bullitt2655
Active member
I'm glad I found this thread. i was going to ask about any local tuners as am thinking about adding some HP to the Bullitt. Didn't really want to drive to NH but that sounds like the way to go for custom.
Advice on Speed Shops, Part Suppliers and Dyno Tune
- Thread starter Jason Carpenter
- Start date
67 AGAIN
Enthusiast
Nice car Jason, I remember seeing it in Moncton now. I'm twisty roads focused so your track pack wheels and brakes caught my eye. I always pay a bit more attention to those cars. Yours was nice and clean.
I have very limited experience with your transmission. All of maybe 600 km's highway driving a friend's car, so no pushing it too much on the 1-2 shift. My car runs the TR-3650 five speed and shifts well across the board.
I'm not a tech, just a gearhead that reads a lot and assimilates a lot of information. I can say that when I drove my friend's 14 GT, my personal feeling was that the shifts on his car were not as crisp as in my car. I've also noticed that within the aftermarket world, BLOWFISH racing has come out with a shifter brace for our cars. It seems to be quite popular with the 5.0 guys, running your transmission. If you're lucky, you're issue may be as simple as a shifter issue. Especially if the dealership tells you they can't find anything wrong...
Quality shifters have also been very popular upgrades recently. Two companies, MGW and BARTON, are each making precision engineered and top quality built shifters. I'm talking firearms industry quality engineering and advanced alloys for rigidity and precision. The old popular shifters such as Hurst, Steeda and Pro 5.0 simply don't match up to these guys' engineering and precision. These are avenues to consider for you. I'm running a Hurst billet shifter and if I were redoing it, it would be BARTON or MGW.
The big American forums have threads on everything. You have to be careful not to take what's on there as gospel, but if you Google your specific issue, I'm sure something will come up. It may give you insight on where to start.
The big American vendor sights may also have ideas if you talk to some of their tech guys. I'm talking about Late Model Restoration (LMR), AM (American Muscle), CJ Pony Parts and Brenspeed.
And of course, the speed shops you have been enquiring about all work on cars that regularly race most summer weekends so they would be a very good starting point. Either Pete in NH, Ted Lewchuck in Montreal (Mustang Direct) or Joe Dasilva in Pickering would be good sources of information. These guys get everything come through their shops and all three are racers themselves so they've all seen a lot.
A call to any of them could be your start of a relationship with a speed shop. It does not matter which one you pick, just know that they are all very busy and their time is very valuable. If you do call one of them, maybe have thoughts in the back of your mind to eventually go and give that shop some work. Many people want to tap into their knowledge but not all are willing to give them the work. For them, their time is much better utilized speaking to patrons in their shop than someone on the phone they may never see.
I hope others with more wrenching experience chime in for you, especially if they have experience with your setup.
I have very limited experience with your transmission. All of maybe 600 km's highway driving a friend's car, so no pushing it too much on the 1-2 shift. My car runs the TR-3650 five speed and shifts well across the board.
I'm not a tech, just a gearhead that reads a lot and assimilates a lot of information. I can say that when I drove my friend's 14 GT, my personal feeling was that the shifts on his car were not as crisp as in my car. I've also noticed that within the aftermarket world, BLOWFISH racing has come out with a shifter brace for our cars. It seems to be quite popular with the 5.0 guys, running your transmission. If you're lucky, you're issue may be as simple as a shifter issue. Especially if the dealership tells you they can't find anything wrong...
Quality shifters have also been very popular upgrades recently. Two companies, MGW and BARTON, are each making precision engineered and top quality built shifters. I'm talking firearms industry quality engineering and advanced alloys for rigidity and precision. The old popular shifters such as Hurst, Steeda and Pro 5.0 simply don't match up to these guys' engineering and precision. These are avenues to consider for you. I'm running a Hurst billet shifter and if I were redoing it, it would be BARTON or MGW.
The big American forums have threads on everything. You have to be careful not to take what's on there as gospel, but if you Google your specific issue, I'm sure something will come up. It may give you insight on where to start.
The big American vendor sights may also have ideas if you talk to some of their tech guys. I'm talking about Late Model Restoration (LMR), AM (American Muscle), CJ Pony Parts and Brenspeed.
