Contains 25 items, last updated on 03/12/07
"We all know that modding our cars never really reaches the "that`s finished" stage,BUT i can actually say i think i`ve got there,at least for now!!
it`s because of this that i have decided to doccument my V6 project that`s taken around 4 years to come together,and hopefully some of you may find of interest.
It all started after aquiring the Panther Black Ghia V6,a car that i had NO intentions of modding,when after a few months the exhaust fell to bits.I just happened to know a member of the Torbay motor club who put me in contact with a firm that custom built exhausts for any cars,road,race etc,So after a call to them and some name dropping i ended up with a bespoke twin stainless system with Porsche pipes and boxes all for the same price that Mr Ford wanted for a single mild steel jobbie.But something wasn`t right,it sounded great,a nice deep burble,but it looked crap!It wasn`t the exhaust,the car being a Ghia didn`t have a body kit,so the exhaust was just hanging there,so naturally an ST24 kit had to be fitted (not wanting to go for the lairy stuff).the rear bumper was cut to take the 5X3" ovals for a neat new home for the pipes,job done.This solved the looks overall ,but after a few weeks i still wasn`t happy ,the wheels were too small and looked like they had an argument with the arches.A set of 17`s were sourced with a nice chrome finish,and looked good.So up to my 1st Mondeomania i went and what did i see? loads of Mondeos on 18`s!!
I realised that size did matter and promptly sold my 17`s to a mate for his fiesta!
on went my new Ace 189`s ,totally finished the car of.By this time i was on a roll and knowing what temps rise to under bonnet i decided to have my pristine bonnet cut a had some cossie vents inserted.nervously!!The outside seemed ok now ,after all i had had the car for about a year,so i thought the engine bay could be ,well ,better.
This is where my long time association with Martin @Mirage began and after lengthy conversations with him i ended up a bit poorer but owning all V6 products he made (at the time).Most of you know this has been ongoing,more to come later.This is where having a spare room comes in handy!Gradually the bits were put on the car looked good,nice outside ,shiny underbonnet ,decent wheels,a nice subtle motor that should be enough for a grandad but not this one as now i was after some more "go"and being the other side of 30 insurance wasn`t too much either.So after planning what i wanted performance and reliability,i looked for cheap bhp,this is when i stumbled across the American E-ram supercharger,not everyones ideal but it sure worked on my V6.good throttle response and teamed up with at the time a K & N kit sounded menacing too.So project V6 was well under way,and too complete this part of the development an FSE valve and Ecotek valve were fitted within 3 months and i can honestly vouch for all items ,they do the job.my car now jogged along nicely enough to embarass many boy racers,when the mood took me,safetly of course!This is how the car stayed for a while ,until i saw an article on the Vortex a kind of after market middle box with instant power gains!A trip to Salisbury to Autocraft saw me leave with a minimum 7bhp extra proven on their rollers and quite a bit emptier in the wallet as this system`s not cheap but well worth it,and when it`s run in they say the bhp could be even more.i drove home with a constant smile.untill i got home that is because the new box is round the old one was oval,i could not drive onto my drive!the only thing to do was yep,grind the top of the drive.Another month or two passed whilst i and my dear wife had a break from the hectic modifying plan,then just when she thinks i`ve done it all i tell her im having the windows tinted and the wallpaper and paint would have to wait a bit.Tint works in Torbay supplied and fitted the triple layer american security tints you see on now ,that have a flip effect in rain or sun shine,and at a very good ,haggled price.It was at Ford fair that Steve and i asked a bloke {later to be known as Simon Woolley editor of Fastford magazine} to judge our cars on stand for a best of prize,not wishing to influence we stayed well back and he picked mine. My reaction was "do i get a feature then"? I sure did and it was done over about 6 hours one Sunday in February,and 2 weeks later the m.o.t man informed me that i had been thrashing along for the photos with broken springs not 1 but BOTH front had gone bust.!!my wife`s old Rover had a tyre for the m.o.t pass my lovingly cared for Mondy 2 springs.
The trouble with the quest for power or looks or general improvement on our cars is that there is always another idea or what i call `em trade stands. A visit to one of these wallet lighteners at Trax ended up with me having a Superchip bluefin fitted by RSOC 1 in the pits on the Mirage stand all in 5 mins! This accumilated in an overall package that with the ongoing stainless parts developed by myself and Mirage yes loads more bits have been aquired ,that works,sounds,looks and goes well.I`AM A HAPPY CHAPPIE.the car does chug along at a fair old lick.i was content and it was a good few months before the next idea came to fruition i had wanted black lexus lights for a while ,to no avail, but during a short break in Newquay i happened to speak to a feller who had just got a new brochure in ,this coincided with an article in Fast ford mag ,they were going to be out soon .whoopie.!I did get them ,after a call to the manufacturers for the price as they weren`t on the market at the time and they were fitted just in time,on the friday before Mondeomania.and what a reaction they got,well worth the wait.Now project V6 could take a short break,as decorating duties beckoned well my wife did but it`s the same thing!
