If you are looking to get it road worthy it sounds like you are going about it the right way. But to get to your goal I think you will be replacing alot of the parts you plan to put in to get the car back on the road.
Shopping for a '94 or '95 GT... a couple questions
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1997GT4.6
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Suspension is a good starting point but if you go factory parts now, you will find yourself spending more money to replace those parts for better handling.
I don't recommend this (and I have a quick anecdote as an example). I would spend a little time before buying parts on deciding what you want to do with the car ultimately - not just drag, or track, but what kind of performance you want, even for the street. Once you have an idea what you want, figure out what parts will get you there. Once you have that, *now* as you are replacing things, replace parts that you want better performance out of now rather than using stock parts. You will save time and money down the road, and any additional cost the performance part has over the replacement is negligible to you having to completely replace the part (plus labor). On top of that, authentic Ford OEM stuff isn't necessarily cheap
Here's my example - it's a little different from your goals, but it still applies to your situation: I track my car. Thus I've done a lot to my suspension. When I decided to upgrade, I could go with better shocks/struts/springs or make the swap to coilovers. I opted for shocks/struts/springs because it was cheaper and I thought it would be a while before I needed coilovers. I was wrong. Not too much longer, I swapped to coilovers. So I wasted time and money, I should have just gone with coilovers in the beginning. So as you think about the parts that need to be refurbished or replaced, keep an eye towards what you will want from the part and buy accordingly now.
I don't recommend this (and I have a quick anecdote as an example). I would spend a little time before buying parts on deciding what you want to do with the car ultimately - not just drag, or track, but what kind of performance you want, even for the street. Once you have an idea what you want, figure out what parts will get you there. Once you have that, *now* as you are replacing things, replace parts that you want better performance out of now rather than using stock parts. You will save time and money down the road, and any additional cost the performance part has over the replacement is negligible to you having to completely replace the part (plus labor). On top of that, authentic Ford OEM stuff isn't necessarily cheap
Here's my example - it's a little different from your goals, but it still applies to your situation: I track my car. Thus I've done a lot to my suspension. When I decided to upgrade, I could go with better shocks/struts/springs or make the swap to coilovers. I opted for shocks/struts/springs because it was cheaper and I thought it would be a while before I needed coilovers. I was wrong. Not too much longer, I swapped to coilovers. So I wasted time and money, I should have just gone with coilovers in the beginning. So as you think about the parts that need to be refurbished or replaced, keep an eye towards what you will want from the part and buy accordingly now.
This is the other side of the debate I have been having. I would prefer to follow the "do it once, do it right" type of mentality. It is, however, difficult to know what is "right" for a car that is going to be a daily driver and cruiser. I want performance and handling, but I don't want a stiff ride. I am willing to deal with some body roll and such, in exchange for a more comfortable ride. At the same time, I don't want to have a situation where the tires break loose with the slightest touch to the throttle. I know lots of things go into the traction discussion, but suspension is definitely one of them...
...And so the research begins (continues?)....
RufusT
Mustanger
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Subframes & LCA'S will do wonders for your handling & give you a stronger platform for the suspension to work off of. The LCA'S really plant the rear tires in the corners & on hard launches! You will be able to fully use the gas pedal! Nice Bilstein shocks or Koni adjustables will give you a fantastic ride...
I get where you are coming from, I understand the frustration/struggle. I don't DD my car, however I do drive it quite a bit on the street. Here's my suggestion for a fun DD street car - everyone has opinions of course and we don't all agree. So feel free to do any of what I suggest or none of what I suggest, it's totally okay with me. But if I were to take my car, and in hind-sight think about what I would do to get a fun DD for street roads without breaking the bank, here's what I do:
- Full Length SFC's
- New diff gears, 3.55 or 3.73's. I wouldn't go any higher, your already terrible gas mileage will get worse. Plus Item #11 will make good use of those gears
- Rebuild the clutch pack in the rear diff if it is worn.
