Can you help Me out?

[Kitsune]

Hello, I am brand new to anything to do with heavy modification on any mustangs. I am 19 years old and recently got my first real world job. After working it for about 8 months I finally saved enough and bought a (gonna be honest) semi wrecked 2006 Mustang GT for $5,750 bucks. He had all the parts to get it back to stock and the engine had only 105 on it. With the help of my father and grandfather I got it back up into fighting shape just under $6,000 in total for the whole thing.( Just want to point out that the engine was running fine it was in a car accident with no frame damage) With it running and driving perfectly fine. I than put 5k more miles on the thing, and now that it is nearing winter time and my dad is packing up his ride I am want to do some projects on it during the winter. I went to the races and it runs a consistent 13.60-70 at 101 Mph. I did put on a CAI and tune for about $400 bucks.

My big question to you guys is what can i do to make it perform better for maybe $7,500 bucks. I have two trains of thought off of this thing. Option 1: I set this engine as a High performance N/A motor with a larger intake manifold, Larger throttle body, camshaft, injectors, and CNC heads the works, That is a lot of money and time. Also I am not sure how easy it will be for me to completely remove the engine form the whole car. Also I am don't want to make this car unable to be street-able, maybe not daily it but still I don't want to be not able to drive it cause of overheating or other reasons. Also I dislike the idea of sending my heads off to get CNC'ed I also don't like the idea of also having to get a whole new ECU system for the car because of some random thing I did to the car. (I'm not saying that I will need a new ECU but the truth is a Holly ECU is god dang insane, I don't want to take a chance)(Also I already had the thought of if I don't think that it is fast enough I can just spray it with a 150 shot or so, I would have beefed up internals)

Option 2: I do what everyone else is doing and throw a Super,Pro, or Turbo charger onto it and hope that it doesn't blow up. A kit from anyone of the major sites that I have viewed would eat my whole budget but it would also solve the whole problem of finding out how to make more power. Also would lead me down a whole different path for upgrading it since I wouldn't have the plateau of having a more or less (prefect) N/A engine that could only lead to power adder setup for more HP/TQ.

So I guess my question comes down to what should I do. I already have started on the interior and am turning into my vision of what it should look like. Also for your info it is an automatic and i'm not gonna change it for the whole world. Sorry for the parts of rant or whatnot but I have been debating what I want to do to this car. Any and all advice from you guys will be greatly appreciated and considered. Also now that i'm at the end I also would like to mention that I already thought of long tubes with a electric cutout for exhaust. So thank you guys again!

 

[tigerhonaker]

Jonah,

You might not take what I'm getting ready to say as a friendly, helpful post.
But, it is meant to be exactly that so here goes .........

Leave it alone and keep your hands off it and any other person's.

Seriously your a young man starting out so don't WASTE your hard earned dollars on that specific Mustang.

My sincere advise is to keep what you have and save your dollars until you can simply Trade-Up to a much newer 5.0 Coyote powered Mustang.

Not many guys will say to you what I just did but it's meant as sound Advise and buddy I have been there and done it many-many times so I do know what I'm talking about.

Good-Luck,
Terry

 

[Kitsune]

Hey terry, as I said in my post all responses would be read and replied to. Honestly I have thought of just leaving it be an semi restoring the interior and just leave it the way it is. But I also kind of have a dream of turning it into a race car. Don't get me wrong I am good with the money that I make and am not worried about going overkill on a money pit. But to be honest with ya I have always wanted to just build a 281 up. (i'm not old lol) But when I was growing up we always had a 4.6 in the family car's as well as just small block fords. My grandpa always bought 289's and my dad always buys the 4.6 for his trucks and vheicals. Heck his truck (that I bought from him) now has 380,000 miles on the trip with the original motor and trans. I understand that the 3v most likely will be a money pit but I also don't just like the idea of saving up and just getting a car that anyone else could buy. Plus even though I don't have one now I will not let my wife/girlfriend make me sell my car. (lol, I wonder if that is what my dad said after my mom made him sell his camaro) However I do totally get what you are going for though. But my dad has already pointed out that anything that I do to any car to make it faster will cost money and time. (Just for I guess future reference my dad and I both race a 1985 S10, with a 396 BB board .60 over so like a 402, with a high air ram intake with dual 650 CFM holly's.) So we know that this is kind of a money pit but I don't want the hassle of a engine swap and the cheating of buying a already fast car.

But honestly thanks again for the reply as I said I will read and reply to everyone cause I truly want other peoples point of views. I am also not saying that i'm not happy with my 1/4 time either it is pretty good for a $6k car.

