Mustang Bullitt Forum banner

2001 Bullitt #265 - Progress Thread

18K views 100 replies 20 participants last post by  Dig-It 
#1 ·
I just recently reacquired a 2001 Bullitt Mustang, #265 in Dark Highland Green. She has accumulated 187K miles on her. This will be the build thread, to document its restoration/rebuild and turning it into an autoX/track toy.

Vehicle History

In 2004, we bought this exact Bullitt from El Cajon Ford in El Cajon, CA (outside of San Diego). It was a trade in from the original owner. We owned the car for two years, and sold it off to my dad. He had it as his daily driver for about 6 years in Albuquerque. He then sold it to my younger brother, who took it to Louisiana and it was his daily driver for most of the last 7 years. It has been sitting for the last year due to a miss above 35mph, and my brother was looking to get rid of it. I decided to buy it off of him and still keep it in the family. Here are some notable events in the cars history:
  • Accidentally backed the car into a tree, denting the right rear quarter. Repaired before selling to my dad.
  • Alternator caught fire on the freeway, was able to get the fire out before any significant damage. Paint blistered on the hood.
  • Rear ended on the freeway by a driver too concerned with texting. Rear end damage fixed, hood repainted at same time.
  • Catalytic converters have been removed.
  • Head gaskets failed, causing car to sit for about a year until it could get repaired.
  • Brother's ex-wife backed into it one morning, damaging left front fender.
  • Scrape on the right side, dislodged right scoop delete.
  • Scoop delete flew off on highway, never to be seen again.
  • High winds blew over a basketball goal onto hood, creating large gouge/scape on scoop and hood.
  • Has developed a miss above 35 mph, car has been parked for about a year.
 
See less See more
#33 ·
Exhaust / Cat removal

Now that the car is in the garage, it's time to start pulling things apart to replace the gutted cats. Here are a few pics from under the car. Pipes are rusty, and the no-name mufflers and x-pipe are all welded together, and dump right in front of the rear axle. This was done by the original owner, as it was this way when we first bought the car back in 2004. Although I didnt realize it was all welded together.





Also noticed that the rear end cover is leaking and will need some attention at some point.

I was able to get all the O2 sensors unplugged, except for the forward driver's side. My hands were just too big to fit between the trans tunnel and the trans. i was able to pull the wiring harness away from it's clip, so there is enough play that when I ultimately drop the cats i can unplug it. I was able to get three of the 4 cats-to-exhaust manifold bolts removed, but one is blocked by the starter. By the time I got to that point, I needed to stop and get ready for dinner plans.

Since the O2 sensors are who knows how many years old, ordered some NTK replacements from Rock Auto. Those will go in with the new cat pipes. Since the mufflers are welded to the old cats, the car will be unmuffled until I order the cat-back exhaust pieces. Looking at going with Borla. I've had Borlas on my '01 Mustang GT, '06 Mustang GT, and my '06 Magnum SRT8. I love the sound. Unless one of you wants to convince me for something different. :-D

Here are a couple shots of the factory rear pipes. They were left in place as decoys. They were cut off just before the hanger behind the rear axle.



 
#37 ·
With the lockdown for coronavirus, things have slowed even further than they had been. The Bullitt has taken a back seat to more pressing issues, but I'm still doing what little I can when I can.

Rear Differential Fluid and Seal

From one of my last posts, you could see that the rear end has been leaking, and for quite some time. I ordered a fluid/gasket set from Late Model Restoration. Tackled that job this weekend.



Car up in the air on ramps/jackstands for easier access to that dirty rear end.



You can see how nasty the leak has been. You can also get a pretty good shot of the exhaust that is still on the car. Gutted factory cats, welded to no-name mufflers, dumps right before the rear axle.



What's left of the fluid. Who knows how long it's been since this was changed.



This would be the first time I've ever seen inside the rear end of any of my vehicles.



All buttoned back up, a bit cleaner, and no leaks.
 
#38 ·
Exhaust System

The final pieces of the exhaust system have arrived!! The full system will consist of the Magnaflow 50-state legal catt'd X-pipe, 4 brand new 02 sensors and the Borla "Type S" Stinger cat-back system. I've had Borla's on all of my V8 powered cars.




