Basic Mods?

[93GTDIN]

Hey Mustang Owners,
I own a 1993 GT aod Convertible, and does 0-60 in 8.0. I was wondering if there were any basic mods that wont empty my wallet, that may also work to better this number as effectively as possible.

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1993 GT Convertible, AOD, all stock

[Mad Horse]

Well there are a lot of little things you can do for free or little cost. You could probably look up "First Mods" in the search engine and get a good list.
Such things include removing the air silencer in the fender well behind the air box. Get a K&N air filter ($40). Use synthetic oils in the rear and front. Bump your timming to around 14 degrees. Buy some under-drive pulleys ($75). Get new plugs and wires($24-$60).
These are some of the things you can do. There is a ton more but I'll let others throw in.

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88GT 5-speed
Bolt ons:Ram Air, K&N,
PS91 coil, Accel Cap/Rotor, 190lph Fuel pump, Pro 5.0, March Pullies, DynoMax Cat-back, 16" Ponies, 3.73 gears.
"Nip it in the Bud"
My Mustang Homepage

[AxemanZZ]

If you are mechanically inclined and are capable of installing a ring and pinion gear you could get a set of 4.10:1 rear end gears and it would really wake the car up for around $175. Do the free stuff mentioned above too.

Had a typo, all better now =P
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90 Mustang LX 5.0
My Ride*My Site

[This message has been edited by AxemanZZ (edited 01-09-2001).]

[90dpscoupe]

mmm no, get (4.10) gears in the rear, this alone would probaly knock off a second, a shift kit, well the free mods first, advance timing about 14....pull silencer, go ahead and get a cold air induction.

[MY91GT]

I agree with all the above mentioned recommendations. If you havent already, make sure you replace the fuel filter, and get new plugs and wires. Gears are going to be the best bang for the buck--4:10's would be the way to go. When my GT was an AOD, i dropped about .5 off my 1/4 mile with just going to 3:73 gears from 2:73's. Exhaust is also a good way to go. If you want to make your aod ride eventually you will have to do with a stall. Hope this helps

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TW Heads, TW Steet Intake, 65mm TB, 75mm MM, Anderson N-2 cam, melling oil pump, underdrives, paxton regulator, bbk 155 intank, 30lbers, motorsport alum rad, accell 8.8 wire, msd ignition and coil, 3.73 gear, WC t-5z, cobra clutch, K&N, hooker shorties, pacesetter h-pipe, and dynomax cat back, mac upper and lower control arms, no front sway bar. I think that's it. GO ILLINI!!!
12.985 @ 107.43 w/ 1.929 60' time on street tires.

[Rev]

And then there's the shift kit. Not too much $$$, and not too tough to install. May not help e.t.'s much, but it's more fun to drive.

Rev

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'66 Coupe, 306, 300 HP, C-4, 13.97 e.t., 100.3 mph
1/4 mi.

[Skankin]

GEARS! (unless highway mileage is a big concern).

Ya, remove the air silencer, get a K/N filter, do a good tune up. Get rid of any excess weight... the verts are porkers.

Relocating your battery to the trunk will help weight distribution. Might be more trouble than it's worth.

The stock H-pipe has 4 cats, and is just aweful... get an offroad ($120) or high-flow pipe (catco $249 @ summitt).

An underdrive crank pulley is great. Frees up power, and saves the accessories. I'd leave the stock water pump and alt pulley though.

Get an SN95 or MarkVIII electric fan (much better than aftermarket stuff). It frees up about 20HP, and keeps a more consitant temperature.

Some 1.7 cobra roller rockers would give you a little more lift, yet retain your cylinder pressure. ($180 + valve cover gaskets).

That should be close to 40HP for under $600.

Gears and a shift kit would certainly be worthwhile though.

Next step would be GT40P heads ($200), race flow valves ($200), cam kit ($210), headers ($240), intake ($385). That's another 40HP easy (but more costly)... some work on the heads would give you more.

Getting more serious, forget the P's, get some Al heads, intake, cam, etc. More HP, more $$$.

