i have an almost bone-stock 87 Gt w/ the mods listed below. i'd love to go the turbo or twin turbo route, but are there any systems for relatively cheap? i was thinking before about changing heads and intake and cam, staying naturally aspirated basically, but i dont want to be getting horrible mileage. i know i will get worse mileage w/ anything i do, but a turbo or supercharger seems better for me than doing the other things i was thinking about. this is a daily driven car that i use for school and friday night racing. what suggestions do you have for me? and what other modifications will be necessary for what you route you think i should take? money is an issue, being that i'm stil in school, but i'm almost on summer break, and that means working full time, which means extra $ for the stang. thanks for any help.
~Justin

[GTRaptor]

An entry level supercharger is what i will recommend, Vortech, Ati or Paxton. The expense is in the $2.5-3k range depending on the kit and if you are willing to install yourself.

Heads and Intake swap are also viable options, a set of heads/intake will be around $1,800 plus installation. If you can get someone to help with the install the better.

The gains are different though, the SC (6-9psi) around 80-100hp, heads and intake around 60hp.

The route for HP is up to you, but i can give you some advice, the SC is "almost" and install and forget kind of deal. But reasearch all the available kits closely, some still use FMUs while others come with new injectors, pump and a custom chip.

[GreenandSilver]

From what I am gathering - Kenne Bell is good for the street if you wanted to go supercharger. You have power from low on your rpm so you can launch low, and it's around the same price range as centrifugal superchargers. Most turbos seem to still be around a thousand more than superchargers right now - especially twin turbos. IMHO - turbo is a little more boost than necessary

[ScottHalliday]

Justin, how much money are you planning to spend? Knowing what $$ range you intend to spend can really help in getting the best advise as to what to buy.

[brj333]

spray 250 till it blows then build a real motor!!!!

[GreenandSilver]

Just a thought - but would a GT-40 crate engine and say, a Kenne Bell with 7 or 8 pnds of boost be a good way to make lower 400's in HP and 400's in torque in streetable fashion?

[Twister]

I would look at getting a new or rebuilt engine first, engines with over 60K miles on them before a blower or a turbo is added tend to have head gasket and piston ring problems. Engines wear evenly throughout the engine, so it is better to put a fresh one in. There are superchargers made for speed density, so you do not need to swap over to mass air, and I would not use a GT40 crate engine due to the hyperutenic pistons. Any engine with a power adder really needs to be built with forged pistons, and you will need a lower compresion ratio to handle the boost. A supercharged or turbocharged engine is not built the same as a normaly asperated engine, so keep that in mind