...to raise your exotic Ford's spirits...and horsepower. Our long-term car just spent a day in the caring hands of The GT Guys. Rich and Dennis were part of the original team that maintained various Ford GTs during development and pre-production testing. They've done everything from replacing oil filters to rebuilding wrecked cars from the frame up. You might say these guys know a thing or two about working on the GT.
For our long-term car we signed up for the basic care package (oil/filter change, air filter replacement, overall inspection) followed by a vigorous regimen of strength building (smaller supercharger pulley, upgraded air intake) and toning (short shifter install). Finally, we were looking for some endurance training (transaxle cooler, upgraded Accufab transaxle bolts). The GT Guys made sure our car met its health goals.
First up was the supercharger removal. While we wouldn't suggest GT owners go around casually lifting their supercharger it was only a matter of minutes before the blower separated from the aluminum 5.4-liter V8. The GT Guys surely made it look easier than it really is, but we have heard of owners installing these pulley kits themselves. The bolts are all readily accessible, but you'll need a press (or a shop with a press) to remove the original pulley and install the new one.
With the supercharger off the smaller pulley (left) goes on. The blower's faster rotation, and an associated computer reflash, bump the GT's peak horsepower from around 535 rear-wheel horsepower to around 600 rwhp. But the real improvement comes in the form of a livelier power curve with increased torque and throttle response, particularly in the mid-range. A recalibration of one's GT driving style is highly suggested (don't want to end up on WreckedExotics.com). Total cost: $2,000
Next came the short shifter installation. After carefully removing the magnesium console cover (note the blue tape used to protect all interior surfaces from scratching) the original shifter is pulled and replaced by a Ford Racing shifter.
The Ford Racing shifter (left) actually keeps the shifter in the same location because the main shaft length doesn't change. Instead, the shift linkage is modified to increase the amount of movement going on below the console (thus decreasing the amount of movement in the shifter). This effectively reduces the leverage of the shifter, which could be a problem in lesser trannies. But the Ricardo six-speed in the GT is so smooth that shift effort remains light while the duration of each shift drops. After about 10 gear swaps we stopped noticing the slight change in effort and simply enjoyed the rapid movement between cogs. Total cost: $1,000
There have been numerous reports of snapped transaxle bolts, but Ford has yet to offer an official fix. Instead, many owners are using upgraded bolts and washers (left) from Accufab. These components are both larger/thicker and made from higher grade steel. At 10,000 miles we were still operating on our factory axle bolts...but when the GT guys pulled them the backing washer was noticeably "cupped" -- meaning the bolt heads were experiencing a side-to-side force that ultimately would have snapped the heads off. There have been no reports of snapped Accufab bolts, so we'll take the piece of mind. Total cost: $450
editor_karl says:
10:25 PM, 08/ 1/07
Okay, so apparently I can't put any additional content (text or photos) into the main body of this post, so I'll finish quickly here by stating that the transaxle cooler was also installed. You don't really need one of these unless you are going to track the car, but like the axle bolts it adds piece of mind. It comes from Ford Racing and is relatively easy to install. Total cost: $2,000
That's it for GT Spa work. The car feels noticeably more powerful, but we won't know the real-world benefits until we get it back to the track for acceleration testing -- hopefully in the next week.
dingo567 says:
10:27 PM, 08/ 1/07
What exactly would happen if the bolts did indeed fail and snap?
rennf says:
06:38 AM, 08/ 2/07
Karl, was that your blue GT in the picture? ENZO BTR.... nice. :)
editor_karl says:
08:30 AM, 08/ 2/07
If the bolts fail you lose power to the rear wheels but (so far) nothing worse has happened to GTs with broken bolts (though being suddenly stranded in a $150,000 car isn't exactly a picnic).
Yup, my license plate.
thebigal says:
05:50 PM, 08/ 2/07
yeah - the last pic had the plate blurred out, but I think we figured out what it said anyway through out the posts
scott65 says:
06:15 PM, 08/ 2/07
Awesome post Karl, and I love your license plate!!!!
hondacura4 says:
07:57 AM, 08/ 4/07
There is a red Ford GT here in the area and everytime he brings it out people point and litterally stop in their tracks, me included. The Z06 may have been MUCH cheaper but Id still take the GT.