hey all, i have a 1998 mustang gt and in a few months im going to have about $1200 to spend on it.
i was wondering if i should spend that money on cosmetics or performance.
i will list everything done to the car already to help with replies.
performance: the car doesnt sound bad at all because i have a bbk catless H and flowmaster 40's, but otherwise, a cold air intake is the only other performance mod.
cosmetic: the mustang has faded lights, as well as ricer taillights (previous owner). it is getting a show-winning paint job soon. the interior is in great shape, no need to replace anything there.
i would absolutley love to do a PI swap... but labor would create the need to double my money supply, and no one else but me would notice that engine work has been done.
on the other hand i would love to get a cowl hood and new lights all around the car, as well as new rims and tires.
any help deciding is appriciated!
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silver 98 GT 5 spd; bbk CAI, bbk o/r h mated to flowmaster 40's.. slowly adding mods.
$760 invested and growing.
Silver Mustang Registry #1006
I CAN ANSWER MOST V8/V6 EXHAUST QUESTIONS! MESSAGE ME!
I would atleast get the headlights and tail lights replaced. Also some 3.73's or 4.10's would be nice and a great bang for the buck.
I'm all about performance before looks, but discolored headlights can hurt your vision at night and the rice tail lights proabably look ugly. The gears will make it feel like you gained some HP though you don't.
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1995 Mustang GT-Heavily Modded-Sold 2003 Ford Lightning-Sold 1997 Saleen-5.4 conversion-Sold 2005 Mustang GT-Torch Red-Sold 2003 Mustang Cobra-Oxford White 2003 4Runner V8 Sport Edition 4X4
hey all, i have a 1998 mustang gt and in a few months im going to have about $1200 to spend on it.
i was wondering if i should spend that money on cosmetics or performance.
i will list everything done to the car already to help with replies.
performance: the car doesnt sound bad at all because i have a bbk catless H and flowmaster 40's, but otherwise, a cold air intake is the only other performance mod.
cosmetic: the mustang has faded lights, as well as ricer taillights (previous owner). it is getting a show-winning paint job soon. the interior is in great shape, no need to replace anything there.
i would absolutley love to do a PI swap... but labor would create the need to double my money supply, and no one else but me would notice that engine work has been done.
on the other hand i would love to get a cowl hood and new lights all around the car, as well as new rims and tires.
any help deciding is appriciated!
i would go first with exterior issues then work your way in to performance!! Everybody agrees that the gears will give you a lot more torque.....
Its wayyyyy better to have someone say "holly $#!T this thing is fast" than some random person say "ohhh thats a nice.... um mustang". I mean they both help make the money and hours spent worth it, but i say performance first.
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-2000 Mustang GT Ford Racing 4.10s // T45R 5speed// Hawk HPS Brake Pads // Cold Air // BBK 75mm TB // BBK X-pipe // Hooker Aero Chambers // Eibach Sportline's // Ford Racing Upper and Maximum Motorsports Lower Control Arms // '95 Cobra R's // Toyo Proxes T1-S // Steeda Tri- Ax Ram HDX Clutch // tuned w/ SCT X3
im thinking 3.73's as a serious possibility as ive heard SO much about them. how much will i gain in the quarter mile, and how much will i lose off my top-end?
the problem with doing performance is that even though me and my dad know how to work on engines and such,
we dont have a shop or the tools to pull the engine whenever we want. when i take it to a shop,
its around $1250 to pull it, do work, and put it back in.
if i take it to a shop everytime i want engine work done, thats a-LOT of money.
so if im going to do engine work, i'd save up around 4 grand, buy $2900 worth of parts and not touch the engine for a long time.
im not prepared to spend 2 years saving for that
give me your feedback
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silver 98 GT 5 spd; bbk CAI, bbk o/r h mated to flowmaster 40's.. slowly adding mods.
$760 invested and growing.
Silver Mustang Registry #1006
I CAN ANSWER MOST V8/V6 EXHAUST QUESTIONS! MESSAGE ME!
I never got a true read on my gears because the weather was always different when I ran post gearswap. If you convert my E/Ts (which I hate to do because they're not "real" numbers) I'd say I improved by about 3-4 tenths on average. This was with 4.10s and a headswap, though. I've heard of guys shaving at least 3 tenths off of their E/Ts pre-headswap.
My top end actually "improved" over the stock 2.73s. When I was young and dumb and first got the car, in 4th I couldn't eek past 134-135mph in 4th or 5th. (Perhaps it was a wind resistance/gearing thing.) After the gear swap I'd tear past 135mph in 5th gear but I always lifted before I hit 140mph (older and wiser I suppose.)
Don't worry about your top end though. It's meaningless. No one goes 140mph and if you do, you're insane. Unless you're at a track and aren't putting anyone else at risk- its just not worth it. You don't own a Ferrari and you don't need to. Acceleration is the name of the game, and Mustangs can be made to accelerate very nicely!
As for cosmetic mods vs performance mods- that's a no brainer for me, but I've never been much for aesthetics anyway. Dumping those ricer Altezzas or whatever they are is completely acceptable though!
Could probably go for the new tail lights (ricers on a stang = no good) and 3.73 gears. Then if there's not enough left over for rims and tires I would put on lowering springs. Love the look of a lowered Mustangs stance, not too low though or you'll be scraping speed bumps.
How much is that "show winning paint job" going to set you back? If your car is your daily driver you might want to rethink that and scale it back, finally add up what you have to spend on paint and cash on hand and consider selling your car and buying something already built, the difference might not be all that much.
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"Goose, Hollywood's fine, I want Viper"
1995 Mustang GT Cnv 347(427 stroker being built!) almost done!
1996 Cobra with Kenne Bell 2.1 Supercharger and every other conceivable part you can bolt on it...650hp upgrade in the works
2003 Infiniti M45 V8 340 hp...a methadone treatment for reformed Mustang drivers
performance or cosmetic? 
(Mods in profile)
) and 3.73 gears. Then if there's not enough left over for rims and tires I would put on lowering springs. Love the look of a lowered Mustangs stance, not too low though or you'll be scraping speed bumps.
