Cutting Corners

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

This week we have been a little lost for words with some customers whom have now also been given the honour of the black list or the “C” button, remember the “C” is for cancelled future purchases. More on that later, but we start with a onion!

Park & Pic

“The Onion” is back with us during the week and we were pleased to see how she was getting on.

The car is obviously up and running and has a few little tricks up her sleeve. It’s hard to imagine that parts of this gorgeous car was nothing more than a pile of rust which was swept up at the end of each day. Very few cars have the level of detail that this car now has. She’s not quite finished yet, but it won’t be long, just in time for the winter maybe!

Stock & Customers

Not quite sure how to approach this one in a diplomatic way, Adam’s response was less than diplomatic. It’s a known fact that the men of this world don’t need to read instructions – no arguing! It’s only when things go wrong that the ‘Book of Words’ is then consulted to see what went wrong with the product’s design. Obviously it’s not the individual’s fault, oh no – it’s the manufacturers at all times of course. One such example is this fuel filler cover. We have fitted plenty of these, customers have bought lots of these and none have been ‘faulty’. In fact Scott Drake offers a satisfaction guarantee on their products, they are that confident they work.

A customer who purchased this item and gave it to somebody to fit for them. He went to look at it was not happy with the fit. Then we receive the email(s) about the item, saying it was a poor product and quoting the sale of goods act as it was not fit for purpose etc. Adam accepted the return and checked the item and found this:

Yep, it had been broken by who ever tried to fit it, pointed out by the arrows. The reason it didn’t fit properly was because one of the clips had bee broken off and could not be held in place correctly. Nobody said it was broken out of the packaging before fitting it, why would you then go to fit it? Of course we accept that things could be damaged in transit. Adam refunded the customer out of courtesy promptly followed by the “C” button and the increasing list of customers.

The moral of the story is; if somebody takes time to produce a instruction guide (as in this case), and you have never fitted one before, please read the guide first! Ninety nine percent of our customers are awesome and some even admit that they have messed up. In fact Adam has even given some of those customers a replacement at a discounted price to help them out.

Own Brand Stock

It’s becoming clear that some standard stock items are becoming difficult to get hold of from our normal sources due to the Covid issue around the world. So we have had some more items made to our own specifications, these new lowering blocks being an example of that.

Our new lowering blocks are billet and 1″ thick. They have been made so that they can be stacked to give more lowering if required and interlock for stability.

We are just waiting on the extended “U clamps” to come in to us, then we can sell them on the WebShop as a kit. The main advantage of our kit? They are solid and not cast.

We recently came across these gaskets for the I6 blocks. If you are on a budget and the cylinder head gasket has gone, these gaskets will reduce the imperfections of the cylinder head and block without having to pay out to machine them. We don’t expect to sell a lot, but it could be a life saver for somebody.

Customer Cars

Yogi has been working on a car that needed some proper know-how to sort out a number of issues left by a well known company, that’s all we are going to divulge on them. We don’t need to name and shame them as their work says it all. On Yogi’s investigation he found some rather disturbing shortcuts and a potentially dangerous issue. First up was the carburettor vacuum ports were covered with rubber hoses and bolts shoved down the other end.

The correct fittings are only a few pennies to buy, so why waste time doing it the hard and unsightly way? Correct below on the right – botched on the left!

Next was the door hinge. Unable to get the door to fit correctly an ‘adjustment’ was botched into place. The bottom of the hinge had washers marked by the arrows, not even the correct sized washers at that.

Yogi sorted out the hinge without washers and a few more well placed adjustments.

Then we come to the dangerous. The car had new rear brake cylinders fitted and pipes. That’s all well and good, but, if the brake fluid hadn’t been fed and bleed correctly so the rear brakes weren’t even working they had a problem. Under emergency braking the car would have been unpredictable to say the least. The flexible brake hoses were completely dry and the car was only ever stopping on the front drums.

With the brake hoses replaced and the rear cylinders checked out for damage, we could re-use the cylinders and bleed the brakes properly with fluid being where it should be. The car stops much better now as you would expect.

Another customer car:

Sufficient time has now passed where can reveal more problems with rear brakes. A customer brought their car back to us to say that their car was not stopping correctly after having the brakes replaced by us.

Obviously a real cause for concern for us. So we started the investigation to find out why. It didn’t take long to be honest once we had the rear drums off. The brake shoes were in a sorry state and looked like the handbrake had been left on as they had scorched and cracked.

The customer did later admit that was indeed issue once we informed them what we had found. A new set of shoes fitted, a prep for the drum surfaces and all was good in the world again. That customer tried to get one over on us, but we are to long in the tooth for that old story. 😉

We’re not sure if the Covid 19 thing has made people go a little bit mad or not, but it’s worrying. There are a few customers that are buying online from us and sending the items back after they changed their mind, then wanting us to pay their return postage too. We don’t have the business model of Amazon who can afford such luxuries of free returns. Do these people do the same to other companies like Ikea who deliver a wardrobe and then they don’t want it? We suspect not. However, if you need to return an item please email us first so we can work out what is best for you.

Keep safe!

Posted in Customers' Cars, Park & Pic, Restoration, Uncategorized, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Bouncing Back

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

Firstly we would like to thank everybody for the messages and emails regarding the Santa Pod racing day out. We were back to normal in the current heat wave, trying to work over a hot engine in a hot garage on a hot day isn’t the best combination, but then again, ‘the best never rest’ as Adam would say.

