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Starter Mods - What to do first

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Posted by: Trippen Out

so i picked up a 96 lsc its all stock. im looking into beefing it up a little bit. what would be a good way to start out. ive been reading around the forums but i just cant seam to figure out which way would probably be best. i do know that i will be adding a new exhaust system. not to sure about which way i want to go. the last thing i owned was a bronco and i put full length headers and flow master super 40s with turn downs. no cats at all. it was loud but sounded really nice. im not really looking for something super loud. i keep seeing stuff about an X pipe. not sure what it is can someone really explain the point of it. i do kinda like the kit i see on LMS but im not sure if its for get 1 only seams like its a gen 2 system.

im also curious about an intake systems as well. and ive been seeing a lot of stuff about a JMOD for the tranny. but i cant really seam to find info on where to get one or how to install it.

so these are just some things ive been looking at or are already considering on doing. but im not sure what the simple yet affective mods would be. this is really my first car that has any kind of performance to it at all. ive ether owned jacked up trucks or craptastic 4 bangers. anyway thanks in advance for any help and infos. of course links are always welcomed im not expecting you guys to do my research for me. just a good point in the right direction. last thing. if you suggest a mod. could you please also tell me why your suggesting that mod to start with and what the benefits are. thanks.

Posted by: kustomizingkid

The very first thing is to get the maintenance up to snuff... after that a tune, end of story!

Posted by: Trippen Out

Quote:

Originally Posted by kustomizingkid

The very first thing is to get the maintenance up to snuff... after that a tune, end of story!

thanks. im working on the maintence currently. but when you say. tune. i dont understand what that means.

by the way. i keep seeing what i think is an acronym for something WOT. someone want to let me know what it is please.

Posted by: kustomizingkid

Wide Open Throttle?

A tune that changes the stock computer programming...

Posted by: smitty2919

"tune" is when you get a handheld tuner from SCT or you buy a chip and have someone put tunes on it for you. you can change things like shift point and make them quicker so less friction will let your tranny last longer. a nice tune could wake the car up some. rear end gears would maybe be something else to look at as those will make it more fun to drive. alot of guys seem to run 4.10's

http://www.sctflash.com/
http://www.blueovalchips.com/index.p...=category&id=2

look at these sits and get a feel for what each one does.

WOT= Wide Open Throttle (basically "stomping" it)

goodluck with the car

Posted by: Frogman

The very fist thing you should do is learn about the "Search" feature here. Lots of people have asked that very same question as you.

Posted by: Trippen Out

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frogman

The very fist thing you should do is learn about the "Search" feature here. Lots of people have asked that very same question as you.

im sure they have. being an experianced forum user im familur with search thanks for the input. i also made it about 30 pages deep in the mark viii threads before starting my own. to be honest with you i havnt really come across a what to do first mod thread. if there is one i either missed it or it wasnt named in a manner which would lead me to think it was about what to do first when starting off with modding your car.

as for the tune. i was looking at the chips offered on LMS. i aways thought a chip would be one of the last things to do but again i am ignorant when it comes to these things. by the way thanks for the links ill give them a read. ill also go back and visit some of the threads again i saw stuff about a sniper tune and the sct tuning as well.

Wide open throttle. thanks. any other acronyms i should be familure with?

as for the rear gears i was thinking about those as well. but i really need to dig into some research on them as far as how they affect your gas milage and performance. i know some of the popular ones are like the 3.73 and 4.10/4.11 a friend of mine who plays with a t-bird said a 3.55 is kind of a nice middle as far as having a little more kick and still being gas friendly.

Posted by: 93' Blue on blue

Get the Ford workshop manual(s) for your year!

Getting the proper Ford manuals is one of my best car related purchases to date - they are packed full of info and are much, much better than the Chilton.

You can often find them on Ebay. If no luck, then from this site: www.helminc.com

Posted by: rayner601

I'll try to make this easy

first phase is catch up on ALL maintenance items (fluids, filters, and any necessary repairs)

what I'd call phase two is trans care...JMOD and external cooler and it's tied to maintenance as you have to drop the trans pan to do the JMOD. To take full advantage of the JMOD, you need a tune (shift schedule and rev limiter modified along with a bunch of other stuff. After that, then work on the exhaust. That's what I'd do

Also look in the tech articles for how to articles...

