tune needed?
 

I'm planning to overhaul my stock 02 GT, and i have it broken into 5 parts. i was planning on spreading it over the next several months (money issues), but my question is...do i need to get it re-tuned after each major project or can i go until the end and just do it once? If i do it once at the end, would it be best to just save money and do all the mods at one time as well?

And by tune..what exactly is meant? should i get a tuner myself (diablosport or something), or take it somewhere to have everything re-timed?

Oh, here is my plan (feel free to tweek and/or make suggestions):

1) Intake:
- CAI
- Mass air meter
- Throttle body/spacer
- Intake plenum
-Intake manifold
2) Transmission:
- 4.10 gears
- Short throw shifter
- Flywheel
3) Suspension/drivetrain
- UD pulleys
- Sport coil springs
- Aluminum driveshafts
- Camshafts
- Control arms
4) Exhaust
- LK headers
- X pipes (cat)
- SLP catback
5) Electronics
- Chip
- Tuner

because the car is obdII it will adjust itsself as its performance improves. as it gets more air into the cylinders, it will add more fuel, via the reading from the 02's and maf. if you really can complete this list in 7-10 months you will be fine. you may want to try to nestle the camshaft and long tubes together as that will be the biggest change.

my mass air fox car has had a big cam, intake, cold air, headers, and a wet shot on it... with out a tune.

if you get stage 2 cams you will 100% need a tune right after. Most of the other intake stuff not really, but there is a possibility you could go a little lean. But you will need to change your gear ratio via the tuner when you put in the new gears, but you can do that at home.

etdit...skip the MAF, you shouldn't even need that, unless you went to FI

thanks guys, i was thinking the cams and gears would deff need a tune (esp re-calibrating the speedometer)...

also...if i make all those mods, should i upgrade the brakes?

For me I would say no, but other guys would say yes. It really depends on what you use that car for. If you are going to the track or a road course all the time, then it might be a good idea. But if its just a DD that want to have fun with, I would say you dont need to upgrade the brakes right now.

One more thing, call around to local dyno shops and ask them what tuner they use and buy that brand. You dont want to buy a diablo only to find out everyone by you uses sct.

thanks man, i'll look into that!

quick followup...

MAF meaning...manifold? yah, i'm no tim allen.

MAF...mass air flow sensor.....

oh ok..gotcha

on that note though...would a new manifold give me much?

I'd say dont do that until you get a blower, then it would make a difference.

yah, i'm kinda nervous about forced induction tho. if i had the money i'd deff get a turbo and maybe nos, but that'll prob never happen...

It seems like you are putting together a list of a bunch of random mods without really knowing exactly what they do or how they will benefit you. What kind of research have you done?

Research: forum readings, google, a few reference books, but i'm not gonna act on any of this without doing research down to specific brand comparisons and compatibility...this is just an outline.

I've narrowed it down since the post as well.

Ok, well its good you havent started buying this stuff because you have a few worthless mods here.

1) Intake:
- CAI- Why are you getting a CAI? Money can be spent better else where
- Mass air meter- Sorry, but Ive never heard of a NA 4.6 pegging the stock MAF. Wishful thinking here, or did you not do any research? Maybe you should read this sticky, https://mustangboards.com/modular-4-...stock-maf.html
- Throttle body/spacer- Throttle body spacer, terrible mod.
- Intake plenum- Combined with the t/b, youll probably get around 7rwhp.
-Intake manifold- The PI intake is not really a restriction on a NA motor without heads. Get heads and itlll benefit you.
2) Transmission:
- 4.10 gears
- Short throw shifter
- Flywheel
3) Suspension/drivetrain
- UD pulleys- Another worthless mod. Maybe 5rwhp.
- Sport coil springs- ?
- Aluminum driveshafts
- Camshafts
- Control arms
4) Exhaust
- LK headers
- X pipes (cat)
- SLP catback
5) Electronics
- Chip
- Tuner

Before you mod a car, you need to understand what the modification will do, how it works, how it will benefit you, why it might not, how it actually may negatively affect performance. All the information is right in front of you.

