Progress Thread 2014 V6 'chelle-b Ii'

June 2018 – As previously mentioned, my replacement (Stalker) hood was ordered directly from Cervini… At the time the order was placed (May 1st), I was told that there was a six-week lead time on shipping of pre-painted hoods. Five days prior to the expected ship date (of 6/12), I received an e-mail from them indicating that my new hood was now scheduled to ship on 6/21! With not much to do until it arrives and is installed, the wait continues…

July 2018 – After two additional delays (3 total) due to quality issues, I received notice on 7/2 that my Stalker had (finally) shipped from Cervini… Yeah!!! In the meantime…

I ordered the components for the replacement of my springs. I decided to go with the Eibach Pro-Kit (p/n 35125.140) which provides a modest, yet noticeable drop (0.8” in the front; 1.2” in the rear) along with a progressive spring rate which will hopefully provide improved handling while still maintaining some level of civility during normal day-to-day driving. Along with these springs, I also ordered Eibach’s Pro-Alignment Camber Adjustment Bolts (p/n 5.81260K) and an adjustable panhard bar from Ford Performance (p/n M-4264-A). Also ordered was a BBK 3.7L V6 73mm Power Plus Throttle Body (p/n 1822) and—with my CAI having been previously installed—the X4/SF4 Power Flash Tuner from Bama Performance (p/n 101200G116)…

With my new hood (rec’d on 7/13) now in hand, I installed the optional ram air underhood duct and swapped out the previously installed Ford Performance hood struts with the pair provided by Cervini’s which are rated at a lower pressure (60 psi) with the manufacture claiming that this should alleviate any bowing of the hood. While the hood itself was easy enough to install (with the assistance of a 2nd pair of hands), I found a few minor issues along the way…

Firstly, the provided instructions for the relocation of the windshield washer squirters seemed a bit confusing, though intuitively, I was able to figure this out. This relocation requires the cutting & splicing of the OEM (plastic) washer hose, using Cervini-provided rubber hose sections and plastic fittings (a 90 deg. elbow and a “T”). Upon assembly and testing, I found that the washer system’s pressure tended to blow the rubber hoses off of the fittings. This was easily resolved with the application of a few small zip ties. Secondly, while overall quality of the hood was good, the one apparent issue was that the driver’s side rear corner seemed to sit too low in relation to the left fender, which will require additional troubleshooting and adjustment to rectify…


With the new BBK 73mm throttle body in hand before the end of the month, this was installed with a significant amount of blood, sweat & tears shed. While the throttle body swap was easy enough, the most difficult part of the process—which several product reviews have pointed out and to which I am (whole heartedly) attesting herein—is the reinstallation of the (Airaid MPX) air inlet tube’s “hump hose”, which requires a good deal of strength, dexterity, and/or finesse, along with a GREAT deal of patience… The throttle body swap took 45 minutes; the inlet tube reinstallation took another 2+ hours!

Next up, I will be scheduling/coordinating several trips to shops over the month of August. First will be my rear gear swap (from the stock 3.31:1 to a 3.73:1) for which I’ve had parts on hand since last December. Next up will be installation of a rear spoiler and lowering springs & adjustable panhard bar. Finally, with all of my other exterior mods completed, she’ll go in for the installation of graphics (matte black dual 10” Le Mans stripes and custom rocker panel side stripes).

At this point the last item remaining on the near-term “to do” list is the acquisition and installation of an exhaust system… Unless I change my mind in the meantime, I’ve decided not to add headers and, after a few back & forth debates, I have also decided (for the time being) to forgo a true “X” mid-pipe; as such an axle-back system is where it’s at for now.

August 2018 – A mid-month trip to the shop saw my SpeedForm GT500-style (purchased from AM, p/n 55806-UJ) rear spoiler installed. This was ordered pre-painted and has been on hand since May. At the end of the month, feeling a bit adventurous, I attempted application of my custom rocker panel stripes. Final results (once dried) will determine if I attempt to apply the Le Mans stripes myself or farm this out to a graphics specialist. While I was hoping to have my new springs installed this month as well, life sort of got in that was; as such this has gotten pushed out (at least) ‘til next month.

