$5000 budget Mustang

[DarkBuddha]

Nifty project, and a great concept. Not to be critical, but I do wonder if you'll actually be able to pull it off for under $5000 if you include all the bits and bobs that usually end up adding at least several hundred (if not thousands) to a project... stuff like lines, fittings, hoses, hardware, metal, etc. I always collect up my random receipts from trips to Autozone, Schucks, Home Depot, etc. every month and somehow find that I've spent $50 on stuff I don't even notice or remember.

BTW, I do think you should go all Ford. If you want cheap power and cheap parts, go with a used late model EFI 5.0 or 5.8 and do a junkyard turbo kit (a couple used T3s and piping and a couple extra boost switched injectors). You should be able to source a good motor $500, do a quicky rehab (bearings and rings) $100, home port the heads for $50, flip the manifolds $0, get a couple T3 flanges $50, and a couple used T3s or IHIs $120, and a cheap IC and piping kit $150. You should be able to get it done for under $1200 including some unexpecteds and it should be able to put down some decent power (350+) fairly easily. Just a thought...

[DFAuto]

keep an eye out for a supercharger on corral.net, craigslist, ebay and the like for your 4.6. you can get luck sometimes. I like all makes but the whole mixing of engines kind of freaks me out but then again if the time comes and the ls1 is all you can make work within budget then you have your answer.

Also where are you located? There is a 4.6 supercharger for sale in the phoenix craigslist for 1400 you could probably work them down.

[Ron S]

There will be a little cheating due to the fact that I'm just finishing up to pretty major projects,and there is alot of left over junk laying around{metal,lines etc.}And I traded a guy a set of BFG tries for a wine cooler I had setting in my garage.I'm just counting the out of pocket expenses.I watch Ebay,Craigslist,and Racingjunk like a hawk,I wouldn't have been able to do this with out some lucky bidding.What did we do before Ebay?Unless I find a smoking deal on a LS1,I will use the 4.6 and hope,some kind of power adder falls in my lap.I'm located in Maryland.Ron

[baggins]

if ur doing the work on ur car... and are a decent fabricator then i see no reason to not use the not so great sohc 4.6 and go from zero to hero with a couple hairdryers and some piping but thats just my opinion... and the 65 fastback is my fave car nice find for 400

[Restomod]

Pushing a stock SOHC 4.6 with twin turbos or even a bigger blower is not a good idea. It may live ok w/6psi but beyond that its a time bomb. They are no where near as tough as the Cobra 4.6 DOHC or a 5.0 HO.

[Ron S]

I found a line on a cheap LS1,that I can get and reach my HP level with,but it won't leave much for a trans.so after crunching the numbers 20 times.I either can run a 4.6 and 5 speed at about 280hp or run a LS1 with an automatic at about 400 hp.I would much rather run a manual trans,but the car will have 335/30/18's on the back,and I can't think of anything more embarrassing then not being able to turn them.Ron

[Young Gun]

hmm honestly i would go with the auto for now...you may get lucky eventually and fiind somebody at a swap meet getting rid of a manual for cheap, and youve also got a lot more potential from that ls1 than from the 4.6

[01somta]

keep it ford. 280hp would be ok for starters then you can mod it later.

x2!

[chet]

cool project! I say sell the 4.6 for a profit and pick up a cheap 5.8 and stroker kit. should make good HP with a nice carb and high compression.

I like LS motors but keeping a ford a ford is way more fun!

[Benoit23]

I’m no purest by any stretch of the imagination but, I’m kind of in the same situation & I’m choosing to keep it all Ford. I’m building my PT Mustang on a budget & even thought I’ve got plenty of access to Chevy power plants & trannys, it just doesn’t seem right to put them into my Mustang. I can see your struggle because I always think of how much money I can save buy using the Chevy stuff I already have but, I’d rather find some Ford stuff to make it go fast. With all that being said I don’t blame you if you use Chevy power because it’s awful tempting. At times reading this thread you had me second guessing my decision of sticking w/ all Ford but, in the end I’m sticking w/ Ford power.

Keep us posted on your progress & lots of pics because I could use some good ideas on keeping my Mustang build on a budget.

