[sgtboylan]

ok, so here it goes... I bought the engine, trans., driveshaft, axle w/ 3.55's, ecu and harness from an 04 mach 1 to change out with my weaksauce 3.8l ohv. I'm in the Marines, have been for about 6 years now, and i'm headed back to afghanistan in a month or so. My plan is to buy parts here and there while i'm deployed, slap them on when I get back and drop the engine in. My dilemma is what to get. I'm looking to get a twin throttle body (i heard accufab causes problems), Long tube headers (ceramic) but don't know which type i should go with, I have a k&n cai, but heard c&l is better for the mach 1's, a programmer but the options make my head spin, I was also thinking about an aluminum flywheel/driveshaft but i'm not sure i want to loose all drivetrain inertia, msd coil on plugs (they advertise a good hp gain, is that true?), I was also thinking of forging my rods and pistons and boosting, but i'm worried about engine longevity. Probably would go with a p1sc, but am open to input, and i'm taking my shaker off, cuz it won't clear my hood. I'm shooting for about 400 rwhp, and want to do all of it before i drop it in. Would i have to boost to get there? I'd like input from people on what they are running and what seems to work best. Sorry for the super long post, but i wanted to knock it all out at once.

[jk_aktion]

good for you man! and good luck, i was at restrepo korengal valley 08-09. anyways, i have had plenty of different bolt-ons for my mach and can say, stay the hell away from bbk for sure! spend the money and do it right the first time and you will thank yourself. throttle bodies doesn't matter really, you won't notice anything unless the intake manifold is ported to size. for headers go with kooks w/matching x-pipe. since you're not keeping the shaker get a jlt cai and a 90mm ford lightning maf. use sct tuner but always get a dyno tune filter through the sct, downloaded tunes are garbage, nothing better than a real dyno tune and you can save the tunes to the sct. i have the fidanza aluminum flywheel and love it! also the fidanza 4.3 six puck ceramic clutch, excellent package. bites extremely hard! along with that i use the frpp aluminum 3.5" shaft. as far as the coil packs you won't notice any difference but still better than oem and will help with tuning. building the block will be a good idea for boost since it's 10.1 compression, keep the ford crank and grab some manley h-beams and manley pistons or mahle dished for the right compression for boost. the block will last, still a good webbing design. you will reach over 400rwhp with that setup, as to i am n/a and i'm 404rwhp. btw grab some bigger fuel injectors for that p1sc.

[sgtboylan]

thanks man, restrepo is pretty crazy. i did the push into marjah 09-10. If I can get to 400 rwhp n/a w/o sacrificing my first born that'd be great. lol. Cuz i'm just kinda sketched out about boost. what all are you running to get to 404 n/a? btw your mach looks sweet man.

[jk_aktion]

to easy.. check the garage for mods broski. but yeah, after restrepo, i finished my term and wasn't going to re-up. going to start school soon. to bad your not on the east coast, i would've liked to have been around on your build.

[SWEET2KSTANG]

400 to the ground isnt too hard on a 4v as long as you get the right parts. it can be done n/a or boosted. dont bother with the coils if the stockers are good. as for the t/b, a ported stocker will support 400n/a before it becomes a hinderence.

its always a good idea to atleast replace rods if you have the chance. a set of forged flat tops will up compression just a hair, and they are lighter than the stock hyperutectics. if you arent going for more than 5550rwhp for the end goal, a set of I-beams will be a little lighter and free up rotating mass as well.

i personally prefer the C&L inlet set ups, but thats my opinion. the stock MAF will also need to be changed to a 90/95mm unit as well, 360ish or so will be the stock 80mm stopping point.

LT brand will be personal preference as well, and how much you want to spend. kooks or american racing are the 2 top choices, but there are other options that are a little cheaper as well.

tuning options, use what your dyno tuner will be using.

