45 Years of Mustang Pony Power
June 29, 2009
I’ts hard to believe that the Mustang nameplate has been around this long. 1964 1/2 Is technaclly the year that this car came into our lives. Ever since it has been an American Icon for over 40 years now. I think that’s why we have fallen in love with this pony car so much, especially if your an american patriot like me. Like all classic nameplates like this one, they have definattly had thier fair share of ups, and downs over the las 4 1/2 decades. The early 80′s were without a doubt the worst. Trying to build a better fuel efficiant engine with some of the “prehistoric” componinets of that era, was quite a challenge for Fo,Mo,Co at the time. With a standard 1.9 liter four cylynder engine in the standard Mustang, give me a break! My lawnmower could produce more horsepower than this engine could.
One thing about the current enthusiests, is that they are “man” enough to take the good years with the bad. My dad for instance took care of a friends 1967 Mustang, and some of the work he did on it was a nightmare. But that was also a different time. He saw a sign saying “Mustang Memories” and he shook his fist saying “I got your Mustang Memories right here!” But that was said out of an extremely bad experience working on one. The modern day Mustangs are such an Improvement over it’s predessessers hands down, that it makes the enthusiests that much more passionate about the these fine machines. I hope not to sound like I’m rambling on here, just trying to speak from the heart. I feel for those enthusiests whose cars they no longer make . The T-birds as an example. (yes, I do own a 97′ LX model) I’ts much more vital to keep holding on to the auto of yours with the classic nameplate they no longer make. Nowadays, with modern technology and componits we have a much easier time keeping our mechanical gems on the road much longer than we could imagine.
In the case of the Mustang, the mere fact that Ford is still making this car, with big plans for it down the road makes enthusiests of this car even more jazzed. Ford has no plans to discontinue this car anytime soon, or turn it to front-wheel drive (praise God!) So here we don’t have to worry about that here. It’s nice to know that Ford did not shoot themselves in the foot with this creation, like other creations like the Pinto, and the fiesta. Models that should have been sent to the moon.
-Simon Black
Mustang Parts Mechanics – Rear Wheel vs. Front Wheel drive
June 22, 2009
One of the things in life I never had to much problem with was change. Sometimes change can be a very good thing. Somtimes change… well just plain stinks. I’m somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to the design and layout of the way cars are, or at least the way they should be, in my ever so humble opinion. First for the record, I’m not so old-fashoned that I don’t believe electronic computer chips have no place in the modern automobile. Technology in cars today is waaaay beter than it was 17 and 25 years ago. That goes for the way smog devices on cars goes as well. In tha late 70′s, early 80′s there was a time when auto makers were having a difficult time catching up with the goverment clean air standards. Soon enough, electornics in cars came to save the day from the leaned out, choked up, low compression 1970′s maladies that were on the road at the time.
That being said, It’s a good thing we did clean up our acts smog wise at that time. Without smog devices on our cars, it would get to the point where we wouldn’t be able to breath, let alone enjoy our cars, but that’s another topic for another time. More to the point, I’m talking front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive. I see the front wheel drive racers on the track at certain events, but front wheel drive was not meant to pull the entire weight of the car from a quick dead stop. Friends of mine that I know have busted front drive axles while racing like this. Not to mention the cost. New CV joints, plus labor will run you about $2,000 if your lucky. Rear wheel drive U joints will run you a $200, and it’s much easier to replace. You can do it yourself. There is of course a good reason on the automakers part as to why 80% of the cars on the road now are front wheel drive, not including pick-up trucks, or SUV’s, ready for this….BECAUSE IT’S CHEAPER! That’s exactly why. To save money, and then gouge the consumer with an overinflated price tag on basically a throw-away car. It’s a lot cheaper for them to cram the engine, and transmission all in the front of the car, put it in sideways, and sell it to you for a premium price tag, all because it’s the “trendy” design on the market. If it breaks down, chuck it and buy a new one. I will admit that front wheel drive does handle better in the snow, but since I never see the snow maybe but once a year at most, that really doesn’t affect me.
Besides the Mustang, the only other new cars that really turn my head are the Dodge Challenger, The Dodge Charger, and yes, the Crown Victoria/ Mercury Muarader gets me drooling. I always did prefer the traditional rear wheel drive, big V8, big trunk, plush ride, and the traditional American nameplate that’s been around over 110 years.But also a modern design, and better built than it’s predicessers. This is not to say that Japanese cars are bad, but in my experience, even a simple oil change on one of these front drive rice rockets can be a nightmare. Of course God forbid something serious goes wrong with it, to the dealership you go. Yes, a lot of them are well built, Honda in particular, and are not meant to break down. But when they do, good luck trying to get it on the road again. If I owned a large company, and needed a small fleet of delivery cars, some Toyota corrollas, or Honda Civics would be fine.Or when my daughter turns 16 (14 years from now) and wants a car that’s “cute as a button” then I guess that’s what I would be getting her. But as for my own personal use, I’ll stick to the american built rear drive machines. Of course it all depends on your personal tastes as well. Some people like those cars, and kudos to them. Even though a lot of the Japanese nameplate cars are built here in the states, I still am a stickler for the American nameplate. Shallow of me? Perhaps. That’s why GM, and Chrysler filling for bankrupcy breaks my heart, and this is coming from yours truly, who labeled the GM name plate the enemy for many years.I had always been either a Ford, or Chrysler as my second choice, type of a guy.
