A few months ago, I decided it was finally time to do some real mods on our 2008 GT/CS. Up to this point, I had already installed most of the things I wanted to do to the car that I could install myself:
- Ford Racing Chrome 18″ Bullitt Wheels
- Ford Racing GTA Axle-Back Exhaust
- GT500 Strut Tower Brace
- JLT II CAI w/Tillmanspeed 92 Race Tune
- WebElectrics Sequential Taillights
- SHR Lower Grille Insert
- CPC Radiator Cover Extension Panels
Now it was time to address some of the things that required either the tools, experience, or both that I lacked. After receiving a private message from a forum member of TheMustangSource.com, I knew where to start looking for the help I was in need of.
I live in Euclid, Ohio, a neighboring city of the east side of Cleveland. The message I got was from a member who is also from Northeast Ohio, telling me about a group of guys with a shop located about an hour long drive west of me. He provided me with a link to their website, AfterHoursMustangs.net. After visiting their site and poking around for a few minutes, I soon realized this wasn’t your normal “garage”. This is a group of Mustang enthusiasts who have the mechanical ability, knowledge and equipment to perform a large variety of work on Ford’s Pony Car. I decided to go ahead and inquire about the cost of what I wanted to have installed by them: Ford Racing 1″ lowering springs, Ford Racing shocks and struts, Ford Racing rear sway bar, Steeda adjustable panhard bar and brace, and a set of Steeda underdrive pullies.
I checked out the page showing the services they offer, and there were quite a few, including both general maintenance and performance modifications. Their website provides an example of what they can do, but not necessarily limited to this list:
General Maintenance
- Oil, belt and spark plug changes
- Tire rotation
- Brakes and rotors
- Front and rear suspension (shocks, struts, springs, etc)
- Basic electrical
- Exhaust
- General engine repair
Performance Modifications
- Lowering springs
- Cold air intakes
- Cams (Ford Racing Hot Rad Cams)
- Superchargers and upgrades
- Ford Racing gears
- Line locks
- Rotors, brakes and brake lines
- Shifters
- Transmissions and driveshafts
- Engine upgrades and replacements
A day after submitting the inquiry on their “Contact Us” page, I got a reply from Clark, stating the cost of the work I wanted to have done. We began emailing back and forth and I started to learn more about their set up and realized that these were the kind of people I want working on my car. They were true enthusiasts who enjoy working on Mustangs, meeting new fellow Mustang owners, and continuing a relationship beyond the “business” I would be there for.
A couple Saturdays later, after I had all my parts ready for installation and some time open to go get it done, my girlfriend Daniela and I set out on a mini road trip to their place in Wellington, Ohio. When we were alerted by the GPS that we had arrived, we discovered that the AHM ”shop” was built on the property of Bill, one of the founders. His house sat only about 100 or so feet away from the large building that features a lift, countless tools and room enough to park about 6 cars inside the building. Oh, and a refrigerator stocked with plenty of ice-cold drinks (which came in handy on this VERY hot day).
Tom (left) and Bill (right) work on our car
Within a couple minutes of introducing each other and getting the car on the lift, Bill and Tom immediately starting going to town on the suspension while Daniela, Clark and myself sat watching and talking. Clark also showed us a car parked off to the side, hiding under a car cover. It was a project car they were working on: a silver 2004 Terminator Cobra. You can see the car here, including a video of a 140 MPH fly by!
On the lift: our car. Under the cover: The '04 Terminator project car
When you bring your car to AHM, you are more than welcome to participate in the work being done. Clark even encouraged me to do so, or to even just get in there to watch and ask whatever questions I may have had. I elected to walk over and occasionally watch and ask a few questions here and there, but chose not to pick up a tool and attempt to do any work myself. After all, I didn’t want to slow down their flow or anything.
While our GT/CS was being worked on, another customer arrived to drop off his S197 GT (never found out what year it was). It was a very sharp silver car with red stripes, a full body kit, custom 20″ wheels and more. It turns out he wasn’t only dropping off his car, but he also had a Saleen Super Shaker supercharger he was dropping off that the AHM guys were going to install for him. Like I said above, After Hours Mustangs can do a LOT of different things to your Mustang.
Another customer arrives as our car is being worked on. His modification: a Saleen Supershaker supercharger
About 3 hours or so after we first arrived, our car was ready to go, sporting a freshly lowered stance, a few more horsepower courtesy of the underdrive pulleys, and a more aggressive suspension that has made driving the car even more fun than it already was. Daniela and I were very pleased with the finished product and truly enjoyed hanging out and talking with the guys. I knew upon driving home I’d be back for any other modifications I wanted done that I didn’t want to attempt myself. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve become the official garage of ThePonyCar.com. Any future work I can’t do myself, I’ll be taking my car to them.
A couple weeks later, I returned to have an MGW short throw shifter installed. Clark and Tom handled that install since Bill was involved with rebuilding another customer’s rear end. Once again, everything went smoothly and I was on my way with my much improved (albeit more noisy) shifter when compared with the stock unit. I’m sure I will be seeing them again before the end of the nice weather season with something else for them to install for me.
I’d recommend that anyone with a Mustang needing work to be done to visit www.AfterHoursMustangs.net and at least submit an inquiry and give them an opportunity to win your business. Be sure to tell them you heard about them on ThePonyCar.com. You WILL NOT be disappointed.
