What mods to do during Shortblock install

[disasterpiece83]

So i am going to have to replace my shortblock. i would like opinions and recommendations. i plan on going with a livernios motorsports block or a block from a local shop. still waiting on a quote from livernois motorsports. plan on going diamond pistons and manley i beam rods.

While the engine is out i want to ensure i dont miss any mods. So my question is what would be the best and most cost effective mods to do while the engine is removed? Parts and brands? thanks in advance.

Here is what i plan on doing currently.

MMR K Member
Metco 4lb Lower
Billetflow 4pc Idler
MAC Longtube Headers
Evenflow Gen 2 Head Cooling Mod

Any other ideas? :beer:

 

[jrgoffin]

Ford 99-04 Mustang DOHC Cooling Mod [LCM] - $219.99 : Performance Parts - Ford Mustang - Cobra - Dodge Viper - Chevy Corvette - C6 - LS1

 

[disasterpiece83]

thats a good idea. i may go the evenflow cooling mod route though. thanks for the reminder.

 

[mach1033]

Get the heads studded instead of using the weaker bolts.

 

[03Cobrra]

get the heads studded instead of using the weaker bolts.

+1

 

[GodStang]

Mac = Crap.

If you are going to do it now is the time to do head work and cams.

 

[disasterpiece83]

i will have to look into the head stud. Is MAC really garbage? bad results? break? just curious. i think heads and cams will surpass my budget.

 

[mach1033]

i will have to look into the head stud. Is MAC really garbage? bad results? break? just curious. i think heads and cams will surpass my budget.

I dont know why everyone shits on Mac LT's for. I have them with the lethal mid pipe and the fitment is perfect. I will give you an example. I installed Max Motorsport coilovers front and back and my car was lowered 3 inches. It had a sick stance to it with 305 DR's and 265's in the front. Well long story short I hit a manhole cover in Manhatten and completely wrecked my k member, vert brace, bumper radiator support and set off both my air bags. My LT's did not have a scratch on them. Also when MM&FastFords did header test's the Macs held up with kooks and american racing with a 1hp difference. Now the reason the Mac's cost less is because they are not stainless steel. My mechanic who replaced all my wrecked shit liked the way the Mac's fit that he went and bought a set for his Cobra. I dont mind spending money on my car but for a one HP difference didnt justify paying over double what I paid for the Mac's.

 

[haskett]

I rebuilding mine right now. I'm going with a stock rebuild except for upgraded pistons (Manley in my case), Speed Pro bearings, and ARP studs. I had the injectors cleaned and balanced by Stieg while I was at it. For my needs (reliable 500hp in harsh racing conditions), it didn't seem like anything else had the right bang-for-the-buck trade-off.

 

[disasterpiece83]

I dont know why everyone shits on Mac LT's for. I have them with the lethal mid pipe and the fitment is perfect. I will give you an example. I installed Max Motorsport coilovers front and back and my car was lowered 3 inches. It had a sick stance to it with 305 DR's and 265's in the front. Well long story short I hit a manhole cover in Manhatten and completely wrecked my k member, vert brace, bumper radiator support and set off both my air bags. My LT's did not have a scratch on them. Also when MM&FastFords did header test's the Macs held up with kooks and american racing with a 1hp difference. Now the reason the Mac's cost less is because they are not stainless steel. My mechanic who replaced all my wrecked shit liked the way the Mac's fit that he went and bought a set for his Cobra. I dont mind spending money on my car but for a one HP difference didnt justify paying over double what I paid for the Mac's.

Yea i see alot of people use them. it makes me wonder when people comment like that. are they saying they suck because the price is low or is there documented proof that they just way under perform? if what you say is true then i would certainly sacrifice 1 hp for the $700+ i would save. if they really are terrible then please someone explain why.

 

[disasterpiece83]

I rebuilding mine right now. I'm going with a stock rebuild except for upgraded pistons (Manley in my case), Speed Pro bearings, and ARP studs. I had the injectors cleaned and balanced by Stieg while I was at it. For my needs (reliable 500hp in harsh racing conditions), it didn't seem like anything else had the right bang-for-the-buck trade-off.

if you dont mind my asking what is it going to cost you in the end? i havent started yet (deployed) and i am not looking forward to the bill! i guess thats what you get for not knowing how good of a tune i had and doing a high mph run. dont forget to do your headers at the same time at a minimum.

 

[racebronco2]

I have had mac lt's for almost 2 years now. Fitment is good but use the factory multi layer steel exhaust gaskets and factory bolts. I replaced mine with felpro when i had the engine out and they ended up leaking. The older mac's were the ones with a bad reputation. My car isa lowered about 1/2 in the rear and 1 1/4 in the front and i usually scrape the chin spoiler but not the headers.

 

[32V10TH]

if you dont mind my asking what is it going to cost you in the end? i havent started yet (deployed) and i am not looking forward to the bill! i guess thats what you get for not knowing how good of a tune i had and doing a high mph run. dont forget to do your headers at the same time at a minimum.

