THS_Steed06

Hi all, well I know this thread is about to start some heavy opinions but I'm posting it because I'm torn with what to do. I got my gently used vista blue/camel interior 2006 deluxe 4.0 in March with 24k on the clock (damn car is near perfect), she's got the T-5 and the upgraded 3.31 7.5" axle.

Having had a 2010 GT with TR3650 in past I know both sides of the fence. My current car is great but as is typical with the disease power is pleasing. I've been thinking whether or not to bite the bullet and Follow Kuro's lead to drop in a 4.6/5.4 or build up my 4L...I really like the six btw it's a decent motor, sounds great (under 4k) and has a lot of potential.

I drive my car daily to work and enjoy "spirited" driving on my many backroads and can't afford to cast aside MPG's. My current plans are to upgrade my 3.31 axle to a t-loc 3.73, add a new aluminum driveshaft. Beyond that I haven't wanted to get a CAI or exhaust because I don't know which way to go.

I'm thinking my realistic mod budget is less than 3k, which is slim I know but hey I'm being real here...no xcharger solution for me.

However the truth is I'm not looking for a specific power target, just a quick car that feels great and is economical enough to be a DD. Hence I started researching ways to improve the 4.0. So beyond the drivetrain mods listed previously I wanted to find a lightweight higher compression piston kit and a donor crankshaft/flywheel/harmonic balancer to send to an engine shop for rotating and reciprocating parts balance. This will increase the compression of the motor (from 9.6 to something like 10.5:1) and boost the upper RPM peak to like 7 grand.

I'm estimating that the lightweight pistons and balancing along with raised usable RPM peak and compression would put me about 40 -60 HP ahead of where I am today (at flywheel)..and consequently would raise my torque output too which is already pretty decent. Once I add in the typical tuner CAI and what not I'm sure I'll be getting close to 300 HP. The machine shop work will cost about $300 or so and install probably $1k. Then 6 to 800 for the custom tuner/CAI/headers.

I'm hoping the crank/pistons can be done without pulling the motor completely (I had heard this was possible in past by raising up motor and disconnecting tranny/flywheel) and could be a pretty awesome upgrade over stock.

Or...

I could just forget all that and drop in a 4.6 or 5.4L, have those balanced to improve fuel economy and enjoy the V8 power! Then I need to spend a ton more money because everybody says you need a TR3650 and an 8.8 rear end to go V8 not to mention all the requsite B.S. required to get ECU's and harnesess and **** to talk to eachother, A/C & PS mounting issues etc . Plus my car will probably be torn down for a couple of weeks vs. a day or two for the sixer work.
Lots of questions come to mind about this whole thing but one thing I can't follow everybody seems to ditch the 7.5 for an 8.8. Isn't the T-5 the same tranny and 7.5" rear end the ones used on Fox body and modular steeds with V8's for more than 15 years? It should be able to hold that power/torque no problem...unless the s197 generation parts are weaker for some reason? Besides that I could blow my gears like three times before I approach the cost and hassle of an 8.8 swap. Am I wrong here? I'm not racing this car a ton, but it will see its share of hard stoplight launches.


I'll take anyones input on this. For my slim budget and goals (like a 13 second semi eco DD) what's to do here? *waits for the bombs to fall* can't seem to find any definitive proof of is that a 7.5" rear end can't hold 300-ish. HP. But

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E_cox310

This is like reading an essay. Well, first question is... why did you dump your 2010 GT for a 2006 V6? Dropping a V8 in your car will be expensive as hell and a pain in the *** if you want it done right with no problems. I always say if you have a V6, accept it and work with what you got. Or Trade up to a GT. JMO

THS_Steed06

Thanks Cox310. I hear ya about working with the 4.0 a lot less hassle overall I think, but lots to gain from the v8 swap too.

I traded my 2010 GT for a number of reasons...

- It wasn't the car I really wanted (went out for 2011 v6 w/performance pkg and 6 spd) just accepted what dealer had on lot "on sale" they gave me 7k off the $35k MSRP so I took it, fell in love with the GT sound and car had track pack suspension and 3.73's already. Color was red which I wasn't crazy about.

- The mileage drove me nuts, I would baby the snot out of it and it struggled to get 20 MPG. It never came close to the 24 MPG Hwy rating...ever....even on road trips.

- The clutch pedal was so tight after a year my knee kept hurting every time I drove it and I'm only 37...dealer said there was "nothing wrong".

- Car had black leather interior...beautiful for sure, hot as hell in summer. Generally not a fan of leather btw.

- Sync system was annoying and didn't work well, people could understand me on hands free phone (too much noise)

- Car had the 19" black 10 spoke wheels (didn't look that great were a bitch to clean) and tires cost $1000 to replace.

- My wife hated driving it too.

I know I won't get much sympathy for this list but I just didn't work out as my DD. I won't lie though I miss the 4.6L sound and grunt sometimes.

Otherwise it was a fun car, just not a good fit for me.

