DFB's Garage

Despite my neck giving me gyp again, and dealing with nuff nuff's on Facebook Marketplace, nothing is going to take me down today!

First, probably the easiest repair I have ever done, replacement of the HS 45's primer bulb.



This is as simple as it gets, four small Phillips head screws, prize the plate away from the carb, push out the old perished primer cap, then push in the new one. Put the plate back in place and reinstall the screws and the job is done. A working primer the result!



Next, it was off with the new Rover's rear wheels to sort out why it wouldn't "free wheel". As mentioned the other day, the cogs looked ok through the inspection port, but I decided to replace the cog and pawls as I had them in stock. Removal of the wheels was difficult, those tension washers are a bastard to remove, then there were burs on the wheel shaft which I needed to file down to remove the wheel.

On the first side, nothing looked out of spec, in fact the cogs looked perfectly serviceable, still, I replaced them and lubricated the outlet of the driveshaft as it was squeaking. With that wheel put back together, I moved to the other side and immediately discovered the problem.................



In this case, the pawl (the thin piece of metal that slots into the driveshaft) was frozen in place, which prevented it from moving out of the way to allow free movement without the drive engaged. After cleaning the shaft, which also required some abrasion in the slot of the driveshaft to remove some rust build up, everything went back together for a test run. Success! She is driving smoothly and will free wheel and not lock-up when making turns. Again, I can't believe I have a basically new Rover ProCut!
 
Next on the agenda, the Ranger's headlights were bugging me!



I've covered these dam things many times now, the horizontally exposed surfaces succumbing to UV damage from very early in the car's life. Replacement requires the removal of the bumper, which I can't be bothered doing. The same thing is happening to my father's newer PX III Wildtrak. I've been polishing them out every now and then, followed by a sealant, last time I put Gyeon Pure EVO on them. I even tried my hand at putting PPF on one of them before cracking the sh.ts in frustration................I don't have the patience for that sort of thing.

So, here we are again polishing them out, Rupes DA Coarse on a microfiber pad, followed by Rupes DA Fine on a yellow foam pad. Note, they looked worse in person, the camera hides the haze.



This time, I lashed out on a headlight specific coating to see if this will give me better results. Optimum Opti-Lens Coating is an advanced polymer coating that was designed specifically for headlight lenses..................

"This hybrid resin is a combination of Opti-Coat 2.0 ceramic resin and an acrylic resin for maximum bonding and protection of acrylic and polycarbonate lenses.

Additionally, Optimum Opti-Lens Coating contains high levels of UV absorbers to minimize discolouration and fading of automotive headlight lenses."




That small 10ml syringe of product is supposed to coat 5 - 6 sets of headlights, so like any coating, a little goes a long way. Once the headlight is polished and wiped down with IPA, the coating is applied and allowed to sit for about 5 min, any remaining high spots are then leveled with a towel.




I have no idea if this will give me a longer lasting result, Optimum suggest the bond is permanent and can only be removed with abrasion. I've seen claims of up to 12 months or more. We shall see. In the meantime, I'll also apply it to the old man's Wildtrak and see how it goes. Otherwise, I'll bite the bullet and pull the bumper off and replace them.
 
So, my day actually started with me feeling sore and sorry for myself, I didn't sleep very well, and my neck is giving me grief again. After breakfast and a strong coffee, I got in the car for a trip to the bank, the Stihl dealer and then off to the Ford dealer to leave my number plates and touch base again, in that order.

In actual fact, I had only ever spoken in person with my salesman twice, first was on the 21st of September 2022 when I put down a deposit for a new Mustang. I then sat with him on the 30th of October 2023 when Ford released pricing for the new Mustang. All other correspondence has been by phone, text message or email, which suits me just fine.

Standing in the bank to be served was an exercise in frustration, always is. On my way out of the bank and the Stihl dealer next on the agenda, I took a glance at my phone and spotted something that took my breath away!
 
That picture was taken seconds after delivery. If I had gone to the dealer first instead of the bank, I would have seen the car being driven off the truck! Safe to say, I didn't go to the Stihl dealer next! I messaged back and said I would be arriving in a few minutes!

As I walked into the showroom, I spotted the car sitting in the delivery bay, the salesman collecting all of the build sheets and window sticker. As he walked towards me, I started to choke up and was nearly brought to tears................................after 765 days, or 2 years and 25 days, my new car landed at my local Ford dealer!









The car is dirty, as expected, but oh so sweet in person. As others have noted, pictures don't do the S650 justice. Compared to the S550, this new Mustang is sharper and tauter looking. Those blacked out headlights are soooo good, especially comparing to the non-black pack Mustang that was also delivered today. I still hate the wheels, they block the view to the red Brembo calipers that come standard with Magneride.

I also got the opportunity to fire up the engine for the first time, and a few cheeky blips of the throttle with the exhaust in track mode. Compared to my S550, its a little tame, so I may end up swapping out the suitcase resonator for an X-Pipe, I actually love the standard angled exhaust tips.

