I am thinking about getting a vortech supercharger for my '99 3.8L v6 mustang and i know i have to change the rods and pistons. Is there anything else i should get like new fuel injectors? And what else could i do to gain more power. Here's a list of what i have done so far:
MAC Cold Air intake
Underdrive pulley
MAC Long tube headers
MAC H-pipe w/ hi-flow cats
4:11 rear gears

thanks dustin

 

Depends how much power your gunna be makin. If its only a little bit of boost, probably not.

Forged internals are a must if your gunna be running a s/c or turbo with a decent amount of boost.


Jim

 

with 6-8 psi you'll be fine

 

I'm planning on running 8-10 pds of boost. What do you mean forged internals? And do you know of anywhere on the web where i can get a new SOHC that will make my idle nice and rough?

 

By forged internals, he's talking about forged connecting rods and pistions, the stuff you mentioned above. If you're looking for a cam, don't get one for an SOHC engine, I believe the 3.8L are pushrod. CompCams should have one for you.
http://www.powerandperformancenews.c...ry_Code=44-CAM

I would give them a call and ask which one they recommend.

 

Alright thanks. What else could i do to gain more hp?

 

First, let me mention that getting a 16 valve GT engine for 2k, a 32 valve Mach 1 engine for about 3k, and a supercharged cobra engine for about 7k, are all options to consider before pouring the serious money into the V6. Modding the 6 can produce some serious power and make your car able to beat GTs and, with enough boost, run at or near cobra level but it'll likely cost you more in the long run than just getting the cobra engine which comes with the forged internals from the factory. If you just want to get the most out of the six on a budget, start with a full exhaust, CAI, throttle body, MAF, Plenum.... the usual suspects. Then spring for a supercharger kit and chip and you've got yourself a car that run with V8s. After that you gotta take the engine apart, put in forged internals (and do some head porting while you're at it), put in some aggressive cams and the right springs to work with them. Then port your intake manifold. Then, get an intercooler or aftercooler for you supercharger (or swap to a turbo charger at this time), and up the boost to rediculous levels. It would be a good time to get a better radiator and water pump, and maybe even a better oil pump with an oil cooler. And swap in colder spark plugs, and maybe an ignition system upgrade or a seperate standalone engine management system. Hang out a dyno and get it all tuned just right. Then buy yourself a V8-killR liscense plate and make sure to send in some information to magazines and you'll likely get an article write up about you car. Maybe that article can help you get sponsors to provide you with the money to pay for a transmission, suspension, and rear end upgrade to handle all that power.

I went a bit crazy or whatever but you get the idea. It gets expensive once you start looking for more and more power as you outgrow lots of small things like fuel injectors and fuel pump, etc... all the little stuff adds up. There definitly comes the day when you say, "for all this money I could have gotten a cobra" But by then it's too late cause most times you can't get nearly as much money back for your car by selling it as you spent, and anything else you could buy for the money of selling it, wouldn't be as fast. The good news is, you'll save alot of money on your car insurance

 

Well thanks for all the great ideas fallstar. But i have been trying to find an engine but then people are saying that if i swap for a cobra engine then my transmission won't line up with that engine and i don't feel like spending like 6k for just a cobra engine and a transmission. So i thought i'd just do somethin crazy with my 6 n see how much hp i can get out of it. Right now i called this guy and i talked to him about an engine overhaul so he's getting back with me on that. I like everything you said, how much do you think all that would cost that you mentioned? I have 4:11 rear gears that couldn't handle all that power? thanks

 

well, my best suggestion is to find guys on here or www.3.8mustang.com who have built up fast V6. Those guys will know which mods are nessessary and get the most power out of the car. They will be able to tell you what works and what doesn't. I'm not sure of the weak points in that motor and I don't want to tell you that you need something if you don't or miss something that you do.

Also, check out all of the mustang magazines you can get ahold of for articles about built up V6s. Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords, as well as 5.0 Mustangs and Super Fords are both popular magazines and have alot of articles on their website that could help.

It's a good idea to go to mustang meets and car shows and ask questions whenever you see a 3.8L with work done.

 

Alright thanks i'll check all of that out.