Chris

[Nate K]

Thanks for all the input guys.Nitrous is always cool Vinnie,but I want 400 naturally aspirated HP,I'll probably squeeze it anyway,because I can take the nitrous off another car.The turbo idea crossed my mind,but after seeing poor Scott's Grand National run autocross at RTTH,by the time poor Scott got the thing to spool up,it would start blowing the tires off,then he'd have to get out of it for a turn,it just seemed too unpredictable for autocrossing.I've got some feelers out for maybe a junkyard 5.4 4cam Navigator motor,but the cams are a $1000{4 of them}.There are alot of 4.6 Mustangs that are flying,but they're not doing it cheaply.I've still have alittle time to make my mind up,I'd really like to keep it all Ford,but I know what I can do with the LS1 and I've still have some LS1 junk laying around from previous projects.Thanks for the help guys.Ron

With turbos you should be able to control your car with the suspension you are using and not just haze the tires off. 400hp should be controlable with some setup time. If you shoot for 1million hp that will be a different story. Youre not going to need much boost and it should come in just off idle about 1200-1500rpm. Set it up dial it in and pass the people saying it cant be done!

[Ron S]

Found a 5.4 4 cam this weekend out of a 2003 Navigator with 50,000 miles for $1600,I can put it right to the 5 speed.I think I could get to the 400Hp mark with it,and sell the 4.6.The 400HP mark will still be easier to obtain with the LS1,and I think still cheaper.I'll give myself one more week to roll it around in my head then I'm just going to have to do something,because the chassis is just about done,and I need to fab some mounts.Ron

[Ron S]

Tires came in today,couldn't wait to get them mounted and balanced.Front of chassis finally done,all I have to do is make the rear up rights.Finally desided on an engine,scored a LS1 from my buddy Troy for $300,it will take a couple hundred to replace the peices that are missing but is a low milage engine.Should cheese off all the die hard Ford guys,maybe I'll paint the LS1 Ford blue and nobody will know the difference.Ron

[dstryr]

300 bucks for an ls1? no fair :p

Tires came in today,couldn't wait to get them mounted and balanced.Front of chassis finally done,all I have to do is make the rear up rights.Finally desided on an engine,scored a LS1 from my buddy Troy for $300,it will take a couple hundred to replace the peices that are missing but is a low milage engine.Should cheese off all the die hard Ford guys,maybe I'll paint the LS1 Ford blue and nobody will know the difference.Ron

[Young Gun]

Tires came in today,couldn't wait to get them mounted and balanced.Front of chassis finally done,all I have to do is make the rear up rights.Finally desided on an engine,scored a LS1 from my buddy Troy for $300,it will take a couple hundred to replace the peices that are missing but is a low milage engine.Should cheese off all the die hard Ford guys,maybe I'll paint the LS1 Ford blue and nobody will know the difference.Ron

haha congrats! im glad you managed to get the ls1...I say you go so far as to get ford racing valve covers hahah...you should be able to make the power you want easy, and now you will have so many opportunities for power add ons, I might have missed it but what are your plans for the color of the car?

[muthstryker]

very cool project, good choice on the ls1.

what are the name of the wheels that you bought off ebay if there is a name. also what kind of tires are those? they look like maybe MT in the back and bfg in the front??

[muthstryker]

sweet, just pulled up bfg website and the kdw are now being sold in a 335, im assuming that is what you have?

[Ron S]

very cool project, good choice on the ls1.

what are the name of the wheels that you bought off ebay if there is a name. also what kind of tires are those? they look like maybe MT in the back and bfg in the front??

yeah the tires are Bfg's the wheels are Carrol Shelby Inc.,made in Australia.They have been discontinued,so if I bend One I'm SOL.The guy I got them from had 10 sets left,but they were all c5 offset.Ron

[Ron S]

haha congrats! im glad you managed to get the ls1...I say you go so far as to get ford racing valve covers hahah...you should be able to make the power you want easy, and now you will have so many opportunities for power add ons, I might have missed it but what are your plans for the color of the car?

The budget has not even let me think about paint,it may end up sporting the 70's race car stripes that are on it now

[bobbaganoosh]

yeah the tires are Bfg's the wheels are Carrol Shelby Inc.,made in Australia.They have been discontinued,so if I bend One I'm SOL.The guy I got them from had 10 sets left,but they were all c5 offset.Ron

Those wheels are made by speedline, they still show them on thier website so I'd assume they are still available.