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'89.5 5L LX, hatch, Medium Canyon Red, 155K Km (No winters), 5sp, 3.08, GT interior, a/c, Alpine CD, K/N, Crane PS91, Walbro 190 LPH, March Pulleys, Mr. Gasket 180 therm (HP balanced), 3 core rad, MarkVIII fan, Variflow controller, Polygraphite front bushings, FMS-5300B springs, 6 KYB's, 73mm Calipers, Maximum Motorsport 4pt chassis brace, Western Motorsport Racing's Sub-frame connectors. Re-ringed bottom end, conv. motor mounts, melling oil pump, FMS-C50 waterpump, GT40P heads (blended, polli

[93GTDIN]

I'm a little bit confused on the concept behind a shift kit. What is it exactly?

[89FHPLX]

CAN YOU REALLY GET 20HP FOR ONLY REMOVING THE STOCK FAN AND PUTTING ON A ELECTRIC FAN??
COME ON....THAT CAN'T BE

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89 Police Interceptor
BBK Shorty Headers, K@N Cone Filter,H-pipe no cats, 2 chamber FlowMasters,Under Drive Pullys,14 degree Timing, Short Belt, No Air Silencer, oil cooler, 3.08's, And All Police Package goodies

[Skankin]

There was a guy on the corral that dynoed a stock fan, clutch fan, and electric... and the electric freed up around 24HP on his combo. (I think I posted it here a while ago... do a search).

Clutch fans have a bit of rotational mass, and if the clutch is worn, they can be absolutely brutal at high RPM. The flex fans can be pretty noisy (lots of resistance) at higher RPM.

A good electric fan will require a 130 amp alternator (forgot to factor that into the cost). The new amp is definitely worthwhile anyway...

[88COBRA]

93GTDIN

A shift kit changes the shifts points in your AOD. It will rev higher before a shift, and shift harder.

If you decide to go that route, do not get the B&M kit.

I would suggest that you leave the tranny alone for now. Go with the gears and the free stuff mentioned.

Oh, and I have heard of people getting over 20HP from changing the stock fan to an electric.

Ian

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Ian Sim
webmaster@stangpower.com
STORED: 1988 Mustang GT "Canadian Cobra", stock, AOD, loaded
WANT XENON HEADLIGHTS AND WHITE FACE GAUGES? Visit my site:
http://www.stangpower.com

[silver_pilate]

93GTDIN,

What does a shift kit do?

A quality shift kit will change the way fluid flows through the vavle body of your transmission. This is accomplished by changing some springs and valves. Transgo makes one of the best kits out there.

How hard is it to do?

It really isn't all too difficult of a mod. The kit comes with a video and written instructions that walk you through each part. You'll have to pull the valve body off the car from underneath, but that's not bad, either. After that, its step 1, step 2, step 3....

Why do you need a shift kit?

The stock AOD is a relatively weak tranny for performance purposes. It has smallish bands and clutches, and shifts are slow and light. The slow shifting characteristics mean that more time is spent in "slip" between positive gear engagement. This long period of slip puts extra strain and wear on the inherently weak bands. A shift kit changes fluid pressures and flow in the valve body causing the tranny shifts to be quick and firm. Less slip time = less wear and better performance.

A Transgo kit will set you back about $110, but it is essential for AOD trannies. You'll love the confident shifts and it will cut time off of your et.

As far as the rest of the tranny goes, to make it run, you're going to need a torque converter that stalls around 2500-2800 rpms (works basically like the clutch on a 5-speed, linking the flywheel to the input shaft of the tranny). The stock unit stalls around 1500 rpms which is a bit to low for the 302's powerband.

In case you aren't familiar with it, stall speed is where the converter directly links the flywheel and input shaft in a 1:1 ratio. Before this number, the converter slips and multiplies torque through fluid dynamics. This characteristic allows your engine to reach stall speed very quickly. Go out in your car and sit at idle. It should idle near 800-900 rpms. Then, take off quickly and watch the rpm's jump to around 1500 almost instantaneously. This is call the flash stall speed and is very close to actual stall speed. Some people tell you to find it by holding the break and reving the engine until you move, but that is not accurate as the breaks will not hold the car still until actual stall speed is reached.

For an AOD to perform with a 5-speed, it takes a set of gears (3.73's or 4.10's), a good shift kit, and a good converter all of which work together to get your engine into its powerband as quickly as possible.

