Im getting pretty Dissapointed in my Stang

[san~man]

thanks for some good insight there san. it sure is an investment that you cant go half on if u want a killer stang, cause gettin $$ back outta these things is tough.

Of course Steve, there's NO way you'll ever get anywhere near 50 cents on the dollar for mods....probably like 20 cents on the dollar if that.

You just have to be happy with the car and what you've done, and are planning to do. If you aren't or don't want to invest more time and money, then the answer is simple: get a different car. But to me it seems that you like the car and are willing to put more work into it, so if that's true then consider keeping it.

Me personally, I love the car even with all the crap that broke, all the noises it makes, all its imperfections, everything.

 

[02LaserRed2V]

Last night, I've beaten a Porsche GT3 and newer 06-07 Eclipse. Get blown and you can possibly do that as well. Either that or wait and save up for another/better Mustang.

Speaking from experience, making a car both fast and looking good is damn expensive. Go with performance first.

 

[ADRENLN]

yea, looks and speed is the ultimate goal! it is damn expensive. i spent major bucks so far. i have another 10,000 in mods going in the late summer, then i can do the suspension and racing seats which will run me another 3 grand.

major money, but i hope to be very happy with it. so far, i am really happy and hope it stays that way. if the car dont break down, im happy!!!!

 

[MrGame]

enjoying your car is about more than who you can beat and who you can't. When I walk outta the house in the morning and I see my stang i get a good feelin. When I open it up and listen to the 8 cylinders make sounds that a 10 second Evo NEVER could, I remember why I got one. It ain't just about the speed...until I get my S-Trim 5 years from now becuase I have no money..then it's about the speed and the love :SNSign:

 

[steveb24]

one of the great things about owning my stang is, when i look around there is no other kind of car (mustang) that i would want to have. very true, and i know through all this shes goin nowhere. i think the plan is.. to fix my sagging spring and save up for a jms velocity kit and have it on by may-june. good stuff guys, this is why i made this thread to begin with... :SNSign: ftw

 

[DaNd4Speed]

Get the blower and be done with it! Besides the 99-04's look better than the 05-07's IMO

 

[mity2]

I'm very happy with the looks of my car now. but power... ya i got to do something.. I have to as i don't like way new Mustang looks...

 

[hotmustang331]

No, dont bother with shorties. LTs and a K meber will make ONE HECK OF A DIFFERENCE....honestly its like doing the cams and tune all over again. I was honestly pretty darn happy with how my car ran (feeling wise)....car just flat screamed. It would put a smile on my face everytime .
HOWEVER a blower would benefit you VERY VERY much....with those cams you could go 420RWHP EASILY by just adding a 9 PSI KB. Heck even the base mongoose kit would put you to around 400RWHP with a tune....maybe more.

These cams make a HUGE difference...one guy on here has boltons, a novi 2000 @ 8PSI NON intercooled with the VT stg 1 cams. Put down 440RWHP with Tims tune...thats with a 10.0-1 A/F and richer tune with like 10*s of timing. SUPER conservitive. Imagine if he just threw an IC on, brought the boost back to 8PSI, and put 13* of timing with a 11.5-1 A/F! Car would be a total beast...im sure 500RWHP wouldnt be out of reach.

Tim will install the KB for you and tune it for $6500 last time I checked.
I would expect around 440RWHP with that combo (he will have to detune it because it will probably want to make more power than that).

I know my car felt fast...but in reality with these FAST cars coming from detroit, it really wasnt. Thats what really drove me to the TTs....now I should hold my own with most anything on the road

 

[steveb24]

thanks for that info on our cams (cody.. i think).. i was wondering how they would perform with some boost. i think your idea of l/t's and a k member sounds pretty good, and its something i could acctually do pretty soon, which is what im lookin for at this point. you have the pa racing k if i remember right, did you get the mild steel or chromoly (sp?) ?

 

[hotmustang331]

I went with the mild steel version....got the whole setup of front coilovers, tubular K and tubular A arms (- CC plates) in a package deal over at MD www.modular depot.com (remove space) for like $800. PA racing usually gets PRAISED, but i an issue with mine....my motor mounts would not line up at all. Had to grind about a half inch on the K to get the motor mount bolt to drop in. Maybe my car had some weird jacked up motor mounts on it . But I think they just gave me the wrong K member....but otherwise it installed flawlessly.
I saved 58#s with that setup alone. My car weighed 3250 with a full tank of gas and in FULL street trim.

OH, yep they still have it....and its actually $785 . See if this works. CLICKY

If the link doesnt work, its under the "specials" tab on the left side of the home page. Be warned though....this setup is kindof "loud". Bumps and sticks in the road are amplified quite abit....I think its the CC plates though more than the K member and coilovers. I went with steeda 4 bolt aluminum CC plates....loud but STRONG and LIGHT.

 

[steveb24]

could i just buy the k member for 250 on MD, and will it work w/ all the stock components? i like my prokit and front strut setup and dont wana change all that.

 

[hotmustang331]

Yep . Dont need the spring perches on the K member either if they ask. I think thats only for foxs. Our springs rest on the A arms . Im pretty sure your stock A amrs will work, but I would ask just incase.

