what kind of power is needed?

what do you guys think i would need to do to my little 98 civic EX coupe
to beat a 5.0 rustang.
i would like to keep my D16Y8 and strengthen the internals.
do you think a super charger would do the trick or would i need to turbo it

put a turbo on and you can beat a 5.0
^proven fact

what kind of turo would be needed and at what psi
or would a slightly boosted (well tuned) civic be able to do the trick. i would like to stay under or around 10 psi (not as much stress on the engine)

Start with your basic bolt-on's. Stiffen your suspension to help keep traction to the front tires, LSD and clutch to get the power to the wheels, and then some internal engine work (more agressive camshaft and adjustable cam gear, valve springs, maybe forged pistons and rods, etc). If you decide to add turbo, reinforce the internals and block first.

all of that would be great, but expensive as hell and not needed.

9-10 psi from a t3 (.42/.48) with 450's and afc works great

Meh, 5.0's are slow as hell, not to mention heavy. Like 97CivicX said, a T3/T4 turbo in your Civic will more than likely dust off any stock 5.0's you come up on. You will also wanna grab as many bolt-on's as your pocketbook can afford. The problem arises when that 5.0 is throwing down with 10-15 lbs. himself.

i just used the rustang as a goal to beat. where i live people think that any rustang built is the best car ever. i believe it is an achiveable goal to beat a 5.0.
I am trying to set a plan for myself to build up over the next year and a half.
I am starting off with I/H/E. ( I know headers will be useless if i go with the turbo.)
i want to stay away from nitrous!!!!!!!!!
does anyone have a good step by step set up that worked for them