TwitchZ28

iTrader: (3)

Ok so I know a lot of you are going to laugh but this is a serious question.

I have been tossing around the idea of trading my 63 thousand mile 02 z28 the last year or so because a lot of the little things have been bothering me. Interior rattles, poor ride, crap seats, the list goes on.

Well I drove a 2003 Mustang Mach 1 last week as a possible trade offer and I have to say...it felt MILES better in terms of quality. It just felt like quality. It was similar mileage to my z28, it had 57k on the clock, but the interior didn't rattle, the ride was smooth, the seats were fantastic, it handled way better, the brakes were fantastic(factory brembo rotors), and even though it had much louder exhaust it was much quieter in the cab. I'll admit the driving position is less than sporty and the shifter throw is awful, and the plastics for the door panels, dash, and console are even worse than the f-body...but somehow even though they felt worse to the touch they must be screwed together better because the end product felt tighter.

Even though I have subframe connectors and a strut tower brace my car still feels like putty compared to the hardtop mustang.




My question is what are some ways that you guys have made your cars feel more upscale? Obviously certain complaints like seats are remedied by...new seats. etc but as for the overall deal and ride what are your suggestions?

Gravik

Mach 1's are great cars, and stock for stock they make close to the same power as the Camaro.

mac62989

iTrader: (1)

Ive talked to many guys with heavily modded cars and the consensus seemed to be the best upgrade was Koni's and either Strano springs or BMR. I take it your TDs are dumped? Thats always gonna be loud as hell inside compared to a traditional catback or an over the axle setup. The rattles arent bad on my car and its just somthing I got use too. With it being my 2nd F-body I knew I wasnt buying a BMW or Audi. I like the seats in my WS6 much better than my old Camaro. Pumping up the side bolsters make me feel very planted were the Camaro seats were plain jane. I certainly wouldnt trade an F-body for a Mach 1, maybe a Terminator but that doesnt sound like trading up to me at all.

Austinma62

Routing your exhaust out the rear will make a HUGE difference in interior vibrations.

BOBS99SS

iTrader: (2)

Thats why im getting ta seats in my ss, there cheap and look/feel a million x better,mach1s arent bad cars though,if i found the right one i wouldnt mind trading, camaros/tas are good for one thing, going fast cheap, nothing else matters,not to many cars you can slap on some bolt ons,cam,n spray and have a ton of fun

TwitchZ28

iTrader: (3)

Yeah I mean I know the camaro isn't going to be a comfortable car, just looking at options to make it a little more live-able. I plan to finish the exhaust soon because it is dumped and I know that will help, but will it really change much with rattles and **** from the plastics?

I ended up racing the mach and I got him by 2-3 cars each time but that's mostly thanks to my converter and trans...

I just can't get over how much better it felt to drive. Idk I was going to trade him but I think his finances are falling through(he owes money on the mach).

O well, guess i'll just throw my cam in the z and go for a ride.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I had the TA lumbar support seats for 4+ years, I never found them to be any more comfortable than the Camaro seats. I dislike the junk leather in these cars though, so I always prefer the look and longevity of the cloth.

I agree about the exhaust, if it is dumped under the car it's going to cause rattles and vibrations. I don't have any significant rattle/vibration issues with mine, but I have the exhaust exiting in the stock location.

I've never found anything about the '99-'04 Mustangs to be more "upscale" than the F-bodies. You are looking in the wrong category of car if you want a luxury experience. Ride quality can be improved with new shocks though.

ramairetransam

iTrader: (18)

get some konis and strano springs, sfcs , new seats and pull the carpet and do some sound deadening .

JD_AMG

This seems kinda strange to read, because the last SN95 Mach 1 Mustang I drove (although years and years ago) felt like nothing special at all, and the performance was really disappointing.
But that being said SFC's and STB are not going to do much of anything for you because the issue with the feel and handling is the horrible stock shocks. Replace those with aleast bilstiens if not Koni SAs and you will be driving a totally different car. Id also look into new rubber moog bushings to tighten things back up if the bushings are starting to go.
After that if you want more, look into some matching quality swaybars (35mm front, 22mm rear is generally ideal for handling). Still more? Strano springs, then maybe a fays2 watts link. With sticky tires you will be at C5 Z06 levels of handling (wont feel exactly like a C5 ofcourse, but you will be cornering with them).
Also buy some sound deadening and fix any rattles you hear.

bp m1009

iTrader: (2)

i have full 1le suspension with DA Koni's and its very tight and definitely handles way better then a mach1

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

konis really made my car feel so much more solid. replacing my exhaust bushings eliminated the annoying noises i had. my car is pretty much rattle and squeak free now.

