Modification Survey Thread

Roger_4.6_96 said:

Plenty of places have turbo kits for sale. Everyone here who has one is to lazy to post.

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http://boostang.com

Stangsgrl said:

Dang...I searched the thread to see if anyone has done a turbo...not one I was hopin to see someone's setup before I do it.

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My next door neighbor just got done installing his. Matter of fact he just got it cranked the past thursday. I can't wait to go for a ride with him. This weekend he's going to try to get it on a dyno and tune it. I can get you some pics and numbers if you want.

Autos must do the Jmod!

Toms_2003_Stang said:

MAC catback right now, next will be some new tires.

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Tom,
You gotta do the Jmod! Go to www.tccoa.com and read the Tech section under Transmissions 101. I did and it was a huge change. My NPI will get 15ft of rubber in second at WOT. Putting around under 2000 with my gears it is almost unnoticable. All Ford parts and it will cost you about 60.00 and that includes fluid. If you are decent at Shade Tree Mechanics you can do this yourself.

In order of install.....

JLT ram air kit: Looks awesome with the 4" tube/9" filter combo. The tach climbs a bit faster from 4k up. Im guessing 7-10rwhp for this system.

Granatelli coilovers(front)/H&R drag springs(rear): I have the car lowered about 1.75in(front) and 1.5in(rear). BIG improvement in looks/ride quality.

KYB shocks: Pretty good for the money and much, much better than stock.

Sub frames: Awesome, cut out the squeaks and the car feels very stable.

BMR upper/lower control arms: Straight line acceleration is greatly improved and plants the rear like u wouldnt believe. Car doesnt spin from side to side anymore, just goes straight!

FRPP 4:10's: All autos should have these, gained .4 in 1/4 mile.

SLP x/loudmouth: Awesome, gained no less than 18rwhp/18rwtq with these mods. Sound is killer too and car revs way more freely now...loooooud though!

Ben Alameida ported t-body/plenum combo: Along with exhaust, gained a total of no less than 28rwhp/27rwtq...Id say the combo alone is worth at least 10rwhp/trq.

17X9 chrome cobras/1" H&R rear wheel spacer: Everyone has em', but looks good with laser red factory paint.

255/45-17 kuhmo(asx)front/275/40-17 Nitto DR's/rear tires: I think these are great tires for the money. Nittos are the best tires Ive used for the street, hook and go.

P.I 3200 stall: This is the BEST mod to date for me, can spin tires like u wouldnt believe and combined with gears gained 1 second in the 1/4, went from a best 13.6 to a 13.15 after this install...along with nitto drag radials.

2003 DSG GT 4R70W coupe

MAC Catback Didnt notice a increase in power, but gives the Stang the musclecar sound that it should have.

K and N Filter Again, didnt notice a power increase but at least I dont have to change filters every 15000 miles .

Nitto 555 Extreme's Huge improvement over the stock Goodyears, the car had 25000 miles when I bought it and they were already worn smooth .

MAC O/R Prochamber Had a shop install it and some solder in MILS for $100, by my SOTP meter I lost some low end torque but gained it back up top, and the sound.

BBK 75mm TB and Plenum Didnt notice an increase

Maximum Motorsports XL-SFC's, STB and 4 point K-Member brace
Well worth the $, turn in was improved and chassis flex has been reduced

SCT Xcal 2 Got it today from Modular Power House, have to get a full tank of 92 octane + before it gets installed

SINGLE CHAMBER FLOWS first mod best sound with the stock h pipe out there
STEEDA TRIAX well worth the money
ROUSH CLASSIC SHIFTER HANDLE expensive, but love the look and feel
MAC STRAIGHT SHOT no difference in hp, lost 2mpg
PYPES CATTED X good sotp difference, sounded like ass with one chambers
SPINTECH PROSTREETS good sound with x pipe, slight sotp difference
MACPROCHAMBER great sound noticeable gains
STEEDA SPORT SPRINGS lowers the car perfect, no bottoming out
BULLIT SEATS hella lot more better than stock seats retro look

Heres what I need to know, what people are doing to maximize the performance of their NPI engine with a blower. What combination of heads, cams, intake manifold did you use with your blower, a PI engine swap isnt going to be feasible, nor will replacing the NPI pistons to make it easier to use PI heads (recompensate for the bump in compression)...

