I am purchasing a 1995 GT convertible (solid 16 second car) and it will be a big step backward in power for me so I know that I will need to mod pretty quick. The car I'm getting rid of is a lightly modded 2001 GTP (280ish hp). I never had the car to the track but folks with mods similar to mine report times in the high 13s. That gives you a baseline of the minimum power that I will be looking for. I would really like a car that is a blast to drive on the street because this will be my DD. My realistic speed goal is mid to low 13s with low 12s being a pipe dream if I win the powerball some day. Keep in mind that this is a convertible. I have been searching these forums for a few weeks and just haven't found a thread that addresses my need to mod one piece at a time. I am on a very tight budget. It is also important that I keep the car 100% street legal, no O/R parts allowed. Could anyone direct me to some threads that would detail a slow, street legal build that would give me a good starting point for my car? Intake first or exhaust? Will I need heads and a cam or can I reach my mid 13 goal with only intake, exhaust, pulleys, etc? Oh, and although this will be my sixth Stang, I have never owned a 5.0 or any v8 Stang so assume that I know nothing.
Order of mods
- Thread starter ctrout71
- Start date
Adam95GT
New Member
Head cam intake... Save your money and just buy a top end kit. Dont start with this verts are slow crap... I cut a 14.4 with like no mods... so its quicker then you may think. high 13's may be possible with full bolt ons (including upper intake and some weight reduction)
So what would be a good top end kit and where is the best place to get one? Will they be identified as 50 state legal? I'm sure that a kit would cost about 50% of what I paid for this cherry 95GT Vert so it will take me forever to save the cash for it but if that is the best route, I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
I just shopped around a bit and found the Trick Flow 350hp kit. That looks like it would work for what I am trying to do. Price is right about $2600 delivered to my door. The kit includes the Street Burner manifold, Track Max hydraulic roller cam, and Twisted Wedge 61cc heads and all associated hardware. Can anyone tell me if this kit is 50 state legal?
If this Stang has an auto trans 
your task will be a bit more costly
never the less
A stick trans h/c/i combo will put you at about 300 sae rwhp
but
That is with more parts than what you get with typical kits
Headers, meter, larger fuel pump, and all the other supporting
parts need to be in place for 300 or a bit more
Of course ... Ya don't need 300 to the wheels for 13's
Grady
your task will be a bit more costly
never the less
A stick trans h/c/i combo will put you at about 300 sae rwhp
but
That is with more parts than what you get with typical kits
Headers, meter, larger fuel pump, and all the other supporting
parts need to be in place for 300 or a bit more
Of course ... Ya don't need 300 to the wheels for 13's
Grady
If this Stang has an auto trans
your task will be a bit more costly
... Ya don't need 300 to the wheels for 13's
Grady
It is a 5 speed. Also, I found a 1/4 mile calculator and ran the numbers. with 300hp and a car + driver weight of 3625, my calculated time was 13.367 at 101.973mph. that is exactly the kind of performance that I want. So with these calculators, is that 300 at the flywheel or at the rear wheels? I'm assuming it's at the flywheel. That would be what, 270 at the rear wheels? I have also found through my sitting on the couch like a slug surfing for 7 hours straight today that I could probably reach my goals MUCH cheaper with a pair of GT40 irons and intake from a 96 Explorer and something like a TF stage 1 cam. That whole set-up should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000 + or - right? It looks like I could complete my desired build (including headers/exhaust) for well under $3000 if I do all of the work myself. This is starting to look much more promising to me.
Adam95GT
New Member
Yes gt40's should hit your goal with a nice cam. just make sure you plan out your mods or you will be buying things twice.
I was speaking about Rear Wheel Horse Power
For a stick trans car ... A rule of thumb is a 15% drive train loss
therefore
300 fwhp X .85 puts you at about 255 rwhp
Most h/c/i combos based upon OEM iron heads put out somewhere
in the range of 245 to 285 sae rwhp
Again ... power from a h/c/i combo is not only about selecting
h/c/i that play nice together ... it is also about what kind of
supporting parts you got in place
AND
It goes without saying
attention to detail when planning/building the combo
Grady
For a stick trans car ... A rule of thumb is a 15% drive train loss
therefore
300 fwhp X .85 puts you at about 255 rwhp
Most h/c/i combos based upon OEM iron heads put out somewhere
in the range of 245 to 285 sae rwhp
Again ... power from a h/c/i combo is not only about selecting
h/c/i that play nice together ... it is also about what kind of
supporting parts you got in place
AND
It goes without saying
attention to detail when planning/building the combo
Grady
blksn955.o
Founding Member
gears, pullies, shifter, tires, and a 125 shot will get you in the low 13's maybe the high 12's with some practice and a few susp. upgrades.
