Someone educate me!!

[lwarrior1016]

Tvsn95 nailed it. The ecu is going to be a huge hurdle. Megasquirt has a plug and play option, or you could go Holley stand alone. But the truth of that is either you will learn how to tune or you will pay someone to remote tune or dyno tune.

I wasn’t aware of the turbo kits that fit around the factory k member.

 

[Callmety24]

I would really like to be able to do as much as possible myself so lesrning how to tune would be huge for me, which setup would you reccomend stand or plug and play? I imagine standalone would be more expensive, as well as more in depth in terms of tuning it yourself


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[lwarrior1016]

Question first, do you want to rewire the car or do you want simplicity of plugging in the ecu and then tuning.

 

[Callmety24]

Probably plug and play, because i dont know the first thing about rewiring a car lol

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[ttocs]

how much work have you done on the car? When you get into tuning there is more to it than just plugging in the hardware and clicking start on the software. I would ask around for dyno tuners and see if anyone is close enough before I go down the self tune route. Its not all plug and play self learnig "tuning fer dummies" that people make out to be.

 

[Callmety24]

I really havent done much, and know nothing about tuning so maybe its a good idea to look for a shop to do it.. what is your opinion on the plug and play or stand alone ecus?

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[Callmety24]

Also, im unfamiliar with irs, torque arm/panhard bar, for a rear end setup, whats all of that mean and whats the difference between them?

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me learn. Its a huge help [emoji120]

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[ttocs]

I really havent done much, and know nothing about tuning so maybe its a good idea to look for a shop to do it.. what is your opinion on the plug and play or stand alone ecus?

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Also, im unfamiliar with irs, torque arm/panhard bar, for a rear end setup, whats all of that mean and whats the difference between them?

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me learn. Its a huge help [emoji120]

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IRS - independent rear suspension. Mustangs come with a SRA - straight rear axle and the 03-04 cobras come with IRS. IRS is a smoother riding system but drag racers with high hp prefer the sra.

A panhard bar keeps the rear end in place/straight on a SRA car

I really think you would be better off finding a dyno that can tune the stock ecu.

 

[Callmety24]

IRS - independent rear suspension. Mustangs come with a SRA - straight rear axle and the 03-04 cobras come with IRS. IRS is a smoother riding system but drag racers with high hp prefer the sra.

A panhard bar keeps the rear end in place/straight on a SRA car

I really think you would be better off finding a dyno that can tune the stock ecu.

So if im not just going in a straight line the irs is probably the better choice right? For better cornering and handling in general?

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[Callmety24]

Also i will be looking for a dyno tuner near me that can hopefully work with the stock ecu, if i cannot then i suppose i will be back here to figure out which ecu to get [emoji23]

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[lwarrior1016]

A solid axle with a torque arm and panhard bar will corner just as good as a fully built IRS. The only thing I can see better about the irs is maybe the ride being more comfortable.

If you do not find a shop to tune this computer (that is problematic all on its own) the only option I know for plug and play ecu is megasquirt. It is still a stand alone ecu but it plugs in to the factory connector and uses the factory wiring. You just use your laptop to tune it on the fly.

 

[Daryl]

Late arrival to your thread, sorry. Welcome to the herd! Question: I’m seeing a Cobra emblem but you said it’s a GT. Which is it?!
Could make a difference in future mods and upgrades. Just looking out for ya.

And, FWIW, you asked where to start. If you have high HP planned for your future, do the chassis and suspension mods first. My unsolicited $.02

 

[Callmety24]

Late arrival to your thread, sorry. Welcome to the herd! Question: I’m seeing a Cobra emblem but you said it’s a GT. Which is it?!
Could make a difference in future mods and upgrades. Just looking out for ya.

And, FWIW, you asked where to start. If you have high HP planned for your future, do the chassis and suspension mods first. My unsolicited $.02

It is a gt, the previous owner was attempting some sort of a cobra clone, but didnt get anything that actually made a cobra lol, im currently waiting for the coyote style 5.0 emblems for the sides

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[Callmety24]

Also thanks for the welcome. And advice, i have a small list of suspension and chasis parts listed up and waiting for payday lol

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[Daryl]

Also thanks for the welcome. And advice, i have a small list of suspension and chasis parts listed up and waiting for payday lol

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May I humbly suggest full length sub-frame connectors. Stiffen and support the chassis for what you plan to do HP-wise.

A pan hard bar is super stiff so I’ve been advised that it’s better for drag cars not drivers/canyon carvers!

 

[Callmety24]

May I humbly suggest full length sub-frame connectors. Stiffen and support the chassis for what you plan to do HP-wise.

A pan hard bar is super stiff so I’ve been advised that it’s better for drag cars not drivers/canyon carvers!

I have a set of full length picked out and waiting on pay day, and roger that about the panhard bar thank you [emoji120]

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[tvsn95]

Check out the top of line Holley stuff, It comes with the wiring, ecu,WB's, software and start up tunes. You will not need to be a genius to install.
A good hot rod/ tuning shop will be capable if you are not comfortable. The real plus is that it will all be new and un butchered, And the cost of tuning software and extras are ALREADY their.
IF you decide to tune the factory ECU, you will need $ for tuning software, $ for a piggyback, $ for WB's and $ for expert advice. And I will add that anybody that has any real experience with tuning the OLD original ECU and does not see the limitations and problems both $$ wise and age related Is either VERY lucky or has little experience.
The latest project I am involved with is an 86 fox that I converted to a 96 F150 OBD2 ECU. that's a 60 pin to 104 pin conversion. I would NOT recommend this to anybody, and I will not do this insanity again.
Don't get me wrong, the 96 ECU is a much better processor than the older stuff. So since I have all the $$ invested in the tuning already and have some experience , it was logical ,,,even if not smart to do so.
Cost wise , I will do the Holley route next time. My 2c worth

 

[Callmety24]

Check out the top of line Holley stuff, It comes with the wiring, ecu,WB's, software and start up tunes. You will not need to be a genius to install.
A good hot rod/ tuning shop will be capable if you are not comfortable. The real plus is that it will all be new and un butchered, And the cost of tuning software and extras are ALREADY their.
IF you decide to tune the factory ECU, you will need $ for tuning software, $ for a piggyback, $ for WB's and $ for expert advice. And I will add that anybody that has any real experience with tuning the OLD original ECU and does not see the limitations and problems both $$ wise and age related Is either VERY lucky or has little experience.
The latest project I am involved with is an 86 fox that I converted to a 96 F150 OBD2 ECU. that's a 60 pin to 104 pin conversion. I would NOT recommend this to anybody, and I will not do this insanity again.
Don't get me wrong, the 96 ECU is a much better processor than the older stuff. So since I have all the $$ invested in the tuning already and have some experience , it was logical ,,,even if not smart to do so.
Cost wise , I will do the Holley route next time. My 2c worth

I will be looking into the holley stand alone then, ive been thinking about a wire tuck and going for a shaven engine bay anyway so going that route would probably help with eliminating some of the excess i imagine.. Correct if im wrong lol

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[lwarrior1016]

Biggest problem with Holley (I have Holley now and had megasquirt prior to this) is that it cannot control the factory gauges. Then you have to factor in the cost for a digital dash or custom gauge setup. Not that the factory gauges are really any good, but it would be more cost right up front to go Holley and have to do a dash. Then you are $3k+ in to it and still have to tune or pay to get it tuned.

 

[tvsn95]

thats interesting, on my 94 none of the gauges , except Tach which gets its signal from the PIP, are ecu controlled, Also none of the older Fox's are either.
If I have missed something , bring me up to speed.