[sgtboylan]

ok sweet. so at this point i'm definitely leaning toward some kooks headers, jlt or c&l cai (ditching my k&n), 90mm lightning maf, light port/polish on intake, polish on the heads, al. flywheel, high discharge c.o.p. (since they are fairly cheap anyway), sct tuner (i noticed lots of people run sct), I already have the pypes daul for my 3.8, not sure if i can retain it. If not probably run slp loudmouth. and forging the rods and pistons. Two of my Marines were mechanics and suggested raising the compression if i wasnt f/i. I know people ask this all the time and it varies, but should a raise in compression give me a solid gain? I think with this stuff I should be fairly happy, but then again we are never content and always want more. lol. Thanks for the input gentlemen. *addition... they also said to rollerize the valvetrain. I can't find anything about people doing it, but both of them say its great. One was a mechanic for dodge (srt division) and one for honda. oh, and i hear guys are getting 20+ at the crank from 96-98 cobra cams. Maybe i'll go that route too

[SWEET2KSTANG]

i personally would steer clear of the JLT.

the ported intake manifold should be worked from t/b opening down thru the runners. if you have the little extra coin, have the runners shortened some.

the term "polish" in porting is something that isnt done anymore, maybe some cross buffs to give a "shiney" appearance.

if you do coils, i would only do a set of msd, weapon x, or the gms pro series.

if you are going to have a dyno tune done, use what your tuner will be using wether its sct or diablo, etc.

if the cat back is mounted up like the gt, mach's, or cobra's; then it will bolt right up. if its a dual kit using a Y for the factory mid pipe, then the cat back will be different.

all n/a 4v's are factory 3cc dish, going to a flat top will just get you to a 10:1 compression ratio. if you want more than that, you will have to either get custom dome pistons or do some mill work. the gains for just flat tops is minimal, but a forged piston is always a good item to have. even with a flat top, you can still run 10psi or so on pump gas.

the guys you talking to probably old push rod guys, and the roller set up they are talking about isnt the same as the set up these engine have. there is a full roller set up from jessel, but its $3800 or something like that and gains are minimal at most for pump gas cars.

the 96-98 cobra intake cams have more duration and are worth a few hp if you are doing a budget minded set up. aftermarket cams will have more of a gain, but it also depends on the rest of your mods as well.

[jk_aktion]

^ +1

[na svt]

Originally Posted by SWEET2KSTANG 400 to the ground isnt too hard on a 4v as long as you get the right parts. it can be done n/a or boosted. dont bother with the coils if the stockers are good. as for the t/b, a ported stocker will support 400n/a before it becomes a hinderence. .

You can make 400rwhp n/a but that means high compression or spinning the engine to a point where the trans won't shift.

Correct, the stock coils are good.

A ported TB offers no power benefit over a stocker...none at all. Also, a stock TB becomes a restriction around 370rwhp, but the gain provided by one with a larger opening is minimal at that point, about 3rwhp.

Originally Posted by SWEET2KSTANG i personally prefer the C&L inlet set ups, but thats my opinion. the stock MAF will also need to be changed to a 90/95mm unit as well, 360ish or so will be the stock 80mm stopping point.

the stock inlet tube with a K&N filter will make as much power as the C&L, JLT, BBK and UPR inlets, save your money. The stock 80mm MAF will get you to 400 with FI, but you'll need a 90mm MAF for n/a, the lightning MAF is the cheapest way to go.

As far as headers go, there are many options, the stainless LTs are very expensive and make no more power than the cheaper BBK, MAC and Hookers. If you want bang for the buck while still being able to remove your trans with having to remove a header, MAC and Hooker are your best options.

As for a tuner, you don't need one to get a tune. The only reason you would need a hand held tuner is to store tunes and make small changes to your tune. Most people just end up screwing up their tunes when they have a hand held.

Originally Posted by SWEET2KSTANG the ported intake manifold should be worked from t/b opening down thru the runners. if you have the little extra coin, have the runners shortened some. .

nothing can be done to the upper that will increase power. When it comes to the areas that can be improved for more power, they are: feed holes, runner inlets and the runenr exits and injector bosses. That's it. Everything else is just for looks.

Originally Posted by SWEET2KSTANG if you do coils, i would only do a set of msd, weapon x, or the gms pro series.

stick with the stock coils, the others offer no gain and are less reliable.

Originally Posted by SWEET2KSTANG all n/a 4v's are factory 3cc dish, going to a flat top will just get you to a 10:1 compression ratio. if you want more than that, you will have to either get custom dome pistons or do some mill work.

