Meet Ray Spencer
Ray is a retired Canadian National Railway policeman. He spent much of his career
in northern Alberta but now makes West Kelowna his home. He was all of 13 when
he fell in love with the Mustang. It was the summer of 1966 and it was an
orange convertible. 18 years later, Ray bought his first Mustang, a brand new 1984
hatchback with a V6. In his words, it went like the wind. Like many of us, he had
to trade that one in on a minivan for a growing family. He also briefly
owned a ’98 Mustang V6.
The internet is a wonderful thing
In late 2003, Ray was surfing websites when he saw an ad for
the 5th generation Mustang. The retro
60’s styling caught his attention right away. Even though he went to his local Ford store many times, it wasn’t until September of ’04 that he was finally able to place his order and another 7 months before delivery on April 19, 2005. Ray’s windveil blue Mustang fastback was built on a Monday, April 4, 2005 in Flat Rock Michigan.
Before ordering, Ray did his research
Among the many choices on the order sheet was engine size. Would
the new Mustang have the 4.0L V6, or the 4.6L (GT) V8? According to the specs at the time, the 4.6L
went from 0 to 60 in 6.0 seconds. The 4.0L reached the same speed in 6.7
seconds. For Ray, paying an extra $15,000 to go .7 seconds faster made little
sense. And, as any police officer will tell you, the 4.0L is just as capable of
getting a speeding ticket as the 4.6L.
Dressing up his baby
Since 2005, Ray has added many trim and performance extras
such as MagnaFlow exhaust, cold air induction kit and tune, duck tail spoiler
and most recently, wider tires and new rims.
As many of us do, Ray has personalized his car with
after-market upgrades. But there’s one story Ray wants to share.
Shortly after he took delivery,
Ray was on a road trip and decided to give the Mustang a little juice. The back
end broke loose. What he found out was that the 4.6L (GT) had sway bars front
and back while the 4.0 V6 only had a front sway bar.
Ray did two things. Off he went to the dealership to have an OEM sway bar installed in the rear and he sent a letter to Ford outlining his experience.
There were enough complaints to Ford that the 2006 4.0L V6 came out with both front and rear sway bars as standard equipment.
Ray did two things. Off he went to the dealership to have an OEM sway bar installed in the rear and he sent a letter to Ford outlining his experience.
There were enough complaints to Ford that the 2006 4.0L V6 came out with both front and rear sway bars as standard equipment.
A moral to the story
Ray’s experience with sway bars
illustrates the importance of communicating with the dealership as well as the
manufacturer when you buy a new vehicle. And for owners of collector cars, the
importance of joining a club, such as Okanagan Mustangs and Fords as a resource
for expertise, upgrades, repairs and sources for parts.
PS
Ray has made a study of the products and methods used by the pros to detail a car. He wants to start a home/garage business. If you're looking for a car show shine at reasonable rates, send Ray and email to set up a day and time.
PS
Ray has made a study of the products and methods used by the pros to detail a car. He wants to start a home/garage business. If you're looking for a car show shine at reasonable rates, send Ray and email to set up a day and time.
