The Next Warhorse: 1993 Mustang LX Autocross Build

I’ve pulled 286.8 lbs. out of my 1993 2.3L Mustang autocross car. Reaching my goal of 500 lbs. requires me to look for every opportunity to reduce weight.

I’m upgrading my solid rear axle suspension with Steeda aluminum upper & lower control arms.

This video covers the problems I had with the entry-level rear upper & lower control arms that were on Apocalypso, details the benefits of using quality rear upper & lower control arms, provides some install tips, and reveals how much weight I saved by switching to the Steeda aluminum rear control arms.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqQmLUsBbOY&t
 
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So far, I’ve removed 293.4 lbs. from my 1993 2.3L Mustang autocross car. Several of the weight reduction mods I have planned are pretty pricey, so I’m making as many free & inexpensive mods as possible.

I don’t need cruise control to attack the cones, so I’m taking it out of Apocalypso.

This video covers how I removed the cruise control components & provides an accurate weight for the parts that came out of my car.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPI17oV0HyA&t
 
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So far, I’ve removed 293.4 lbs. from my 1993 2.3L Mustang autocross car. Several of the weight reduction mods I have planned are pretty pricey, so I’m making as many free & inexpensive mods as possible.

I don’t need cruise control to attack the cones, so I’m taking it out of Apocalypso.

This video covers how I removed the cruise control components & provides an accurate weight for the parts that came out of my car.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPI17oV0HyA&t

Not the cruise control :(

(i love my cruise controll)
 
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Haha, I will keep my cruise as well, but I appreciate the dedication. I recently pulled the defunct EGR system and all the vacuum tubes... It runs fine and it's been capped off of the manifold for months but I finally went and traced everything and removed it all from the engine bay. Incredibly clean on the passenger side now. I'm pretty sure I pulled about 5 lbs out of there. :) I also discovered and fixed a small vacuum leak I didn't know I had... a tube that was not capped off where it should be.
 
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Not the cruise control :(

(i love my cruise controll)
I'm sure I'm going to miss having cruise control on long drives to events. But it's not necessary for autocross, so it had to go.
Haha, I will keep my cruise as well, but I appreciate the dedication. I recently pulled the defunct EGR system and all the vacuum tubes... It runs fine and it's been capped off of the manifold for months but I finally went and traced everything and removed it all from the engine bay. Incredibly clean on the passenger side now. I'm pretty sure I pulled about 5 lbs out of there. :) I also discovered and fixed a small vacuum leak I didn't know I had... a tube that was not capped off where it should be.
An EGR delete is something I'm considering. I'm also not a fan of the overcomplicated factory 2.3L air box.
 
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I'm sure I'm going to miss having cruise control on long drives to events. But it's not necessary for autocross, so it had to go.

An EGR delete is something I'm considering. I'm also not a fan of the overcomplicated factory 2.3L air box.

This is what my engine bay looked like before my most recent cleaning up:
uttc7ed.jpg


The EGR I just bent over out of the way in the pic as you can see, but it is now gone, along with the related vacuum hoses... it turns out that is the primary congestion on the passenger side. As you can see I also ditched the airbox, which was missing the baffle when I got the car... and that vaccum hose had been blocked off already (this is attached to the EGR line). Anyway, it runs great without the EGR and without the "cold" intake. If I could introduce a little cool air to that filter it would be perfect, but I doubt it actually costs me power. That's just an angled K&N (2.5"?), I just measured the TB and bought one off of summit.
 
This is what my engine bay looked like before my most recent cleaning up:
uttc7ed.jpg


The EGR I just bent over out of the way in the pic as you can see, but it is now gone, along with the related vacuum hoses... it turns out that is the primary congestion on the passenger side. As you can see I also ditched the airbox, which was missing the baffle when I got the car... and that vaccum hose had been blocked off already (this is attached to the EGR line). Anyway, it runs great without the EGR and without the "cold" intake. If I could introduce a little cool air to that filter it would be perfect, but I doubt it actually costs me power. That's just an angled K&N (2.5"?), I just measured the TB and bought one off of summit.
I was shocked by the size of the OEM air intake setup on the 2.3L. I will most likely have to maintain the MAF sensor, and I'll have to account for a larger throttle body, but I've got some ideas for a (sort of) custom "cold air kit" that should perform and look better than stock. It's been really cool to see what other people are doing with their 2.3L Mustangs.
 
I was shocked by the size of the OEM air intake setup on the 2.3L. I will most likely have to maintain the MAF sensor, and I'll have to account for a larger throttle body, but I've got some ideas for a (sort of) custom "cold air kit" that should perform and look better than stock. It's been really cool to see what other people are doing with their 2.3L Mustangs.
Yeah I don't need to worry about MAF with my '89 so it was a lot more simple. But I am absolutely convinced that a better performing and lighter intake can be put in place.
 
Yeah I don't need to worry about MAF with my '89 so it was a lot more simple. But I am absolutely convinced that a better performing and lighter intake can be put in place.
My goal is to double the horsepower while still staying naturally aspirated, so my car will definitely need to breathe better. I will cover the air box/intake I come up with in a future video.
 
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