***** MUSTANG MODS FOR BEGINNERS *****
Hello, to many and all mustang owners of all knowledge bases. This is going to be an opinionated list of “First Mods, or Mod order” as there is no BEST first mod to any car because all goals and budgets are different. It will mainly pertain to the 4.6 2v Mustangs (99-04), however it still has some basis on other similar platforms. Here I will explain what each modification will do and affect real world gains. At the end is a fairly general list of what MOST experinced 'modders' will recommend that provides the best value to stock or near stock cars. I'll try to NOT mention any brand in particular so if you'd like a recommendation for that please PM me for my opinion. I'll be monitoring this thread, so if anybody has questions please feel free to post them.
There are many stickies in which I will be sharing and referring too. I take no credit for coming up with that knowledge only taking the time to research it for your ease. I also ask that you please read these threads as well to further your knowledge on the topics at hand. They can be found here:
I myself was guilty of this several times starting out with my mods on many different cars. Over the years I have watched and learned from those who post in those threads, giving advise to new people. If you own any type of car; muscle, import, dsm, exotic, truck, etc... and you are joining and even posting in car forums that means you are there to share and gain knowledge. Here in the Mustang world, we are one of, if not the biggest contributor to this.
To be honest, once you have purchased your ride the first and most important thing you can ever do is to simply imagine what you want to accomplish by modding your new love. Whether its going to be built for; Drag, Auto-X, car shows, dyno queen, or just a simple daily driver with a little bit more “go” than what it came with. I might have missed one or more, but you get the idea. This is the NUMBER ONE thing to do, as it will determine any and every part you swap, put on, take off, or custom modify.
EXAMPLE: I want my car to be a nasty street car and run low 11s after all said and done in the 1/4. AKA pretty fast but not a money pit drag car
The general consensus for every modification is: “how much is this part going to COST, and is it WORTH IT?" This is ultimately your decision, as it's your money, and your opinion. However there are others who may have done the same work you are about to and feel as if it WAS OR WAS NOT worth it and can explain why.
A good saying when modding a car is- YOU MAY ONLY PICK TWO: Cheap, Fast, or Reliable.
The absolute BEST way to make sure your money is spent wisely is to not to do the same thing twice, DO IT RIGHT NOT TWICE because you changed your mind down the road, here are some things people REGRETTED doing Here are some mods people REGRETTED BUYING: http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/239957-mods-you-regret.html. Do your research before you buy. That is what this tread is supposed to do, to help give some a reference point and insight. As I said though, you don't have to listen to anything I say if you don't want to, or don't think I know what I'm talking about, you are entitled to you opinion.
The main three purposes chosen from above, from what I personally have seen, are DRAG, AUTO-X, DAILY DRIVER.
Below is BASIC information on... (yes I even tried to color code things for people)
GENERALLY WE SEE N/A 99-04 GT'S will max out with 300-350 HP... That's with all bolt ons and with ported heads and cams. Which is about as far as you can go without diving into stroking/ boring or upping your compression ratio. With the right suspension and tires you can usually see as low was LOW 12 SECOND 1/4 miles.
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/202121-whos-gt-running-12s-n-what-did-you-do.html
GENERALLY WE SEE Boosted 99-04 GT will max out at 350-400 before you strengthen your components, after that THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. With the right tires and a some suspension work you can expect 11 SECOND 1/4 miles on a stock bottom end
.
Hello, to many and all mustang owners of all knowledge bases. This is going to be an opinionated list of “First Mods, or Mod order” as there is no BEST first mod to any car because all goals and budgets are different. It will mainly pertain to the 4.6 2v Mustangs (99-04), however it still has some basis on other similar platforms. Here I will explain what each modification will do and affect real world gains. At the end is a fairly general list of what MOST experinced 'modders' will recommend that provides the best value to stock or near stock cars. I'll try to NOT mention any brand in particular so if you'd like a recommendation for that please PM me for my opinion. I'll be monitoring this thread, so if anybody has questions please feel free to post them.
There are many stickies in which I will be sharing and referring too. I take no credit for coming up with that knowledge only taking the time to research it for your ease. I also ask that you please read these threads as well to further your knowledge on the topics at hand. They can be found here:
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
Now that that has been said, I have noticed many threads started in many different forums asking:
"What should be my 1st mod,” “What mod next,”
“I have X money, what should I buy,” "Where to start with Mustang mods?"