I just feel as an American, I want to support our heritage, and our country for that matter by buying American nameplate cars. My DVD player is a different story of course, and also I know most of the electronic components on American made cars are built in Japan. But people, at least in decades past never had the same kind of passion, and heart for there stereo, as they do their Automobile. Again, this is simply my opinion, but cars are my passion. I am a patriot, and I say buy American whenever possible, but again thats my deep rooted gut reaction when someone asks me what kind of car “tickles my fancy.”
-Simon Black
Common Mustang Parts Questions – 5 | How long does Standard Shipping take?
June 17, 2009
Q- How long does standard shipping take?
A-Shipping time varies depending on your specific location, and your shipping carrier.We are based out of northern California, so orders shipped via UPS will take anywhere from 1 to 6 business days.
Common Mustang Parts Questions – 4 | What carrier do you use for shipping?
June 10, 2009
Depending on the product weight, we use either UPS or US Mail for shipping. Because we offer FREE SHIPPING, we use whichever is the most cost effective.
Emissions Systems Parts for your Mustang
June 8, 2009
If your like me, sometimes the littlest thing on your ride can annoy you. For instance if your “check engine” light goes on, and stays on, that can be a huge distraction. Well this will be a short blog, but often times if your engine is performing at it’s best, or what you think is it’s best, and that annoying light goes on, it’s probably your emmisions system. Parts such as your O2 sensor, TPS sensor, (although your cars performance would tell you if that’s bad) your purge solinoid, EGR valve, or other emmisions control system parts in your Mustang that might cause the light to go on, and you tearing your hair out over it.
If that silly light still doesn’t go out after a while, you should defentelly have it looked at by a professional If you don’t have the proper diagnostic equipment of course. Usually what will happen is that a code will come up on the tester, and then you just need to translate that code from your repair manual, or the shop that’s looking at it. The code that comes up, and translated from the repair manual, will tell you what specifically is wrong, and what needs to be replaced. Sometimes the computer in your ride will need to diagnose that particular problem before the light goes out. But it should go out on it’s own. Just remember to have that checked out. Even if your pony car is running like a champ, you want your emmissions system functioning properly as well.
-Simon Black
Common Mustang Parts Questions – 3 | How long does it take to ship my order?
June 3, 2009
MuscleMustangParts.com makes every effort to ship orders within 1 business day! Once we recieve your order, we send you a conformation email letting you know that your order will ship out ASAP. At the wherehouse our crew pull the items from the shelves, packs them, and readies them for shipping via UPS or US mail. When your item has shipped, another email will be sent to you with the tracking information.
Note: Tracking numbers beginning with 1Z have been sent via UPS, and will show tracking as soon as they are loaded on the truck. Tracking numbers beginning with a 9 have been sent via US mail, and will show no tracking information until the package is actually delivered.
Mustangs Lifeblood – Regular fluid changes
June 1, 2009
If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough is keeping your fluids changed regularly. Especially your oil. Your oil is the lifeblood of your engine after all, so keeping it clean is a must. Changing your oil filter is just as important. Reusing the same oil filter after an oil change is like putting on the same socks after a clean shower. Depending on your Mustangs driving conditions, every 3,000 miles, or 6 months, whichever comes first is a good idea. In extreme dusty conditions, every 2,000 miles or 3 months is a must.
Your fuel filter is one filter that’s not too bad to change somewhat regularly. Depending on how new of a Mustang you own, every 25,000 miles isn’t a bad idea (you will probably need a special tool to release the fuel coupling from the filter as well.) Don’t leave out your transmission. You should have a checkup on that every year. Also having your tranny flilter changed with a fluid change will maximize the life of your transmission.
As for your differential, that is a very thick gear oil that shouldn’t have to be changed but once every 100,000 miles. Unless you sumbmerge it in water of course. And no, “cruise control” does not mean the car can go for a swim. If you drive in extremly dusty conditions, you will want to have your differental fluid changed every 5,000 miles or so. Now that’s an extreme case of course, but you should check the leval in your differental from time, to time just to make sure.
Your power steering fluid is something you can tell if needs replacing yourself. Look at the fluid, and smell it. If the fluid smells burned, or looks very dark, almost blackish, replace it. If you hear a “grinding” sound when trying to turn, that’s a good sign you should have that taken care of too. Regular fluid changes are a must when wanting your Mustang to have the longest life possible. Even if your not a car enthusiast, that is the surest, and cheapest way to get the absolute longest life out of your car hands down.
- Simon Black
