Monthly Archive for January, 2010

What Kind of Spark Plug is Best for My Mustang?

Published by Heather on January 29, 2010 in General and Mustang Q&A. ( 8 Comments )

Component Confusion Part I: Spark-ing Controversy

Question: How do I know if I need to upgrade my spark plugs?

Answer:

NGK Iridium IX Performance Spark Plugs

These days it seems there are ten different spark plug variants for every one vehicle application – what’s up with that? What happened to the days when a car had more cylinders than spark plug options? When I started researching this topic I soon found myself up to my eyeballs in new and different spark plug technologies and pages upon pages explaining how they would indeed make your car better, faster, and stronger. Many brain cells were sacrificed trying to distill the abundance of information into something concise and effective but fear not! Those little neurons didn’t die in vain! Continue reading ‘What Kind of Spark Plug is Best for My Mustang?’

Stay in Touch With E-mail Updates

Published by AMStanger on January 27, 2010 in General. ( 6 Comments )

Are you going crazy trying to keep up with the dozens of sites you and all your friends are on? Do you check pages four or five times a day? Do you live in fear of missing an update? If that’s the case, let us ease your mind and lighten your load a little. Email updates are available for the AmericanMuscle blog, so you can sign up and be notified whenever there’s a new post. There’s no need to check dozens of times per day, and no need to worry about missing anything cool.

To sign up, just follow these three quick steps:

Click on the envelope icon in the top right corner of your screen.
Fill out your email address and a quick anti-spam verification.
A confirmation email will be sent to the address you used. As soon as you confirm your subscription, you’re set and ready to receive a notification any time a new post goes up.

AmericanMuscle, helping simplify your life.

Which Engine Oil is Best for My Mustang?

Published by Heather on January 22, 2010 in General and Mustang Q&A. ( 27 Comments )

Fluid Factoids Part I: The Mystery of Motor Oil

Question: How do I know what type of engine oil is right for my car?

Answer:

Image from Lawnsite.com

If you Google this topic you’ll get thousands of different answers from thousands of different sources. The debate over engine oil has been raging for decades and spans far beyond the age-old “synthetic vs. conventional” dispute. Oil is the lifeblood of your engine and without it–well… you know what can happen. So if you’ve ever found yourself standing in front of the “wall ’o’ oil” at the local parts place with a blank stare and a puddle of drool slowly accumulating under you, then hopefully this article will help make your next oil purchase a little less er… drooly. Continue reading ‘Which Engine Oil is Best for My Mustang?’

It’s Never Too Cold to Modify Your Mustang!

Published by AMStanger on January 18, 2010 in General. ( 12 Comments )

For most of us, the weather has turned pretty hostile. And while working on your Mustang in the middle of a snow storm may not be a great plan, the cold weather doesn’t mean that your ‘Stang has to stay penned up in its corral until spring. There are plenty of easy mods you can do in a few hours when the weather happens to give you a break.

Universal Winter Preparation

Image from justinmatson on Flickr

Whether you’re in California or New England, these tips for winter preparedness will serve you well.

Check your tire pressure. The change in temperatures will affect your tires, and they need to be properly inflated in order to grip the road. Not sure what your tire gauge should read? Check the side of the tire or the driver’s doorjamb for the recommended psi.
While you’re at it, check your fluids. It sounds like a minor thing, but making sure that you have the correct amount of washer fluid (one that’s designed not to freeze in cold conditions or includes a deicing agent is ideal), coolant, etc. will not only help your ‘Stang cope with the cold weather, it’ll help prevent maintenance-related breakdowns.
Wash your car, preferably about once a month. Instead of looking at all the road salt that’s crusted on your car and thinking ‘well, that’s gross!’, take it to your local car wash. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure you clean the undercarriage, too. It sees its share of salt and is just as vulnerable to rusting as the body.
Consider a car cover if you’re not going to be driving your ‘Stang for a while. It will protect your investment from the snow, salt, slush, and environmental contaminants until you’re ready to hit the open road again.

Continue reading ‘It’s Never Too Cold to Modify Your Mustang!’

What Do I Need to Lower My Mustang?

Published by Heather on January 15, 2010 in General and Mustang Q&A. ( 16 Comments )

Question: I want to lower my Mustang; do I need anything other than lowering springs?

Answer:

Lowering springs are one of our biggest sellers, and if you want to slam your Stang to the pavement and tighten up your handling they’re undoubtedly the way to go, but installing just springs could lead to a slew of other problems down the road. Check out our article on suspension basics and terminology, it will help you visualize what’s going on with your suspension from stock to slammed.

A Shocking Revelation…

$200-$300 for a 1”-2” drop seems like a steal, but in a few thousand miles your OE shocks and struts will be crying for help – aftermarket shocks/struts are a must. Lowering springs are shorter than factory, so they compress the factory shock/strut beyond what it’s designed to handle. The additional pressure will eventually break through the seals, resulting in a “blown” shock/strut. Lowering a car over stock shocks/struts causes the suspension to react uncharacteristically and can result in bottoming out and/or loss of control of the vehicle. Tokico HP shocks/struts are a great match for any aftermarket spring and would be my recommendation for a daily driver or non-track car. Adjustable shocks struts are great for street/track use, but keep in mind that they do not change the ride height – they allow the dampening to be fine-tuned for race applications.

Continue reading ‘What Do I Need to Lower My Mustang?’

AmericanMuscle Sends Mustangs to Troops

Published by AMStanger on January 14, 2010 in General. ( 7 Comments )

Not everybody can be home for the holidays. It’s sad but true, especially for the people who are deployed far from home while serving in the military. There are a few ways to help deployed military personnel make the best of their situations, including sending care packages. Two of the members of ModdedMustangs.com, a forum AmericanMuscle has worked closely with for years, decided to put together care packages for any deployed member of the forum who would like to get one. The organizers, Bob and Brandon, have both been deployed themselves, so they knew exactly what would be most useful and most appreciated.

Several members stepped up to the plate and donated cash or supplies, and AmericanMuscle was among them. We decided to send radio-controlled Mustangs, since the folks getting the packages hadn’t seen their ‘Stangs in a while. They were our favorite contribution, but we rounded things out with some coffee, beef jerky, and other provisions that are generally in short supply when you’re overseas. Other donations followed the same pattern and mixed the fun and the practical, too.