2001 True Blue GT 5 Spd

K&N Filter - 4" universal
C&L TrueFlow Inlet Pipe - mostly for looks, as good as any other at getting air in the motor.
Ported and Polished 2002 Plenum - from my 2002 GT when I added the Accufab pieces to it, this was sitting around, begging to be ground on. Spent way to long on this project, but it was fun and it seems to have freed up a couple HP along with the...
1/2 inch Intake spacer - along with the ported elbow, this gets near what an aftermarket setup would gain.
180 Thermostat - replaced on 10/01/05 after an overheating episode...and found the 4V 180 stat in the manifold. (Stupid former owner) Hopefully, this problem is now gone.
MAC catted H - the standard and works perfectly with...
Flowmaster 40 series mufflers - welded in. Car is now sporting the OEM 'catback' exhaust from my 02, as it originally had dumps and grew tired of it.
Steeda Tri-Ax - the simpliest, easiest upgrade you could possibly do - makes shifting a pleasure. This replaced the Blue Thunder shifter, which I thought was the problem with shifting this beast. Later, we've found the T-45 just sucks compared to the precision feel of the TR-3650, and this T-45 has likely seen it's better days. It still pops out of reverse on a regular basis, but shifting smoothness was helped with Mobil 1 ATF. The Blue Thunder, a quality shifter itself, was sold on EBay.
FRPP 4.10 gears - the best mod, hands down.
Diablo chip - despite it's age (it's a old "I'm two horny" chip, if you remember those) makes good power.
1995 Cobra rims - 17X9, classic look, riding on Bridgestone Potenza RE-750 - awesome tires, wet or dry.
Tint - everywhere! 3% on all windows, custom (DIY) static cling smoke tint on the taillights, 3rd brake light, side markers.
Bullitt pedals - bitch to put on, but love the look and feel.
Billet headlight switch - simple little mod (well, as soon as you can get the OEM switch off!)
Steeda quadrant, clutch cable, firewall adjuster - standard stuff to do when adding....
Ford King Cobra Clutch - to replace the POS Spec Stage 2. Works great, cheap, very grippy.

2002 Black GT 5 spd

Flowmaster American Thunder Catback - classic sound, love it, works great with...
MRT catted H pipe - quality stainless steel from Scott Hoag, former King of the Bullitt program for Ford.
Pro-5.0 shifter - simply the best shifter...now using the OEM knob as it is the quietest and most comfortable. Originally had added a Black FatKnob.
SCT chip - another chip, gains a few horsepower, but mainly purchased for correction of the...
FRPP 3.73 gears - wish I'd have listen to my heart and gone with 4.10s.
Mach 1 chin spoiler, grill delete - purchased both from Randy Stinchcomb, Liberty Ford, also on these boards, runs the Part Dept forum on www.modulardepot.com. Great guy, awesome serivce.
Tint - everywhere! 3% on all windows, FordPower.net tint for the taillights, static cling smoke tint on the 3rd brake light, side markers and fog lights.
Accufab plenum and Accufab 70mm throttle body - great mod, easy to do, definate power increase at 3000+ RPMS...pulls like it never did before.
K&N filter - univeral 9" x4" opening, mounted to the OEM MAF with a billet aluminum adapter.
MAC white face gauges - white during the day, dark at night. Easy mod, the only challenge being getting the needles accurate, but it really wasn't too hard, especially using the on-board diagnostic sequence available on the SN-95. Just need patience.
Bullitt pedals - bitch to put on, but love the look and feel.
Billet headlight switch - simple little mod (well, as soon as you can get the OEM switch off!)

