I thought I would start a thread for discussion here to helping guys who are trying to decide where to spend their Mustang mod money. This is really a personal choice and based on whether you are interested in cosmetics or performance. I'm going to focus on performance because a lot of people have asked me for suggestions on what performance parts to add first. There have also been many posts on this site and other sites asking that same question. Usually there are multiple answers and, depending on the individuals goals and available funds, give good advice. For the individuals that are looking for significant HP gains, the suggestions range from minimal, like a throttle body spacer ($90), to the extreme like a $5000 supercharger. The majority of these low cost mods (up to $300) provide minimal HP gains. When I say minimal, things like a throttle body spacer, in my opinion, won't add any performance that you can feel. Some other mods, like shorty headers, CAIs and K&N filters add some performance but again maybe in the 5-10 HP range. I think a tuner is a good investment as you can feel the difference here especially if you have an automatic and improve the shift points and firmness. Dual exhaust are a great addition, but again the 10-20 HP is expensive if the system costs you $400-600
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Where all this preamble is going ... I would like to suggest that someone that is looking for a real performance should first look at adding "boost" to their engine that will give them 60-80 HP in one shot. The problem is that supercharger and turbocharger systems require a huge initial investment and can be a challenge for the novice car guy to install, especially a turbo where extensive exhaust and intercooler modifications are required. I am suggesting that the first mod should be a custom supercharger setup and then add the other mods as money is available, like full dual exhaust, larger throttle body, locker rear-end, gears, etc ... that will compliment the supercharger and really provide a dramatic increase. But the stumbling block to this is the initial cost of a supercharger system. So, if you are not independently wealthy, how can you do this?
I have been building turbo and supercharger systems for 4 decades (yes, I guess that makes me one of the more mature guys on this site) and in the last few years I have built six reliable supercharger setups on 4.0 SOHC engines (in Ford Rangers and Mustang). These have ranged from 256 RWHP to over 300 RWHP depending on the supercharger and amount of boost and other mods. The bottom line is the 4.0 SOHC has a lot of potential and is a solid engine. Plus, I try to keep my installs within a $1000-1500 budget. Now I know a lot of you will immediately say this is not possible ... However, I always keep track of every penny I spend. I do have an advantage because I have all the tools to make the parts I need and I can do the install myself. But there are a lot of you guys that can do the install if you had the big parts, like manifold, intake, idler support and a good set of instructions. Due to the volume of factory supercharged cars and trucks out there, you can buy a used (but in good shape) supercharger for anywhere from $250-500 on eBay or Craigslist.com! I just bought 2 for less than $400.
I have a buddy (also boosted) that has a machine shop and we are thinking of making a few 4.0 SOHC setups for the guys that want to install one of these custom setups. We will supply the hard parts like the supercharger manifold, S/C adapter plate, TB intake, idler bracket, fuel block & hoses and a few other parts. What you would have to do is get the supercharger of choice off eBay or Craigslist and some of the other pieces that you want to invest in that would be optional depending on what your HP objectives are. As an example, you could do a basic 75 HP install with just the S/C install, injectors, rewiring a couple of short connectors, re-routing some vacuum lines and the EGR tube. Leave the stock airbox, exhaust system and look at these as future investments. Then, you need to get a tune. I know there are a few guys on here that could help in that area and I have a few startup tunes from my many trips to the dyno. I can provide the .mtf files and your local guy can save them with your specific ECU name so that they can be loaded to your ECU. Or you can just run to your local dyno shop and have them optimize your ECU settings.
What are comments from the other experts here and if anyone is interested send me an email. We are not in this as a business or to make money, we are going to provide this stuff at our cost!! I will also give complete install documents and maybe even some videos to help with the install.
Please feel free to comment and if there are guys out there that want to help with some stuff or that can assist by providing tunes or whatever just jump in here. Suggestions or concerns that you want to express are welcome.
