American Muscle and Swarr Auto have teamed up to turn their wrenches on an unlikely project car candidate. A 2005 V6 Mustang has received their attention. I can see the appeal in wanting to turn a V6 into something more exciting. I wish they went a little more on the sleeper side, but the results are pretty impressive considering where they started.
Hop the jump for four (4!) videos that showcase their work. If you are impatient, the final video reveals the final dyno numbers.
Part 1 features a dyno run to achieve a baseline and a first look at the parts.
Part 2 digs into the exhaust, wheels, tires, and springs.
Part 3 involves adjusting the style of the V6 Mustang.
The fourth and final video shows off the final dyno numbers and adds one more Instant PAH! power element.
Head over to their official project page to get a complete list of all the mods used in the videos.
So what do you think Hoons? It is nice to see someone turn a V6 Mustang into a car you would actually want to drive. The only problem for them is that Ford beat them to the punch with the upcoming 2011 Mustang V6 squeezing out over 300 hp. I think they still deserve a Hooniversal Salute especially since they wanted even more power at the end and crammed in a nitrous bottle. Nothing spells fun like N-O-S.
The American Muscle/Swarr Auto V6 Mustang Project Car
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Engineered is salivating.
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Pre-current '11 MY Mustang V6s are only for girls. Yes, I said it. Don't care about any other explanations. Will never be cool, will never look cool. Just polishing the turd. The biggest issue: That idiotic 4.0L SOHC V6.
Now the current V6 on the other hand? With a track pack? Love to own one. End of.-
For 20 grand a V6/5M Mustang damn sure beats a Civic Coupe or other similarly priced econobox, and RWD > FWD any day. That was the driving force when we bought ours. Now sure, my wife drives it primarily, but I don't look at it as a girl car, and I happily drive it from time to time just for shits and gigs. Not everyone can, or wants to, pony (haha!) up the cash for a GT Mustang just for a daily driver. The price difference was several grand when optioned the same when we bought ours, pushing the price too close to $30k for our taste. Besides, in the real world the V8's fuel economy would never match that of the V6, despite what the Monroney says.
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I never got the GT for that same reason. 300 hp? Seemed way too low for a "muscle car." Sure it's fun and all, but to me…always a bit meh. I am not trying to offend anyone here, just giving my opinion. That's why I have an '03 SVT Focus (FWD) and an 07' Pontiac GTO. Both of them low miles and used of course.
But the current 'Stang however gets me tingling. Truly worthy of the Mustang name.
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doing some quick calculations on parts cost, it looks like their scheme runs $1260 for cheeseball "styling" parts versus $1065 for the actual power mods, before the $805 nitrous system that is. Wheels, tires, and suspension mods run $1800. So roughly five grand in parts for this. It seems to me that you could get the power and suspension mods and maybe a set of good tires for the old wheels for under $2k all told. Of course, if you factor in labor it takes a lot more work to put in a new exhaust then to tape on a fake hood scoop.
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Sleeper side? Most stock Mustangs (V6s too) are dressed up unnecessarily. This blends right in.
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Also, not very hooniverse worthy.
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I would be excited if it was left a bit more sleepy… otherwise I love making more PAH! with what you already have.
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A few years back, I test drove a V6 Mustang that had been supercharged by the dealer – basically, GT performance for a few grand less (admittedly not much). With the exception of a sticker badge on the trunklid proclaiming it to be a "Super Coupe" and the Pony package, it was quite the sleeper. Oh, except for the supercharger whine – no explaining that one away (the guy pacing me in a Grand Prix GTP clearly knew something was a little off). Fun car though.
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The 4.0 V6 is a piece of shit. I'm sorry, but it just is.
It should have died with the Explorer Sport. -
I'll defend the 2005+ V6 Mustang.
First, the styling. The V6 Mustang is a bit more reserved than the GT. It should be. It's not a GT. It's not a "sports car". It's a pony car. Inexpensive, sporty pretensions, and stylish. Look at the '64-1/2 Mustang. Even with a V8 it wasn't exactly a muscle car. It wasn't meant to be. It wasn't until Ford decided to turn it into a muscle car that the line between the pony car and muscle car was blurred.
Second, the engine. Yes, it's a truck engine. It isn't exactly rev happy. However, it puts out 210 hp and 240 torques. Compare that the venerable 1985 SVO's 175 hp and 210 torques. Should Ford have put the 3.5L in the V6 'Stang? Absolutely, however it didn't make sense for them to do that. It would wind up with the same horsepower as the GT, and with no other pony car competition the horsepower wasn't a driving factor…cost was.
Finally, the cost. For a minimum of $5000 less than a GT it is a tempting deal. Add on the cheaper insurance, and depending on the use (daily driver OK, track car look elsewhere) it's nearly a no brainer.
I got my Mustang (2008 V6 with 5-speed manny tranny) for the reasons above. That and my other option was a Fusion. I'm too young to drive a family car.
So, I'll agree that the V6 Mustang with an auto is definitely a chick car, the V6 with a 5MT is pretty much the essence of a pony car.
Finally, I've considered rallying my Mustang once I get something else. That could be fun…or disastrous. But, what is a hoon if he isn't willing to take what he's got and blow the doors off it?-
You mean, it makes as much horse power as my grand mother's 3.8L Buick?
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There were Buicks with more horsepower than the '65 Mustangs. Again, the Mustang was originally a pony car, not a muscle car. Therefore, the V6 Mustang is more true to that heritage than the GT.
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I totally understand and agree with your reasons for the pre-'11MY V6 pony, but it was one of those cars I could never really cared about. To me it screamed nothing but "rental" and "cheerleader." I had a friend who had one and he even put a blower on it with lots of other mods and prolly got about 300hp, but even that just didn't jell with my taste.
Oh well! There is always the new V6 to tickle my fantasies.
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"Better ride height?" That's some marketing, right there.
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Did I just see them STICK on the hood pins?!!! Good thing they didn't do it to a real muscle car, or they would be going straight to Hell!
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They also did nothing about the open diff in the rear end and upgrading the front sway bar and strut bracing. They seemed a little too obsessed with stick on appearance crap and not so much with actual handling mods.
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The 40HP increase before nitrous is pretty impressive. It would have been nice to see dyno results after each upgrade to determine where the most bang/buck lies. Some 1/4 mile times wouldn't hurt, either.
Do you really need such meaty rubber for a ~250HP V6, though? -
Hood pins? Seriously?
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