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/221939-sticky-brakes-gears-engine-powerboard-etc.html
Now that that has been said, I have noticed many threads started in many different forums asking:
"What should be my 1st mod,” “What mod next,”
“I have X money, what should I buy,” "Where to start with Mustang mods?"
I myself was guilty of this several times starting out with my mods on many different cars. Over the years I have watched and learned from those who post in those threads, giving advise to new people. If you own any type of car; muscle, import, dsm, exotic, truck, etc... and you are joining and even posting in car forums that means you are there to share and gain knowledge. Here in the Mustang world, we are one of, if not the biggest contributor to this.
To be honest, once you have purchased your ride the first and most important thing you can ever do is to simply imagine what you want to accomplish by modding your new love. Whether its going to be built for; Drag, Auto-X, car shows, dyno queen, or just a simple daily driver with a little bit more “go” than what it came with. I might have missed one or more, but you get the idea. This is the NUMBER ONE thing to do, as it will determine any and every part you swap, put on, take off, or custom modify.
EXAMPLE: I want my car to be a nasty street car and run low 11s after all said and done in the 1/4. AKA pretty fast but not a money pit drag car
- STEP 1: lower control arms, full length subframe connectors, 4.10 gears, hand held tuner, and Failsafe wideband for data logging, maybe bolt ons.
- STEP 2: coil overs in the front, shocks + springs in the rear, 31 spline axles, 31 spline diff, aluminum drive shaft, 15x10 rims w/ 26 or 28" tall slicks
- STEP 3: Trick Flow 38cc heads, Stage II cams, dyno tune and maybe weight reduction
- STEP 4: add Nitrous (100-150 shot) using a fog system, upgrade fuel with larger injectors, duel GT pumps, cobra hat
The general consensus for every modification is: “how much is this part going to COST, and is it WORTH IT?" This is ultimately your decision, as it's your money, and your opinion. However there are others who may have done the same work you are about to and feel as if it WAS OR WAS NOT worth it and can explain why.
A good saying when modding a car is- YOU MAY ONLY PICK TWO: Cheap, Fast, or Reliable.
The absolute BEST way to make sure your money is spent wisely is to not to do the same thing twice, DO IT RIGHT NOT TWICE because you changed your mind down the road, here are some things people REGRETTED doing Here are some mods people REGRETTED BUYING: http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/239957-mods-you-regret.html. Do your research before you buy. That is what this tread is supposed to do, to help give some a reference point and insight. As I said though, you don't have to listen to anything I say if you don't want to, or don't think I know what I'm talking about, you are entitled to you opinion.
The main three purposes chosen from above, from what I personally have seen, are DRAG, AUTO-X, DAILY DRIVER.
Below is BASIC information on... (yes I even tried to color code things for people)
- STRENGTH (mods are expensive enough, go to far and you'll be breaking things).
- ACCELERATION (time to get up and go!)
- HANDLING (suspension, traction, and over all handling)
- BOLT ON'S (great for basic do it yourself, but results may be disappointing)
- LOOKS (it's your car make it look how you want)
- RECOMMENDATIONS WITH "X" DOLLARS
...
GENERALLY WE SEE N/A 99-04 GT'S will max out with 300-350 HP... That's with all bolt ons and with ported heads and cams. Which is about as far as you can go without diving into stroking/ boring or upping your compression ratio. With the right suspension and tires you can usually see as low was LOW 12 SECOND 1/4 miles.
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/202121-whos-gt-running-12s-n-what-did-you-do.html
GENERALLY WE SEE Boosted 99-04 GT will max out at 350-400 before you strengthen your components, after that THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. With the right tires and a some suspension work you can expect 11 SECOND 1/4 miles on a stock bottom end
.
HERE ARE SOME GREAT BUILDS THAT PEOPLE HAVE DONE
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/206009-project-secondhand-snake.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/267873-yes-another-3v-swap-posting.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/269843-mmr-trickflow-on3-precision-turbod-2v.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/269866-turbo-2v-back-dyno-saturday.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/206009-project-secondhand-snake.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/267873-yes-another-3v-swap-posting.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/269843-mmr-trickflow-on3-precision-turbod-2v.html
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/269866-turbo-2v-back-dyno-saturday.html
