November 2001
Pulled the transmission out of the car for a rebuild (grinding going into 2nd gear when cold). The case was completely covered in oil and grime from a bad oil leak on the back of the motor, and it took two cans of engine degreaser to get it clean enough to recognize it as a transmission. Also started pulling various parts and accessories off the motor so that I can pull it out of the car as well (borrowing a hoist and engine stand from a friend). I've gone back and forth trying to decide on whether or not to rebuild the motor while I've got it pulled out, or just to replace all the external gaskets to eliminate the oil leak (original plan). With the possible future of our region's 2002 schedule looking grim (might not be able to run at Reese Center anymore ), I might dip into my tire budget to rebuild the motor, and start the 2002 season late.

December 2001
I got everything pulled off the motor and ready to pull out, and noticed that the motor mounts were completely shot to hell. I did some research and asked some questions on the RR/AX-Mustang e-list and decided to purchase new motor mounts (and tranny mount) from the '90 convertible Mustang which are a different and stronger design. These mounts became standard on all Fox3 Mustang body styles in 1991 (go figure! ). After weighting all the costs of rebuilding the motor (basic rebuild vs. rebuilding it to 1993 Cobra specs), I've decided to just replace the gaskets, timing chain, and oil pump and wait a few more seasons to save up the money to rebuild the motor to 1993 Cobra motor specs (heads, cam, valvetrain, etc.). As much as I drive the car, it probably won't even see 500 miles in the next three seasons anyway. I also rebuilt the rear differential again while I had the car incapacitated and up on jack stands and modifed my Strut Tower Brace.

January 2002
With the motor and tranny out of the car, I was able to completely clean the underside of the car and the engine compartment. It almost looks like a new car under there now! I took the transmission over to my friend's shop (one of my sponsors - Boost Performance) so that we could pull it apart to see what needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, 2nd gear and the 1st to 2nd gear slider needed to be replaced as well as all the necessary parts to refresh it. Total cost for the tranny parts ended up at $295.00 and I had only budgeted for $200 (the cost of a standard rebuild kit). Good thing I decided not to spend the money to rebuild the motor! I also got the motor disassembled, cleaned up, and reassembled with new gaskets, timing chain, and oil pump. During reassembly I discovered that my harmonic balancer needed to be replaced as well, so there was another $85.00 that I didn't budget for. The good news is that the motor is back in the car and all the accessories are getting reinstalled, and the tranny should be done by the end of the month, so everything should be back together before the season starts.

February 2002
Delays, delays, delays. The transmission parts came in later than expected, and by the time they arrived, my friend at Boost Performance was too busy with paying customer's cars to work on it right away. Everything else went together smoothly other than one of the tubes on the heater core breaking off (I'll replace that later in the season). I had everything put back together on the car that I possibly could before I got the transmission back, and spent a few days finishing everything up once the transmission was done. I finally got it all back together and running just 2 days before the first event of the 2002 season! I'm going to register a new domain name: "www.Cutting-It-Close-Racing.com". I was surprised that it started right up and didn't skip a beat, and that there were no extra screws, bolts, or nuts left over. Hopefully, everything will work out as planned (no more oil leaks), and it will be reliable for another 2 or 3 seasons without any major repairs.

For those that want to know, here's a list of everything that was done:

• Motor and transmission removed and thoroughly cleaned (first time the motor has been out of the car)
• Engine bay and undercarriage thoroughly cleaned
• Transmission rebuilt (seals, bushings, syncros) with 2nd gear replaced
• Rear differential rebuilt (left out S-spring)
• Strut tower brace modified from 3-point to 2-point
• All the gaskets and seals on the motor were replaced (except for the heads)
• Power steering pump relocated with new OEM bracket and new return lines
• New motor mounts (stronger units from convertible Mustang)
• New transmission mount
• New camber/caster plate spacers
• New crankshaft harmonic balancer
• New oil pump
• New timing chain
• New FRPP spark plug wires (black)
• New Ford Motorcraft spark plugs
• New PCV valve and filter
• New water pump with new stainless steel bolts
• New 180° thermostat
• New upper and lower radiator hoses

Now... let's go RACE!