TransAmWS.6

Get a good set of shocks and possibly a good flowing catback or the like so you can run your exhaust out of the back to cut down on in cab vibrations, those two things I think would be enough to make a big difference. Also, I've driven a couple of New Edge GT's and a '99 Cobra, build quality wise I didn't feel a difference, just seemed like everything on the interior was laid out differently.

badformulaLS1

iTrader: (1)

I know Mach 1s are great cars but it seems like you're exagerating. I have some of the same little issues but it's really not a big deal imo. These cars are at least 10 years old after all. I can't imagine the Mach 1 being such a huge differemce.

Latch

iTrader: (8)

Your car with dumped duals and a stall is just not going to feel like a quality car. When my cutout is open pretty much every piece of the interior vibrates. I can only imagine how bad it would be with a stall. With the cutout closed though it's quiet with minimal rattles.

My advise would be run the exhaust out the back and get a set of Bilsteins. That should reduce the rattles and give you a better ride.

moperider

Koni shocks....knowing what I know now if I would do it again that would prob be my first mod. I have Strano springs and sway bars and my suspension is on point.

You mentioned brakes....I did the simple C5 rotor upgrade with braided lines and again the car is so much better it inspires confidence for spirited driving.

Tire quality is equally important. I tried a set of Kumo's recently and those tires really took away all the performance away from the car. It was actually a bit scary to drive aggressively with them. I returned them and went back to BF Goodridge and all confidence and performance is back. This is just tires so you should prob start there.

Rattles and sounds....just get a subwoofer and it will drown it all out....ha!

slikrider20

iTrader: (9)

I made a similar thread 5 years ago, lol. I never ended up doing anything about it but you seem to get pretty overwhelming responses about swapping out the shocks. The easiest way to get rid of it is just to roll the windows down and turn the radio up.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ing-apart.html

TwitchZ28

iTrader: (3)

Kinda funny that you made a thread with the exact same mileage that my car has now that I am making it.

It's not that mine is overwhelmingly bad...it's just a lot of small things. I didn't realize how bad it was until I had to get back in it after driving the mach 1...There are plenty of things to dislike about the mach but the ride was much better.

I'd love to get some comfortable seats but they just cost way too much money for anything decent...6le's seats are outrageous in my mind and they are one of the better priced ones i've seen.

I have been wanting to do sound deadener but not sure if it's something I could really do...maybe.

I've got a bug sub setup in the trunk and I used to use that when I was younger to drown out the rattles but now i just hate the sound of the subs and I am going to sell them off...I don't like any music that needs subs really. My cabin alpines provide good enough bass for rock and what not.

I'm thinking about buying some cheap 3" exhaust pipe and just running the duals out the side in front of the tires just to get it out from under there...have to make sure the pipe is short enough not to be seen though...i'd rather die than be seen in a camaro with side exit pipes.

I will have to look more into suspension...i can't afford koni's

I've got bolt in sfc's...I should prolly weld them on though shouldn't I?

I don't have squeaks from metal parts very much at all...it's all plastic rattle. I need to make someone drive it around so I can climb in the back and find where it's rattling from.



What's an affordable way of sound deading the car? I've seen guys on here do it before but **** my dynamat is expensive.

TwitchZ28

iTrader: (3)

Honestly I think a big thing I hate in my car is the automatic. It's built and I'm on a 3200 converter...and it's just worse in every way to me.

NC01TA

Can't understand the Mustang comparison at all. Your F-body must have had a rough life. I've owned an '04 Mustang (it was new too and the same body as the '03 Mach 1) and I currently own an '07. They are not better quality than my T/A which is stock and has 31,000 miles at present.
Good advice posted here about the exhaust and shocks. I bet that will help immensely. For starters, anyway.

RacingTiger03

iTrader: (3)

LOL.. I have one squeek that I can't find for the life of me, other than that my car doesn't really have any rattles other than occasional loose change, and my rear tires need balanced something awful right now. '01 with 113K miles for reference. It DOES have new bilsteins with about 5K miles on them though. but none of my plastic really rattles. Check your back hatch plastics.. particularly the one over the spare tire that has the lock unlock switch, I had one of those lose once and that rattle would drive me insane.

To echo everyone else though, get that exhaust exiting out away from the cabin. The resonance from that will cause some unwanted vibes and rattles that normal driving with a standard exhaust won't.