Tuners and mods questions
 

Ok so I'm in the market for a Mach 1 at the moment and I need to start considering the mods and first things i'm going to do to it. I know a lot of the basics but I want some advice from you guys who are already experienced in Mustang modding.

I was wondering what should be my very first and most beneficial mods to start out with. I'm not looking to drop a shit load in it right at the start so I'm talking mods $400 and less each.

Also another thing, I know nothing about tuners. how does finding a tune and all of that work?

I'd also like your guys' opinions on the different brands/types of exhaust. I'm wanting a deep and loud sound out of my 4v, I'm wanting short pipes too, the pipe ending just a couple inches past the muffler down below the rear end, what do you guys think about that?

Thanks in advance for any help guys

well dude, while i can understand ur enthusiasm, first get the mach 1. a friend of mine is selling his http://www.listangs.com/forum/viewto...p?f=69&t=34235

the mach 1 is a 32 valve DOHC V8 engine, it doesn't need to be modded with cheap under $400 mods. u are going to really enjoy that monster, and i would save the money to do things that are worth while, like suspension. i would say to get the best response out of the car is to do a tune first, because they come with 3.55 gears.

Woah, that price is legit. I'm trying to find something more local though, as shipping will be quite a bit.

I wasn't meaning like cheap generic stuff, I was meaning the mods that aren't all that expensive like CAI and exhaust and stuff.

There is actually an MD Mustang Dyno about 15 minutes away, the owner has a 66ish 'Stang drag car. I watched him dyno it, it made 575rwhp.

yeah man, i know what u meant. but i think u should probably wait until u find a mach 1, because u may never know what it'll already have on it. actually, if i were u, i would see if i can find one that is lightly modded, so u don't have to spend the money on mods. generally cars with mods cost the same as stock (with a few exceptions such as a blower). the car i posted is pretty stock, and the price is legit. probably not going to find them much cheaper unless they have some defects.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-03-Ford-Mustang-Mach-1-NICEST-ON-E-BAY_W0QQitemZ330319793395QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Car s_Trucks?hash=item330319793395&_trksid=p4506.c0.m2 45&_trkparms=72%3A317|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1309

I don't understand why it only made 275hp though, they make 305 stock.

I was a day too late on that one, I was waiting for them to reply what they were going to give me trade in on mine so I knew how much of a loan I needed to get and then I was going to close the deal. yeah that's what I'm hoping to find for sure, but most mach's in my state are pretty much bone stock. the few mach's that are even in this state anyway, they're rare around here. I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one within 40 miles of my area with one.

305 at the crank...

you make less power to the wheels because of power loss through the drivetrain. It takes power to turn the insides of the tranny,driveshaft, rear end and thus why it makes less power at the wheels then the crank.

The exhaust that exits right after the mufflers and goes down is called having dumps because you dump the exhaust right after the muffler. Its what I have on my car and I like it, but its not for everyone. Its makes it much louder in the car at all times.

I thought that's what it was called. Yeah my friends dad somehow came across a BUILT 94 GT a couple years ago and it's got dumps and sounds AMAZING. the car is all motor, the appearance isn't in the best condition but we turn heads everywhere we go. I'm liking the sound of the Mach pro dumps. what size do you have spike? 2.5 or 3"? and should I go with an H and X pipe?

When I had my mach 1 I had magnaflow cat back, mac prochamber, K&N FIPK intake, intake spacer, and custom tune. With that combo the car made a little over 300hp, and
330tq at the wheels. You have to be really careful with adding mods with a 4v. Usually any more than two mods that take in additional airflow will really screw up your air/ratio, and will require a tune. I installed the exhaust, and intake mods at the same time and took it straight to the tuner and I forget what my air/fuel was, but it was not safe.

The mach 1 does come with 3.55 gears, but with a 4v that redlines at 6,800rpms you can easily get away with 4:10 gears.

If you want a TON of info on mach 1's go to www.mach1registry.com and join the forums.