I never did get the cat pipes removed, just couldn't get that last bolt off the header. I tried and tried and finally gave up in frustration. Time for someone else to take care of it.

Will be taking the car to an exhaust shop for installation of the full system.
 
#39 ·
Exhaust System Installed

Yesterday I took the Bullitt down to a local exhaust shop and all all the parts installed. I also installed 4 new O2 sensors while the exhaust was out. Got a few photos of the system installed while it up was up on the lift.








I'll post up some sound clips as soon as I get them uploaded to Youtube.
 
#43 ·
Some progress updates. Now that she's registered and I can drive her legally on the road, time to troubleshoot the stumble/lack of power under load. Here's a recap of the summary of the problem I'm facing.

Under light throttle (less than ~1/3), I am able to run the car up through the rev range all the way to redline. If I am any heavier on the throttle (greater than ~1/3) and put the engine under load, above around 3-3500 rpm the engine will fall on it's face. It stutters and has a significant loss of power. The mechanic my brother took it to a couple of years ago said that it was due to clogged cats, so those were gutted. That fixed it for a couple of weeks, and then it came back. Same mechanic supposedly replaced the coils, but that didn't help. He drove it around for a little while around town, but didn't have the $$ to keep throwing at it, so the car was parked.

Whatever is causing it, it is not throwing any codes or a check engine light. I've hooked the car up to a code reader several times to verify, no codes at all.

Fuel Filter

First up is something easy. The fuel filter. When the old filter came off, the first little bit of gas that drained out was clear. But then it was a nasty brown color from all the crap in the filter. Put the new filter on, didn't fix the issue. But, makes me think that with all that nastiness in the filter, the tank might need to be drained/cleaned and/or a new pump/sock installed. That may come later.

I'm following along the Haynes Troubleshooting Guide under Hesitation or stumble during acceleration, which lists the following sequence to check:

  1. Ignition System not operating properly
  2. Dirty or clogged fuel injectors
  3. Low Fuel Pressure
  4. Fuel Injection or Engine Control Systems malfunction

Vac Hoses/Connectors

Went through under the engine to check all the vacuum lines and connectors. Everything appears to be connected where it should, no connectors were loose. All the vac lines looked to be intact, no breaks or disconnects that I could tell.

Testing Coils

Diving into the ignition system, first check was the coils and their resistance readings to see if there is a bad coil. 1st and 2nd coil (driver's side , front to back) looked good on the resistance readings. 3rd coil came a part when I removed it.



Don't think that's supposed to happen on a coil has less than 500 miles on it. Plus, all the coil tops looked severely worn, you couldn't read any information printed on the top. I have a feeling that shady ass mechanic never replaced them.

I ordered a set of MSD coils and new spark plugs.
 
#44 ·
New Coils and Plugs

Coils and Plugs arrived. I swapped them all out. Coils #3, #6, and #7 (drivers to passenger, front to back) all separated when I tried to remove them. Installed 8 new Motorcraft SP-493 plugs, verified the gap in them before installation.







All of the plugs looked decent when coming out, except for the #3 plug. It had a little extra carbon deposits on it, I'm guessing possibly from the broken coil.



With the new plugs and coils, still hasn't fixed the problem.

I did notice that when I removed the throttle body to gain access to the coils/plugs underneath, that there was no gasket between the throttle body and the intake manifold. I've ordered a new gasket to replace it. Maybe there is some extra air being sucked into the intake under load because of the missing gasket??? If not, then further checks of the ignition system to see if maybe a sensor is going bad.
 
#45 ·
It's been a bit since I've posted some updates, so here's what's happened recently.

Throttle Body Gasket, Cleaned

I ordered a new throttle body gasket and replaced it. With the throttle body off the car, I also took the time to clean it of all the carbon deposits on it. Cleaned the Mass Air Flow sensor and the electrical connections on the throttle body. Bolted everything back up, still having the same problem.

Video of the Problem

I took the car out for a drive to record what was actually happening. Here's the video.



