Posts: 13193
Joined: 12/29/2003 From: Southern California Status: offline
This article was made by VCS_SSSTANG and earned him a contributor tag. Thank you Kyle.~April, 2008
SSSTANG's 3.8L Modifications. Just put this together to try and help guys asking questions. If I've missed anything or you feel anything is inaccurately just let me know. Also if you have any questions you can reach me on AIM: LoudMustang2005
1st tier -------------- Basic bolt ons -------------- Headers - BBK Shorties - Mac Long Tubes - Pacesetter
Thoughts: The BBK shorties will do almost nothing for you as the stock mainfolds flow very well. If your going for headers the Mac Long Tubes seem to be the best thing as of now. Currently MAC is the only producer of 94-04 Long tube headers, however Pacesetter should also be releasing a set of long tube headers for the 94-04 v6 mustang so be on the look out.
Cold Air intake - Short Ram - Fender well - "ram air" types
Thoughts: The basic "bomz" eBay cold air intake will work fine. If your car is a show car, or you just like to have a brand name then you have several options. Their are also the mach 1 "ram air" style intakes. The fender well is what I would reccomend. The short ram seems to draw hotter air from the engine bay unless its 100% sealed off and the ram air types are normally expensive and provide the same gains.
Exhaust - Mid Pipe - Catback
Thoughts: Great beginner modification. A mid pipe is not needed for an even fire v6 mustang divorced duals may be ran if you desire. Divorced Duals, tend to have a louder sound. Xpipe, tends to be more raspy. H pipe tends to be deeper. This can vary depending on muffler choice. You can also have an exhaust shop custom fabricate a catback, the only difference is you won't get mandrel bends. If your just looking for a small bit more sound a Y pipe catback is ok, however this is not the best for performance and sound.
Under Drive Pulleys (UDP)
Thoughts: Another great mod. These help buy "under driving" your accessories, less rotational mass frees up more power. If you have a big audio system make sure you get an Over Drive pulley for the alternator. If your Audio system is huge then you might want to look past this mod.
Thoughts: I only included 3.73 and 4.10s but their are other options. 3.73 and 4.10 seem to be the most popular. Gears will help your car accelerate faster, you won't gain any power but your car will move faster. Steeper gears (higher number) will get you the fastest acceleration. Their are exceptions to this, when your car is turbocharged or supercharged you have to consider the best gear for your powerband. (please do not attempt this unless you are absolutely sure you know what your doing)
T-Lok (posi,Lsd) - Ford Racing - Detroit TruTrac - Auburn
Thoughts: A tlok will increase your traction buy providing power to both wheels. the 94-04 Mustangs came with an open differential (you spin your passenger side tire ony). The Ford Racing Tlok seems to hold up to about 300rwhp however they have been broken with stock power. If you want something better look into the TrueTrac, Aburn, or an 8.8 rear. (please do not attempt this unless you absolutely know what your doing)
Thoughts: The VAP Intake Spacer will increase the length the air has to travel thus creating more low end torque and hp. It has been dyno tested to give about 5hp and 7tq. Don't be scared to do this mod yourself the upper intake manifold may look tough but its fairly easy.
Aluminum Drive Shaft
Thoughts: An Aluminum drive shaft is lighter than stock and will decrease rotational mass and free up horsepower.
Thoughts: The Windstar intake is a composite intake manifold with longer runners. It is also lighter than the stock manifold it has been dyno tested to around 7hp and 15tq.
3rd Tier --------------- Into the Engine ---------------
All 3rd Tier Mods can be found at the following:
www.supersixmotorsports.com
www.delkperformance.com
www.rpm-mustangs.com
Ported Intakes - Upper - Lower
Thoughts: Ported intakes are great modifications. Smoothing casting imperfections, increasing the port entry size, all allow air to flow into the engine faster. When you can add more air you can add more fuel and get more power.
Ported Head
Thoughts: Ported heads follow the same rules as the intakes to make power. Smoothing the intake side, valve guides, exhaust side, and bowl work. Here you can also add bigger valves, different rockers, etc.
Camshaft
Thoughts: to make this simple and not confuse anybody a the lobes (egg shapes) on a camshaft make your valves open and close. A performance camshaft is usually spec'd for your setup and where you want your powerband to be.
