​How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck When Increasing Horsepower

Let's be honest: the main reason most of us choose the Mustang is due to its low price and low budget potential. When you start modifying your car, making the right choices can keep you within your budget, and Anderson Ford Motorsport can help you reach your performance goals. Below are some tips for making the most out of your build project without breaking the bank.

Make a Plan

What do you want your Mustang to do? Do you want to take it on the drag strip on occasion, do some autocrossing, take it on a cross-country trip, win some shows, or turn it into a purpose-built race car? If you go into your project knowing what you need, you can focus on modifications that will help you reach your goal.

If you're aiming to use your car in a racing series, go over the rule book carefully to make sure your planned modifications won't push you into a different class or disqualify your vehicle. There's nothing worse than doing something permanent, like modifying the frame or getting some head work done and then realizing your car can't be used on the track.

Work Outside In

There are some modifications that you can start with that can be easy and cheap to do that will help support more difficult and expensive changes. Replacing the exhaust and intake and adding a system to modify or overwrite the ECU programming can improve a stock car's performance while getting more power down the line when you're ready to do serious engine work.

Raid the Ford Parts Bin

There are plenty of parts that Ford fitted in factory vehicles that can be reused to make more power. Performance Improvement (PI) heads, forged Cobra crankshafts, and DOHC aluminum blocks are some of the most sought-after parts used in 4.6L builds. Have a Fox body or an early SN95? The 351W can fit in the engine bay, and there are loads of used motors available from trucks and vans that can be rebuilt into high performance power plants.

Aftermarket manufacturers know about these swaps, and they've worked out to make them easier to do while taking advantage of their performance features. We carry these parts to make your conversion easier.

Consider Nitrous

Superchargers and turbochargers are expensive, high precision devices that require a lot of work to install. On the other hand, nitrous systems are cheaper, and the only thing to install are some hoses and a couple switches. The rest of the car will need to be modified to handle the extra power, but if you only need that power on occasion, say, doing runs at the drag strip, it's a good alternative to more complex power adders.

Buy Everything Together

We offer kits that have everything you need, whether you're building up an engine or adding forced induction, and we sell these kits at prices below the cost of buying the parts individually. This doesn't just make things cheaper, it's also easier since everything you need is included, from major components to hoses and clamps for easy installation. With in-house testing and years of experience building and racing Mustangs, you can be confident that our kits will work.