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Mustang Upgrades On A BudgetEnhance your Mustang From the August, 2012 issue of Mustang Monthly By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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There might be signs the economy is improving, but for many of us, the last few years have been anything but fruitful. The one constant many of us have for comfort and enjoyment, however, is the four-wheeled horse we have in the garage or driveway. Whether it's a full restoration, a weekend toy/project, or even your daily driver, getting in and twisting that ignition key takes us to another place, a place where money and job woes, the economy, and all that bad news we see every night on the television disappear for a while. That "happy place" means an awful lot to us, and like you, we want to give our Mustangs a little love with some upgrades, repairs, and custom touches when we can. Thing is, money is tight and there's just nothing you can upgrade your car with on the cheap. Or is there? We took to the task of finding some low-buck upgrades for both classic and late-model rides that wouldn't break the bank and allow us to make noticeable improvements to our Mustangs. From LED lights to bumper lettering and more, we looked for upgrades that could be easily tackled in your driveway with the most basic of hand tools and no prior or specific installation knowledge. All of these parts are easy to install and offer immediate gratification. Best of all, some can be had for less than $50! That's right, for fewer than $50 you can spend a little quality time with your steed and make that next visit to your happy place that much better. So take a look at what we found, some of which we even installed on our project cars in mini-tech stories, at three different price points--$50, $100, and $200 limits.  Billet accessories are popular...  Billet accessories are popular with the late-model crowd and we rarely find a Mustang without billet A/C control knobs. If you're one of the holdouts, it's hard to pass up these clean looking knobs from Latemodel Restoration Supply (LRS) for just $44.99.  Have a late-model 5.0L HO...  Have a late-model 5.0L HO engine swap in your '65-'66 Mustang? These High Output labeled flag emblems will look the part while subtly letting people know what you're packing under the hood at just $14.95 each at NPD.  To finish off the look, NPD...  To finish off the look, NPD also offers the 5.0 “V” emblem to add to your '65-'66 Mustang's front fenders as well. Alone or with the High Output backer, the 5.0 emblem will look great and retails for just $13.95 each.  Sway bar end links don't always...  Sway bar end links don't always age gracefully on late-model Mustangs. As such, you'll often hear the gentle rattle of end link washers contacting your control arm or sway bar when you hit a bump. Get rid of that embarrassing sound and improve your Fox Mustang's handling with new urethane end link bushing kits from LRS. For a cool $24.99, you'll be riding in style (and noise free!) once again.  If you own a '10-'12 Mustang...  If you own a '10-'12 Mustang and you're liking the look of the new '13 Mustang and its blacked out trunk lid panel, then you're in luck. For just $39.99, you can score this black out panel from LRS and best of all it is magnetic! Change the look of your ride at your whim, or remove it for cleaning.  Ford welcomed back the 5.0...  Ford welcomed back the 5.0 Mustang with the new four-valve 5.0L modular "Coyote" engine in the '11 Mustang GT. The iconic 5.0 engine badge once again resides on the Mustang's front flanks with a revised, muscular look. These badges use a self-adhesive emblem tape for easy installation and look great on any Mustang with a 5.0 swapped into them. LRS sells these for $21.34 each. Vintage Mustangs were built before the age of the cup holder, but that doesn't mean you can't add one to your ride. National Parts Depot (NPD) offers this slick unit that slides into the ashtray opening of your '65-'66 for just $40.50. Color matched to your interior, be sure to order the right interior color! Bumper/Ground Effect Decals An easy upgrade for late-model...  An easy upgrade for late-model owners is to add bumper/ground effects decals to highlight the lettering on your car. You'll find a multitude of colors and selections like "Mustang," "COBRA," and more. We're adding '99-'04 Mustang bumper letters to this '00 V-6 coupe. The letters come as one long strip, but we cut them into individual letters for easier installation.  Using a solution of water...  Using a solution of water with a few drops of liquid soap, the bumper letter recesses are given a liberal spray of the solution, as are each decal as they are applied.  While the decal is still wet,...  