Love of my life...

Back while we were all still waiting to see the 2010 Mustang I entered an essay into the Mustang story portion of the promotion. Of course I did not win (sigh) but this was what I sent in. It is corny but I liked it. :) Wednesday, October 08, 2008 1:02 PM "What would you like for your birthday dear?" I smile… More Mustang parts! You see, I'm not the average girl... dinner, movies and jewelry are nice but they just don't thrill me like the sound of my Mustang first thing in the morning. Luckily the love of my life doesn't mind that I have a human life partner. The love affair began when I opened the door to my best friend's garage at the age of 15 and there, unmolested, was her 1966 Mustang that her parents bought for her shortly after her birth in June 1966. I would sit in that beautiful car, smell the leather, examine every detail, and imagine a day when I would drive a Mustang as wondrous as this. Twenty one years later my dream became a reality as I drove my 2002 GT Convertible off the lot. This was followed by a 2004 40th Anniversary Edition Coupe and lastly by my 2006 Stampede Edition Mustang (#351 of 500). No other car has such a rich heritage, lasting legacy, and promising future as the Mustang. Its one car I remember as a kid, love as an adult, and will remember fondly when I pass it on to the next generation. The Mustang is one American Icon that will not fade with time. Now, speaking of the 2010 Mustang have you seen it? Pretty impressive! The first thing I was thinking was... "I wonder if they will put out any regional specials?" :) I'm sure if they do that the Texas/Oklahoma and California Markets will not be included. They took care of those with the 2005 & 2006 regionals. Of course, I could be wrong. The 45th Anniversary Edition, limited to 4500, was already announced. Hopefully this time they won't put the 45th badge on ALL 2010 cars like they did the 2004 40th Anniversary ones... Ever try explaining your 40th Anniversary Edition Mustang to someone with a 2004 40th Anniversary Mustang which, of cource, has a 40th Anniversary badge? They all think they have a "40th Anniversary Edition" when, in fact, that was a special package available in only 3 colors with specific options... only 5700 created and over 4000 of those were Crimson Red - A color that only exists for that special. The other two colors are Black and White. Ok, don't get me going on that. Back to the 2010... From what I've seen at the reveal event on Monday, on the website, the order guide, and the photos it appears that Ford designers spent some time at the local Mustang Club car shows. They paid attention to what we customized on our cars, what we liked and enhanced and what we added to it to make it better. Reading the order guide I see all these standard items that were aftermarket for the S197 crowd (is 2010 still S197?). If my car wasn't 1) rare 2) my baby and 3) owned by the bank I might actually consider an upgrade. Its nice to look though. :) The Grabber Blue and Kona Blue were awesome!! I can't wait to see what they will have done by the time the Stampede is paid off and in storage (not sold!).

Its been awhile!!

Yellow Rose was a smashing success.  Our little trio took Most Unique Display and all three of us earned Class Awards.  Not bad at all.  We had a blast!  We did a Red, White and Blue theme as the "Patriotic Ponies" honoring our those who have served/are serving our country.  Susan's "USA PNY" was the centerpiece of our display.  Each of us had an individualized show poster describing our car and then at each corner and at the center posts were pictures of all three cars together with a description of our display and what we were doing (Honoring our troops).  We also had a slideshow (with patriotic songs) of soldiers playing - some of which were family members of our club members including my Dad and my niece.  We had giveaways and candy and red, white, and blue mardi gras beads.  It was really fun. 

Its been a busy busy show season.  I participated in 18 Shows this season and earned 6 Class Awards, 3 Class Winners/First Place, 1 Director's Choice and the Most Unique Display honor.  I started showing half-way through the 2007 season and completed 12 shows earning 5 Class Awards, 2 Class Winner/First Place and one Participant Choice Award. 

Christmas is around the corner and I can't think of anything I want for the Stampede... Well, maybe some new leather covers for the seats but that's out of the $$$ range.  Future thoughts may include a GT bumper and duals.  My friend Donnie has a muffle delete that sounds sick on his Mustang! I keep imagining that times two!  Other than that, I may have someone look at the suspension parts and tell me if they are V6 or V8.  I don't think they are V6.  The car is lower than Susan's V6 (I've measured it thank you!).  The ride and handling are totally different.  I realize I have traction control and she doesn't but I can turn that off and it doesn't change the fact that it just sticks to the road.  We have the same wheels, same tires, same swaybars (?), same suspension (?)... I have ABS and traction control... but this thing corners like my old 2002 GT only better.  Seriously.  If you are a NTMC member and know me personally I'll let you drive it and see for yourself.  Something is different in this Stampede package...

Stampede ID Plate, AC Port Caps, and...

