where to start

[brendend]

hey guys,
ive had a 7.3 for a while and love the truck now im looking to get more out of it. this is my first psd so im clueless on where to start. i have a fairly good budget. the tranny and motor are solid. all the maitnenance is upto date so i feel good with starting to push her. ive been in the world of mustangs for a while so i have a general idea on what im doing with intake, exhaust but when it gets to turbo upgrades im kinda in the black.
are there brands i need to stay away from? what are the better power hp and tq adding brands . i can go on and on with questions. i have about 5-6k to put into the truck, where should i go.

[Deputydog]

Kind of depends on the ultimate goal for the truck with power.

I started with wanting 350hp, when I reached that then it was 400hp, then 500 hp, now I'm bumping close to 600

For a nice 450 hp truck, get some good tuning, hybrid injectors and a Garrett GTP38R ball bearing turbo. That will probably consume much of your budget.


On edit: What year is your truck and what other mods have you done?

[brendend]

right now the truck is bare stock. longest ive ever owned a stock anything. shes a 00

[Deputydog]

Ok well thats probably good news that its a 2000. That means it has (or likely has) forged rods.

[brendend]

how do i go about finding out. is there a speical figure on the vin or on the door code?

[RanchStroke]

Subscribed. Mine was built 07/00 and would also like to know.

[Jake]

Best way to see if you have forged (better) or powdered metal rods (PMR for short, not as good, hold stock power well, let loose around 400 HP), is to take the inspection plug out of the block and look at the rods with a borescope.

The plug is near the oil filter and oil cooler. You will need i think a 5/16 square plug socket. You may have to bump the starter a bit to get the rod in the right location to see it. Take it out and this is what forged looks like.


And here is it through the borescope.


A stud and a nut=forged=good
a bolt=PMR=Not so good.

[blowinsmoke7.3]

Gauges, Exhaust, Intake-MOST IMPORTANT
Custom tunes (I prefer Matts)
GTP38r and a set of hybrids
That will eat your budget up but with that power your gonna need a built tranny or at least a stout TC and a VB at the bare minimum

[brendend]

is there a production date you can go off of? i know have a borescope so i wouldnt be able to see in there

[Jake]

Originally Posted by brendend

is there a production date you can go off of? i know have a borescope so i wouldnt be able to see in there

Yeah, but your best bet is to just look. You don't need a borescope, it just helps.