Customer Cars:

We have a ’69 Mach1 into us for our Borgeson steering upgrade, and while we were at it a suspension replacement as the originals were a little shot.

The old fronts were removed along with the drums.

With the parts all out the way the steering box could be replaced much easier.

A little look around under the car we noted that the there was an issue with the gearbox mount. Due to an oil leak the rubber had perished and collapsed onto the cross member. Obviously this can’t be salvaged, and a new one is needed.

Under the hood a bit of Yogi magic was applied to the fuel line. Removing the old rubber pipe and replacing it with a custom made hard line. Not just aesthetically pleasing, but safer as well.

Drake performance shocks were fitted on the front corners.

The back of the car was going to be treated to a new set of springs and shocks. Old parts on the left, new spring mounted on the right.

The brakes are going back on as drums again for now. The rear set were a little corroded and partially seized. We will sort those out and a new brake kits on the front.

The new suspension will make this car feel like new again, and not bounce all over the road. Yogi will need to road test her, and then up to our GEO workshop for a bit of laser alignment.

Article:

We have found a great article about the the Ford GT40’s that we hadn’t seen before, so we thought we would share this one with you, A name you probably won’t recognise, but his engines are the benchmark around the world:

They were just a handful of engineers, huddled around the hulk of an engine late at night on Ford’s Dearborn campus. There was no panic, only perplexity, as they worked to determine which component was at fault for the breakdown this time. They had no way of knowing the engine they were developing would change racing history in the form of an epic win nearly 4,000 miles and a year away.

The year was 1965, and these were members of Ford’s high-performance engine development team, working intently to prepare a 427-cubic-inch big block race engine slated to power Ford’s GT40s in the demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford would be racing against Ferrari, and more was at stake than just a trophy. It was a grudge match, fueled by pride and passion. The competition was brought to the big screen last year in the film “Ford v Ferrari,” which focuses on the magnetic, volatile pairing of automotive designer Carroll Shelby, his British driver Ken Miles and the continuing development of the GT40 Mark II.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 1597166568691.jpg

Joe Macura

But before the flag even dropped and Miles took his mark, there was a group of enthusiastic Ford innovators led by a self-effacing engineer named Joe Macura. Macura, of Northville, Michigan, known as the “Father of the 427,” passed away recently at the age of 91.

“Joe and his team, these are our hidden heroes, and we need to recognize their accomplishments as well as the others,” says Jim Farley, COO of Ford Motor Company. “So much of racing isn’t glamorous; it’s arduous and it’s exacting, and it’s accomplished long before the flag drops.”

The feud between Ford and Ferrari is legendary. In 1963 Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II were set to make a deal – Ford would acquire the Italian automaker. Ford would earn racing credentials, and Ferrari would get the financial boost it needed. The two men had been friends for quite some time; in fact, the inspiration for the iconic Ford Thunderbird came from a 1952 Ferrari Barchetta given to Henry by Enzo.

But the deal fell through at the last minute – Enzo raised objections – and the negotiation breakdown left a sour taste in Ford’s mouth. The friendship deteriorated and Henry Ford II decided he wanted to win at Le Mans, long a Ferrari stronghold, with his own car. Ford set out to crush Ferrari. Building a car fast enough to beat Ferrari and tough enough to withstand the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans became an obsession. But Ford didn’t win in 1964 or 1965, despite the millions of dollars it invested in the project, and Ferrari remained triumphant. So 1966 would absolutely be Ford’s year, Henry Ford II declared. And Macura and his team were assigned to make that happen.

Macura was an accomplished mechanical engineer who had come to Ford after nine years with General Motors. He was skilled at mechanical analysis and his expertise was immediately recognized by senior management. As manager of high-performance engine development, he had been successful with a number of improvements to the engine, but by 1964, he was about to take on his most intimidating project – modifying the engine to make it strong enough for long enough to beat Ferrari. It would be a whole new adventure in research and development – one that he was uniquely qualified for, recalls team member Hank Lenox.

“Joe was an outstanding engineer and leader,” says Lenox. “The reason the team was able to do all that we did was because of Joe, because he brought that feeling of calm and confidence to the team. When things went bad, he didn’t yell, he actually went slower and softer – not harsher. That’s the absolute key. If you bring calm to a team, you can work through your problems. You’re willing to take risks and move forward.”

And there were problems – plenty of them.

The complex engine was solid, but built for power, not long-term durability – especially not 24 demanding hours at Le Mans, where race rules required an engine be turned off every two hours for pit stops and driver changes. There were two potential major issues. Sealing issues between the engine block and heads created water and oil leakage with the head gasket, which resulted in high temperature and structural problems. The engine also had lubrication issues during high-speed operation. To resolve the cylinder head and cylinder block sealing problem, the internal engine water flow system was redesigned for a dry deck system. In a dry deck system, the water does not flow vertically from the block to the head but rather through the block, out the back and then back out through the head. The bores are sealed with stainless steel rings and the oil and steam holes are sealed with rubber “O” rings. This redesign completely resolved the issue.

