More car mods - 2000 Mustang V6 makeover

[lancec2c30]

I got my RAI installed yesterday. Fit and finish from the factory wasn't exactly perfect. I had to cut into the rubber elbow for the valve cover breather.

 

[NightSurge]

Your engine bay looks very nice! I have a Ford/Mustang car show coming up and they give awards for engine bay cleanliness. Got any tips on how to clean it safely without hurting anything?

 

[lancec2c30]

I use a small towl and some basic 409 or other cleaner on everything inside the engine bay. If it is really bad you might have to degrease it all first. After that I just use armor all or a gel tire shine on all the black plastic and rubber pieces. Armor all is a little easier to apply, but the tire shine lasts longer.

Other than that, it's all about the elbow grease you put into it.

 

[ricanflow]

Degrease, rinse off and grab a small towel with cleaner like he said and wipe away.

if anything is rusted/worn out, try to replace it.

 

[NightSurge]

Nothing is in bad condition, and it was pretty well cleaned the day I bought it about 6 months ago.

The main reason I ask is because I had read that you need to be careful about getting any electrical connections wet and stuff like that. I had heard of someone who's Mustang would misfire a lot after he cleaned it incorrectly.

 

[lancec2c30]

You are right, if you do something like spray the engine down with degreaser. You have to wash all of the degreaser out. If you don't cover up some important things, you will have some problems. Especially on cars still equipped with distributors.

If there isn't tons of road grime and greasy film all over, you can just get away with a couple rags and some type of cleaning chemical. No water needed.

 

[Jayce]

You guys should hear my exhaust in my 2001 Elantra. It sounds so horrible it's unreal. I thought I had a hole in my flex pipe but it turns out the entire pipe is busted, so my entire exhaust just dumps right under the driver seat and never hits the muffler. I also have a bad catalytic converter.

I feel like such a shmuck because it's a 5 spd so I obviously ring out the gears a bit now and then. It seems that there's always that person in their front yard staring at me when I drive by. I can tell they are just thinking "**** kids and their stupid fart can exhausts!" I just want to scream IM SORRY ITS NOT MY FAULT.

I'll be bending over monday morning to get it fixed.

 

[lancec2c30]

I can only imagine what that sounds like. lmao..

 

[NightSurge]

I just saw a mustang V6 same year as mine but blue. They had done something really stupid and ugly and put like a chrome 6 inch piece over the end of their muffler... you could still see the rusted part from the side because it just overlapped the end tip... was the stupidest thing I ever saw.

But this same mustang got those cheap 15" chrome hubcap cover things and one of those black bumper covers... so yeah... idiot.

 

[zmatt]

Surge, honestly I would put money into making it perform instead of dressing it up. The way it is there are pickups that can out run you.

That thing needs a V8, either a supercharger or turbocharger ( i prefer supers) and some good tires.

The money you spent on cosmetic mods would have been better spent on a V8 and part of the cost for a super charger.

EDIT:

I just checked some mustang forums and the two most popular answers for upping a mustang is either:

1: find a totaled v8 at the scrap yard and cannibalize it, it has everything you need, although it may have some parts that you have to replace

2: trade it in for a GT.