So whos 96-98 running pi cam/ pi intake?
- Thread starter justinschmidt1
- Start date
It is not worth the money to just port match the NPI heads to the PI setup, you should do a port and polish on the heads as well. With that in mind, I have about $2100.00 into my P&P NPI heads. That price is for fully assembled NPI heads without cams using top quality parts and that was without a core replacement.
I cannot tell you how much I gained as I put a new setup in my car with the P&P NPI heads on it. I don't know what the car dynoed with it's old setup, but the current setup is making well over 300 RWHP N/A through an auto and IRS with a plastic PI intake.
That said, what are the overall plans for your car?
Most of my money has been spent on suspension parts. It drives so much better now than stock, however I am looking for more power in the upper RPM's before upgrading any more suspension parts. I hate that the power drops drastically at about 4500 RPM's. I would like to upgrade to the PI intake, and perhaps a set of cams. I can't decide between Comp cams, or just the PI cams. The PI cams would definitely be cheaper, but would not offer as much power as some aftermarket cams.
Well for me to make a good suggestion for you, I am going to need to know:
How long do you intend to keep the car? Any plans for a supercharger or forged short-block in the future? What grade of fuel do you intend to run? What kind of money are you looking to spend? What horsepower or 1/4 time or other goal are you trying to achieve with the car?
PI Cams are a good bang for the buck. If you are going to pay somebody to install the cams though, you are better off going with an aftermarket cam. You are looking at $600-700 labour to change cams regardless of what cam you go with. Aftermarket cams are not going to give a big peak HP gain, but they are going to give you a wider power band.
Sometimes the PI head and intake swap is the best option. The PI head swap will gain about 10 - 15 more HP over the PI Cam/PI intake swap due to the fact it raises the compression level. This swap will require that you run premium fuel though because of the bump in compression.
Another option is a supercharger. This will give great gains. The only thing you may want to swap is the intake if you go with a centrifugal SC like a Vortech SC. Positive displaced SC's like the Allen kit, Kenne Bell or Ford Racing one will replace the intake. A great bang for the buck is the Ford Racing SC kit especially used ones.
Perhaps forced induction is not your cup of tea and want to stay natural aspirated( N/A ). How far are you willing to push the envelope N/A if this is the case? I am hoping with this post you see why I asked those questions earlier. It is really hard to give advice on what the best direction for you to take if we don't really know the goals you are trying to achieve are.
I do not plan on racing my car in the near future. I want a fun car to drive on the street. I handles great, but lacks in the HP dept. I'd really like to have a supercharger, and if I did it I would go with a roots or twin screw type due to the low and high RPM gains. The problem is I don't have 5 stacks to drop on a Kenne Bell. I have seen the FRPP s/c and the retail price is too expensive for me. Where can I find a used one, and how much should I expect to spend?
I'm one of the actual high-mileaged mustangs that is beginning upgrades. I have roughly in the 150k range on the car though still would love to do the cams. I have the cams already and will be picking up an intake this weekend.
The cam install will have to wait since I plan on getting new chains and guides when its time to do it. With my miles, it wouldn't hurt to replace them while it is opened up
What else should I replace while doing this? I have a quote of $375 for the work and they suggest the new chains.
The cam install will have to wait since I plan on getting new chains and guides when its time to do it. With my miles, it wouldn't hurt to replace them while it is opened up
What else should I replace while doing this? I have a quote of $375 for the work and they suggest the new chains.I have seen a used FRPP kit go for $1000.00. Expect to pay around $1500.00 for one. With NPI heads, PI cams and a 6 PSI FRPP SC kit, I have seen auto equipped 4.6's make around 300 RWHP. That should make for a fun street car...
Would that price include the installation kit? Ford wants ~2500 for the s/c, and ~1500 for the install kit. Where is the best place to buy used parts like this? I saw one on e-bay, but it is made for a 99-up Mustang. They do make a s/c for the 96-98 cars, but I don't know where to look for a used one. Thanks for the assistance.
For the price I said, some do include the installation kit or most of it, some don't... The best place to look for these is in the classifieds here, Modular-Depot, Modular-Fords, Corral, other mustang sites, ebay. You may not find one today or tomorrow, but spending some time looking you will find one eventually.
LI98GTStang
Founding Member
New cam cover and front timing chain cover gaskets are probably a good idea to replace while your in there. I would also just inspect things while your in there to see if anything else looks warn etc..
I already have the cam cover gaskets 
though do need to get a quote from Randy on the timing cover gasket.
I do believe my guides are quite a bit worn since I get a slight ticking, however it hasn't had any affect on the car or its performance. I plan on replacing all of the timing components since it really can't hurt to do so
The chains + guides are pretty damn expensive as well
though do need to get a quote from Randy on the timing cover gasket. I do believe my guides are quite a bit worn since I get a slight ticking, however it hasn't had any affect on the car or its performance. I plan on replacing all of the timing components since it really can't hurt to do so
The chains + guides are pretty damn expensive as well
