Shopping Spree

[bullitt07]

Alright, So I think I'm ready to start with the mods for my car....

2001 bullitt 49,xxx miles
bone stock


I'm not looking to spend a ton of money. I've been reading a lot, and it seems like 280-290 rwhp is possible without selling both my legs. I'd like to get intake, exhaust possible tuner.( x pipe & mufflers, a buddy had hell w/ headers and exhaust leaks). I dont really want gears, I drive interstate a bit. I'm looking for reliable transportation, and a quick car. Basically anything I can get that will give me more SOTP, 1/4 mile time, and HP & TQ. All three come hand in hand I know. I'd like to learn from others mistakes. What do YOU reccomend, aside from Nitrous/gears/headers <---- scare me. ( yea I know those are a big deal )

How much money and what parts do I need to hit 280-290 rwhp?
What 1/4 times can I expect, assuming I'm a good driver?

I know exhaust makes SOTP go way up, and I love it. A buddy has o/r bassani x pipe and flowmaster 50's, I like his exhaust, but maybe something a TAD louder, with the same deep, musclecar sound. SLP is too loud for me.

 

[the98stang]

Alright, So I think I'm ready to start with the mods for my car....

2001 bullitt 49,xxx miles
bone stock


I'm not looking to spend a ton of money. I've been reading a lot, and it seems like 280-290 rwhp is possible without selling both my legs. I'd like to get intake, exhaust possible tuner.( x pipe & mufflers, a buddy had hell w/ headers and exhaust leaks). I dont really want gears, I drive interstate a bit. I'm looking for reliable transportation, and a quick car. Basically anything I can get that will give me more SOTP, 1/4 mile time, and HP & TQ. All three come hand in hand I know. I'd like to learn from others mistakes. What do YOU reccomend, aside from Nitrous/gears/headers <---- scare me. ( yea I know those are a big deal )

How much money and what parts do I need to hit 280-290 rwhp?
What 1/4 times can I expect, assuming I'm a good driver?

I know exhaust makes SOTP go way up, and I love it. A buddy has o/r bassani x pipe and flowmaster 50's, I like his exhaust, but maybe something a TAD louder, with the same deep, musclecar sound. SLP is too loud for me.

If you want to spend 3+ grand to reach 290whp NA, go ahead.

OR you can spend $600-800 on nitrous to get major torque/HP gains. Or a blower set up will cost around $2000-5000 depending on the type of blower.

 

[hotmustang331]

K&N cold air intake
March U/D pullies
Big oval throttle body
Dr Gas O/R X pipe
Magnaflow SS catback (or magnapacks if you want LOUD)
Vt stg 1 cams
180* thermostat
SCT hand held tuner with a custom dyno tune

that should put you into the 280RWHP range, but your giving up alot by skipping LT headers. I had my BBK LTs on for 6-8 months and never had a problem out of them. PAIN to install, but they made a HUGE difference.

 

[04YELLOWGT]

Everything you dont want are the things that are going to make the most power and make your car a fun car to drive.

I put headers on my car and haven't had a problem with them and I wish I would have done them along time ago. If you friend didn't install them right and didn't retighten the header bolts after letting the car warm up that could have lead to the leaks.

Also 3.73 gears would be fine for interstate driving, tons of guys use those gears and its a good in between gear. I just switched from 4.10s to 3.73s and love them.

If you want to get out of this the cheapest and make 280-290rwhp you better start looking into a blower or nitrous. For $3,900 you can have a car making high 300rwhp with just a MPH Mongoose kit. Id put money down that you would have more money than that in your car trying to go the NA route.

Supercharged Route:
Mongoose Kit - 3,900
Dyno - $75
Total----------------3,975

This will give you a high 300rwhp car with ALOT of room to grow (look at my car)

NA Route:
Cams- $560-$600
Valve Springs- $200
CAI- $150-$300
TB/Plenum- $300-$400
UD Pullies- $180
Catback- $450
Midpipe- $300
Hand Held Tuner- $300
Custom Tune- $400
Total---------------------------Around $2900

This will give you a 270-280 rwhp car with really no room to grow with out spending alot more money.

Neither of the totals are including the install price if you dont install everything yourself but the NA route will be MUCH MUCH more than installing a blower. It would most likely use up the money saved going the NA route.

