just traded and lookin for advice and opinions

[Tims97pony]

i just aquired a 97 gt, it is a car that apparently sat for some time...(only 82000 miles on the ticker) so it has a few issues. the car has been modded some but not alot. i basically want to know what are the best bolt on power adders for the money. im not looking for a thousand horsepower or anything im just wondering what are the best bolt on parts for a fair price. ive seen aftermarket throttlebody's and upper plenums, and im seriously considering upgrading the heads because of the leaky valve guides (figure if im gonna spend the money and time i may as well upgrade) it supposedly already has a cam in it and it has CAI. how much power will i get with what parts? do i need to do both throttlebody and plenum at the same time or can i get more power from them individually? what about pulleys?

also have a very hard to push clutch pedal, its driveable and its supposed to have a cobra clutch in it. is it normal for a cobra clutch to be much harder than stock or is there something i can do to make the clutch easier to use? am i in danger of blowing the slave cylinder if its normal for a cobra clutch?

thanks in advance for any comments or answers.

this is my first mustang and i frickin love it, its wicked fast and handles the road like its on tracks....ive always been a ford guy, but now im hooked on mustangs and want to get a newer one for my wife...GT of course only all stock.

 

[N8Dogg98]

Gears - 3.73 are perfect for a NPI stang, if you want to do the PI swap 4.10's may be more fun
Exhaust - replacing the stock 6-cat mid-pipe will do a lot... x, h, cats, no-cats is all up to you maybe 3-5 hp difference between each
Heads - stock or ported PI heads would be a good choice since your heads need work. They will increase the C/R and you must get the PI intake manifold and a tune to realize the full potential of the PI heads (PI manifold is only like $200).
Clutch - stock replacement should be fine unless you plan on drag racing the car or plan on big power later on
Short throw shifter - increases the 'fun to drive' factor
lowering springs, FLSFC's, LCA's, and new shocks/struts will make the car handle worlds better than it does from the factory

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

PI swap and gears. Best bang for your buck right there. If you can do the work, I bet you could do it for under a grand.

 

[KBExperience]

i just aquired a 97 gt, it is a car that apparently sat for some time...(only 82000 miles on the ticker) so it has a few issues. the car has been modded some but not alot. i basically want to know what are the best bolt on power adders for the money. im not looking for a thousand horsepower or anything im just wondering what are the best bolt on parts for a fair price. ive seen aftermarket throttlebody's and upper plenums, and im seriously considering upgrading the heads because of the leaky valve guides (figure if im gonna spend the money and time i may as well upgrade) it supposedly already has a cam in it and it has CAI. how much power will i get with what parts? do i need to do both throttlebody and plenum at the same time or can i get more power from them individually? what about pulleys?

also have a very hard to push clutch pedal, its driveable and its supposed to have a cobra clutch in it. is it normal for a cobra clutch to be much harder than stock or is there something i can do to make the clutch easier to use? am i in danger of blowing the slave cylinder if its normal for a cobra clutch?

thanks in advance for any comments or answers.

this is my first mustang and i frickin love it, its wicked fast and handles the road like its on tracks....ive always been a ford guy, but now im hooked on mustangs and want to get a newer one for my wife...GT of course only all stock.

If you upgrade the heads, get some PI heads off of a 99-04 mustang. They flow much better than NPI heads (96-98). Does the car have cams in it? Does it sound like it has cams in it?

You are not going to break the slave cylinder because there isn't one. 96-04 clutches aren't hydraulic. So that might be why it's so hard to push for you. How hard is it to push? Because stock clutches do take a little bit of effort.

As far as bolt ons, I would just do the general intake/exhaust.. Rear end gears, subframe connectors, and if you've got the money a blower.

 

[Stumbaugh]

The pedal is going to be a lot stiffer with that kind cobra clutch in it. They are known for that.

As everyone else has said, find a set of heads off of a 99-04 PI heads and intake and swap them on. Throw on a set of long tubes, some 4.10 gears, and start working on suspension parts.

 

[sandiegostang]

Definately get the PI heads. That will bring you to 260 alone.

Ok the part you need to be most concerned about is the clutch. I have the exact same issue that you have with your clutch. Mine is really firm and i doubt anybody here will know what you mean by just how firm it is. It is not firm because it is upgraded it is because the pressure plate is messed up. Bottom line... You need a new clutch. No there is no other solution. I will be replacing mine tomorrow so i will let you know if that fixes it for sure, but the 5 transmission and clutch experts i took it to said that it is the clutch.

 

[Tims97pony]

i really appreciate all the advice, i already have magnaflow exhaust, no cats. it doesnt sound like it has aftermarket cams, thats just what the guy told me. im in it real cheap so it didnt matter to me either way. i doesnt lope or anything but its does not like 87 octane gas at all and it hits 2500 rpms and takes off like a shot. dont get me wrong, it still pulls hard at low rpm but at 2500.....gone. it does have factory intake and pulleys also. what is "pi"? port injected? "npi" is non port injected? im just guessing.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

NPI = 96-98 Non Performance Improved heads
PI = 99-04 Performance Improved heads

Basically, the PI heads are a revised, performance improved design that increased the power of the 2V 4.6 from 215HP to 260. On a 96-98 engine, IIRC the compression ratio is a little bit higher with the PI heads, so you get a little bit more power out of them.

