Help Me Spend My Money!!

Scott7512

Active Member
May 19, 2015
153
8
38
Branchland WV
I have just came up with $1500 to spend on my 93 5.0 lx hatch. The car has a stock bottom end with P heads ,1.6 rockers, electric fan, explorer intake and a X303 cam. CAI, 130 amp alt, MSD ignition and a chip. Short throw shifter. Full exhaust system. 3.55 gears and ford racing driveshaft. SVO front brakes with hawk pads and rebuilt rear drums.I also have all of the chassis braces and rear control arms. The interior has also been redone. The paint
is about a five footer or 8 of 10.
Should i get:
1) New intake
2) Rear disk brake conversion
3) Affordable heads and shaft rockers
4) 150 shot of nitrous
5) Save up for a stroker short block
6) Save up for a paint job
 
  • Sponsors (?)


$1500 can do a lot depending on goals and ability to sell things you upgrade. Depending on paint defects a good detail shop or possibly body shop could fix the current paint. Hit Craigslist , lots of intakes for cheap depending on your wants. I see almost complete 5 lug disc swaps posted regularly along with use nitrous. I see no reason you can’t knock out 2-3 of these or even look at aluminum heads and sell the p’s for one of the other upgrades.
 
I wouldn't pay $800 for a four lug rear disc brake unless for some reason you love the 4 lug rims. For $800 you could do a 5 lug, 4 wheel disc brake conversion if you plan right. I have done it a couple of times.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I wouldn't pay $800 for a four lug rear disc brake unless for some reason you love the 4 lug rims. For $800 you could do a 5 lug, 4 wheel disc brake conversion if you plan right. I have done it a couple of times.
I thought the same thing at first, but after some thought if those 4 lug rotors could be swapped out later for 5 lug rotors it's not the end of the world.

As for price, I find half the fun is piecing stuff together as cheap as possible and then using the extra money to buy other stuff.


In this case I bet with some patience and creative shopping he could do a real 5 lug setup with second hand parts and get a set of 5 lug rims. Probably lose out on the tires though (maybe not, depends on who's unloading stuff that week.

I think for a grand I could find pbr fronts and do the rears. I think the wildcard would be the 94/95 spindles, they used to be $100 a set, don't think it's that way anymore.

Getting the brakes out of the way then the suspension is the right thing to do. 300+hp on a chassis and brakes that bad at handling 225hp is just a terrible idea.
 
Some guy on my local boards had 5 Bullitt wheels with tires for $150. Tires looked like they had a bit of life left too.

$800 for brand new spanking parts out back is fine. Hopefully that includes MC and booster. Paying to have a kit show up at your door and not search around is appealing for obvious reasons...and 4-lug 4wheel disk is fine if you are just cruising around town.

I actually don't mind the research and piecing together of parts. No idea what my setup costs as I've bought and resold parts along the way...but it works ok ;)
 
You never did mention what was the purpose of the car cruising, road course, drag strip, etc...

I would vote for brakes as well, since these cars stock can stop to safe your life. You can easily go an pull the front and back brakes from a 94-98 mustang, get some 94-95 spindles, pull the axles from rear, and then put S197 wheels/tires on the car to correct the backspacing of the rear. Sell the old stuff and you should still have extra money to spare.

I would also ditch that X303 cam as I know it isn't helping your performance. Go with a custom cam or at least a split duration TFS1 or Comp 270, and if you want more grunt then save to put a turbo on the car.