Need experienced help...gotta update my car

[streetstang67]

I thought I had "finished" my car, but I still find myself driving the explorer everywhere. The goal was to make the explorer my "bad weather car" and drive the mustang daily. I want it to be as much like a new mustang as possible, while retaining the classic features. I don't have the money to do it all, but I want it to handle, accelerate, and drive like a new mustang. I want comfort, safety, and speed. But then again, I just don't have that much money. So, if I limited myself to $2000, what would be the best things to do? what if I had $4000? Things like suspension, steering, engine, interior stuff, all of it. This needs to be a reliable, performing, good daily driver. Now I know that I can't have everything, but what could I do?

I need a lot of suggestions and help
Thanks

 

[snowball]

So with the work you've done on the car already why isn't it good enough to drive on those fine and sunny days? Engine mods are not radical in any way to make it hard to drive, it has discs up front etc.

The only things to improve it even more may be air conditioning and power sterring.....and you may have them already.

 

[bnickel]

i'd start with suspension and brakes. do the shelby drop, a good basic rebuild with new upper and lower control arms add some roller spring perches and adjustable strut rods and some good shocks like e'brock's or KYB's up front and 4-1/2 or 5 leaf springs in the back with the mid eye option and heavy duty shackles again e'brock or KYB shocks and probably a set of traction master type traction bars and a decent set of subframe connectors should make the car handle really nice, if you want even better steering add a randalls rack and pinion kit to it as well, www.randallsrack.com for brakes maybe a baer street kit in the 11" size with the pbr calipers or the ssbc kit with 4 piston stock style calipers. you should be able to do all of this for around 2500-3000 depending on what brakes you go with, it will make the car handle better and safer as well. next if you want to do some engine mods i'd look at a set of afr 165 heads, some decent shorty or tri-y headers and an msd ignition system with 6a box, blaster coil and a ready to run billet distributor with the small cap so it doesn't look too far from stock, i'd paint the afr heads engine color too, but i like the sleeper look. a slighly more modern cam that is still pretty mild would be good too, like a comp cams xe-262 or something along those lines would still get you a pretty hot but still mild street motor. that would get you a decent performing, handling stopping and safer car and could probably be done for 4 grand or so. if the car doesn't have ac i would add that as well at some point that's up to you decide whether to do it now instead of something else on the list or wait until later. you could also do it in two parts, like the suspension and brakes at one time and the engine mods next or whatever, personally i'd do the stuff to make safer and handle better before any more engine mods. hope that helps you out with making a well informed decision

 

[19simmons65]

Good post nickel. The first thing I did was fix my suspension. New upper and lower arms, bushing etc. I also installed new KYB shocks--front and rear.

My car is in the shop now having disc brakes installed. Along with new tires and American Racing rims.

Once I have the car back I'm going to work on fighting the rust! Trunk...wheel wells....etc.

Regie

 

[streetstang67]

Who carries the least expensive power steeing kits and air conditionings? I just had my 19:1 steering box rebuilt, but I guess if I have to change it in order to have power steering, I would. For the a/c, I just can't see it being worth $1,095...is there anywhere else that has another kit cheaper?

 

[streetstang67]

Good post nickel. The first thing I did was fix my suspension. New upper and lower arms, bushing etc. I also installed new KYB shocks--front and rear.

My car is in the shop now having disc brakes installed. Along with new tires and American Racing rims.

Once I have the car back I'm going to work on fighting the rust! Trunk...wheel wells....etc.

Regie

How do you like the KYB shocks? I still have factory coils and leafs with gabriel shocks. What susp. do you suggest?

 

[bnickel]

How do you like the KYB shocks? I still have factory coils and leafs with gabriel shocks. What susp. do you suggest?

i have 5 leaf mid-eye springs and kyb GR-2 shocks out back, up front i have 720 coils and kyb gas adjusts, but i haven't had a chance to drive the car with this combo yet. it's stilll in the resto phase at the moment. i have driven cars with similar setups and they felt great, the setup i have on my car is probably a little stiff for a DD, so i would look at probably the 4 1/2 leaf mid-eye rear and probably a 620 spring up front. if you want a nice ride go with e'brock or kyb GR-2 shocks. as for where to get them, that's completely up to you but stay away from mustangs plus, they are way too expensive. i'd check out either american pony or laurel mountain for the suspension parts or even CJ pony parts or Mustangs unlimited, AP and LM are going to be the cheapsest most likely but CJ and MU both offer free shipping with orders over like 300 bucks or something so check into the shipping as well and find out which one has the best deal total for parts and shipping. personally i'd go with the randalls rack as well if you are going to convert to power steering it won't cost much more to do that than but all the parts you'd need to do a stock conversion in fact it may be a wash especially if you replace the gearbox. speaking of the gearbox, if you convert to power and keep your 19:1 box it will work but it will be way overboosted and the steering will give you almost no feedback whatsoever, but it will work, it would probably feel like the steering of a 70's lincoln or caddy, real easy to turn but limp and numb feeling.

