[Dustinv420]

hey guys my name is dustin, i am 22 and live in northcarolina. i just bought a 1999 v6 3.8 with 73k miles for $5,000 from a friend. it needs some work, the powerstearing pump needs to be replaced for sure, the front brakes and it rides very rough over bumps i anit sure what i can do to fix that. i am a complete novice to mustangs and cars in general but i have been looking at the forums and cars here for a week or so and i am very interested. this is my 2nd car, my first car was a 2000 plymouth breeze so this is a VERY nice upgrade for me.The first day in my new car i noticed the attitude i would get from other drivers, people stairing, reving there cars at me at redlights blowing past me, riding my ass on the highway and i am sick of it. i want to upgrade my v6 as much as i can for the money i have to spend, i will have about $500-600 a month to spend and i wanna do asmuch of my own work as i can. mainly performance anything i can do.

i would like to know what you guys would do if you where me, first off i wanna get it running smooth then move on to performance upgrades. the people that owned this car before me where very BIG people weighing 350lbs each (husband and wife) and i think this caused some wear and tear on the car. anything you guys recommend will help me alot, i might even sell off my ps3 and some other things to come up with extra cash to invest into my ride. please explain as much as you can b/c like i said i am a COMPLETE NOVICE BUT VERY INTERRESTED. this is the first car i HAVE EVER attempted to do my own work on.,my father has alot of tools, jacks etc. i have posted some pictures of my car, engine and exhaust.. theres some rust that has me worried but i dont know if thats to be expected or not, please check out the photos.
thanks in advance guys, all of you seem very nice and i look forward to getting to know you all.

[Steamboat 16]

first get a good overall tune to make sure everything is running right then fix everthing that needs to be fixed. your suspension is usualy that way for proformance reasons so don't sweat that unless you want a real soft ride.

after that this is what i would do.

First- UD pulleys- They are not a must but they do help. For the $80-90 you will spend on them new they are worth a couple of horse power. They are not a big gain item. Look for used gears, used just means cheaper.

Your cost is at $85

Exhaust- Not a real big gainer either unless you have bigger mods to support it. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on exhaust. You can go to a muffler shop and have them build you a dual set up cheaper than what any cat-back or after market company can offer after shipping. I paid $250 for my duals with flow masters. I wouldn’t pay much over that for an exhaust system.

Cost is at $335

T-loc- If you are pushing any power you want to be able to get traction. I’m using a used T-loc that has been rebuilt. I’ve had it in my car now for 5 years under some pretty good abuse and never had a problem. I paid $100 for mine; look for a deal on one I wouldn’t pay any more than $250 for one on a budget.

Gears- Make a choice 3.73’s or 4.10’s. See which ones will be right for you. Gears are something that personally I would not get used. I bought Richmond’s new and never had a problem with them for $165. I would not suggest installing your own gears and T-loc unless you really know what you doing so I factored in an average $300 installation fee.

Cost is at $1050 ($165 for gears), ($250 for T-loc), ($300 for installation)

K&N filter- I personally think that a K&N filter in the stock air intake tube is just as good as a CAI. That is just my opinion so I would spend the $25 for the filter and leave it at that.

Cost is at $1075

Cam- You will really notice a big difference in the car with a cam. I am using a 207 cam from RPM and really like it. All in all they are a little tricky to install but nothing that anyone who was taking their time and had a good over view of the procedure with a manual couldn’t do. I paid around $180 for my cam.

Heads- These will make the biggest difference in performance. They are pricy though too. Super Six sells a pretty good set for around $1000. I got mine from Gaston who P&P’s them (from V6power.com) for $500. I really like them and he did a fantastic job. While the heads are off this is the best time to do the cam, no worries about holding the valves up and just makes things simpler to do. I also think putting valve spring on heads is a lot easier when they are not on the car.

Valve springs- You will need to get a set of valve springs to go along with the cam and perhaps some push rods. I suggest the adjustable roller rockers and then you can keep you stock push rods. Expect to pay around $100 for a set of springs.

Gaskets- they are more expensive than you think. For upper and lower intake, head, water pump and front seal along with head bolts it cost me around $250. I got all Fel-pro stuff.

Cost is at $2355 ($750 for heads), ($180 for cam), ($100 for valve springs), ($250 for gaskets)

Roller rockers- They make a big difference over stock rockers and you can tell why when you look at them side by side. I suggest the adjustable rockers. They are around $255 for non adjustable and $360 for adjustable.

Cost is at $2715

Nitrous- nitrous is the biggest bang for the buck mod there is. With no other mod can you spend $500 and get 100 hp out of it. I like the Zex kits but NX is also a very good brand. You can save a lot of money getting a used kit. EBay is always full of them and they come up for sale on the boards from time to time. I paid right around $500 for mine and around another $150 for accessories.

Cost is at $3365

Tuner or chip- I like the SCT X-cal. For $420 you can’t get a better deal. Chips can tune as well but you are stuck with what is on the chips and if you change your tune needs they have to be sent off and reprogrammed. The chips run around $350.

Cost is at $3785 ($420 for tuner)

Other misc. stuff your going to need along the way like a Maf can be found for cheap as well used. I found my maf for free from a friend. Keep your eyes open for any thing you think you might need. If you can get a part for free and you might not use it you can always sell or trade it for something that you do need.

Autos may need additional help as well. The addition of a higher stall torque converter would help tons with the power and speed.

[97stanger]

your suspension is fine. like steamboat said, its made to be that way.

But I dont know how 2 350# people could fit into that car. lol.

