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2011 Ford Mustang GT SEMA Build Part 1 - The Road To Sema - TechPart 1: Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords Embarks On An Action-Packed Journey, Building Our '11 Mustang Gt For The Sema Show And Beyond. From the March, 2011 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords By Pete Epple Photography by Evan J. Smith, Pete Epple
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SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is an organization of automotive industry professionals and enthusiasts who work to preserve the hobby and lifestyle car enthusiasts know and love. Every year, SEMA puts on its annual trade show for manufacturers, buyers, shops, publishing companies, and car builders, to showcase the latest and greatest in the automotive aftermarket. From wheels and tires to the sickest custom builds, the SEMA dhow, held in Las Vegas, has become an automotive Mecca where you can learn exactly what's new, fresh and hot in the aftermarket. This year, MM&FF was given a rare opportunity to build a Mustang for the SEMA show. We say rare because Ford Motor Company worked hand-in-hand to deliver us a brand-new 5.0-liter GT-the catch was that we had to turn it into something special in just about two months. The road to SEMA started in... The road to SEMA started in Dearborn, Michigan. After taking delivery of our new '11 Mustang GT, a stop at Ford World Headquarters, and the offices of our friends at Ford Racing, we made the 1,200-mile trip to MM&FF Command Central in Tampa. Our staff was extremely excited and certainly up to the challenge. Build plans were discussed, plans were laid out, and we went into action, working with some giants in the industry, including Amsoil, American Muscle, FRPP, Moroso, Nitto, Weld Racing, and a few others. The drawing board was scribbled on months prior to taking delivery, and on August 24, 2010, our journey officially began. The SEMA show runs November 2-5, so our car had to be ready to roll onto the Reliable carrier truck by October 18. That left us about eight weeks to get the job done! There was an air of excitement as your author boarded an early flight from Tampa to Detroit to take delivery and drive the GT home. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as we went wheels up for the three-hour flight. After touchdown, I was received by Ford and taken directly to our brand-new Kona Blue 5.0-liter Mustang. The car was nearly completely... The car was nearly completely wrapped in protective plastic (wheels included). When we cracked the key for the first time, the odometer read a whopping 2.4 miles. It was so new the plastic wrapping on the interior restrained the new car smell. I slapped on our Florida plate, slid into the driver's seat, and turned the key for the first time. The odometer read 2.4 miles-this was truly a brand-new car. After a quick stop at the Ford Racing office to chat with our friends, the 1,200-mile trip began. I wish there was some exciting story from the road to share, but this trip was all business. We were so focused on the logistics of the build, we didn't even have time to name the car. We knew our Pony needed to stand out under the SEMA lights, and we ordered many of the needed parts prior to taking delivery of the car. The Ti-VCT Four-Valve 5.0-liter... The Ti-VCT Four-Valve 5.0-liter engine is an impressive-looking piece, even in stock trim. How will a Ford Racing/Whipple supercharger look? Keep reading! Starting off, our main concern was power. With just 1,200 miles on the clock, our '11 GT was loaded into our trailer and hauled across Florida to Blow-By Racing in Boca Raton. Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) shipped us a FRPP/Whipple twin-screw supercharger kit for the Coyote engine. With this much extra air being forced through the Four-Valve bullet, we knew there was power to gain with an exhaust upgrade. Kook's Custom Headers sent us its complete exhaust for Ford's newest rendition of the Pony. So with parts and vehicle in South Florida, Chris Jones and the Blow-By Racing crew dove into our SEMA-bound Mustang to begin the transformation.
Of course, the Stang is show-quality and track-ready, but we're going to take you through the build process over the next few months. Then, we'll hit the track and push this thing to the limit. No project car is ever complete, so the sky is the limit with this new 5.0. We'll ultimately rebuild the engine and go hog wild with the power. We also have plans to race the car in NMRA competition, whether it be in our own True Street or in another class. So with that, strap in and come along for the ride as we dig into our newest family member.