- Stock front and rear sway bar, but upgrade the bushings on the front sway bar to poly bushes and new poly bushes on the front end links
- Poly engine mounts, poly trans mount
- New rubber OEM bushes in the rear upper control arms
- If I wanted a moderate drop:
- New struts up front, billsteins if I could get them for a good price, or Tokico HP Blues or equivalent
- H&R Race Springs up front or equivalent (about 1.25" drop)
- New shocks out back, same brand as fronts preferably
- H&R Race Springs out back or equivalent (about 1" drop)
- I would keep the struts/shocks the same brand, and the springs the same brand, don't mix and match
- Use the poly iso's on the springs, do not leave them off
- For more extreme drops, you'll have to do things like cutting springs or look into coilovers. The trouble with coilovers is that they are not cheap, and the cheap ones are usually cheap for a reason. So I would suggest trying to find a drop you can live with provided by springs. If you must go coilovers, be prepared to have a larger budget. Don't cheap out, and don't get the expensive ones. You should be able to find shocks/struts for like $400, another $400-ish for the coilover conversion kit, and about $320 for the springs, so like $1120 for all 4 corners. If you are spending less than $1000 for all 4 corners for new parts, then I would suggest revaluating the brand you are getting. If you put coilovers only the front, you can cut that cost down to $760-ish for all 4 corners. Coilovers are pricey, equivalent struts/shocks and springs are cheaper, probably $600-ish for all 4 corners. So try real hard to skip coilovers if you can to keep your budget low. And honestly, on the street, you will see no performance difference between coilovers and regular struts/shocks & springs. Yes, coilovers can provide a smoother ride, but you have to pay for the right ones. You won't get it off eBay.
- Keep your stock brakes, but swap out to a better quality brake pad. Your stock brakes will work just fine for street driving, and with a better set of pads you'll get better stopping distance and less brake fade. The trade off is that more aggressive pads tend to dust more and squeal more. However, many brands (Hawk being one of them) are making street friendly aggressive pads. If you want the big brake look, then you'll have to pay to upgrade, and there are lots of choices. But if you don't care and just want the car to stop well, use a better pad on your stock brakes. Bonus is that discs and pads will be cheaper for the smaller GT-sized stuff.
- Shifter - invest in a quality shifter. I recommend MGW. A good quality shifter will drastically change your impression on driving the car. Don't skimp here. You use the shifter A LOT. Get one you like.
- For the engine, there are quite a large number of options. If it were me, honestly, I would leave the engine alone, slap a super charger on it, upgrade the things I need to per the supercharger instructions (like fuel) and call it a day. Run like 6psi and you will have fun every time you press the go pedal. Superchargers will run around $3K or so for new ones, you may be able to find a deal on used ones, though be really sure the used ones are in good shape and have all the parts. Junky superchargers and missing parts will cause you a lot of headaches. If you are unsure, buy new or used from a trusted source.
- Normal engine maintenance - replace your plug wires with new ones, maybe a new coil if yours is really old. New air filter, new fuel filter, new plugs, that kind of stuff. Those things go a long way to making an engine reliable and fun.
- Quality tires. Brakes do not stop the car. The gas pedal does not make the car go. It's the tires that do all of these things (the impetus of course comes from the brake pedal, gas pedal, etc.). If the tires are slipping, it doesn't really matter if you are stepping on the brake or gas pedal. There are a lot of good, affordable brands out there that provide really good grip. Don't cheap out on tires (but I honestly don't think you need to spend a fortune either on Pirelli's or Michelins or whatever).
- Aftermarket exhaust - while not really necessary, it adds a lot of fun and noise. Choose exhaust to your taste/loudness preference.
The above items will provide for a fun, reliable DD car without killing you in ride, noise or vibration. Or sacrifice too much gas mileage.
There are a number of optional things you can to to improve various performance items, but these certainly are not *must do's* and are probably more like *maybe don't bother.* But if you are looking for something to work on, these are possibilities.
- If you want a little more handling out of the front of the car, consider Caster/Camber plates (I only recommend MM ones, no others). These plates will let you put as much caster into the wheels and set up a custom camber. However, this is really only useful when you start taking turns at high speed. You probably won't see much benefit from them on the street. If you go with coilovers you will pretty much have to use CC plates.