1997 Mustang GT
BBK 75mm Throttle body and Plenum- I great purchase for around $330. I did feel some gains from it and if planning to supercharge your stang' in the future definitly go with the 75mm. Install took around 2 hours.
SuperchipYes, these do run a bit high in price, around $399 or so is what I paid, but like any tuner they are worth it. I did feel an awesome gain, around 10% advertised. You cannot really mess with anything in specific, but its a 10 minute instant power adder.
March Underdrive Pulleys- I bought the $60 stainless steel set, because it was cheap. Really no noticable power gaisn, but like most have said it is there. The engine runs a lot smoother and the pulleys do extend the life of your engine.
K&n Cold Air Intake- With any new car I think everyone should purchase a K&N. It adds power and the with heat shield, even more! The plastic tubing does not retain heat like the stock rubber hose or the metal ones you see. $200 or so but worth it! Plus the air filter itself is rechargable with a $10 kit.
GTECH TunerNot exactly a power adder, but it does calculate horsepower and 1/4 mile times pretty damn accuratly. Bought the old school one off of ebay for $30, a lot of fun, just do not get stupid.
Steeda Tri-Ax Shorth Throw Shifter- Makes the car feel like a real race car after putting that in. Its an easy install, just need the right tools and a little strength to get some of the bolts off. For $179 it was great deal.

need help with 4.10 gears

Yea i dont have my mustang yet. IM waiting for this crappy winter to pass by in New York. I am getting rid of my old rice ways: I drive an Acura RSX and i am selling it for a 01 or 02 gt.

I have been trying to set how much money i will have from selling my RSX and money saved after buying the GT. I figure anywhere from 1500-2000.

My first mods i wanna get are the 4.10 gears. A place installs them by me for 400, parts and installation included, and they have a good rep, so should be a nice fit. However, to tune it, like the speedometer, i cant find a tuner that works on an automatic gt in the 01-02 years. They all only work on 96-98 version gts and all 99-04 manual.

Also, what other upgrades do you think i should purchase: This is what i invision soo far::SNSign:

4.10 Gears- 400.00
Mac Prochamber X Pipe wit Cats- 409.00
Mac 2 1/2 Catback 3 inch Tips- 319.99
K n L Cold Air Intake- 174.99
Accufab 75 mm Throttle Body and Plenum- 419.00
Brings me close to 1800 with installation:


So what do you guys think. I want my gt to be running close to 275hp-300hp. I will be gettin it dynotuned when i am fully done with all the upgrades i have listed here. Any ideas, suggestions are welcome. email me bgbg22billy@yahoo.com if you got any ideas.

I think you should ask questions in a new thread is what I think....

Anywho..

2004 GT - 5 spd

MGW short throw shifter. Love it, made the whole car seem different. It is as quiet as the stock shifter and much much better shift action.

MGW various Billet interior pieces items like the cup holder rings etcetera just because they look great and add some class to the interior...

MRT hood strut kit on order because I hate prop rod's with a passion

More to follow....

'00 V6

Dual Exhaust - Flowmaster 40 Series
Looks good, sounds a lot better than I expected. No real change to gas mileage in either direction.

MGW Shifter
Smooth, plan and simple...

96 GT

My mods are as follows

Mac cold Air intake 2005

Mac cat back exahust 8 hours under the car with jack stands but it sounds like a dream and with the 3 inch tips looks great 2006

Steeda under drive pulleys 2008

steeda subframe connectors 2005

the best strongest new motorcraft Automatic (I wish it was a 5 speed) (ford is not cheap for thoes trannys 6k ugh) 2005

Xcalibrator II custom tune 2007

I just purchased a set of PI heads and am getting ready to purchas the intake plennum 2008

I plan to purchase a twin turbo kit in the next year or so

Great thread, I must have missed it or else don't remember looking at it.


Cosmetics

Late Model Restoration Mach-1 Grille Delete: Easy install, looks great, and the quality is awesome. I paid $50 for it, and it got here quick. Great company to deal with.

Spring Edition Hood Stripes: Someone took these off my car, so I bought a new set from Late Model Restoration. They came quick, and they are NOT cheap versions you might find elsewhere. Over 2 years and the vinyl looks the same it did the day I applied it. $75.


Tires

Federal Super Steele: They were 245/45/17's. They hooked well for a stock sized tire, and they lasted a while especially running on a bad alignment and using a heavy right foot. These were on the car when I bought them.

