Ok, i am buying a 92 gt. mostly stock, the engine has been rebuilt, but the trans has 150,000 miles on it. How much will it cost to replace that trans? And does that include getting new gears? Which ones should i get 3.55 or 3.73? It is a 5 speed. This is what i plan on doing in this order, tell me what you think and what else i should do. Or where is the best place to buy parts. Thanks

1) K&N Air Filter
2) Rear end gears 3:55 or 3:73 ratio
Cold Air Induction 3-5hp gain $125
3) I want to upgrade the exhause from the headers back, but am looking for ideas on what to use. I live in MI so it will have to be stainless steel or some other material that won't rust
4) The stick shift, once again looking for ideas
5) Underdrive pulley
6) Supercharger and or twin turbo

Is there anything else? I know there is, but i can't think of anything. This car will a street car, won't be on the track much. Any help will be appreciated

your mods should be in order of bang for buck. so do exhaust first, then rear gears. i run 3.45/1 on 60r15's and for a daily driver that still gives me a 120 kph in 5 th @2250 rpm approx. i tried pulleys only to have my lights go dim at intersections. your stang may already have a short shifter in so check that before you buy one.( my friend bought one and when the old one came out it was the same type, he returned it and paid restock charge) turbo power right now is way better than it was 5 years ago , low spool times = quick launch. plus it doesn't have the parasitic drag the superchargers do. for every 100hp added from a supercharger it uses 30hp to run the pulley. turbos produce power exponetially in relation to exiting exhaust gases.

How fast do you want to go? A twin turbo will set that car on fire. If you're going to turbocharge it in the future as opposed to supercharging it, the money spent now on headers will be wasted. You can get the car running low 12's to high 11's on pump gas normally aspirated and still be streetable. It won't pass smog inspections but it'll run and drive OK. A supercharger or twin turbo with good heads and supporting mods will make the car so fast as to scare you. 125-130mph in the 1/4 with forced induction and still be streetable is possible. Just remember that when you crank up the boost, you really do need race gas.
I drove my blown 90 LX around on the street for a couple of years. It would run low 11's @ 128+ traction limited. On the street, this car would beat mid 10sec "race cars". I never ran the car at the track with slicks so I don't know the full potential of what I had. What finally killed it was big boost + pump gas so I know what I'm talking about.

I will be honest with you, I have no idea how fast I want it to go yet. I do know this, I want it be very quick and fun. I do plan on getting it turbo charged, so should I just upgrade the exhaust from the cat back then? What do you recommend for the turbo charger and the exhaust? I would like something that won't rust. I plan on driving this car all year round. I actually have fun driving my 89 lx in the winter now. Smog is not an issue, I live in michigan, we make the cars so there is no emissions laws for us.

I will need to replace the transmission. It has 150,000 miles on it. When i get the trans replaced, will that include the gears? If so, should i get 3.55 or 3.73 gears? And how much does that run?

I am on a limited budget, so these modifications will happen over time. I really appreciate all your help and keep those ideas and tips coming.

First let me warn you that "on a limited budget" and twin turbo kit are mutually exclusive. Even a good single turbo kit will be $3000 -3600 dollars. The outlaw single turbo we installed on my friends 93GT costs us $3600 and then we needed another $1000+ for the fuel system necessary to supply fuel to it. It did make enough power on a stock short block with good heads to push the 3300lb w/driver car to 11.20's @134 on regular (not drag) radial tires. This car had 3.55 gears in it. You don't need a lot of gear in a turbo motor because they make absurd torque. A supercharged or normally aspirated motor will need 3.73's or even 4.10's. Go ahead and get the cat back exhaust now but be realistic on your future plans with the car. Supercharging it will be much cheaper in the long run and you can go ahead with other mods now that will make a big diffence now that can still be used once you supercharge it. Like I mentioned earier, the exhaust, heads, and a good intake will put the car deep into the 12's now and bolting a supercharger onto that combo will put in into the low 11's or 10's depending on which supercharger you go with. This approach is also better suited to your one step at at time approach as well.

Thanks,

I know how much turbochargers cost, I guess what I meant to say is that right now (I graduate in Dec) I am on limited budget, once i am done with school i will have more money to throw around. So for the next year I am looking for the mods that are the best bang for the buck.

Ok I have another question for you then. I have two options on what 92 GT to get. One, is flawless outside and inside but is mostly stock with a rebuilt engine. The second isn't nearly as nice looking but has a turbo charger and everything is modified. They both want $6500. Which one should I get?

Installing a turbocharger from "scratch" is both time consuming and difficult mechanically. If you want instant performance gratification the car that is already turbocharged seems like a good deal especially if the fuel system has been upgraded and the car has been tuned somewhat. Getting the fuel curve right took some time when we did it. It ran good when we first installed it but fine tuning it brought out substantial gains. If you are mechanically inclined, you can install a turbo yourself. Don't discount the pride that comes with doing everything yourself. When someone comes along and says, "Man...Nice car...Who did the work on it?" saying "I did it all myself" is the best possible answer. Think about it. Only you know for sure which way you want to go.

That is my problem, I really wanted to get a car and work on it myself. Right now I have no experience with working on cars besides changing the oil, plugs, simple stuff. I really want to learn how to fix and modify stuff myself. I am studying to be an electrical engineer, so I pick up on building stuff very quickly.

I know everyone in this forum says i should get the turbo charged one, but I think i am going to get the stock one and do the mods myself. That way I will learn some stuff, i will be out money in the long run i think, but as you said, I can say that i did all the work myself.

Congratulations on making what had to be a hard decision. Getting the already modified one with its instant gratification surely had to be tempting. Like I mentioned earlier, you'll always be more proud of your car when you do it yourself. Just get a little experience working on it before tackling the turbo installation. It is no fun and you will need someone else to help you. Two helpers is even better. Talk to some people that have installed one as well and let them tell you what they ran into. Let me know when you get it and I'll try to help you as you modify it.

David White
Outer Banks, NC

So should I get the 3:73 gears, the exhaust, and then work on the stablizer bars and handling first?

Yes! Frank..

Yes. Get the gears and the exhaust as your first performance enhancing items.

Which exhaust do you recommend?

Any 2.5" cat back system will be fine. I used Hooker Aero Chamber mufflers because I liked the way they sounded but there are some better flowing mufflers out there that will make more power than these at elevated power levels. On a car making 500 or more horsepower, the 3" Asphault Jungle exhaust system will be worth a lot of power over any 2.5" system but I've never seen or heard this system. I might put that one on my next 5.0 project just to be different.

Could I change out the gears myself? How hard is it? WHere can i find info how what i will need and how to do it? ANy tips?