holley505

iTrader: (1)

What he said! Oh thats me...

Budget 5.3 with auto tranny... good set of heads (ls6 or 317 milled) nice cam 230-240 with 3,000 to 3,500 stall in your 4 speed auto.... 3.73 gear and drag radials. You will go 11's and have a nice driver.

Spend more money get LS1 or LS2 pull out... just stick with auto...

If you really want stick ADD 1,500 to 2,500 to your BUDGET

CORDY

yeah i really want a stick, its just the fun factor of shifting. if it was my racecar then i would drop in a auto. iam just tring to get as many opinions as possible so i spend my money wisely on performance that is. can really go wrong with both. i just would like a 11 sec daily as cheap as possible.

CORDY

i have 07 gmc sierra with the 5.3 in it, maybe the fiancee would let me put that in the mustang lol i dought it

ucf_stang

iTrader: (1)

you can pick up a 8.8" rear end for less than $500 easily. you can also upgrade straight to a 9" from Moser for $999 minus the third member. Selling his GT and buying an identical car but a V6 would save him atleast $4000-5000.

CORDY

so do you think i should start with a v6 or just buy a 2002 ss or z? i wanted to ask you all on ls1tech because most of you know the f-body pretty well and could be helpful which you all have thanks again. i have owned mustangs my whole life and now starting to look into the gm after buying my 07 sierra 5.3. anyone have any pros and cons about the 02 camaro? they have great motors but the car seems cheap to me, i really dont know cause i havnt been around the f-bodys that long.

CORDY

i also looked at the gto's but they dont look like a sports car more like a grocery getter. i dont want a race car just a daily that i dont have to put to much into like i would if i kept my 2v. thats the great thing about chevy a h/c swap bolt ons and your hauling ***!!! also i called a shop to see what it would cost to swap everything (ls1 into my mustang) they told me around 22k. if thats the case i will be driving my slow 2v around lol

LSNotch

iTrader: (1)

You are not really saving money going with a v6. The price of the GT's have declined so much that it's not even funny. I own a 04 GT with less than 25k miles and did I check on value and almost cried. They aren't worth a damn! It pisses me off so bad lol!!

You car is paid off like mine but the value is crap, so why go to a v6? Just sell the 2v engine, electronics, transmission and make money instead.

jleews6

iTrader: (2)

If I were you I would sell all your 4.6 junk (motor,trans,harness ect.) then go buy a 6.0L with a 4l80E. The cost of the new stuff wouldnt be much more then what you would get for your stuff.
Then mill the heads for a little compressin,Install a 228 cam and a nice converter.
Now you have a bullet proof drivetrain including the motor,trans and rear that will run 11s get decent fuel mileage and would stay together for a long time.
When you get board with it put a small kit on it or some boost and run in the tens.

rocket5979

iTrader: (1)

If you look in the right areas you can get some pretty affordable stuff. Salvage yards net some pretty good stuff.

Whether the OP would decided to go with a terminator motor or N/A 5.4 DOHC is sort of up to preference. Both can make good power, with the terminator motor obviously topping out with much more power. However, some people still prefer N/A combos which was the reason why 5.4 DOHC was mentioned.

rocket5979

iTrader: (1)

Ummm no... Stock terminator motors has been taken past 700rwhp on a regular basis with ZERO issues. Some have been past 900rwhp on totally stock bottom end without issue. The LSx motors are pretty stout but the terminator motors are stronger in stock form. Both can be built to withstand more power and make more power than most prefer.

If you want the cheapest 11 second daily driver then just do FULL boltons w/ cams and ported heads on your 2v 4.6 with a 100 shot of nitrous. With FULL boltons you will be solidly into the 12's and with the shot of nitrous will be middle 11's if you can hook. That would be the cheapest route. The 2v 4.6's get a bad rap for not being able to make power and it is only partially true. While they don't respond as well as a 4.6 DOHC does to mods they will make good power if you mod them correctly. The key is to ensure that all of your mods compliment each other. That is the general rule of thumb for modding any car but the 4.6 2v is more finicky than most engines so it takes a little better thought out approach to make good power while N/A. Another option would be to just throw a blower on the 4.6 and go 11's also. Those 4.6 2v bottom ends will hold 400rwhp in stock form for a pretty long time WITH A SOLID TUNE. If you only want 11's then that 4.6 2v will take you there easily and then some. No need for any swaps.

mknight759

iTrader: (8)

^^^What a ford fan get his *** out of here!!!!!

Noxious

x2 on 6.0 and 4l80

I was once a "stick only" guy but realized the benefits of an auto. The only way I would be dead set on a manual trans is if the car were to see autox or road racing. Otherwise, if you have budget constraints you really can't beat a 6.0 and 4l80. The tranny is pretty much bullet proof and the 6.0 is nasty with very little work. I wouldn't put in a 4l60 unless you didn't plan on performance mods because you will have to either upgrade it shortly or switch to a 4l80 and since you'd be transplanting anyway it's better to start with the 80. And yeah, I've had a guy ride in my car and didn't think it's that quick compared to his manual equipped mustang.....until he raced me and was more than a second slower in the 1/8th. If the "feel" of a manual is that important to you it's going to cost ya.

6.0 with a nice cam, nitrous, and a stall is very easy to do and could net you dead reliable 10s with traction.

ucf_stang

iTrader: (1)

the GT prices may have dropped a bunch, but so have the V6 prices. And you won't get much money out of selling off a stock 2v motor really. that isn't much of a sought after item.

holley505

iTrader: (1)

F-)K It

Buy a 79-93 Fox

Keep your GT for a driver

rocket5979

iTrader: (1)

newb. I have probably turned wrenches on more GM's than you have, let alone Fords too.

getsum27

i just got my ls1 swap finished in my foxbody
if your not going to do ALL of the work yourself like i did there is no way it is cost effective!!!!!!!!!!! and to be honest you dont sound like your gonna do any of it yourself
im a big mustang fan and F body fan
i say you have just a couple REAL options
1. put a procharger or high end kenne bell on the GT
2.sell it and buy a camaro ls1 6 speed
There is no better choices than those two. period!

BigRobSS

iTrader: (1)

There is one better option...buy a Trans Am! I heard they come with an LS1, 6 speed and look hella sexy lol.

mknight759

iTrader: (8)

If you have its because you couldn't fix it the first time.

rocket5979

iTrader: (1)

This coming from the same guy who, not more than 2 months ago, had to post a thread to ask if he should get retuned after getting a stall? Or the same guy who actually had to post a thread asking people to tell him how to read his dyno sheet in relation to his mods?... Yeah, buddy you don't have any room to talk **** when it comes to wrenching and know-how regardless if I am providing Ford technical information or GM technical information. How about you quit before you dig your hole deeper than it already is newb.

slingshot928

I like the cobra motor swap in the mustang better than throwing an lsx especially if you just want a fun street car. On a side note, sorry to screw up the thread, rocket how much horsepower does the explorer make? My dad owned a 02 4.6 XLT, and I was thinking about buying one, a nice everyday driver.