And of course, the speed shops you have been enquiring about all work on cars that regularly race most summer weekends so they would be a very good starting point. Either Pete in NH, Ted Lewchuck in Montreal (Mustang Direct) or Joe Dasilva in Pickering would be good sources of information. These guys get everything come through their shops and all three are racers themselves so they've all seen a lot.
A call to any of them could be your start of a relationship with a speed shop. It does not matter which one you pick, just know that they are all very busy and their time is very valuable. If you do call one of them, maybe have thoughts in the back of your mind to eventually go and give that shop some work. Many people want to tap into their knowledge but not all are willing to give them the work. For them, their time is much better utilized speaking to patrons in their shop than someone on the phone they may never see.
I hope others with more wrenching experience chime in for you, especially if they have experience with your setup.
67 AGAIN
Enthusiast
In the name of full disclosure, I will reveal one other tuner I'm aware of. The name is Performance Quebec/Turbo Expert in a small town called St-Fereoles-les-neiges, about a half hour east of Quebec city on the north shore of the St-Lawrence seaway, just passed Mont St-Anne ski hill. The owner is named Frank. I have not mentioned him so far because I would not personally go to him myself.
He has a Dyno and his guy has a knack for getting a lot out of cars. A bit too much for my liking. One such example is a close friend of mine from Northern NB who went to him for a Paxton SC install on a 2005 3V 4.6 liter. Job very well done and clean. My concern is they delivered and equivalent of 638 hp to the crank on a stock bottom end. I'm not an engineer but I think it's too much, too lean, and a blow up waiting to happen. I don't know that the stock bottom can take that much.
My buddy knows this too so he's always driving his car carefully to prevent the worse. Ho he likes showing off the Dyno sheet at car shows but he is not truly enjoying his car. He's always worried about what might or could happen. In fact, he'd be open to selling his car right now.
Disclosure done. My guy remains Dasilva. My geographic location in northern NB facilitates this.
Pete in NH a very good option for all NS, PEI and southern NB residents, no doubt.
He has a Dyno and his guy has a knack for getting a lot out of cars. A bit too much for my liking. One such example is a close friend of mine from Northern NB who went to him for a Paxton SC install on a 2005 3V 4.6 liter. Job very well done and clean. My concern is they delivered and equivalent of 638 hp to the crank on a stock bottom end. I'm not an engineer but I think it's too much, too lean, and a blow up waiting to happen. I don't know that the stock bottom can take that much.
My buddy knows this too so he's always driving his car carefully to prevent the worse. Ho he likes showing off the Dyno sheet at car shows but he is not truly enjoying his car. He's always worried about what might or could happen. In fact, he'd be open to selling his car right now.
Disclosure done. My guy remains Dasilva. My geographic location in northern NB facilitates this.
Pete in NH a very good option for all NS, PEI and southern NB residents, no doubt.
Jason Carpenter
2012 GT premium black brembo
Thanks I have been doin some reading and the Mgw race spec shifter seems to be the way to go. The thing I am wondering is I purchased a 2 year warrenty in the spring with my car from Carson exports. My gut tells me to just buy the shifter because I read about it curing the problem. But if I do and it's not they will prob blame the shifter so I suppose my first step would be to take it where I. Bought it and hopefully there techs are good and get it shifting like it was. Like I said me learning the finesse of this tranny may have helped. But as I caught on a couple lockouts too late it was actually a very nice transmission to shoft at 6600 where I got rubber in 4 gears no problem with a beautiful sounding acceleration. If I could just know what I know now I don't think I would have this problem but who knows I read about a lot of problems. Anyways thanks so much for the compliment on my car And all the info. I also remember urs from nb also a nice clean car!!
