man have i been lookin for u guys!!

i've been aware of clifford and stovebolt for awhile but not fordsix, man where have u guys been my whole life.

Anyways down to bussiness, i have 1980 mustang with a 3.3l 200ci engine. im in the process of putting a weber DGS carb on their and opening the exhaust to 2 1/4". the engine only has 85K original miles and i compression checked it, all 6 were running around 135-140 psi. With that said what can i do to get this 3700LB piece of tank move down the road to beat them little rice rockets.

any ideas on weight reduction?...my dads been tellin me get a valve job, is he right?...ive been readin about taken the head off of a 250 engine is this goin to give me a sizable chunk of ponies?

i need your help. hondas out number domestics 2 to 1 where i live
THANKS TOM [/b]

Hi,

Welcome to Fordsix. Seek out "Import Killer" he's got a NOS setup in his Mustang that apparently kicks import @$$.

Good luck.

DB

3700? Have you weighed it? For that generation of FoxStang 3400 is a more reasonable number. 3700 is more typical of the newer SN95 chassis.

A 79-83 six cylinder fox hatch is probably closer to 2900#. A coupe is probably 2850#. Verts are about 3100#

Getting one down to about 2500 is doable, depending on what you're willing to live with (no back seat, no spare, no jack, fiberglass hatch, no bumper impact beams, fiberglass hood & fenders, etc.

Is the 79 that much lighter than the 93? The number I've always seen for the late 5.0s is 3400 including gas and driver for a hatch.

The SN95 is portly. That was one of the original complaints when it first came out. A current GT with auto is about 3470 lbs. That's what makes the Fox so much faster than the SN95.

There are a couple of other things at work here which makes a 79 lighter than a 93. As the Mustang aged, it gained more and more weight. The later 87-93 cars carried more sound deadening and heavier seats. Later cars have bigger brakes, tires, and more gadgetry.

The AOD adds 100lbs over any other transmission. So a 200/C4 combination is about the same weight as a 2.3/AL4D, easily 100lbs lighter than a 3.8/AOD, 150lbs lighter than a 5.0/AOD and probably 200lbs lighter than a 4.6/AODE.

WELCOME Tsel200
I to have a fox body mustang. The weigh is more around 2700-2800 pound range. Depending what all you have. Fiberglass hood and trunk will lower you weigh quite a bit. I have plans on that myself real soon. As far as the 250 head it won't improve you any as they are basically the same as you have now. 1.75 carb opening and valves the same size.

8) WOAH THERE LITTLE PONY!!!


I had my 80 with 200 I6 and C4 and every option in the catalog and it weighed at 2866lbs. 1666;bs on front and 1200 lbs on rear. You can get it weighed at most any truck stop that has scales. I staggered the front and rear wheels on two pads so I could get fron and rear weight bias. Did it late on weeknight so there was no traffic on scales.

Even though the car only weighs 2866lbs it still has 58/42 weight distribution due to the I6 engine's center of gravity is way forward of the K member. ALL of the suspension and handling parts will work.

I have Ground Pounder tubular upper and lower rear control arms(havent put them in yet.) and I got a 1.12" fron swaybar and a .79" rear swaybar from a junkyard(ok treasureyard for some). You can buy junkyard SN95 GT or Cobra springs but you will need to cut 1 1/2 coils off front and 1/2 coil off rear.

I am running P215/60HR-14 tires on mine and it feels like a slot car. Ubfortunately it still has the 9" fron brakes so stopping is an experience.

The biggest performance difference you can make for immediate results is the 2 1/4" exhaust, and get rid of the 2.73:1 rear axle. Your bigger carb selection is also very good. If you have chance to ttake head off you might mill head .060" to raise compression to about 9.5:1 but that is debatable you might have to run premium then.

A tubular header would be nice but they are not plentiful.

Welcome to the family and hooray for late models!

Hey Tom,

Welcome. A couple of starter suggestions for ya.

First, get a copy of the Falcon Performance Handbook (falconperformance.sundog.net).

Second, take a look at www.geocities.com/mustang_man_1966/index.html

The DGS with the Cliffy adapter is a good start. Don't be concerned if you need to do some re-jetting after it's installed. If you need so help setting up the carb set up you can get it here. The big 3 upgrades, if you will, are carb, ignition, and header. Since your car came with the DuraSpark II distributor you are 2/3rds the way there. If you have good compression and a nice running engine I wouldn't do a valve job B4 carb, ignition and header are done. As for the 250 head, there is NO DIFFERENCE between the 200 and 250 head in 1980, i.e., no reason to swap.

Get the book. Enjoy the trip.

Steve

Welcome Tom:

I second Steve's first suggestion! Well worth the 14.95. 8) This handbook will give you a GREAT starting point. Anything else...just ask!

Welcome again!

-Chris

Welcome to the board, Tom! Looks like you and I have the very same Interests... Too many kids think the Suzuki Samurai is a "Hot Rod"... Go Figure.

So one time I took my God daughter for a ride in my '70 Camaro... She refuses to ride in that car anymore.

I agree that getting a copy of the Ford Falcon Performance book is the best place to start. Good Luck!

come on now!!! i once saw a samaris runnnning 31 inch tires! hehehehehe
i looked like you you could tip it over by leaning on it

there are several ways to do it
high compression naturally aspirated

OR

low compression and TURBO babay!!!

hey how much horsepower equals a pound? you know 20 lbs in reduceed weight equals 5 hp?? or something like that??

anyway welcome to the forum!!
Pete

Tsel200":smtjkfls said:

i need your help. hondas out number domestics 2 to 1 where i live
THANKS TOM [/b]

Click to expand...

What's up man? It's always good to have more people looking to beat on imports! It's fun and easey! There are a lot of imports where I live two.

As far as going fast with your six I have two words.......POWER ADDER! It will be far easier, cheaper, and faster than trying to go "all motor". I have had great luck with nitrous on my 200 and am working on a turbocharged 200. Check out my homepage to see some pics of it.

If you need any help with anything just ask man. These guys on here have helped me out so much it is unreal! A lot of REALLY smart people that know there stuff on here. I can't say enough about this board!

Dan

What part of CT are you from?

Slade