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New to forums. Novice 93 mustang enthusiast.

mattman93

mattman93

New Member
I recently purchased my 93 GT Convertible. Its basically stock besides the BBK air intake. Im intersted in getting this bad boy some power but i don't know where to begin. Where should a rookie car builder like myself start? I don't have a whole lot of experience working on cars but if i have enough time i am confident i can do anything. I would love do get some suggestion from everybody.
 

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Welcome! I too have a 93 Convertible, and they're great cars. We went with a crate motor that a speed shop built about 14 years ago. I'd recommend the same. If you don't want to go that route, Trick Flow makes top end kits for your 5.0. A quality exhaust system is nice too. I'd also recommend upgrading the 4-lug brakes to SN-95 5-lugs, upgrade your transmission to be able to take the HP/TQ increase while also upgrading the clutch & flywheel. Change out the rear end gears, depending on what purpose you intend for the car (3.27, 3.55, 3.73 are good for the street, not a fan of 4.10). Suspension will need upgrading too. You could also stiffen the chassis using subframe connectors and strut tower brace, etc. Take is slowly and surely at first, then as you get more comfortable and experienced go more in depth. Just remember, for every modification made, you need another to compensate for that change. Best of luck! Any questions feel free to ask!
 
Stand back, take a few deep breaths and listen.....do I have your attention??? I've had mine for about 5 year now and other then that fact that "we"can do most of the work to the cars ourselves...it never ends!!!! Its not rocket science but it can get that exspensive deprnding on what you want out of the car. First winter I did the brakes and shocks and struts over about a 4 month winter. That following spring paint and body work by a shop by the house blew my wallet apart. If it weren't for my side job lawn care and snow removal for the neighborhood I wouldn't have my (what my wife calls) The Mustang Fund!!!! LOL It will take a few more car shows and too many web site to open your mind to just what is out there for the fever you just contracted. You'll get to the piont where "ENOUGH ALREADY" only last for a few seconds... This winter I replace the headers I replace two years ago, motor and trans mount, oil pan gasket, sub frame connectors done at a shop and to top it off another hotter coil pack, cap, rotors and wires..... Oh did I mention I took of the cats and added the new X pipe??? And I haven't had it off the driveway yet.....The weather, yeah forgot to tell you about that.....Is that the Rockie Mountians behind ya???
 
Thanks for the advice John2002. It sounds like you know to have some fun. I think that once I'm done making it look the way i want I'm going to start on the suspension with all new struts and shocks, then to equal flow exhaust headers. That's all i can really handle by myself for now. Once I learn a bit more i might get a new intake manifold and then some new heads. Does that sound like a good start or does anybody have any advice?
 
oh and yes. Those are the Rocky Mountains in Utah. And yes, that is what the beginning of convertible weather looks like here. ha ha. But if you from an area with similar weather than you probably do the same.
 
One thing at a time was what I kept telling myself. Get as much done in the time I thought I had while the wheels were off was my way of doing things. Do do some planning with the intake, hearder and exhaust, there are so many option, brands and prices your head will spin.... Its been a very good hobby from day one and everything else I do to the car somehow gets me more involved with it. Oh, I just remembered... I put on a strut tower brace too, see... I did so much at one time I forgot I did that...
Did you name your car?
Ours is "Summer", as in... thats the only time she'll be out of the garage...

Good luck and keep posting your progress....
 
If you're just learning I'd start with the simple things, remove the smog pump and run a shorter belt. There is a thread on here with proper belt length and routing to do it. Takes 20 minutes and frees up some power. Next I'd do a new intake manifold and throttle body. I would suggest either an edelbrock performer or holley systemax. But any aftermarket manifold will give you a noticeable gain. Don't be afraid to ask us for help in your project. And welcome to the foxbody family!
 
Will, summer is going to be here tomorrow....could of had her out today but I've been laid up with a sore back since Sunday night. I got my father-in-laws car back in the garage again. He bought the car new in March of 2012 and stopped driving it in October 2013. We took it back to him the first week of March and now the battery won't hold a charge. I'm getting a new battery in the morning after my appointment with my chiropractor.
Sun up , top down.....
 
Thanks. I think Ill start with the manifold and throttle body. Emissions in Utah wont allow me to remove the smog pump and keep it on the street though..what gears bandit? Transmission or differential?
 