To fix the lubrication issue, the team eventually switched to a dry sump system, where a reservoir of oil – remote from the engine – enabled accurate and consistent lubrication, allowing oil pressure to remain constant under extreme racing conditions such as acceleration, braking and strong cornering forces. Macura and the team then designed a unique laboratory simulation to test for durability, an innovation many credit with giving Ford the winning edge. They developed an “Indoor Laboratory Le Mans,” according to an SAE paper (670071) submitted. It was essentially the first chassis dynamometer, housed in the now legendary 17D cell in Ford’s engineering center. Without computerization to assist them, all of the work was configured empirically.

The dynamometer was programmed to simulate the same speeds, loads and times of the Le Mans circuit, allowing the team to test the powertrain for the stresses of the French classic. “That dyno cell ran 24/7,” recalls Lenox. “We never shut it off. There were a lot of long nights and weekends. But you know, we always had camaraderie – when it failed, we’d get together and see what happened and why. Based on the discussion and analysis led by Joe, a consensus was reached and a resolution plan was developed and executed. We were a team at work, and a team outside of work.”

After much trial and error, with just weeks to go before the race, the engine ran past 45 hours. The rest, as they say, is history.

At the 1966 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Henry Ford II and the rest of the world watched those GT40s race to a spectacular 1-2-3 finish, soundly beating the Italian P3s. It was the first time an American automaker had won at Le Mans.

Despite the long nights and the pressure, Lenox remembers those days fondly.

“I think of those get-togethers that we had in the engine build area,” he says. “Joe would be there with the rest of the team, and he’d lead the discussion and it was such a learning curve for me – working in an area like that, the education I got in six months, I wouldn’t have gotten in five years somewhere else. I’m biased, of course, but I firmly believe that without that engine in that car – and without Joe leading the team, we wouldn’t have won that race,” he says. “I don’t want to take anything away from anyone else – every role is important – but Joe’s leadership was absolutely crucial.”

Source: http://www.at.ford.com/en/homepage/news-and-clipsheet/news/2020/8/lemans-heroes.html?cid=BOC-2020-08-14

Posted in Articles, Ford Facts, Mustang, Repairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Boys Go Racing

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

We went racing! The Mustang Owners Club Of Great Britain organised a private meeting at the UK’s premium drag strip – Santa Pod on 31st July 2020. Mustang Maniac and friends attended and the event was at max capacity. The only way to social distance here was to put as much space between your car and the car in the next lane.

This is one of them posts that needs no words to explain what is going on. Yogi was there trouncing the opposition in the Classic Car category with a two wins; the first for ‘Fastest Time for a Classic’ of 11.9, the second ‘Highest Speed for a Classic’ at 115mph.

Yogi with his trophies for those best times of the day 🙂

Well deserved wins, but behind the scenes though he wasn’t that happy with his times, he has scoured the data and again down to no grip of the line. Yogi is now looking for some better tyres after these ones were pretty much racing slicks now.

All of the pictures taken here are all courtesy of Chris Tilley from Drive Photography His Facebook can be found here. Thanks Chris for some great shots and allowing us to use them.

We have tried to include everybody who was there racing or not, so in no particular order here was our day of racing in some hot conditions! Although the heat helps with the grip, it doesn’t help with the combustion power.

Does this picture remind you of a certain Tarantino film?

If you look closely there was even a few non Mustangs joining the fun too.

Adam took along a Ford of course, this time it was his much loved Mercury, just to mix things up a bit, as you do.

The view that most people saw that day?

Everybody played nice on the day and a fantastic atmosphere, no Ford/Chevy rivalry OK, just a little bit. The awards were said to ‘Fixed’ as Yogi increased his house insurance for more silverware! But, the timing sheets don’t lie!

A huge ‘Thank You‘ to everybody who organised the day out from the MOCGB and everybody who took part, either running the strip or just watching.

Roy; book us in for next year! 😀

Other News:

As we bask in mini heatwave the classic cars come out to play of course. At the offices yesterday we had four convertibles turn up pretty much at the same time. All wanting different things which we sorted out for them.

We have to ask a quick question though; Is there a way to go cruising on a hot day, wind in your hair and a v8 rumble and America’s iconic Mustang? We couldn’t think of a better way either. 🙂

Posted in Mustang, Mustang Maniac, racing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Feeling Flush

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

More stock arrives this week and we have some more new parts for the 2018 Mustangs in stock as well. We recently sold a set of our new grip replacements which can be found here on our WebShop. So we decided as the owner kindly sent us a picture of the update we would use it.

Park & Pic

OK, so this wasn’t taken at our yard, but it looks cool so why not? The grill updates are the the triangular extensions of the main centre grill. We love them and they really suite the cars.

John Wick Is Back

The little lady just needed a little fettling and once over to make sure all is as it should be.

WebShop

We have had a couple of sets of wheels come in for our little in house ‘project’. As they arrived we sold a set there and then, so we are back to four already! These just look so cool.

The wheels will be probably be altered a little bit more, but we have some special wheel centres made for the car.

The are the standard raised hub caps which are about 1/2″ deep.

These are the flush centres which are subtle but very different if you know what we mean.

We have sold two sets of these already to walk in customers who saw them on these wheels as we took the photos of them. They hadn’t even been put on the stock system at the time. We have a number of different inserts that fit these centres.

C4 Transmissions

Continuing our theme of producing our very own parts we have had some fittings made that nobody else produces. These are the straight cooling line connections. They were machines properly with the smooth sleeve for the O ring seating and also the inside have been machined out to fit a flared pipe fitting correctly to stop leaks.

These are top quality fittings that can only be purchased from us when we get them on the WebShop.