- New rear lower control arms (RCLA's) if you care to remove the quad shocks; if you are okay with the quad shocks being there, then stock RLCA's are fine. Note that quad shocks may get in the way of super wide tires in the rear
- MM solid steering shaft. Replaces worn out OEM steering shaft - the rag joint is rubber and breaks down over time adding slop to the steering. If your OEM steering shaft is in really bad shape to get a new(er) one in good shape from the salvage yard. If you have to buy one new, compare the price to the MM solid steering shaft, then pick the one you want. Bear in mind that the MM solid shaft is just that - solid. No rubber joint. Which means more NVH is transmitted from your wheels/chassis into your steering wheel, possibly making for an unpleasant DD'er. I would suggest sticking with stock if you need one and can find one in really good condition.
- SS brake lines. You don't really need these. It's a relatively easy upgrade you can do, and not too expensive, but you won't really notice much difference in a DD. Now, once you upgrade to larger brakes, super aggressive brake pads, *then* it's time to SS brake lines. But for normal street driving, it is certainly not necessary, but a fun/easy project should you decide you want to do something to the car.
- New water temp gauge (or any aftermarket gauges in general). The stock one is notorious for being wrong and/or not giving much info. An aftermarket replacement is more precise. However, if you don't have issues with the car overheating, then I wouldn't both with the gauge. Only do it if you feel like doing a weekend project. The instrument cluster in the car is sufficient, you don't really need oil pressure, water temp, all that stuff unless you are thrashing on the car - then you should care a lot. The only exception here, maybe, is a boost gauge for your supercharger. Because they are fun to watch. However, you don't really need one as the supercharger is going to boost regardless of whether there is a gauge or not. But it sure is fun watching that need go into boost. It might also make you want to run more boost, so it could be a bad thing
I'm sure I'm missing a few things, let me think on it some more and if I come up with anything else I'll post it.
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
Good advice above! Well thought out...thanks MCGLSR2....(uhhh does LSR stand for anything from the dark side? LOL)
Thanks Everyone for the input. MCGLSR2 - great advice that I will be revisiting!
I had a little time today to do some more diagnostic evaluation. There is a pretty horrible right/left situation... the car shakes. Initially, I thought it was in the rear end... so we jacked up the back and did some investigating. The rear end seems to be firm with no signs of anything that would cause this... So, we jacked up the front end - passenger side was fine - no real play or nothing. Moving to the driver's side exposed the problem. It appears the previous owners did not keep the air in the front tire appropriate and it has some pretty sever cupping. That has caused the wheel bearings to fail, allowing for a side to side movement when there should be none. The good news? $100 worth of parts and I can have both sides fixed. At that point, I can further evaluate failed components.
My new plan is to find the failed components only and replace them as needed. That way, I keep my overall cost for parts that are eventually getting upgraded/replaced to a minimum.
Ordered new tires today too - Kumho Ecsta AST's...
Rufus
I had a little time today to do some more diagnostic evaluation. There is a pretty horrible right/left situation... the car shakes. Initially, I thought it was in the rear end... so we jacked up the back and did some investigating. The rear end seems to be firm with no signs of anything that would cause this... So, we jacked up the front end - passenger side was fine - no real play or nothing. Moving to the driver's side exposed the problem. It appears the previous owners did not keep the air in the front tire appropriate and it has some pretty sever cupping. That has caused the wheel bearings to fail, allowing for a side to side movement when there should be none. The good news? $100 worth of parts and I can have both sides fixed. At that point, I can further evaluate failed components.
My new plan is to find the failed components only and replace them as needed. That way, I keep my overall cost for parts that are eventually getting upgraded/replaced to a minimum.
Ordered new tires today too - Kumho Ecsta AST's...
Rufus
Sure thing, and nope, it's all part of my name - it's my college account from grad school and I just sort of always stuck with it after that. But maybe that means *I'm* of the dark side....hmmmmm (if I had an evil goatee I'd totally be stroking it right now).
No worries, I hope it helps. The best thing to start with is exactly what you are doing - find the normal maintenance issues and get them sorted. Then you can start on the fun stuff knowing you have a good foundation to base mods on
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