Okay i know this is going to sound like a newbie question but i need help. okay so this is my first time owning a stang and i love it! but i am kind of confused on how to modd it . i was woundering if you 5.0 experts could really help me out. okay so my stang right now is a daily driver and thats how i kinda of want to keep it but one with POWER!, the power goal i guess iam trying to reach is right in the middle of lightly and heavely modded. so i was just woundering if some one could help me out of my slump sorry for the long post LOL. thanks!
Get the Holley System Max 2 top end kit, a nice X-pipe exhaust, and a set of 3.55's with a Pro 5.0 shifter.
first you got to tell us your budget man, the what year the car is, how far do you drive, alot of city, and no highway or vice versa?
oh sorry about that well my budgets pretty good right now to buy the parts. the car is a 1987 5.0 mustang GT, i don't rally go that far reason beanig my job site is about ten mins away and i live in a suburban area so its not to crowded.
Well , you got to be alittle more specific, do you want to spend 1,000 or 5,000, and are you doing the work or paying somebody, reason i ask about the distance thing, is that gears and subframes should probably be your first mod. its a 5 speed correct.Some will disagree but i think 4,10's are the perfect gear for a 5 speed and a auto. But if have to drive on the higway , your gonna want to stick with the 3.73's.
Pretty much. Some guys have had alright luck leaving the stock cam and upgrading the heads and intake. May want to do a search on 'speed density' in tech and see what you come up with. Do lots of research before spending a dime on parts.
Lets not freak out the new guy. Or pass on half assed info please. You don't need mass air to be fast. Do you want new or used parts? Start basic I would get 4.10 gears,short throw shifter, subframe connectors, underdrive pulleys and a moroso cold air kit. That by itself will make it feel like a different car. Before you do any of that do a basic tune up. Plugs, wires, cap,rotor check the voltage on the TPS and set the timing. Also pop the airfilter out and see if the air silencer is still in there. All of this would only net you 10-15hp but will completely change the driving experience. Next up would be the exhaust. Go as wild or mild as you like it is all up to what you like. Then worry about intake and heads.
thats why im trying to get some info out of him, mostly how much he wants to spend and whether he or a shop is doing the work, these two things will be the biggest desicion factor
like i said money won't be a prob, as for all the work on the car me and my buddy who is a Mechanic will be doing it. as for new and used parts a mixture of both would be fine.
Well if money is not a problem I would do a H/C/I swap with eaither Holley or TrickFlow and a Vortech S/C with aftercooler. H/D Clutch and aluminum drive shaft and a set of 3.55s or 3.73s. Some long tubes and a MAC Pro Chamber and pretty much any Cat Back. Might as well do a five lug swap whith disc brakes while your at it. Also some upper and lower control arms and shocks/springs/shocks with a panhard bar and some subframe connectors and torque box reinforcemnts. Also do a MAF swap and a stand alone engine management. Oh yeah dont forget the injectors and fuel pump. Shouldnt run more than $16000 if you do all the work yourself. Now seriously, what is your real budget. If by money is not a problem you meen 3-4K than we would all like to help you find the right way to go based on your needs. But if money is really no problem then I would get all the things I said
For the combo listed above, 42-60 lb injectors, and a 255 intank pump and prob a t-rex minimum. Better to go with an aeromotive setup. The combo he is talking about will prob end up splitting the block if you turn up the boost. Keep your revs under 6k and make sure your tune is conservative. As far as the prices, shop around. I found a vortech s trim with a tubular gt40 intake used for $1200. The deals are out there.
Oh yea! Your question. If your just going with h/c/i setup no need to do mass air, but if your doing a power adder, sc or turbo(lean towards turbo) then it would be a good idea to do mass air. Stock blocks are junk so they are only good to a certain point, something to remember. Plenty of people have broke them as low as 400 rwhp but others have made well over 600 rwhp and have been together for years. If you are trying to keep it somewhat mild...go with say a T64 turbo, stock heads, new gaskets with studs, nice flowing intake plenty of different ones out there and the usual bolt ons. Should easily make around 400/450. Power like that is going to break the T5, there is no maybe it will, so you'll need a new tranny and clutch setup thats for sure, The stock posi unit wont like it much either so you could just have it repacked and put in some aftermarket 28 splines and be fine. You'll need 42's for that power range with atleast a 255 intank. Stock fuel pressure regulator is boost sensitive so it will work but its nice to have a adjustable one. Search around on here, corral, turbomustags and others you'll find plenty of info. By the way if you do a power adder, get the car tuned! Or atleast tune it yourself with a pms or tweecer. SO many people blow headgaskets, and break things because they never tuned their car and just think they can go out and beat the crap out of it! I know you said money isnt a issue but how much are we talking, if it wasent a issue for me I'd have a 8 sec 88mm car right now with a 12 sec dd duramax! What I just suggested will be costly thats for sure. EDIT:Throw in a F cam too
if I had to do it all over again, i would go with GT-40P heads ported by Thumper460 (maybe start off with ported E7's), a cobra/explorer intake ported by Tmoss (maybe start with a ported stocker), a custom cam, and either a small turbo or supercharger setup. keep the low end torque, its what makes these cars fun to just drive around in.
5.0s need to be modded from the inside out. Start with the heads and go from there. I really hate the "catback exhaust, CAI, and underdrive pulley" crowd. Thats modding from the outside in and its not really worth that much anyway. Gain as much knowledge about engine theory and these particular engines as you can. ALso learn how to drive. Foxes like to understeer and then snap oversteer. The more hp you add without upgrading the chassis and brakes to match, the harder it will be to drive. especially if this is you first rwd car. Sounds like you have money to play with and a car you want to work on. good for you! I'd recommend a top end kit first. Then take a break from the car, drive it like that, and when youre ready, do your slew of chassis strengthening, suspension, and brake mods. Then again take a break, and when youre ready, get the motor rebuilt and boost ready. And then if you choose, you have an engine and a car ready for boost whenever you want to kick things up a notch. Enjoy it, dont break it!
