WHoaNeLLie

Hey guys I am new to Mustangs completely, so I am sure I'll be askin' tons of questions! About 2 years ago I bought an '89 LX with a 5.0, I drove it for the summer then stuffed it in the back of my garage. It is basically stock or so I think, with about 120k miles on it, with an auto. I am back in school so I no longer have the money to play with these thing but I do want to get that car back out and going and start making it FAST!

So now my question is how do you make these cars fast for cheap, which seems very doable? Where do you get the best horsepower for your dollar?

Also, I need help with some jargon! What does SD mean? Is an '89 LX considered a Fox Body? Are there any problems with this year of car I need to know about before I start investing money?

Any help or links anyone can throw my way is greatly appreciated!

Josh

.boB

WHat do you mean by fast? Drag strip, autocross, road course, or just fun on the street? I have a car that's not particularly quick on the drag strip (low 12's). But on the road course it's a monster.

What do you mean by cheap?

Start first by making sure everything is in good working order. Fluids, filters, plugs, wires, etc.

WHoaNeLLie

By fast I mean 300 hp at the rear wheels... I just want something that can be a work in progress. I want a car thats fun on the street, but could take to the track if I wanted to. A 12 second car would probably exceed my expectations, but the faster the better!

By cheap I was wanted to know what is the best bang for the buck with these cars. I have a 7.3L Powerstroke, and have been playing with that for years, I have thousands invested but thouthsands to go(I do all my own engine work).

I am sure with these cars like my truck there are good ways to spend money and dumb ways to spend money, and I just want to know the best route to follow!

.boB

That's a pretty reasonable, and easy to achieve goal. No need to get fancy, or exotic.

Car craft did an artical a while back on how to get 400hp from a stock block 5.0. The recipe was a cam swap, AFR heads, and a good intake. I have that article around here somwhere.

BUT - although the article says 400hp, it was more like 370hp. Still a good recipe, though

Plan on spending money on dyno time. There's a lot of bang for the buck there. A proper tune to get the most out of your engine really can make a big differance.

Use a lower gear set, like 3.73 or 4.10. That makes more differance than you might think.

Put an oilo cooler on the trans. More power = more heat. Heat will kill that worn transmission pretty fast.

Work on the rear suspension a little bit. Stock is OK. but you'll have trouble planting the extra power.

WHoaNeLLie

As far as cam/heads/intake goes, can I do them in stages?

Also how would Igo about finding a shop with a dyno? I have been into cars for the past 9 years, and lived in Erie, PA, but I have no clue where there is a dyno?!

.boB

Yes, you can do them in stages. Sort of. It's OK to change the intake by itself. But the heads and cam should work together, so they tend to not work so well individually.

You'll also save a lot of work if you di it all together. The intake has to come off to change the other parts. And people sometimes have trouble getting the lifters out with the heads on (I never have). If you have all the parts you need, you can do the whole job in one week end.

As for finding a Dyno, that can be difficult. Dynos are popping up all over. But finding a good tuner can be tough. It's best to ask around at cruise ins, drag strips, autocross tracks, etc, to find a a good tuner. Also, check in your area for car clubs, like a Cobra club. try here: http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24 Tell them .boB sent you.