Mustang Logo Bolts.

We know that some people out there just love the pony logo, so how about these intake manifold bolts for a little something different to bolt on, literally.

Other News

All-Electric Mustang Mach-E 1400 Prototype by Ford Performance and RTR Takes Racing, Drifting to New Levels!

Ford introduces Mustang Mach-E 1400, an all-electric road rocket that shows just how much performance can be harnessed without using a drop of gas. Coming hot on the heels of the 1,400-horsepower all-electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, this one-off Mustang Mach-E with its seven electric motors and high down force is ready for the track, drag strip or gymkhana course – anywhere it can show how electric propulsion promises extreme Mustang performance. Watch here to see the all-electric prototype in action. We all know who has Hoonicorned one of these!

Developed in collaboration with RTR and built off a Mustang Mach-E GT body-in-white, the prototype targets 1,400 peak horsepower. The chassis and power train work together for a multitude of setups offering capability unlike any other vehicle.

“Now is the perfect time to leverage electric technology, learn from it, and apply it to our lineup,” said Ron Heiser, chief program engineer, Mustang Mach-E. “Mustang Mach-E is going to be fun to drive, just like every other Mustang before it, but Mustang Mach-E 1400 is completely insane, thanks to the efforts of Ford Performance and RTR.”

The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is the result of 10,000 hours of collaboration by Ford Performance and RTR aimed at bridging the gap between what an electric vehicle can do and what customers tend to believe it can do.

“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr., RTR Vehicles founder, motorsports champion and professional fun-haver. “This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.”

Mustang Mach-E 1400 has taken shape without rules. The Ford design team and RTR used many of the same tools Ford uses for its race cars and production programs. Aerodynamics are optimized for shape and location, with a focus on cooling ducts, front splitter, dive planes and rear wing.

Mustang Mach-E 1400 has seven motors – five more than even Mustang Mach-E GT. Three are attached to the front differential and four are attached to the rear in pancake style, with a single driveshaft connecting them to the differentials, which have a huge range of adjustability to set the car up for everything from drifting to high-speed track racing. “The challenge was controlling the extreme levels of power provided by the seven motors,” said Mark Rushbrook, motorsports director, Ford Performance. “Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a showcase of the art of the possible with an electric vehicle.”

The chassis and powertrain are set up to allow the team to investigate different layouts and their effects on energy consumption and performance, including rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. Drift and track setups have completely different front end configurations like control arms and steering changes to allow for extreme steering angles in drifting. Power delivery can be split evenly between front and rear, or completely to one or the other. Downforce is targeted at more than 2,300 lb. at 160 mph.

The 56.8-kilowatt-hour battery (installed) is made up of nickel manganese cobalt pouch cells for ultra-high performance and high discharge rate. The battery system is designed to be cooled during charging using a di-electric coolant, decreasing the time needed between runs.

An electronic brake booster is integrated to allow series regenerative braking combined with ABS and stability control to optimize the braking system. Mustang Mach-E 1400 features Brembo™ brakes, like the Mustang GT4 race car, and a hydraulic handbrake system designed for drifting that integrates with the powertrain controls to enable the ability to shut off power to the rear motors.

Mustang Mach-E 1400, which is set to debut at a NASCAR race soon, serves as a test bed for new materials. The hood is made of organic composite fibers, a lightweight alternative to the carbon fiber that comprises the rest of the vehicle.

Finally;

Speaking of electrics; we spotted Adam up to things in the yard moving ‘items into a storage area’. I asked he what he was up to and snapped this!

Adam just laughed and said – “I have the next project lined up”!

Stay safe out there, and if you come to the offices, (please let us know in advance if you can), we have new welcome mat for you along with some hand sanitiser.

Posted in Mustang, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, Sales, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sitting Pretty

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

Another week gone by and we now slowly wander into the second half of the year. We have got our internal little project back out again and Yogi has a few little mods up his sleeve on this one.

Our Cars:

Project resto-mod has been given a seat tweak. The person who will be driving her is tall and wanted to have that little bit of extra headroom. The bodywork has been prepped, with initial base fillers and undercoats. The hood we have here is the last of our own design for a bespoke, handmade, custom trio batch just for us at Mustang Maniac.

The GT500 moulds we have produced the side intakes and the quarter end caps.

The Fenders have now been coated on the inside ready for fitting.

The trunk has the GT500 duck tail as well made from our own moulds.

The front valance and bumpers are going to de-chromed and integral part of the bodywork.

Doors have been filled and primed ready for the proper rubbing down and undercoats.

The inside of the car has had the seat platforms removed and the floors been welded up for the smooth finish.

The replacement seat mounts and the floor pan are painted with red-oxide for protection before they are welded into place.

The engine bay has a few little updates, such a the firewall blank off, shock tower and the inner fender mods.

We will bring more on this as we progress. We have some exciting ideas on this car that haven’t been seen before. 🙂

Customer Cars:

During the last post we mentioned that the selective additional service we offer is here again. This lady needed a service, new water pump, new hoses, brake lines, exhaust and tyres.

The bit that most people want to see is the transformation of a lovely original car into a bit more of a show car.

The biggest transformation is probably under the hood.

Our very own Classic Car valet was pleased with the results. You can’t see much on the paintwork, but it was quite dull and rough. With a lot of expertise and know how he made the owner of this car smile before he even took it for a test drive after the work.