General Exclaim UHP: I ordered these from Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels EXCELLENT and fast service. These are 245/45/17 in size, but I am only running them on the front end. Wear has been OUTSTANDING on these tires. They look almost brand new with close to a year on them, and a decent amount of hard driving and a few trips around an autocross track. They work well in rain. My only gripe is when they are pushed really hard they tend to plow a little bit. $86/tire.

Sumitumo HTR-Z: I ordered these from Tire Rack also. Two 315/35/17's. At first, they hooked ok. No better than the Federal 245's that used to be on the car. I accidently ran them over-inflated for a long time, and did some very abuse burnouts and the treadwear has impressed me for what they have gone through. They are allright in the rain when they have tread, but now at the end of their life you MUST drive easy on them almost like a drag radial. Dry traction lacks in all of first and second gear, this wasn't too bad at first but after they wear a little kiss it goodbye. At $99/tire I don't expect much, but these exceeded what I thought they would be.


Drivetrain:

MGW Short Throw Shifter: Smooth as butter! The quality is outstanding on this shifter, you will be hard pressed to find one that can touch this shifter in quality and user adjustability. You can raise or lower the shift handle, and set the angle you want it at. It works only SO/SO for drag racing, but that wasn't really what it was designed for. MGW is a great company to deal with. $190.

Summit Racing 4.10 Gears: I decided to be different and bought these instead of FRPP or Motive gears. Prior to installation, they looked to be very good quality. They were not cast cheaply and were nice and smoothly cut. Since the day of installation these gears have whined. The guy who I had install them is a 35+ year ASE mechanic and has done COUNTLESS other Mustang gear installs for people I personally know. Pinion depth and lash all checked out. We both figure it is just the cut of the gears. We tried to figure out who actually made them (we thought Richmond), as some companies gears are naturally a little noisy. No problems other than that though. They have stood up to 10+ passes at the track, most of which on BIG drag radials launching over 4k RPM. HUGE seat of the pants improvment. I also cut my 1/8th mile times down 2/10ths by switching to these gears. Definatly a first mod if you know where to spend your money correctly. $120 + 300 for install.

Ratech Bearings: I changed the bearings with a fresh set of Ratech's when I had the gears done. I purchased their full bearing kit, aswell as axle bearings. All of them are quality, and are quiet as a mouse in the rear end. Highly reccomend them. Got them from Summit Racing, literally the best automotive company I have ordered from. $100 + axle bearings.

FRPP Trac-lok Rebuild Kit: Got this from Summit also. Comes with all the stuff you need to rebuild your stock limited slip differential, plus friction modifier. I could only see a little bit of difference between performance before and after it was rebuilt. I doubt this was because of bad parts, but more along the lines of the trac-lok not being worn out when I had it rebuilt. $45.


Performance

K&N FIPK: This was on the car when I bought it. It is quiet, and it is made of plastic so there is almost zero heat soak. Highly reccomend it.

Professional Products 75mm TB: This is the non-polished version. Quality is great, I noticed and improvment with throttle response and top end performance when this was paired with a ported plenum. Got it from RPM Outlet with no issues. $225 as a plenum/TB combo.

RPM Ported Plenum: RPM Outlet paired up with C&L to make a lower cost ported upper plenum. It is cast in the same shape of the C&L, but you can tell it is made very cheap. It doesn't have any moving parts, so it's really not a concern. I noticed a nice improvement when paired with the 75mm TB. $225 as a plenum/TB combo.

UPR Catless X Pipe: I bought this used from a buddy of mine. It hangs a little low, but I think it can be tweaked. Quality is great, it has withstood countless encounters with the pavement and isn't torn apart yet. I definatly noticed alot more grunt in the top end with this as opposed to the stock H pipe. This should be a first or second mod. $125 used.

Mac Flowpath Catback: I forget the name of the company I bought it from. Anyway, it has the Dura-Black coating (as long as it doesn't scrape on anything). Fit was good, but not great. Weld's were nice, everything bolted up smooth. The tails and tips are OUT-STANDING! This catback gives your 'Stang a mean snarl no matter what mid-pipe you are running. $320.

Diablosport Predator: Bought it used for $160 and its worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. I used to to calibrate my gears, check trouble codes, shut of my exhaust-related CEL, and to tune my car. I gained 6.9 rwhp and 13 lb ft over the canned Diablo tune just by adjusting my fuel/spark curves in two dyno runs.