I had an ID plate made for Trinity (it took awhile to design and find someone to actually print it) but it is done and installed. I also found some awesome AC Port Caps by NDZ Perfomance.com. I got the ones in blue (surprise) and Susan got silver ones to match her new Scott Drake satin billet engine caps. :) Here are pics of the new ID plate and the AC Caps:

Also, a friend recently gave me a dealership Hero Card for the Stampede which I used to make a 20x30 Poster for my display at Yellow Rose:

More later!!! I have to run to catch a movie with my sweetie!

Rare Pony: 2006 Mustang Stampede Edition: North Texas Mustang Club - Cracker Barrel Lewisville Tx Photo #4#links

http://www.flickr.com/people/racphotography/

North Texas Mustang Club - Cracker Barrel Lewisville Tx Photo #4

North Texas Mustang Club - Cracker Barrel Lewisville Tx Photo #4, originally uploaded by SouthEast Dallas Photographer.

Look what I found on Flickr... My little Stampede next to Jason's #235. An awesome sight!

Yellow Rose Classic

It is official - Stampede #351/500 is registered for this year's Yellow Rose Classic in August! I wrote the check out last night and handed it over to the show chairman in person at the NTMC Board Meeting. We are at 92 days and counting... So much left to do!!! Anyone want to sponsor a showcar?? :)

Defining Light Photo makes an appearance...

Check out the June issue of Mustang Enthusiast (out now) for a Midwest Auto Gear ad. There is a Black GT with red flames in the ad that belongs to Bentley Palez. The picture of his car is one that I took along with some others off to the side there. There is a "photos by Defining Light Photography" reference as well. To see those photos in full size go here: Bentley & Donnie's Photo Shoot.

It really doesn't end does it???

And thank goodness it doesn't!! Cause I'm having a blast with this car! Here's the changes I'm about to make. These items have just been purchased and will soon be en route to me. JUST PURCHASED - APRIL 2008

• Mustang Underhood Stainless Steel Hardware Set
• Mustang headlight knob cover - Chrome
• Mustang automatic shift handle trim - Brushed Aluminum Billet
• Mustang seat adjustment switch cover - Brushed Aluminum Billet
• Mustang seat lumbar switch cover - Brushed Aluminum Billet
• Theft Deterrent Valve Stem Covers - Pony Tribar

I'll keep you updated! In the meantime, I'll update my MODS list shown further down this page.

New Airbrushed Plenum!!!

Cover by Midwest Auto Gear, custom paint and airbrush art by MadMic at Unique Automotive Designs. They also did my grille pony. Looks sweet! Speaking of, here is the grille pony they did for Susan's Mustang... Talk about a custom job. He did this one over and over until it was "just right". Her Stars and Stripes pony was fading out and looking kinda bad. I'm glad we finally got her into a MadMic pony!

First Show... 2008 Season Kicks Off!

Saturday, March 8th, at Grand Prairie Ford in Grand Prairie, TX the Mustang Club of America Board of Directors will be meeting and North Texas Mustang Club (NTMC) will be showing our cars in a dealer display from 9 AM to 3 PM. This will the first "show" of the season for the Stampede. This will be followed by the show in Palestine, TX on 3/22/08 and then our first cruise at Cracker Barrell (Lewisville, TX) on 4/12/08. Full NTMC calendar can be found at http://ntmc.org

2008 Show Season changes have been started (they are never "done"!). The plenum is en route from the talented hands of Mickey and his wife Michelle over at Unique Automotive Designs (aka Madmics). I know it hasn't been that long but the USPS seems to be taking FOREVER to get it here. :D Pictures will be posted! That is the crown jewel in the recent changes... Other pieces recently added:

• Retention Rod, Chrome Plated 22"
• MRT Hood Struts
• Satin Billet Door Sill Accent Pieces
• Radiator Extensions - Vista Blue Metallic
• Radiator Cover - Vista Blue Metallic
• Fuse Box Cover - Vista Blue Metallic (with added Chrome Pony)
• MUSTANG Sill Plates Letter Inserts - reflective blue
• Door Sill Accent Stripe Insert (1 per side)- reflective blue
• Dark Tinted Tail Lights (20%)
• Mirror Chrome (acrylic) accents & Blue Pony on Door Speakers
• Mirror Chrome (acrylic) accents on door reflector bezel
• Mirror Chrome (acrylic) accents on map lights
• Blue tire valve covers
• More Blue piping on dash

Removed:

• 1968 Mustang Script Emblems from sides

Even as I was working on these items I found a few more that I wanted to do and then there were others from my list that did not get done. Of course, my list is rather fluid and it changes as things are added. All changes are "bolt on" or items that can be easily removed at a later date when it is restored to original.