 

[evol04gt]

NA Route:
Cams- $560-$600
Valve Springs- $200
CAI- $150-$300
TB/Plenum- $300-$400
UD Pullies- $180
Catback- $450
Midpipe- $300
Hand Held Tuner- $300
Custom Tune- $400
Total---------------------------Around $2900


you have an incredible price comparison, but....i would disagree with a lot of these prices.... you dont need a tuner at all if you get a custom tune... most shops for an extra couple bucks will give you a "dual tune switch".

stage 1 cams dont need new valve springs... you should have included the cam install pricing though because 90% of people cannot do a cam swap properly them selves.... not sure why you didnt price out the gears on their either...

i have all the same mods (except for throttle body)

bbk intake- 85 on the summit clearance shelf
comp 262 stage 1 cams were 300 (original owner wanted to go stage 2)
bbk pulleys were 50 on clearance at summit
cat black was 180 shipped unused person on mustang world
mid pipe 400 (i didnt like the O/R that i put in first )
shorty headers were 100 on clearance at summit (285 dollar ford stainless ones)
tuning, and cam install was about 600. (shorties were NOT ON for tune.
total-1715. just for being patient, i saved1200( consider the cam install to be the same cost as the throttlebody/plenum)
and the numbers were 265.5/293.1 without hearders and a MILD tune on 87 octane.


the money i saved shopping around is enough to pay for 1/2 of a kenne bell that someone either never installed, or someone i TRUST AND KNOW's used one that he is upgrading to a massive one from...
im not bothering with a tb at this time due to waiting on the blower set up.. stage 1 cams are perfect for a blower...


i do highly agree that once you do all the bolt ons, there will be no where to go but blown..... but also, having pretty much everything done plus gears is a HUGE driving difference over stock...and most of the things you can do your self with VERY minor mechanical ability.-- and that is EXTREMELY satisfying.

once blown, it should have 375-415 at the wheels depending on how everything works together.

i also agree that NA is a very expensive way to go.. mostly consider the way you drive..full on N/A (stage 2 cams and heads, built long block)is typically a higher rpm driving and honestly, can be agitating because you wil spend a fortune..

once blown and all other things are upgraded, your next focus should be pistons and rods. then more boost and a better trans. OF CORSE DO NOT FORGET ABOUT SUSPENSION.

 

[evol04gt]

didnt mean to sound condescending... sorry...

yes and for those that will cast me out for not having full lengths-- i got the shorties so cheap, it would be stupid to spend 400-700 on shorties and 350 on a new mid pipe all for 7 hpr....

 

[04YELLOWGT]

NA Route:
Cams- $560-$600
Valve Springs- $200
CAI- $150-$300
TB/Plenum- $300-$400
UD Pullies- $180
Catback- $450
Midpipe- $300
Hand Held Tuner- $300
Custom Tune- $400
Total---------------------------Around $2900


you have an incredible price comparison, but....i would disagree with a lot of these prices.... you dont need a tuner at all if you get a custom tune... most shops for an extra couple bucks will give you a "dual tune switch".

stage 1 cams dont need new valve springs... you should have included the cam install pricing though because 90% of people cannot do a cam swap properly them selves.... not sure why you didnt price out the gears on their either...

i have all the same mods (except for throttle body)

bbk intake- 85 on the summit clearance shelf
comp 262 stage 1 cams were 300 (original owner wanted to go stage 2)
bbk pulleys were 50 on clearance at summit
cat black was 180 shipped unused person on mustang world
mid pipe 400 (i didnt like the O/R that i put in first )
shorty headers were 100 on clearance at summit (285 dollar ford stainless ones)
tuning, and cam install was about 600. (shorties were NOT ON for tune.
total-1715. just for being patient, i saved1200( consider the cam install to be the same cost as the throttlebody/plenum)
and the numbers were 265.5/293.1 without hearders and a MILD tune on 87 octane.


the money i saved shopping around is enough to pay for 1/2 of a kenne bell that someone either never installed, or someone i TRUST AND KNOW's used one that he is upgrading to a massive one from...
im not bothering with a tb at this time due to waiting on the blower set up.. stage 1 cams are perfect for a blower...


i do highly agree that once you do all the bolt ons, there will be no where to go but blown..... but also, having pretty much everything done plus gears is a HUGE driving difference over stock...and most of the things you can do your self with VERY minor mechanical ability.-- and that is EXTREMELY satisfying.

once blown, it should have 375-415 at the wheels depending on how everything works together.

i also agree that NA is a very expensive way to go.. mostly consider the way you drive..full on N/A (stage 2 cams and heads, built long block)is typically a higher rpm driving and honestly, can be agitating because you wil spend a fortune..

once blown and all other things are upgraded, your next focus should be pistons and rods. then more boost and a better trans. OF CORSE DO NOT FORGET ABOUT SUSPENSION.