Im curious as well

 

[disasterpiece83]

I have had mac lt's for almost 2 years now. Fitment is good but use the factory multi layer steel exhaust gaskets and factory bolts. I replaced mine with felpro when i had the engine out and they ended up leaking. The older mac's were the ones with a bad reputation. My car isa lowered about 1/2 in the rear and 1 1/4 in the front and i usually scrape the chin spoiler but not the headers.

thank you for the tip. so in your opinion is it worth it for the MAC's? mine is not a DD. i drive only on familiar roads.

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

So my question is what would be the best and most cost effective mods to do while the engine is removed? Parts and brands? thanks in advance.

Welcome to Engine Forensics 101:
First we will be investigating why this engine died.
Second we will be looking at corrective measures to address those issues, so that the next engine does not suffer the same demise.

Therefor the answer to your question above should be
Mods that will prioritize the identification and correction of whatever caused the engine to fail in the first place.

BTW... What was that anyway?

 

[haskett]

if you dont mind my asking what is it going to cost you in the end? i havent started yet (deployed) and i am not looking forward to the bill! i guess thats what you get for not knowing how good of a tune i had and doing a high mph run. dont forget to do your headers at the same time at a minimum.

$2800 includes the following:

• The machine work at HP Racing Engines: bored 20-over, pistons balanced and mounted, rod ends rounded, heads surfaced, valve job, new valve guides, crank spun-balanced, crank mains turned 10 under, and probably a couple of other minor things I can't recall.
• From Modular Performance: the pistons, rings, ARP studs, and bearings.
• All new gaskets and seals from the supercharger through the oil pan from Tousley Ford. This included some TTY bolts.

I shopped hard for the best prices. I still need to buy a clutch. I'm doing all of the work myself except for the machining above.

I really haven't seen any evidence that headers are a good investment. 10-20 hp plus the headaches of working around the starter and tranny.....

 

[injfuel]

mods

So i am going to have to replace my shortblock. i would like opinions and recommendations. i plan on going with a livernios motorsports block or a block from a local shop. still waiting on a quote from livernois motorsports. plan on going diamond pistons and manley i beam rods.

While the engine is out i want to ensure i dont miss any mods. So my question is what would be the best and most cost effective mods to do while the engine is removed? Parts and brands? thanks in advance.

Here is what i plan on doing currently.

MMR K Member
Metco 4lb Lower
Billetflow 4pc Idler
MAC Longtube Headers
Evenflow Gen 2 Head Cooling Mod

Any other ideas? :beer:

why do people think they need to change their rods to make their motor stronger, do you even know how good our factory rods are? what do you plan on making? 1000 hp ? the weak link in our motors is the pistons and the end gap clearance on the rings , creating heat issuses and piston failure, the rods are good for way more than people think , an engine builder wants to sell you new rods and a new block and a new crank, ten years ago people were making 1000 hp with the same rods we have in our cars , eagle h-beam for example, trust me your forged steel crank and manley h-beam rods are not the problem, try buying a good set of pistons, have them coated (polydyne in texas) all arp hardware and machine work for 2500 including labor (unless your getting ripped off which i see alot of, my conspiracy theory ) and you have yourself a 1000 hp block .

 

[injfuel]

headers

Yea i see alot of people use them. it makes me wonder when people comment like that. are they saying they suck because the price is low or is there documented proof that they just way under perform? if what you say is true then i would certainly sacrifice 1 hp for the $700+ i would save. if they really are terrible then please someone explain why.

trust me if you have never owned kooks headers than you would have no idea the difference in quality and fittment , its like comparing a ford taurus to a ford gt and thats no joke, my first headers were hooker 1 5/8 primaries, nice headers, we installed some bassani mid length on my buddies 03, and mac on my other buddies 98 cobra which were decent, when we put the kooks on my car it looked like they came from nasa or something and they sound and perform perfectly

 

[arc00ta]

trust me if you have never owned kooks headers than you would have no idea the difference in quality and fittment , its like comparing a ford taurus to a ford gt and thats no joke, my first headers were hooker 1 5/8 primaries, nice headers, we installed some bassani mid length on my buddies 03, and mac on my other buddies 98 cobra which were decent, when we put the kooks on my car it looked like they came from nasa or something and they sound and perform perfectly

I agree with this guy. I'm a cheap ass, I won't lie to you. But the quality difference between a good set of stainless headers and a mild steel set is just unbelievable. Do the cheaper mild steel ones get the job done? Yep. Is there a good chance they will look like crap after 6 months and leak? Yep. IF I were going to put headers on my Cobra, which is apparently a pain to do, I would put the good ones and never look back if it was within my budget to do so. They will most likely outlast the car.

Not hating on the cheap-o ones at all, thats all I ran for years and never saw a problem (besides having to weld the collectors to the mid pipe because they always leaked), but the day I decided to get an ARH set I realized what the fuss was about. I feel like if you're modding one of these cars for anything other than a bargain basement racer then the stainless is the way to go.

/rant.

 

[SnakeBit]

To the OP. I'd also make sure my sparkplug holes have more than 4 threads on them. Since money is tight, I'd suggest Lock-n-Stitch. Should be very easy to do with the heads off of the engine.