What are your general goals for your build? I’m trying to figure out mine and am looking for input.

Seth Flandro

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If I every decided to do major power upgrades on my car an 07 5 speed GT, I’d probably pick Brenspeed’s Paxton Novi 1200 pro charger kit that can push apparently around 500 rwhp if paired with cams ($850)
, and after a remote tune, is this even actually possible? The kit and tuner is $4,800 I’d want to do a intercooler ($1,500) to maintain that power for warmer days. I’d want to do preventative maintenance like cam phasers and timing chain. I’d want upgraded brakes $2000 I want new wheels and tires and the setup would be like $2800 for the wheels and tires I want but it’ll actually grip. I want a Ford racing handling kit which is like $1800. I figure I’d spend 16k on all this but, it’d be the over years tho and all in on performance mods/ cost of the car + cosmetic mods I’d be at 28k roughly. pros vs 5.0 tho are the car is 300-400 lbs lighter and I absolutely love how they look especially after lowered w/ proper wheels, a new hood and head/tail lights. A lot of people would say just get a 5.0 for 28k, which is a good point tho if I had a 5.0 I’d still wanna swap wheels and tires and do other cosmetic mods that push the car over 33k roughly. Plus a stock 5.0 wouldn’t be as fast as the hypothetical 28k modded 3v. Even with fbo + tune and cams it wouldn’t be faster right? Fbo tune+ cams wheels/ tires would make the 5.0 probably 38k or more I think. It would handle better tho and it’s newer with better interior and if you boost they are absolutely ridiculous. It’d push it to 48k give or take all in with car, fbo/cams, a supercharger (+wheel tires cosmetic mods) but you’d have like 750 whp on low boost from what I understand.

This is all hypothetical cost wise if you found a 5.0 for 28k and yes you could make the car faster than the 28k 3v for less than 48k if you went straight to supercharge and skipped the fbo/ cam stuff. You could procharge it from anywhere from 6k-10k and get be getting good bang for buck. So 34k on the low end 650whp out the gate otherwise stock 5.0. The 28k 3v(maybe 30k) looks wise would be exactly how it’d want tho maybe not be as fast as I want. A 34k 5.0 would be as fast as I want but wouldn’t be where I want looks wise and would end up being more like 40k for me to be satisfied with the looks. But it’d be a serious machine.

I’m not really an expert by any means just a car enthusiast, so there maybe be reasons why the cost break down are way off but I’m trying to run it down in my head. And with quick google searches lol. I love my s197 3v I paid a couple k more than I should’ve, maybe, but the market is crazy and my previous car got totaled i needed something. Btw I absolutely love underdog cars, lots of hate out there for 3v’s but for what they are and for the price you can get one for I personally think they are awesome. And making a quick 3v that looks sick and handles decent interests me a lot. But is it even worth spending the time and money doing? It’d be doing all, or all least try to do, the work myself. Like I said tho it’d be over years of accumulating parts and building the car up before my goals are achieved with either my 3v or with a future 5.0.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

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My '06 GT was much better in stock form than my old '95 GT and, as a result, the mod list on my '06 GT is much shorter.
Since it's a part-time daily driver/weekend cruiser, I made a few tweaks in key areas that I felt needed improving rather than going for radical mods. As a result the car is faster, more economical, and handles/brakes/steers better without compromising other aspects of the driving experience.
If I wanted to compete with a N/A FBO '18-'22 GT putting down ~470rwhp on 93 octane and ~500rwhp on E85, a supercharger kit would be at the top of my mod list. If you're going for a Paxton, I'd suggest the intercooled 2200 Novi as it's a better base to start from and has more room to grow. However if you prefer something more subtle that looks great under the hood and gives you a nice boost from low rpm, the Edelbrock E-Force would be the ticket.
 

redfirepearlgt

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I worked with Brand "B" back in the day of my 2005. First things first. Get a proper FI setup. Don't nickel and dime with intercooler add ons after the fact. It will eat you alive down the road. Intercoolers are not just for "warmer days" either. They are vital. FI (whether centri, PD, or turbo) setups generate heat in the boost process. You are after all compressing air. That is the sole function of the intercooler...to remove that heat generated in the boosted air flow by the compression process when boost comes in. You are foolish to buy any FI kit without an intercooler...seriously. Do it right the first time. Get the whole kit. I almost made that mistake out of ignorance when I got my first FI setup through them. Thankfully a cool guy there explained it to me (Cam is no longer there) and I went with the Saleen package - no longer available sadly. I dodged that bullet. I am now on my fifth FI project build since then.


WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined that forced induction is extremely addictive. There is no known cure.

Last, to keep it clean there are other dealer options. Look into them before you make your decision.
 

AHaze

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I had a relatively stock '05 GT and wanted a quick street car I could do some road course laps with. I ended up pretty close to what you have planned out. I actually put the '05 up for sale with plans to get a '11-'14. I got tired of the lowballers and no-shows right around the same time I found a screaming deal on an intercooled Vortech Si trim which is basically identical to the Novi 1200.
I see a few areas of your plan where you could save a few $$.
1.) I wouldn't bother with the cams. They don't add any power at low RPM and the Paxton is already capable of all the top end your stock short block can handle. If you really want to spend the money, get some long tube headers. they'll help out a bit at mid range RPM where the centri is still a bit soft.
2.) Stock GT500 / '11+GT 14" 4 piston Brembos are all the brake upgrade you're likely to ever need. I have the repro calipers that are available pretty much anywhere for around $150 each. Real FoMoCo calipers can be found used for a bit more.
3.) Whatever FI setup you decide on, don't pay extra for the "all inclusive" kit unless you absolutely need a CARB legal tune. The tune that came with my Vortech was ditched in favor of a remote tune after the first drive and the fuel pump upgrade was barely adequate so that got replaced after the first summer.
Look into the Department of Boost supercharger setup. If you can source most of the parts locally and don't have to ship the rest across international borders, there's some savings to be had.
4.) If you're eventually going to want 600 RWHP, just bite the bullet and get a Coyote so you can do it on the stock engine.
5.) Low mile used aftermarket parts for 3V cars are fairly easy to find these days. Lots of folks are moving on to newer stuff and de-modding their cars before trading them in.
 

Pentalab

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Justin at VMP tuning said he actually had a car in the shop for a dyno tune, that had a FRPP PD blower installed... BUT it was the model without the intercooler. Never seen one without the IC. The damned thing got so hot (without the IC) that the boost actually increased...due to the hot air expanding.

The point here is... without the IC, even on a cold day, the IAT's will be sky high..and timing is pulled. On a warm / hot day, IAT's are through the roof... and timing really gets pulled. 1 step forward..and 3 x steps backwards. FI + no IC don't belong in the same sentence.
 

Seth Flandro

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Thanks for all the input, I was planning on getting an IC at the same time. However I didn’t realize how necessary it actually is, like I said “warm weather” I kinda bought into that lie haha, thanks for pointing that out. And I appreciate the ways to save $$ I’m gonna start looking into the 4 piston brembos, and LTH instead of cams makes hella sense.
 

Seth Flandro

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I worked with Brand "B" back in the day of my 2005. First things first. Get a proper FI setup. Don't nickel and dime with intercooler add ons after the fact. It will eat you alive down the road. Intercoolers are not just for "warmer days" either. They are vital. FI (whether centri, PD, or turbo) setups generate heat in the boost process. You are after all compressing air. That is the sole function of the intercooler...to remove that heat generated in the boosted air flow by the compression process when boost comes in. You are foolish to buy any FI kit without an intercooler...seriously. Do it right the first time. Get the whole kit. I almost made that mistake out of ignorance when I got my first FI setup through them. Thankfully a cool guy there explained it to me (Cam is no longer there) and I went with the Saleen package - no longer available sadly. I dodged that bullet. I am now on my fifth FI project build since then.


WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined that forced induction is extremely addictive. There is no known cure.

Last, to keep it clean there are other dealer options. Look into them before you make your decision.

is there anything you did, or didn’t, do to the car after adding boost that you’d wish you did different? What other mods do you think are good editions? My car is completely stock other than coil packs, shifter and axle back. And lol sounds like you caught the bug, what are the other builds you did?
 

redfirepearlgt

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is there anything you did, or didn’t, do to the car after adding boost that you’d wish you did different? What other mods do you think are good editions? My car is completely stock other than coil packs, shifter and axle back. And lol sounds like you caught the bug, what are the other builds you did?

