Rear End, Exhaust, and Door hinge questions
07-07-2006, 11:47 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5
Rear End, Exhaust, and Door hinge questions
I bought a bone stock 89 lx 5.0 with an auto transmission. How do I find out what size rear end it has? It is prety high i'm guessing; did they put a 2:73 or so in them. I want to put a new rear in it, but I dont want to go to a 3:73. I want more fuel economy that what it offers, but I want more performance than what I have now.
The only thin that my car has that is not stock is a set of flowmaster mufflers. Can I put an X pipe or H pipe in it with the auto tranny, and what type and size headers should I use?
Is it possible to replace the door hinges, or do you just have to replace the pins? The hinges appear to be welded into place from the factory, and i didn't know if they could be replaced.
The only thin that my car has that is not stock is a set of flowmaster mufflers. Can I put an X pipe or H pipe in it with the auto tranny, and what type and size headers should I use?
Is it possible to replace the door hinges, or do you just have to replace the pins? The hinges appear to be welded into place from the factory, and i didn't know if they could be replaced.
07-07-2006, 12:07 PM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Central New York
Posts: 3,850
RE: Rear End and exhaust questions
okay... first things first.. in your door jamb there is a sticker that will give you the factory codes which tell you what tranny and gears etc. your car came with. The letter M is for 2.73 gears, and W is for 3.73, you can go 3.55 to get the best of acceleration and fuel mileage, as for the rear end it is 8.8". Use this link and go to VIN decoding... http://www.themustang-net.com/tech.shtml. If you do a midpipe i recomend an H pipe because it has deeper tone and the hp differences between x and h are minimal. Tranny wont affect fit of midpipe as for headers, get a single flange to prevent warping and for best fit, ceramic coating for heat and a nice finish for life, and 1 5/8" is a good size for a stock of minimally modded stang, i run BBk equal length ceramic shorties and they perform excellent, also get a copper or metal based gasket do not use the paper/cork gaskets that are suppllied with the headers.. (dr. gasket, fel pro are good) they dont last and cause headaches. Do soem searches and read some of the past forums .. all these topics are talked of alot! 
good luck and welcome to the forums!
good luck and welcome to the forums!
07-07-2006, 01:13 PM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,834
RE: Rear End, Exhaust, and Door hinge questions
ORIGINAL: Steve M Jr
I bought a bone stock 89 lx 5.0 with an auto transmission. How do I find out what size rear end it has? It is prety high i'm guessing; did they put a 2:73 or so in them. I want to put a new rear in it, but I dont want to go to a 3:73. I want more fuel economy that what it offers, but I want more performance than what I have now. You won't notice much difference in mileage w/ 3.73's unless you do a lot of hwy driving...but even then, it won't be substantial. I run 3.55's and like them. Like 7UP said, it's kind of an in between gear. You'll notice an improvement in performance if you're coming from 2.73's, but it won't hurt your mileage.
The only thin that my car has that is not stock is a set of flowmaster mufflers. Can I put an X pipe or H pipe in it with the auto tranny, and what type and size headers should I use?Stay away from Mac headers!! Look at the BBK shorties like mentioned previously or FRPP stainless shorties. 1 5/8 is all you need for a 302. You can do either mid pipe....an offroad pipe will give you more power, but could cause problems w/ inspection if you have to pass the sniffer.
Is it possible to replace the door hinges, or do you just have to replace the pins? The hinges appear to be welded into place from the factory, and i didn't know if they could be replaced.Not sure about the door stuff...[
]
I bought a bone stock 89 lx 5.0 with an auto transmission. How do I find out what size rear end it has? It is prety high i'm guessing; did they put a 2:73 or so in them. I want to put a new rear in it, but I dont want to go to a 3:73. I want more fuel economy that what it offers, but I want more performance than what I have now. You won't notice much difference in mileage w/ 3.73's unless you do a lot of hwy driving...but even then, it won't be substantial. I run 3.55's and like them. Like 7UP said, it's kind of an in between gear. You'll notice an improvement in performance if you're coming from 2.73's, but it won't hurt your mileage.
The only thin that my car has that is not stock is a set of flowmaster mufflers. Can I put an X pipe or H pipe in it with the auto tranny, and what type and size headers should I use?Stay away from Mac headers!! Look at the BBK shorties like mentioned previously or FRPP stainless shorties. 1 5/8 is all you need for a 302. You can do either mid pipe....an offroad pipe will give you more power, but could cause problems w/ inspection if you have to pass the sniffer.
Is it possible to replace the door hinges, or do you just have to replace the pins? The hinges appear to be welded into place from the factory, and i didn't know if they could be replaced.Not sure about the door stuff...[
]
07-07-2006, 01:44 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5
RE: Rear End, Exhaust, and Door hinge questions
Thanks guys, I am a long time member of some ATV forums and I know how much of a pain it is when the newbie comes in and asks questions thay you have already answered 1000 times. I appreciate all of your help. I will try to utalize the search feature more often.
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