We predicted after the last post about these little boosts to the cars that we would have somebody ask us. Yep, two days later an email to ask us if we could make an exception for their car if they bought it down to us. No work was to be done on the car, just to give it a detail! Adam didn’t answer the email – he just hit the “C” button!

Keep safe and take care.

Posted in Car Detail, Classic Cars, Mustang Maniac, Our Cars, projects | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Special Service

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

As the 4th July was yesterday we wanted to wish all our friends across the pond Happy (belated) Independence Day. So we thought we would start with half a dozen little known facts about the USA’s Independence Day.

declaration of independence
  1. Only two people actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4: John Hancock and Charles Thomson, secretary of Congress. Most of the other (founding fathers) signed on August 2.
  2. Not everyone was on board with celebrating on July 4, the day Congress approved the Declaration. John Adams wanted to celebrate on July 2, the day Congress voted for independence.
  3. Three US presidents have died on July 4 — John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. In a bizarre twist of fate, Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the country they helped found.
  4. July 4 wasn’t deemed a federal holiday until 1870, nearly 100 years after the nation was founded.
  5. Americans consume around 150 million hot dogs on the 4th July each year. That amount of hot dogs can stretch from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles more than five times.
  6. Americans also spend more on beer on the 4th July than any other national holiday.

Customer Cars

We had a nice ’69 Mach1 into our workshops for an oil leak from the intake. It wasn’t anything major, but a pain none the less and just makes things look a messy, especially when it comes from the front.

Yogi got to grips with taking the carb of and draining the system down.

With the plumbing disconnected the manifold was removed carefully to see exactly where the leaks was happening. It soon became quite obvious.

The next part was to remove the old gasket which had obviously failed and clean up the faces on the intake, block and heads.

New gaskets with our own little know-how to put them back without anymore leaks. Before we knew it Yogi had the intake back on, torqued up, plumbed in and rigged up to his timing gun.

With it all back together nobody would be any the wiser except for the front of the engine now looking cleaner again.

Special (limited offering) Service

Last week we mentioned that there was a special service that Adam was going to offer only to a select few customers. The service is aimed at a good customers who have been with us for a while, or new customers who have spent a significant amount with us.

Adam will look at the car when it comes into us and he will offer the customer our unique offer to upgrade their paintwork to a reconditioning detail. You may not be aware that he is looking at your car, but he is. Trust us on this one! The service is an additional paid for service to help bring the faded or lacklustre shine back. The intention is to breath life back to these cherished cars.

Our first offering was this red ’66 Coupe which was a bit of a barn find and was in need of some serious Mustang Maniac TLC. Some mechanical work was done to make her road worth again again above all.

The before pics;

Our very own car detailer will wash and dry the car to see what he is dealing with under the grime. He will then look carefully at the paint to see what is needed; maybe a clay bar, iron decontamination, flatten, polish, wet sand, polish, wax or combination there of. The bespoke treatment will be applied depending on the car, condition and what it needs to get the best results. The interior can also be addressed if required too.

This extra cleaning service is not a full detailed paint correction, respray or stone chip repair which can cost silly money. Neither is this a service we will offer on a stand alone basis. So if you book in a dirty car and ask for an air filter change, this service is not coming your way. Adam doesn’t want to get into the car detailing market, there are plenty of people out there who can offer that service for you. This is additional service only offered to customers on Adam’s say so. If you are lucky enough to get this service you may have to leave you car in for a few extra days until we can get our detailer on site for the car. We can’t promise miracles for a very bad car of course, but we can certainly make a difference and put a smile on the customers face.

The customer of this car loved the results and as a result this was the trigger to expand this to other customers. This is no bucket and sponge cleaning effort. This is a middle of the road high spec clean. This car took the best part of eight hours to go over to get it to this condition.

We have another car in with us a ’66 white coupe this time, which is having the detail treatment. The car wasn’t quite finished at the time this goes to press (or goes to web should we say), so we will bring that to you next time. As yet we don’t have a name for the process, perhaps you could give us a idea for the name of this service?

Keep safe & take care!

Posted in Car Detail, Customers' Cars, Mustang, Mustang Maniac | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Adam’s “C” Button

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

A couple of posts ago we announced that the new Postage System for the smaller of the items. The WebShop is still being updated with the postal options as we go along. As you can imagine the amount of stock we have to update every single item takes times. We have thousands of items that need to be updated and we are getting there and we appreciate the patience. We have even more Motorcraft stock in now for later Mustangs. More on that Later.

The postal feedback has been 80/20, although that sounds bad it’s much more positive when you analyse why.

The positive is exactly that, customers are now taking advantage of the small items and have send some great messages covering the service. Those existing customers and new customers love the service – Thank you for the feedback. 🙂

The bad? Well this is customers who have ordered items on a Saturday afternoon and Sunday mornings. They requested the “mail” option for postage. Monday Morning we have had some rather snotty emails asking where the item was as “it’s an emergency”.

This little section below is to explain to the very few customers that want postal service, but moaned it wasn’t next day delivery, they also don’t want to pay for the Courier service either. (If this wasn’t you – please skip).

