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New member here, figured this was the place to go as all the Ford guys are going crazy telling me not to LS swap my mustang. If this isn’t the place for this, let me know and I’ll move on thanks!
Little about me:
I’m from PA.
Military vet
100% a novice in building. I buy, others build 🤣
Little about the car:
-2014 Mustang 3.7l
-Custom aftermarket exhaust that was put on before I purchased it so I have no clue what it is
-6spd Manual stock transmission
-Everything else is stock
What I am looking to do:
Engine: built LS3 by Summit
Transmission: 2 spd built Powerglide capable of 1500hp by Summit
I know obviously a lot will need to be changed and converted to get this setup installed but the shop is anxious to start working. My question is, what should I do for boost? Twin turbo, Pro-charger, or straight supercharger? My goal for this car is primarily street and show. It will see an occasional track day but primarily a few hours on the street at a time. 100% not a daily driver.
Welcome. What is your idea behind the LS3? Also a powerglide? This is a street car I would go with a Turbo 5.3l / 4l80e combo. Much more affordable and street-able combination. Especially if you think you might do any LS Fest , Hot Rod Power Tour or similar.
Either way you'll enjoy it! Have a blast
Welcome. What is your idea behind the LS3? Also a powerglide? This is a street car I would go with a Turbo 5.3l / 4l80e combo. Much more affordable and street-able combination. Especially if you think you might do any LS Fest , Hot Rod Power Tour or similar.
Either way you'll enjoy it! Have a blast
Thanks for the reply. So the idea behind the ls3 was for the power. I want to have the car reliably around 1200hp. Same thing with the powerglide. From everything I’ve been being told is that the ls1 and 4l80 combo doesn’t hold up well over 1000hp.
what I genuinely want is a car that is fun to drive, street or track, and will absolutely stomp the little civic ricers all over the place here. One of the guys at the shop has a Chevy cobalt making just under 1000hp using ls1 and 4l80 trans…anytime he tries to go more, something breaks lol. That is what I’m trying to avoid. Everything I’m looking at is rated at 1500hp so me running 1200 should be fine. But I am for sure open to ideas. Nothing has been purchased yet 🤔
You don't need an LS3 to make that kind of power. Sure, it'll make more power at the same boost level, but there are better choices. A built 5.3 with good heads, E85, and a couple of correctly sized turbos will get you to 1200-1500 without having to try very hard. All you'll need are rods and pistons, the crank will likely handle the power. I wouldn't be so sure on the 4L80E not handling the power. Build one with a Reid case and Sonnax internals and I'm pretty sure it'll do 1200 HP and then some.
I like the idea of a Maggie or Whipple up top and staying with a manual will be much more fun to drive on the streets than automatics. The PG is more of a drag racing transmission IMO and there is such thing as having too much horsepower for the street. There's not much room to gallop out there most of the time and you find yourself spending more time under the power curve than in it.
Hey Newbie. I just got signed up here on the forum. I have an 07 mustang gt I am building, LS swap, turbo, and TH400. Mostly a drag car, but it will be street legal. I've been drag racing for 35 years, and what I always do is start with my ET goal for the track, or whatever the purpose of the car is going to be. My dad and I have 16' Hellcat with pulley and injectors and pretty much every suspension mod, etc., and it makes around 825 flywheel and forget about traction on the street with street tires.
I had a 2.3 whipple on my 4.6 3v and have the PD blower on the hellcat. They pull hard down low, and would be insane fun with a manual transmission. It would be way cheaper to upgrade with another manual trans for sure. I wouldn't have some arbitrary horsepower number as a goal. Also, 1200 whp with a whipple is going to create massive heat. My friend had a 2017 with the new whipple 3.0 and that thing got hot hot hot, and it was only making 700 to the tires at the time. From what I've read and talking to people who know, the Whipple 3.0 really shines on race gas. Always fighting the heat. He just used the stock heat exchanger that came with the kit, and those tend to be cheap. You would want a quality heat exchanger. If you have E85 available, then go that route and it will help keep the blower cool.
However, you can forget about running decent times at the track if you go manual. Just the way it is, especially with big power.
I would suggest shooting for 800 to the wheels. That would kill on the street and be way more power than any street tire can handle anyway.
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LS Mustang Swap 