 

[sandiegostang]

i really appreciate all the advice, i already have magnaflow exhaust, no cats. it doesnt sound like it has aftermarket cams, thats just what the guy told me. im in it real cheap so it didnt matter to me either way. i doesnt lope or anything but its does not like 87 octane gas at all and it hits 2500 rpms and takes off like a shot. dont get me wrong, it still pulls hard at low rpm but at 2500.....gone. it does have factory intake and pulleys also. what is "pi"? port injected? "npi" is non port injected? im just guessing.

Thats because at 2500 rpms your clutch finally grabs completely. In a few months your clutch will be finished and will noticably slip. Replace the clutch.

 

[Tims97pony]

then the pi heads are definately going to happen. my current heads have leaky valve guides anyway. ill get them from a salvage yard and have em rebuilt. will my current sensors, intake, brackets, ignition and whatever else related work with the heads or do i need to swap them also?

 

[Tims97pony]

Thats because at 2500 rpms your clutch finally grabs completely. In a few months your clutch will be finished and will noticably slip. Replace the clutch.

i dont think the clutch is bad, it grabs very well and does not slip a bit. i have dropped the clutch at various rpm's and i either get wheel spin or the car launches. what i was talking about was how hard the car pulls at 2500 rpm. its almost like a two stroke with power reeds. its nice because the car is easy to launch without spinning but still accelerates like crazy once it gets moving.

you did inform me that my car has a cable actuated clutch which gives me comfort because the typical slave cyclinder throwout bearing assembly that ford likes to use is crap. and for that i thank you

 

[sandiegostang]

i dont think the clutch is bad, it grabs very well and does not slip a bit. i have dropped the clutch at various rpm's and i either get wheel spin or the car launches. what i was talking about was how hard the car pulls at 2500 rpm. its almost like a two stroke with power reeds. its nice because the car is easy to launch without spinning but still accelerates like crazy once it gets moving.

you did inform me that my car has a cable actuated clutch which gives me comfort because the typical slave cyclinder throwout bearing assembly that ford likes to use is crap. and for that i thank you

Just how hard is it to push in the clutch? I am sure you are used to the pedal feel now, but at first did your leg quiver and hurt to hold it in for more than a few seconds? If so then, I have the exact same clutch issue that you have right now, and when i first got the car it grabbed great. I thought that it was just firm because it was a stage 2 clutch. But it is about 3 times firmer than it should be so i was wondering why. Take the car to AAMCO or some other transmission specialist who will diagnose it for free (they will simply drive it... they are experts) and they will tell you the exact condition of the clutch.

 

[1fun281]

It could have a bad clutch cable in it, that is common sign of stiff clutch, my cable is stock with 138k on it, and its starting to get stiff, my friend changed his and said it was a night and day difference, i would add, a clutch adjuster and quadrant along with a new clutch cable to your mod list, should be a total of like 200-250 for all the UPR makes a nice clutch adjuster.

And if you did rebuild the heads i wouldd reccommend putting some aftermarket cams in it, with a good sound, nice lope, and good high end power, pi intake manifold and get it tuned and raise the limiter to 6500 rpms, that and a set of 4.10's would make a sick car! You would lose a little low end, but thats what the 4.10's would be for, and everything from 3500-6500 rpms would pull like a raped ape!

 

[Tims97pony]

im getting used to the clutch, i think its just because i havent driven a standard for a few years. but i drove my buddys truck and it felt like the pedal had no springs at all...very soft. i dumped the clutch at 60 mph today in 3rd at about 4500 rpm and it broke the tires loose, didnt hesitate at all. im not a certified tranny mech, but i have been working on my own vehicles for about 17 years. and have done it all at some point or another. i was a fighter jet technician in the marine corps and am now an industrial electrician in a sawmill. i have mechanincal and technical knowledge and rarely go see an "expert" most of the time they just want to sell you something. im not knocking your decisions im just saying that i am a competant mechanic. i just dont know anything about mustangs specifically as far as mustang specific parts and tricks. i do appreciate the advice though.

 

[sandiegostang]

im getting used to the clutch, i think its just because i havent driven a standard for a few years. but i drove my buddys truck and it felt like the pedal had no springs at all...very soft. i dumped the clutch at 60 mph today in 3rd at about 4500 rpm and it broke the tires loose, didnt hesitate at all. im not a certified tranny mech, but i have been working on my own vehicles for about 17 years. and have done it all at some point or another. i was a fighter jet technician in the marine corps and am now an industrial electrician in a sawmill. i have mechanincal and technical knowledge and rarely go see an "expert" most of the time they just want to sell you something. im not knocking your decisions im just saying that i am a competant mechanic. i just dont know anything about mustangs specifically as far as mustang specific parts and tricks. i do appreciate the advice though.

Well a mustang is not special. And the clutch is just like any other clutch. Just keep a close eye on it