The post service is a normal postal service which is collected from us each day during the week. At weekends there is no collection and you won’t get it Monday morning. This is nothing to do with our service levels as the items are picked and packaged ready and waiting for the service collection Monday morning, yes we work on a Sunday. Then you may get the item Tuesday or Wednesday depending how the post service deals with it. You pay less because it’s a standard service and not expressed, it’s just like sending a card to your great auntie Maud. Even if we put your package in the post box itself on a Saturday, it still wouldn’t be picked up by the post service until Monday morning! A point to note is that if you order by Courier on Saturday evening while watching ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ you still wont get it Monday as the couriers don’t work on Sunday that we use. Surely this concept is not difficult to understand, or have we missed out on something here. These difficult customers are not exactly good customers, or even first time customers should we say. They order £3 part (that nobody else has) and wants it next day delivery for nothing in effect.

The “Courier Service” is a flat rate charge and is next day delivery. HOWEVER, once the items have left us we have no control over the delivery process. The driver could have an accident, the parcel could be put on the wrong delivery route, the driver could be sick and another driver has to be sourced, the van could break down in the hot weather etc. who knows? Sometimes we make mistakes even with the processes we have in place. We’re only human and have to deal with (literally) hundreds of orders on some mad days. These things happen, and they also happen to us too. We can apologise and try to sort it out for you as soon as we can, and we will. It would be like us ringing up the suppliers in American moaning that the shipment hasn’t arrived in the UK because the boat has hit some sever weather on the way here, it’s not their fault.

Now you can see why we say good and bad, when the bad is just plain daft individuals. We are pleased with the way the service is working at the moment and we will continue to review the process to make sure it works for you and as well as us.

The “C” Button?

Some customers who are particularly difficult and moan through at us through no fault of our own or are unreasonable will now be getting the dreaded “C” button: “Cancelled” (the customer). The “Cancelled” button will transfer that customer’s details into a separate database that we now have where their orders will not be processed going forward. Adam introduced this measure as he spent a morning playing email tennis with a ‘new’ customer over a £3 fitting who wanted it as “it was urgent”. It turns out that the customer ordered the part on a Saturday night via second class post and wanted it Monday morning. Errr – No. Lets just say Adam had better things to do as he was also dealing with a big delivery himself. In the end Adam just gave the customer his minimalist order for free and returned his postage too. Then he hit the “C” button, time is money. There are already a few on this list – a digital little black book as it were.

WebShop

Adam has had a large order in (as we eluded to above) where he has now started to rapidly expand the later model Mustangs too. Not just the genuine Ford spec oils and fluids, but other parts too. Like this hose which is a simple clip in item, a proper Motorcraft item that can split or perish, now replaceable in minutes straight of our shelf.

We are now stocking the general service items for all Mustangs 1960’s to 2020’s. Spark plugs, oil filters, air filters, v drive belts, serpentine belts etc.

We have had a run on batteries recently which caught us out a little, we had to get a new stock in quickly to meet the orders with only a two day delay. Note the Motorcraft stock as well to be put into stock with the batteries.

We have not got a batch in of our own products for some gaskets, bolts & washers along with some core plugs too, high quality and a great fit.

For some people personal preferences they are not wanting items from China. Some items there is no other choice, but for others products we now have some ACDelco products which are made in USA. They can be different style like these heavy duty versions that have a much larger covered thread and cap rather than the small nut.

We also now have these sway bars in a range of colours as well, how many other retailers can offer choice of country of manufacture and choice of colours?

The reception has had a little tidy up and we now can offer some more of the common items that we sell on a walk in basis as well.

Next post we will be telling you about an exclusive service we could offer you. This would be purely at Adam’s discretion, and only if he thinks the car would benefit from it. We will bring you more on that next post too. Here’s a little teaser from one of the cars we worked on this week.

Keep safe & take care.

Posted in Parts, Sales, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

What’s In a Bag?

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

Last week we told you about our new postage options. We’ve had a number of emails to say thanks and they will definitely be using the service. Great news for us too and thanks very much for the feedback, which is always appreciated to know when we get things right.

WebShop

We also mentioned last week about some exciting news for the WebShop. Well, Adam has sourced some original parts from the manufacturers that you couldn’t buy on their own. As such Mustang Maniac can now offer you the option to buy a single bolt if you want. These could be such things like the wheel cylinder bolts, or a caliper bolt which used to only come as a kit with caliper, now we can sell them separately. Is that just plain cool or what? This means making your DIY repairs bespoke and to your budget. Perhaps you want five items and keep one for a spare?

The new WebShop site will be online very soon with a new revamped look where certain items can be selected based on amount numbers. So if you loose a single brake caliper pin, buy the replacement kit or a single pin! You want a single nut and two washers because they into the black hole that is a workshop floor, then we can help.

Adam is really excited about this pretty big step forward for customer engagement. Not only will he offer an option to buy individual items such as washers, bolts, clips, caps nuts etc. they can then be posted out using our new Trial Postage option too. It has to be said that the new postage system will work out the size and weight of the option you ordered and will keep a running total. If you get to the max limit for Parcel Force the system will let you know and courier will then become the cost effect method to dispatch to you.

As Adam sources more of the individually available items the WebShop will be constantly updated with the “Amount” option (where applicable). If you don’t see it for these small hardware items, then we obviously don’t offer the individual item, yet.

Now help us to help you!

We are now producing our own line of products and making kits that can be bespoked which Adam is still looking into for what would be a good option for the customer and sales records.

If you have any ideas for a kit that you would like to see, let us know! It could be on our WebShop a few days later. Providing it can physically can be done of course.