I don't regret anything I did to the 2005 other than like you wasting money on MSD COP's which were completely a waste of money. Stock COP's are supporting massive HP even on the newer S550's today. I wish I had gone with the better Kooks LT's than going with the Pypes that Brand "B" said were as good but were not. Other than these two things no. I loved the car but fell in love with the 13s when they came out. So I bought one in Gotta-have-it-green. My only other regret is selling the 14 like an idiot and then buying a 17GT rather than take a break and find another 13/14 again.

I wish I had known about Dept of Boost when I had my 2005. Go to their site. Read up on their articles. They have done a ton of research that will help you understand why intercooling is sooooooooooooo important. It's not just about power. It's about consistent power and protecting the engine as well. You may decide that the PD route is the way for you. I am going centri this time just for the change of pace.

Last order the book advanced Tuning by Greg Banish on Amazon and read it. Great book that will help you learn so much more on tuning theory. Gives you the ability to speak to tuners more on their level. Most appreciate when you can relate to the basics of timing advance, knock, LTFTs, STFTs, AFR, IAT, and how they apply and work together in the tune.

I've done an 05,13,14, and 17. The 17 was mostly done when I got it. I added some suspension mods and retuned with Lund. The four made 507,568,545, and 631 respectively in RWHP. The 14 had more suspension mods than the others and went 10.82@129 on the stock converter. All were on 93 pump gas. The current project - a 14 GTCS premium - has not officially started yet. I have parts in the garage, my build list quote is complete and waiting to be processed, but the car has not arrived yet. Should be getting it in the next week or so. After a shake down and a good going over I will finalize the order. Hope to make 630 on this gen 1 or a little better.

Best of luck on your build. Lots of good advice tagged onto your thread. Take it all in. Good luck.
 
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Well, I'm trying to get traction now so she is in the shop with a Drag Pack being installed that's if all the parts are available. You know with Covid it has been slow at times.
 

Midlife Crises

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My general goal is simple. Build it with my own hands. Run a 10.50 quarter mile and still be able to cruse town once in a while.
 

JeremyH

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Coming from a 2v. When I got my 3v in 07 my goal was opposite of most. I started collecting parts to forge the motor first while doing bolt-ons to keep me entertained. In 2010 the built motor was done. Drove around for about a year on fully built motor na. Then went turbo to try something new.Got obsessed with the efficiencey which led me to constantly testing parts and eventually building my own turbo kit from the ground up. Been as crazy as just under 800rwhp on e85. And did drag stuff things. But in the end drive around 99% of the time on 93 550-600rwhp. Which is perfect level for a 3v street car imo. Now it's just a summer/nice day car that I love.
 

Flusher

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I picked up some nice used Brembos and other parts, from The Parts Farm, while I was tinkering with my V6. The service was excellent for all of my transactions. For factory parts, I'd strongly consider a recycler as a viable option.

I wanted something to drive, that I didn't have to mess with for a while and I read a lot of posts about, "upgrade to the GT500 this or that," and I really needed some blower whine and a spinning belt in my life. Unfortunately my fuel economy has been nowhere near what some have claimed. The best I can achieve is low 16 MPG. The other thing is, after a few weeks, I sometimes feel like, "I really wish I had a couple hundred more horsepower." But with the Biden factor, it now costs me $37/day, in gas, just to go to work.

If I was NOT starting with a GT500 AND I wasn't living in Commifornia, I would definitely go turbo over any other FI.

If I live long enough, turbo(s) may end up on my car.
 

Jordan

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I’m not doing anything more cosmetic to mine. She’s been lowered and got a new pair of shoes. But that’s it. I want to keep it as close to “stock” as I can. Now the engine is a different story. Currently installing a Paxton Novi 1200SL with the charge cooler upgrade. Upgraded injectors and fuel pump too. Doing blow through application also, BIG RED here I come!
 

07 Boss

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I'm going to get her back to where she once was and sell her. I pretty much finished building her years ago and got her to mid 11's on a stock bottom end but the last few years has seen a slight neglected and it shows. I do need a new motor for my current project and only have about half the funds, she will cover the other half.

Took me 6-7 years to finish. If you're interested in what I did here is a comprehensive list with pics. https://www.moddedmustangs.com/threads/finished-my-build-list.565321/
 
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