Yeah, we forget that the EPA is everywhere, I took the cats off but kept the O2's and smog pump. I read more con's then pro's about fuel injection minus its emission controls. Most end up turning the engine back into a carbereted and loose the OBD. Mine is 25 years old now and doesn't have to be checked anymore, is that the same in Utah?
 
Gears are the best bang for the buck on a stock motor. An intake is almost wasted money on stock e7 heads. The easy way to go is the trick flow top end kit. Little to no gains with a cam swap and stock heads.

Get some decent shorty headers and a high flow cat h pipe along with the gears.

On my 93 I'm doing a v8 swap. So far I've built an 8.8 with 31 spline, 3.73's, 5 lug fox width axles with sn95 brakes out back and 95 spindles and 2000 brakes up front. Subframes and c springs. All in the last month since I bought it. Plans are cold ac and low 11's by mid summer.
 
careyraley said:
Gears are the best bang for the buck on a stock motor. An intake is almost wasted money on stock e7 heads. The easy way to go is the trick flow top end kit. Little to no gains with a cam swap and stock heads.

Get some decent shorty headers and a high flow cat h pipe along with the gears.

On my 93 I'm doing a v8 swap. So far I've built an 8.8 with 31 spline, 3.73's, 5 lug fox width axles with sn95 brakes out back and 95 spindles and 2000 brakes up front. Subframes and c springs. All in the last month since I bought it. Plans are cold ac and low 11's by mid summer.
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Haha he said he's just learning. A head swap may not be super difficult after you've done it, but it's really easy to screw it up and waste a motor with improper torque or valve adjustment.

Rear end gears are definitely the quickest way to get more seat of the pants feel (rear end to answer the OPs question not trans) but installing a set it pretty tedious and if you don't get the lash right you will burn them up in no time. My suggestion is to find a rearend with taller gears in it to begin with and swap the whole thing. It's way easier to just unbolt the rearend and swap it then it is to tear it apart.

Of course if you're up for te challenge, head swap and a gear change are more then doable in your garage, just takes some know how. If you are fairly confident in your ability to "figure it out" then the Internet has all the info you need.

I wouldn't call a manifold and throttle body swap a waste on stock heads. My street car picked up 4 tenths in the 1/8th mile with just a manifold and a CAI with a timing bump. Obviously there's always a way to get MORE power, but for someone that's learning, MORE power is MORE power. I wouldn't get too wrapped up in the whole, "you're only going to get 25 horse" thing. That's still 25 more then you had before!
 
Thanks Blown347. Thats all great advice and i totally agree. right now more power is more power. Right now doing a throttle body would probably be the best fit for my current abilities. Ill probable look into doing the rear end gears after. that looks a lot easier and safer than doing a head swap. Right now im finishing up working on my interior. Thanks for the help guys.
 
mattman93 said:
Thanks Blown347. Thats all great advice and i totally agree. right now more power is more power. Right now doing a throttle body would probably be the best fit for my current abilities. Ill probable look into doing the rear end gears after. that looks a lot easier and safer than doing a head swap. Right now im finishing up working on my interior. Thanks for the help guys.
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No problem, that's what we're here for!

A side note, putting a bigger throttle body on a stock intake won't give you any power, the opening on the manifold is still 55mm, so it won't push any more air. The only thing it might do is give a little better throttle response if the stocker is worn out. If you're on a tight budget the intake off an explorer will give you some power gains, and the throttle body opening on them is 65mm so you can take advantage of a bigger TB too.
 
I highly recommend doing a lot of research and reading. There is a lot to learn on the internet, there is a lot to read on this site alone. Make a checklist and prioritize it according to wants/funds/ability and return on investment. As you increase horsepower, don't forget that an important upgrade is the brakes. These ponies have a lot of git up an go and very little whoa.
That's a nice ride you got there, good luck with it and keep us posted with lots of pictures!
 
so im getting ready to the the explorer intake swap and have a few questions. Should I also replace the lower intake with the top? Does the throttle body from the Explorer easily swap into the Mustang? Im not sure but shouldn't the size of the throttle body and EGR spacer be equal to the manifold? Any additional thoughts would be awesome
 
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