What would the weight savings be?

 

According to this site... about 90lbs: http://www.evoperform.com/shop/index...roducts_id=442

 

Yep. Either you knew it was unpainted when you bought it, or you could have easily checked if it was THAT big of a deal. You're welcome to suggest that Ford paint future axles, but if you bought it that way and it has absolutely ZERO effect on function, then there's no reason that they should have to go back and fix it, now, or anything like that.

 

God, I'd hate to do business with your company....

 

I had a magnet in hand when I popped the hood yesterday hoping to check, but I could not reach the block from the top side of the engine. Gotta say, though, what little I could see of the block looked silver - not black - so I'm really curious now. Just gotta find a way under the car to verify (it's in our showroom, though, so not convenient to getting under the car).

 

Nice... how about checking the curb weight... inside of door? That should not draw as much attention as crawling under it in the showroom. If 80-90lbs less than the know iron block car, I believe 3,924lbs (coupe), then we may have something. Not 100% sure on weight, maybe someone with an earlier 2010 model can chime in... also the weight of a vert will be different. You never mentioned whether the car was a coupe or convertible.

 

I guess if you pay enough money, Shelby can equip your GT500 with about anything.

Unless they have just recently started producing duplicates of the cast-iron 5.4L in aluminum, all the earlier 5.4L aluminum blocks were Ford GT blocks, which must be modified to provide a mounting for a starter motor--the Ford GTs had no starter provisions in their aluminum blocks because their starters attached to the transaxles, if I am not mistaken. I have read of the effort required to drop a Ford GT engine into an F-150, and the article mentioned all the mods required to mount a starter motor onto that block.

Overall, I think that we woulda read/heard about aluminum-block GT500s becoming available as a regular--or even irregular--GT500 option (again, if you gave the Shelby outfit enough money I'm sure a one-off would be fabricated to your satisfaction).

Still, it will surely be a wonderful thing when GT500s come with aluminum blocks standard!

On another but related tack, it is time to start planning the next big GT500 upgrade beyond an aluminum block for the 5.4L. With the claimed resurrection of the Camaro Z28 with a superchared engine for perhaps 2011, the GT500 needs to come with a warrantied 750 HP instead of the unwarrantied 750 HP now offered in Super Snake conversions. And I'm thinkin' Ford needs to work it out with Shelby to move that 750 HP conversion directly to the GT500 engine assembly line so that the cars go to Shelby with 750 HP already under the hood. What say you?

Also, the GT500 hood needs to be built cheaper than it is now--can you believe that $31,000 bill for replacing a damaged GT500 hood! Sheeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttt!!! Stamp it out of aluminum in Ann Arbor, or change the design enough that it can be stamped out of aluminum in Ann Arbor. $31,000 is colossally too much!! Even the "compromise bill" of $12,000 that I read of somewhere is waaayyyyy too much. This ain't no way to build a Mustang--even if it is the baddest Mustang ever. A re-think HAS to be done here! What say you?

Greg "Eights" Ates

 

Well, good luck finding companies that will go back and upgrade the old versions (iron block) of their products to the specs of new ones (alum. block) for free... or who will retro-actively upgrade a KNOWN spec on a knowingly purchased product (unpainted axle), just because you think they should.


You're talking about the low-production, Carbon Fiber GT500KR hood. COMPLETELY different situation than a factory GT500 hood.

 

It would be stupid for a company in a middle of a model year to make a major change like the block. From just a PR standpoint alone. It's not even an issue because no 2010 GT500's have an aluminum block (one's in customers hands that is). The painted axle is being addressed and should be in place this fall. They advertised the car with it however it's an issue for another thread.

 

Greg, there already has been one recently available. It was recently offered by Ford Racing.

Its a Aluminum verison of the GT500 engine so it has all the mountings for the starter,wet sump and everything.

