Engine 89 ....what to do next

[justin82]

I hope I'm not asking questions that have already been answered in this thread...but I dont think I have yet....lol....so, very first thing to do first?....get a cobra or explorer intake first?....or maybe gears first?

 

[5.0specialist]

?

Are you keeping the stock E7 heads? IMO, there are more cost-effective choices than a 500 dollar Chinese Cobra replica intake manifold.

 

[5.0specialist]

I hope I'm not asking questions that have already been answered in this thread...but I dont think I have yet....lol....so, very first thing to do first?....get a cobra or explorer intake first?....or maybe gears first?

Read post 19 . First thing you should do is buy a pair of full length weld-on subframe connectors to reinforce that uni-body. It's make a nice difference in handling and overall body stiffness.

 

[justin82]

oh..I have sfc

 

[justin82]

I was gonna keep the stock heads...should I not?

 

[Mustang5L5]

I wouldn't pay $500 for the Chinese version.

 

[General karthief]

Well, one thing leads to another, for a mild street car heads, cam and intake with a better header will net you a fun driver but then a gear change just adds to the fun. After that the water get kinda merky. Biggest thing is to decide what you want from your ride, match that with your ability to learn and work on the ride within the budget you have. There are a lot of combinations here on stangnet so read through some of the ride builds and plan your ride.
Does that make sense? Probably not but not having a plan don't make no sense too.

 

[justin82]

I like option #1

 

[justin82]

hot street option

 

[General karthief]

Thats basically what I have. Only the ugly version.

 

[5.0specialist]

I was gonna keep the stock heads...should I not?

It's up to you and your wallet. I was just making suggestions based on what you might want to do.

 

[5.0specialist]

I forgot to ask. Does your 89' have an automatic or 5 speed transmission?

 

[Boostedpimp]

Grab a ford explorer intake they are generally in the $75-150 price range. Cobra intake is a solid upgrade but the one you posted is way over price. Most likely because it's the chrome version. Just pickup a standard finish one second hand and put the money towards other parts

 

[justin82]

manual

 

[justin82]

is this what I should have?...bought it a while ago....just didnt know when I should put it on...since I put new headers and a midpipe on... would now be the time to do it?

 

[Dan02gt]

Definitely install it. I run the Cobra version on stock heads with shorty headers and it definitely made a difference from 4k RPMs up. It will cost you just a little below 3k RPMs so if you still have the stock gears I would go to 3.55s or 3.73s as well.

 

[justin82]

what do u mean, it'll cost me rpms?...and there are 2 types of those....is that the right one I should have?

thanks

 

[Boostedpimp]

what do u mean, it'll cost me rpms?...and there are 2 types of those....is that the right one I should have?

thanks

He means it will take a few lbs of torque away from you but gain you a good bump in hp... The intake manifold is the biggest restriction on the motor in stock form so ditch it and put your explorer intake on.

 

[justin82]

He means it will take a few lbs of torque away from you but gain you a good bump in hp... The intake manifold is the biggest restriction on the motor in stock form so ditch it and put your explorer intake on.

cool,ok...but there are 2 different types, so I have the right one?

 

[deathb4dismount]

What do you have for suspension? I would replace all the bushings and worn out suspensions parts before digging into the engine parts. The improvement in ride quality will make it much more enjoyable to drive. That plus gears will make a far more fun street car than saggy suspension and a new intake.