Harris Speedworks 2v Plate Nitrous Kit: Worth EVERY single penny. Came with 75-150 jets, arrived quickly with everything needed in a carefully packed box. The system is very easy to set up, and very effective. If you are considering nitrous oxide, I HIGHLY suggest checking out HSW's plate kit. I got mine for $416 shipped on Black Friday of last year. The car is stupid fun on a 100 shot, and the only thing I did for tuning was back timing down and add fuel with my Diablosport. So far so good.


Suspension:

Roush Racing Springs: Very good quality, easy install. They dropped the car modestly, but not too much. I am able to get a very good alignment without caster/camber plates. They are pretty stiff and offer very little weight transfer when drag racing, but their ability to keep flat in the corners makes up for it. I paid $160 through a freind of mine.

J&M Adjustable Street Lower Control Arms: Got these as StangSuspension was going out of business. They looked and still seem to be very well constructed, although it's a 3-piece welded design. Installation was a bit tricky trying to get the bushings pressed in without popping out (because of air trapped between the bushings and pivot ball in the control arm), but aside from that it was smooth. Height adjustments are easy, but I need to re-grease the jacking bolts as they are getting hard to turn now. Paid $149.


Brakes:

Summit Racing Cross Drilled & Slotted Rotors: Bought these shortly after they came out. Everyone warned me not to get cross drilled and slotted because they are prone to crack after a little while. Almost 1 year later and alot of hard driving, and one REALLY abusive trip to an oval track (I overheated them to the point they were smoking and I lost almost all pedal feel) and they have not warped, cracked, or had any problems thus far. They are very high quality, I paid $60/rotor for the front end only.

EBC Greenstuff Pads: These work great in wet or dry conditions. They are an organic pad and give off alot less dust than a metal pad, and what dust is produced comes right off. Once they get warmed up a little they bite really well. Pad wear has been great so far at almost a year. $75 for the front's, purchased through Summit Racing.


I think thats all I have worth posting about. I hope that helped somebody out...

bgbg22 said:

Yea i dont have my mustang yet. IM waiting for this crappy winter to pass by in New York. I am getting rid of my old rice ways: I drive an Acura RSX and i am selling it for a 01 or 02 gt.

I have been trying to set how much money i will have from selling my RSX and money saved after buying the GT. I figure anywhere from 1500-2000.

My first mods i wanna get are the 4.10 gears. A place installs them by me for 400, parts and installation included, and they have a good rep, so should be a nice fit. However, to tune it, like the speedometer, i cant find a tuner that works on an automatic gt in the 01-02 years. They all only work on 96-98 version gts and all 99-04 manual.

Also, what other upgrades do you think i should purchase: This is what i invision soo far::SNSign:

4.10 Gears- 400.00
Mac Prochamber X Pipe wit Cats- 409.00
Mac 2 1/2 Catback 3 inch Tips- 319.99
K n L Cold Air Intake- 174.99
Accufab 75 mm Throttle Body and Plenum- 419.00
Brings me close to 1800 with installation:


So what do you guys think. I want my gt to be running close to 275hp-300hp. I will be gettin it dynotuned when i am fully done with all the upgrades i have listed here. Any ideas, suggestions are welcome. email me bgbg22billy@yahoo.com if you got any ideas.

Click to expand...

I think your sights are set too high for the 275 - 300 hp (to the rear wheels), especially if you go with an automatic. But don't fret, it should still be a fine running machine.

UPR O/R X: Grea product for the price, I replaced my BBK with this product and the fitment was a lot better in which it gave more ground clearance than the BBK. Price was around 150-160 plus shipping through UPR.

SLP LM2 Catback: Sounds very good and has a nice tone. This paired with an O/R X sounds great IMO, can be kept quiet if you want and can scream during WOT, no drone, and none of that popping, wet farting sound when decelerating like I experienced with O/R pipe matched with flows. Price was about $420 shipped with discound code from american muscle.

