Advice on upgrade

if its the stock exhaust a nice catback would be nice, would give it a cool sound.

if you want some performance. get some gears.

On a budget? do the junkyard upgrade...

Gears - 87-88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe rear axle - disc brakes and 3.55 or 3.73 gears in one package for $125-$300. Add another $100-$200 or so to complete the brake upgrade.

94-95 Mustang GT MAF - $40-$100. It is 70 MM instead of the stock 55 MM on regular stangs built prior to 94. It uses a slip on duct on the side that goes to the throttle body and a 4 bolt flange on the other. You need a flange adapter to fit the stock slip on air ducting that goes to the air box. Wiring plugs right in with no changes. *1 *2

95-97 Ford Explorer intake manifold & throttle body $150-$300. The intake manifold flows 220 CFM +, much better than stock. Throttle body is 65 MM, bigger than the 60 MM on stock stangs. I got a 96 with EGR passages that match the stock setup, so my smog gear works just like factory. You’ll need a 65 MM EGR spacer & new gaskets for $65-$90 so you have a place to mount the EGR & throttle linkage.

3G alternator from 94-95 Mustangs or other Ford. $20-$120. A must have to make the electrical system work like it should or if you have an electric fan. You’ll need a 4 gauge power wire and a 125-135 amp fuse to go with it about $15- $30.

Lincoln MK VIII electric fan -$40-$160. Free up some HP by not having to drive the stock fan. The 3G alternator upgrade is a must have prerequisite before you do the MK VIII fan. You won’t have enough electrical power if you don’t do the 3G upgrade.

Aluminum driveshaft: (courtesy of shawn13) It needs to be from a 92-93-94 Aerostar AWD and you will need the u-joint, part #353 from NAPA. It should bolt right up after the u-joint swap.

*1.) Metal flange adapter http://www.kustomz.com/cat3.html Buy the TR70 for $44.95. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.

*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1995-94 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1995-94 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Grand Marquis 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
Evidently the –A1A, -A2A, AA, etc. on the end of the part number is a minor variant that did not change the operating specs. You should be able to ignore it and have everything work good.

BBK shorty unequal ceramic headers with offroad x pipe and flowmaster or magnaflow cat-back. Theres the sound your looking for

JDE said:

What is the best upgrade for my car? I have a stock 92 vert. Its automatic with H.O. 5.0. I am lookin to spend about $200-$300 on my first upgrade. Would a cheap cat back exhaust be worth it, like pypes violators? Or maybe a cold air intake? Will either one of these upgrades give me any horse power or better mpg? What is your advice on first upgrade? I want something that is fairly easy to install. But I also dont want to be disappointed with my choice.

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I'd say the gear is your best bet but that will definitely push the limit of your $200-300 budget. That's provided you do this yourself or with someone very generous lol. The AOD is such a handicap to begin with. That's some good stuff posted by jrichker, as always. The gear would do the most for you but there's alot more involved than installing a catback. What would you consider to be "fairly easy"?

Can you stretch it a few more hundred? *cough*t5*cough*

I hear you. Just getting a better idea of your situation. A catback is definitley a good choice. Gotta have that sound. Subframes would be another relatively cheap, but crucial mod. They're available in bolt-on or weld but I've heard that they're better welded on.

Honestly exhaust is pretty poor if you are looking for power per dollar. If you want the agressive sound that is a different story. For an auto, gears are a great upgrade. At least 3.73. I would follow what Jrichker said. The stock intake is the hugest bottleneck followed by the heads. Another good upgrade is subframe connectors.
Kevin

+1 on the subframes, especially since its a vert