Jason Carpenter
2012 GT premium black brembo
Just back from a drive my 1-2 crunch I have goes away completely at low rpm when warmed up but I tried shifting it hard at say 6000. Makes a quick little crunch with a little extra force I can hammer threw the gears and besides that little crunch in second it will go threw the gears as fast. As long and I heard it in another forum it almost wants u to think about every shift and if u do man will it go threw the gears... every gear before now a slight crunch nibble whatever ya call it. But I can shift it at 3500 warm with no crunch and downshift if slowed down to a very conservative speed better let the warrenty tech drive it there is 4000 per claim and it is all stock except a s superchips window mount programmer. Surley they should be able to figure it out it deff isn't normal nor am I comfortable making spirited 1-2 shifts which I like
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67 AGAIN
Enthusiast
There will definitely be a lot of twist on the whole driveline in first gear at 6000 plus rpm with that coyote engine. You may want to see about some quarter mile racer forums. They make those shifts to get down the track.
It's likely where that BLOWFISH shifter brace comes in the most handy to try and keep everything lined up as much as possible. Dasilva, being of that crowd along with many of his customers, had one on display when I was there in June, all bolted to a transmission and shifter in his showroom. I wish I had taken a picture. I could share it here.
Since you have that warranty in your pocket though, your idea to get the seller to look at it before you do anything with the shifter is a good one. If there is any doubt, I would ask if they can get the work done under subcontract by a Ford dealer, even if they impose a bit of a premium on you for that service. The techs at MacPhee Ford would probably have an idea. Especially the ones that work on the SVT and performance cars more often.
Regards.
It's likely where that BLOWFISH shifter brace comes in the most handy to try and keep everything lined up as much as possible. Dasilva, being of that crowd along with many of his customers, had one on display when I was there in June, all bolted to a transmission and shifter in his showroom. I wish I had taken a picture. I could share it here.
Since you have that warranty in your pocket though, your idea to get the seller to look at it before you do anything with the shifter is a good one. If there is any doubt, I would ask if they can get the work done under subcontract by a Ford dealer, even if they impose a bit of a premium on you for that service. The techs at MacPhee Ford would probably have an idea. Especially the ones that work on the SVT and performance cars more often.
Regards.
Jason Carpenter
2012 GT premium black brembo
Ordered a Barton 2 post shift bracket read threw the 96 good reviews and some problems sounded excatly like mine and the ones that sounded the same as mine were the stock bushing chewed up which I may have done with my streak of recent lockouts playing with my programmer for quarter mile times. Will post my results as I read in the. USA forums it's fairly common. The first gear that goes like mine seems to be second then progressively to third. So hopefully where mine has only 20 k on it since starting to make the crunch into second this will fix it.
Jason Carpenter
2012 GT premium black brembo
And also if my stock bushing is not chewed up like a lot described with my problem or it doesn't help it is only a 40 min job to switch it back. If it works as good as so many reviews say then I should have no worries. That's where I am now basically. It deff looks like a well made piece!!
Jason Carpenter
2012 GT premium black brembo
This issue was long since resolved but i will say my transmission was rebuilt no problem threw CARSON EXPORTS DARTMOUTH who I bought it from. It shifted like butter with some plastic parts replaced with brass and synchro issues fixed. Now I run a white line transmission bushing and a Barton short throw shifter with 2 post bracket and i will say the transmission works great since. I have a stainless clutch line that wasn’t installed but I think with them parts installed is the cheapest and best wAy to get ur mt82 to the point of very fast consistent shifts. It is a little noisier and it shifts short and clicks into gears. Can see why they made it so mushy stock for average drivers but I am fairly spirited driver and now I can tow threw the gears with no lockout or missed gears. This transmission is not as bad as I read about it. With a few performance parts it feels like more of a muscle car for sure
Anytime you change a transmission, reared gears and clutch
to a performance gear it will be a bit more nosier, but the gains are immense.
I remember doing my 08, macleod pro street clutch, massive difference.
373 gears, guy installed was transmission and rear end guy for ford for
40 years, retired did a few on the side, warned me it would a bit louder
and would notice, I did but never an issue, the gains were worth it.
to a performance gear it will be a bit more nosier, but the gains are immense.
I remember doing my 08, macleod pro street clutch, massive difference.
373 gears, guy installed was transmission and rear end guy for ford for
40 years, retired did a few on the side, warned me it would a bit louder
and would notice, I did but never an issue, the gains were worth it.
TrueBlue02058
Post King
Ohtobbad;n24653 said:
I guess the headers, exhaust and Blower drowned out the sound of the noisier gears. :FordSmile