I have been working on a 2.3 of my own. I opted for a 155 LPH pump from the Summit goody store ( 20 miles from the house in McDonough GA.) Also I replace the stock vacumn operated pressure regulator with a manually adjustable Holley unit. Set it at 45 LBS and your stock 15 LB injectors will flow like a 17 LB unit. Makes much more go power and as you have already opened up the intake side, you should not see ANY decrease in your fuel economy.
Also make a trip to the local used Mustang Store ( Junkyard) and snag the rear sway bar off of a Fox body GT. Should be able to get it for 20 bucks and it bolts right on to your 2.3. That will make the car handle like a completely different car.
Post some pics of your intake as that is my next 2.3 project!!
From what I have read of your posts, it appears you are on the right track for a low budget FUN car to drive around in. The 2.3 can be made to run with those big motor Stangs, but for a young person, it really takes cubic money to make them run that way along with cubic money for insurance, fuel, and repair parts. What I think you need to look for is a good balance of power, handling, and economy.
With the front to back weight balance of the 2.3 Fox, tweaks you are making to the motor, and some easy suspension upgrades like better shocks, sway bars off a GT ( Junkyard parts). Add as funds are available Strut braces and Subframe connectors along with ( If affordable) disc brakes all around.
If you can put this package together, You will not outrun the big motor boys, BUT get them on a tight twisty road where all that front end weight comes into play, and you can clean their clocks if you are a good driver. Plus you can laugh at them as you drive back by them at the gas pump.
As for the rice burners, if you plan and build a package like described, you can eat most of the average ones I have seen around Atlanta area for lunch!!
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If you're Gonna Survive, You got to get a little bit crazy!!!!!
Recently I have gotten a lot of work done. But I still need to get a few thing's done. I need to get my hinge pin in, anyone know how, I can't get the pin out. Also I need to install a manual fan switch? Anyone got the wire diagram?
My car has alot of sway in the rear so I baught a newer rear sway bar off ebay for $35.99 and then I baught new front sway bar link's and installed them.
I recently popped a valve cover gasket so now that is on my list to do. Also I need to install a switch that allow's me to start the car with out the clutch pushed in, because my clutch activator thing is going out, and it get's really annoying. So if anyone has the wire diagram for that please messege me.
I am going to go be fixing the valve cover gasket, installing a very small Nitrous kit. and some other stuff and then racing my car up at Cordova Drag way park January 1st.
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Roll'N hard 'N' Matts car's!
1998 Ford Mustang 3.8L auto, 1989 Ford Mustang Lx 2.3L 5speed!
Today I am going to post some picture's of how my 89 stang sit's. I decided to change my aspect of how I want my stang to be when I'm done. I not only want want my car to be fast, but what really want is my car to be different. I want my car to be different from all the other mustang's. I mean it's a 2.3l not a 5.0 so why try to make it somthing it's not. I want my car to be completly different from every other Mustang. It's also not a ricer, so Why put a **** load of neon's and sticker's on it. How ever, I want to make it "Mine" a car I can call my own and say that I built it, and a car that is different from everyone elses. No I do not want to make a show car, I want something that I can drive when ever I want and something that I can have fun in.
Recently I have replaced the valve cover gasket, installed a Sony Xplod Cd player, Installed 2 6.5" Sony Xplod door speaker's. I also 2 sony xplod 6x9's that I am going to make 2 boxes for to put in the back, also there is a brand new RockFord Fosgate PUNCH P1 15" sub in a brand new vented box. The sub has never been used only tested before I baught it. Then I will be done for sound.
I got a rear sway bar for it too, I have to paint it before I can put it on. I am going to paint it black because I doubt anyone will see it. I also am going to paint the drum cover's in the back red, and the caliper's in the front red aswell.
Then I want to get black Alteza tail light's, Black Corner's light's in the front and maybe the black head light's. Then I want to sand the whole car down and primer it, then paint it flat black and install 5% window tint on all the window's. that way everything is black! I want it to be as steathy as possible.
I do have some Chrome rim's for it, but I am unsure if they will fit because they are universal and I don't know if they have that bolt pattern. So I will just have to find out.