The stock Mach 1 CR is 10:1, flat tops will make the CR 10.4:1, (some people say 10.8) with the 52cc chamber of the Mach 1 heads and a .036" gasket. You can get CRs up to 12:1 with flat tops, no need for custom pistons with domes but you will need valve reliefs.

[na svt]

Originally Posted by sgtboylan ok sweet. so at this point i'm definitely leaning toward some kooks headers, jlt or c&l cai (ditching my k&n), 90mm lightning maf, light port/polish on intake, polish on the heads, al. flywheel, high discharge c.o.p. (since they are fairly cheap anyway), sct tuner (i noticed lots of people run sct), I already have the pypes daul for my 3.8, not sure if i can retain it. If not probably run slp loudmouth. and forging the rods and pistons. Two of my Marines were mechanics and suggested raising the compression if i wasnt f/i. I know people ask this all the time and it varies, but should a raise in compression give me a solid gain? I think with this stuff I should be fairly happy, but then again we are never content and always want more. lol. Thanks for the input gentlemen. *addition... they also said to rollerize the valvetrain. I can't find anything about people doing it, but both of them say its great. One was a mechanic for dodge (srt division) and one for honda. oh, and i hear guys are getting 20+ at the crank from 96-98 cobra cams. Maybe i'll go that route too

First make up your mind what you want, n/a for forced induction. You will also have to consider the fact that you're in California with 91 octane gas.

There are a lot of mods you can make that will result in little to no hp gain, like: CAIs. RAIs, TBs, MAFs, ported heads, aftermarket coils, etc. If you stick with the mods that make power you will save a lot of money and end up much happier with the car.

If all you want is 400rwhp do this, install the stock engine and add a low boost supercharger, any of them will give you the power you want without having to spend the money on headers, throttle bodies, forged internals or any other bolt on. If you keep the power level at 425rwhp and have a safe tune the engine will last for 100,000 miles and it won't break your wallet.

[majorownage]

lol please tell 98Cobra_sleeper to switch back to stock coils. Maybe he will listen to you

[na svt]

Originally Posted by majorownage lol please tell 98Cobra_sleeper to switch back to stock coils. Maybe he will listen to you

I've seen and used stock coils on 450rwhp n/a combos as well as 900rwhp TT cars, I do beleive they will do just fine on a sub 500rwhp setup.

[majorownage]

Originally Posted by na svt I've seen and used stock coils on 450rwhp n/a combos as well as 900rwhp TT cars, I do beleive they will do just fine on a sub 500rwhp setup.

I agree, and he has a missfire on 1 and 6. Since its a wastespark setup, they use the same coil...right?

[na svt]

Originally Posted by majorownage I agree, and he has a missfire on 1 and 6. Since its a wastespark setup, they use the same coil...right?

yes

[sgtboylan]

thanks guys, so, as happens every 3-4 days i have changed my mind on my setup. lol. I'm just about 100% sure i'm gonna go with the supercharger. haha. The numbers I saw on my friends dyno run made me a believer. I've always known it was the best way, but i'm scared of the boost. lol. His 03-04 cobra put 430 to the ground bone stock with a 2.8 pulley on the stock eaton, g.m.s. super coil, and a dyno tune. I know, it sounds kinda highand i probably wouldn't have believed it, but i saw the install, the dyno runs, and the tuning. It was nuts. I could pick up an eaton dirt cheap, forge my internals for like $1300 (to a lower compression of course), get the super coils and be set. I'm not a huge fan of the eaton, but for the price and where it puts me on my 400 rwhp goal its a good choice i think. Thats running about 12lbs of boost. whatd'ya think? If i'm not happy with that, i can upgrade from there easily. oh, and he got 19 hp from the 60k coils. numbers were 357rwhp stock, with coils 376, with coils and tune 412, with coils tune and 2.8 pulley 430.2rwhp. like he said.... don't fear the boost, it is your friend. lol. as long as you're not a 16 year old red light warrior. haha

[majorownage]

i know of a guy with a pullied cobra making 500 to the wheels

He had the dynosheets to prove it. I didn't believe until I saw them.

