Black Glass

Wheels are OEM 2003 Cobra with Nitto NT555G2 tires

1994 Cobra Brakes

 Short write up on the 94 Cobra Brakes

I used the maximum motorsports lines, and the pro stop calipers in the rear- powder coated red.  The front calipers were sent out to be rebuilt and powder coated.  I'll add pics here later!  

Every caliper has a speed bleeder installed.  This makes for a much easier brake bleeding experience because only one person is needed.  The master cylinder is the focus - can't make that run dry!  

Synthetic Rope Repair

 

Thank you for purchasing the synthetic rope repair kit!  Below are a few videos that are a great reference for repairing damaged synthetic rope or even creating a length of rope with an eye on each end.  They are not my YouTube videos.  These methods can be done in the field if you have everything necessary.  I recommend adding them all to the canvas bag to keep everything together. 

You will need:

• ·         A Sharpie or similar marker
• ·         Scissors or a sharp knife
• ·         Electrical tape or similar
• ·         FID, needle, and whipping twine
• ·         Optional:  Tube Thimble

o   For 3/8  - https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Thimble-Synthetic-Ultranger-Diameter/dp/B06XT5KDS2

o   For 5/16, 1/4, 3/16 - https://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Stainless-Steel-Thimble-Synthetic/dp/B06XSVLS9W

Dyneema Eye Splice Demonstration:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDQ28yUs7AA

Dyneema Lock Stitch Demonstration:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKqAfBfNc3A

Link to my 5/16 synthetic rope repair kit: 
https://poconos.craigslist.org/for/d/saylorsburg-synthetic-rope-repair-kit-16/7317715663.html

Link to my 3/8 synthetic rope repair kit:  https://poconos.craigslist.org/for/d/saylorsburg-synthetic-rope-repair-kit-8/7317717720.html

Eye Splice Procedure

Measure one fid length from the end.  This will become the taper.  Mark a line with a sharpie. 

Measure another two fid lengths from that mark and make another mark (but two lines this time).  This will be the end of the tail.

Mark two is also the beginning point of the eye.

A 50% reduction of a 12-strand rope means we need to remove 6 of the strands.

Mark a V, skip one, mark next V, then skip one, Mark the last V.  These three marks will be for 6 strands.  The skipping allows the rope to slope or gradually step down.

Once you have your marks, start with the strand closest to the end.  use the hollow end of the fit to lift up the marked strand.  You will see where the strand is 'indented' from the braid.  That is where you want to make the cut.

Make the cut, then move to the next strand until all 6 marks are cut.  Pull out the length of the strands that were cut. 

Once you have all six out, they can be discarded.

Unbraid the last 2 inches, then cut a gentle taper to the end of the rope.

Take some electrical tape and tape the end of the rope.  this should bring it to a point.  No more than two wraps. 

Insert the point of the tape into the end of the fid and tape it there.

Measure 4 fid lengths from the double mark.  Then mark the entire diameter of the rope, all the way around.

The "Bury" is about one V above the double mark. Take the rope and birdcage it so you can work the fid into the core of the rope.

This works just like a Chinese finger toy.  Keep working the fid through the core of the rope.  Make sure the fid stays in the center and the point doesn’t catch any strands.

As you birdcage, you'll feel the fid keep moving through the core of the rope.  Then hold the front of the fid and pull the rope towards the back.  This will keep moving it through.

When you get to the exit point, bring the fid out. 

Now double check the eye - make sure its tight and work the rope to get it where you want it.

Remove the fid from the tail, and remove the tape from the tail.  Make sure all the tape is removed - this is important.

Hold the eye and milk the birdcage all the way down the rope.  You'll see the tail get sucked up inside. 

Do this a few times.  You should notice a good taper going down the rope.

Lock Stitch

to prevent the bury from moving out of the center of the rope, you'll need a lock stitch. 

take a little bit more than an arm's lengh of thread.

keep a few inches of the end of the thread free

Use a figure 8 stopper knot.  Make a loop, then twist the loop once, then take the end and put it through the loop.  Pull softly to make the knot.  Dont pull too tight as you want it to have some bulk to it.

Take the other end and thread the needle.  Pull about five inches through.

The first pass through should be one to 2 strands down from the bury.  As you pass the needle through, bunch up the rope so that the knot doesnt pull through.

The goal is to make three passes through the rope, skipping one strand every pass.  Then rotate the rope 90 degrees and make another three passes the same way heading back towards the eye.  Again, each pass will skip one strand.

Once that is done, you can remove the needle.

Take the tail of the thread after the knot and make a loop down the length of the rope, and have the tail towards the top of the eye of the rope.  This will help in chinching up the loose end after we wrap the rope with the thread.

Take the length of thread and wrap the rope, keeping it tight.  You need to make at least 8 passes minimum.  More if you like. 

Keep each pass tight against the previous, making sure they do not overlap.  Once you are done with that, pass the end of the thread through the loop.

Now you are going to pull the thread by the eye (the other end of the loop) until you pull the loose end under the wrapping. 

You will see the bunch going under the wrapping.  Once it is about half way, grab both ends of the thread and pull it tight, lockign it in.

Trim the ends and that is it!