Once again, here I am asking you fine people for advice.
I'm an automotive enthusiast, and something of an amatuer mechanic. That all started at the riple old age of 20 when my girlfriend's (at the time) car kept messing up, I decided that I wanted/needed to learn how to work on cars myself, so I (for the most part) wouldn't have to depend on someone else to do it for me (I've always been one to prefer how to do things myself). Then, I saw TF&TF (yes, shameful to admit), and began to appreciate automotive performance (fortunately, I didn't fall into the ricer trap like so many did). I love American cars, especially the older muscle cars from the 60's.
To make a long story short, I finally got a Mustang when I was 24 (a 6-cyl was all I could afford). And for about a year and a half, I wavered between eventually selling it for a V8, or doing the work myself and swapping out the neccesary parts (which would be a monumental pain in the rear, as well as the bank account). But, a dude on a Utah-based forum inspired me: he had a V6, and instead of worrying over a V8, just built the Hell out of his 6, until it could leave stock GT's in the dust. Then I started looking at the reality of it: I'm not a racer (no interest in it, nor do I care what my 1/4 time would be), I intend to (one day) restore a '68 or '70 Dodge Charger.....so why do I need all that power in my 'Stang? Why do I need two 8-cyl performance cars in my short little life?
I began custom interior work on the car last summer (my first attempt, and I'm pretty proud so far), so I don't want to sell her. She's my current daily driver (and will be for the next 18 months, roughly), so I'm not worried about performance at the moment (just keeping her driving well and clean). So my mission (and the reason I'm posting all this, finally) is this: I'm going to build the Hell out of my V6 engine/drivetrain after I obtain another daily....in the meantime, I intend to blueprint what I'm going to do, run costs and decide on specific parts, and grab one or two parts a month between now and then, to help budget this project.
I intend to use the block I have now, but am definately going to replace just about everything else on it. Heads, intake, injectors, headers, etc. I also wish to add blowproof gaskets, X-pipe exhaust, new gears, underdrive pulleys, cold-air intake, sway bar, stroker kit, and switch it over to a 5-spd manual transmission (automatic now). Basically, I'm going to turn into a showcar-quality vehicle, both sounding and driving mean. Racing? No. How many horses? Not really worried.
My questions are as follows:
Any suggestions/corrections to the parts I've listed, or parts I may have missed?
Any recommended parts, or parts resources?
Any articles or information on building up a V6?
What will I have to do (do-it-myselfer here) to switch it from an automatic to a manual?
As before, I wish to say thank you to the members of this forum who generously share their knowledge and experience.
I'm an automotive enthusiast, and something of an amatuer mechanic. That all started at the riple old age of 20 when my girlfriend's (at the time) car kept messing up, I decided that I wanted/needed to learn how to work on cars myself, so I (for the most part) wouldn't have to depend on someone else to do it for me (I've always been one to prefer how to do things myself). Then, I saw TF&TF (yes, shameful to admit), and began to appreciate automotive performance (fortunately, I didn't fall into the ricer trap like so many did). I love American cars, especially the older muscle cars from the 60's.
To make a long story short, I finally got a Mustang when I was 24 (a 6-cyl was all I could afford). And for about a year and a half, I wavered between eventually selling it for a V8, or doing the work myself and swapping out the neccesary parts (which would be a monumental pain in the rear, as well as the bank account). But, a dude on a Utah-based forum inspired me: he had a V6, and instead of worrying over a V8, just built the Hell out of his 6, until it could leave stock GT's in the dust. Then I started looking at the reality of it: I'm not a racer (no interest in it, nor do I care what my 1/4 time would be), I intend to (one day) restore a '68 or '70 Dodge Charger.....so why do I need all that power in my 'Stang? Why do I need two 8-cyl performance cars in my short little life?
I began custom interior work on the car last summer (my first attempt, and I'm pretty proud so far), so I don't want to sell her. She's my current daily driver (and will be for the next 18 months, roughly), so I'm not worried about performance at the moment (just keeping her driving well and clean). So my mission (and the reason I'm posting all this, finally) is this: I'm going to build the Hell out of my V6 engine/drivetrain after I obtain another daily....in the meantime, I intend to blueprint what I'm going to do, run costs and decide on specific parts, and grab one or two parts a month between now and then, to help budget this project.
I intend to use the block I have now, but am definately going to replace just about everything else on it. Heads, intake, injectors, headers, etc. I also wish to add blowproof gaskets, X-pipe exhaust, new gears, underdrive pulleys, cold-air intake, sway bar, stroker kit, and switch it over to a 5-spd manual transmission (automatic now). Basically, I'm going to turn into a showcar-quality vehicle, both sounding and driving mean. Racing? No. How many horses? Not really worried.
My questions are as follows:
Any suggestions/corrections to the parts I've listed, or parts I may have missed?
Any recommended parts, or parts resources?
Any articles or information on building up a V6?
What will I have to do (do-it-myselfer here) to switch it from an automatic to a manual?
As before, I wish to say thank you to the members of this forum who generously share their knowledge and experience.