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Topic: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or??? (Read 2210 times) previous topic - next topic

What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Ok guys here we go i have a 88 tbird sport coupe 5.0 w/aod of course and i purchased a shift kit for the aod but am having issues with going thru with getting it put on as im having second thoughts of maybe doing a 5spd swap instead......but i personally like the idea of having a auto im not sure i'll be happy with just a shift kit.....so this is one of my deliemas.

the next one is i am buying a 87-88 t-coupe rear and planned to swap that in reall soon but its lookin like it may be awhile as cost is going up and up the more and more i read on doing this swap.  Ive read i need a 94-95 master cyl. (which im still not sure..is it a bolt in deal? and does it bolt up to my booster?) a equalizer gutting? kit to eliminate the original one or something??? then a new adjustable one from summit and then to do the new lines to the rear and so on.....and of course if im doin this much why not put new shocks on it and so forth ;)  so im faced with doing this first ahead of everything else or waiting on ths till i have my new body panels put on sprayed and so forth. my new interior done or i should say swapped.....and new summer treads on it as the current tires are baloons lol...

then ontop of all this im doing some mods to the engine such as i have the smog eliminator bracket and am trying to get the a/c one cheap.....and i want to purchase a set of u/d pulleys for on it and i have almost a complete mustang exhaust from headers back....just waiting on the dynomax lers from a kid. 

so i guess the question is what to do next?  i have the shift kit sitting here just needs 100 bux to be put in.....or do i buy the a/c eliminator and u/d's for the car first???


lots and lots of things goin on...what to do????

thankx for any ideas/suggestions/help
brooks

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #1 –
I'm going through the process of changing my rear end for a TC rear with discs right now. Some guys' Sports work fine with the rear discs and some dont. Mine didn't. So I am in the process of installling a '93 Cobra proportioning valve and master cylinder (good luck finding a 93' cobra prop. valve. I found one at a dealer an hour from me). And since I have to bother with those things, I'm going for the TC front brakes while I'm at it.

That being said, I would suggest the rear end. You will get dramatic results with the rear whereas the shift kit will make it shift better but you won't be gaining much "seat of the pants" feel. Besides you can just adjust the kickdown cable for firmer/higher rpm shifts. But along with the rear you risk having to do the master cylinder, prop. valve, emergency brake cables, and whatever other problems come your way. OR you could luck out and have it work with your stock system.

Along with the rear, go for some u.d. pullies (won't give you much, but why not), and if you can handle summer with out a/c and you don't need smog checks, go for the eliminators. It'll all help in the end. Do all those (rear, and engine stuff) and I'm sure you'll have more fun this summer than just choppy shifts

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #2 –
The A/C eleminator is gonna get you ZERO HP incerase, you'll still be spinning a pulley on a bearing. A/C robs no HP unless its actually in use... The smog pump eleminator will net you a hp or two. My feelings on the smog eleminator are, just toss the pump and install a shorter belt(it's what I did). The under drives will free up 6-8 hp so they are a go(keep a eye on the charge and temp). If you're gonna get the U/Ds, ditch the smog pump at the same time and buy a belt just once...

A true dual exaust will get you 10-12 hp and with a 60mm HO throttlebody and EGR spacer, prob another 5hp.

A TC rear will help acceleration and will be more noticable with the above mods.

The shift kits are never a bad idea but really won't increase your speed. A 2400 stall torque converter would really wake things up, and would make the above mods feel like you added 50hp.

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #3 –
well i personally never seen a v8 car this lame since i had a 267 in a 82 monte carlo...i dont mean to knock them but what was ford thinking when they put a 2.73 ratio in the rear of these and not the stouter h.o. cam/intake/ecu etc.....i mean ok the car weighs more then a stang and yet we get the shaft in h.p. department....and yes i know why im just venting lol.

.....i have a underdrive pulley coming so hopefully that will help liven things up till i get the rear and get it undder the car etc...i may get the tranny done since i have the kit already but not 100% sure when yet......but when i got the cash i need to do it ya know ;)  if not it wont get done lol.....and yes i know the a/c wont give me any real gain other then less weight and a heck of alot better looking engine compartment lol.....and a little gain from the fact that mine seams to be dragging a bit too...but probably next will be the tranny unless the kid with dynomax's gets them to me by friday then maybe that instead :) but who knows.

thankx for help guys

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #4 –
Quote
The under drives will free up 6-8 hp so they are a go(keep a eye on the charge and temp). If you're gonna get the U/Ds, ditch the smog pump at the same time and buy a belt just once...


This mod might lead to a problem with charging like tom says.. Let me just say when I put u/d pulleys on my motor years ago my alternator had problems keeping up with the power demands at stop lights while in gear with the AOD. You might want to save this mod till you can put an upgraded 3G alt on.. or keep the stock Alternator pulley

The best advice I can give is figure out how fast you want the car to be and make a plan...

do you want:

A: a 400+ hp monster
B: a 350 hp monster
C: a 300 hp monster
D: a 250 hp HO upgrade..

by doing the rear first would be a good start cause it will support future mods and you can enjoy the effects now with the current setup. Next I would do the exhaust system from the headers back... than suspension, than engine... or engine than suspension what ever you like more..

get a plan and stick to it.

stay away from msd boxes, a/c eliminators, smog pump eliminators, electric fans, superchips, shift kits for an AOD thats going to die soon anyway...etc this stuff is all cool (except the superchip they just plain suck) for when you are bored and have nothing else to bolt on but not in the begining stages..

the best results are from heads, cam ,and intake... You could bolt on about 75hp with very little money...

E7TE heads $25-$100 (I just gave a free set away and alot of people do)

HO cam $10-$25
HO intake and 60mm TB $50
19lb injectors and SD stang computer $60
stang headers $25
stang hpipe $50

Thats about under $500 with gaskets and little stuff.. see my point?

Or you could bolt on 200HP with alot of money it all depends on what you want and it all goes back to that..
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #5 –
i been doin some major rethinking tonite anyways and i dont think im gonna be happy unless i have a 5 spd tbird again so i may just do that swap soon too instead of waiting till next yr. guess we'll c what happens ;)

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #6 –
the best way i can see getting power out a SO is swap to8.8 w/3.73 gears get a shiftkit then go trough and improve the brake system, then suspention, then mess with the engine

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #7 –
Quote
i been doin some major rethinking tonite anyways and i dont think im gonna be happy unless i have a 5 spd tbird again


the AOD will die and when you start to add power to the car it will go down hill quicker, so doing the tranny is not a bad idea.. I would buy a tranny that is going to fit your over all picture though... If you have big engine mods planned than put a tranny in that will handle the power your looking to put down..
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Re: What would you do first??? the rear, the tranny, or???

Reply #8 –
anyone have a h.o. computer for speed density? and the 19lb injectors? (btw im told the maf and speed density ecu's will both work in this swap but not sure?)