Making the switch to american

Ok...I love my car, but at 268,000 miles, I think it's time for a new one! Now, I've been working on my dad's 69 Cougar, and I'm kind of starting to make the switch from asian rockets to American muscle.

I'm looking at buying a 2003 Mustang 3.8L v6. I've done a little research and have found that it has 193 bhp. Correct? Ok, here are the questions:
1) Is 12,900 usd a good price for one with 26k miles, from a certified dealer?

2) How much potential does this engine have

3) How easy will it be to put this engine in the 250 hp range

4) How much will it cost to put it into the 250 hp range.


I just want something that will stomp all the "fast and Furious" fans there are in Southern California.

Any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated! I know my stuff in the japanese market, but you put me in a room with a bunch of american car parts, and I wouldn't even know where to put the starter!

Thanks guys!

Of course your gonna get guys like me saying " why waste time with a wimpier engine that will cost more to get fast?"

Dude for 12k you can get a 96-98 cobra with lower miles, that has 305bhp stock. Or a bit higher mileage 99+ GT with 260 stock. It will sound meaner run quicker and each mod will get you ten times the power than if you had the v-6.

Now if you have around 12k to spend i wouldnt say its the insurance thing.

But i wont lie and say theyre dogs. a 3.8 can put some power down. they run high from 14.9 to mid 15s stock , which would put you ahead of a bunch of the ricer crowd and equal with the stock 5.0 mustang crowd. Ive seen some sixes ouot down some major HP....but it will cost you more in the long run to go just as fast as a stock v-8...

Well, I'm getting it from a dealer, and they're asking 12,900 for it, but I can probably get it for 11,000. And I don't have 11,000 to spend, I am going to have to finance. One of the biggest reasons I want this one from the dealer is because of the warranty that it comes with.

I was just curious about some of the specifics of the engine. I know it has 193 hp, and has a 9.3:1 compression ratio. How easy would it be to achieve 250 hp on the 3.8L. what would I need to do to get it there? I know it sounds stupid, but the american and import worlds are completely different. In the import world I would know exactly what to do, but I know nothing about bigger engines. thanks alot guys!

How easy would it be to achieve 250 hp on the 3.8L. what would I need to do to get it there?

It's not far fetched to get 60 ponies out of the engine. The thing to do is start small and work your way up.

The very first thing I'd get would be gears. You won't get extra power but a nice set of 3.55s or 3.73s will make your car much, much quicker.

Next, I'd start with putting a duel exhaust with equal length headers, an off-road X-pipe, and some high flow mufflers on.

Then I'd put in a cold air kit with a K&N, a bigger throttle body, and a higher flowing intake manifold. With the more air flow I'd then get bigger injectors.

Next I'd get myself a MSD ignition system with an ignition box, coil, distributor, and bigger plug wires. I'd then get a good set of plugs to get a good spark going.

Then I'd put a bigger cam in with some better flowing heads.

Finally, I'd put on a power adder like a super or turbo charger. Personally I've heard turbos work very well with the 6 bangers.

I know it sounds stupid, but the american and import worlds are completely different.

Not really when you get down to it. The engines may be different but you're doing the same thing to get more power. You're either messing with the air flow, ignition source, or the fuel supply to get a bigger bang and make the car run faster.

In the import world I would know exactly what to do, but I know nothing about bigger engines. thanks alot guys!

The 3.8 isn't really a "bigger engine" but whatever. Also, if this car is still under warranty you won't be able to do any modifications to it.

So if you're looking for a car to do some work on I'd go with Demonhunter advice and get a Cobra or something. Better yet you could find a nice 5.0 out there and with a little money the thing will scream.

http://www.3.8mustang.com/forum/

theres some guys that could probably help you out a bt better than i.

and as muslcestang said , you can get 250hp probably with some headwork , exhaust and a couple other bolt ons...

Go import.

go blindly import loyal lol

anyways......

Go import.