Thanks for the info man. How much did the tune run you?

oh man, I can't remember, but for some reason the number of $300 comes to mind. It might not have been that much, but it for sure wasn't cheap. You also have to remember I live in the SF Bay Area where shit pretty much cost double what most of the country pays. You can get away with purchasing a hand held tuner with a canned tune.

Start researching tuners in your area and find out what software they use....Diablo or SCT and whatever software they are using is the brand of hand held tuner you should go with just incase you want a custom tune later down the road.

$300 isn't too bad really. Is it best to get a tune right off the bat or would it be more in sync if I waited til I had a couple mods on the car?

Put the mods on the car first, then get the tune. Otherwise you'll put the mods on and then have to get it re-tuned. You should be able to make around 300rwhp and 320-330rwtq with just a few mods. You'll love the car, I regret selling mine just about everyday, but at the time premium gas was almost $4 and it was killing me with my commute.

Oh yeah I can't wait to get mine. Finding one isn't the easiest thing to do but I imagine the local Ford dealership could work with me and get a hold of one, I'm gonna call them today. I want a dark shadow gray one soooo bad with chrome 18" bulllets.

91 octane is the highest they sell around here and it's been staying steady at $2 and I definitely have no problem paying the extra money for gas. I think I've decided exhaust is going to be my first mod.

nooooooo please don't put bullet's on the Mach 1! LOL

King's looks pretty good, I definitely won't get FR500's. I looooove chrome bullets
http://customerpics.americanmuscle.c...6446&sku=28127

what would you suggest? I don't care too much for the new edge magnums

srsly! the mach 1's need mach1s!!!!

umm....I did, and I like them.

Attachment 19100

I have to disagree I really don't like the stock mach wheels:(

They look good on some Machs. Depends on the color, I guess.

my friends mach 1... the stock rims look like sex.
Attachment 19099

But they're skinny. And what size DRs are those?

hmm, don't know. i know they are M&H D/R's

The front wheel on that blue Mach looks extremely retarded. Looks almost like the spare doughnut for being DR's

Mine is 2.5" from stock exhaust manifolds back to the dumps and out. I have an H-pipe because it gives that old school muscle car sound. But the choice is up to you what you like the sound of as the power difference between X or H is almost nothing so choose on what you like the sound of more.

How much of a difference is there between the 2.5" and the 3"? I think we have the same taste in exhaust, I'm looking to get the old school muscle sound too. Thanks a ton for the help man.

The new magnums aren't bad I could stand them but I LOVE the dark shadow gray with the chrome bullets. King's Mach is also very nice looking on the bullets.

I found an absolutely perfect Mach at a dealership 40 minutes away today. Dark shadow gray, 1 owner which was a 50 year old man, very low mileage for $15k, only thing is it's an automatic :( I won't settle for an automatic.

You don't need 3" exhaust and there are only a few H and X pipes out there in that size and they cost $$$. A 2.5" setup is all you need till your over 600rwhp then you would look into going bigger. If you like that deep old school muscle car sound an H-pipe with some sort of chambered muffler like MAC or Hooker Aero chambers sound great as do the Pypes chambered mufflers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54uOmdU87gA

lol... ur retarded, haha. drag radials only go on the rear on a RWD car. the fronts are just extreme street tires or something.

Get a JLT induction, MGW shifter, h/x pipe, catback, and 4.10 or 4.30 gear. For those mods a mail order tune will suffice. Get an Xcal 3 with a mail order tune after you do the mods. If you're worried about the air/fuel ratio you can always throw the car on the dyno and make a few pulls. Then you can make adjustments on the Xcal. No need to spend $400 on a tuner, and $350 on a dyno tune for a Mach 1 that only has an induction pipe, and some exhaust. Once you do longtube headers you can get the car dyno tuned.

Well, I agree a canned tune would probably be fine, however I can speak from direct experience that my A/F ratio on my mach with a cold air intake, mac prochamber, and cat back was dangerously lean. You could do all those mods to a 2v and probably not have any worries, but the 4v engine is much more sensitive.