GT_5.0

besides gears and exaust, waht is a good first upgrade for my 88 GT without going all out in cash?
thanks

Albizo66

short throw shifter if manual
shift kit if auto

tokinGLX

what do you consider "all out" in terms of cash¿

Champ561

Heads unless thats to expensive.

GT_5.0

i mean like not spending a lot, a lot being around $500?

tuff5liter

camshaft ( i would suggest an e303 cam its 164.88 here (Summit Racing))
CAI w/larger MAF
or if those arent what you are looking for try this out

Ford Racing's Best Parts and Tips for under $50

What are some of the best parts and tips under $50 offered by Ford Racing? The following parts and tips are quick, easy and cheap ways to improve the performance of your late model Mustang. Best of all, theses parts are all Ford made and still readily available as of early 2004. Most of these parts are from actual production vehicles, so you can rest assure the fit, quality and function is there. We've even including the actual part#'s so that you can easily hook up with these parts with minimal research and hassle! Other manufacturers' part #'s may be included for cross reference and or comparison purposes.





1) A/C Eliminator Kits- These kits let you remove the heavy air conditioning system from your "race-prepped" or "hot-Street" Mustang (no-pun intended, really!). Since you'll be removing the compressor, condenser, all related brackets, bolts, lines and pulley, expect to lose approx. 40 lbs from the front end of your Stang. Not only does this mod help lighten your vehicle's overall weight, it also adds a smidgen of power, improves weight distribution and gives your engine bay a neat and clean look! It's like killing four birds with one stone! 94-99 Mustangs get an idler pulley to replace the A/C compressor. 85-93 Mustangs get new brackets and bolts to move the power steering pump up to where the A/C compressor was. In addition, similar kits are offered by other performance manufacturers like March Performance. I tend to prefer the Ford Racing part because it looks like an OEM part that actually blends in with the other accessory brackets. These are the same brackets used on the rare non-A/C equipped cars.

Price range: $40 (85-93) $55 (94-95) $45 (96-99)

A/C Eliminator Part #'s:

FORD

85-93 #M-8511-A50

This part requires a new serpentine belt. When used with the stock smog pump or a smog eliminator kit, a serp belt of 84 1/2" must be used (Gates #K060845). Applications without a smog and or power steering pump must measure the actual belt length. This is accomplished by routing measuring string or tape around the accessories in the same fashion as the stock system.

94-95 #M-19216-A50

96-99 #M-19216-D46

MARCH

85-93 #1460 (REQUIRES A NEW SERPENTINE BELT. ALSO, LOCATION OF THE STOCK BELT TENSIONER PULLEY IS MOVED CLOSER TOWARDS THE P/S PUMP)

STOCK PULLEYS, W/SMOG USE DAYCO #5060860

STOCK PULLEYS, W/OUT SMOG USE DAYCO #5060730

STOCK PULLEYS, W/OUT POWER STEERING UNITS USE DAYCO #5060590

2) Smog/Air Pump Eliminator Kits- These kits replace the smog pump and free up extra power on your "off-road/race only" Mustang by using an "idiot" idler pulley in place of the smog pump. This is a direct replacement that maintains the factory belt length. Ideal for cars that run non-converter h-pipes and do not need the smog pump. Using this kit is quicker and much easier than removing the complete smog pump and bracket assembly. In addition, when you remove the complete assembly instead of using an eliminator kit, you must swap out the serpentine belt for a shorter one and re-evaluate the way your belt routes around the pulleys.

Just think of this mod as a prevention to a common problem associated with old smog pumps. Old smog pumps tend to eventually "freeze" or "lock up" , leaving you stranded and belt less on the side of the road or race track. If the smog pump is not necessary on your race Mustang, replace the smog pump with this kit for some extra power and piece of mind. Similar but cheaper kits are offered by other manufacturers like Steeda. Because of the simplicity of this part, most designs, quality and function tend to be comparable.

Price range: $55-$80 (DEPENDING ON THE MANUFACTURER)

Smog/Air Pump Eliminator Part#'s:

FORD

79-93 #M-8604-A50

STEEDA

79-95 #555-3335





3) Stock Brake Proportioning Valve Plug (For rear disc brake conversions)- Used only when an aftermarket proportioning valve (such as Ford Racing, Wilwood or Summit) has been installed as part of a rear disc conversion upgrade. This plug replaces the stock rear drum brake proportioning valve/plug, spring and rod located under the rear brake reservoir section of the Master Cylinder (smaller reservoir-closest to the front of the car). Do not remove the plug, spring and rod located under the front brake reservoir (larger reservoir-closest to the fire wall), this must remain original and not "gutted" under any circumstances. The front brakes must utilize the original proportioning valve while the aftermarket proportioning valve will control only the rear brake pressure bias. The only exception would be some big brake race conversions that require different brake pressure and or an adjustable proportioning valve for the front brakes.

This modification allows uninterrupted flow of brake fluid from the MC to the new proportioning valve. This in turn, allows the full adjustability of the brake pressure to the rear brakes. Keeping the stock rear drum brake proportioning valve/plug, spring and rod in conjunction with the new aftermarket valve will only override the function of the new valve. In other words, no matter what you adjust the new valve to, the original valve will only allow enough rear brake pressure for a stock rear drum set up. Your new and improved rear disc brakes need more pressure than stock and actually require fine tuning. The actual settings depend on many factors such as caliper, disc and line size.

This part can be used in many custom applications (I use it with a rear disc T-Bird conversion in my 89 5.0) but it's also a service replacement part for Ford Racing M-2300-C, F and K brake conversion kits.

Please note this unique Ford Racing part is not available through any Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealer parts department. It's only available through your Ford Racing dealer.

Price: Under $10

Part #: #M-2450-A





4) Speedometer Recalibration Gears (83-98 only, 99-03 models require electronic speed calibrations)- This cheap and easy to install part corrects your speedometer calibration when you've upgraded your rear differential gears. Although these gears are listed in the latest Ford Racing catalog, they are not available from Ford Racing. These gears must be obtained from either a Ford, Lincoln & Mercury dealer or one of the various aftermarket manufacturers such as Steeda. Ford does not offer speedometer recalibration gears for certain 3.45 to 4.30 axle ratio applications. We've included some Steeda part numbers for some of those unique applications.

Please note that these speedo gears are intended to be used with the stock speedometer gauge for your particular Mustang. On some applications with aftermarket 140-200 MPH gauge inlays/covers such as the Cobra white face type, you may still experience inaccurate speedometer readings. Some aftermarket companies like BBK offer Guaranteed Speedometer Conversion Services. You have to send in your original working speedometer for this conversion process. BBK will then install new face plates and recalibrate your speedometer for guaranteed accuracy. Personally, I would just pick up one of the below speedo gears for about $10 bucks, throw it in and call it a day. How accurate does the speedometer have to be anyways? I'm happy as long as it's not bouncing all over the place and reading 140 MPH when I'm only going 40. I'm sticking to the quick and easy speedo gear theory, now how about you?

Price: $7-$16 (DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION)

Part #'s:

MANUAL TRANSMISSION (7 TOOTH DRIVE GEARS)

83-89 V-8 W/T-5, 96-

schwindty

Take that money throw it in your savings account let it grow add more to it and when you have like 1500-1600 bucks buy a supercharger and laught at everyone that doesn't Best dollar for dollar mod out there hands down!

gspfunk

shop ebaY, get a 75-76mm MAF and an used trick flow intake.