MAC CAI: ehh its pretty. If I had it to do all over I would have either just dropped in a K&N in stock housing or bought a JLT or K&N RAI kit. I like having my filter where its easilly accessible for cleaning purposes and because I have had my fenderwell kit filter fall off. Bought this probably around '01 and it was aound $190.

Granatelli Plenum: For the $99 paid I thought it was a good deal. Its the same product as the C&L plenum just w/o the C&L stamp on the front. I know this because I installed this on my car and a C&L on my buddys 00 stang a few weeks later. Remember on whatever plenum you buy there is a difference between the years, 99-00 and 01-04, I cant remember the difference right off but I think its one of the hoses beside the IAC thats in a different location, just make sure you get the one for youre year. Price paid $99 plus shipping from jegs.

BBK 70mm TB: Compliments the other intake additions. Have had it on the car since '01 and have had no problems or issues. Purchased aound the same time as the intake and probably about the same price.

BBK Underdrive Pulleys: Lots of trouble from them, I went through a couple belts after putting these on (and could have been install error) I know I went through a couple tensioners also. But I must have finally got something right because I havent had any issues with them in about 3 years. Purchased around '02 for probably a hair under $200.


Steeda Tri-Ax: Cool shifter, I like it. Bought this before MGW shifter was even out for the stang so I would like to check out a MGW to compare. Price was around $150.

FRPP King Cobra Clutch: At least 60K miles on it and still bites as hard as it ever did with about 150-200 track passes. Paid around $150 from summit racing.


FRPP 3.73 Gears: Meh, shouldnt have pussed out and got the 4.10's. No issues, no noise at around 50K miles. Kit including all the installation hardware from the stealership for $150.

DSP: Used this to turn off CEL from the OR pipe, calibrate for the gears, set the fans for the 180* thermostat and its a scan tool. Very satisfied with this mod. Bought on Ebay used/unlocked for $200.

I have the whole Saleen setup so this might seen repetitive

Saleen Flash Tune - Came with the car
Saleen/Magnaflow Catback, Extreme edition
Full Saleen Suspension
Saleen U/D pullies

And I had the C&L Intake Plenum - Good power at higher RPMs
3.73 Ford Racing Gears - Great purchase, they do whine a little because I tend to try and save money by DIY
S&B CAI, had to get rid of my BBK because it wasn't CARB legal... stupid California laws
BBK 75mm - had if for the longest time but sold it
Accufab 75mm throttle body
Fox Lake P-51 intake manifold - I found a guy that was selling it for 360, for the Manifold, accufab TB, and the Fox Lake Fuel rails

I was kinda skeptical about the P-51 at first, but its definatly is worth every penny, I'm running N/A now, and I can feel it pull so much harder from 3000rpm to redline. We dynoed my car, and compared it to the 04 Mustang GT with CAI, throttle body, pullies, and intake plenum, and there was a pretty big diffrence with the HP and tourqe. I dont have the sheets in front of me now, but you can see the power curve, and it was pretty amazing diffrence.

anyways, thats it for now

my best mod was ditching the bottle and gettin a supercharger no more goin to the crack house and fillin up

for starters, i got a lot of suspension work,

maximum motorsports front k-member kit with bilsteins all around and delrin control arm bushings with adjustable aluminum rack bushings.

bolt through tie rod ends. basically everything for their front kit and i love it.

maximum motorsports xtreme rear LCA's- love em, got more road noise but i don't care. i say bring it.

urethane motormounts from prothane- work great no probs got em from maximum also

also got steeda full lenths with cross bolts

tubular tranny x-memeber with prothane tranny mount from maximum

moser 9 in. with 3.70's, detroit locker, 35 splines- can i say indestructible, although now i want 4.11's since im use to the 3.70's.

bbk cold air that was on it when i bought it along with the garbage flowmaster catback. not hatin on flowmaster they make great systems but the guy that owned it before me put them in with 2 1/4 in. pipe instead of 2 1/2 in. (idiot)

spec stage 2+ i like it, grabs good.

msd coils, didn't feel much but needed new coils and these were cheaper than stockies, also put in autolite 104's

future mods- im wantin to do t-56 conversion with 4.11's, rebuild bottom end, comp 270's, intercooled procharger d1sc, full exhaust (magnapacks, o/r x-pipe, headers)