Watchful Owl

I was checking out the new Mustangs at my local Ford dealer the other day and I decided to take a peek at the engine compartment. When I finished checking out the components and placement of things, I tried shutting the hood. The first time wasn't a success, so I opened it back up and tried again, this time holding it a bit higher before letting it drop. Again, no sucess. The third time was a charm, but I had to hold the hood very high for it to latch. I thought it might be because the hoods on the new Mustangs are aluminum and don't weigh enough to gain much momentum when dropped from the usual height. Could some owners out there confirm this for me? I had to hold that thing about half way open before letting it go.[sm=smiley25.gif]


Another thing, and this is my only real complaint with the new Mustangs, was the lack of coating on the rear axle housing. Every car I peeked under had rust all over it. Is this part of Fords penny pinching, like the non-adjustable seatbelt heights? How much does it cost to do a little rust proofing before it leaves the factory? Even my $14k Toyota Corolla has a painted underbody. It probably isn't that big of a deal to most people and I'm just being overly meticulous. However, for a $28k car, I don't think there should be any rust on parts like that when it's brand spankin' new. Someone ease my concious and tell me that a rusty rear axle won't hurt a thing.


Thanks for taking the time to read my silly post and have a good day![sm=type.gif]

SPARTAN VI

Haha, I did the same thing after putting on my intake. Drop.. doesn't latch. Raise higher, drop... still doesn't latch. RAISE HIGHER and use some force... BINGO!

WindVeil05DropTop

It's a tight latch. Thats a good thing, you don't want it to fly open at high speeds do you?

As for the rear axle, yeah its ugly, but that rust isn't hurting anything... I do wish it was painted but no biggie.

Trill Gear Head

umm dude, 28k for the V6 is way to much, even for a convertible. Just my 2 cents

Tres Wright

There is actually a type of steel called corten that is supposed to develop a layer of rust, the rust creates a protective layer over the steel. I don't know if that is what Ford uses, but I'm sure it's that or a similar material. I totally agree that it is very unpresentable, it's not unreasonable to expect a lot of people might show their Mustangs and it is nearly incomprehensible that Ford would choose to save a few bucks on skipping some undercarriage paint on a pony car.

Watchful Owl

Oh, sorry, Trill Gear Head. I was refering to the GT's price. Both V6 and V8 are the same in regards to the unpainted axle.


It must be the light weight hood and the fact that it's real long. Seems to catch alot of wind on the way down. That's okay. I just wasn't used to dropping a hood from so high.


Man, I got Mustang fever though. I picked up a magazine called Modified Mustangs to help quell some of my excitement. It's probably nothing new to you folks, but the April issue has an article about V6 performance parts and other cool Mustang stuff. Anyway, it's a good book to have in the bathroom or on the night stand.

Watchful Owl

Hmmm. Interesting. I figured it wasn't that big of a deal or Ford would have painted it. Your right about the show car aspect. The same thing ran through my mind when I was looking under those cars on the lot. I'm glad some other people agree with me on this. It wouldn't keep me from buying the car though. Just made me wonder. Oh-well.

lmmmmm

This is probably one of the rare times I wish the dealer tried to charge me for undercoating. They didnt even offer!

0to60

Ha! My hood is the same way. The first time I opened it, I tried to drop it from about a foot. Then a foot and a half. Two feet. Finally, I called a friend. He held it all the way up, dropped it -- closed without a problem. Man, I still hear about that one from him...


Yeah, it's not too pretty but I've asked around and the consensus seems to be that the rust penetrates no deeper than the surface, so there's nothing to worry about structurally.


Great magazine! I haven't seen the April issue yet. You should check out "Mustang Enthusiast" and "Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords" as well.

Tim

rygenstormlocke

I subscribe to that magazine, not bad for a mag just out of the gates. I did have a problem with the first issue showing a 6 branded with cobra emblems. I'm sure Scrming will chime in, its a big sore spot for him. LOL.