I’ve just returned from Detroit, where I had the chance to meet a ton of readers and also drive a bunch of different factory-modified Fords. The company is already one of the most polyamorous when it comes to the aftermarket (you can walk into many Ford dealers and find an RTR Bronco or Roush Mustang), and now it’s trying to offer even more choices with a range of options that come either pre-installed or dealer-installed.
A big thanks to Thomas for riding herd on The Morning Dump while I was traveling. It’s not often that I go to track-oriented drives these days, and the weather at Michigan International Speedway was absolutely perfect. Also, they let me do a bunch of launches in our favorite truck, the shorty F-150 FP700S. While doing brake stands was a blast, this is a real economic opportunity for Ford.
Price is obviously an issue, and not everyone can afford to put another $10,000 on top of their existing purchase. Harley-Davidson tried to increase market share by lowering costs and it was successful, if only moderately so. Could Volkswagen do this? Volkswagen probably should have done this, and continues to suffer for seemingly missing the future.
And, finally, the happiest dealers remain Lexus dealers.
Ford Wants A Piece Of The $57 Billion Aftermarket
One of my favorite things to do when I get to our HQ in Los Angeles is to walk through Galpin Auto Sports and the Galpin Ford lot to see what kind of wild custom cars exist. Galpin has a bit of a candy shop approach to selling cars, and I always find something I become a little obsessed with (I could not convince my family to get a lowered Maverick Hybrid, but I tried).
Not all dealers can do this, I suppose, and taking a page from Galpinization, Ford is investing heavily in rolling out its own aftermarket program via three different channels. The first two you’re already familiar with, which is Ford Accessories for the usual stuff most people want (bedliner, floormats), and Ford Racing for go-fast parts ranging from lug nuts to full crate motors.
“Every single part is designed for customers to get a new feeling out of Ford,” said Matt Simpson, Executive Director of Ford Customization.”These are still backed by the Ford warranty, and that gives customers peace of mind.”
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While Ford has a huge catalog and a lot of models that are just begging to be modified, this isn’t that different from what other automakers offer. Where Ford is differentiating itself is in these mild-to-wild custom builds. On the milder side are more appearance-oriented packages like the Ford Bronco Sinister Bronze, which gets you the Ford Racing 2″ lift and suspension kit, Sinister Bronze accessories, extended fender flares, and the Ford Performance ProCal Tool.
These can be ordered by customers or dealers, and pre-installed or installed by dealers. In fact, almost all of what I saw can be fitted to existing cars either in full or in part, depending on what you want. The cost for the pre-installed Sinister Bronze package is $7,300.
Somewhere in the middle is the Maverick SV300T package, which adds a turbocharger, cooling, and suspension upgrades to make a hot hatch with a mullet. This was a standout to me, and I appreciated that it could be installed on the lower-trim 2.0L AWD XLT Maverick or the super fast Lobo.
I got to drive around an autocross in both a relatively base Maverick XLT and the Lobo fitted with the kit, and both were more fun than a truck needs to be, although the Lobo with the modified rear-drive unit is very Focus RS-like and feels much quicker. Costs are still being worked out, but if you want just the kit it’s about $5,000 before installation.
On the wildest end, I was able to do a couple of laps in a Mustang FP800S, which is an 800-horsepower Mustang with a lot of custom suspension and tuning work to make sure the 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger doesn’t leave you with a ton of power and no way to put it safely to the ground.
I spoke to engineers for both the engine and suspension, and it was clear they took a lot of pride in making this Mustang, which sits alongside the RTR, the Dark Horse, the GTD, and the seemingly endless variants of performance cars you can get from Ford. While the $18,500 cost of the FP800S (not installed) is high, these packages are designed to be cheaper than what you could do yourself, warrantied, and better calibrated from the factory.
“We’re not just slapping a Supercharger on and telling you good luck, have fun, see you later,” said Simpson.
Of course, the other key piece here is that Ford and Ford dealers can roll this into your financing if you’re getting the car new without having to lift a wrench. This could potentially be a huge margin lift for the company, as it’s rare these days to see an unmodified Bronco. The popularity of Bronco Raptors in my suburban neighborhood shows there’s clearly a demand, though I think most people around here probably don’t need a Raptor.