Thoughts: Superchargers are a great way to add 80-100+rwhp. The two types available to us are the centrifugal (vortech/procharger) and the positive displacement m112 thanks to a few creative minds(mysteed/lilroush) and SSMS. The installs are pretty straight forward. Superchargers are driven buy the accessory belt (or sometimes a secondary belt) and because of this are less efficient. The centrifugal units will provide boost at around 2.8-3000 rpms. The Positive displacement unit will provide power from as low as 1.5k rpms. For the 94-98 guys the eaton m90 or thunderbird s/c swap is an option for you, the m90 has the same characteristics of the positive displacement blower and will give and instant boost, it's the m112's little brother. You can find detailed information about the m90 swap here: http://3.8mustang.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142607
Currently to get the M112 "kit" You would need to speak with either LilRoush or Mysteed. They both can be found on www.3.8mustang.com/forums. If your nice they might put together an entire kit for you.
Thoughts: Turbochargers are driven buy exhaust gases and are another way to bolt on 100+ horsepower. Unlike the supercharger you can control boost from a waste gate or even an electronic waste gate and set it on the fly. Turbo installs are normally more complex than superchargers because of more parts. Andy at www.tmaturbo.com has produced kits that have made 500+ rwhp and taken cars down to low 12 second quarter miles on a stock motor. Turbos do have some lag but boost can be made to come on as low as 2500rpm with the properly sized turbocharger.
Nitrous Oxide - NX - Nitrous Oxide Systems - Zex
Thoughts: Nitrous Oxide, sometimes referred to as "naws" "nos" "nawzzz", is a gas that when heated splits into oxygen and nitrogen. When more oxygen becomes available you can add more fuel and thus more power. Nitrous also cools the intake air which increases air density and provides more air inside the cylinder. Nitrous installs cam be as simple as mounting a bottle, running lines to the engine compartment, adding a solenoid and drilling into the cai for the nozzle. a 75wet shot is the safest shot and seems to be the most popular. Direct port kit have been custom made as well for those with a bigger need for speed.
Support Tier -------------
Fuel Injectors
Thoughts: If you have decent amount of air coming into your motor you will want to upgrade your injectors for two reasons. One to keep your engine from running lean and your engine internals off the highway, and 2 to provide fuel and get you maximum reliable power.
Fuel Pump
Thoughts: If your engine needs to supply more fuel, and your looking at bigger injectors a bigger fuel pump should be something you look at. the 310lph pump seems to be the most popular mod for the 99-04, and the 255lph walbro is an option for the 94-98. If you have a 99-04 you can upgrade your pump at any time as it will only supply the fuel that the injectors ask for.
Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) -C&L -SCT BIG AIR -L(Lightning) Maf
Thoughts: When your able to move more air into your motor you may want to upgrade the size of your MAF. The maf determines how much air is entering the motor and tells the ECU how much fuel to mix with this. If your pegging your MAF (more air than it can read) this can be dangerous. MAF's range from 73mm on up.
Brakes
Thoughts: If you have big power and can't stop it what good does it do you. The most popular brake upgrade is the bullit/ cobra brake upgrade. It provides you with bigger twin piston calipers, and bigger rotors for some added stopping power. If you need extreme stopping power, baer and the more popular "big brake" companies make brake kits for us.
Tune - Hand held (SCT, SNIPER, DIABLO) - Mail Order "canned" - Dyno Tune
Thoughts: This is one of those things that you SHOULD NOT skip out on. A tune can help you at any stage from firming up your automatics shifts, to removing the speed limiter. From the factory cars are tuned to be reliable [for the most part] and you can still release some power buy getting a handheld tuner or canned tune on a stock vehicle. When you start getting deeper into the 2nd tier mods its probably time for a hand held tuner and a canned tune. You can get a canned tune from JOE at www.tricktuners.com their are other options avaiable also. When you start getting into the 3rd and 4th tier you should look into getting your car dyno tuned for the most power and reliability available. This is where everything is tied together
Forged - Pistons - Rods
Thoughts: If your making big power, planning to make big power, or have scattered your interenals on US-90 then you probably need forged rods and pistons. Forged internals are built to withstand big horsepower.
Pushrods
Thoughts: If your making big horsepower, and running high rpms you don't want to bend a pushrod. Hardened pushrods should serve as some security for you.
8.8 Rear End
Thoughts: If your making big horsepower, and plan on heading to the track to shut the v8 guys up and leave them looking at your tail lights and listening to the 6 cylinder symphony this is what you need. 8.8upgrade, with 31spline axles and a trutrac is what you need to keep your rear end safe and in place.
Auto Trans Tier. ----------------
Shift Kit -Jmod -Transgo
Thoughts: If you have an automatic mustang and are tired of getting picked on this is the first place to look. IMO the Jmod valve body is the best way to go. You will get fermer shifts for installing one of these mods.