October 2018 – Nothing new accomplished last month (September).

Being OK with the final results of my rocker stripes install, I was feeling froggy and decided to tackle the over-the-top 10” “Le Mans” stripes. With the assistance of my wife, we marked off the whole car and then decided to lay the roof stripes first. As anticipated, these were the most difficult to reach, but (aside from that) the simplest to install with the roof being an unimpeded flat surface. While not overly comfortable with the adhesion of the stipes at the leading (windshield) edge, I decided to solder on with the install of the deck lid/rear panel. Now working on a surface which, in its OEM form had multiple sections and angles, this was further complicated by having an aftermarket (GT500-type) rear spoiler to work around/over. Needless to say, after several hours of attempting to get a good fitting/looking install, I finally gave up. The thickness/rigidity of the vinyl—while probably beneficial from a durability standpoint—was VERY unforgiving in terms how it laid (or wouldn’t lay) on the car with said multiple changes in surface angle. In some cases, this could be overcome with cutting at each transition; in other cases (such as wrapping around the trailing edge of the spoiler) this was not possible without leaving an unsightly seam. Disappointed, I decided to give it a couple of days; at the end of which I elected to remove the partially installed kit, before even finishing (with the hood, which would have likely presented an even greater challenge considering the integrated scoop. $150 and many hours wasted… Oh well! ☹

With the Le Mans striping project scrapped (literally), I moved on to the install of my back panel’s S H E L B Y lettering (FMC p/n 7R3Z-6342528-B). While the actual install was simple enough, the marking of the layout took a good deal of time (i.e. measure twice; stick once)… Even with this, I was off just a bit, but nothing worth getting too upset over…

Still awaiting the scheduling of shop time is the installation of lowering springs and a gear change. Maybe next month…

December 2018 – With nothing new accomplished last month (November), December brought a couple of minor upgrades/updates.

Receiving cash as a gift (thanks Mom & Dad), I splurged on a new set of Lloyd floor mats from AM. Sticking with the Shelby-esque theme, I went with the “Carroll Shelby Signature” style (AM P/N 93153). While not cheap (at $100), they are a perfect, custom fit and, as a bonus, in addition to replacing my stock front mats, this set also included two small mats for the back seat as well.


In addition, I made a decision to (for now) forgo installation of the 3.73 gears which were purchased nearly a year ago, and have been sitting on my garage’s work bench ever since. After much consideration, I’m not convinced that this gear choice would be the best for how my “daily driver” would be used. As my “stock” V6/AT came with the optional Performance Package (which included the taller 3.31 gearing), I’m now considering either just sticking with what’s installed or possibly going with 3.55s. For now, the car's original 3.31s are where it’s at.

Having come to (or at least stalled) this decision, I was finally able to update and install the customized tune for my Bama X4/SF4 Power Flash Tuner which was purchased back in July. My currently installed “Performance” tune is optimized for 91 octane fuel with the speed limiter set to 115 MPH (up from the 110 MPH default setting). While the engine is quite possibly capable of propelling the car at a faster rate, the currently installed stock tires and driveshaft are currently the weak links which necessitate this limit. The “top speed” limit will eventually be bumped up once these two components are replaced. By the time of my next update, I will have had a chance for the new tune to "settle in" (Bama indicates that this can take around 50 miles of driving) and can hopefully provide a review at that time.

So what’s in store for 2019? As mentioned, I still have to make a decision regarding a gearing change. Additionally, I already have parts on hand to lower the suspension (Eibach progressive rate springs, with camber adjustment bolts and an adjustable panhard bar) so this will likely be the next up.

Beyond this, the last two items of my “to-do (now)” list are a new axle-back exhaust (with a lean towards the Ford Performance Shelby GT500 Rear Valance & Exhaust Kit (p/n M-5230-MSVTCD) and an aluminum 1-pc driveshaft. Other items to be replaced based on wear/need include tires/wheels, shocks and front brakes.

Noobz347 said:

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Not much to report over the last couple of months as most of my $$/time had been spent on "winter" projects for my '66 convertible (front brakes & interior "refresh")... Parts (STILL) on hand for rear gear change and lowering springs. TBC...