“We can do these highly specialized builds because we’re vertically integrated,” explained Simpson.
Harley’s Plan Is Sort Of Working
As previously mentioned, the plan for Harley-Davidson is to grow the brand by lowering costs and reaching new riders. It’s sort of working.
Reported motorcycle shipments of 39,200 were 9.4% higher than the same period the year before, but missed projections for 40,810. Harley’s revenue of $1.2 billion also missed analysts’ estimates for $1.3 billion in the second quarter.
Shares fell 1% at 9:34 a.m. in New York on Thursday.
Harley reported adjusted earnings per share of 75 cents, beating analyst estimates for 67 cents and raised. The company raised its full-year guidance for motorcycle unit income to between $10 million and $50 million, up from a $40 million loss to a $10 million profit.
So, mixed news, but progress.
Volkswagen, Woof Part 900
Volkswagen, having set expectations as low as possible, has somehow come in even lower as CNBC reports:
Europe’s biggest carmaker posted an operating profit of 3.5 billion euros ($3.98 billion) for the April to June period, down nearly 10% from a year ago and missing expectations of 4.3 billion euros, according to an LSEG-compiled consensus.
The company also flagged it expects sales revenue in 2026 to see a decline of up to 3% this year, versus a previous forecast of sales revenue growth of up to 3%.
Woof.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
“Black Hole Sun” is one of those songs that doesn’t really match the rest of the artist’s catalog, as it’s way more alt-rock than what Soundgarden usually offers, but this doesn’t mean it’s not an all-time jam and an all-time video.
The Big Question
Have you ever modified a vehicle? How?
Top graphic image: Ford
“The Big QuestionHave you ever modified a vehicle? How?”
Since you asked…
I’ve modified a few. My favorite is my 1979 El Camino that I bought in Arizona back in 2000 and drove it home too Wisconsin. It had a 200 cu. in. V6 in it with over 500,000 miles on it.
After I got it home I swapped in a TPI 305 from a 1989 IROC-Z Camaro and a 700R4 from a mid-nineties S-10 SS pickup. I did the engine swap at home by myself in a single-car attached garage. I also swapped out the sunbaked original interior for parts I found at nearby Wisconsin junkyards. The dash and ECM-pocket kick panel came from a Malibu, The seats came from a Regal, the steering column came from a Monte Carlo, the mirrors and inner door panels came from the aforementioned Regal and also a Cutlass. I also bought a few parts from The El Camino Store (now part of Ecklers) in Goleta, CA and carried them home on airplanes, fitting them into the overhead compartments.
I’m pretty sure Soundgarden was on the stereo a lot while I was working on it, too. (I got to see them front-row in Green Bay back in 1992 and the show only cost $14.50! Remember those days?)
26 years after I bought it, I still have it and drive it regularly. Next weekend I’m taking it on a 900 mile (roundtrip) road trip from Wisconsin to Elkhart, Indiana and back for its yearly pilgrimage to Elcofest to spend a day with people from all over the country who also appreciate the quirkiness of the El Caminos, Caballeros, Sprints, and maybe any Holden utes if any show up this year.
Great to have you back for TMD. Thomas did a nice job while you were gone too. It’s always a “must read!”
I’ve always done at least minor mods on my stuff. My truck has the bed step added, a tonneau cover, and the Comma 4 for hands free driving.
I’ve modded the NC a lot more than I thought I would. I bought it with seats that had been recovered in blue and black leather to match the “Winning Blue” paint. Some have been adding factory options that I didn’t have (cruise control, fog lights, steering wheel controls, heated seats, larger OEM wheels, intermittent wipers). Some have been things to make driving it more comfortable (re-did the leather wheel, replaced the radio and speakers, changed the mirror for an auto-dimming one with homelink.). I also wrapped the piano black parts of the dash with a blue wrap to match the paint.
The only thing that’s on the list for the future is changing the shocks and going through the suspension, but I think that’s more of a maintenance thing, since they are still the original 20 year old ones. It’s still mostly OK, but feels like it’s time.
Yes, a 1967 SAAB 96.
By following the rules for the 24 Hours of Lemons.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7445/16511784305_acb614874e_c.jpg
Just in my fleet right now, I have the lowered Prius (featured at Lime Rock), lifted Saabaru (off-road use only due to rot), and most significantly, my ’91 Miata with a
FFS supercharger kit installed (which unfortunately isn’t running right now).
