What are the best mods for the money?

[steve_sierz]

i just got my 94 mark about a month ago and am looking at doing some performance mods. I was wondering what the best place to put my money would be. I dont have much to spend yet, but as soon as i sell my pos truck i should have around $3000.

 

[ONEBADMK8]

i just got my 94 mark about a month ago and am looking at doing some performance mods. I was wondering what the best place to put my money would be. I dont have much to spend yet, but as soon as i sell my pos truck i should have around $3000.

Chip.
Mass Air Kit.
Exhaust.
Gears.
TC.

 

[Roadboss]

Steve:
You did not indicate how many miles your car has on it and in what shape it really is in. That is to say that if you are mechanically inclined and can install parts your self there is usually enough maintance type items that get neglected on these cars to eat up your budget.
Example (parts only)
Head lights $350
Tranny J-Mod $150 Includes parts and Mercon V
Plugs & Wires $160
Brake Pads $150
Upper Ball Joints $250
Lower Ball Joints $200
Strut rod Bushngs $100
New Rad Hoses $100
Brake Rotors $300

I don't want to be negative, just helping you get the drift as to what's needed to get yourself a nice dependable & safe ride. From there on out a "Chip", N02, and a new rear setup should leave your budget wasted. Welcome aboard, and good luck on what ever you choose to pursue.

 

[MarkVIII93]

If you payed that for some of those parts you got ripped off.

 

[pepperman]

If you want Quality parts you pay a quality price!!!!!

 

[steve_sierz]

i paid $450 for the car. it needed a tranny, but i had a 95 cougar that was wreaked and had a tranny with only 10,000 miles on a rebuild. i also took the front struts from the cougar and put them on the mark because the bags were shot. the mark needs around $1000 in body work, but i have conections there so ill get that done for little of nothing. the car had 90,000 miles on it when i got it and i have put almost 3,000 miles on it now. i do need to get new headlights. i have replaced the plugs and wires, brake pads, turned the rotors, and the ball joints looked good when i put the struts on. i have a 100 hp nitrous kit sitting in the barn waiting to get put on when the weather gets nice and my truck is goin again so that the mark can sit and get body work done as well. i turn wrenches all day and go to school at night right now to work on cars, so doing the work is no problem.

 

[98LSC32V]

Sounds like a cool project. I would start with the basics, exhaust, conical filter, chip and pullies. Then if you want to get more serious get gears, trac-loc and torque converter.

 

[steve_sierz]

Sounds like a cool project. I would start with the basics, exhaust, conical filter, chip and pullies. Then if you want to get more serious get gears, trac-loc and torque converter.

i was looking at getting a ste of pullies. do i just order them for a 96 cobra or do they have an aplication fot he mark. i am also working on my exhaust this weekend.

 

[98LSC32V]

Any pullies made for the 96-99 Cobra will work.

 

[steve_sierz]

Any pullies made for the 96-99 Cobra will work.

thanks. im goin to try to get the exhaust done this weekend and i think im goin to try and order the pullies next week. im goin to try and get some pictures of the car on this weekend just to show what im starting with.

 

[driller]

Closely watch your charging and cooling systems with a full set of pullies.

 

[MarkVIII93]

If you want Quality parts you pay a quality price!!!!!

When you know people.....You pay half price or none at all. I got my upper control arms for free.

 

[steve_sierz]

what is a good cheap way to do the exhaust on my mark? i was just going to cut the mufflers off and put tips on for now. Is this going to sound good or not? My 4.6 sohc cougar sounded good with this. Just asking.

 

[MrWilson]

what is a good cheap way to do the exhaust on my mark? i was just going to cut the mufflers off and put tips on for now. Is this going to sound good or not? My 4.6 sohc cougar sounded good with this. Just asking.

Sounds like krap. if you want a cheep way and good sound, get a magnaflow 2in 2out and put that on there.

 

[steve_sierz]

Sounds like krap. if you want a cheep way and good sound, get a magnaflow 2in 2out and put that on there.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Grifter]

What does everyone else think?

i hacked my mufflers off before i got real exhaust, it didnt sound good at all...
i have the dual in/out magnaflow on my ART exhaust system right now, its ok. i dont really like the tone from it. its going away in favor of another setup..

my vote on first 2 mods, GEARS and chip..