As you can see, no check engine light even though it's falling flat on it's face. I shared the video with a friend who does a lot of engine work. As we talked through the symptoms and what I've already done we came to the conclusion that it was some sort of fuel starvation and quite possibly the fuel pump. The mechanic that my brother had taken the car to replaced the fuel pump. This was the same mechanic that gutted the cats and "replaced" the coil packs. So at this point I'm suspicious that the pump had never been replaced and has 187K miles on it.

New Bosch pump ordered from Rock Auto.
 
#46 ·
Fuel Pump Replacement

Once the fuel pump arrived, I dropped the tank to replace it. I was a bit intimidated by this, first time dropping the tank. Turned out to not be that bad at all, with only one broken part. :-/



Based on the initial look of the top of the tank, my suspicions grew that the pump hadn't been replaced. All that grime and looks like the bolts hadn't ever been touched.





But, upon closer inspection the pump had a manufacture date of 11-06-15. So the pump definitely had been replaced by my brother's mechanic. That didn't give me high hopes that this would solve the problem, but at least it would cross one more part off the list of potential suspects.



I went ahead and replaced this pump with the Bosch pump that I got from Rock Auto. When I was dropping the tank, I snapped off the end of the filler neck inside the tank. I was easily able to fish out the broken part. Ordered the new filler neck from Rock Auto, and installed it once it arrived.

I filled up a few gallons of gas and car started up. Took it out for a little drive. Once the engine got up to operating temperature, I started testing to see if it was fixed.

SUCCESS!!!! IT DRIVES AGAIN!!!!

I got into it a little more, and a little more, and then really hard. No stutter, no stubmling... no nothing. Pulls like it should! I was so excited to finally get this issue resolved. Turns out that the new pump was also defective, getting starved of fuel under load.

Here are a couple vids that show she's running great again.

1st gear launch through 2nd gear



2nd & 3rd gear full throttle

 
#50 ·
It's been a little while since I've posted some updates. I've had to focus some attention on my dailly driver, a 213K mile 2006 Dodge Magnum. This past weekend I just wanted to tinker on the Bullitt.

New Battery

After several months of intermittent starting/running and a lot of sitting, the battery finally gave out. After the last jump start, and took it for a drive for about 30 miles, after an hour of sitting the battery was drained. Who knows how old it was. So I got a new one and she's purring good again.

Door Speakers

Since getting the car, I've had no sound out of the front left speaker and the front right was intermittent. The first issue I encountered was the power window switch plate had been glued/gooped back into place due to broken clips. Added that to the list of parts to snag.



The door speakers were Pioneer units. Not sure who installed them. Could have been the original owner, or my brother, or someone he paid to have them installed. When I pulled them out, imagine my surprise to find that the wiring connections were wrapped in Ace bandage material!!!! When I unwrapped them, the wires were just a mess and I don't think they were able to pass any sort of signal. I redid the connections with terminal connectors and the speaker works perfectly now.





On the passenger door, it was a similar situation (although no broken clips on the switch plate). The wrapping around one of the connections was missing and I'm guessing was grounding out against the door. Redid the connections there as well. Now I have sound out of all four speakers!!
 
#51 ·
Battery Tray, Battery Terminals, etc

When I replaced the battery, I found that the battery hold down clamp was missing and the hold down bolt was rusted into the battery tray. Also, the battery terminals were very hold and worn. They were held in place with screws to keep tight against the battery posts. I ordered a new battery tray and hold down kit from LMR. Here's how the terminals looked. One of the ground wires is just barely connected with just a few strands of the wire (it actually fully snapped off while I was doing this project).



The lower battery tray hold down bolt was also rusted out completely. After breaking the plastic I was able to remove the tray. Underneath was a lot of dirt, leaves and surface rust.



I sanded off most of the surface rust, and then hit it with some Duplicolor Rust Barrier paint, followed by a few coats of Dark Highland Green spray paint.





I installed all the new hardware that came with the battery tray kit.



Repaired all the battery terminals and now everything is a lot better. Battery is now fully secured and no more janky battery terminals.

 
#53 ·
Thank you Tony. It's slow going, but I like documenting the progress. Even though it just seems like it's for me for now, good to see some are following along. Big things are about to happen, suspension is going to be up next. I honestly think that everything on it except for the tires is as it is from the factory!!!
 
