beardednuke

I am new to the 4.6 world, the last mustang I ever worked on and had was a 1988 LX hatchback 5.0. I could use some advice, I am not looking at making extreme horsepower. I am going to be rebuilding my engine and having my transmission rebuilt along with a new clutch. The Mustang I am working on now is a 2001 Mustang GT 5 Speed. Basically what I want is a little extra pep in its step but have a good noticeable cam sound, but stay within the limits of my transmission. I have not looked at what gears are in but assuming it is all stock other than the flowmasters. Starting to buy the parts to do the rebuild, should I stay stock other than the cam or upgrade some of the parts? Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated. I am new to the forum my name is Eddie I live in Texas. I am retired military after almost 21 yrs and this is going to be my gift to myself. LOL

Z28KLR

If just looking to make modest power that will result in a quick/fun street car then a set of (most manufacturer's) "stage 2" cams ought to do it. Nothing wrong with Comp Cams, although there are many others that are arguably a little better for one reason or another. MHS and CMS to name a couple. I'll be buying from www.modularheadshop.com when the time comes.

Stock gears are 3.27, you will want to look toward swapping those out for 3.73 or 4.10 (the latter being my preference for most situations). Keep in mind also that doing stuff under the hood is only the beginning. Plan on some suspension and chassis mods (subframe connectors and a good set of aftermarket lower control arms, at a bare minimum) to not only assist in effectively getting additional power to the ground but really just making the car more enjoyable and predictable in terms of how it handles. Go to the "Suspension" subforum here; top of the page is "Official Suspension Guide". Read through that to hopefully increase your understanding and also help you decide what direction and how far you want to go.

If not planning on making any sort of "big" power then a stock rebuild should be fine. With those cams and the usual exhaust and intake bolt-on's + tune you should see 280-290 hp at the tires. Which is ok power, but you won't be out there killing newer Camaro's (or older ones if they're modded at all) with it. The stock engine internals can reliably handle around 400 whp, so if there's a chance you might want to install a blower or turbo later on then since you're rebuilding now's your chance to get pistons and connecting rods that can handle it. As for making lots of power without blower/turbo/N2O, forget it. You'll spend easily $4K on heads/cams/intake in just parts alone, and end up with about 320-330 whp. The same money could be used on a centri blower and easily hit the 400 whp mark.

You have a bit of homework to do. If you already have a specific budget and goals for the car (hp number, car you want yours to be faster than, track time etc) let us know and we can probably give you some more specific suggestions.

Z28KLR

For a primarily street driven car - even some track time with drag radials mounted on it, your stock TR3650 transmission will hold up just fine. The only time that transmission durability comes into play IMO is at higher power levels where you have a built rearend and a suspension/tire setup that offers excellent off-the-line traction. At that point then usually either the transmission input or output shaft becomes the next weak link in the drivetrain. If it's in good shape as is, then other than a new clutch (since it sounds like you're gonna have everything apart anyway) I wouldn't worry about it.