dave91gt

This is the kind of publicity Ford needs regarding their new truck / engine. Grassroots proof!. Those of us that have attended sled pulls, know the crowd that attends are usually the working kind of crowd (trucks that is). If you can show off a STOCK truck making a full pull, you are showing something. All of the local pulls around me are dominated by Cummins. There are not too many Super Duties that even enter. The Cummins is one pulling machine. Too bad it is strapped in a Dodge.....

In my opinion, the Camaro is still following GM's typical plan for that car. Great powertrains and suspension, lacking on interior and usefulness. Back in the eighties, the Camaro was a good handler (Iroc), great brakes, acceptable power, but a heavy uncomfortable pig. The Mustang Fox body was cheaper, as fast or actually faster than the 350 cars (305's were no comparison), braked decent for the day but was more comfortable to drive. The LS1 cars had awesome power out of the box, decent handlers, but boring and uncomfortable interiors. And still heavy. Then they died. The Mustang had some low points with the 96-98 Mustangs powerwise, but they outsold the F twins combined because the public enjoyed driving dynamics of the Mustang. Now the new Camaro I think is a good start for GM as it has good power, brakes, and to a point looks. But have you actually looked at the dash? It IMO is absolutely hideous. The trunk space is smaller than a GEO Metro and the driver needs to be 5'10 to avoid rubbing their head on the headliner. The pent up demand is driving the sales, but I think the path is set for the Mustang to keep the overall popularity vote. If nothing else, competition is good and hopefully Ford will compete with better power in both V6 and V8 engines. Again that is my opinion, and I am obviously biased toward the Mustang. The magazine tests are all over the place on some highs and lows.

I believe the V6 Camaro does the 1/4 mile in the mid 14's with the GT running them in the mid 13's. The GT also outhandles the V6 and SS car. The TRUE comparison in my eyes is top of the line to top of the line. Shelby vs. SS, vs. SRT8 Challenger. The Mustang is much more expensive, but you get a lot for that $$. If doing a V6 comparo, the Mustang V6 is no match-yet.

I became a Mustang follower way back in 1987. I was a junior in highschool. One friend had a stock 84 GT 5 speed and another had a late 70's Trans AM with a 403 Olds motor. They sneaked out one day at lunch to see who was the fastest. The Mustang put 3 cars on it. 3 times. I was hooked. I have had 6 Mustangs with my 91 GT being my favorite and keeper. Those cars(Foxes) were never the best quality, but back in their day, they were the best value. Right after I bought my 91, I was heading back home from my parents house when I hit a particularly long straight stretch on the interstate. I was cruising along at 70 mph, stereo blasting, loafing in fifth gear. Then it happened. A same era Formula 350 passed me. Go time. With 3.08 gears, it was a top ender for sure. I dropped it into third, then fourth (caught him at this point) wound fourth out and shifted into fifth after I passed him. I started hearing a lot of wind noise and looked at the speedo. It was just going past 140! Not good for those cars. I had another buddy that switched to the dark side by buying a 96 LT1 Firebird 6 speed. He retuned the computer, added a Moroso cold air kit and a Flowmaster exhaust in the intent of wiping the old Fox in the eighth mile. I thought I was toast as I only had 3.55's and exhaust at this point. I beat him by a car length every time. In the quarter, I am sure he would have creeped past. But not in the eighth. He eventually sold it and went back to a Fox. Sorry for the long winded post, but those that know Mustangs know the Fox Mustangs really started an iconic following. At least they did with me.

I know i would hate to be that supplier. Line shutdown's would likely force an already weak supplier to bankruptcy.

Rumor has it that it will be re-opened. Supposedly some racers came together with the money to re-open the business. They are shut down right now inventorying.

