Mustang Racing Technologies' Bullitt Reloaded project has generous 315/30x18 Pirelli rear skin-apparently still not enough to contain the enthusiasm of the car's new Novi 2000 centrifugal, with charge-cooler. The black Bullitt will now serve as owner, Scott Hoag's, daily good-weather driver, make occasional show appearances, and visit both dragstrip and road- course from time to time. Not bad for what started as a stolen and stripped write-off once destined for the recycling bin.
Way back in our February '06 issue, we began the saga of Mustang Racing Technologies' (MRT's) reloading of a thoroughly spent Bullitt Mustang (No. 1,118 of 5,582.) Its rearming started, quite literally, from the ground up, with the first order of business being to provide the previously stolen and stripped Bullitt a new short-block, and an upgraded suspension and braking system. Scott Hoag, the head honcho at MRT took on this mission of automotive mercy because, as former Mustang customization manager at Ford Motor Company, and therefore one of the corporate enthusiasts who spear-headed the whole Bullitt program, he just "couldn't let one of his kids die that way" and so he rescued the written-off No.1,118 from the uncaring jaws of the crusher.
For reasons previously explained,...
For reasons previously explained, we don't really have a "before" engine shot, so you'll have to take our word that MRT's starting point was a stock (replacement) short-block with only JBA short-tube headers and MRT's cold-air inlet added. Naturally, this inlet was about one of the first things to go in fitting the blower kit.
Among MRT's first steps was...
Among MRT's first steps was installing the blower idler pulley and its bracket visible in the center of this photo. This assembly mounts to one alternator and two timing-cover attachment points using supplied hardware. This shot also shows the typical upper radiator hose modifications necessary to clear the blower.
Here's the rearmost of the...
Here's the rearmost of the two blower mounting brackets. Notice the beefy thickness of the aluminum, and also notice that the new serpentine belt has already been loosely threaded into place. The belt must go on before the blower bracketry; afterwards there simply won't be clearance to get at it.
In case you missed Part 1, the project began with a non-running shell that had to be shuffled about with a forklift. We showed up after the new engine and a complete 8.8-inch axle assembly with 3.55 gears had been fitted. We then proceeded to watch as, in one night's marathon session, the MRT crew raided the boss' parts catalog and installed Kenny Brown's ultrarigid chassis support system, Tokico nonadjustable struts and shocks similar in damping specification to what the company made for the factory Bullitt, H&R progressive-rate springs, and adjustable-perch rear lower control arms from J&M. The MRT/SSBC Tri-Power brakes combine 13x1.25-inch grooved front rotors with aluminum three-piston calipers, and also have 12x1-inch rear rotors and calipers with integrated parking brake hardware. Astride a temporarily fitted T45 tranny (a T56 is in the works), the guys then strapped on MRT's stainless 2.5-inch cat-equipped H-pipe (Scott hates those other x-shaped things, preferring the unhindered bass of the H-pipe), hooked to an after-cat system of equal diameter, except for the 3.5-inch brushed-stainless tips. For the retro-musclecar look, Hoag ordered from Wheel Replicas a set of decidedly Bullitt-ish, black-spoked rims in 17x8 front and 18x10 rear dimensions, and wrapped them in 255/40 and 315/30 Pirelli Corsa rubber.
The equally beefy main blower...
The equally beefy main blower bracket bolts on using a number of aluminum spacers as stand-offs. Notice its close proximity to the A/C line, which must be carefully bent to provide clearance. The mouth of the blower's rubber oil drainback line is also visible in this shot, between the A/C line and the bracket.
Also in the interest of making...
Also in the interest of making room, the low-speed cooling-fan resistor has to be moved from its factory position on top of the fan shroud to the location shown with the arrow. It's important that this resistor be in a free-air path behind the radiator for temp accuracy. We're also getting a good view of the rear of the cast-aluminum charge cooler here. The driver-side duct is the inlet from the blower; the passenger-side outlets cooler air to the throttle body through supplied ducting.
Seen from the front, the generous...
Seen from the front, the generous size of the cooler/heat exchanger is apparent. To make room for its depth, MRT technician Paul Truax found the power steering lines in front had to be carefully rebent.