 

[svtpower]

just hold off

You sig looks like you have a nice car.

The thing you always have to keep in mind when comparing your car to any other more recent car is this:

All mustangs from 1979-2004 are built on the same basic chassis from the 1978 Ford Fairmont.

It's a very outdated design full of lots of squeaks and creaks, but it got the job done and was a cheap way to go so that's what Ford did.

My only suggestion on your car would be to replace the shocks and struts with some quality ones like Bilsteins. That will improve your ride quality. I see you already have the best subframes so, you've got a big part of the problem taken care of.

Those things being said... I'd say do the shocks and struts and then save your money for the 2009 mustang. Those things are gonna rule the streets and not break the bank either.

 

[innrkid]

drive to the dealership and buy a Roush 427R. I could not be happier and no grease under the nails....not to mention full warranty.....IMHO

 

[poorcollegekid]

honestly, the 4.6 SOHC is a limiting motor, it doesn't respond to mods the way its older OHV generation did, nor does it breathe as well as its DOHC counterpart. I think if you really want a car that you're satisfied with just bolt ons, a sohc GT isnt it. But, if you want a car that looks good, sounds amazing and is reasonable on price, a GT is it. You could do a head swap and go with 4v heads, or just get a 4v motor or car.

 

[damacman]

I can understand why you feel the way you do. I remember the first time I drove an '05 and had similar impressions of it's feel. Then I rented a Shelby GT-H and I remember thinking . . . man, if my 'stang started out like this think where it'd be now . . . I give Ford props on the new 'stang, but I'm not ready to sell mine yet. I've always thought the "New Edge" 99-04 were the best looking since 79.

I am a little shocked by all the folks in the thread that knock bolt-ons. For most of us, that's the best way to get our stang where we want it to be. While it's true that you have to pull off a number of parts when bolting on a positive displacement blower, this is (with few exceptions) not true with a centri, turbo system, or NOS. Along the way, the only bolt-ons I pulled off mine were the underdrives and timing adjuster - which I resold on eBay for nearly 60% of my investment. Think about it, how many of you in this thread would have really been able to save up $6,500 to get Tim to pop on a Kenne Belle - not that it's a bad investment . . . ?

Lots of good advice in the thread about how to get your 2002 'stang to perform - definitely look into your suspension . . . and for the squeaks, rattles, and groans . . . well, look at it as character!

 

[65fastback2+2]

This is why I have a Mach 1...I got a nice looking car, and I dont have to worry about any s197 GT's

 

[thomas91169]

what kind of "Import" smoked you? and besides, with whats in your sig, most imports, if modded right, dont need much to take a bolton GT, unless you can drive and they cant. id like to know how you spend 8k on all that crap too. if i spent 8k it would have KB and VT involved, only thing you have is a few boltons and VTs1 cams, so youre at prolly 280 to the ground , still pretty easy for a mildly modded evo/sti/srt4 to take down.

if you really like the 05+ get one, it may *feel* faster but it really isnt, and youre gonna get taken by imports just as easily.

IMO id get a 03/04 cobra if i were you. 20-25k range and highly moddable, most cars will have to be pretty well modded to keep up with it stock, and if you do the right mods, its probable you wont find that someone who is always faster than you for quite some time.

 

[the98stang]

damn 8 grand and no blower?

Time for a novi2000 and VT shortblock!

 

[MEandmyKB]

so lately my stang, my baby, who ive put so much time and money into.. has been frustrating the heck out of mye.

#1. I test drove an 07 gt today, BONE STOCK. This thing ripped, and it felt like it pulled harder and stronger than my car does, and its heavier too. this thing drove smoothly with no creaks, buzzes, or bucks and handleded very well. Now how the heck, after 8k into my car, was this thing so much nicer to drive? that really got me frustrated.

#2. I got walked on by some ricer yesterday. dont know what was in it, but i was pissed none the less.

#3. Ive spent, like i said, about 8k on my car, and am still yet to be satisfied with the power, looks, handling, and overall quailty of the ride. I mean, i love this car to death, and i keep thinkin one of these mods is gonna do it, but it never does.

overall, i think you might understand what im getting at, and im really frustrated with all the hours ive worked to pay for stuff, and time in the garage workin on the thing. my solutions im thinking of are...

1. Buy a jms or mongoose vortech kit and hope that turns it alll around.
2. Keep on going with the small stuff, next i was going to do bbk ceramic shorty's (yes.. shorties), and a pa-racking k member, and throw on some new poly steering rack bushings.
3. Work on the looks and comfot.. 03 cobra sideskirts, find out how to stop all the buzzing crap everywhere, and a few other things
4. Just stop dumping money into it because its not going to make me happy. (as i know my bible tells me is true, but this is my hobby, cmon!)

what did u guys do in times like these? little help for a needy stanger'

Well, same story with me...so I KB'ed it and still wasn't happy with it - still needed forged engine parts, stronger transmission parts, axles, etc. Already dumped 10k+ into it. I'd say just do what you think you'd like, but be prepared to do it right or you may still be unhappy with it.

I had the chance to get rid of my '02 and right now I'm waiting (like someone else mentioned) for the next generation Mustang. But until then, I'll probably Stage3 my SRT.