While the decal is still wet, the letter is inserted into the bumper recess, carefully aligned, and then excess water and trapped air are carefully pressed out to the edge of the decal with a cotton towel. The finished bumper looks great and the job took about 20 minutes to complete. Best of all, these bumper letter sets from LRS cost only $29.99.  Early Mustangs often suffer...  Early Mustangs often suffer from a little sag in the hind quarters. Give your vintage Mustang a simple "butt lift" with these nifty shackle kits from NPD. They look stock, but are one-inch longer to give the back of your Mustang a little more height, often enough to just level the car out for a clean look. Our before measurement was 24-3/4-inches.  Raise and secure your Mustang...  Raise and secure your Mustang with jackstands, then use a floor jack to raise the rear axle/suspension as needed to take the pressure off of the shackles. Unbolt and remove your old shackles.  The new shackle kit from NPD...  The new shackle kit from NPD includes bushings, so if yours are questionable, or if you are running the smaller 1/2-inch ID bushings, swap them out for the supplied bushings.  Installed and tightened, the...  Installed and tightened, the shackles look stock appearing, yet you gain a nice little ride height increase for your Mustang.  Our "after" measurement of...  Our "after" measurement of 25-3/8-inch means we gained just under 3/4-inch in ride height improvement, which leveled out our '66 coupe nicely. No more droopy butt and NPD's extra-length shackles are just $17.95 each!  A rare and interesting dealer...  A rare and interesting dealer option was a lighted grille corral for the vintage Mustang. NPD offers this modern take on it with LED lighting and a reflector panel to illuminate the corral for just $43.25 for the '66 Mustang.  Remove the grille corral from...  Remove the grille corral from your car and clean the back of the horse emblem so that the adhesive backed LED light modules can be applied to the surface as shown.  Route the wiring through the...  Route the wiring through the rear of the corral and install the reflector panel with the provided stainless screws and angle brackets. Reinstall the grille corral and attach the wiring to your power source of choice. You can attach the wires to your headlight or parking light circuits or through a manual switch you mount inside the car. We wired ours to the driver-side parking light (accessible with the grille removed) so the corral would be lit with the parking lights on but go off when the headlights are on.  LRS offers these LED mini-bulbs...  LRS offers these LED mini-bulbs for several late-model applications including dome lamps, license plate lamps, and more. We grabbed a pair for just $19.99 to update the yellowing incandescent license plate lamps on this New Edge Mustang. You can easily access the bulb sockets from inside the trunk lid.  The LED lamp easily snaps...  The LED lamp easily snaps into the bulb socket and once back in place in the lens body, the illumination of the license plate is immediately apparent, even in bright daylight. No more dingy yellow lighting over your plate!  Late-model Mustang trunks...  Late-model Mustang trunks come fully carpeted for a nice appearance. However, that short nap gray material might as well be an ice rink. Anything you put in the trunk, from groceries to track gear to that big speaker box, easily slides around on that gray material. LRS offers an ingenious trunk mat made from the same material as the "Fender Gripper" fender covers.  The Fender Gripper trunk mat...  The Fender Gripper trunk mat is designed to fit '94-'13 Mustangs and comes in several colors with either the running horse logo or the famous coiled snake Cobra logo for $39.99 to $49.99. We installed one with a red running horse logo to match our paint scheme and now our speaker box (and anything else in the trunk) stays where we put it!  If you have a '94 and up Mustang,...  If you have a '94 and up Mustang, you can easily upgrade your dingy and worn stock pedal pads to those of the Mustang Bullitt/Mach 1 look in your driveway for just $49.99 from LRS.  The new accelerator pedal...  The new accelerator pedal assembly replaces the original exactly. You can either unbolt the pedal arm from the firewall, or if you have a little patience, drive out the pivot pin and remove the pedal pad from the arm as we did here. This photo shows how the pin seats in the pedal.  The stock brake pedal pad...  The stock brake pedal pad (and clutch pedal if equipped) simply peels off of the steel pedal face of the pedals.  For the dead pedal assembly,...  For the dead pedal assembly, the plastic pedal backing needs to be pried off of the metal mounting bracket with a screwdriver. If you're having trouble, you can remove the mounting bracket and perform this step on a workbench.  Installation of the new pads...  