[na svt]

You can get 450rwhp using your mach engine as it is now. Keep the power down and it'll last a long time. If you do go with forged rods/pistons, do not go lower than 9.5:1 compression.

Your friends setup makes normal power for a stock 03/04 with those mods. For example, my friends 80,000 mile stock 04 with only a lightning upper makes 430rwhp.

The only way he would gain power from the coils is if one or two were bad. Also 357rwhp in stock form and 376 with new coils is telling me he had a bad coild or two because 380rwhp is average power from a totally stock engine.

[sgtboylan]

i hear ya ownage. It seemed so easy. lol. yeah, that makes sense na svt, everything was running fine prior though. its a 100k warrior dd. why the 9.5:1 bar on compression? i'm assuming you're against supercharging since you're n/a? I'd like to forge for possible detonation. Is it okay to run cast internals/hypereu. with 8-10lbs? It just seems like a good bit of work to get to my goals n/a. Alans has lasted 100k with no major problems and he runs the hell out of it. I just worry about engine life with f.i. cuz i plan on having this car until i'm 150.

[na svt]

9.5 will give you a lot more hp and tq and increase driveability and preboost power lot. don't worry about detonation, get it tuned and it will be fine. I know many guys running 9.5 or higher with up to 20lbs .of boost...on 93 octane.

I like boost, just not on my cars. I like to to things the hard way.

[SWEET2KSTANG]

Originally Posted by na svt You can make 400rwhp n/a but that means high compression or spinning the engine to a point where the trans won't shift. Correct, the stock coils are good. A ported TB offers no power benefit over a stocker...none at all. Also, a stock TB becomes a restriction around 370rwhp, but the gain provided by one with a larger opening is minimal at that point, about 3rwhp. the stock inlet tube with a K&N filter will make as much power as the C&L, JLT, BBK and UPR inlets, save your money. The stock 80mm MAF will get you to 400 with FI, but you'll need a 90mm MAF for n/a, the lightning MAF is the cheapest way to go. As far as headers go, there are many options, the stainless LTs are very expensive and make no more power than the cheaper BBK, MAC and Hookers. If you want bang for the buck while still being able to remove your trans with having to remove a header, MAC and Hooker are your best options. As for a tuner, you don't need one to get a tune. The only reason you would need a hand held tuner is to store tunes and make small changes to your tune. Most people just end up screwing up their tunes when they have a hand held. nothing can be done to the upper that will increase power. When it comes to the areas that can be improved for more power, they are: feed holes, runner inlets and the runenr exits and injector bosses. That's it. Everything else is just for looks. stick with the stock coils, the others offer no gain and are less reliable. The stock Mach 1 CR is 10:1, flat tops will make the CR 10.4:1, (some people say 10.8) with the 52cc chamber of the Mach 1 heads and a .036" gasket. You can get CRs up to 12:1 with flat tops, no need for custom pistons with domes but you will need valve reliefs.

400 to the ground does n/a not require spinning it that high, 7300 or so on the correct set up will get it.

comparison of a stock and ported stocker show's no peak gains. auto's mostly have seen some mid range gain over uported version. this goes for 2v's as well as 4v's. i have never seen n/a motor be retricted from the t/b at 370. obviously there is a benefit to going to a larger t/b at that power level, but as you said only minimal gains.

the full C&L set up i find favorable, not to mention the 95mm option for 6 pin MAF cars.. stock with K&N does fine, but as with the t/b leaves a couple left to get. not to mention the stocker looks like shit.

as for headers, there are differences. this has been tested by several guys and shops. n/a isnt going to have as big of differences as fi cars, but differences are there.

um, the inlet of the top hat is shit. period. a little work and its fixed. the lower manifold obviously needs work, and is done by plenty of people inculding myself.

good aftermarket coils show no gains until power adders are used, and even then a boost-a-spark or dual dis-4s can take care of that issue as well. as for less reliable, wrong. i have my gms hot street coils for few years now, never had any issue, on a freinds harley right now till my car is up and going again, then back on my car.

i have seen 9.8:1 compression stock for these cars. i have heard of a few that says 10.0, but not an arguement worth even thinking about joining. as for flat tops, 10.2-10.4:1, whatever, still not shit of a gain.