Basically, with that setup above I ran 14.3 at like 98 and 13.01 at 107 on $50 street tires. It will cost less than $2500 if you look around for deals and you wont have to tear into the motor.
Basically, with that setup above I ran 14.3 at like 98 and 13.01 at 107 on $50 street tires. It will cost less than $2500 if you look around for deals and you wont have to tear into the motor.
So when you say H/C/I combos based on OEM iron heads, is that a reference to the GT40 combo that I mentioned?
Also, as far as combos and supporting mods go, my plan is for the GT40 heads and intake, TF stage 1 cam, headers, H-pipe, and cat back exhaust. Does this sound like a workable combo? I haven't decided on the specifics of the exhaust mods yet as I am just now beginning to plan the build. Also, I would like to retain the option of adding a blower at a later date if money becomes available but I would like for the N/A mods to be able to stand on their own.
I said that it is important to keep it 100% street legal.
Dino Dino Bambino
15 Year Member
Mine's not a vert but it's an automatic, and I started out with a bone stock car that did 16.03 @ 89.4 so you can see how far I've come without doing anything really fancy. Full details are on my homepage and there's a full list of mods in my garage.
Since you're on a tight budget, I suggest you start by removing as much weight as possible. I have a weight reduction list on my site, and you could also add the 25lb weight under the passenger side inner fender to that list for your vert. I also have a page of "freebie" mods you can do to gain a little more power. Then swap the rear end gear (probably a 3.08 in your case) for a 3.73. It'll feel like your car just lost 500lb.
You only need about 230-235rwhp to get into the high 13's and you can get there with just the basic bolt-on mods and stock H/C/I. If you then take the low budget route with GT40 heads and an Explorer intake, you could see 260-265rwhp and a 13.3-13.4 ET (assuming 3625lb with driver) while still having the stock cam.
Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. Bullitt, thanks for the great page that you sent me to. Your list of mods with reflected hp gains and 1/4 mile times will br particularly helpful to me in planning my build. I have a very solid direction on which way I want to go now. I am much less intimidated by this task now.
Dino Dino Bambino
15 Year Member
Glad you found my pages useful. You don't necessarily have to do the mods in the same order as I did, and you could even do the GT40 heads/Explorer intake before the bolt-ons. I do recommend doing the 3.73 gear swap as early as possible though 'cause that'll make the biggest SOTP difference. Since you have a manual tranny, you could also consider adding a short throw shifter (MGW seems to be very good).
rj95svt
Member
With that heavy vert 4.10's may be better. If going the budget route I would buy some gt40p heads have them milled slightly to bump compression and buy a valvespring package (TFS valvespring kit is popular but I got my springs from thumper460 on this forum and on corral) TFS stg 1 cam, explorer intake with the lower ported by tmoss (another forum member), 70mm tb, cheap ebay or homemade CAI. Get whatever exhaust you want and is legal for your area. I run O/R x pipe on the street where I live but I don't have to pass any emissions tests either.
A upgraded fuel pump, maf, injectors, and a tune may be needed as well.
A upgraded fuel pump, maf, injectors, and a tune may be needed as well.
Black95GTS
Active Member
1994-1995 Ford Mustang GT & Cobra 5.0L Supercharging Systems | Vortech Superchargers
Done. Install is easier and faster as well.
Adam
Done. Install is easier and faster as well.
Adam
And about twice the money. I won't be able to afford something like that for a number of years. I am active duty enlisted with 4 kids and my wife doesn't bring home a paycheck. Ramen noodles are a staple in my house.
Black95GTS
Active Member
That TFS top end kit doesn't come with injectors, MAF, or a tune. Not to mention you will need tools, like a cam degreeing kit, that you won't need with a super charger, along with misc. vacuum fittings, tapes, lubricants, etc.
You'll find that they cost about the same.
Adam
blksn955.o
Founding Member
Mine passes inspection every time and I dont change anything? You can have the bottle in the trunk just can not have the line hooked to the bottle IF your pulled over.
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