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When modding a car from the start: (order of mods list for best results!!!)

85K views 150 replies 55 participants last post by  DaGuy 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Stage 1
  1. Dual Exhaust (2.25" for Naturally Aspirated Cars and 2.5" for Blown Cars and some big NA strokers)
  2. Rear End Gears & Traction-Lok (3.73 for Manual & 4.10 for Automatic)
  3. Cold Air Intake
  4. Underdrive Pullies
  5. Short Throw Shifter (5-Speed) or Shift Kit (Automatic)
Stage 2
  1. Torque Converter (Automatics)
  2. Suspension Upgrade (Lowering Springs, Shocks & Struts, Rear Sway Bar and Strut Tower Brace).
  3. Throttle Body (94-98) with crossover tube matching.
  4. Custom Burned Chip, but most do not need this until Stage 3.
Stage 3
  1. Ported and Polished Upper Intake, Lower Intake & Heads
  2. Custom Ground Camshaft
  3. Pushrods and Springs
  4. Ignition System (Only needed if Forced Induction or Nitrous is used)
  5. Fuel System Upgrades (190/255 lph fuel pump, bigger injectors & adjustable fuel pressure regulator)
  6. Custom Chip necessary at this level for max power! Usually worth at least 10-15 RWHP and mucho low end torque.
Stage 4
  1. Built 3.8 or 4.2L Engine (big bore best :D)
  2. Supercharger, Turbocharger, Nitrous
  3. Forged Internals (sic) Forged rods and pistons are a good idea.
  4. MAF (all years) and TB (99^) stock MAF is adequate before this.
And now a comment on how mods work together, from an old post
I made a while back.

What ever the last major mod is will
seem like the missing link... That means that if you do all but the cam, then
decide to do the cam, it will seem like the cam added the most HP. But a cam
alone is good for maybe 15 HP on unported heads/intakes, (not SPI though!)
but it would add maybe 25-30 if changed last. All the mods work together...
the stock cam will hold back the porting and unported heads/intakes will limit
the HP produced by a cam swap. (SPI is a great candidate for unported heads
and new cam, the stock head flow is awesome!)

It is well worth it to change the cam! Also easier to do when you have the
heads off there, as most of the junk that you remove for a cam swap is
removed when you take off the heads. But you can change a cam with the
heads on, and the engine stays in the car too. Check out the shop manual on
this procedure.





If you have any questions or think something should be added or moved please post. Please keep this on topic as well.
 
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#28 ·
True dual exhaust, NOT Y pipe back duals is probably our most popular first mod on V6 cars. Then maybe CAI. Cut the Y pipe behind the O2 sensors and attach either straight pipes leading to a GT catback or GT takeoff system, or a custom H pipe or just a custom set of dual exhausts.
 
#29 ·
I boutght they ypipe back duals and now I'm having an xpipe made for it using 2 of my 4 old cats. If ya ask me, 80 bucks to bend tubing plus the 260 I paid for the catback, I'd say I'm getting a better deal than most other packages. Thats 340 for an Xpipe, All the tubing, cats, and mufflers.

If you really want to save money, buy 2 mufflers from a website, ebay, a local store(I'm talking flowmasters, flowpath, xr-1...those kidns, not stock OEM POS)and have a muffler shop make you a full exhaust from the headers back. Or just save up and get a set of Long Tubes before you even do the exhaust, then hacve them make you an exhaust and bam your done with that 1/2 of the equation, now for intake half :D. And that's the fun part!

;)
 
#32 ·
Headers won't give you any gain on a V6 without major mods. You'll get the same amount of power out of a GT takeoff exhaust system as anything else. Unless you go above 2.5 inch pipes..then you're losing torque.
 
#35 ·
My friend is selling them, he lives 5 minutes from me. He cracked the block in his ranger and now hes parting it out. I asked what size rear he had, hoping maybe he had atleast t-lock, and he told me he just put a whole new pumpkin in basically. So I may end up getting that...maybe talk him doiwn to 130 :)
 
#36 ·
this seems like a more effective table to me

what do you all think?....(i put my changes in bold)

Stage 1
Dual Exhaust (2.25" for Naturally Aspirated Cars and 2.5" for Blown Cars and some big strokers)
Rear End Gears & Traction-Lok (3.73 for Manual & 4.10 for Automatic)
Cold Air Intake
Underdrive Pullies
Rims and wheels

stage 2
Short Throw Shifter (5-Speed) or Shift Kit (Automatic)
Torque Converter (Automatics)
Suspension Upgrade (Lowering Springs, Shocks & Struts, Rear Sway Bar and Strut Tower Brace).
Throttle Body (94-98) with crossover tube matching.
new braking system

Stage 3
Ported and Polished Upper Intake, Lower Intake & Heads
Custom Ground Camshaft
Pushrods and Springs
Ignition System (Only needed if Forced Induction or Nitrous is used)
Fuel System Upgrades (190/255 lph fuel pump, bigger injectors & adjustable fuel pressure regulator)
Custom Chip necessary at this level for max power! Usually worth at least 10-15 RWHP and mucho low end torque.