Installation of the new pads is reverse of the removal of the stock pads. Note the rubber brake/clutch pedal pads will install easier with a little liquid soap to get them into position. We also hit the brake and gas pedal arms with a little black paint while we were in there. LED Turn-Signal Hood UpgradeLED turn signals are all the rage, but did you know you can also update your '67-'68 turn signal hood or '69-'70 turn signal scoop with LED technology too? Yup, the folks at NPD have this nifty plug-n-play setup for just $49.95 ('67-'68 version).  Begin by removing the old...  Begin by removing the old incandescent turn signal bulbs and wiring, followed by unbolting the light housing from the hood.  Separate the turn signal lens...  Separate the turn signal lens from the lamp housing and route the wiring through the housing as shown. The rubber grommet seals the original bulb opening and the small ground lead will be attached to the small hole in the lamp housing with the included tapping screws.  Reinstall the lamp housings...  Reinstall the lamp housings and route the wiring through the original retainers and through the hood back to the original two-wire connector. Mount the control box and be sure to attach the control box ground with one of the included tapping screws as well. Completed, the LED turn signals work great on their own or complement other LED signals/bulbs already on your vintage Mustang.  While it just missed our $50...  While it just missed our $50 cut off by five bucks, you can't beat the convenience and classic looks of this reproduction trunk release kit for the '65-'66 Mustang from NPD for just $54.95. Installation is simple and the handle is out of the way but within easy reach once installed.  Cold air induction kits were...  Cold air induction kits were all the rage when the '87 and up Mustang first hit the scene. If you're just now getting into Fox Mustangs, or perhaps you're looking for a fresh start with your Fox, LRS has this great low-buck cold air kit in chrome for just $69.99 for the '89-'93 mass-air Fox Mustang.  It may have been installed...  It may have been installed for only one model year, but the running horse Cobra grille insert found on the '93 Cobra Mustang, to many, should have been on the nose of all Fox Mustangs. Now you can add one to your '87-'93 LX or GT with this great kit from LRS, all for the low price of just $64.99!  If you have a late-model Mustang,...  If you have a late-model Mustang, you've most likely considered lowering it with a set of aftermarket lowering springs. The benefits are great, including better handling and a sleek stance. LRS helps you get the looks and the handling you want without breaking the bank with these lowering springs for '79-'04 Mustangs at just $99.99 for the set.  Those of you with Fox hatchbacks...  Those of you with Fox hatchbacks know what a pain it can be when your gas struts go bad. We've all had a pair of locking pliers or an old broom handle to the rescue. LRS has this great refurb kit that'll get your hatch staying in place and rattle free. For just $99.99, you get quality weatherstrip, a new striker bolt, and a pair of gas struts.  Hood pins aren't just for...  Hood pins aren't just for Shelbys you know. A nice set of hood pins looks great on any vintage Mustang and NPD's billet hood pin kit is one of the nicest around. Billet plates and stainless pins, stainless snap rings, high quality seals, and Delrin slider bushings for just $74.95!  NPD has a growing selection...  NPD has a growing selection of custom and restomod parts for your vintage Mustang. One such item is billet gas caps. NPD stocks nearly a dozen different styles of billet and anodized caps with button head bolts--with and without emblems--for $91.50 and $97.50, depending upon the model. All it takes is the removal of your old cap's security cable retaining nut for installation.  We chose NPD's plain black...  We chose NPD's plain black anodized model for a smooth, clean look. The included security cable is installed in the same mounting hole, the cap threads on like the stock unit, and you're done! '99-'04 LED Third Brake Light As you may have guessed by...  As you may have guessed by now, LED lighting is a popular low-buck theme throughout our story. Another great LED solution is the '99-'04 third brake light from LRS at just $74.99. The smoked lens gives a stealthy look, while a dozen bright red LEDs let people know you're on the brakes. Removal of the stock light is by unbolting two retaining nuts.  Transfer the stock wiring...  Transfer the stock wiring harness from the OE third brake light assembly to the new LED assembly and plug the LED light connections into the harness, ensuring the red LED power wire lines up with the harness' green power wire.  Slide the new housing into...  Slide the new housing into place and secure with the original fasteners, then plug the factory harnesses back together and you're done.  