After an extended chat and walk around the car, I also got to meet the detailer in person to go over what I wanted and to show him over the Flow number plate brackets. They will wash the car as normal, I want it presentable and any issues noticed/sorted before delivery. I know a lot of guys say "DONT TOUCH IT", but I would rather anything wrong noticed before I hand over the cheque. There will be no polishing either, which he understood after I explained my background. I feel like I'm in safe hands.

Being mid-week and the detailer away on Friday, I was happy to have the car delivered next Tuesday, I want it done right. There is probably more to say but I'm so wired at the moment!

I can't believe this is actually happening!
 
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As mentioned, the salesman grabbed the window sticker and production line papers before they went in the bin. I mean, they are meaningless to most and only the very die-hard car guys would get a kick out of this, but its nice to have. I'll be making copies of the S550 versions and will send the originals with the car for the new owner.

 
One down, one to go.

I managed to sell the HS 45 within 24-hours, it went to the guy who didn't even ask for a discount, in other words a gentleman. I of course knew what I would be in for, but it always surprises me how stupid some people can be.

"Is this still available"............................well, yes it is, I only listed it for sale 60-seconds ago. :unsure:

Or this little dance...................

Hello, is this still available?

Sure is................


$110 and its done!......................

$100 I'll pick it up now mate

Deal! It does need a new primer bulb, which I had intended replacing tomorrow anyway once I get the part, but it still runs with or without.

How much is the primer bulb?

About $5.00.

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And that's where the conversation ended. First of all, I don't know you, you are not my "mate". Why does everyone talk like that when selling something. Mate this, mate that. No! We are not mates. Secondly, if the difference between buying something or not comes down to $5.00................well, you shouldn't be buying used crap off Facebook if you can't afford a $5.00 primer bulb!

Then, someone wanted to swap my hedge trimmer for something else. I'm trying to get RID of some crap, not acquire more!

Anyway, I'd say all this was amusing if it weren't so silly. And THIS is why I'm trading my Mustang and not playing the idiot game, albeit at considerably higher prices.
 
Also, I only just realized something went wrong with my image edits, I had two years to get that post right! :(
 
Hope you sell those Ford Racing wheels to get some bronze wheels for your S650

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Hope you sell those Ford Racing wheels to get some bronze wheels for your S650

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Still on the fence there. The stock chrome lugs will be first to go, I already have some black ones to go on the car.
 
Well you already don't like the rims blocking the Brembos....

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The new mustang looks great! Let us know what you think of the 10 speed….they sure are fast!

Which direction are you thinking for wheels?

Edit: Also a review of the sound system! I think I know ow which artist will be played first from earlier posts.

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She's beautiful, DFB!

You know what's so crazy, I really don't see very many S650 Mustangs around town. Over the years, you'd see a plethora of new Mustangs when new models dropped. Is Ford making much less?
 
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As mentioned, the salesman grabbed the window sticker and production line papers before they went in the bin. I mean, they are meaningless to most and only the very die-hard car guys would get a kick out of this, but its nice to have. I'll be making copies of the S550 versions and will send the originals with the car for the new owner.

Are you saying that in Oz it's common practice for the dealers to dispose of the window stickers after the sale? That's definitely not the norm here in the states.
Congrats on finally getting your ride delivered!
 
She's beautiful, DFB!

You know what's so crazy, I really don't see very many S650 Mustangs around town. Over the years, you'd see a plethora of new Mustangs when new models dropped. Is Ford making much less?

I’m 30 minutes from Ford HQ. I’ve seen quite a few. Every one of them so far has sounded great. I’ve seen a lot of vapor blue on them.


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Are you saying that in Oz it's common practice for the dealers to dispose of the window stickers after the sale? That's definitely not the norm here in the states.
Congrats on finally getting your ride delivered!
Window stickers are not really a thing in Australia and are not displayed on cars. There are only a handful of cars sold in Australia that are manufactured in the USA, so that also contributes. So, window stickers are merely a keepsake for enthusiasts here, and even then, the only enthusiast level cars being the Corvette and Mustang, I can't see a Jeep buyer getting excited about a window sticker.
 
She's beautiful, DFB!

You know what's so crazy, I really don't see very many S650 Mustangs around town. Over the years, you'd see a plethora of new Mustangs when new models dropped. Is Ford making much less?
Mustang is an image leader/builder for Ford, the demand will always be there, especially now with the demise of the other V8 Pony Cars. So, when there are hold-ups with parts and components, Ford prioritize the models that make them more profit (F-Series), or the models where they have huge competition that could have a buyer going across the road and buying a Chevy or RAM instead. This happened recently when Ford were having supply constraints with the 5.0 V8 and certain transmissions, it actually stopped the flat-rock line for 4 weeks, but you can bet your life they didn't stop making F-150's. Mustang on the other hand, as evidenced by my case, the buyer will wait.
 
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