 

[DarkBuddha]

I second the vote for a Randall's rack & pinion conversion. I highly suspect that r&p will probably make the biggest difference on your driving experience and give you more of that new car feel.

I also agree that stepping up to a decent braking system and improving the suspension will make a good bit of difference. If you want daily driver smooth ride comfort, avoid overly stiff springs or big sway bars. If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of comfort for better handling, go with a bit stiffer spring and bigger sway bars. One other thing I'd recommend, because it made such a huge impression on me, is to add weld-in subframe connectors. They made a huge difference in how solid the car felt, and they actually eliminated quite a bit of general noise (probably from chassis flex).

Another thing I would suggest is to pay attention to the interior and ergonomics. Add more sound deadening (like Dynamat), especially in places where Ford never put any, like the inside of the quarter panels and inside your doors. This will make the car much quieter and sound more solid. Also, get some more modern seats. For cheap, good, comfortable seats, check out what you can find at your local u-pull-it junkyard. Look for comfort and support, not super sporty seats. Also invest in a decent steering wheel with a thick padded rim, which will feel better in your hands. And make sure you've got a decent sound system that is easy to use. You can also find lots of convenience stuff at junkyards... check out some of the stuff in the Junkyard engineering project link in my sig. Finally, make sure you tighten up all the nuts and screws and eliminate as many rattles as you can.

As for a/c, you can probably get cheaper systems, but they'll be a generic design that won't integrate as well or probably be as easy to install. If a/c is a requirement, then spend the $$$ and do it right.

Hope this helps.

 

[ForceFed70]

For new features... consider swaping to power windows, locks, and an alarm that can control them.

Since I upgraded to keyless entry using the alarm and power windows I've been much happier with my car. I love how the alarm automaticly rolls up the windows and locks the doors. Plus I used the spare button on the remote to operate a remote trunk opener.

For the alarm, power windows kit, power door locks kit, and trunk solenoid and any related accessories I paid approx $700 total for everything. Well worth in IMHO.. especially the keyless entry. No more locking my keys in the car, or accidently setting off the alarm because I forgot to disarm it before unlocking the doors.

 

[Rollinns]

I'd go with variable rate springs in the front, a monte carlo bar and subframe connectors. All these will improve handling without a harsh ride.
You will also notice a difference by going with a 15" or 16" wheel instead of the 14" wheels you have now. I have 15" torque thrusts but I'm considering the 16" wheels on the '05 Mustang v6 cars.

I have a stock A/C system with a newer style sanden compressor and it works well here in the midwest. It was about $350 to convert the old style over, but I don't care for the aftermarket systems since the air outlets look cheap.

Newer seats will help alot too. I have 91 Mustang GT seats with the head rests removed and they don't really appear too out of place.

Getting an electric fan will free up a few horses and alleviate any overheating worries at the same time.

 

[streetstang67]

what about a few engine upgrades, that would make me actually need the traction bars

 

[DarkBuddha]

what about a few engine upgrades, that would make me actually need the traction bars

heads, cam, efi = power, performance, efficiency, reliability

 

[meanroy]

I know the feeling.

I thought I had "finished" my car, but I still find myself driving the explorer everywhere. The goal was to make the explorer my "bad weather car" and drive the mustang daily. I want it to be as much like a new mustang as possible, while retaining the classic features. I don't have the money to do it all, but I want it to handle, accelerate, and drive like a new mustang. I want comfort, safety, and speed. But then again, I just don't have that much money. So, if I limited myself to $2000, what would be the best things to do? what if I had $4000? Things like suspension, steering, engine, interior stuff, all of it. This needs to be a reliable, performing, good daily driver. Now I know that I can't have everything, but what could I do?

I need a lot of suggestions and help
Thanks

Thats how I started out. Make it have a smooth ride, air conditioened, great stereo, pony interior, - all the standard options for a 2+2 ++
Personally I decided to forgo those options in favor of performance.

It'll NEVER be done.

Believe me, This is good.

Roy.

 

[streetstang67]

What suspension parts do u think would be best? KYB, Grab-A-Trak, or something else?

 

[DarkBuddha]

What suspension parts do u think would be best? KYB, Grab-A-Trak, or something else?

It's not so much about a specific manufacturer (though some are obviously better built), but rather the combination of parts. For example, if you want significantly better handling, you'll have to sacrafice ride quaility. If you go overboard with stiff springs and shocks, you'll likely improve handling but it'll ride like crap. The trick is balance. Rather than go on and on, just click the Tips & tricks link in my sig for my thoughts about building your suspension.