Oh... and I just turned over to 11K miles last weekend... She will be officially two on 3/30/08 (build date) but I will have had her two years in June. :D

(Check out updated pics on my CarDomain site!! http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2874230/4)

Some updated pics...

Not too recent but more updated than what I have here...


Yellow Rose Classic - 8/11/-8/12/2007


















Added Blue Piping

















Labor Day - 2007

















Added a personal touch to my Grand Design Mat - trunk mat:










And lastly... here is a little video.... just for fun!

Blue LED map lights from my friend Donnie last August for my birthday along with the new blue H11 & H13 bulbs in the headlights, blue ShowLenses, blue neon on the subwoofer enclosure in the trunk, and the sequential tail lights in action.

Getting ready for Show Season...

New items on the wishlist...

• Retention Rod, Chrome Plated 30"
• Retention Rod, Tote Bag 30"
• HOOD STRUTS,05-07,ALL,KIT
• SPARK PLUG WIRES,JBA,05-06,V6,9MM,BLUE
• DOME LIGHT ACCENTS,ALUM,05-07,MUSTANG**
• DOOR SILL PLATE ACCENT BARS,05-07,6 BARS
• DOOR SILL PLATE,05-08,STAINLESS,PR,CDC
• Radiator Extensions (Blue, Vista) - 60G9
• Radiator Covers (Blue, Vista) - 55G9
• Plenum Cover (V6), PLNMBSC17
• 2005 Ford Mustang Custom Carpeted Floor Mats With Logo, 2 PC, Gray, Pony.
• Headrest embroidery (custom)
• Floor Mat embroidery (custom)
• StreetGlow - Interior/Exterior
• Optima Blue Top Battery
• And a lot more...

These are all just ideas at this point. You should all know by now that I like to fully research and "think it out" before I spend the money. It if doesn't meet the theme or the project intital goals then I toss that idea and move on. I'll let you know if any of these come to pass. :)

The 2008 Show Season will be great!

New Pedals... Installed!

The new pedals arrived yesterday and I was very (pleasantly) surprised to find an additional pedal in with the auto transmission set that I had purchased.

Remember, when I originally posted about these I mentioned that I passed on the ones with the pony due to the fact that the pony on the auto transmission set was facing right? Well... Brian at SRP Racing read my blog and decided to surprise me.

As a special treat he included an extra brake pedal for the auto transmission with the pony facing left!! Yeah!

Needless to say, the plain one was not installed!

I managed to get through the rest of the work day and even to 6 PM before heading over to my friend Donnie's house. I'd like to say we installed them but Donnie did all the work. Something about "You don't want to watch..."... as he drilled into the metal of the brake pedal.

Here are some pictures of Donnie installing the pedals:

And the finished product:


















This weekend I'll get an updated shot of the interior with all the billet and these beautiful new satin billet pedals.

Thank you Brian for a quality product that performs as well as it looks and for your excellent customer service! I'll be recommending you to all my fellow Mustang owners!

2005+ Hood Blanket...

The hood blanket on my Mustang is something that I'd like to remove but I'm unsure as to how that would affect the car. The Stampede's stripes are vinyl and excess heat could damage them... An alternative would be this: http://www.wmsracing.com/pgi-ProductSpec?WMS-SHB05M But other than the cool pony in the center I'm not sure if I'd actually be gaining anything asthetically. The stock blanket is a fiber content (?) and this is ABS Plastic. It appears to be more gray than black. Can it be polished (Armor All)? Not sure I want to spend $80 to find out... I'll have to find someone who has this...

Christmas...

JUST ORDERED: SRP Racing's Classic Race Pedals - Satin Billet These are the Manual Transmission pedals in Satin Finish. They also come in Machined and other textures as well. These are plain but you can also get them with the GT logo, the Pony, and the Cobra. I didn't get the Pony because on the Auto Transmission version the Pony is facing the Right instead of the Left. I'm finicky that way... SRP Racing http://www.srpracing.com/cat_2005_mustang.cfm ADDED TO THE WISHLIST:

1. JBA PowerCables - 9mm Blue - Spark Plug Cables
2. Scott Drake Door Sill Plate Accent Bars - Brushed Aluminium
3. Scott Drake Dome Light Accents (for Active Alarm), Brushed Aluminium MRT Hood Struts