Motorcraft.

This Motorcraft name that is linked to Ford just like strawberries are to cream. As such Adam has now got “something in place” where he is ramping up is Motorcraft options as well. The concours boys will be pleased with genuine Motorcraft alternators. They are not a cheap hobby compared to other alternatives, but they are brand new items not reconditioned, they are the real deal.

Things like this grey distributor cap, rarely seen let alone kept in stock.

We now also have pre-engaged starter motors from Motorcraft was well. Again brand new not reconditioned. If you want to get rid of that solenoid then try this as the solenoid is now located on the starter. Less weight and neater, not everybody’s taste, but we have already sold two units while they saw one in the workshop ready to be fitted to another car.

Not only are we stocking parts, we are also stocking sundries as well. Things like Motorcraft genuine oils and transmission fluids.

We are still stocking alternatives from suppliers to suite your own taste. A good example is this little sway bar kit we have made up. The same product, but in different finishes.

Individual spark plug or kits? Again we listened to customers who wanted more options on spark plugs, we have platinum, double platinums, standard, racing, black finish, white finish, NOS, you name it, the chances are that we got it. We made these ACDelco kits up ready for a customer.

We think the weeks wait was worth it don’t you. We have more stock items due in this week so we hope to bring that to you as well. (shhh, don’t let on though – Performance upgrade kits?) 😉

Lets just say that Adam has been on a stock spending spree – again!

Keep safe and look after yourselves.

Posted in News, Parts, Sales, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mr “O” Ring

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

Mustang Maniac has a very exciting announcement to make regarding the WebShop and it’s functionality. We are going to trial some new postage options. But first an amusing tale that instigated Adam’s investigation. 

A little while ago we had an email from a new customer who wanted to buy a small single part, the part was a single rubber “O” ring. However, the customer who will now be known as “Mr O Ring” didn’t see why he had to pay £8 for our standard courier charge. (We have covered this topic on number of occasions and we won’t go into it again). Mr. O Ring sent a follow up email to say; “can’t we just put it in a Jiffy bag and take it to the post office?” Adam responded with his standard (cut and pasted) response to these type of emails, “if you were to buy other items then the courier will still be the same cost and proportionally it then works out more cost effective”. The Mr. O Ring still wasn’t having any of it, Mr O Ring was adamant he didn’t want the courier but he still wanted it fast. Adam again responded to say he could pick it up himself or the courier is still an option. Needless to say Mr. O Ring paid the courier service in the end. All this back and forth for an item that cost less than a can of coke. Mr O Ring was trying to dictate the terms of our business. As Mr O Ring was a new customer and never ordered before, his part was tiny in comparison and yet Mr O Ring was causing chaos for a rubber O ring! We suspect that Mr. O Ring won’t be placing future orders with us as he is probably using somebody else, as we know that we are the only company in the country that has this part in stock. 😉 

Adam’s explanation was quite simple on this one; “so I’m expected to go to a post office which is just over four miles away, burning my time, using my vehicles and fuel to get there. The post office is currently on restricted opening hours at the moment as it is. When the post office does eventually open it’s busy as the world and his mate wants something posted. I would have to queue for God knows how long as a result. I would have to buy the Jiffy bag, write the label out, stand in the queue exposing myself to potential Corona virus from some unhealthy Herbert coughing and spluttering while I wait to get served. The cost of postage would then be Jiffy bag plus the stamps to get there. The expected cost to be around £4. Make the return trip more fuel which would leave me out of pocket by £4. No we don’t do post office runs. If I was to do this a few times a day I wouldn’t get any work done!” 

There has been a few requests for cheaper postage since we stopped it a few years ago. Unbeknown to Mr O Ring, Adam was already working hard behind the scenes to get this postage option in place again for a couple of months now. The upshot is after a couple of months a new improved process is now on a trial basis. Some customers who have ordered smaller items have also had their postage of the courier fully REFUNDED, and Adam has sent out their order using the new system free of charge to the customer. 

Adam explains; Postage charge is not just the postage cost you see on the stamp or franking mark. The money that is paid in stamps is for the “service” to transport that package from A to B, based on the size and weight etc. So if the the postage cost is £0.77, it will cost Royal Mail £0.77 to move it. 

Then there is our costs to go on that as well, our overheads to stock the item, somebody to pick the item, packaging for the item, physically packing the item and then dispatch. All of which is standard online retail stuff. 

What does this all mean?

Well, Adam has now got a trial contract with Parcel Force who will now call into Mustang Maniac offices and pick up the postage. This is in addition to the courier service we still provide.

On the WebShop there will be some NEW postage options which you can choose from, this will now include the normal and cheaper option of Parcel Force.

Yep – the cost of postage of smaller parts could well be cheaper. However; the cost will still be size and weight dependant still, so costs will vary depending on the items you purchase.

So you could now buy a single O Ring which could be packaged and posted out to you. Keep in mind that the we have to buy the weighing scales, boxes, franking machine, credit for the franking machine and of course the contract with the post office to collect from us, all of which is included in the postage & “packaging”. 

The down side, is that you are now waiting for normal postage and not next day courier. So if cost is your concern we now have an answer that has been requested for a while now. 

Your help needed:

We are asking that if you are one of the lucky ones that has been getting the new trial service of mail delivery, can you let us know via email; adam@mustangmainiac.co.uk what you think of the service. We will also have proof of postage for your items being sent out to you. 