In the past I’ve mostly just put a lot of rally lights on assorted cars, or gotten new sets of wheels for them.
Oh man, today is going to be Soundgarden Day around here.
I had the opportunity to see one of their shows at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC in 1996, before they initially broke up. Without question, the unhappiest band I’ve ever seen perform live. I was right behind the mosh pit line and each one of the band members looked more miserable than the next. Not fun at all.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ben smile, and Kim is notoriously stoic onstage, but yeah, by 1996 I don’t think any of them were having “fun.” Hence the break-up in ’97. I’d argue that “Black Hole Sun” was the worst thing to happen to that band.
I see “Black Hole Sun” as the beginning of the end for them. The success of that song–the reach–really scratched an itch Chris had from the get-go, and while I agree that it doesn’t match the rest of their catalog, it emboldened him to keep pushing toward mainstream listenability, and the material on Down on the Upside includes a lot more poppy material which, as I understand it, is what led to the break-up.
I’ve modified basically every car I’ve ever owned. Lifts and Weber carbs on my Datsun 720s, 2.2L engine swap on my 510, 2 different auto to manual transmission swaps, I put a Travelall on a Tahoe floor pan, I built a quad cab out of 2 Datsun truck cabs, lowered my DD and major interior swap, with airbags and widebody kit waiting in the wings, and a bunch of other projects just waiting their turn.
And regardless of the quality of the mods, I’ve loved every minute of it.
Manufacturer aftermarket is OK, maybe the warranty is maintained in some cases. But maybe a few years down the road, when replacement parts are unavailable and the factory stock parts were binned at the time of modification. The choice comes down to replacing with new “stock” parts or going complete aftermarket.
I’m not saying this will happen, but it has happened in the past, hasn’t it Ford?
Like who wants to stock a parallel line of replacements beyond a model change, that’s warehousing money, better to scrap the parts.
Back in the day you could order many cars without a radio or just a super basic one. The first few new cars I bought, I added a stereo. Interestingly, they all came pre-wired with a harness of some kind as well as speaker wires in the doors and back deck. That was a huge convenience.
Otherwise, the first thing I do is get a good set of snow tires on steelies to swap on. When the no-seasons wear out, I get some good summer performance tires. I’m not going racing, but I like the extra safety.
No other mods. I don’t think I’m smarter than even the most mediocre automotive engineer, so I go with what they decided. I do, however, know I’m much smarter than most current automotive designer/stylists. Woof, what are they teaching these days?
EDIT: And I almost always upgrade my wiper blades. OEM ones generally seem like they are the bare minimum for compliance.
“No-seasons” is gold.
In this era, there’s no excuse for selling a vehicle that doesn’t come with decent all-weather tires that are genuinely winter-rated (e.g. Michelin Cross Climate).
Worse, yet, are the trims of cars, like the WRX or some performance German cars, that come with performance summer rated tires – forcing you to buy new tires off the factory floor in some areas of the country just to drive home.
20 years ago you could get plenty of goodies through Ford Racing. A lot of it was just rebranded stuff manufactured by Steeda, but for the Focus you could buy the long tube headers from the Focus SVT to install on any other Zetec powered Focus and they were dirt cheap to boot!
Mods done to Focus ZX3:
Larger throttle bodyMultiple style of cold air intakeShorty headersSVT long tube headers and catalytic converter (to replace the shorty)Catback exhaustUnder drive pulley’sShort short throw shifterAftermarket camshaftsAdjustable cam gears8.5lb aluminum flywheel (stock was 22 lbs) made car sound like woodpecker at idleSVT suspensionPoly engine mounts (these were removed within a day) EXCESSIVE vibrationsNumerous aesthetic mods, added cruise control with a Ford Racing kitMods done to Vulcan powered Ranger:
Larger throttle bodyCatback exhaustConverted stamped valve rockers to aftermarket roller rockerSeats from a Ford ExplorerHurst short throw shifter
TBQ: Yes.
Sometimes for the good, sometimes not.
I sprayed my ’84 Fox body LTD sedan fully gloss back below the bodyside mouldings for easy rust repair. Got me one year of HS and 2 years through college.
I modify my cars and they are all worse for it.
