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Build A Saleen Mustang Look Alike - How To: Saleen Ground EffectsWhen Life Hands You Lemons, Make A Juiced-Up Saleen Look-Alike From the May, 2000 issue of Mustang Monthly By Jeff Ford Photography by Jeff Ford
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You're driving along, minding your own business, when suddenly, wham! Out of nowhere a car pulls out into your path, and causes your shiny, new convertible to become yet another crash statistic. Now the hood is bashed, the front bumper cover is split and caved, and you're in need of some serious repair work to get your steed back in cruising trim. Suddenly, you get an idea. You're going to have to replace some significant parts-namely the hood, fenders, door, and the aforementioned bumper cover-so why not dress up the little convertible? You know, take the car from average to above average with a styling kit. When we look around at all the kits available, the Saleen kit has to be one of the more hairy-chested ones out there. It's simply loaded with testosterone. If you are in this position, it is a simple matter to get the insurance to pay for what the Ford parts would have cost, and cover the rest yourself, thus cutting your investment in the parts by a good sum. The kit we used here was ordered directly from Saleen and typically comes complete, though some of our parts were on back-order, causing us to have to wait.  Shown here is everything you'll...  Shown here is everything you'll need to make a convertible look menacing-the '99 front bumper cover, the carbon-fiber hood, the rear bumper cover, the vent covers, the rear spoiler, and the side ground effects. These will all require sanding and painting to match your Mustang.  Our good friend Jeff Thompson...  Our good friend Jeff Thompson started off by removing the grille clips using a clip removal tool. You can use a flat-blade screwdriver, though the tool is less likely to damage the part. These clips hold the grille and cover to the support. The grille will be reused in the Saleen kit.  Next up are the headlight...  Next up are the headlight buckets. Unless yours are damaged as these are, you'll also be reusing them with the kit. Note that Thompson used the clip tool again. You'll want to completely remove the buckets to get to the next part of the grille.  Still more clips are used...  Still more clips are used under the front apron. Note the slip fit that the cover has at the headlight bucket (arrow). This is mimicked on the Saleen cover as well.  The grille support on this...  The grille support on this car was damaged enough that a new Ford piece was ordered. Thompson also had to pull the front end back out a couple inches due to impact damage in the unibody. Surprisingly, the airbags did not deploy. Note the Styrofoam inner bumper. It will also be reused on the Saleen nose.  The inner fender has nuts...  The inner fender has nuts that attach the cover to the sides. You'll need to loosen the inner fender, and pull it out of the way to access these on both sides. Accident damage caused us some problems with the Saleen kit on the other side, though Thompson fixed them.  The side skirts on the '99...  The side skirts on the '99 will be removed and discarded. Once again, Ford used the push clips to set the skirts on the car. Saleen uses the same location holes.  Though it is not part of the...  Though it is not part of the kit, Thompson had to remove and then pitch the fenders on the front of the car. The damage was such that the cost of repair would have outweighed the cost of replacement.  So that is what the inner...  So that is what the inner fender of a '99 Mustang looks like. Note the kink at the factory flex point (arrow). These kinks are placed so that the car can collapse and absorb the crash instead of the passengers.  Thompson removed the rear...  Thompson removed the rear deck spoiler and test-fit the Saleen wing. The new wing fit well, and was set aside to await the rest of the parts that had yet to be test-fit and painted.  Next, Thompson removed the...  Next, Thompson removed the rear bumper cover. Again, Ford uses a plethora of the push clips. The inner panels will need to be removed in order to access the taillights and bolts holding the bumper cover.  More clips are under the car,...  More clips are under the car, as out front. Thompson removed these, and then went inside the trunk to remove the nuts retaining the bumper cover to the car.  With the cover hanging loose,...  With the cover hanging loose, Thompson used an air ratchet and Phillips head to loosen the screws in the wheelwell. After the screws are loosened, the cover will slip off. Be sure to remove the reflector from the cover after you yank the cover off.  The cover, as with all the...  The cover, as with all the other parts, will be discarded-unless you want to try to sell it on eBay.  As with everything else, Thompson...  As with everything else, Thompson test-fit the panel. The bolts and clips from the Ford panel will be reused on the Saleen items. The panel fit like a glove. Our only quandary was how to attach the filler to the gas tank area (arrow). This was solved later.  After all the panels were...  After all the panels were dry-fit, Cory Christ sprayed the RM base clear finish on all the parts to match the rest of the car. This is a nice bonus to doing new stuff. There's no need to paint the entire car-just the affected panels.  After the paint had dried...  