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Ford Mustang and Mustang GT 1994-2014: Regretful Modifications

Updating the look or performance of your Mustang is a great way to make your car stand out on the road. But if not done properly, it could wind up doing more harm than good. Before you update the grille or swap out the stereo, check out some of these mod fails to learn from other mistakes, so you don’t wind up making the same ones to your car.

By Jeffrey Bausch - September 25, 2015

This article applies to the Ford Mustang and Mustang GT (1994-2014).

Modifying a vehicle has become common practice among today’s car owners, especially with all of the pop-up auto body shops and websites available nowadays. It’s never been easier to find a new grille or headlights or stereo system for one’s car. Mustang owners, in particular, love updating their sports car—if you’re thinking of doing so to your vehicle, then you’d be best served to read through some of these regrettable modifications to learn of others' mistakes, so you don’t wind up ruining your prized possession.

Regrettable Modifications

Updating the Exhaust System

This tends to be something learned by the younger Mustang owners, but modifying the exhaust system of your prized sports car isn’t always the best thing to do. Not only does the sound of the car become wearing after awhile (per many forum posters), if not properly fitted to the base of the vehicle, the expensive aftermarket exhaust system you purchased online could wind up coming loose, whereupon it’ll get severely damaged from striking the ground, and could even fall off (as reported upon numerous occasions).

Figure 1. If you do upgrade, make sure the exhaust is properly secured.

Performing Resto-mod Work

What many do not consider is how much time and money goes into restoring the body of a Mustang to its original look. Sure, you can pick up engine pieces to update, and you can find the original wheels in perfect condition online, but to get the car back to what it looked like when it first came off the factory line takes a lot of patience (and a deep wallet).

Figure 2. Resto-work could prove to be expensive.

Going with the More Powerful Car

One can be easily swayed by the promise of more power in one Mustang over another, but what some do not factor into this decision is that buying, say, a V8 instead of a V6, will in most cases lead to a higher insurance premium. The alternative would be to buy the V6 and then modify it to run and sound like a V8, all while saving a few hundred dollars a year on insurance.

Figure 3. More power means more money spent.

Installing a Big Camshaft in a Stock Engine

Often the case of one getting ahead of themselves, there have been a few Mustang owners who’ve admitted to modifying their car’s stock engine by installing larger than necessary camshafts. Needless to say, the car they once loved to drive quickly became something they loathed getting behind the wheel of.

Figure 4. Keep the engine you bought with the car.

Removing the Air Conditioning Unit

Also referred to as A/C delete, this mod is meant to help your Mustang lose weight so that it can drive faster. Needless to say, if you do any other driving outside of street/track racing with your Mustang, and you live in a climate where it gets warm out, this is a decision you will come to regret down the road.

Figure 5. Don't suffer in the heat for a faster ride.

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