mustangpowers

hey guys, i got an 07 v6. when i bought it i couldnt afford a GT but over the last two years i put a ton of mods on my car and would be crazy to sell it now. so i decided to start on major engine mods. i will be using the car for driving to car shows, track occasionally, and to and from work occasionally. originally i thought, how often do you see a sick v6, but people seem to be pushing me against it. now my question, would you guys be more impressed seeing a 500hp v6 or think it was dumb. im debating weather i should beef up this or do a v8 swap or a 5.4 liter. i know if i do the swap i would be able to have an opening for much more hp in the future. so should i be different with the v6, or swap? ultimately id like to see 400 rwhp. thanks, chris

ford4v429

just a opinion...but I just LOVE the sound of a V8. wether a 400 hp 6 or 8, hp is hp, but the 8 will have better torque at lower rpm PLUS sound great no mattter how its being driven


I'd say 5.4 maybe a positive displacement blower...that would be cool

Shotokan1509

I think you need to sit down and REALLY work a tight comparison list for cost. Like.. are you still running V6 brakes, would you go to GT upgrades or aftermarket? How do forged motor costs compare? What can your current trans & rearend handle (limited slip?)

I am a v8 in Mustang fan, but doesn't mean I won't admit defeat if spanked by a 6.

Not being a smartace... what are you current major mods? I know you have the body mods... what about buying a black GT & swapping the parts, sell the 6 with a "GT bodykit!"

NastyStang113

Justin at VMP Tuning's wife has a 2006 Mustang 4.0L with a Vortech on it making 400 rwhp. So if you're interested in going that route than shoot him an email. There have been some magazine articles about the car as well so I'm sure you could look her name up in google and probably find them. (Rebecca Starkey). I think it'd be cool but the sound of a V8 just makes it not an option for me. I'd personally just swap in an Aluminator 4.6L and bolt up on a TVS. It'd be able to make 600+ rwhp without breaking a sweat. The 5.4L from the GT500 is a cast iron block so you're going to end up with another ~200 lbs sitting over the front end.

jodadejSS06GT

I'm not sure what they do to the 4.0, but possibly stroke with some nice components and turbo it. Shoot for 15psi and you'd be happy!

eighty6gt

When FRPP offers the new aluminum block 5.4 shelby cobra engine as a crate mill, have the money ready.

mustangpowers

right now as far as performance all i have is the GT brake upgrade, mac dual exhaust which does have a nice sound (similar to a ferrari),not a GT sound which i do love, and a JLT CAI w/ SCT2 tuner

i started looking into prices and it is looking like beefing up the sixer would be around 10,000 and doing a 5.4 swap would end up 13-15,000.

as far as buying a v8, i dont have 25,000 im gonna do this in stages 5,000 every couple months. plus i dont want to start over on exterior work

LordBritish

I'd say that if you're really serious about adding power then sell the V6 and get a pre-owned GT (2005 - 2009).

I'm sure you can get a pre-owned 2005 GT for under $10K now.

Dixie_Flatline

Do a thought exercise and for a moment think like you don't have a Mustang right now. Pencil out what you want your car to do, what you want it to be, how you want it to look and sound. Then see what you've got.

Never let your future purchase decision be dictated by sunk costs, ie, how much you've already spent on the current car. It's a trap and you'll justify spending more on a future upgrade than you may if you'd sell what you have and start over with something else. Happens quite often to otherwise perfectly rational people.

I'm not saying you should ditch the V6 for a V8, there are some very sick V6ers out there... but basing your decision almost solely by how much you've already spent leads a lot of people into bad decisions that they regret later. Think of it this way: you'll be driving a car, not a checkbook, right? So set your budget and pick the car you want to drive.