After the paint had dried on the rear bumper cover, Thompson did another test-fit prior to placing the grilles in the back panel. We suggest that you get some flat black paint to cover any factory paint that might show through once the cover is installed.  Once the cover had its screens...  Once the cover had its screens installed and all was set, the tie-wraps included with the rear bumper cover were used to strap the filler panel to the tank.  The rear cover needs to be...  The rear cover needs to be pulled tight with the nuts across the back panel. Be sure to work as though tightening an intake manifold-two near the center, and then one at each end to pull it tight. The rest should just spin on and cinch the panel up.  If you do plan to use the...  If you do plan to use the kit on a V-6 car, you'll want to invest in an exhaust system that at least duals the car out after the catalytic converters. Note how the stock pipe rubs the outer edge of the panel cutout.  Next, Thompson moved on to...  Next, Thompson moved on to the cool side vents. The first order of business was to remove the seat base. Our intrepid bodyman used a flat-blade screwdriver to pop the clip for the back seat. Unfortunately, the car was too new for "cola change."  Next up, Thompson removed...  Next up, Thompson removed the seat back by taking out the two bolts that held the base of the seat to the floorpan. With the top of his open palm on the bottom edge, the seat back is released. This procedure has not really changed much in 35 years!  More push clips were removed...  More push clips were removed from the rear seat side panels, and the side panels were pushed out of the way to allow access to the bolts holding the side vents in. With the panel out of the... With the panel out of the way, the speaker box had to be unbolted and removed as well (arrow). This will allow access to the holes needed to bolt the Saleen side vents to the car.  The Ford vents are a pop-in...  The Ford vents are a pop-in affair that are easy to remove with the aid of a flat-blade screwdriver and some care.  This white plastic wind protector...  This white plastic wind protector was eventually painted flat black, because the Saleen screens are open to the area directly behind them, and therefore the white plastic is visible.  Thompson fit the side slats...  Thompson fit the side slats in, and the fit was nice and tight-just like the factory. Thompson's one desire was that the panels have the same type of clip that Ford used. That way, there would be no need for removal of the interior panels.  Next up were the side skirts....  Next up were the side skirts. Thompson is seen here adding the screens. This owner wanted them white-not what we recommend for a Saleen look, but hey, it did look quite cool with the white top and interior. Screens are provided for all the openings on the car except for the mouth below the grille.  No instructions are provided...  No instructions are provided for the direction of the screen pattern. We chose to install them following the direction of the bottom edge of the opening. The white at least lets you see how we think they should go.  The skirts install like the...  The skirts install like the factory pieces. At the front, a hole was drilled where the Saleen skirts had a dimple, and then a screw was applied.  To install the center door...  To install the center door section, the black plastic strip (arrow) had to be replaced back through the skirt and door edge. Note the plastic that is sticking up. This was cut away using a utility knife, and then touched up with the RM paint.  Thompson inspected the skirt...  Thompson inspected the skirt fit front to rear. Other than the part that had to be cut off, the skirts were a good, tight fit through the center.  Thompson wasn't real happy...  Thompson wasn't real happy that the skirts bowed out at the fender, both front and rear. This bow could have come from accident damage. Even so, he used some 3M fast dry urethane sealer to set the pieces tight. This was left overnight to dry.  The next morning, Thompson...  The next morning, Thompson set the screws in the skirts, making sure that the fit was tight and clean. He then went back under the car and used the push clips to set the skirts for the last time.  The front bumper cover was...  The front bumper cover was set in place after the screens were all in. Thompson is seen here hefting the unwieldy hunk of urethane into position.  After the cover was loosely...  After the cover was loosely placed on the car, Thompson ran into some fitment problems at the fender. He told us that the problems stemmed from the accident and a bent bracket that was supposed to hold the fender and cover in place.  The cover has to slip under...  The cover has to slip under the headlight bucket (arrow). This should snap into position as the original, but ours was a bit uncooperative. Thompson said that once again, this could be due to the accident.  Be careful to get the cover...  Be careful to get the cover over the header panel, as the paint could become cracked during installation. At this point, we recommend some help to get all the slots and tabs to line up.  Since the panel wasn't fitting...  Since the panel wasn't fitting properly, Thompson punted and used some pop rivets to set the bumper cover right on the panel. Had the car not been hit, this would have never been a problem.  The last thing that needs...  The last thing that needs to be done on the cover is to place the set screws in the lip of the bumper cover portion of the fender. Make sure that the fender has a good arc and that the hole corresponds to the flair nut on the fender liner.
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