I would start with full bolt ons, Cold air intake, ud (under drive) pulleys, tune, 8.8 rear with 4.10 gear and tlok. And a 56mm throttle body. That should run about 800.00. You can install everything yourself. Very easy. Later on down the road I would get into the mechanics of your engine. BTW, welcome to MM

[Dustinv420]

ok, so i think i will make my first upgrades CAI and Pulleys. then soon after T-Loc and gears. i am confused on 2 things tho, asfar as the pulleys go i see there afew differant kind, water pump crank etc also i cant find any that fit a 1999 v6 i dont know what i am doing here heh. also the gears whats the differance between 3.7 and 4.1? also if i get tloc and gears should i invest in a 8.8 rear end first? i jus anit sure in what order to do things or what certain part i should use when buying. sorry jus alil confused.. i'll catch on quick i got google! thanks again for all the feedback guys helps a novice like me out alot.

[MicronXD]

forged internal and t/t and this: http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/pipes.htm
lol


honestly I have no idea... what u should do..
lmao

[Dustinv420]

i have changed my mind, i want the t-loc and gears first, b/c i wanna feel more torq when i hit the gas! but again whats the differance between 3.7 gears and 4.1 also can someone link me to a t-loc that would fit my mustang i am haven some problems finding one with google/ebay. THANKS AGAIN!

EDIT: also is the 8.8 rear end a must have? should i wait on the gears and t-loc? would i notice a big differance installing a 8.8 rear if i already got t-loc and gears?

[ScreaminYellow05]

what part of NC you at if you dont mind me asking?

[Dustinv420]

Originally Posted by ScreaminYellow05 what part of NC you at if you dont mind me asking?

asheville baby, gotta have some love for the hills ! my dad lives in rowan county which is close to you i think, if i even got the county right. me myself spent about 4 years growing up in landis which is close to you aswell, or maybe i am wrong.

[AtlanticBlue99]

Originally Posted by Dustinv420 i have changed my mind, i want the t-loc and gears first, b/c i wanna feel more torq when i hit the gas! but again whats the differance between 3.7 gears and 4.1 also can someone link me to a t-loc that would fit my mustang i am haven some problems finding one with google/ebay. THANKS AGAIN! EDIT: also is the 8.8 rear end a must have? should i wait on the gears and t-loc? would i notice a big differance installing a 8.8 rear if i already got t-loc and gears?

dont need the 8.8 unless you make 350+rwhp/rwtq. your 7.5 should be fine unless you launch from 5k rpms on slicks. i have a 7.5" w/ frpp t-lok and frpp 4.10:1 ring and pinion gears. i launch from 1400 on drag radials due to stock converter in my 4r70w tranny. i cut a 2.167 60' and dont break anything yet.

a company called "Drivetrain Specialists" on ebay offers ford 7.5" ring and pinion sets and trac lok differential units(along with friction modifier/install kit/etc. is 400). if you plan on Big power, look at an 8.8" rear, moser 31 spline axles and an eaton 31 spline lsd differential.

next, get Mac long tube headers ($318), mac short off road H pipe(160), and a cat back(360) of your choice to fit the same model year GT mustang.

then, you could get the SCT Xcal 2 to tune your car for your mods. also, this will allow you to correct your speedometer for the gear change.

then, look into smaller bolt ons like underdrive pulleys(100 w/ belt)- unless you go with a supercharger (which is belt driven and non-beneficial from this mod.

think about power adders. VMPTuning.com sells an 8 and 11 psi ProCharger kit for about 4500 including tuning with their software or dyno in debary, florida. justin at VMP is the tuning god for the essex ford motors.

good luck in deciding what it is you want to do.

[Steamboat 16]

alright. if you have an auto then get 4.10 if you have a stick then get 3.75, the difference is in the size of the gears and how they affect the amount of times the wheels turn in comparison to drive shaft rev. the 4.10 make the drive shaft have more rev. per wheel turn than the 3.75, they both raise the ratio over what the stock gears are.

the reason i say if your an auto to get 4.10's is because with a tourqe converter you loose some power and the 4.10 make up for that, and also the first gear with the stick is different than the first gear with an auto, the 1st gear with a stick is lower so for a stick to get 4.10's would mean that there 1st gear time would only be about 4 sec. now you can get the 3.75 with an auto except for that your launch won't be as fast as that of a stick of the same year with the same mods and also 3.75 that is why i recomend 4.10 for auto and 3.75 for stick, hope that answers your question

and if you do plan on putting in some big power and want to get a 8.8 then look at local junk yards for crown vic. cop cars, they will already have the t loc in them but a differnt gear that will need to be replaced (gear for v8 power instead of V6)

[Dustinv420]

Originally Posted by 97stanger 56mm throttle body.

one more qustions (sorry) throttle bodys/spacers deff seem like a nice upgrade to go along with a cai but i am confused... whats the differance between a 65mm throttle Body and a 56mm, they both seem the same i jus dont which one i should buy.

EDIT: thanks for clearing up the gears for me, i am a 5speed so i will def go with 3.75 THANKS@!

[Steamboat 16]

on newer cars throttle body spacers are a waist of money, on the older cars the throttle flap was restricted and couldn't open all the way, hence the throttle body spacer to let it open all the way and get more power

on newer cars though the throttle body has been better designed so that the flap is no longer obstrocted or restricted, so on a newer car (like your mustang it would not do anything,) and they can some times mess up some stuff on newer cars, read mustang1072's earlyer post on throttle body spacers and how much hell it gave him link below

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...r-vt14452.html