What should I do to my Mustang?
12-22-2013, 10:03 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Virginia
Posts: 19
What should I do to my Mustang?
My first post on this forum I believe.
Of course being in this sections it's the V6 3.8L engine.
Me and my friend have decided that by the end of the year (2014) we'll have smashed all the ricers in our local area.
Here's my problem(s)
1. Not enough Horsepower
2. The handling in this car is quite possibly the worst I've ever experienced like I feel like I'm going to die every time I go over a bump.
3. It looks... eh.
Problems I don't have.
The car is mechanically perfect.
So the question is, what should I do to it to solve my issues? Coilovers? (If so what brand do you recommend?) Say screw it and drop a V8 in there?
Thanks to anyone who helps out!
Of course being in this sections it's the V6 3.8L engine.
Me and my friend have decided that by the end of the year (2014) we'll have smashed all the ricers in our local area.
Here's my problem(s)
1. Not enough Horsepower
2. The handling in this car is quite possibly the worst I've ever experienced like I feel like I'm going to die every time I go over a bump.
3. It looks... eh.
Problems I don't have.
The car is mechanically perfect.
So the question is, what should I do to it to solve my issues? Coilovers? (If so what brand do you recommend?) Say screw it and drop a V8 in there?
Thanks to anyone who helps out!
12-22-2013, 10:34 PM
#2
Lol the v8 would work!
But in all seriousness your best bet on a 3.8 is an exhaust and a tune up. That will get you in the right direction. These engines, while it can be done, dont respond the best to modifications. For about the same price as buying a turbo, porting heads and such, you could get a 302 crate and make the same hp.
Your right the handling isnt the most precise. Honestly I dont feel like im going to die everytime i drive my car, but I have had 5 years of driving it though. In my opinion, if your going to start anywhere I would start with the suspension. These cars could definitely use some stiffening upgrades, then maybe onto shocks and springs. Also get some bigger tires. trading out my 16x7 for 18x9 made a huge difference. You will thank yourself for the added grip.
As for apperance... Make it what you want!! Browse through americanmuscle.com or latemodelrestoration.com and see what you like. Its your car dont let anyone influence your judgement.
Now dont think because im saying all of this needs to be fixed means these cars are bad. Beating ricers... well they already lost because there driving their mom's civic with a weedwacker for an exhaust. These 3.8 mustangs are pretty bullet prof and will put a smile on your face.
Oh ya welcome!
But in all seriousness your best bet on a 3.8 is an exhaust and a tune up. That will get you in the right direction. These engines, while it can be done, dont respond the best to modifications. For about the same price as buying a turbo, porting heads and such, you could get a 302 crate and make the same hp.
Your right the handling isnt the most precise. Honestly I dont feel like im going to die everytime i drive my car, but I have had 5 years of driving it though. In my opinion, if your going to start anywhere I would start with the suspension. These cars could definitely use some stiffening upgrades, then maybe onto shocks and springs. Also get some bigger tires. trading out my 16x7 for 18x9 made a huge difference. You will thank yourself for the added grip.
As for apperance... Make it what you want!! Browse through americanmuscle.com or latemodelrestoration.com and see what you like. Its your car dont let anyone influence your judgement.
Now dont think because im saying all of this needs to be fixed means these cars are bad. Beating ricers... well they already lost because there driving their mom's civic with a weedwacker for an exhaust. These 3.8 mustangs are pretty bullet prof and will put a smile on your face.
Oh ya welcome!
12-22-2013, 11:35 PM
#3
*) How much is "enough" horse power?
*) How are you driving? The car is setup just fine for everyday driving, yes it does sit too high, the brakes are garbage, and it is a little tail happy, but all this only occurs when you're driving beyond what Ford intended.
*) Looks are in the eye of the beholder, make it what you want, tons of mods to make.
Now with that out the way here's my thoughts, don't do jack to the car. You will spend enough money "making this car what you want" to go out and buy a 2003/2004 Cobra with decent miles. Yes that's not a joke as these cars retail for $16,000-20,000 milage and condition pending, and yes you will easily spend that much making your V6 what you want and it will still fall short of the Cobra.
Full engine work = $4000 is a safe number to make any real power safely
Suspension = $2000+
Body/Paint = $4000-6000 depending on how over board you wanna go
Resell value with all that done, still $2000-4000 because mods do not improve value.
*) How are you driving? The car is setup just fine for everyday driving, yes it does sit too high, the brakes are garbage, and it is a little tail happy, but all this only occurs when you're driving beyond what Ford intended.
*) Looks are in the eye of the beholder, make it what you want, tons of mods to make.
Now with that out the way here's my thoughts, don't do jack to the car. You will spend enough money "making this car what you want" to go out and buy a 2003/2004 Cobra with decent miles. Yes that's not a joke as these cars retail for $16,000-20,000 milage and condition pending, and yes you will easily spend that much making your V6 what you want and it will still fall short of the Cobra.
Full engine work = $4000 is a safe number to make any real power safely
Suspension = $2000+
Body/Paint = $4000-6000 depending on how over board you wanna go
Resell value with all that done, still $2000-4000 because mods do not improve value.
Last edited by jthorn9; 12-23-2013 at 09:58 PM.
12-22-2013, 11:37 PM
#4
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: ms
Posts: 79
Trust me, I have moded my v-6 till my brains came out trying to get some decent results when I pushed the petal to the metal. What confused me was the gt only had 35 more hp. Why were they leaving me in the dust?
A GT rear end is the perfect way to cheat hp. It is a 8.8 31 spine rear, so it last through the years ahead of you. And if you need a rebuild go with the 4.10 gear for a big extra ump.
everything will bolt up. The only problem you will occur is wither to get a speedo gear or a tune because you speedometer will be off.