The above wishlist items are from Dallas Mustang: http://dallasmustang.com/. Dallas Mustang and Laurel Mountain Mustang (http://laurelmountainmustang.com/) are the ones who helped me get all the Scott Drake Billet cap pieces for under the hood just in time for Yellow Rose. (Thanks Guys! ) Oh, and the rest of the Christmas $$$??... I have a snazzy new Ality Pixxa 8-Inch LCD Photo Frame (with 512MB Memory) for my office that does photos, movies, and music... I have it programmed now to show different photos during the day each work week. It's cool to open my office door every morning and see my baby there. :) Every hour it changes then at 5 PM it displays the clock... Time to go home!! I also picked up some kick-A earphones for my iPod. The earphones are by V-moda and are called Vibe. These little in-ear phones pack some serious bass and awesome sound!!! I had been looking for some replacement phones and didn't want to buy Bose just on the brand's reputation alone. I had done some research on V-Moda and decided to try them out. I was very impressed. I wanted a set of phones that could handle the bass in the Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B that I listen to but also handle the complex mixing of the Trance, D&B, and Electronic. I needed an expansive sound stage with excellent response on the mids and highs as well. Still, comfort was essential. The phones that come with the iPod leave a lot to be desired. Anyway, these ROCK! They are VERY comfortable, I hardly know they are even there. The cord is a bit too long but that's ok. Both the frame and the earphones are from Sharper Image. I have four new CD's on their way. Three of these are ones I've owned, loved, but somehow misplaced. BT's ESCM, Digweed's MMII, and Kosheen's Resist. LOL! You have to love Trance/D&B to appreciate those names/titles. The fourth is TQ's second album, The Second Coming, which was never released in the USA. Susan and I have both been wanting to get that for a long time... His new album is due out in February. If you don't know who TQ is check out his website http://www.thugpoetry.com/. (NOTE: This is a R&B/Rap/Urban artist.) I also managed to add yet ANOTHER pair of Converse All Stars to my collection. I think this makes 31 now. :) So, all in all, my Christmas gifts to myself have been very nice. Not much for the Mustang... But reviewing my mod list and taking in account that this is a special there really isn't a whole lot more I can do. I'm sure there are more cosmetic things I can do to the engine maybe... even change a few more things on the interior... but if we get too carried away we go from classy to rice and unless it's on a plate I don't do Rice. One last thing, my sweetie bought the most beautiful necklace for me for Christmas. It is the infinity symbol and half of it is in diamonds. I'd seen it in an advertisment before Christmas and remarked on how much I liked it... She remembered. She is the best. :) Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year!! Reba

Christmas is coming...

That means $$$ for car stuff, camera stuff, or just 'whatever' stuff.... so it's time to figure out what in the world I want to spend it on. :)

"STAMPEDE 351" Badges...

While at the Yellow Rose Classic back in August I ran into a guy from a company called "On in 60 Seconds" who made some "STAMPEDE 351" badges for my car. All Stampedes have the interior badges but nothing on the exterior of the car to identify it as "Stampede XXX" in the 500 released.

I removed the "351" plates I had on the left front bumper and left rear trunk lid deck and put these in their place. They look sharp and quickly identify the car as a Stampede. On in 60 Seconds is interested in making these badges for all of the Stampedes as well as the CE's.

Here are the pictures of mine:















ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On in 60 Seconds: http://www.onin60.com/store/home.php



Quick Change Console Plates #16201
High impact plastic and lots of designs to choose from! (Custom Order: Stampede XXX - XXX = your car number)
Price: $12.95 EA Badge

New Subwoofer enclosure...

Dealer Info/Order Sheet - Stampede Edition Mustang

WTF is Nissan thinking??

2007 Nissan Develops Pop-Up Hood to Reduce Pedestrian Injury NISSAN REVEALS NEW "POP-UP ENGINE HOOD" SAFETY TECHNOLOGY Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has developed an innovative “pop-up engine hood” to help reduce head impact injuries in the event of a pedestrian collision. The new safety feature will debut on the new Skyline coupe, set for release this fall in Japan. The concept of the pop-up hood is based on a very simple principle: to help minimize serious head injury by creating more space to avoid collision with hard objects. In the case of a car-pedestrian collision, the engine hood is designed to pop-up instantly to help create a protective buffer space between the hood and the engine components underneath. Upon impact with a pedestrian and based on the severity of that impact, a sensor incorporated in the bumper activates the pop-up control-unit which in turn will trigger an explosive actuator that raises the hood. The pop-up hood also allows car designers greater freedom in having to balance the aesthetic of a streamlined hood design with the safety benefits of adding more protective space over the engine components. On a global level, Nissan is committed to build safer vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies. In Japan, the company’s safety vision is to halve the number of traffic fatalities or serious injuries involving Nissan vehicles by 2015 compared with the level in 1995. Nissan Tokyo, Japan Status: not an ad Type: car, ARTICLE, PRESS PHOTOS ONLY, NEWS FACTORY ----------------------------------- My Opinion: Is it just me, or isn't "Safety" supposed to be about NOT hitting the Pedestrian? Or anything else for that matter? Why not work on the engine and braking system so that the driver can avoid hitting someone walking or standing in their path? Give me a sensor that detects stupidity ahead and applies the brakes... I'd buy that!