Whatever troll :loser:

Dont get pissed off just because your amercian cars have more displacement then HP. its not my fault. Imports are proving to be amoung the safest, and most reliable cars out there. Its the facts, not the opinion...

Dont get pissed off just because your amercian cars have more displacement then HP. its not my fault. Imports are proving to be amoung the safest, and most reliable cars out there. Its the facts, not the opinion...

Uh huh...well don't be a troll and come into the Mustang forum starting that shit or you won't be here long. Highflow and GT don't like it.

why are you in here? Im not going into fartcansville and telling ppl to go american.
You drive an import because thats whats "cool" at the time. Fast and the furious had made you this way in part. If you like displacment smaller than that of a KB supercharger, thats fine. But know that most ppl hate what you drive besides your import buddys. Ask anyone if they would rather hear a buzzing lawnmower sound or a smooth deep MANLY rumble. Or bright pink and green color schemes or deep rich solid colors. Crazy ass ground effects that look like some 50s sci fi space ship crap or a sleek tastefull solid design that wont fall apart if you hit a speed bump. 10K $ to get your briggs and straton to go 13s or 3500$ to go 12s in a v-8. Wand mileage get a moped , want low inurance get a mini van, want sensible preformance? Go domestic V-8.
Now go back to the uncle ben forums and leave us alone as i will you.

Dont get pissed off just because your amercian cars have more displacement then HP. its not my fault. Imports are proving to be amoung the safest, and most reliable cars out there. Its the facts, not the opinion...

You're fucking stupid. My Honda has as many problems as my Ford does.

http://www.smartmoney.com/consumer/index.cfm?story=20050519

Hummer, Cadillac, and Buick have less problems than Honda, Acura, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, but don't get pissed off because you're dead wrong. Piss off.

so anyways, if i had 12 g's and i wanted to stomp all the Fast and Furious fans in so cal, i would buy a fox body for like 3 g's and get a nice crate engine, new tranny, and bigger rear. but thats just my opinion.

so anyways, if i had 12 g's and i wanted to stomp all the Fast and Furious fans in so cal, i would buy a fox body for like 3 g's and get a nice crate engine, new tranny, and bigger rear. but thats just my opinion.

'Course, you could just throw a turbo kit on the stock motor with a home built C4, a stock 8.8 with a few suspension mods and have the setup to go 10's, but whatever floats your boat.

It's really funny how a thread about what to do to a 3.8L can turn into a thread about domestics vs. imports with just one post!


It's not far fetched to get 60 ponies out of the engine. The thing to do is start small and work your way up.

How much is all that going to cost though...well, everything up to the supercharger part.

And that would put me a little over 250 wouldn't it?

and as far as imports being completely different than domestics, they feel worlds apart. I look at any mitsubishi, mazda, or any other import, and I know exactly what I would do to that car to make it faster. But when I look at a mustang, the only thing that I can think of doing is boring it out, and moving to forced induction. I'm sure it's just a wall I need to break down...but...whatever. It feels completely different.

yeah the old fartcan/bodygraphics route doesnt work anymore huh .....JK man ;)

Its gonna cost you more i woudl think to work on the 6 than a 8....because more will have to be fabricated and what is produced as far as aftermarket parts , the company producing them doesnt have any competition so they can charge an arm and leg for them.

But did you go to that site i linked you to??? Im sure they can give you a much better idea.....

How much is all that going to cost though...well, everything up to the supercharger part.

gears: $200 plus $200 to put them in

duel exhaust: not sure but it shouldn't be over $200
equal length headers: $300-$400
off-road X-pipe: $300
high flow mufflers: Flowmaster 40s are $100 a muffler and they're the top of the line

cold air kit with a K&N: $125
throttle body: $200
intake manifold: $300-$400

MSD ignition: $150
coil: $100
distributor: $100
bigger plug wires: $20
plugs: $2-$10 a plug

cam: $200
heads: $1500

So you know I rounded those figures up so it may actually be cheaper depending where you go and what you get. For a good selection pick up a 5.0 & Superfords magazine. It has a great selection and you'll get a ton of ideas.

