16,000 Bucks What are my options

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sn95prospector

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First off, im new to ford, v8's and american cars in general. I am looking into getting a 2000-2004 mustang gt and want to add some serious power. I was looking in the 400 to 500 horsepower range. Having that said, this will be my DD and I need reliability as well. I was thinking that I could get a stang for around 8,000 and then get a forged bottom end, then go with either a supercharger/nitrous/turbo. Which one of these would get me to my goal within my budget? I am aware that I will need some suspension mods and wheels which has already been accounted for. Again IM A NOOB, so please dont flame. On another note, i have worked with turbo's in the past but not super or nitrous. Im also not entirely sure what the laws are here in missouri for nitrous. Please Help me.

To summarize, I want a 400 or above horsepower monster that can still be relied upon to start the next morning. I also prefer low end torque to high end hp.

 

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sn95prospector

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Cams

Forgot to mention that I DO NOT want a really lopey cam

 

twogts4us

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Apr 1, 2004

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Nov 27, 2011

#3

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I'm not sure what the question is..? Are you asking which power adder would be best for a daily driver? Nitrous is good in that you can turn it on or off. I ran with a 125 HP shot using the NOS Direct Port setup with great success. It's a cheap way to large HP. Turbos are the latest popular power adder, but it's hard to argue with a positive displacement blower like Torq Tech, Whipple, or Kenne Bell. (Great on the street, as opposed to a centri style blower that generally needs big RPMs to make big power.)

 

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sn95prospector

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Well, my question relates more to overall cost and whether or not its reasonable to get those numbers with that budget. With nitrous im sure I would be able to get those numbers but I rather have a more consistent power like a blower/turbo or maybe even a stroked set-up. Plus again, im not sure what the laws are like around here for nitrous but getting in trouble for that would be the end of me

 

slayerripkdc

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Nov 27, 2011

#5

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You say you have 16k to spend? Look for an 03/04 Cobra. Do pulley, exhaust and tune and you will have met your horsepower goals and have a very reliable daily driver. If you want a GT you can achieve 400hp with either an intercooled Vortech or Kenne bell. Since you like low end torque go with the KB. With the rest of the cash make sure you do proper fuel upgrades, clutch and suspension. Should make for a fun reliable daily. If you are craving more save for a short block and you can easily make 600 with a nice set of heads and cams with either blower choice.

 

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sn95prospector

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MMR-54-800 - MMR 5.4 Street Mod 800 (up to 800HP) 2V, 3V or 4V - Shortblocks - Mustang Performance Parts
this looks interesting to me, I was wondering what all I would have to do to get it into a 03 or 04 gt. Figuring with this I could get into the 4-500 hp range and leave room for possible boosting later on. IDK if this is a good idea or price .

 

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sn95prospector

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Forgot to mention that I would have to trade in so car prices would be from a dealer.

 

slayerripkdc

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#8

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You can find a nice 99-04 GT for around 7-8k if you look. A new Vortech kit which includes all the fuel managment upgrades will run you about 3,700$ with a 200$ mail in rebate. Another 500 for a tune. If you pay a shop to install the blower it should be roughly 900$ for the install. So about 5k for the vortech, fuel mods and tune. Put the rest towards suspension and drivetrain. A KB kit will cost you about 5k alone. If this will be your first "fast" car. I would learn how to drive her stock for awhile and after you get use to her add the vortech and call it a day.

 

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sn95prospector

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Not first modded car, but relatively speaking, yeah its my first "fast car." I am worried about the internal stuff for the blower. Do I need to put in rods? I ask this because in my previous car (Audi A4) anything above 300hp on stock rods was a death sentence, and if my motor were to blow I would have nothing left to fix it.

 

SlammedGT

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Nov 27, 2011

#10

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If you are going to build a motor anyways, you might as well find a high milage 99 for like 4-5 grand

 

slayerripkdc

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#11

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With a good tune these motors can be very safe at 400hp. Some people even push them to the 450 mark and still retain reliability. Heck some push them to 500. Keep it at 400ish and you should be fine.