 

[Dominus]

Keep 3 things in mind when going with "pully sets":

1. Your power steering system only causes as much resistance as it needs to move the fluid.
2. Your alternator only causes as much resistance as it needs to charge your car.
3. It may be unnecessary for your water pump to spin as fast as it does at high rpms, but it needs to be spinning as fast as it does at low rpms.

That said, the only gain you are looking at getting, aside from attempting to undercut your charging system (the regulator will force the alternator to try and charge more, increasing resistance and straining your alternator) or deprive your power steering system (this system will also just demand whatever power it need regardless of underdrive) is through the water pump; the acessory that uses the most power. Just get yourself an electric water pump, and save the strain on the alternator and cooling system.

You alternator will not mind the 7 amp load from the electric water pump, so whatever tiny increased load the alternator sees will never equal the mechanical force necessary to spin that water pump at high rpms, and your impeller will be spinning much faster at idle than it ever did on the mechanical setup. Cooling system is happy, alternator is happy, and so are the rest of your accessories.

Trust me, as I have been through this on 3 different cars. The electric water pump delivered the best gains with the least amount of trouble, and the underdrives caused nothing but trouble.

 

[JC1994]

NoS is by far the best mod for the buck.

 

[98LSC32V]

The stock pistons won't last long with a 150 shot of nitrous. It's a "cheap" mod in the short run but can get pricey in the long run when you need to rebuild your engine. This is common knowledge in the 4.6 dohc world...

 

[nobodyspecial]

The stock pistons won't last long with a 150 shot of nitrous. It's a "cheap" mod in the short run but can get pricey in the long run when you need to rebuild your engine. This is common knowledge in the 4.6 dohc world...

While I am not a big fan of N20, if it is done with the proper safeguards and with reasonable restraint in the choice of the shot, it will actually clean your combustion chambers clean as a whistle. I have seen motors last 100's of thousands of miles with the occasional shot. I am curious as to why the Ford 4-valver hates nitrous. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with the facts regarding the 'common knowledge' engine rebuilds that are required after using nitrous. Can you give me specific example of someone who has grenaded an engine, or is this one of those, friend of a friend read on the internet stories? After pulling the heads off of many a motor, those who had been run on the juice always looked better than those that had not.

 

[Grifter]

the 4v LOVES nitrous, it just cant handle it well..
the pistons and rods are not very strong. they key is a really good tune, and dont go overboard with the shot. lots of people run it and the motors live for a very long time. but you always hear about the people who blow the motors up, harldy hear about the people who dont..

 

[MrWilson]

the 4v LOVES nitrous, it just cant handle it well..
the pistons and rods are not very strong. they key is a really good tune, and dont go overboard with the shot. lots of people run it and the motors live for a very long time. but you always hear about the people who blow the motors up, harldy hear about the people who dont..

There are rods on a DOHC car? thats news to me.

 

[JC1994]

I have never had problems with nitrous not in 10 years of experiance and if I do have a problem it's coming out of my pocket 95LSC32V not yours. so don't worry yourself about MY mods to MY car. you are really ate TF up dude:shifty: take a valium or 50 and quit telling people what to do.

 

[98LSC32V]

I'm not telling people what to do, that's how you are interpreting my posts for some reason. I could care less if you are running nitrous on your car, i'm just warning other rational people on this forum about the weak stock pistons in these engines. They are not forged pistons like in the 5.0... once you get near 400rwhp, I'd say with your mods you are at about 250rwhp NA so with a 150 dry shot probably add another 120-125hp at the wheels, watch out for detonation which will fracture the ring lands. The damage that is done may go unnoticed for awhile until you realize you are burning oil like crazy and then it's cookies... Get a good nitrous tune, Walbro 255 fuel pump and even a AFPR. An MSD window switch would be a good bet as well.

 

[JC1994]

you are really pissing me off!!!! you are trying to tell me what to do. my Mustang has cast hyperutectic pistons not forged, they stopped using forged pistons in 93 my motor is a 95 HO.I have been hitting it with 125HP for 10 years with no problems. you do not need to tell me to properly tune it or anything else I already know how to tune for nitrous and read my plugs!!!! I already upgraded my fuel pump and regulator on my Mark VIII and I know that it too has cast hyperutectic pistons ,DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING!!!! you are half my age you are not going to tell me anything that I have already known since you were in diapers dude.