And that would put me a little over 250 wouldn't it?

From what I just listed you should have over 300.

and as far as imports being completely different than domestics, they feel worlds apart. I look at any mitsubishi, mazda, or any other import, and I know exactly what I would do to that car to make it faster. But when I look at a mustang, the only thing that I can think of doing is boring it out, and moving to forced induction. I'm sure it's just a wall I need to break down...but...whatever. It feels completely different.

Think of it this way, what would you do to make an import faster? Now, use those same ideas when you look at a domestic. Like I said, you're either messing with the fuel, ignition source, or air flow when you get right down to it.

It may be just as simple to go with a supercharger. I know there are kits for the 3.8 out there and they don't run terribly expensive. I think in the 2-3 grand range. To be honest though if I had it to do over again I think I would have just started with a cobra, Take that for what it is but by the time you have the thing running with its contemporary GT, you may be wishing you just had the GT.

Well, sure, I'd love to just get a Cobra! But then I would be moving from all the problems with my car, to all the problems of someone else's car. I can't afford one of the newer cobras, the only one I'd be able to afford would be the mid to early 90s ones, and those have been used to the point where I would spend just as much money repairing it as I would on making it go faster, and I can't afford that. I'm going to college next year, and I need something low miles and very reliable. But on the same token, I wouldn't be happy if it didn't go fast. So, I'm kind of stuck with the GT or the 3.8. and alot of it depends on what I can find.

Yeah sorry I wasn't saying go with the cobra, I was saying GT for you. I was just saying I set out to get a GT and got a GT but now I wish I had more. If you set out for a V6 and get a V6 you will wish you had a V8. Go for a GT I am sure you won't regret it.

i would definately say go for the 4.6 i have a uncle who owns a garage and swears by the 4.6 as being a completely bulletproof engine (why do you think both taxis and Cops use them??) and while the warrant is good, as soon as you touch the engine with anything aftermarket they can, and most likely will void all your engine warranty, and i have known the 4.6 to turn well over 200,000 miles without major work, and also remember that since your car will be domestic, assuming you can do a bit of work yourself, parts for domestics are most of the time cheaper than there imported counterparts, so you really don't have to worry as much about buying a bit highermilage V8 in the end it will be worth it

yeah dont fear a 4.6 at all...cobra or not

well i own a 00 3.8, what id do is turbo it, they can handle up to 12psi on stock internals, although id probably only run 10 to be safe. but that will put around 300hp, maybe higher. so yeah... i actually plan on doing that when i find some money

you know whats really funny tho. people that have 2nd gen eclipses and are all import crazy... well good thing they have a domestic engine.

Correct me if I'm wrong, or if someone brought this up. But you said that you want to get it from the dealer so you can have a warranty, but don't most mods void your warranty?

Correct me if I'm wrong, or if someone brought this up. But you said that you want to get it from the dealer so you can have a warranty, but don't most mods void your warranty?

Yes but you can cut corners. You can put on an aftermarket exhaust as long as it's from the cats back. A cold air kit doesn't void the warrenty either as well as little things like plug wires. It isn't much but little things here and there add up.

Correct me if I'm wrong, or if someone brought this up. But you said that you want to get it from the dealer so you can have a warranty, but don't most mods void your warranty?


Yeah but still ain't gonna get 250hp....