#55 ·
Been reading this thread as it has progressed since Oct 22, 2019. Glad you’re are sorting out a great car and reviving it from a long history of owners in your family. I’ve been thru most of those repairs over the 10+ years I have owned my 01 Bullitt. My 01 had 2 owners before I purchased it and 1 of those owners put 100,000 on it.
Keep the updates coming as as your journey continues.

Don
 
#57 ·
Been reading this thread as it has progressed since Oct 22, 2019. Glad you’re are sorting out a great car and reviving it from a long history of owners in your family. I’ve been thru most of those repairs over the 10+ years I have owned my 01 Bullitt. My 01 had 2 owners before I purchased it and 1 of those owners put 100,000 on it.
Keep the updates coming as as your journey continues.

Don
I certainly enjoy reading your project efforts as well. It brings back so many memories of how much I enjoyed doing the same type of fun work when I was younger.

From building engines to even trying to paint. Painting didn't go well. lol(n)
I hope you continue sharing all of your efforts on your Bullitt 265;). It, going great!

Larry
Thanks folks! I will definitely keep the updates coming. I'm starting to shop now for suspension parts. That's gonna be the next bit update coming. I'm also thinking of starting a Youtube video series on all the work that's coming up. If I do that, I'll still update here as well.
 
#59 ·
Just been enjoying driving her around this summer... until this happened. Stranded! Was out filming some back country driving with the Bullitt and my new GoPro. Pulled over to swap out camera angles and wouldn't start. Starter is done for. Here's where she left me stranded for a bit.



Got her started with a push start and made it all the way home. Went on vacation and now back, with some parts on order. Coming soon:
  • New starter
  • New clutch
  • New flywheel
  • New shifter
 
#60 ·
Hey MikuhlBrian, great work on the battery tray and connections. I look forward to hearing what parts you are going to choose for your suspension.

I follow you on YouTube, since you shared your Bullitt stumbling video, and I would love to see content of your 01 DHG. Also, the stop motion video you did on the front bumper cover was really cool.
 
#61 ·
Hey MikuhlBrian, great work on the battery tray and connections. I look forward to hearing what parts you are going to choose for your suspension.

I follow you on YouTube, since you shared your Bullitt stumbling video, and I would love to see content of your 01 DHG. Also, the stop motion video you did on the front bumper cover was really cool.
It's funny that you mention the youtube channel. When I was out filming with my go-pro, it is for more content that I will be putting on my youtube channel. While I love posting my progress on IMBOC (and another Mustang forum), the audience is limited. I'm going to put all work going forward onto the youtube channel. So keep watching. :)

For those who want to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelBrianStudios
 
#64 ·
Well it has been two years since the Bullitt arrived in San Diego from Louisiana. While things haven't gone as quickly as I wanted to thanks to the pandemic, progress is still being made. Finally was able to get her into the garage, parts ordered, and starting the work. New starter, flywheel, clutch, clutch cable, and shifter. This too has been slow going with travel and just being busy with life these days. Hope to have her back on the road in a couple of weeks.

Current state: Up on jackstands, x-pipe and driveshaft removed.





 
#65 ·
When I was younger, reading forums and build threads and sometimes they would go dormant for several months before updates. I now know why that is the case, especially with project cars. Life just gets in the way sometimes, which is did for me. After a long 4+ months, the Bullitt is back on the ground and took her out on the maiden drive Sunday. All the new parts:
  • Exedy Mach 400 Stage 1 clutch
  • Exedy Lightweight flywheel
  • SVE High Torque starter
  • Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
  • pilot bearing
  • throwout bearing
  • rear main seal
  • lower shifter boot




After the first drive, everything feels good with a couple of exceptions. The bite on the clutch is still pretty close to the floor. It feels like the clutch cable is pretty stretched. I already have in hand a new adjustable clutch cable, clutch cable firewall adjuster, and an SVE billet aluminum clutch quadrant to install this coming weekend. The shifter is also a little too notchy and difficult to get into first gear. I think I need to do some tiny adjustments on the shifter.

But very happy to have the Bullitt back on the ground and on the road.



The first drive since before Halloween!!!



** and I need to trim the shifter. The Bullitt shifter will not twist fully to the correct orientation of the numbers.
 
Top