 

D

Deleted member 38176

Nov 27, 2011

#12

• Nov 27, 2011

• #12

Good condition 03-04 GT for around $8K

MMR 600 shortblock (good up to 600rwhp) and a blower with the rest

Done deal!

 

Kornnut

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#13

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• #13

Buy a daily driver and then a mustang to have fun with.

 

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sn95prospector

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#14

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Dont have the funds to have a dd and another car at once

 

Kornnut

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#15

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sn95prospector said:

Dont have the funds to have a dd and another car at once

Click to expand...

$16,000 can buy a good daily and mustang.

 

trinity_gt

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Nov 27, 2011

#16

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• #16

Your target is 400-500HP. Crank or wheel?

You can get ~450HP at the crank reasonably reliably with a stock-internal SOHC and a blower at ~10psi and a kit from Vortech or KB will easily fit within your budget and lots left over.

I think a turbo kit would be awesome but they present packaging challenges not faced by superchargers such as exhaust routing and thermal management and the need for a tubular K to fit the forward-facing manifolds. If you must have a turbo go with a kit like Hellion's.

If you want 500 at the rear wheels (~575 crank) you're going to need more extensive mods, starting with that forged bottom end. To use that power you'll need suspension and tire upgrades and then you're probably going to want to upgrade to a 31-spline differential and axles. The fuel requirements for 575 crank HP is beyond a simple BAP on the OE fuel pump so budget for that too. The clutch will need upgrading for that sort of power and depending on how you drive a more capable trans might be needed (TKO600 or T-56, e.g.) This sort of stuff will be budget-busting...

 

sneaky98gt

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Nov 27, 2011

#17

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• #17

Yea, 400 rwhp isn't too terribly hard to achieve with that budget, and should result in a relatively reliable car assuming the tune is ok.

500 rwhp is a different ballpark....built motor, fairly stout blower or turbo or a LOT of nitrous. Stock transmissions/rear ends are going to start giving way at that power level, too.

Let me ask (and this isn't meant in a condescending way). Have you ever driven a 300-400 rear wheel horsepower car (350-475 flywheel horsepower) car that weights 3500 pounds? If no, then I might suggest lowering your goals to 300-350 rwhp or so. I have a car making 350ish rwhp through an automatic transmission with stock gears, and it is a VERY fast street car. I'm a good driver that knows my car, but things start happening very fast at power levels much above that. If you are used to 200-250 rwhp, a 400 rwhp car is going to feel like a rocketship.

 

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abezaydan

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Nov 28, 2011

#18

• Nov 28, 2011

• #18

get a cobra my son

 

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sn95prospector

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#19

• Nov 28, 2011

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I think a blower is what im gunna end up with. I want the quietest one possible so it looks like a vortech for me. My question is if a 80/90/100k mile car will hold up to a blower. I can only find gt's with these kind of miles

 

twogts4us

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Nov 28, 2011

#20

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• #20

sneaky98gt said:

Let me ask (and this isn't meant in a condescending way). Have you ever driven a 300-400 rear wheel horsepower car (350-475 flywheel horsepower) car that weights 3500 pounds? If no, then I might suggest lowering your goals to 300-350 rwhp or so. I have a car making 350ish rwhp through an automatic transmission with stock gears, and it is a VERY fast street car. I'm a good driver that knows my car, but things start happening very fast at power levels much above that. If you are used to 200-250 rwhp, a 400 rwhp car is going to feel like a rocketship.

Click to expand...

Excellent post - I'm putting 303 RWHP down, which is quite enough to get anyone into trouble. While I understand you want to plan your build, you should get the car first, and keep your options open.
BTW, I have heard from several folks who were disappointed with their centri blower on the street. Lack of power down low...which is the original problem with the mod motor.