Focus ST: 2″ drop, upgraded intercooler, intake, exhaust, turbo, and blowoff valve. The intercooler was probably the only upgrade with no downside.
Scion xB: 2″ lift, mud terrains. The wheels rub at full lock or any time you are in reverse.
F150: bed leveling kit – looks great unladen, sags like a mofo with a trailer.
I did every possible modification to a Focus ZX3 so I knew what was great and what made day to day life miserable, so when I bought my Fiesta ST the only thing I did was a short throw shifter and a fake dead pedal to protect the carpet. Thing is unmolested for 112k miles and counting.
Unmodified FiST/FoSTs are going to fetch a premium in 10 years. They are one of the last hot hatches without screens, cameras, and software ruining everything.
What was the downside to the intake on the Focus?
Let’s see: The big ones were the cars I had in my early 20’s
’94 SHO – SHO shop underdrive pulleys and reflashed computer for a 9000rpm redline. Poor man’s front brake upgrade – larger diameter front disks and calipers from a GenIII SHO (bolt on).
’96 Tbird – reflashed computer, 70mm throttle body and custom cold air intake for the 4.6L V8. Higher flow exhaust. Modified valve body on the 4R70W transmission. Replaced the factory rear drums with a set of disks salvaged from a ’94 Cougar.
Done plenty of other car stereo upgrades, etc…
The change in throttle response with larger throttle bodies was always great at making the car feel faster than it was, but I loved doing it. I imagine drive by wire has killed this mod unfortunately.
I suspect you are correct. That car had plenty of power, and yes throttle response was sublime. The car came from the factory with a 3.27 limited slip diff – so it could put the power to ground in the dry. In the wet I could spin the rear tires until I got tired of it.
There’s lots of people who need to have salt added to their food even before they’ve tasted it.
I modify my cars over the life of owning the vehicle, not out of the gate.
To counter Ford’s strategy here: I’m not buying these things out the gate with the purchase of a car. Furthermore: I’m not going to a dealership to get these kits, nor am I going to pay a dealership rate to install it for me.
I just bought a Bronco. Having never owned a Bronco or Wrangler, I am blown away by the aftermarket market for Bronco and the marketing associated with it.
I’m also a bit annoyed with Ford that so many things they left seemingly unfinished because they know you’re going to want an aftermarket thingy to go out and buy (hello pinch welds). But at the same time, I’m also enamored with them because they also do things like the Bronco Off Roadeo, which will, of course, get you pumped to go buy more aftermarket things. It’s a vicious cycle.
Daily driver? Off-roader? I’m deep in the aftermarket scene for Broncos and happy to
spend other people’s moneygive you advice or point you in the right direction if you’re thinking about modifying it.TBQ- I’ve modified a few of my vehicles over the years. Put a 460 in a 78 T-Bird, headers and intake on my 94 GMT400 Z71. Oh, put a 3/4 ton rear axle in it too. Radio upgrades in other cars. Current Tahoe came with a mild lift, I upgraded the stereo and a limited slip rear and, will eventually rebuild the motor. Have done cosmetic stuff to personalize them too. Nerf bars and brush guard on the Z71, plan on removing the Tahoe running boards for rock slider style steps.
I recently bought a phone cradle that has a cylindrical base to sit snugly in a cupholder. Thinking about adding some zip ties for the charging cable to fix it in place. It’s grueling, time-consuming work, but it’ll be worth it in the end
Pffft. That’s nothing.
I put a piece of electrical tape over my check engine light after it was lit for 3 months.
THAT took some work!
TBQ: I mildly modified my first car, it was my daily driver and I wanted to do some things, but not anything major that could take it out of commission or need huge repairs.
some suspension stuff, body work, by far the most major was installing the supercharger after a couple years, which I wasn’t as worried about as you’d think, it was an official TRD option that kept a full warranty, so while it cost a little more, I had piece of mind.
some 15yrs later, the car still works and drives well, so I’ve def got my money’s worth of fun.
probably the most involved thing I did was swap out the 49cc motor in my Honda Ruckus with a 150cc motor, that was a lot of fun for a little while before I got the big motorcycle.