For you New Edge Mustang owners...  For you New Edge Mustang owners looking to clean up the nose of your late-model, you might want to take a look at the Mach 1 grille delete and chin spoiler kit. For $119.99, you get the Mach 1 look by ditching your honeycomb grille and corral for a free floating horse and the lower chin spoiler to give your car the lowered look as well.  We all want a nice sounding...  We all want a nice sounding audio system for our daily/occasional driver vintage Mustangs but who wants to cut up their nice rides for the sake of some tunes? You don't have to with these direct fit speaker kick panels for '65-'68 Mustangs. At just $124.95, they'll have you singing along in no time. Better yet, if you have some speakers sitting around, you can score the bare kick panels for just $69.95!  There's no better feeling...  There's no better feeling than grabbing Second gear and leaving a little rubber behind; am I right? You late-model owners should consider a nice aftermarket shifter to prevent missing gears with those spirited shifts! LRS has you covered with their Mongoose shifter for '83-'00 Mustangs with T-5 and T-45 transmissions. You get a lot for your $139.95, including 6061-T6 construction, a 3/8-inch thick mounting flange, and shifter stops built in.  The late-model guys will tell...  The late-model guys will tell you vintage owners that having a permanent magnet gear reduction starter (PMGR) under the hood makes life easy. These high-torque mini-monsters make turning over your big-cube or high-compression engine easy. NPD offers bolt-in PMGR starters for vintage Mustangs for $159.95.  Vintage Mustangs have a rather
understated...  Vintage Mustangs have a rather
understated black "camera case" finish
to their dash trim unless you have the
optional deluxe interior. If you're building
a custom or restomod, a wood or carbon
fiber finish might be more desirable. NPD
offers several dash kits in carbon fiber,
Burlwood, and Rosewood finishes for
'65-'68 Mustangs. The Rosewood inserts
shown here are $132.95.  If there's one thing a tired...  If there's one thing a tired Fox Mustang needs, it's weather stripping. With daily use, the seals tear, dry out, and just plain don't seal out the elements like they used to. LRS offers this nifty all-inclusive kit for '87-'93 Mustangs for $149.99. You'll get seals for the doors, glass run, hatch/trunk, and belt line; pretty much everything to keep the elements and noise out.  Have you looked under your...  Have you looked under your vintage Mustang lately? The stock front sway bar Ford installed just doesn't cut it with today's modern tires and speeds. To get better handling, sharper turn in, and less lean in the corners, larger sway bars are a smart install. NPD has front and rear sway bars for most any year Mustang. The '65-'66 Mustang 1-inch front sway bar shown here is $150.57. A 3/4-inch rear bar for a '65-'66 is but $113.27, and NPD even offers a rear adjustable unit for only $99.95.  The early Fox Mustangs are...  The early Fox Mustangs are getting up there in years, and like their vintage brothers, often need new suspension parts to handle their best after years of rough roads. LRS sells this hot tubular control arm setup for '79-'04 Mustangs for $169.99. Featuring urethane bushings, and optional bushing sleeves for '99-'04 cars (the arms come out of the box for a '79-'98 direct install), they bolt right on and will instantly improve your late-model's ride and handling.  Sequential taillight conversions...  Sequential taillight conversions for the '96 and up Mustang have become so popular that Ford even jumped in and made it a factory feature on the '10 and newer Mustang. Even though it is a popular upgrade, there are still thousands of Mustangs out there without them, including this '00 V-6 coupe. LRS has a great sequential harness kit that plugs in with no cutting for just $139.99. Installation of the harnesses requires removing the taillights, so get out your 11mm deep socket and pull the trunk trim panels out of the way.  Disconnect the taillight's...  Disconnect the taillight's wiring connector and push the weather seal through the body cavity to remove the light housing from the car.  Remove the stock taillight...  Remove the stock taillight harness. You won't need any part of it. While you can transfer your taillight bulbs, LRS recommends installing all new bulbs now as well. The new sequential harnesses are clearly labeled and the included instructions explain where the bulb sockets go to get the sequential feature going in the right direction. The sequential feature automatically adjusts to your car's flasher circuit speed, so there's no adjustment to fiddle with. Simply snake the wiring harness back into the trunk and connect it to the OE wiring, then bolt the taillights back into place and you're done!
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