1999 Mustang Affordable Uprades - Two-Valve Bolt-Ons

A little bling is acceptable,...        read full caption A little bling is acceptable, especially when it contributes to producing more rear-wheel power on a stock 'Stang. BBK's chromed-and-polished cold-air-induction system (PN 1718; $179.99) fits '96-'04 Ponies. The lightweight aluminum tubing; polyurethane couplers; clamps; and washable, high-flow, conical filter element are included with the kit, which can be assembled and installed on a New Edge Mustang in about 20 minutes. (BBK also supplies a length of rubber hose that must be used to connect the cold-air tube with the breather port on the engine.)

After swapping over the stock...        read full caption After swapping over the stock mass-air tube and air-temp sensor to the BBK CAI assembly, the new system is installed with the stock throttle body still in place. We did this to determine how the restrictive stock piece affects performance when a cold-air upgrade is made without adding a bigger throttle body and plenum. Remember, the dyno doesn't lie!

We definitely had to try this...        read full caption We definitely had to try this new aluminum, 4.6 throttle-body/plenum from BBK (PN 1790; $249.99) on our stock '99 GT. The 13x8x5-inch one-piece unit is the combination of a 78mm throttle body and a high-flow intake plenum that bolts directly in place of the OEM two-piece induction pieces. The kit comes complete with all of the hardware shown in this photo. The factory EGR and PCV valves, as well as the IAC and TPS sensors, are all reused and must be transferred onto the BBK unit before it's installed.

On The Street
We thought it would be cool to give you the car owner's impressions of the difference a few simple bolt-ons has made to his 'Stang. Our buddy, Henry De Los Santos, uses the now-upgraded '99 GT on a daily basis, so his comments are appreciated, and other stock New Edge owners should take heed if you're considering doing the same to your '99-'04 Two-Valve Ponies.

Over the years, I've managed to log well over 100,000 miles on my '99 Mustang GT. The car is in its factory configuration, with nothing more than a few wheel swaps and the addition of select Terminator body components as the only "upgrades." Don't think that I didn't want to add any bolt-on horsepower goodies, because I certainly did. This '99 being the newest car I had ever owned at the time, the holdback was that I quickly learned to appreciate its comfortable demeanor in bone-stock trim.

The dyno is one thing, but based on what I'm now experiencing when I drive the car, I can say the mods done in this project definitely have given my GT a completely different personality. I'm enjoying the car now more than ever since I've owned it. I appreciate the fact that gas mileage has increased by 2 mpg, and the exhaust tone is perfect-aggressive enough to alert others that this isn't a lackluster V-6 Mustang.

More importantly, I'm impressed with the overall driveability. There used to be an unexplainable idle surge every so often after initial startup, and it would continue to occur randomly at most stoplights. Those symptoms are completely eliminated. I'm definitely going to credit the DiabloSport programmer for this, not to mention I really dig being able to use the device to adjust the shift firmness of what used to be a sluggish automatic.

When it's all said and done, I think the parts that KJ selected are a perfect package for anyone who's looking for a good no-nonsense, bang-for-the-buck upgrade.

Throttle-body bores also are...        read full caption Throttle-body bores also are dramatically different. On the left is the Two-Valve's stock 70mm opening; BBK's 78mm bore is on the right.	Underdrive pulleys have long...        read full caption Underdrive pulleys have long been impressive power enhancers for factory-stock Mustangs. AmericanMuscle.com carries the billet-steel Steeda system we used on the '99 (PN 16088; $199.99), as well as bolt-on pulley kits for 5.0-powered Fox-body 'Stangs and S197s with Three-Valve modulars under their hoods. Pulleys basically slow down an engine's accessories by approximately 25 percent and reduce drag and stress on an engine's crankshaft, which in turn helps free up horsepower. We'll see how much horsepower is unleashed with this upgrade when we lock our test subject on the dyno.	After slipping the serpentine...        read full caption After slipping the serpentine belt off and out of the way, a pulley swap is a relatively simple procedure that takes about an hour, requiring only an impact gun (for the alternator pulley), sockets or wrenches (for the water-pump pulley), a pulley-removal tool, and a torque wrench to get it done. Note that the crank pulley is positioned in a tight area. The part itself is somewhat heavy, so having a firm grip on the pulley when removing and installing it is important.
A longer crank-pulley bolt...        read full caption A longer crank-pulley bolt (black) is required for drawing the pulley onto the crankshaft. However, the bolt is not used to secure the new pulley. Once the upgrade balancer is in place, add a light smear of black silicone to the OEM crank-pulley bolt, and lock it in place with 100 lb-ft of torque.	Prior to plugging DiabloSport's...        read full caption Prior to plugging DiabloSport's Predator handheld flash tuner (PN U7146; $399.99) and loading a PCM calibration in the 'Stang, we thought it would be cool to take a look at tables in the Chipmaster Revolution tuning software to see the exact fuel and timing changes over the factory's settings. For stock Two-Valve engines, Diablo adds approximately 5 degrees of timing (across the board) and trims fuel back from 12.0 air/fuel to 12.7 from 3,000 rpm through WOT. The pre-programmed tune also will help maximize the AOD's efficiency by commanding the torque converter to function at 100 percent across the load range, as well as promote firmer shifts by slightly increasing line pressure. Loading a tune into a 'Stang's processor requires plugging the Predator into the OBD-II connector located at the left side of the center stack (by the driver's right leg), and following commands to cycle the key and press the appropriate buttons at the proper times. Even though the out-of-the-box tune works well for this effort, there comes a time in every modified Mustang's life when custom tuning is required. In the qualified hands of a tuner like Saul, the Predator will be the key to further performance success should Henry choose to continue his Pony's power program.	A pulley upgrade involves...        read full caption A pulley upgrade involves adding larger diameter alternator and water-pump pulleys and a smaller diameter pulley on the crank. The kit we used includes Steeda's one-piece, SFI-approved crankshaft pulley, which features an injection-molded, bonded-rubber damper that increases its durability.