A GT rear end is the perfect way to cheat hp. It is a 8.8 31 spine rear, so it last through the years ahead of you. And if you need a rebuild go with the 4.10 gear for a big extra ump.
everything will bolt up. The only problem you will occur is wither to get a speedo gear or a tune because you speedometer will be off.
Last edited by jthorn9; 12-23-2013 at 10:02 PM.
12-23-2013, 10:01 PM
#7
Trust me, I have moded my v-6 till my brains came out trying to get some decent results when I pushed the petal to the metal. What confused me was the gt only had 35 more hp. Why were they leaving me in the dust?
A GT rear end is the perfect way to cheat hp. It is a 8.8 31 spine rear, so it last through the years ahead of you. And if you need a rebuild go with the 4.10 gear for a big extra ump.
everything will bolt up. The only problem you will occur is wither to get a speedo gear or a tune because you speedometer will be off.
A GT rear end is the perfect way to cheat hp. It is a 8.8 31 spine rear, so it last through the years ahead of you. And if you need a rebuild go with the 4.10 gear for a big extra ump.
everything will bolt up. The only problem you will occur is wither to get a speedo gear or a tune because you speedometer will be off.
While a 94-98 GT may "only" have 30 ish more horse power (assuming the car is 100% stock) these same cars have an additional 60 more foot pounds of torque. That combination, along with a decent driver is enough to keep you very well at bay.
Think of it like this, horse power determines your top speed, torque is how fast you get there.
Also 99-04s must get a tune as they do not use a speedo gear to correct the speed.
Last edited by jthorn9; 12-23-2013 at 10:03 PM.
12-27-2013, 12:31 PM
#8
Torque wins races, Hp wraps you around trees lol.
Weight reduction is always a good way to go, strip all the junk out of the trunk (keep the spare, been there done that, sat on side of road for hours) do a rear seat delete, if you have electric seats swap the electric rail out for a manual rail, the rail from a fox body all the way to 04 will work, there's plenty of foam and sound proofing material to rip out.
Better gear ratio for the rear, recommend buying an 8.8 from your year model and having it re geared, they say 3.73 for manual or 4.10 for auto for daily drivers, if your not to worry about fuel mileage I'd say 4.10 either.
Stay FAR away from aftermarket throttle bodies or intakes, expensive paper weights that make no difference.
If it's auto a tuner to adjust the shift points a little firmer and to better rpms will make a world of difference, you will need a tuner for swapping gears or rear ends anyways to correct your speedometer.
Suspension gets a little harder for mustangs as being muscle cars there's not much more than straight line performance suspensions so don't expect to make a corner carver, let the imports deal with that. You could of course always get the Independent Rear setup out of a cobra.
Weight reduction is always a good way to go, strip all the junk out of the trunk (keep the spare, been there done that, sat on side of road for hours) do a rear seat delete, if you have electric seats swap the electric rail out for a manual rail, the rail from a fox body all the way to 04 will work, there's plenty of foam and sound proofing material to rip out.
Better gear ratio for the rear, recommend buying an 8.8 from your year model and having it re geared, they say 3.73 for manual or 4.10 for auto for daily drivers, if your not to worry about fuel mileage I'd say 4.10 either.
Stay FAR away from aftermarket throttle bodies or intakes, expensive paper weights that make no difference.
If it's auto a tuner to adjust the shift points a little firmer and to better rpms will make a world of difference, you will need a tuner for swapping gears or rear ends anyways to correct your speedometer.
Suspension gets a little harder for mustangs as being muscle cars there's not much more than straight line performance suspensions so don't expect to make a corner carver, let the imports deal with that. You could of course always get the Independent Rear setup out of a cobra.
12-30-2013, 12:38 PM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,350
Torque wins races, Hp wraps you around trees lol.
Weight reduction is always a good way to go, strip all the junk out of the trunk (keep the spare, been there done that, sat on side of road for hours) do a rear seat delete, if you have electric seats swap the electric rail out for a manual rail, the rail from a fox body all the way to 04 will work, there's plenty of foam and sound proofing material to rip out.
Better gear ratio for the rear, recommend buying an 8.8 from your year model and having it re geared, they say 3.73 for manual or 4.10 for auto for daily drivers, if your not to worry about fuel mileage I'd say 4.10 either.
Stay FAR away from aftermarket throttle bodies or intakes, expensive paper weights that make no difference.
If it's auto a tuner to adjust the shift points a little firmer and to better rpms will make a world of difference, you will need a tuner for swapping gears or rear ends anyways to correct your speedometer.
Suspension gets a little harder for mustangs as being muscle cars there's not much more than straight line performance suspensions so don't expect to make a corner carver, let the imports deal with that. You could of course always get the Independent Rear setup out of a cobra.
Weight reduction is always a good way to go, strip all the junk out of the trunk (keep the spare, been there done that, sat on side of road for hours) do a rear seat delete, if you have electric seats swap the electric rail out for a manual rail, the rail from a fox body all the way to 04 will work, there's plenty of foam and sound proofing material to rip out.
Better gear ratio for the rear, recommend buying an 8.8 from your year model and having it re geared, they say 3.73 for manual or 4.10 for auto for daily drivers, if your not to worry about fuel mileage I'd say 4.10 either.
Stay FAR away from aftermarket throttle bodies or intakes, expensive paper weights that make no difference.
If it's auto a tuner to adjust the shift points a little firmer and to better rpms will make a world of difference, you will need a tuner for swapping gears or rear ends anyways to correct your speedometer.
Suspension gets a little harder for mustangs as being muscle cars there's not much more than straight line performance suspensions so don't expect to make a corner carver, let the imports deal with that. You could of course always get the Independent Rear setup out of a cobra.