Dixie_Flatline

Not one you'd want to trust as a sole means of transportation....

jedikd

Buy a used GT. If you can afford 5000 every couple months you can afford a short-term car loan for 15-20k. The drivetrain swap/motor build up will never net you what you put into it when it comes time to sell (and in uncertain economic times this may be when you don't want to sell it). A 7000 car with 10k in mods will not get you very much in resale, and insuring it will be a pain/risk.

Five Oh Brian

There is something to be said for building a V6 Mustang. Not everyone likes to go the path of everyone else. Sure, getting a GT instead of building the V6 makes more sense if all you're after is cheaper hp. But, there is satisfaction in taking the road less traveled.

I personally have built a V6 Mustang, but this was 25 years ago when the aftermarket was nearly non-existent for anything other the V8's. I took a slow '75 Mach 1 (yes, Pinto-based) and the 2.8L V6 eventually turned into a decent performer (for that era). I was able to knock four (4) whole seconds off its 1/4 mile ET versus stock with some tried & true mods. It cost more than had I started with a V8 model, but there was something satisfying about beating people with such an oddball configuration!

That said, however, the car I owned after that V6 Mustang was a 1968 Pontiac GTO (big block 425hp V8). Then I bought a brand new 1989 Mustang 5.0L LX Sport. And, every Mustang I've owned since has been a V8. I finally decided it was easier/cheaper to hit the power goals I had with a V8. But, I really enjoyed the V6 experience with that little Mach 1.

mustangpowers

i understand buying a GT would be an easier route, but im not looking for easy. i have NO intention of ever selling this car EVER. im gonna build it up and hand my son the keys when he is older. i personally give more respect to people that build up a car than buy it already done. i have no problem doing a gt swap or a 5.4 liter. my question is what you gt owners would think was more impressive at say a car show, an extremly done up v6 500hp or a 5.4 put into what used to be a v6? i know now when i go to shows, i get the shock factor. people cant believe its a sixer. does that make sense?

BoogieNights

I understand what you are saying Chris. I got a friedn that bought an 06 brand new off the lot and installed a few upgrades to the motor as well as a couple mods to the exterior. He wanted it to basically look stock with a lil custom factor to it. There is a good chance that he will be swapping out the V-6 with a V-8 in the future. He already upgraded the suspension and rearend to withstand the power form the V-8

EagleStroker

I haven't read any of the other posts in here, but let me say this. A lot of power out of a V6 will be just like a N/A 4.6 build. Stupid expensive, and in the end you could probably still get beat by a stock GT with 10-12 lbs of boost.

Only you can decide if it was worth it, would be cheaper to drop a 351W in if you wanted a V8

06StangSC

Ugh more V8 swaps. Well, since you asked for the opinion from someone with a GT, I'd think it would be cool seeing a really well done modded v6 but I wouldn't be impressed. I'd walk straight over to the 5.4L V8 with a lot of cool stuff done to it. Hmm turbo 4.0L or a turbo or KB 5.4L? I'd be impressed and very interested to see the Shelby motor built up and customized.

karman

One problem around here is getting emissions inspection for a late model car.
Research carefully before making a decision.

Dixie_Flatline

That's a good reason.

Build up your 6, focus on cutting weight and getting the suspension to balance well with the car and its power. Keep in mind the 5.4 has the decided disadvantage of being heavy and really it's only use is in bulletproof high boost applications.

Also keep in mind the 6er next year will probably be around 300hp and lighter than the powerplant in your car.

If you really want to be different, I'd be more impressed with a well done 6. Swapping up to a built up 5.4 isn't different it's just dumb when you can buy a bulletproof 5.4 already installed from Carmax with 3k miles on the clock for under $40k.

King Taco

As a former modded 05 V6 owner and now 08 Bullitt owner I tell ya, don't waste n e more of your money on the six. you will never be satisified. That was me though.

Nick

DynamicmustangGT

First off converting to a V8 is going to more expensive than trading up. You can always part out the 6 you have now and save the body mods if you want. I would go with an 8, its just going be less cost prohibitive, easier and fun in the end, not to mention sound better as well.