Lidio
10-07-2004, 08:21 PM
In the spring of ’04 I would often test drive near a local Ford dealer where a good friend of mine sold new cars. In front of the dealers lot sat a white ’04 Mustang Mach-1 that caught my eye. At this time I had never seen white Mach-1. Only the popular blue, red and black usually. For some reason the black scope, wing and stripes really stand out on the white version of the Mach-1. I drove by the dealer and seen the car for a few weeks and then finally decided to stop and look to see if it was a stick or automatic trans equipped. When I walked up to it and seen that it was an automatic, I new that very soon I was gona be putting a dent in my financial future with this car!!
I’m a huge automatic trans guy…. always have been. Sticks to me are just to much trouble and hassle when you begin to make substantial power in a street/strip type car. You have to be a hero to drive the shhiit out of it. And then the countless clutch and internal trans failures just aren’t worth it to me. I’ admit, sticks are fun. But getting to the finish line or the next street light first without worring about missing a gear is much funner!!
To me the Mach-1 is every thing the Cobra’s should have been many years ago. A 32V 4.6L, straight axle (not the wheel hoping, half shaft breaking IRS ’99 and newer Cobra’s got) and an available/optional automatic trans above all. The 03-04 Mach-1 is the first time Ford put an auto trans behind the 32V in a Mustang. In my opinion an Auto tran equipped Mach-1 is nothing short of a drag car waiting for the right power adder to get it going in a straight line very fast and reliably. After almost two years of working with the Trilogy’s on the 32V’s in the MM’s and lots of roots and screw blowers on the ’03 Cobra’s I decided that a screw type blower on an automatic equipped Mach-1 could make for a very serious drag and street car.
After a few conversations with Kenne Bell about his upcoming intercooled Auto-rotor blower for the ’99-’01 32V Cobra’s and the very similar Mach-1 32V, I deiced to take the plunge and purchase this car. For now its considered a shop project car that will be used to promote the Kenne Bells for the 32V’s and to continue to show how much we can punish the stock motors in these late model Ford’s.
It has turned out to be a very good looking car and has grown on me quite a bit in the last couple of months. To prepare it for what’s to come I’ve already done a few things to it. For starters I’ve lowered it about ¾” of an inch. We had the stock rear rims widened from 17X8 to 17X10.5! This allowed the BF 315/35/17 Drag radial to fit and look very tough on the back of the Mach-1. I’ve also done a complete 2.5” exhaust system with two cats and Flow-master 3-chamber mufflers. I’m leaving the stock cast manifolds on because it will be easier to service the trans this way and I’ve learned on screw and roots equipped motors that headers don’t make that much of a difference once the rest of the system is already 2.5”. The tail tips are stock type as well but are a larger diameter though.
The plan right off the bat is to leave the stock, tight torque converter in it and the stock 3.55 gears in the rear. I’m going to run the car exclusively on 100 unleaded fuel, because of what I’ve learned with it on my MM and how much its protected a very volatile combination on my MM.
I’m going to set the boost up to be in the neighbor hood or 18-20psi on the Mach’s stock motor! I think that with a proper tune with the 100 unleaded fuel it will produce some where in the 590-625RWHP. And with the stock 3.55’s and toque converter it should run around 10.40s to 10.60’s in the 1/4 mile. Whether or not it will do this on Drag radials we’ll see.
I’ve posted some PIC’s of the car with the lowering, wider rear wheels and tires plus the bigger tips.
I’ll update as I go over the late fall or winter with the car.
Thanks
Mach-1
I’m a huge automatic trans guy…. always have been. Sticks to me are just to much trouble and hassle when you begin to make substantial power in a street/strip type car. You have to be a hero to drive the shhiit out of it. And then the countless clutch and internal trans failures just aren’t worth it to me. I’ admit, sticks are fun. But getting to the finish line or the next street light first without worring about missing a gear is much funner!!
To me the Mach-1 is every thing the Cobra’s should have been many years ago. A 32V 4.6L, straight axle (not the wheel hoping, half shaft breaking IRS ’99 and newer Cobra’s got) and an available/optional automatic trans above all. The 03-04 Mach-1 is the first time Ford put an auto trans behind the 32V in a Mustang. In my opinion an Auto tran equipped Mach-1 is nothing short of a drag car waiting for the right power adder to get it going in a straight line very fast and reliably. After almost two years of working with the Trilogy’s on the 32V’s in the MM’s and lots of roots and screw blowers on the ’03 Cobra’s I decided that a screw type blower on an automatic equipped Mach-1 could make for a very serious drag and street car.
After a few conversations with Kenne Bell about his upcoming intercooled Auto-rotor blower for the ’99-’01 32V Cobra’s and the very similar Mach-1 32V, I deiced to take the plunge and purchase this car. For now its considered a shop project car that will be used to promote the Kenne Bells for the 32V’s and to continue to show how much we can punish the stock motors in these late model Ford’s.
It has turned out to be a very good looking car and has grown on me quite a bit in the last couple of months. To prepare it for what’s to come I’ve already done a few things to it. For starters I’ve lowered it about ¾” of an inch. We had the stock rear rims widened from 17X8 to 17X10.5! This allowed the BF 315/35/17 Drag radial to fit and look very tough on the back of the Mach-1. I’ve also done a complete 2.5” exhaust system with two cats and Flow-master 3-chamber mufflers. I’m leaving the stock cast manifolds on because it will be easier to service the trans this way and I’ve learned on screw and roots equipped motors that headers don’t make that much of a difference once the rest of the system is already 2.5”. The tail tips are stock type as well but are a larger diameter though.
The plan right off the bat is to leave the stock, tight torque converter in it and the stock 3.55 gears in the rear. I’m going to run the car exclusively on 100 unleaded fuel, because of what I’ve learned with it on my MM and how much its protected a very volatile combination on my MM.
I’m going to set the boost up to be in the neighbor hood or 18-20psi on the Mach’s stock motor! I think that with a proper tune with the 100 unleaded fuel it will produce some where in the 590-625RWHP. And with the stock 3.55’s and toque converter it should run around 10.40s to 10.60’s in the 1/4 mile. Whether or not it will do this on Drag radials we’ll see.
I’ve posted some PIC’s of the car with the lowering, wider rear wheels and tires plus the bigger tips.
I’ll update as I go over the late fall or winter with the car.
Thanks
Mach-1