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Typical Mustang Bull (Come Look)

BigRed

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
948
Location
Edmonton
Corvette
1985 Bright Red Rocket
Okay I pull up to the lights (with my Girl who doesnt like "Life on the edge" and this 2002 Mustang GT pulls up so I look into the glass and heres a guy and his girl.

So right away Im thinking shut him down but the girl in my seat is all No no no dont race and so forth so I said okay

Then the light turn green and with no mention at all Boom he chirps out his tire and HIS girl is like looking at my car like its got nothing!

Okay now is this Typical Mustang Bull or what. These guys dont initiate the race ya know like rev your motor, the finger forward, Nothing

He was just trying to look good with his little girl there and I understand that but Whatta Chump I hate that so I peeled them a bit then remembered I had to turn left in like 1/2 block and my girl freakin didnt help either

So heres a question just for my curiosity

Can my 1985 L98 (MSD Ign, Lumpy Cam) beat a 2002 GT I sure thought so but I wasnt able to find out

:eyerole :( :eyerole
 
BigRed,

I don't know the answer to that question but I have an even better question:

Could a 85' Mustang beat your 'Vette
or
Could that 2002 GT beat a 02' 'Vette

It's a hard question to answer but keep this in mind: His Mustang GT is still a FORD!

Next time, leave the woman at home and show that guy what a real sports car is like!
 
This is one of those million dollar questions. All things being equal, it comes down to driver skill and who can get the best traction and launch.

Looking at pure statistical information, the 85 Vette should get a solid jump on the Stang coming out of the hole. However, the Stang has a little more hsp and tends to stoll on the upper RPM curve. If you can get a jump on him and hold it for a few moments, he will have a hard time catching you, but given enough pavement ahead he will eventually catch and pass you like a bolt of lightning.

I know of a lot of guys around here running mustangs. A few years ago they did not want anything to do with the new modular engine design. However, there is new technology now for those guys and they are tweaking the heck out of those 4.6 motors. What you think is a stock G.T. may have a larger throttle body, headers, Cam, computer, rear gears, and even NOS.

Best bet is to let him look like a fool screeching off from the red light like a 16 year old. Your girl will think you are the king of restraint and reward you for it later. Little does she know, you are actually protecting your street image by not giving him the time of day---because there is a good chance he could blow your doors off.
 
Ok Chris now answer me this hehe

Next year Im Pulling the L98 and building it up to a 383 Stroke
With a Vortex Ram air with a bigger Throttle Body, Hypertech stage 2/with 160 degree Thermostat, then NOS

Im already running a lumpy cam and stuff but Shootin for more

I wanna know has anyone done this and is it the Speed King Ive heard about Like say 500+ Hp with a lovely GO BABY GO button :s

My ultimate goal is to beat my best friend hes gotta 1970 GTO with a tuned up 400cui and Borg Warner T10 So anyone think after all this I can take him If so I have found my happiness Muhahaha hehe :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
BigRed,

In stock trim 85s were pulling about 6 seconds flat 0-60. The 2002 I have seen do about 5.5 seconds. So it is difficult to say, since it seems you have improved the performance of your 85. Being a corvette patriot myself, I am sure you would have won. If you know your current 0-60, then you probably have your answer.

Regards,
C5Phil
 
That is interesting, I did a 383 in my old 85. Dropped to 13.0 flat in the quarter at Gainesville running street tires, and all factory trim. Should have gone faster, but I was running stock heads with just a 3 angle valve job.

That brings me to my question. What kind of heads are you going to run? The stockers are not going to do much for you.

Yes, if you build the motor right and learn how to drive it then with a little NOS you will be hard to catch. In fact, if you just dropped a 250 shot of NOS on there now, nobody would know what hit them.

Good thing you are going to change out the intake. That is the weak link. I sold my 85, the new owner after blowing the motor a couple of times built a new one with the Vortec heads, same 383 bottom end, and a little more radical cam. He upped the ignition with a MSD 6 AL and a few other goodies.

It did not go any faster! He picked up a little more MPH, but was limited by the flow of the intake. Since he just signed his life away on a 30 year mortgage, I don't think he is going back anytime soon to upgrade.

I wanna ride when you get done. Maybe we can go out and track that stang back down.
 
For sure man thad be cool

I was thinking about Brodix Heads but they want your soul to pay for them then I was looking at Edelbrock they seem to come in at a decent price and good quality

Im not to sure what to do with the intake Like I think Injectors are going to be a part of it and the Ram air system but should I change the runners/plenum/Intake mainfold???? I dunno

I Already have the MSD 6 Ignition and blaster coil running on 8.5 MSD wires with Bosch Plat +4 plugs so thats done and I got a K&N air filter sitting in the stock housing

Mabe some Rocket Fuel may turn my crank Hehe :eyerole

:beer
 
One thing is 4 certain.......find a twisty road and he'd have ZERO chance...any idiot can drive fast in a str8 line........real cars and drivers TURN!!
:w
 
I noticed you guys were talking about more and more HP. But one thing I've noticed with my92 isn't that the LT1 won't perform against things like Stangs. But with the default 2.59 rear end it's no drag racer... I may be mistaken but I've gotten the impression that unless I had 3.54 or 3.77 rear end it'll never be a 0-60 screamer :confused But from 50-100+ it sure moves :D and the top end is over 150.
Graham
 
Gear Ratio/LT1-L98

You could not be more correct about one of the most reliable and dependable ways to get more red light to red light speed out of almost any car. Depending on your personal definition-that is "higher 2.56, 2.73 or lower 3.08, 3.73, 4.11" gears will make the difference on the car's acceleration personality.

