You don't HAVE to.. that's just what I would do in your shoes.. but if you want a project engine that you can mod yourself instead of a performance engine that's already been modded, that's what I'd do. The stock 03/04 Cobra engines already have forged internals so you won't need to worry about that unless you're either planning to push insane amounts of boost through the engine and/or make 700+ RWHP.. lol I don't know what SVT's prices are like, but they're probably one of the best options for getting a stock 4v with forged internals that's in good shape.. I wouldn't buy one of them used, because chances are whoever had it before you either rebuilt it, or beat the crap out of the car it was in..

As for the S/C and the headers not a problem.. though I would go with at least 1 1/2" if not 1 3/4" headers.. anything smaller either won't fit or will be very restrictive..

 

ah ok, well i was thinking a st of hookers or something, this is all planned for a timespan of two years so i should be good ,

nice mach by the way

 

Thanks .. still needs a lot of work though.. lol I'm in the process of saving up for forged rods/rings/hypereutectics myself.. the mach has the same 4v as the cobra, but for whatever reason they used those crap cast rods.. [:@]If I can swing it I'm getting a 10-psi pulley and a boost-a-pump to go with it.. With a better tune I could probably make 525 or 550 RWHP with that..

 

ahh thats a bit more than i'm aiming for, i want something with maybe like 425-440 at the wheels, and i dont really want a whole lot of work

and i've always loved the wind of a charger

 

dude if you have 10-15 grand to spend on the car you can build up the engine and supercharge it.

 

you might want to look at www.torktech.com The non inter cooled kit is under 3 grand, and is a 3-4 hour install. It is upgradeable to the in tercooled/heat exchanger version. They use the Generation 5 Magnuson. From 220 rwhp to about 350 non ic. If you want to go nuts later on, buy the TVS adapter plate. The TVS 1900 (a 1.9L) made 777 hp on a 6.0L.

 

^^^I don't mean to Hi-jack the OP's thread, but red, what do you think about the vortech and KB 2.2 kits for the 4v on the Mach? I've got the ProCharger P1 right now, and I"ve heard so many sh1tty things about it on here I"m begining to think I made a mistake in getting it.. How much do you think it'd cost to maybe upgrade to one of the Magnuson units you were talking about, or maybe a KB? []

 

Why is the Procharger so sh_tty? Is this something you're sure of?

 

yeah no sense in getting rid of it... just upgrade to a d-1 or F-1 (non self contained)

 

To the original post:

You said you wanted 450 hp. Everyone here assumes you mean 450 rwhp which is really pushing an 04 GT motor. 450 hp at the crank is a possibility. Assuming a 20% loss through the automatic transmission that would be 360 rwhp. A Procharger running 8 lbs boost (which is all they recommend for an 04), a 75mm TB/Plenum and LT Headers and a mid-pipe will easily get you there. The additional mods will push you past the ability of you MAF to handle the correct air/fuel mix so you will need a new MAF or a maf.i.a to get the correct custome tune. As with all supercharged motors, a good tune is critical. If you are like the rest of us you will probably wantboost and fuel pressure gages. You can buy and have all of this installed for somewhere around $8k.

To tweek a little more rwhp without putting additional strain on the motor get an electric waterpump and an aluminum driveshaft. They don't create horsepower but using less hp elsewhere gives the wheels more.

You really don't want to start buying stuff until you have a reasonably complete plan. If you do you have the potential of replacing things you've alreadybought or buying mods that actually hurt overall performance.