Hey all..new to group...

Howdy!

SUB FRAME CONNECTORS!!

(Was that loud enough?) :)

Really? How odd.

Jim S. '82 Mutant

Sounds like the suspension is already tweaked...

Rob

Welcome to the group, Johnny. There's lots to learn from this group if you ask the right questions.

First off, congrats on the purchase. Sounds like a great project/toy.

Beware - this is going to be long-winded... you may want to get a sandwich...

As Jim S. is alluding to, there are no leaf springs on your car, and if there are, you may be in for more than you bargained for. I have seen traction bars come stock on '83 GTs and such, and perhaps this is where these bars came from. Your shock setup should be 4 in the rear (quad-shock) - 2 vertical and 2 horizontal to stop the hopping. In stock form, this does a pretty good job at stopping wheelhop, but not as good at planting the wheels as the traction bars will do.

On the mods you have suggested, I offer the following:

Cold air intake - mostly eye candy. If your car still has the air silencer (remove the air box and check the fender well - if there's a black piece of plastic there in the inner fender, that's it), remove it. The stock air system will flow adequately enough for a mostly stock engine, and would probably be the last of my worries. Without the air silencer, you're already scooping up air from the significantly colder inner fender.

Injectors and throttle body - Your computer is designed to understand that at this pressure, this much air comes in, and this much fuel should be added. there is no direct metering of the air. Though some suggest it's feasible and/or practical to make changes such as these, it may cause overly rich situations that the oxygen sensor will not be able to compensate for. The O2 sensor is in charge of keeping the A/F ratio in a range, but the computer wil only adjust so much before it thinks the sensor is bad. Larger injectors will increase the amount of fuel going into the engine with no significant increase in airflow - the throttle body and CAI kit aren't going to yield that much greater flow.

The headers are a good idea - anything to remove exhaust restriction will gain you top-end horsepower, but you may sacrifice bottom end torque.

Swapping the '86 heads with '87 ones doesn't seem like a very good swap. At the very least, get a pair of E7TE heads (available on the Mustang in 1988). These heads were used through '93 (and perhaps '95) and were decent as far as stock heads went. '87 Mustang heads weren't much better than the '86's.

Note that the '86 was the only year with flat-top pistons, and there is some valve clearance consideration to observe.

Personally, I would spend the time with the chassis first - stiffening up the frame. While it is feasible to make your own, make sure you use a thick enough material to make it worth your while. Spec out some units on the market already before making your own.

A rear end gear swap will make your pony feel much more alive. It'll cost you more for gas, but it'll definately wake your car right up.

After you have the chassis set up the way you like (frame, braking - which sucks on these cars to be honest, and suspension)... then it's time to play with the engine.

Expect to either pay a lot to tune your speed density system or to convert to a Mass Airflow system if you plan to make any large changes. The heads are a big stopping point in these engines. Intakes, injectors, exhaust, etc may yield you some, but a set of heads will do more with the stock components than all of these combined, and with these components, even better still. Again, watch the valve clearance if you swap heads or cams, or anything in the valvetrain.

This is where you ask yourself exactly what your goal is for the car, and do what it takes to get you there.

Good luck in your quest...

JS

In The Year of Our Lord=-+->!! Wed, 29 Sep 2004 02:53:06 GMT, "JS" tires and rims..and it's got a set of old traction bars bolted onto :> the leaf springs which gives it some grab and stops the hop.. :> The interior is in excellent condition and only needs minor repair.. :> Of course since it was the first year for Ford to produce a "fuelie" :> and they got experimental with the heads..it'll need some work to get :> something respectable out of the 302 under the hood..but I plan on the :> following upgrades before the spring..tell me what you think.. :> I am replacing the crappy air induction with a K+N cold air system.. :> I am replacing the stock throttle body..injector jets..and headers.. :> I am swapping the 86 factory heads with some 87 ones..this will :> eliminate the high swirl turbo head issue while keeping it relatively :> cheap.. :> I'm going to upgrade the ignition parts and advance the timing..and :> that should make it a little more muscular for the spring..;) :> I am also replacing all the exhaust parts from the headers back.. :> This is just a start..eventually I wanna replace the 302 with a 351W :> and put underdrive pulleys..an electric fan..then work on the :> suspension to top it all off... :> I know the possibilities are endless..but money intake isn't..so I am :> going with what I can afford and driving it in the meantime just for :> the fun of it.. :> I have owned fast cars in the past (79 firebird 350 and an 87 Buick :> Regal Turbo) but neither were as much fun..or turned as many heads as :> my new baby does.. :> Anyway..I live to learn..and I am an easy guy to get along with..so :> feel free to gimme a shout back.. :> Cheers.. :> Johnny :

E7TE heads are '87 Mustang heads ( albeit truck heads).

BTW love your American Woman album, so why did you fire Randy Bachman ;^) StuK

FYI, the E7TE heads were used on the Mustang from 87-93 at least if not till

1. The 87 head will not work on the 86 motor due to piston differences as I understand it. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

///Mike TS #63

I believe you need to put eyebrows on them or swap piston IIRC. StuK

I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself here. Tune up the engine and leave it stock, especially if you are serious about the 351. Doing the above will provide a minimal gain for your performance dollar.

Concentrate your dollars on non-engine modifications for now. Exhaust, subframe connectors, brakes, & suspension mods are important now, and more so in the future

I suggest you tune up the engine and put a new exhaust on it. Then, wait a little while and spend some time getting to know the car and figure out exactly what the car can do, and what you want it to do.

Jim S. '82 Mutant

Some piece of literature I read somewhere stated that '87 Mustangs used a reivsed head, but that the Mustang took the truck design (E7TE) in '88. However, I take real-world experience over a book any day. Thanks for the correction.

JS