Thanks again terry, also I like your car

 

[GTAmuscle]

Department of Boost.

 

[tigerhonaker]

=Kitsune;

Thanks again terry, also I like your car

Well buddy Enjoy your Mustang in the way that best suits you.

Just pointing out what came to my mind was all ...........

Thanks for the compliment on mine.

If you want to know what makes a Mustang Faster ???
Simply add a S/C to it of your choice.

Just don't go CRAZY on the Boost Level and you will be fine.

Terry

 

[Speedboosted]

Also, also, also, also, also...sorry but god damn. Lol

There's diminishing returns after an intake and tune. Next best HP per $ is a blower kit, DOB is an excellent option.

 

[Kitsune]

Hey again guys thank for the message's. I semi know about what can of worms that i'm about to open and I know that the returns are not gonna be what I am expecting but I am willing to do it for what I have in mind. But lets be honest how many times is what we have in our minds is what turns out on the car.

 

[stkjock]

tldr

Boost it / best bang for the buck. At 19, be very fucking careful if you do.

 

[Bingo]

Don't boost it until you have enough saved to replace the engine. You could run 100,000 miles without blowing it up, or blow it up at 100. Don't leave yourself with your pants down. Also you'll probably want a new clutch, wheels/tires, etc.

 

[06JET]

Welcome to the forum Kitsune. You should post an introduction first if you haven't done that yet. Hey, it's your car. What is important to you? Looks? Go Fast? handling? What direction do you want to go? Sounds like you are looking for power. In this forum - if you search - you will find out any and every modification known to man for these cars. Enjoy the reading.

 

[Kitsune]

Thanks for all the posts guys and I will be sure to introduce myself to everyone. The direction I am going for is a anything type car. I want it to be able to get me from point A to point B. I am not naive enough to think that it will have great mpg or is gonna be a soft ride but I want something that if me and my buddies decide to go to the speedway for the night that I can keep up with them. I also want to be able to run some time attack races. I understand what I am asking for is going to be expensive alone but with everything that I plan I might just be better buying different cars. I live in Joliet Illinois I am 2 Miles from the drag strip, 3 Miles from the NASCAR oval, 3 Miles away from the dirt oval, and finally 2 Miles from the drag strip witch hosts some time attack events every year. Honestly the nearest speed shop to me is within 10 miles and my father goes their religiously. I am looking for something that dabs into everything( but the dirt oval, lol I don't want my car getting dirty) but is not necessary the best at it. I'm not looking for a powerhouse drag car, or a amazing handling grip car. I am looking for a cool daily that can get me to work( which thank god for me is only 7 miles away) and lets me play with the boys and family and show them i'm not gonna get put down easy. Also what I mean by daily is kind of a option. I really daily my pickup truck to work and to do shopping and such. My car is kind of my hey i'm gonna go to the movies with my friends, or i'm spending the night at grandmas and grandpas house.

Also i'm not so naive to believe that if boost the sucker the whole thing won't blow in my face, honestly I don't think that it blow the engine up as much as it would twist the crap out of the uni body. Well anyway thank you all for the posts again and for everyone's info i'm only looking for a nice and reserved say 550 crank horse power and about 450ish wheels or so. I really don't want to blow the dang trans on this sucker.

Cheers all

 

[Pentalab]

105,000 miles on a 2006 engine ? The rods on these 4.6 engs are pretzel sticks as is. It's a 12 year old car. Don't turn it into a money pit. Any 11-17 car will do 500 at the crank / 440 rwhp with just LT's and a 93 tune, no blower required.

 

[fourdegrees11]

As others are eluding to, making real power (safely) is going to require you to rebuild your engine with forged internals, or to pick up a different engine for a swap.

Outside of the engine conundrum, it is a really good idea to upgrade suspension and wheels/tires BEFORE adding a ton of power to a car that wasnt designed for it, especially a RWD one. Unintentionally breaking the rear tires loose is not as fun as it may sound, at least when you're around traffic, or going fast already.

But always remember (and I'm sure that this is how you feel) that this is just a fun hobby, so only do the things with your car that feel right to you.

 

[palanza7]

Dept of boost kit, everything you want.

 

[tjm73]

I'd make it look real nice. Make sure it ran and drove right and then I would sell it.

I'd take that money and use it as a down payment on a 5.0 DOHC.