That's my lesson for today on basic automatic drivetrain. If you have any questions, let me know.

--nathan

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--silver_pilate

'91 GT, Built 306, Wolverine 1087 cam, ported Windsor Jr. Irons, and all the goodies...click the link to the left to see a full list of my mods...

Tried and True 302 Being Built to Outrun You! heh heh heh...
--Texas Panhandle--
Check out my site

[93GTDIN]

So if I want to change my fan to an electric, am I going to have to swap the alternator too? Also, whereabouts can I find a good fan, and what kind of difficulties am I looking at regarding installation?

[Green92LX]

Hey Skankin, you said that the guy who did the dyno test was testing a stock fan to a clutch fan to an electric fan. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't a stock fan in fact a clutch type fan? So, then how accurate is your post?

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1992 5.0 LX, Edelbrock 6037 Heads, Cobra Intake,E-303, 1.6 Rollers,65MM Holley TB, 75 MM Pro M Mass Air, 190 LPH FP w/ 24 lb injectors,BBK equal length shorties,offroad h-pipe,Mac Flowpath Cat-Back, Pro 5.0, 3.73's,Motorsport "C" springs,welded subframe connectors

Daily driver: 89 notch with 200K plus, BBK shorties,offroad,2-chamber flowmasters with dumps, cut and welded stock shifter...and it runs like a champ.

[Skankin]

Ya, that was a misprint... he dyno'd a stock/clutch fan, flex fan, and electric.

The SN95 electric fan is probably the best swap... unless you find a 93 Mark VIII fan... they had a wicked fan design, but it was changed because of the noise. Both of these fans pull more air than aftermarket stuff like the 'black tragic'.

I got a MarkVIII fan from the wreckers for $50. I got a www.psm1.com variflow controller for $100 US, to controll it. You could just use a switch/relay, or a thermostat switch (Hayden? available at Jegs etc).

I ordered my 130amp alt. through the wreckers, and got a brand new, genuine Ford unit for $180 Canadian (that's only $120 US).

Do a search for the alt swap... (smithmonte.homepage.com? he's also got fan swap info). Don't just splice the stock 10 gauge wires. Make sure you wire a 4 guage from the alt, to the battery/silonoid.

[89FHPLX]

Man I need to try this fan replacement stuff. If I can get 20hp more? Then I'm doing it. I gotta see if I have a 130amp alt.
Here's a dumb question.....what does SN95 stand for?

[Mad Horse]

SN95 is a 1995 Mustang!! There is no such thing as a dumb question.

As for those that have done the fan switch to an electric...is it that hard to hook up..what other components do you have to buy and how much is it going to cost in the end. I would switch my stock fan for an electric too for even 10 horse if it won't cost me too much that is.

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88GT 5-speed
Bolt ons:Ram Air, K&N,
PS91 coil, Accel Cap/Rotor, 190lph Fuel pump, Pro 5.0, March Pullies, DynoMax Cat-back, 16" Ponies, 3.73 gears.
"Nip it in the Bud"
My Mustang Homepage

[90dpscoupe]

Im having no problem with my alternator, although it might be a stronger police alternator,

20 hp from an elctrc fan? dont know, however i improved .2 tenths and 2 mph.

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90 lx coupe: Mac cold air fenderwell, accel supercoil,advncd ignition,3-core radiatr, FMS alum D/S, Black magic fan, 3.27grs, 3chbr flows.
Best time: 14.20(on 225/60/15 firehawks)
Best mph 97.80
Best 60' 2.1
next mods: subframes, 3.73's

[Skankin]

Actually, the first SN95 mustang was the 1994... it refers to the chassis model, which was slightly different than the 79-93 Fox 3 chassis. (I don't know what SN95 actually stands for though).

The 130amp alt came standard on the 94 up. It's a 3rd Generation alt, with the fan on the inside. NOt all 3G's are 130 amp though. Also, some of them have really cheap internals, so it's best to find a Motomaster unit (one from the wreckers should be alright).

[clearwaterms]

SN95

S= specialty= the market the mustang is in
N=North american operations
95 is the revision number that is an internal ford numbering sequence.

That info comes from MM&FF ask bernie section