rygi23

As stated previously, ran 12s by upping psi so no bog. 12.91 w/ 1.86 60ft, dropped 2 psi and cut a 1.79 60ft but 2nd gear lock-out problem got me more than the 1st run, slowed me down to a 12.94 @ only 103. Certain 12.7x is no problem as she sits w/o the shift problem. My question is this......

What do you guys think she'll run with these mods I've recently bought?

SLP longtubes and catted X ($500, used)
97 Cobra intake cams ($150, used)
Spec stage 2+ clutch ($360, AM)
Fiore clutch cable firewall adjuster and quadrant ($100, Lethal Perf.)
Dyno tune ($300)

Goal is 12.3x, just wanna know if stretching my expectations to far. Thx for any feedback.

Stone629

12.3 is doable imo. Your lockout has gotta be killing you, so with that fixed, you ought to drop to at least a 12.70, then the LTs ought to drop you another 2 tenths, putting you at or near a mid 12. That spec clutch isn't going to slip like the stocker, so right there you ought to be below a mid 12.

Question about those 97 cams.... where and how do they affect the powerband? Do they add low end or top end? Been hearing a lot about Mach guys swapping them in.

USMCrebel

those are the first two, the intake cams will take a lot of time, an will only gain you what the tune alone will...so with LT's and a tune you'll double the gains. As far as a clutch, i like the stocker..it will keep the rear from shattering if you don't have hardened pieces.
FWIW im shooting for a 1.89 on street tires before i go to ET streets.


the sn cams will be in the upper power band and mid power band. and you WILL lose tq if you do not advance them 8*-10*...but that only matters around town, a 6000 rpm launch is up there, and most of the racing life is spent above 4k.

Mach1man

The exhaust is a good choice, but it's not going to get you big gains, maybe a tenth or two. I gotta question the cams and the clutch. Is there something wrong with your stock clutch? If not, keep using it. I'd take the money from these two items and beef up the rear end, axles, and control arms. The firewall clutch adjuster and quadrant are good investments, eventhough they make zero difference in your e.t.. A good dyno tune is usually going to net you some performance gains, then it's up to you to put those gains to ground.

USMCrebel

the way i am figuring it is if he gets the exhaust and a tune he's good for .3-.4 with it, and that should put him in the reach of his mid low 12 goal and once the clutch and firewall thingy is fixed he's there, and then SAVE for Fr500 cams...errr actually ford gt cams slightly cheaper and get the same basic results. then that'll knock another .2 off

rygi23

Thx Stoner. I think 12.3 will be doable as well. Lockout IS killing me. IMO the run with the 1.79 60 ft would've been 12.7 w/o the extreme lockout on that run. As for the cams, like Rebel said they're more mid/top end, good for 15-20 peak hp.....ofcourse, hp gains are always debatable. They need to be advanced 6 degrees at very least to not lose low end power. But I'll tell ya, because it's only the intake cam these can be easily installed w/ the motor in the car and are very safe for the stock valve train so the cost per gains dwarfs the aftermarket cams that gain 30 hp.

rygi23

Man, opinions are all over the place, lol. From listening to many Mach owner's feedback, this is what I'm figuring.....With a tune, full exhaust is typically 25-30 hp which is 17-22 over the gains I've seen LM1s alone rated and cams are good for 15-20. Just using the low #s I'm good for over 30 hp. Also been told a good clutch will yield performance gains over the stock unit even if the stocker's not malfunctioning. The adjuster and quadrant...man, what a difference. Had it installed today and it's an even bigger difference than the short shifter was. I have it adjusted to where the clutch engages sooner and it feels so good to not have to press the clutch in half way to shift. I think it alone would help ET a little because of the speed of the shifts. Rear ends and axles are great suggestions, but I'm not dumping the clutch or anything so I should be okay. Control arms are meant to help traction but I'm not having the slightest problem hooking so I'm not sure how they'd help.

rygi23

I'm thinking the same thing with the full exhaust, cams, tune and clutch to yield a solid four tenths. The "firewall thingy" was fixed today, lol. A HUGE improvement. With install all aftermarket cams are over $3K and the largest gain I've heard of is 35 hp. I got these cams for $150, no supporting valvetrain components needed and they can be installed in the car.

USMCrebel

You would be correct. if you already have them do it all you'll see better than 35hp increase...especially with LT's

Mach1man

Sorry guys, but I have to disagree. I think you're looking for unrealistic horsepower gains from an exhaust system and intake cams. Your goal of knocking your e.t. down by several tenths is well within the realm of the mentioned upgrades, but don't look for a 35rwhp gain from longtube headers and intake cams, ain't gonna happen, unless somebody cooks the numbers at the dyno!

People tend to forget, this isn't a corked-up 4.6L 2 valve motor here! The Mach 1/Terminator "C" heads are some of the best flowing modular heads out there, both intake and exhaust. The exhaust ports are flow port matched to the exhaust manifolds, and 2.5 inch pipe all the way to the tips!

The only real noticable restriction occurs in the cats and the mufflers, which is why a good non-catted, or high flow catted x-pipe, and flow through mufflers will usually gain you double-digit horsepower and torque increases on the dyno. Once you've done that, and then throw in longtube headers, they kind of don't make that big a difference! You might see 15-18rwhp on a stock or mild bolt-on Mach 1.

I'm assuming you intend to stay naturally aspirated, because there is no mention of any power adders here. If you truly want to go fast, the single best, cheapest, and easiest bolt-on you could do would be a 100 shot of nitrous. You would be in the high 11 second bracket as the car sits right now, with no problem, and still have perfect street manners.