 

[46addict]

If you've spent close to $6k on the car and another $6k getting it in driving condition you will struggle to find a buyer wanting to pay more than $8k for the car considering the mileage and title status (rebuilt?) so you'll be losing money. Since you've already sank money and time into the car I would keep at it and build it to your liking. I know people are mentioning Coyote swaps or buying a 2011+ car but you'll be spending at least $15k on a 2011 GT and it will be one with more than 100k miles which puts you in the same position as you were in with the 100k mile 4.6. Then you have to consider how hard the previous owners drove the car and one could argue a 70k mile car that was raced every week will die sooner than the 100k mile commuter. My point is if the vitals in your 4.6 check out (good compression, low oil consumption, etc), keep it and build your dreams.

Forced induction/nitrous is a great way to add power. 450wtq seems to be the breaking point for these engines, though there's no magic number. If you're unlucky you could blow it with less power. I would recommend a centrifugal supercharger (Procharger, Paxton, etc) as they gradually build power with RPM unlike the sudden hits you would get with a screw blower or nitrous. As a sidenote, Procharger is a brand of centrifugal superchargers. It's not its own type of forced induction as some think. DOB is a cheap way to get into boost, as is the On3 Turbo kit. Each system has its drawbacks and you can search around to read more in detail. If you look around you will find deals on used kits from different brands for about half of retail cost. And there's no need to worry about twisting the unibody. The stock automatic will give up well before any frame twisting happens.

With all that said adding power won't necessarily get you down the dragstrip faster. An auto will benefit from a stall converter, gears, and a trans cooler. And anything that will improve traction (LCAs, barely street legal drag radials, etc) will help a lot.

I agree with the advice on making sure your tires, brakes, and suspension are up to the task before adding boost. There's no need to go crazy here. Just go over your steering components like ball joints, tie rods, and the bushings throughout the car and make sure the tires and brakes have plenty of meat on them.

It sounds like you'll have family helping out with the build which is a huge plus. Doing your own labor will save you a ton of money and they can help you make the right decisions. I didn't have that luxury with mine.

 

[stkjock]

If you've spent close to $6k on the car and another $6k getting it in driving condition you will struggle to find a buyer wanting to pay more than $8k for the car considering the mileage and title status (rebuilt?)

$6000 all in

back up into fighting shape just under $6,000 in total for the whole thing.

 

[TGR96]

My big question to you guys is what can i do to make it perform better for maybe $7,500 bucks.

Do you mean $7500 total, which is only $1500 after you subtract what you've already spent, or $7500 in addition to what you already have in it?

You can do a lot to an S197 with $7500 to spend, especially if you scan the classifieds for used parts.

But I'd still say save your $$$ for a 2011+ 5.0.

 

[Kitsune]

yea when me and my family bought the car, It was in a front end fender bender with one of the old owners buddies, so they kind of kept it under the table. When I found it online me and my pops went and looked at it. The cars front drivers side was hit pretty hard. But the frame was fine. plus it must of been slow cause not even the break lines were hit or anything. So after we checked the engine and made sure it didn't overheat or that their were any frame problems we bought it for $5,750 in cash (cause it was with a buddy the insurance didn't get called, most likely the other guy didn't have it. Like even though it might be a low blow if you look up the car fax on this car it show no accident.) He also include all the parts he bought, which were like a new front strut, lower control arm, new front bumper, new driver side fender, all mounting bolts and stuff were not included so we spent some more money on blots, new fluids, lights, wipers, other such stuff. If I remember correctly it was just like $5,958 all together with what we paid for the car and all the extras. So I could probs go sell it for like (low end) 7,500 to like maybe (high end) $9,000 bucks to the right guy I mean it has brand new wide touring tires. also with the tuner and the cold air intake I might be in between those two number if I wanted to sell it.

I have heard of the weak internals of the 281 but I would be rebuilding it with internals in either design plans I mean you just don't boost on stock. Also you don't boost hard on uni-body cars like this. I don't want a twisted frame coming back to haunt me. I understand the undertaking. I was just kind of asking if I should do like a N/A build and if it could get me the horse power I want (550ish crank and like 450ish wheels) or if I should just boost and keep the boost low but reliable enough for a semi incomplete build.( AKA I wouldn't have any beefed up transmission parts so all that power might make something go BOOM!!!)

Again thank you all for posting on this and giving me ideas. I think I already said this but I don't like the idea of just getting a new car and just living with the stock version( even if its better than what I have now) cause anyone else can just go and do the same thing. Also I am 19 so my car insurance is just gonna kill me more if I go from a paid off mustang to a payment on a even faster mustang. I also like the s197 body style the most of all the mustangs (modern only considered, my grandpa has a 1966 ford mustang 2+2)

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[Sky Render]

Be a real man: do some suspension work and go corner carving.