 The stock exhaust is very...  The stock exhaust is very similar to the piping found on the earlier-model S197s, save for the headers. The catalytic converters, H-style midpipe, resonators, and mufflers almost mirror the exhaust of the previous production year. The big change for '11 is the tubular headers, which were specifically designed to maximize the natural scavenging effect for improved efficiency and power.  We made the trip to Blow-By...  We made the trip to Blow-By Racing in Boca Raton, Florida, to swap the stock exhaust for the latest offering from Kook's Custom Headers and to install the twin-screw supercharger from Ford Racing Performance Parts. Chris Jones began the day by running the '11 GT on BBR's Dynojet chassis dyno. In stock trim, the 5.0-liter laid down 359 rwhp and 337 lb-ft of torque through the 6R80 six-speed automatic transmission.  With the baseline complete,...  With the baseline complete, Jones began unbolting and removing the stock exhaust. With the mid-pipe disconnected, he removed the rear section of the exhaust, followed by the midpipe.  Once the midpipe was removed,...  Once the midpipe was removed, the stock headers came out.  Kook's designs its headers...  Kook's designs its headers to be an improvement over the factory pipes. It uses individual primary tubes with a merge collector as opposed to the twin-T setup employed by the factory.  The mid-pipe consists of high-flow...  The mid-pipe consists of high-flow cats and an X-style crossover pipe. Factory clamps connect the mid-pipe to the rest of the exhaust, and ball flanges connect the midpipe to the headers.  The mufflers included with...  The mufflers included with the Kook's exhaust are significantly smaller and lighter than the factory mufflers. They are mellow at idle and part throttle, but L-O-U-D and mean-sounding when the throttle is cracked. Although the volume is significantly greater, the exhaust is not overpowering in the driver compartment, and the tone is pleasantly aggressive.  The headers are constructed...  The headers are constructed from mandrel-bent 304 stainless steel. Once the welding is complete, the openings are ground smooth for unrestricted exhaust flow.  With the motor mounts disconnected,...  With the motor mounts disconnected, Jones used a pole jack to lift the engine, making more room for the headers to slip into place. The driver-side header went in easily, but the passenger side offered more of a challenge. The motor mount and starter needed to be removed to make enough room for the header to slide into place. Disconnecting the transmission lines will make installing this header much easier on an automatic transmission-equipped GT.  With the headers in place,...  With the headers in place, Jones shifted his attention to the rest of the exhaust. Connecting the midpipe and installing the mufflers is little more than bolting it together and aligning the tailpipes.  The finished product is super-clean...  The finished product is super-clean and sounds great. The entire system fits as if it were designed at the factory.  After finishing the exhaust,...  After finishing the exhaust, Jones strapped the Kona Blue GT back on the dyno. Without making any changes to the computer, our Pony pumped out 376 rwhp and 346 lb-ft of torque, for a gain of 16 rwhp and 9 lb-ft of torque.  Next on our agenda was forced...  Next on our agenda was forced induction, which came in the form of a Ford Racing/Whipple twin-screw supercharger. The kit comes with everything needed for an easy installation.  Things got underway when Jones...  Things got underway when Jones and Rob Vargo removed the hood, front fascia, factory cold-air kit, and stock intake manifold.  Next to come out is the electric...  Next to come out is the electric fan. This is needed to gain access to the engine's front cover, which needs to be cut in a few spots to make room for new brackets.  FRPP highlights the area that...  FRPP highlights the area that needs to be trimmed in the instruction manual. Be sure to follow this step very carefully-trimming too little will cause the new brackets to not sit flush, resulting in belt alignment issues. Trimming too much can ruin the front cover, requiring a replacement. Also, be sure to tape off the cylinder heads so metal shavings do not enter the engine.  Vargo carefully trims the...  Vargo carefully trims the aluminum cover, being sure not to cut too deep.  Jones and Vargo then lower...  Jones and Vargo then lower the intake manifold and intercooler onto the cylinder heads. With this in place, the new fuel rails and fuel injectors are installed.  With the intercooler in place,...  With the intercooler in place, Vargo shifted his attention to installing the heat exchanger and intercooler pump-both mount behind the front bumper using brackets supplied in the kit.  Next, the supercharger is...  Next, the supercharger is lowered onto the manifold. Once torqued down, Jones and Vargo installed the throttle body, hooked all of the vacuum connections, and wired the intercooler pump. At this point, the serpentine belt is installed and new airbox is put into place. The electric fan and intercooler tank are also installed, finishing off the front of the engine.  The factory mass air sensor...  The factory mass air sensor is removed from the stock cold-air intake and installed in the new airbox. The position of the factory wiring allows you to simple plug the mass air sensor harness in without an adapter to lengthen the harness.  The finished result is a super-clean,...  The finished result is a super-clean, aggressive-looking engine bay that appears OEM. Though some trimming needed to be done to complete the installation, the finished product is clean and attractive.  FRPP does not currently offer...  FRPP does not currently offer calibration for automatic-equipped '11 GTs when installing its supercharger kit. To finish our installation, Chris Johnson of SCT Performance made the changes to the Copperhead ECU using our in-house Dynojet. After about a day in the shop, Johnson conservatively tuned the GT, which laid down 492 rwhp and 417 lb-ft of torque using the SAE correction (93 octane was used). Once the car returns from the SEMA and PRI shows, look for us to extract every last horsepower we can from our current combination, as well as all the track-testing it can handle. Johnson estimates there is another 20-40 hp hiding in the cam timing alone!  Check out next month's issue...  Check out next month's issue as we head to Visual FX Custom Paint and Body in Orange Park, Florida, to see how the sick custom paint scheme came together.
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