You need a tuner or a chip, either way it will cost you about $300. I've never went to a tuner that hasn't needed one or the other and I've been to 3 and none of my friends (who have been to many more than me) have ever had their car tuned with out a Chip or a tuner. Plus the dual tune switch requires a chip, you cant have multiple tunes on your stock computer.

As for cams and valve springs, if I was going NA and wanted to make some power I would go with Stg2 Cams which require springs, I guess I should have said that in the original.

The reason I didn't list a price for cam install is because it varies so much, you paid $600 for cam instal AND tune which might be the CHEAPEST place in the word to have that done at. I've never payed less than $400 for a custom tune and when I called about getting cams installed it was anywhere from $1000-$2000 for JUST a cam install.

Also some people, like me, wont buy used parts, I dont know why I dont but I just don't like doing it. I know that there COULD be something wrong with the part which means Ill then have to go buy the same part new and have spent more money on it.

 

[evol04gt]

yeah sorry , i failed to mention that the tune included a chip that they did the work on...im pretty sure the cams were given to the shop by one of their very loyal customers as "partial payment" for having the stage twos and heads put in... so the 300 i paid for the cams them selves was probably just to get them off his hands and im sure he would have sold the cams for less and charged more for install or what ever-- it just sounds better the way it was worded..lol

yeah i didnt notice till re-reading your post that you mentioned you left the price of cam install out intentionally...

this shop also did my gears too... they are a local shop that sponsors another forum im on.... at first it was going to be about 300 more, for all the work (also had my subframes welded in too added like 100 or 150) but since i didnt wanna pay basically a grand for cams and having them put in, the price dropped dramatically (he problably knew they would just be still sitting in the shop for another yr or two otherwise)... its all on who you know and what you have done... they only charge like 225-250 for a gear labor- one of the few shops around here that will bother to do gears.. the guy can do em in prob the time it takes me to change my oil.. lol...


as far as used parts--- i totally understand that opinion. all my stuff that i got on discount were all returns that had damaged or missing boxes.. and those items are obvious if damadged... used blowers-- only if i know it was never installed, or if i know the guy personally... the guy that i am trying to get a kenne bell from trats his car like a ferrari... the bumper had some paint chips so he bought a new one from roush and sold the old one (he didnt want anything on his car to be considered "repainted" i think...)

the one thing bad about doing stage 2 cams is that you either need head work ,shaved pistons or alltogether different heads to to clearance issues.. (from everything i have read) i also wanted a mild cam because i liked the low rpm jump rather than the mid rpm jump of the next step up... some bigger cam lump would be hot, but....ya know...

any-who.... back on topic....

i recommend 4.10 gears 400 for install kit, gears and oil,
an o/r h-pipe- $200
pulleys-50-80 ebay or at summit clearance shelf..,
intake 80-150
and just do weld in mufflers (usually 75-100 per muffler) because the exhaust
really doesnt do a lot performancewise... its really headers and mid pipe..
the tune and speedo call is usually like 400 most places
and if you look you can get short throws shifters for 75-125 all day.
and set of mil eliminators for about 40-60 bucks..or 02 extensions for 22 bucks if the shop just shuts them off

youre at about 1500 including all parts and labor (pulleys are easy and intake is easy...the pulleys will require an impact wrench for the alternator) most exhaust shops that someone in your family knows some body or the owner type deal are gonna charge about 30- to wend in the mufflers... EXHAUST SHOPS WILL NOT INSTAL OFF ROAD MID PIPES.

 

[Stang|ess]

didnt mean to sound condescending... sorry...

yes and for those that will cast me out for not having full lengths-- i got the shorties so cheap, it would be stupid to spend 400-700 on shorties and 350 on a new mid pipe all for 7 hpr....

not about peak power, about power under the curve!

 

[04GTMustang]

If you want to spend 3+ grand to reach 290whp NA, go ahead.

OR you can spend $600-800 on nitrous to get major torque/HP gains. Or a blower set up will cost around $2000-5000 depending on the type of blower.

i agree i wish nitrous was my first or one of the first mods i did to my stang. i love it. paid 550 for an nx kit and im spraying a 100 shot and man does she pull.