Oh yeah, before you ask a ?, use the search fully or suffer the wrath of Frogman

Posted by: Trippen Out

Quote:

Originally Posted by 93' Blue on blue

Get the Ford workshop manual(s) for your year!

Getting the proper Ford manuals is one of my best car related purchases to date - they are packed full of info and are much, much better than the Chilton.

You can often find them on Ebay. If no luck, then from this site: www.helminc.com

yeah i went with the chiltons.

i found the work shop manual on the bay but it was basicly 100 bucks im sure it was well worth it but ii cant justify spending that on a set of books when i know theirs a great forum such as this one and lots of resources on the internet but i will tell you i was really tempted to click the button after having a set for my bronco

ryan thanks for the input. i havnt found the tech section yet. i was actually looking for it. i guess its not under the Mark VIII section and to be honest thats the only place ive been looking and the only placed ive used the search feature for as well. all my fluids are good. of course the computer says my washer fluid is low. but thats a straight lie i topped it off to make sure.

so from what im gathering is . get the car tip top stock first (which i am working on) then go for a tune. what ive read it seams like a canned tune chip would be okay to start off with since the car is stock. but maybe move into a sct or sniper tune once the car has been tweaked a bit more. then some sort of mod for the tranny. i noticed a lot of people lean towards this guy jerry and his jmod (see frog i do search) and or a buumans (already forgot how to spell it) then exhaust. or do the tranny mod then the tune chip. normally the first thing i do to any ride is a cold air setup and im surpized no one has really said anything about that yet.

Posted by: rayner601

you can go here for the Ford SM/EVTM cd iso image. I wonder how long it will be up before Ford sends them a cease and desist order?

Posted by: 93' Blue on blue

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trippen Out

normally the first thing i do to any ride is a cold air setup and im surpized no one has really said anything about that yet.

Mark VIII has a cold air set-up as standard. You could remove the silencer assembly in the fender well - many people do that.

Posted by: TicTacTone

the first things i did when i got mine were a fresh tune up (well i still need to do the o2 sensors...i've been procrastinating on that), removed the intake silencer, and cut the mufflers off. very cheap, and very easy stuff to do. the next thing i was going to do was a spring conversion BUT the car i bought already had one done so now i can move onto bigger and better things.

Posted by: mespock

Don't for get the 1 2 accumulator replacement ... Just in case this hasn't been done yet.

As for the X pipe it's a cross over used to replace the mid car resonator in your exhaust system ... Go to the LMS site to learn more about Geno's set up. Geno's is good but if you are low in the pocket book you can get them from more places if you search.

What I like to do is just put in a 2 in 2 out muffler at this spot and use not rear mufflers.

Posted by: Trippen Out

i started my first mod today. its a simple one but i figure its a good place to start while im whoring up some cash for other things. today i took the air resonator off and tomorrow im removing the air silencer once i get my hands on a jack so i can remove the wheel. anyway it was straight forward. all i needed as 10mm socket and a flat head screw driver. pulled the beauty cover loosened the fitting on the resonator and plugged it with a plumbing test cap from lowes. it pops right in and has a waster you twist till its air tight. total cost 3 bucks and change im curious tho. there looks to be a second resonator attached a smaller more triangle looking one. what is the deal with that. can it too be removed ?

Posted by: Roadboss

While you are removing the inner wheel housing you should also replace the fuel filter. On the triangle shape on the air intake. I cut mine off, cut a piece from it on a band saw, and glued the piece to block off the hole that was left.

Posted by: micahs97m8

not wanting to state the obvious, but make sure you turn the air ride switch off before you jack the car up. It's located on the left side of the trunk.

Posted by: Trippen Out

Quote:

Originally Posted by micahs97m8

not wanting to state the obvious, but make sure you turn the air ride switch off before you jack the car up. It's located on the left side of the trunk.

its a good think you did or i would have forgotten about this.

curious what is the importance of turning off the air ride system ?

Posted by: Trippen Out

well i completed this mod after being a retard over a stupid nut. anyway im really suprized at the difference this made. first i removed the resenator and drove that till i had a chance to get the air silencer out. and i could tell a difference on both parts. i think next week im gonna yank out the small resenator as well. i did pick up a fuel filter. but i didnt get it while i had the chance. hell it wasnt a big deal tho so im gonna slap it in tomorrow.