We did have postage option many years ago and found that certain items “weren’t arriving” to the customer. As a result we were out of pocket for replacements. Hence the signed for courier service stopped all of that when we replaced the standard post process. If we find that history starts to repeat itself, then we will just revert back to the tried and tested courier option. 

Mustang Maniac has listened and reacted on your feedback. 

We have some other really exciting news for you next week regarding our new stock, stock kits and stock options, the details wasn’t quite ready for this post so you will have to wait for the next update. It will be worth it! 

Posted in Blog, Mustang Maniac, Sales, Uncategorized, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New Boots

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Mustang Maniac

Things are looking to be slowly turning back to normal in the outside world, but Mustang Maniac is still being very selective about what comes in and who comes into our own sanctuary. We are dealing with safety issues where we can and gentle turn over of service cars. We have a shocking dangerous car that has come in for a little handling issue should we say, more on that after the popular Park & Pic.

Park & Pic

“The Onion” pops into us now and again for a little fettle hear and there, but recently had a new set of boots fitted. Classic stock look with a lightweight modern twist.

Customer Cars

This car came into us to check over. Like all things we start with the basics and got her up on the ramp to take a look. We have seen this many times before and even posted about this too; the top suspension arm bushes had all but disintegrated, this caused some movement where there shouldn’t be any.

We of course were not going to repair it. This was a suspension strip down and replace parts job. The parts are cheap enough compared to the many hours it would take to restore these parts.

Not only that the mounting holes had rotted out. Welding patches on a suspension part we will leave for some other companies. Rust can’t be helped and we get that, rust is an on going problem that is relentless in its quest to eat metal. But, regular checks when greasing the ball joints, oil service etc. should include checking these areas fully both front and rear of the car.

We don’t need to tell you just how dangerous this is, an accident waiting to happen. A bump to many, an unexpected steering could see a huge failure.

This is where Mustang Maniac doesn’t agree with MOT exception for classic vehicles in the UK. We would like to see all vehicles checked for safety each year. But, we do think that there should be MOT based on classic cars. Things like parts that have been replaced because the originals are no longer made or not available, steering “play” which is normal for these cars, but will be failed by many inexperienced MOT testers. On this point we have had a number of ‘conversations’ with previous MOT test centres that we used to use who tried to tell us what was wrong with the vehicles. The fact was the parts in question were brand new parts on a full restoration, and easily within Ford’s specifications. In situations like that where restoring these cars is our passion and lively hood, (without sounding pompous), we do know best. Lights that have been upgraded to LED are safer and clearer, but technically a failure because the bulbs are not originals etc. Common sense needs to be used when dealing with these cars. If these “Classic MOT” tests were in force, then things like this wear and tear would be picked up before it was dangerous. We are pleased (and proud) to say that every one of our conscientious and regular customers that bring their cars to us on an annual basis for check up, also want the MOT just for the peace of mind. The customer also wants to protect their investments by making sure their pride and joy doesn’t suffer a failure and end up destroyed through an avoidable accident.

News:

From Dearborn 29th May 2020 some exciting news was released:

With speed, style and a name that embodies both, Ford today announces the Mustang Mach 1 is roaring back to life this year, with its debut coming this spring.

The iconic fastback coupe that debuted during the first golden era of muscle cars in the late-1960s now returns for global Mustang enthusiasts looking for the epitome of naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 performance in a new golden age of power as a new choice in the lineup of the world’s best-selling sports car.

“Mach 1 has a special place in Mustang history, and it’s time for this special edition to claim the top spot in our 5.0-liter V8 performance lineup and reward our most hardcore Mustang enthusiasts who demand that next level of power, precision and collectability,” said Dave Pericak, director, Ford Icons. “Like the original, the all-new Mustang Mach 1 will be true to its heritage, delivering great looks and as the most track-capable 5.0-liter Mustang ever.”

Continuing the legacy of Mach 1

Mach 1 debuted for the 1969 model year and immediately carved out its place in the Mustang lineup, delivering performance and improved dynamics with its GT handling suspension. In the years that followed, Mach1 saw improved performance versus Mustang GT and was more attainable than Shelby and Boss variants.

“Mach 1 has always been that bridge between base Mustangs and the Shelby models,” said Ted Ryan, heritage brand manager, Ford Archives. “From a style and handling perspective, the original Mach 1 managed to stand out as unique, even in the Mustang lineup – and as the name implies, it could really move.”

Two years after its debut, Mach 1 with its competition suspension hit the streets in 1971 longer and larger than the original, with an assortment of powerful engine options. In 1974, Mach 1 again saw major changes, reimagined for the first time as a hatchback. This Mach 1 generation enjoyed a five-year run and beefed up its handling capabilities more with an optional Rallye Suspension Package.

Mach 1 returned for 2003 and 2004 model years, blending modern power with the nostalgia of 1970s-era Mach 1 design elements. Its unique Mach 1 handling suspension with larger Brembo front-disc brakes improved on-road performance, while its matte black spoiler and hood stripe helped the coupe standout.

Seventeen years later, the all-new 2021 Mustang Mach 1 is set to return as the most track-ready 5.0-liter Mustang ever, once again delivering design magic while adding to its performance legacy. 

When Yogi read about this? He just smiled and said “I will see it on the 1/4 mile anytime!”

Stay safe everybody. 😷

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, Repairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments