hey everyone i have an almost all stock 91 gt mustang convert. and i was just wondering where to start with upgrades and what not. currently ive purchased a cold air intake but havnt installed it or anything. im lookin to transform it into a fast street car. what do you recommend
good start is bbk CAI full exhaust for sure from there im pretty well in the same situation haha but i dont need to kno im building a 347 on the side so this is all that 302 is gettn lol
I would start by reading for a couple of months, plan the build with the goals that you set and go from there. There is no easy answer to "where do I start" except google and using forum searches.
IMO, you should start with the suspension and gears, don't just get into power mods without anything to put that power to the ground.
Decide which way you want to go first. Forced induction or N/A. Then, I would work on your suspension. Subframe connectors, springs, struts etc. Then, upgrade the brakes. Discs all around, slotted and cross drilled. You have to decide whether or not you want to stay 4-lug or go with 5 lug. Your budget will dictate which youre going to go with that. The 5 lugs are more costly but are better. Especially if your going to be running a heavily modified vehicle. What it comes down to is this, the stockers are garbage and barely stop a stock vehicle let alone even a mildly modified vehicle. Upgrading is a MUST. Then begin your engine build. Start with your rear-end and work forward. You want to make sure your rearend can handle the power from the transmission. And then you want make sure your transmission can handle the power from the motor. There is no point in having a fast motor if the transmission can not handle it. Then, do your body/interior work. IF you finish this, depending on which routes you go and if you do it your self, you can have a restored fox with a mildly modified fox or a wild fox. But it all comes down to the benjamins. If you spend $10,000 or $25,000 it's up to you.
I'm already $5,000 deep in restorations and it seems to never end. However, by the time I'm done, it will be a huge difference over when this thing rolled off the assembly line.
But then again, I'm one of the lucky few who can take the car off the road for a year or two, garage it and still get around. These cars are truly projects. At the newest, they are 17 years old and most are in dire need of restoration to be both aesthetically pleasing and reliable.
Gears - 87-88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe rear axle - 10.5" vented disc brakes and 3.55 or 3.73 gears in one package for $125-$300. Uses the stock 4 bolt lug pattern. 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 $25- $50 for the wire, fuse holder and fuse.
Lincoln MK VIII electric fan -$40-$160. Free up some HP by not having to drive the stock fan. The 3G alternator upgrade is a must have prerequisite before you do the MK VIII fan. You won’t have enough electrical power if you don’t do the 3G upgrade.
Aluminum driveshaft: (courtesy of shawn13) It needs to be from a 92-95 AeroStar AWD or Electric 4 wheel drive. It measures 45 ½” center of the front U-joint to center of the rear U-joint. You will need the U-joint, part #PUJ353 from NAPA. The Canadian NAPA pat number is 1-0134BF. It should bolt right up after the U-joint swap.
bhuff30b’s input: However, no information was given for the 96-97 AWD aerostar driveshaft. I picked up one of these this weekend, for about 20$ from the local scrap yard. It already has the proper 27/28 spline yoke and needs no modification to install on a mustang. Also, the ends are securely welded on, as opposed to previous driveshafts which were pressed on. I'm not sure if the 92-95 driveshaft is pressed or welded though.
Note: This driveshaft is not an exact duplicate of the Ford Racing part. It is 3” in diameter while the Ford Racing part is 3.5” in diameter.
*1.) Metal flange adapter Kurtz Kustomz Motorsports, Inc. KKM Buy the TR70 for $44.95. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.
Try AutoZone and ask for 81413 - Spectre / 3 in. Aluminum Intake Mass Air Flow Sensor Adapter at $12.00. You may have to order it online.
*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1994-95 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1992-94 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-95 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1992-94 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1992-94 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.