All Ford needs to do is drop it in the car, which they are going to do next year.

here is the link
http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...KeyField=10443

 

... or this year, hence the thread. Hopefully we'll either be able to validate this information/rumor, or put it to rest.

 

Companies make mid-year changes all the time for any number of reasons (there were mid-year changes in transmissions, heads, etc for 99-04 GT's, for example). That doesn't mean that the people with pre-change cars of the same year deserve an upgrade. They got what they paid for. That has absolutely ZERO bearing on what future customers get.

The painted axle may be being addressed, but not because it SHOULD be, but because you guys cried about it.

Look, here's a 2010 Mustang GT at the Woodward Dream Cruise:



What!?!?! A painted Axle! Every GT and V6 should get a painted axle, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and everyone should get a free glass roof because that car had one of those, too.

Just because a display car has some feature, doesn't mean that EVERY... or even ANY... production car will get it, too.

 

The sticker on the door jamb shows the GVWR, which is how much the car can weigh with passengers and cargo.

I pulled up the invoices for our early 2010 GT500 Coupe (which was already sold and gone months ago) and the invoice for our freshly arrived 2010 GT500 Coupe, and I checked the shipping weight listed on each invoice. They are both the same at 3795 lbs shipping weight per Ford (this only reflects a couple gallons of fuel). Add a full tank of fuel and fluids and it would yield the 3924 lbs curb weight specified by Ford, which is about the same as the iron block 07-09 GT500 Coupes (3920 lbs for the 09 per Ford).

Also, I just checked Ford's latest product specs at their dealer-only website and the 2010 GT500 is still listed as featuring a cast iron block with aluminum heads.

I'd still like to find a way under our freshly arrived '10 GT500 to see the engine block for myself to see if it's cast iron like it is supposed to be.

 

LOL of course the display like that will have painted axle, its sitting out in the open to the elements. they can't have it raining on it and then rusting when they are trying to show look of a new car not a used one.

 

No, Chris, if a display car has a certain feature, Ford must build EVERY Mustang with that feature. DUH!

 

Oh yeah,

 

Blainestang: You are correct! MY BAD! But this has gotta change, nonetheless! Too much is too much and even $12,000 is waaaay too much to replace the hood on any vehicle.

Greg "Eights" Ates

 

Knight: Thank you for this update! I'm glad it's available--and at a decent price, too! I further hope that this guy actually did get an aluminum block in his GT500, although I can't imagine that this would "just happen" whether or not a customer requested (and paid for) an aluminum block.

Greg "Eights" Ates

 

Actually every Mustang should be painted out the door. It's pretty **** poor the car wasn't painted. The Camaro and and Challenger IRS is and the rest of the car is clean underneath as well. The glass roof is different as it's an option.

As for mid cycle changes I remember the 99 Cobra one causing quite a fuss. It would not be a smart move by Ford to do this again.

Why you guys settle for low standards.....

Anyways I don't want this thread to become a discussion on Ford's **** poor job of Quality on the rear axle. It's about the Aluminum block and it's not in production 2010s so I think the topic is closed unless we want to keep beating a dead horse?

 

Whether or not you THINK the car should have a painted axle doesn't change the fact that is not standard OR optional on the Mustang line. If you HAVE to have a car with a painted axle, buy something else or paint it yourself. If you want it to be painted in the future, then try and talk Ford into it. However, just because a handful of guys THINK it SHOULD be painted doesn't mean Ford should go back and change cars that were already purchased when it was NOT standard or optional.



That had to do with them not making the claimed 320hp... not having a slightly different lug nut finish than the display car at the Detroit Car Show.


No, we just don't expect to get more than what we knowingly paid for.


No one sees it and it serves ZERO functional purpose to paint it. It has nothing to do with quality. It has EVERYTHING to do with keeping costs down except on functional or visible items so that the Mustang can continue to offer great bang-for-the-buck.


While I doubt it's Aluminum, we're still waiting for the guy to post pictures and results from the magnet test. So, it shouldn't be closed, yet.