Tom

Stevo86

http://www.americanmuscle.com/procha...=2006&model=V6

If you have $3k save up the extra $1,300 and get blown. To swap a v8 is a pain. Keep in mind you will eventually need that heavy clutch again to hold back the power. Also the 7.5in diff only comes in v6 models. The '99 to present models all got the 8.8 diff.

THS_Steed06

Hey Stevo,

Yeah blowing her for another $1,500 might do the trick but that is a big chunk of dough that I don't have, and I don't have all the 3K money saved up yet. That would probably easily put me into the mid 13's if the rear end would hold up. Anybody have the pro-charger system on the 4.0? How do you like it/whats been your experience and would you do it again?

I stand corrected on the 7.5" vs the 8.8". The last v8's to use the 7.5" rear were the 79-85 cars, but that said an 85 5.0 put out 210 HP and 270 ft. lbs of torque. Then even up to 93 they were still putting out 225HP/285 ft lbs. So they really didn't push the 8.8 rear ends all that hard until the mid to late 90's when they got over teh 300 ft. lb level.

I'm thinking this rear end can hold more than people give it credit for. However if guys are planning to go to 350 + HP/Torque I can understand why the 8.8's are totally necessary.

Tom

uberstang1

As far as I'm concerned its v8 or bust, sure u can make numbers with a 6, but it will never live up to the sound and feel of a 8

clowe1965

If you went with all the head work and new rotating assembly it would be more of a unique system than a procharger, but i think you can kiss your mpg goodbye either way. No matter what you do, making more power will always cost you unless you improve efficiency. Maybe the lighter rotating mass will keep it about even. Kzonts has the procharger on his 2010 auto, puts out 285 at the wheels and ran a 13.66. Installed it overnight, bout 24 hours of work. No idea about mpg though.

People use 7.5 rear ends in v8 ranger swaps all the time. Not ideal for high hp/torque numbers but they hold out for a while, especially if you're using it as you described. You can upgrade the third member and axles if you start developing lead foot syndrome in lieu of getting an 8.8.

With dropping in a v8, i seriously doubt you would make it for 3k. Youve already identified you need a new transmission, wiring and ecu. At that point it would be easiest to get a donor car, which probably won't happen for that budget. For 3k you could get a foxbody to tinker with if you wanted as well.

Surprised you couldn't get any better with the mpg on the v8. I know a guy that is getting 28 on a 08. But steveo is right, your clutch issue will come back if you start upgrading power.

THS_Steed06

Thanks clowe,

I think something wasn't right with my GT, at the time I knew guys with GT's who were getting better MPG than me...none of them had the GT Premium with 3.73 though...mine had the Bullit intake and exhaust pkg too. I think the car was just thirsty I took it back to the dealer four times complaining about the poor MPG (among other things) and they said it was operating normally *shrug*.

My car is pretty light so getting into the 13 sec range may only take about 70 HP more or reducing weight (by 300 lbs) some more but I'd have to do my homework on how to take more weight out of her. Beyond getting happy with a drill bit I'm not sure how else to slim her down.

Tom

ctgreddy

I do not like the 4.0 motors ford uses, altho you dont see many issues in mustangs, the explorers and rangers are horrible with them in that the cam guides and tensioners fail and you have to pull the engine to replace them as the passenger cam guide/tensioner is in the back of the engine. that said, I would deff just sell your 06 and upgrade to a gt. it will be very cost and time effective especially if you're not able to do 100% of the labor yourself. My buddy has a 02 mustang that had the v6, a few weeks and we got that all ripped out for a 4.6/t3650/8.8. his quest for power kept going and it was soon supercharged, then the motor was built and pullied down, and now he's upgraded to a ysi and e85 and hoping for 700+whp. like you said the craving for power is horrible and it bit my buddy. I would not build your v6, if adding a blower/turbo isn't enough power for you then I would simply buy a different car OR if you have sentimental to the car then consider swapping drivetrains. but if swappign i've found that buying a parts car would have been a very good idea and make things much much easier. good luck!

THS_Steed06

I definitely have some sentimental like of my V6 car, it beautiful and has the best looking interior of any Mustang I've seen. I definitely won't be doing all the work myself...but I have a good local shop that's willing to do mods (ASE certified) at a reasonable price.

I've thought about this a lot and read the input here.I think what I'm going to do is have this car for a few more years...then trade it for another GT, assuming I can deal with the clutch effort (automatic just won't make me happy) assuming they have actually improved that on TR6060.

If spend a bit more mod money this year on the upgraded rear end/drive shaft, tuner/CAI combo, and the underdrive crank pulley I'll have tacked on approx. 40HP. Then if I go for the new 2013 GT500 style axle back muffler with dual tips she'll be improved a ton and be a sweet looking/sounding/performing sixer.

It won't be exactly an economical 13 second car but will probably be a low to mid 14 sec. car (3,300 lbs, 250-260HP) which I'm sure will still pull pretty good MPG's on the highway.