I will add my .02. I am in the auto industry but do not work directly for Ford. Our company is experiencing the same turmoil all though not on the same scale. My hope as well as yours is that people start buying cars again. I have been a Ford owner for several years. I attend several Ford swap meets and drag race my 91 GT. Let me tell you why I am a Ford fan. I bought my 91 GT 5 speed as the second owner with 75,000 miles in 1996. I traded an 88 GT for this one. I like to drag race, so obviously the 91 has seen several trips down the 1/8 mile. I raced it stock, then with bolt on's, then with a 100 shot of nitrous (2 seasons). I would drive the car to the track (65 miles one way), bolt on the slicks and launch at 5800 rpm on nitrous and powershifted all gears. I stopped at 125,000 miles to build a motor as the wife and I built a house and I got a 3 car garage out of the deal. Up until the day I parked it, it never once broke or left me stranded. The original axles, clutch and longblock had never been touched. I have since built a new 302 and began racing again. Although this time, I beefed the rearend to handle my abuse. The car has the original paint, no dents or rust and it is far from ragged out. I have had several cars, but this one will be with me forever. I am also a diehard Ford truck guy, having everything from a 78 F150 with a built 400M to my current Excursion with a V10. Included in the mix were 3 Super Duties- V8,V10 and 7.3 diesel (loved that one). I suppose I am just comfortable in a Ford and not one has ever let me down. As well, I am familiar with them. My wife has an 06 Five Hundred that is simply amazing. The car has 37,000 miles and the only real issue has been rear brakes. It returns fantastic gas mileage, is very comfortable and roomy, and looks like it is worth more than it is. Still no squeaks or rattles. I do not want to hear any more crap from lawmakers that the big three do not build cars that we want. What was the best selling vehicle again? Thats right. Not a Prius. To the Ford employees- thank you for building cars and trucks that I want and keep it up.

It was quite interesting seeing them get grilled. I work for a major supplier to each of these. Losing anyone of them would be a major blow to our livelihood as well as others. To say "just let them fail" has more meaning than just saying the words in anger. I also do not get the argument that they are at fault for making gas guzzlers. We buy / bought them. How is it their fault? They all offer high fuel economy models. The bottom line is when gas skyrocketed, the consumer changed their focus so fast, the automakers could not keep up. This is just my take on the whole mess. My F150 came close to getting replaced by a Focus. Glad I didnt do it now as I would have lost my butt and I actually use my truck. On top of that, all of this information getting broadcasted about them nearing bankruptcy does not inspire consumer confidence. When it is all you hear on the news that GM is about to go belly up, their showrooms turn into meeting rooms for salesmen. Who would take a chance on them right now? At least Ford has taken some action to protect itself. It will turn around as these things are cyclical. I just hope they survive and save some face while doing so.

This one WAS that slow, that night, at Kanawha Valley Dragway. And, it was a 6.1 bright orange, big wheels and all Challenger. He ran the car all night. The 8.8 is believable due to driver and computer nannies, but the mph (79) is the measure of horsepower. You can launch like total crap, but the mph is consistent with the hp hitting the ground. I have heard magazine reports (cant recall which one) say it runs mid thirteens in the quarter. Not a whole bunch better than a new GT and good driver.

Anyone seen the new Motor Trend? I really hate that magazine as they cannot judge a car any better than my 8 year old. But, they claim that the V6 runs bottom 6's 0-60 mph and GM's goal is sub 6's. That is the BASE model. And something else I dont understand. I for one hate IRS on a Mustang. It didnt work on a Cobra (maybe because Ford has trouble with making them last). Why are there some that think the Mustang has to have one to compete? More on my rant. I was at the dragstrip two weeks ago in my 91 solid axle Fox Mustang and there beside me in the staging lanes was a new Challenger. Bright orange and all. I looked over at the 6.1 Hemi badges and really wanted a shot at him. He got bumped one car ahead of me, so I didnt get to race him. Anyway, his best pass that night was 8.8's. That was after several passes. Granted he didnt have anything but street tires, but the mph was below 80 the whole night. Now that doesnt sound much to me like 400+ horsepower. LS1's? There was one. The Mustangs outnumbered everything else. The Mustang will be fine as long as Ford doesnt forget the grassroots racers and people that buy a Mustang as an affordable fun car that we can beat the snot out of on the weekends. That is what makes a Mustang a Mustang IMO. That philosophy worked in the past and that is why the Mustang is still around. I for one cant wait for the Camaro to come out. Competition will breed a better Mustang.