Stall
Thoughts: Adding a stall to an auto is sort of like adding a clutch. The stall will allow you to brake the car up to stall speed and launch the car. Normally you won't get the entire stall speed. (3500stall stalls out at 3k).
Thoughts: This is the closest thing to having a manual you can get. This will allow you to up and downshift.
Suspension Tier ------------------
Lowering Springs
Thoughts: Lowering springs increase handling buy moving your cars center of gravity. They are also great modification for improving the looks of your car. You can find anywhere from a 1" drop to an extreme 3" drop
Shocks & Struts
Thoughts: You can find shocks and struts for whatever your trying to accomplish. Better handeling, smoother ride, all out drag, auto cross, circle track. Another great modification
Other Suspension
Thoughts: Suspension modifications range from caster camber plates, sub frame connectors, Lower control arms (LCS) upper control arms (uca) strut tower braces, shock tower braces, torque arms, jacking rails, etc. All of these items contribute to making your car stiffer, handle better, and or bite down harder for increase traction.
Tire Tier -----------
Street Tires
Thoughts: Stock tires do fine on a stock car but if your making some more power, or plan on crusing at high speeds you should look into higher rated tires for your ride.
Drag Radials
Thoughts: Amazing traction, if you keep spinning and can't get your power to the ground besides suspension this is where you should look. Nitto, Bfg, and Micky Thompson all make Drag Radials.
Slicks
Thoughts: If your heading to the track, need to launch high and hook hard this is what you should look for. I would recommend an 8.8 rear end before you consider this.
Misc Tier ---------
Coil packs - Accel - Screamin Demon - MSD DIS-4
Thoughts: If your making some power, want some extreme plug gap .065, or just need to replace the stock coil and want to upgrade this is where you should look. The Accel and Screamin Demon will support almost all you need. For those extreme racers the MSD DIS-4 will suit you also.
Plug Wires - Stang Wires - MSD super conductors - Live Wires
Thoughts: Plug wires will provide a cleaner, smoother spark, and give you a clean look under the hood. Muffler Sound Tier ------------------ Flowmaster Original 40s Thoughts: Most "v8 like" sound, still has a slight raspt
Magnaflow Mufflers Thoughts: Smooth sound, more raspt, more power than flowmaster
Mac Mufflers Thoughts:"v8 like sound", slightly more raspy than flowmaster
Everything else Thoughts: Seems to be very raspy "beefed up 4banger" type sounds.
* All sounds can change with mid pipe, and engine modifications *
Junk Tier ---------
Tornado Fuel saver
Thoughts: Increases horsepower and fuel 15%, don't we all wish. Unless your just itching to spend money and you can't find anything to spent it on grab one of these. They make great paper weights, and if your mad you can throw them at something.
Electric Supercharger
Thoughts: Aha, 30rwhp at the flip of a switch. The only problem with this is that this small fan can't possibily provide the cfm to support an engine. Infact this might be a restriction to your intake path. Besides that it takes about as much power as my award winning audio system.
Ebay Chip (resistor)
Thoughts: Its a resistor, it tricks your car into doing something it shouldn't. This is not what you want, grab a handheld tuner instead.
Other Thoughts --------------- * The brands mentioned in this thread are just some of the more common brands, their are usually more "brand names" for most of these parts.
* Your engine doesn't have to be bought all at one time, you can build up your short block(bottom end: rods,pistons,crank,etc) and at a later time put on ported heads, intakes, and a camshaft. You can also add rockers and push rods to your heads without porting.
* If you wan't to do a 4.2L the best thing would be finding a motor from an f150 and swapping it over in its entierty. However this can be done with just the crankshaft and a few other minor parts. Detailed Information: http://www.3.8mustang.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92629
* If you have a 94-98 the split port swap will be one of the biggest gains for you. Basically it will bring you up to the power of a 99-04. You can currently get the split port swap kit from: www.supersixmotorsports.com or http://crtperformance.webs.com
* Power adder saftey on stock motor. Most people say 350rwhp is the absolute farthest you can take the stock internals and still be safe. This would be with a great dyno tune, and supporting fuel mods to make sure you don't go lean.
* Fully built motors: If your the type of person that doesn't feel like doing work, wants to have the baddest motor around town in a v6[and even put some of the v8's to shame] you can get a Fully built motor (tier3+supporting mods[forged pistons/rods), drop it in, and make anywhere between 240 and 260rwhp. You can get a Fully built 3.8/4.2/4.3L engine from: supersixmotorsports.com , www.delkperformance.com , www.rpm-mustangs.com,http://crtperformance.webs.com
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3.8 Modifications step By Step - 