Dont get pissed off just because your amercian cars have more displacement then HP. its not my fault. Imports are proving to be amoung the safest, and most reliable cars out there. Its the facts, not the opinion... dont be pissed off just because u have more doors then cylinders. no wonder ur dumbass is banned...

and i got my 2002 3.8 with a warranty for $8200 like 8 months ago. and for less then what u could get ur 2003 for u could get a 3.8 over 300 hp.

yeah...i can't do any engine work on it right now...but the warranty is only good for like 36,000 miles orsomething, and when i go off to college, how is my dad going to know if i've done anything to it? plus, i didn't get that one from the dealer, and my dad is starting to break down and is willing to let me get a private party used car...so...i'm still looking for that perfect one. Since i can buy it from a private party instead of a dealer, i can afford a GT....so that'll be fun!

why are you in here? Im not going into fartcansville and telling ppl to go american.
You drive an import because thats whats "cool" at the time. Fast and the furious had made you this way in part. If you like displacment smaller than that of a KB supercharger, thats fine. But know that most ppl hate what you drive besides your import buddys. Ask anyone if they would rather hear a buzzing lawnmower sound or a smooth deep MANLY rumble. Or bright pink and green color schemes or deep rich solid colors. Crazy ass ground effects that look like some 50s sci fi space ship crap or a sleek tastefull solid design that wont fall apart if you hit a speed bump. 10K $ to get your briggs and straton to go 13s or 3500$ to go 12s in a v-8. Wand mileage get a moped , want low inurance get a mini van, want sensible preformance? Go domestic V-8.
Now go back to the uncle ben forums and leave us alone as i will you.

I know I really shouldn't laugh, but thats freakin funny. :lol:

Why not drop a TT 302 into your MX3, now that would get some attention:D

Dont get pissed off just because your amercian cars have more displacement then HP. its not my fault. Imports are proving to be amoung the safest, and most reliable cars out there. Its the facts, not the opinion...
This guy is a moron. I am in the process of getting an import ( 2005 Subaru WRX) However I love V8s. My buddy has a S/C cobra and everytime i see his car i almost nut myself :grinyes: . So to come in here and talk shit is dumb. Everyones taste is different. I own a 2003 Cavalier. ( I know I know fuck chevy right) So people like him should be shot. LOL
HoNdAgUrUecp = :nono: :screwy: :shakehead :banghead: :headshake

Everyone in here is right, except the honda guy!! Let's see....what would sound and look good for a muffler...how about a coffee can yeah, sweet! What should he use for a spoiler...how about a satalite dish, yeah, sweet! That stuff looks so damn stupid. I will admit, I have seen SOME IMPORTS look good. They have nice wheels (not too much bling) and decent low profile spoilers and some actually look ok. But most of them make me want to puke! As for getting a v6 stang, you can get some aftermarket parts for it, but still not like a 5.0 or 4.6. And like the one guy said the parts will cost you more for the v6. We all know the 5.0 is bullet proof, and I hate to say this (cause I love the 5.0) but the 4.6's bottom end is actually stronger than the 5.0. So either one is great. You say you want the v6 because of the warranty, let me ask you this, do you buy a car for the warranty or do you buy a car for the car? As for looking at American cars and getting lost. Just think of the 1st things you did with the Honda, Mits, Nissan, etc... You probably did something with the intake (air filter, mass air, throttle body) then the exhaust, ignition and so on. The only thing that's a little different is the rwd and fwd. If you drive in the winter I don't know if I would get any lower gears in the rear. If it's a good weather car go with 3.73's or 4.10's. The 3.73's are a little better for gas mileage though, not much but still better. Can you guys tell I love this website, seems like a write a book every time I log on.

Some of the Honda guys are pretty cool, and know there stuff, just like a lot of Ford, Chevy, Mopar guys, but in every camp you have some not so smart guys that spout off crap they have no idea about. To each his own, its just when you come across a not so bright one, I either try to educate the idiot, or just walk. I find that most of them think they are right, so I walk, or tell them to put up, or shut up. Normally cash will be involved :)

Stang Racer I agree with you that was funny what Demon typed. Don't feel bad. I feel the same way. I have a Car Craft magazine( I know, I know, they deal with mostly GM) that came out about 2 years ago and they tell you why imports suck and it was kind of the same stuff that Demon was saying. I also bought it because one of the Juggy's (hot chicks) from The Man Show was in ther as a model. VANESA KAY....all I have to say about her is...WAKA WAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^^lol i read that one...i have it somewhere buried in my pile of car mags :)