Need Advice On Limited Street/ Strip Car

[motherhd]

car is a completely stock 92 LX automatic and will only be driven weekly to the local drag strip and maybe a neighborhood cruise night once in awhile. for 2014 the motor will stay internally stock( that's the plan lol) with the exception of a tuner, cold air induction and long tube headers& exhaust. we are planning a 5 lug conversion and while replacing the axles should we step up the rear end gears or wait until the cam, heads, and intake get changed? looking at a 275/60 or 275/55 rear tire size.

 

[Spaz]

For 20-plus years, gears have been considered one of, if not THE best bang-for-your-buck mod for a Fox Mustang. If you are going to replace them anyway, might as well do it during the 5-lug swap while the rear is partially apart.

 

[motherhd]

that's my thought. would 4.10's be too much for a internally stock motor?

 

[reldla1996]

I wouldn't spend my money on a tuner for a relatively stock 92 Mustang. Advance the timing a little, and you'll achieve the same thing. The computer will compensate for the rest.

 

[motherhd]

thanks for the heads up on the tuner! this car is for my girlfriend who wants to start drag racing and is being done on a budget. I'm still trying to get my big heavy Harley into the low 11's

 

[mikestang63]

Do this for starters

3.73 or 4.10's if you dont do much highway driving
shift kit or better silverfox valve body
If your budget allows- a higher stall converter and an external cooler
130 amp alternator
e fan
70 mmMAF from a 94-95gt
65 or 70 MM tb
headers
Underdrive pulleys
You'll get both sides of the argument= pro anc con H pipe. I live in a state with no emissions so I did the H pipe
performace mufflers and cat back

The stock cam is actually a good street cam that can easily take you into the 12's. Add a set of 1.7 RR and you will have a nice setup that maintains good manners and no surging idle problems.

A cheap top end upgrade is the Explorer intake and heads from a 93-99, Essentially the same as a GT40 or Cobra, Again, lots of info out there to research on. The next step up would be the TFS HCI kit for about $2500. Has everything you need in one kit and is a tried and true 325 flywheel hp kit.

For brakes, there are a dozen different ways to go depending on your budget. The cheapert way is to swap in a 5 lug disc brake setup from a 94-2000 setup.

Welcome and good luck.

 

[Sharad]

4.30s on 275/60-15s would be a perfect combo. But you'll need to ditch the quad shocks, which will also more or less necessitate a control arm upgrade. Here's an article I wrote about building up my stock '89 LX.

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/featuredvehicles/m5lp_0812_1989_ford_mustang_lx/index.html

 

[Decipha]

if the car is bone stock and completely unmolested then i recommend leaving it as is

I find a stock foxbody 5.0 to be a pretty amazing feat, ive only ever heard of 2 in my life, 1 was back in the 90s while the car was still at the dealership and the other is what u speak of now

leave it alone and play with the harley, the misses wont miss what she never had

 

[Hawkeye_306]

Gears are a great upgrade for sure, but I'd be careful going much higher than 3:73s with a stock setup.

How tall you go on the gears depends on:

(1) Traction (tire/suspension setup). You get more torque (better hole shot) by increasing gear ratio, but only up to traction limits. If you are on the verge of spinning out with 3:73s, there is no benefit of going to 4:10+ unless you increase traction as well.

(2) Power band. After you get past the line, the other area to makeup 1/4 mile time is how fast you can gain speed & top speed. This is based on choosing gear ratio to make the most of your engines power band. If your engine power drops off at 5500-6000 rpm (cam timing, peak airflow), or if your engine can't sustain a certain rpm witout failure, then you could end up making things worse by choosing a gear ratio that is so tall that it limits your top end speed.

For what you describe, best bang for you buck would be: 373s, 50-100 shot, & a pair of slicks.

Good luck!

 

[motherhd]

Thanks for the responses guys....We are going to do a few bolt ons...Southside machine still make lift bars(LCA)?
full length headers and exhaust, underdrives, and the 5 lug conversion...Rear gears? maybe we should just run it and see where the rpm's end up on the big end and go from there. Will keep you guys posted.

Question on the 1.7 roller rockers... The valve-train(seals to retainers), springs, and valve to piston clearance will take the increase in ratio?

 

[84Ttop]

1.7 RR with the stock cam is not a problem at all.

Southside machine was ran out of business when Jegs launched their Jegster brand suspension products, long story but needless to say they are no longer around. Look to UPR for some of the latest and greatest in suspension for your fox. Talk to @Sharad about the suspension.

For the auto I would like to see a 275/50/15 rear tire and 4.10 gears personally.

Best Wishes and Welcome

-Nick

 

[motherhd]

well....replaced the ICM, ECT, and fuel pump relay to solve the hot restart issue.....still have the issue, but the power steering line is leaking now.....ugh. I would feel a whole lot better if the starting issue was figured out!

 

[mikestang63]

Thanks for the responses guys....We are going to do a few bolt ons...Southside machine still make lift bars(LCA)?
full length headers and exhaust, underdrives, and the 5 lug conversion...Rear gears? maybe we should just run it and see where the rpm's end up on the big end and go from there. Will keep you guys posted.

Question on the 1.7 roller rockers... The valve-train(seals to retainers), springs, and valve to piston clearance will take the increase in ratio?

Do NOT install any type of lift bars on your car. They will tear up your torque boxes. If you are looking at replacing your suspension, I would give a serious look at MM real lower control arms. The stock uppers are fine for your car. For springs, do not do what many people do- go for the most drop. It will leave you with either a terribly harsh ride and/or a lot of bottoming out. I'd recommend either a set of Mach 1, Bullitt springs, or for the aftermarket Steeda or H&R sport springs. I'm not a fan of the Eibach or other springs with a soft front spring.

With a stock cam the 1.7 RR are fine. You may have to shim them to get the proper torque on the rockers. That will give you about the same lift as a B cam.

Again, I think your biggest bang for the buck is the gears.

 

[reldla1996]

I've effectively had lift bars on mine for years, but I don't dump the clutch (tires would just go up in smoke anyways), and ran street tires until a couple years ago when I switched to drag radials (still limited to about 2500 rpm at the line, or they go up in smoke). They sure made a significant improvement in traction. The 1.7 RR work fine with the stock valve train, though the valve springs might need replaced if they have a lot of miles on them.

 

[2000xp8]

List your budget.

Some ideas here are good, but if you aren't on unlimited funding you'll need the best bang for your buck.

Gears should probably be first on the list, where you go after that could be many directions.

Southside, lol.
Only cost me $1100 to fix the damage they did to my torque boxes and that doesn't include the new rear i had to build because they tore mine open.

 

[MyBlackBeast]

Your hot restart issue is your starter. I had the same problem. I Bought a high torque starter, problem solved.

 

[cleanLX]

If I were doing up a stocker with an auto for the strip...
4.10's with a 26" tire.
3500 stall convertor.
shift kit and valve body.
Long tubes, full exhaust.
76mm mass air.
Tom Moss ported stock lower or, Cobra/Explorer intake.
Of course elec. fan, underdrives, short belt for at the track.