bodykit advice and couple other ?'s about 99 gt

[90na300zx]

at the end of this summer coming up i am going to buy a 99 mustang gt with the 5 sp. first thing i plan to do is get a nice bodykit. i want the saleen kit, and wickedbodykits.com offers the saleen kit for $400. im sure its not authentic, but would it be worth buying it? the only way ill do so is if they have a guaranteed fit policy. there are a couple other websites that have the saleen kit for between 4 and 700 dollars. i also plan on lowering the car 1 1/2". anyone know how many hours it will take a mechanic to do this?(springs only) other mods to be done are MAC cold air intake, MAC offroad H-pipe, MAC cat-back exhaust, and 3.73's. could i hit mid 13's with this setup? lastly, is it worth putting in the 160 degree thermo? with the decresead gas mileage and barely any performance gain i feel as though its pointless. what do you guys think?

[HiFlow5 0]

160* stats should never be made for mustangs! I would leave the stock rated stat in there. The ECU and such is all set up to run at certain temps, and altering that could have adverse effects.

As far as body kits, you get what you pay for. Saleen's kits are made of urethane and not fiberglass. Most of the knock off kits are cheaper because they are made with fiberglass. Which isn't all that great, unless you like breaking expensive things with the slightest hit of a curb or fender bender?

I see no problem with you breaking into the 13's with the mods listed.

[MustangRoadRacer]

yes, 180 is fine for thermo, if not stock actually.
the saleen is anice body kit if you have to do it.
the springs can be done in 1-2 hours no prob.

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by HiFlow5 0

As far as body kits, you get what you pay for. Saleen's kits are made of urethane and not fiberglass. Most of the knock off kits are cheaper because they are made with fiberglass. Which isn't all that great, unless you like breaking expensive things with the slightest hit of a curb or fender bender?
.

Listen to the man!

[90na300zx]

so is the only downfall of the fiberglass bodykit the fact that they break easier than the urethane kits? because if that is the case its not big deal, i am used to being low to the ground(Z32), and will be extra careful w/a kit. my last question is what size rear gears do the 99 mustang gt manuals come with, and how long does it take a mechanic to swap them with 3.73's? thanks for all the advice

[GTStang]

Your gonna throw on a fiberglass knock off Saleen bodykit and droppin the car 11/2" and think you not gonna hit things..... LoL Kiss that front bumper good bye!!!! And those side skirts are not safe either. Back bumper will be only survivor.

[SpoolGT]

They're all right. The lowering of the car and cheap body kit spell disaster. The stock body kit on my GT has hit many dips and all sorts of shit I never knew was there. No matter how carefull you are you cant really counter an act of god. The stock gear should be a 2.73 or 3.27. The Mach has a 3.55 and the cobra has a 3.73.If you're straped enough on cash to not wanna buy the urathiene body kit you should forgo it and get something more usefull, like an exhaust or maybe a chiltons manual to do the installations yourself... They arent that hard... Perhaps the gear for a newbie is, but lowering just requires patients and supervision.

[HiFlow5 0]

Most knock off fiberglass gound FX kits are not made with high quality, but rather price in mind. They will take more time to prep (sand fill and smooth) before paint, then their urethane counter parts.

[nbspindel]

i agree with all that is said about fiberglass. i just got bumpers put on (made of fiberglass) and even though i slow down for EVERYTHING, i still have cracks/chips on a piantjob only 5 days old! not many places will gaurantee fit for fiberglass. i suggest installing the bumpers yourself. i put my rear on and it was easy, especially after i had the front installed just to see that the shop used about 10 screws and said it would hold. its too simple to pay for, and will only take maybe 1-2 hrs (removal and install)!