Stage 4
Built 3.8 or 4.2L Engine (big bore best)
Supercharger, Turbocharger, Nitrous
Forged Internals (sic) Forged rods and pistons are a good idea.
MAF (all years) and TB (99^) stock MAF is adequate before this
 
#37 ·
where do can you find the 2.25" pipes? All i can find is the 2.5. I dont want the 2.5 because im only planing on a catted H pipe or an X pipe, LT headers, and CAI.

or would the 2.5 work, i dont want to lose too much back pressure. I have heard a lot of debate on the backpressure topic
 
#38 ·
2.5" will work just fine because you are keeping your cats. Also they will look better sticking out the back. i think it's funny when you see honda and such with little 1" pipes sticking out the back.
 
#40 ·
97Stallion said:
2.5" will work just fine because you are keeping your cats. Also they will look better sticking out the back. i think it's funny when you see honda and such with little 1" pipes sticking out the back.
Ditto, and in fact, going 2.25 to the muffs and then 2.5 out the back is really
cool cuz it keeps things stepping up and the tones seem to deepen as the pipes
grow. That one MAC setup has 3" tips and sounds really hot even on stock V6's
on sound clips I have heard. It steps up like that.
 
#41 ·
I think its funnier when you see a riced out honda with dual stove pipe sized fart cannons out the back, that is way over kill. :rolleyes:
 
#43 ·
Would be interesting to see if the Honda engine could build up enough pressure in the exhaust system to blow the apple out!! :D
 
#44 · (Edited)
I know a Toyota Pick-up with a R-22 engine died after blowing up a platex dish washing glove to the size of a beach ball. It cold not bust the glove. My supervisor twice started the car and drove till the car would die. Me and a few of my co workers were following laughing are asses off. Finally after he took off the second time a passing car yelled at him to look at the big hand flopping around on his Exhaust. He stopped and was cutting the glove off when we pulled up behind him and just laughed. He was so pissed for about 5 minutes then he started laughing
 
#45 ·
Danger Dude said:
I know a Toyota Pick-up with a R-22 engine died after blowing up a platex dish washing glove to the sizze of a beach ball. It cold not bust the glove. My supervisor twice started the car and drove till the car would drive. Me and a few of my co workers were following laughing are asses off. Finally after he took off the second time a passing car yelled at him to look at the big hand flopping around on his Exhaust. He stopped and was cutting the glove off when we pulled up behind him and just laughed. He was so pissed for about 5 minutes then he started laughing
Haha..I've done that with condoms...but it was on a dodge ram with the 5.9, didn't take long to blow em lol
 
#46 ·
Just buy your muffs and get custom pipes...
The takeoffs are a waste, you get the muffs and pipes, for probably more $$$
than custom. Takeoffs + Shipping is usually more than custom pipes.
 
#48 ·
RGR said:
Just buy your muffs and get custom pipes...
The takeoffs are a waste, you get the muffs and pipes, for probably more $$$
than custom. Takeoffs + Shipping is usually more than custom pipes.
Only if you dont' wait for a deal. I got my exhaust, mach 1 take off's for 50 bucks, and 50 bucks shipping from new york
 
#50 · (Edited)
timpryor said:
gears dont add H.P. they just help you get up to speed faster however it will lower your top speed and you will need a gear tooth to adjust your speed.
ACTUALLY:
With Rev and Speed limiters removed, certain higher numerical gears
will actually increase top speed. But you need a chip to get that removed.

With stock gears the car will stop accelerating before peak HP RPM is reached
in high gear, so more rear end gearing will increase top speed to a point by
allowing the engine to rev higher in top gear towards the HP peak. Not sure
exactly what gear this is for a stock V6, probably 3.45's but perhaps 3.73's
for a good cammed V6 :) I need to do some figuring for this.

Anyone know what RPM you can hit at top speed in a chip tuned car?
 
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