Supercharge A 2000 Ford Mustang

Technician Scott Levine puts...        read full caption Technician Scott Levine puts the Steeda Mustang through its paces on the in-house Dynojet. Steeda works closely with Superchips to tune the cars to make sure they’re in fighting form when they head for their final destination. With a conservative chip, this Steeda cranked out 361 rear-wheel horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque.

Here’s a shot of the...        read full caption Here’s a shot of the passenger-side front engine accessory drive system on a ’99 Mustang. The major changes took place on this side of the drive system, so that’s where our focus is. Notice how the tensioner is facing the middle of the car. Ford heard of people throwing belts on earlier 4.6 Mustangs and that’s the reason why the drive system changed for 2000.

Here’s the revised front-engine-accessory...        read full caption Here’s the revised front-engine-accessory drive system for the 2000 models. Notice how the tensioner has been turned around. This was done to keep more tension on the belt during aggressive driving. Also, there are two idler pulleys on the passenger side of the engine where there was only one. In this photo, the lower-left factory idler pulley has already been replaced with a Steeda-spec pulley.

Here’s a comparison shot...        read full caption Here’s a comparison shot of the two idler pulleys. The one on the left is the factory pulley. The replacement pulley is a Ford item Steeda found. The reason for replacing the factory pulley is the supercharger bracket hits it when you go to mount it on the engine. A smaller pulley is required to properly mount the bracket.

The water pump pulley also...        read full caption The water pump pulley also needs changing. Steeda has this pulley custom made of billet aluminum to go with the kit. Keep in mind the kit Steeda is using was designed for ’99 Mustang GTs, as a kit for the 2000 model was not available at the time of this install.

Here’s the new pulley...        read full caption Here’s the new pulley as installed. The two pulleys are a breeze to install. Just zip off the old ones and zip the new ones back on.

This mounting hole must also...        read full caption This mounting hole must also be tapped in order to mount the Vortech supercharger mounting bracket. Aside from the pulley modifications and tapping this mounting hole, installation remains the same as on previous models.

Vortech supplies an elbow...        read full caption Vortech supplies an elbow to feed motor oil to the supercharger. Simply drill and tap a hole in the oil pan for a return line. Just like an engine, a supercharger needs oil for lubrication, and a lack thereof will cause major problems.

Once the prep work is done...        read full caption Once the prep work is done you can mount the supercharger, however, you must install the belt before mounting it. Then all that’s left to do is to install the air intake and discharge assemblies.

The air intake and discharge...        read full caption The air intake and discharge setup is pretty much the same as before. The only change Steeda has made on 2000 models is to retain the factory mass air meter. Steeda uses 30 lb/hr injectors and a 70mm throttle body.

A K&N filter is included in...        read full caption A K&N filter is included in the Vortech kit. The bracket that holds the filter and mass air meter uses the fender to bumper-cover mounting point.

Steeda works in conjunction...        read full caption Steeda works in conjunction with Superchips in Longwood, Florida, to tune the cars for optimum performance before they head for their final destination. Superchips is able to dial in a chip for maximum performance, then download that program to Steeda in order to arrive at a perfect blend of performance and driveability.

One last check to make sure...        read full caption One last check to make sure we don’t have any fuel leaks and this 2000 Steeda Mustang is ready for the Dynojet. The 2000 GT equipped with a Vortech looks and installs much like a ’99 model, with the exception of the pulley changes.

As most would agree, Ford did its homework with the new Mustang. Aside from the Cobra fiasco, the Mustang has grown into a car that is gaining more respect as time goes by. With proper driving techniques, ’99 GTs are running close to mid-13s, even quicker on slicks. However, with these driving techniques come reliability concerns. Obviously, to get the most out of any relatively stock Mustang, you have to drive it like you stole it, which sometimes involves side-stepping the clutch. This action calls for having just enough of your left foot on the clutch pedal and letting your foot slide off the side of the pedal, thereby allowing the clutch pedal to spring to life on its own while you’ve got the revs at full-boogie.

However, Ford heard of problems with ’96-’98 Mustang GTs throwing belts when owners side-stepped the clutch. When the engine is at full-boogie and the car is launched with slicks, the engine is slowed down at such a rapid rate that it caused the belt to be thrown off. According to TSB 97-21-9, 4.6 Mustangs built through August 15, 1997, are most affected. For the 2000 model year, Ford remedied the situation with a different front-engine-accessory drive. The key improvement is the turning around of the tensioner to keep more tension on the belt to keep it from walking off the pulleys that don’t have a lip.

However, this new front-engine-accessory drive system has made it tougher to strap on a blower to the latest Mustang GT. There is no Vortech kit available for the 2000 Mustang GT yet, but Steeda Autosports has a temporary fix until Vortech releases a complete kit. Until then, Steeda takes a ’99 kit and replaces the water pump pulley and an idler pulley to adapt the kit to the 2000 model. The extra pulleys will have a slight impact on the final price from Steeda until a production kit is available. As we were writing this article, the engineers at Vortech were trying to get a 2000 GT so they could put a new kit together. In the meantime, if you’re interested in getting a Vortech kit for your 2000 Mustang GT, Steeda will take a ’99 kit and include the required pulleys in it to ensure an easy installation.

The folks at Steeda were getting a 2000 model ready to go out the door to Parkway Ford in Adairsville, Georgia, so we sat in on the installation at their Pompano Beach, Florida, campus.

Parkway Ford has recently signed on to carry Steeda Mustangs on its lot for sale, and we’re sure the Georgia boys will be most pleased with the 361 rear-wheel horsepower the Vortech-supercharged 2000 Steeda puts to the tarmac.

Horse Sense: To build exclusivity and maintain resale value, Steeda Autosports limits Mustang conversions to less than 100 units per year.