Here is an interesting point. The LT1 and L98 are not that different when it comes to being over head valve, flat top pistons, etc, etc. they are both small block chevy engines. The major difference between the two is the intake manifold. The LT1 will take considerable modifications to the engine including higher compression, larger valves, bigger cam, etc, and requires no modification other than maybe a larger throttle body to keep making more hsp. However, an LT1 builds hsp and torque on the upper end of the RPM scale.

The L98 makes gobbs of torque and peak hsp at or under 5,000 RPM. It has everything to do with the design of the intake manifold. It just won't flow much more air after a certain point.

With this as a given, there are ways to work around it. For example, a 1985 Corvette with a 3.08 rear gear is a really good all around compromise. Plenty of top end, but makes great use of the torque. A 1985 with a 2.56 will still have a fairly impressive take off and even more top end.

A 1994 with a 3.08 or 2.56 will accelerate on the top end well beyond the legal limit and distance available on most highways. However, you could almost get out and run faster than it from a dead stop.

For any of you that have never driven either of the other car but has one or the other, you should do it some time. You LT1 guys will be blown away with the instant explosion of take off power in the L98, and you L98 guys will be dissappointed with the initial take off power, but will be amazed by the way the engine just keeps pulling after 5,000 RPM.

With all that said. Everytime I install a LT1 into a car that it does not belong in, I always change the rear gear to 3.73 or 4.11 to take advantage of the LT1 high rev characteristics. Sorry L98 guys, when you drop the rear gear on the LT1 the L98 just can't compete anymore at any point in the RPM curve.

The mini ram made by TPIS allows the old tuned port engines to gain the advantage of the LT1 intake. It costs about $1,300 for the whole set up including injectors. However, if you drop this on a 1985 with 2.56 gears, it will run like a dog red light to red light. Everything has to be ballanced to get the best all around performance.
 
Re: Gear Ratio/LT1-L98

Chris McDonald said:
Sorry L98 guys, when you drop the rear gear on the LT1 the L98 just can't compete anymore at any point in the RPM curve.

:cry
 
Thanks for the feedback Chris. I've been kicking the ideas around on improvements. I'm leaning more towards doing the rear gears, then 1.6 roller rockers, then Corsa exhaust.
With auto trans and 2.59 gears cruising the highway the car is barely idling. In town I leave it in D instead of OD. I hit 150 in D once and I was just under 5500RPM. What a rush :cool

I did some calculations of RPM/MPH using the 2.59 and 3.54 gears. I used D as having a final ratio of 1.0 and OD being .70. Tire diameter at 24.5in. Using 5500RPM as redline on the LT1.
2.59 gears and trans in D about 155MPH at 5500RPM.
3.54 gears and trans in D about 115MPH at 5500RPM.
Big loss in top end but acceleration should be significantly better.
Also with the 3.54 gears and trans in OD I can still cruise the highway nicely. 2200RPM/65MPH, 2500RPM/75MPH. Not bad.

I started looking at 3.77 but from what I understand if I use 3.54 then I just need a different speedo gear for the trans. But 3.77 or 4.11 range needed some speedo calibrator rig that would cost me an extra $150 just to get my speedometer accurate. The 3.54 is also a factory option in my92 so I could get it from GM. Sound mildly correct ?

Graham
 
vms4evr said:
The 3.54 is also a factory option in my92 so I could get it from GM. Sound mildly correct ?


You make a great point here. Sticking with a factory gear allows you to easily select factory speedo or other items to complete the modification.

Just a note for you OBDII guys, if you change the rear gear ratio or even tire size and don't have the computer reprogrammed you are in for some real driveability issues.

The 92 is still the basic computer system and you would simply change the chip to get some different engine/transmission performance.

Sounds like you drive this car and highway cruising is important. However, I dropped a set of 4.11 or 4.10 can't remember which one into a 1989 1500 Chevy truck that I installed a 1994 LT1 with an automatic transmission.

For a basically stock motor, that is the most amazing neck snapping tire chirping ride you can imagine. The rear tires are around 26" tall and it cruises over 3k rpm on the highway. With the two into one and back out to two flowmaster she just sings down the highway. Fuel economy suffers and top end. But, if you punch the throttle at 65 that LT1 is right in the power stroke and it will press you into the seat well past 100.

The 3.5 is a better all around gear.

If you decide to go radical, I can point you in the right direction to recalibrate the speedo. It really is not that hard using the Dakota Digital equipment and not very expensive either.

I suggest picking up a rear pumpkin at the best price posible used and have the gears installed. That way you can always switch back later if desired. Even better if you want the 3.54 and you get a used unit that has those gears.
 
there are fast and they turn. a 1995 mustang won the 150 mph class at the Nevada Open Road Classic.
 
Okay I got my Dynomax Mufflers in Finally going right now to install them. They say that the Flowmaster (Which I have run around 350-450 Cfm and these dynomax run at over 1100!! will this give me a substantial boost??? I thought so but we will see I guess
 
There was a great article by Bob Wallace in the "latest" Vette Magazine (what month I cant remember since they insist on dating them so weird........June 2004 maybe) on what a POS the Mustang really is ....especially in stock form...MAJOR changes and $ are needed to make it perform even CLOSELY
 
My Momma went out and bought a Ford....and yes shes a mustang....V6 though but in the DEALERSHIP they were offering option packages that were not even FORD!!!!! they were Vortech Superchargers 8 Lb boost K&N filter charges (Not just the Filter the WHOLE Pipe assembly) Like they are trying to do everything they can to get a mustang to put out! Like I said this was a Ford Dealership!! Weird :( :(
 

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