Please do not buy those horrid traffic light looking altezzas. What are your plans for the car just a daily driver? I have all my stuff on cardomain. I also have in the works a T-56 and so far I got the 4bbl intake. I love to see people wanting to actually mod their 2.3s instead of some v8 swap.
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Foxy lady Roxanne 1981 2.3 hatch
Jax Rhapsody his life as a...
No it's not really my daily driver, I don't really want it to be a daily driver. I think of it as more of a Hot Rod or Rad Rod than anything because I am making it my own and I don't care what people think of it. I just want to go out and have fun Cruising around with it. It's awsome and very fun to drive. I do not need a v8 to just go around and cruise so why bother.
As for alteza I wanted the black one's but changed my mind because my tail light's work just fine.
I am going to paint the car semi-gloss black in the spring because I want the car to be very stealthy and un noticeable at night. I also want Lime green under body neon's because it's black and I think black really goes good with lime green not to be rice or anything but just want to get some light or somthing I don't know. I don't consider it rice at all. It's a Mustang so don't hate on it. I have seen ton's of mustang's with neon's, no I am not Copying, I am simply using my own idea's of how I want my car.
So I finally got the front of my interior done. Sony Xplod cd player wired in, Cobra Radar Ditector wired in so that it turn's on when you turn the key on, car alarm controll box hidden under the dash and wired in, Sony Xplod 6.5" Speaker's in the doors, and also have it all cleaned up so it look's really nice. No I didn't paint the dash or do any custom gauges or anything.
Now I thought I was close to being done, until I got a call tonight from some close famaly member's, asking if I wanted to buy some sub's? So now I am buying 2 8" RockFord Fosgate Punch p1 sub's with Sony 250 watt amp. So now, I have to Mount the 15" and the 2 8"s and then Mount the amp and wire it in. So then there will be 2 sub's hooked up until I get a bigger amp for the 15".
I also got a 2000 watt power inverter so that me and my buddies can go to this place where we all hang out with our girls and camp in tent's with a big bon fire and stuff like that. Also it will be helpfull when we are have no power at my house. So yeah, I am going to mount that in the trunk under the spare tire well.
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Roll'N hard 'N' Matts car's!
1998 Ford Mustang 3.8L auto, 1989 Ford Mustang Lx 2.3L 5speed!
See what I don't get is how everyone is alway's trying to make Mustang's fast. What these 2.3L owner's do not understand is that these are the unique Mustang's because we don't have big V8's. We have Mustang's that can be anything we want them to be, so why just make them fast, why not make them custom. Neon's are not just for ricer's. Neon's are simply light's that have been given a bad name by a stupid move "Fast N the Furious", so why can't people understand that neon's can be put on anything. They are just light's that can look cool going down the road fast, while not behing seen by anybody. or looking unique and custom. It's not all the rice, when it come's to 4 cylender mustang's like people think, there MUSTANG'S they were ment to be fast from day one but they also made a 2.3l mustang to save gas. So if people want to make them go fast then why not just by a v8 it's much easier, even though it is more fun to see the v8 mustang owners face when we beat them, but I want to see just a strictly BOLT ON Mustang beat a V8 is isn't going to happen, simply because we do not have enough power. We only have 88hp stock. So if anyone has any info on making a 2.3L n/a beat a 5.0, 4.6L mustang let me know because I would love to read it.
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Roll'N hard 'N' Matts car's!
1998 Ford Mustang 3.8L auto, 1989 Ford Mustang Lx 2.3L 5speed!
I might be getting rid of my car for a 1990 Ford Ranger 2.3L 5speed with a step side box on it. It's way nicer than my car and I think I am getting a pretty good deal on it.
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Roll'N hard 'N' Matts car's!
1998 Ford Mustang 3.8L auto, 1989 Ford Mustang Lx 2.3L 5speed!
From what I have read of your posts, it appears you are on the right track for a low budget FUN car to drive around in. The 2.3 can be made to run with those big motor Stangs, but for a young person, it really takes cubic money to make them run that way along with cubic money for insurance, fuel, and repair parts. What I think you need to look for is a good balance of power, handling, and economy. 