I too agree with some of these statements. I have a 91 Mustang GT with a T5. That car(for it's day) was fairly sophisticated and safe (airbags). With a stock motor and bolt on's (3.55's, exhaust, cai) it would pull mid twenties on the interstate and run 7.80's on the dragstrip with a 100 shot (while weighing 3200 or so lbs.). Granted my new motor will not pull that. I had an 03 GT 5 speed all stock and managed 28 mpg. going to the OBX. Then there was the 88 Escort EXP that pulled high 30's on a trip. Underpowered, yes, but it had a sunroof and AC. The fact is, manufacturers are feeding our desire for performance and safety and the fuel mileage has been the thing to suffer as well as complicating cars and trucks. Just look at the diesel 3/4 ton's. Their fuel mileage is horrible compared to say an early nineties Cummins or Powerstroke. A 4.10 geared RC Cummins could easily knock down low 20's from talking with people I know, yet the new trucks dream of it. However, the new trucks are quiet and powerful. Another experience- my wife bought a new 2001 Dodge 1500 QC with a 318, auto and 3.55's (4X4). That pig never got over 12 mpg with the average being in the elevens. To top it off, it had zero power. I at the time had a 78 F150 with a built 400M, 4 speed, and 4.10's that would jerk the tongue off of a trailer and get 10 mpg empty while doing it. However, the F150 had crank windows and no AC.

Visit My Website Hopefully I pasted the link correctly.

You will enjoy Japan. I went for work in 2005 (first time overseas). I flew into the Nagoya airport and stayed in a Nagoya hotel. While there, we visited Kyoto, where there are shrines galore. The people are extremely nice. Their country is very traditional. I ate at a Mcdonalds there just to say I did. The food was about the same. The cars were all small, with the biggest being SUV's the size of a Toyota 4 runner. I enjoyed my time there. The flight sucked though. I flew from WV to Detroit (45 minutes). The flight from Detroit to Nagoya was 13 hours or so.

I too was surprised they had one on display. In addition, they had a Flex Limited on the turntable as well as a new Bullit Stang. I may be simply conservative on my styling tastes. But I do agree with the one poster that stated Ford trucks look better on the higher end versions. The current FX4 is very tough and I think the design works well between the interior and exterior. Maybe it was the color scheme of the FX4 that I didnt like. There is a black XLT floating around on the boards that do a better job of hiding the ugliness. It actually looks good for what it is worth. One thing I am keeping in mind is that there are different wheel packages as well as paint schemes for everyone. I didnt like the color/wheel scheme on the one at the autoshow. It looked cartoonish. As far as the Ram goes, I think the normal Dodge fan will applaud it simply because it is a Dodge. I do not see them gaining market share from Ford on a significant basis. One thing I do not understand is this. Dodge was able to gain alot of horsepower from their 4.7 since it's inception. Ford had to resort to 3V heads and I do not think they match the 4.7 in hp and torque currently even with that change. Isn't the 4.7 an OHC motor like the 4.6?

And I must say, I believe they screwed up the styling. This is my opinion, but the new truck had less traffic than the current one. The model they had was the blue FX4. The doors were locked and the hood shut. I personally was disappointed. The little drop piece on the headlights looks cheesy as well as the taillights. The interior (looking through the window) looks impressive, but it doesnt match the style of the exterior. The FX4 wheels are ugly and not a bit off roadish looking. I am a long time blue oval lover. I drag race a 91 GT and have owned at least 8 F-series ranging from a 78 F150, 88 f150, 03 F250 gas, 03 F250 diesel (7.3), and currently an 03 F150 Screw. I just think the styling leads a lot to be desired and I reserved judgement until I seen one in person. Curious as to what the other styles look like.