What about stuff like a built rear end, shocks/ struts, k member, weight reduction, slicks, drag wheels, clutch, etc.? Those things will benefit you a hell of a lot more then some of the things you've got listed.

You also havent stated what your goals are for the car, what is it going to be used for, etc.? After you answer those questions, Ill put a list together for you.

mainly...i want to take an ordinary/run or the mill mustang and "make it my own".

i'd like to make it as much of a monster of possible, but on a budget. probably won't be taking it to the track..except maybe once or twice for fun. mostly street driving through tampa, maybe against friends on back roads, etc.

i don't want to sacrifice the integrity of the car with forced induction, but i do want more (controllable) power.

my list wasn originally comprised of going through a mustangs unlimited catalog und circling everything that looked good. then reading into it, doing some research and narrowing it down. after reading some forum posts, doing other reading, and talking around...i was able to get mostly what is seen now.

the reason for the post was to see about additions, critiques, etc...so i really do appreciate any input.

1. First well start with suspension and tires. Why, because power is worthless if you cant get it to the ground. You say you wont be going to the track, but Im sure thatll change. Here are my recommendations.

Tokico 5 way drag shocks and struts. They are adjustable and very well built.

MM subframe connectors, MM, nuff said.

It doesnt sound like you want some serious drag racer, so Id just go with some Steeda sport springs if you want to lower the car a little.

LCA's- you've got a few choices here. Id probably go with MM's arms. Now you've got more choices here, Heavy- Duty, or Extreme- Duty, also adjustable or non adjustable. MM doesnt recommend drag racing with their Heavy- duty arms because the bushings will eventually tear. Instead, they recommend using their extreme- duty arms which have spherical bearings at both ends. The down side to this is it might make your suspension nosier. However, MM claims it isnt significant. Now whether you want them to be adjustable or not is your choice. But I think non adjustable will be fine.

upper control arms- ask MM what they recommend.

Since you said you wont be going to the track, Id just put some DR's on your rims for now. Id probably go with BFG's. Im not sure how well the MT's are supposed to work on the street.

Might as well throw the Steeda tri- ax in there too since its a cheaper mod.

That gives you a very solid suspension set up. It will be fine for daily driving, and if you want to race the car, your suspension will be set up for it.

2. Id go ahead and build the rear end and buy a hand held tuner (SCT). Get 4.10's, Moser 31 spine axles, a Ford 31 spline t- lok, Trick Flow diff. cover, and a rebuild kit from Randy. This will be strong enough for your set up.

3. Now we'll start with your engine mods.

75mm t/b and plenum. Id go with the Accufab t/b and Dragon plenum. Find these parts used because they dont give you much.

Remove your air silencer and put in a K&N filter.

If you want cams, then Id go with a stage 1 cam. That will be plenty. Id talk with Fox Lake or Hitech about those.

In your basic NA applications, the PI intake really isnt a restriction. Now if you were to upgrade heads, then Id say go with a stage 2 cam and a new intake manifold. But that isnt the case.

Long tubes and a midpipe- youve got a bunch of choices here. I ran Mac LT's, Mac mid, and Magnapack catback. It was loud and sounded great. Just dont waste your time with shorty headers.

You can install all of that stuff without getting a DYNO tune. The a/f might not be 100% correction, but you shouldnt be at risk of damaging anything. Now after the cams are installed, you should definitely get the car DYNO TUNED.

That about does it there. Maybe some used Steeda pulleys if you really want them.

After all of this, you might want to start saving for a better clutch, or whatever else you might need/ want later on.

hmm, a blower is gonna be your bestfriend when your racing your buddys!!!it'll be cheaper probably instead of going with all those engine mods you listed and you will make a shyteload of more power!!id say get a blower,theres nothing to fear as long as you get tuned,and you will like it alot!!blower and suspension and you're set!!do it....do it....doooo it!!!

yah, in planning my mods...i actually did realize that the price of them would be about the same of a turbo. so......yah....i'm still thinkin......

thanks for all the great ideas, i'll deff keep them in mind as i do more research (although...honestly...i'm not exactly sure what all of that was)