first mods for a 98 mustang GT

[87grandnat]

a friend of mine has a 98 GT that he would like to wake up, what would be some good beginning mods that he could do to get the most performance for his money, i do know this isnt a musatng board, but i know some guys on here have them, so if anyone has some helpful tips please respond.

Thanks,
Joshua

 

[Shane]

How about a For Sale sign?

 

[87grandnat]

that was funny, shane......good one.

anyone else

oh yeah by the way, my friend is headed up to Groton CT right now

 

[Westside500]

Well, first off the 4.6 is a turd. The motor has no torque and no power at all. Hard to make torque when the bore is the same as the stroke.I have had plenty of Mustangs(only the good ones 87-93) and have embarrassed all the new mustangs with little or no mods.If you must keep it.. go with pulleys, a really steep gear ie..4.56 or better. throttle body , offroad exhaust , flows, bigger maf, some type of fenderwell k&n system. I have seen these cars with blowers run low 13's high 12's with 10psi they are very heavy cars and have a motor that makes power at high rpm and no low rpm torque. Strap a bomb to it and put the car out of its own misery.

 

[87grandnat]

Trust me guys this is my thoughts on it to, but this is for a friend so i am trying to help him out abit.

I used to have a 00 ram air then went to a 93 5.0, i didnt expect the 5.0 to have the same get up as the ram air but it also had some very heavy mods done, full exhaust, cam, gt40 heads and more and it was still an embarassment, i have tried to get him to com eto the dark side but he has to have a car from a dealership because he doesnt have the money to pay for it at once.

Westside thanks for the help,

Joshua

 

[UNGN]

Tell him not to spend too much money on it. He should just drive it, enjoy it, and do all the "Free mods" but save his money to mod a car with potential.

He could spend $5K in "mods" on this turd and still not run a 12 second 1/4.

 

[TurboBuckeye]

Sell it and buy a 99 or newer GT, that 98 is a pig. Then gears, exhaust and a blower in that order. And a converter if it's an automatic ( shame on him if it is)

 

[nisnutz]

Dont pay attention to these guys you asked for help and all they want to do is rag on ya.I used to have one of those cars and here is what I did to really wake it up.First you need to get a good set of ported and polished heads,a good intake,set of pulleys,etc.Then put all of the new parts in the back seat and drive it off a cliff.It's sad but it's the only way those parts will help that car attain any speed.

 

[UNGN]

Originally posted by Rage
Sell it and buy a 99 or newer GT, that 98 is a pig. Then gears, exhaust and a blower in that order. And a converter if it's an automatic ( shame on him if it is)

Exactly. You can dump a lot of money in something and only be as fast as the next years model is stock. He'd be better off starting with the better car.

 

[87grandnat]

It is a automatic, it was his wife's car. He bought (tried to buy) a 01 GT and had it for 8 days and the dealership called and said they couldnt let him keep the car because the bank turned down the loan. He really got screwed on that, but anyways he's trying to work with what he has but i will pass what info you guys gave to me thats good on to him.

Thanks,
Joshua

 

[Shane]

Originally posted by 87grandnat
that was funny, shane......good one.

anyone else

oh yeah by the way, my friend is headed up to Groton CT right now

Just breaking your balls a little bit buddy. No harm meant.

I don't know why your friend would want to come up here, this place is a sh!thole!

Good luck with the Stang.

 

[TurboBuckeye]

Originally posted by Westside500
a really steep gear ie..4.56 or better

Don't fear the gear

 

[UNGN]

Originally posted by Rage
Don't fear the gear

Let me get this straight, with gas $2.00/Gallon, you are telling somebody to swap gears that will cost him $300 and $3.00 - $5.00 extra in gas PER TANK of gas so he can go from 15.5 to 15.2 in 1/4 mile?

Just checking

 

[JDSfastGN]

don't go more than a 3.73 with the auto for gas mileage and noise on the highway reasons, see if he can snatch up a good deal on 99+ heads, along with your typical exhaust and intake, that should put him into the low 14s in an auto i would think. Quick enough to get out of its own way. Or just spray the hell out of it and pray it holds together

 

[Westside500]

Originally posted by UNGN
Let me get this straight, with gas $2.00/Gallon, you are telling somebody to swap gears that will cost him $300 and $3.00 - $5.00 extra in gas PER TANK of gas so he can go from 15.5 to 15.2 in 1/4 mile?

Just checking

Yes, I am. These cars need gears bad. 3.73's are not enough, trust me.. minimum is 4.10 or 4.56. These 4.6 motors thrive on high rpm and have 0 bottom end. Mileage is not bad.. I had 4.10's in my 00 ws6 ram air Trans Am and was pulling down 20mpg with a 6 speed.

 

[JDSfastGN]

Originally posted by Westside500
Yes, I am. These cars need gears bad. 3.73's are not enough, trust me.. minimum is 4.10 or 4.56. These 4.6 motors thrive on high rpm and have 0 bottom end. Mileage is not bad.. I had 4.10's in my 00 ws6 ram air Trans Am and was pulling down 20mpg with a 6 speed.

yeah but this car is an auto and not a DOHC cobra, yes they like gears a lot, but this one isn't making the power up top enough to use that stout of a gear, at least not enough to give up the mileage. Tell him to get a stall convertor as well if hes got the money

 

[TurboBuckeye]

Originally posted by JDSfastGN
Tell him to get a stall convertor as well if hes got the money

I already did.

 

[UNGN]

Originally posted by Westside500
I had 4.10's in my 00 ws6 ram air Trans Am and was pulling down 20mpg with a 6 speed.

Yes, but that is a manual with a double OD.

Apples to Oranges.

A '98 mustang, much like a Honda, isn't worth the effort to mod.

For the money it takes to make it go fast, you can buy a fast car.

 

[Westside500]

Originally posted by UNGN
Yes, but that is a manual with a double OD.

Apples to Oranges.

A '98 mustang, much like a Honda, isn't worth the effort to mod.

For the money it takes to make it go fast, you can buy a fast car.

That is a good point... but he already has the car.. yes a convertor is a given.. at least a 2500rpm with 4.10 gears.Really if he wants to go cheap... a 150 shot( wet system) will get you a decent et and not that much money. They respond decent to spray. I had a 91 lx hatchback and weighed 2900# with me in it (Im 6'0 315lbs) and with a 306 with good heads and a powerglide/4500 stall and a 300 plate car went 9.10's at 147... but that was a light car. The newer body stangs 94 up are way too heavy to bother with mods..unless you want to cut the hell out of it.It really depends how fast he wants to go.. 13's, 12's or better will reflect a bunch of money (and headaches). Basically, I would get:
1. convertor
2.gear
3. underdrive pulleys
4. bigger throttle body and mass air
5. offroad exhaust/ flowmasters
6. get some good headers
7. stiffen the chassis,,, sub frame connectors are a must
8. get a adjustable rear suspension.. adj uppers and lowers
9. drag struts and shocks
10. slicks and front runners
11. lauch hard !

 

[87grandnat]

update....

he is having 4.10's installed tomorrow i did tell him about getting the stall converter and he is getting some DR's coming in like 2 days so i guess he's on the right track.

i just cant wait to get my turbo fixed so i can kick his ass, not that it wouldnt do it now but i just wanna do it good.

i will tell im about what you guys said for other mods,
keep them coming

Joshua