I’m a certified Ford Hater, their products aren’t reliable, built with dubious quality, and are absolute PITAs to work on because of cynical cost cutting and design decisions. With that said, if any automaker is going to tackle aftermarket products in house well, it is absolutely Ford. For their many failings, they understand what their customers want, and they deliver on requests from customers so well.
The F-150 Raptor R, Bronco, Maverick, upcoming 30k EV mini truck, and so many other products that are clear and direct responses to what the market wants sell so well because it scratches that itch perfectly. Ford gets it, as clearly shown with all their Ford Performance packages.
There is obviously risk in the aftermarket game with portfolio and complexity bloat, warranty headaches and additional complications with their service network that Farley continues to remind us needs more technicians, but if they can stick the landing on quality (lol) and cost (maybe) they might have a sales hit on their hands.
Newsweek didn’t seem too optimistic about Harley.
TBQ: I used to upgrade all the stereos when that was a thing. Currently getting an android unit into my C4 which is bringing back all the memories.
Otherwise I seem to only modify motorcycles. Seemed easier when I was starting out. Fork oil weight, Fork springs, rear shock(s), gearing, exhaust, etc etc.
Harley is perennially circling the drain.
Lately it’s a battle between the rapidly aging average age of their target market and a general large-displacement motorcycle market downturn.
TBQ: Let’s see:
My E80 Nova used Thrush Turbo mufflers – sounded great, never lasted long. Also had a K&N filter on it, and spray bombed the stock steel wheels black, leaving the center caps and trim rings ad they were.
My Sentra SE-R had a proper cold air intake…which wore through against the hole it went through the bumper with. That was replaced with a short ram “hot air” AEM intake.
My Bug was allegedly modified with a 1776 and Freeway Flyer gears when I bought it. Also had front discs, which I replaced with new parts shortly after getting it, due to the calipers being seized. I swapped the EMPI GT-5 wheels that were on it with Enkei Compes, wrapped in Vredestein tires. Put a different exhaust on it and probably will have to again. The carb is topped with a K&N replacing the oil bath filter.
TBQ: I’ve tried to keep things as “factory” as possible, but I guess I’d say turning my E39 525iT into a 530iT counts as modifying, doesn’t it. My 530i donor car had the Sport package, so I transferred a lot of that kit onto the wagon, including the wheels and thicker anti-roll bars, but I kept the standard shocks/struts/coils, since the factory Sport suspension on wagons requires rear air suspension, which my car doesn’t have. That’s one area where I may eventually go aftermarket.
I also swapped out the standard seats for 16-way Comfort seats from an E38 7-series, because my height makes adjustable lumbar support pretty necessary, and the shoulder support of the articulated backrests very nice to have. This counts as keeping things theoretically factory, too, since the Comfort seats were available as an option in the 5er, and it’s a totally plug-and-play swap; if I ever achieve my dream of swapping in Contour seats, which add thigh extensions, that will be a departure, since those seats were 7-series only.
This sounds like my dream wagon honestly.
Having had a previous 525iT (not nearly enough power for the weight of the wagon body) and a 540iT (maintenance nightmare), I can say that this swap’s balance of power and reliability really hits the sweet spot. The 530iT was a thing in other markets; I’m not sure why BMW didn’t bring it here in the first place instead of the dog-slow 525, other than maybe wanting to come in at a lower price point, or maybe not wanting it to overlap with the X5 3.0i.
It’s an amazing world when $4 billion in quarterly profit is a failure. Line failed to go up.
Automakers are usually terrible at the aftermarket. I cant think of a single time I needed an aftermarket accessory and looked at the automakers site for it. They usually carry massively overpriced accessories. They also dont give a shit what consumers want, unlike aftermarket companies that are usually users themselves or are very close to their customers. When is the last time a car maker solicited suggestions from you? How about a feedback app on their own cars to make suggestions?
I’ve modified all but one of my vehicles. And the NYS DOT slowly but surely chemically lightened that one. All of it has been bolt on stuff. Suspension work and tunes were the biggest ones. Transmission coolers, trailer brake and light controllers and tow hitches have been the biggest non-performance mods I’ve done. My newest car got a trailer brake controller and some dipped wheel covers. It otherwise came as I wanted from the factory.
Now I’m wondering what is available in your neighborhood, because out here there’s no such thing as a Bronco Raptor R (much to my disappointment).
A thing I dreamed but doesn’t exist… yet.