New To The Site, New To Custom Work

[I am not a robot]

Hi there!
I am currently the proud owner of a 2001 V6 mustang. I have big dreams of making a track car out of this beauty and would like to start by building a twin-spool turbo system for the car. While I am tracking down parts and learning a lot from a friend who has done this kind of thing before, the questions that neither of us have answers to are here:

Will the T-56 transmission work and, if so, where can I find a conversion kit for the bellhousing?
Do I need to upgrade my drive shaft and rear axle to take the extra torque or will the ones I have be able to handle the turbo?
What suggestions do you have to make the front end lighter (aside from an aluminum block)?

 

[BrothersPerformance]

Welcome to the forums!

First things first, what is your budget and realistic goal for this car? When you say track, do you mean the 1/4 mile, autocross or HPDE?
There are quite a few people who set out to take on a massive project like this but end of up falling short because of money/time/availability of parts.

Here is what I can answer:

If your were looking to do a T56 swap you would more than likely need the transmission, a 26 spline clutch kit, flywheel, a custom made bellhousing to mount to the V6, custom made driveshaft, an 8.8 rear end and so on.

For the turbo kit you would more than likely have to get a custom made hot side and order some universal pipes and intercooler for the cold side. Then you will have to get forged internals for the engine. Then you will have to get a fuel system from front to back to supply enough fuel. Then suspension work and so on and so on...

 

[I am not a robot]

My realistic goals are to be street legal but to have a great time autocrossing or going out to local track days. My budget is relative since I intend to make this my long-haul project car. I intend on taking my time with it, finding deals and picking up what I can when I have the funds. I know the basics of what I will need for the turbo (headers, intercooler, etc) but I am still trying to figure out where I can start looking for one, if there is a brand that works best for that particular engine as well as the recommended boost that I could run without expecting to reduce the life of the engine by a significant amount. My other main concern is whether or no I will need an upgraded drive shaft and rear axle to support the torque of the turbo regardless of putting in the new transmission?

Thanks for the info on the transmission swap by the way! I'm gonna start looking into that.

 

[BrothersPerformance]

Most everything will have to be custom made. I have yet to find a bellhousing that will adapt a T56 to a V6. You will need a custom made drive shaft to compensate for how much longer the T56 is than the stock unit. The easiest thing that you could probably do is source a GT donor car and swap everything over that you would need.

I recommend just getting seat time with the car on the track in stock form.

 

[skyline247]

I recommend just getting seat time with the car on the track in stock form.

^This

Both autocross and hpde are more about driver skill than power. The best thing you can do is get a good set of tires, brake pads, fluids, etc. and get driving experience. Then start upgrading incrementally so that your skills are inline with your mods. This will also let you see where the immediate deficiencies are. Also try to think about your end goal. Is it just for fun or do you want to compete? NASA has competition classes that don't allow many modifications in order to make it a drivers race. Although I think a V8 is required for them. I'd have to double check the rules...

For autocross, check out SCCA.
For HPDE, I'm going with NASA.

Nasaproracing.com

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[I am not a robot]

Thank you guys very much for the tips. I have a friend who does autocross with SCCA who told me most of the same things after I told him I was thinking about modifying my car. I appreciate you helping me move off in the right direction!

 

[skyline247]

You're welcome. Have fun and be safe!

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk