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Must do modifications: Help needed

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I have a Boss 2013 in the garage waiting for spring (snowing today believe it or not).

I am not a mechanically inclined person but as I read other members talk about mods made to their cars I have been doing more reading and finding articles about additional cooling, oil separators, different clutch fluids, shifters, etc - and MANY other performance upgrades. I have driven my car very little due to winter - but am satisfied with the speed and power. So my question is - what changes or upgrades should be done to keep the car in top working order long term? Is there anything Ford skimped on that I really should consider to prevent the engine from melting down or falling apart? I am not concerned with increasing HP but want to make sure the engine functions in good working order long term.

This is my first sports car and I know very little about engines or whats going on under the hood. Any input would be appreciated.
 

Justin

Save the dawn for your dishes!!!
Shifter I consider a must. I prefer MGW but the barton or ford racing(blue barton) are easier to install and get similar results.
http://www.mgwltd.com/2011-short_throw_shifter.shtml
http://www.americanmuscle.com/barton-mt82-2post-kit.html
http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-short-shifter-1113gt.html

I would do a Moroso Passenger side oil separator just to keep oil out of the engine.
http://www.americanmuscle.com/moroso-oil-separator-1112gt.html

That should do it unless you end up with the dreaded clutch stuck to the floor. Oh and remove your side pipe restrictor plates :)
 
Not sure that I'd do much of anything if you're not going to track it. That said, only mods I'd strongly recommend are getting Trackey activated (if you haven't already done that), and removing (or enlarging the holes in) the side exhaust plates. And an oil separator isn't a bad idea... cheap, easy to install, only need to do the passenger side.

Many of us complain about the shifting, but mostly in a track/racing context. For street driving the stock shifter is fine, although others may disagree. If anything there, maybe a Barton two-post rear shifter bushing/bracket to eliminate the slop of the flimsy stock bushing. In any case, I'd live with the stock shifter for awhile and see what you think before spending the $$ on an aftermarket shifter.

Otherwise, the car's damn near perfect as it is for everyday street use.
 
2,198
1,065
Bay Area
If you are just doing recreational driving then I say leave it as is. You will get used to the characteristics of your shifter and as long as youre not banging gears you'll be just fine. Since youre not mechanically inclined you should start by watching youtube before you do any mods.
 
1,281
3
Tulsa, OK
My list of must-do mods for the boss/gt, regardless of use, would be:

-exhaust of some sort (Can be as mild as removing the side plates or as wild as full exhaust, or somewhere in the middle. Significant hp gains are seen by switching to an O/R midpipe and the sound alone is worth it 8))
-lowering springs (mild drop such as FRPP P springs or Eibach pro-kit, just enough to reduce the wheel gap and slightly improve handling and body roll)
-tune (track key or AED if you want to go aftermarket)
-shifter (I prefer MGW but Barton is nice too, can't go wrong with either)

Congrats on your purchase :)
 
I would do these three things:

TracKey
3/4"or 7/8" exhaust discs (I know where you can get a set ;) )
The Barton twin post shifter bracket. This will keep the NHV down while removing the slop from the stock bracket.
 
MGW for sure. If you don't care about HP/Speed, then try taking the plates out, if you like to sound good. If not, I would step it up to GT500's as well. I would also say Redline MTL swap too.
 

zzyzx

Steve
299
0
IMO "must do" mods for street use is (... and these aren't really mods):

1. Check your master cylinder reservoir and ensure it's not leaking onto your inner fender liner as it will eventually destroy the paint. If leaking, siphon out until near the "low" mark, use brake clean to clean the cap an reservoir and replace cap.

2. Apply a high quality synthetic wax such as Zaino. Use the bottle spray on the decals and get a good coat on there before you have to post and ask "how do I get the water spots off my stripes?".
 

ace72ace

Zaino, I put that $hit on everything
1,242
71
302BOB said:
Non performance mods...Redline hood struts...VERY easy to install & sound tube delete for easier access to check your oil. ;)
+1 Get the cooltech sound tube delete kit also.
3/4 restrictor plates, GT500 axle backs.
MGW shifter will become a possibility when you miss your first 2-3 shift.
 
Interesting thread. I'm kinda in same boat. Car is weekend warrior/ show/cruise. I've already put the Redlines on, and removed the disk altogether, I like it louder. The 2nd to 3rd shift has already bit me a couple times in the high rims, gonna look at that mgw, how is the install on that?
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
Boss 738 said:
Interesting thread. I'm kinda in same boat. Car is weekend warrior/ show/cruise. I've already put the Redlines on, and removed the disk altogether, I like it louder. The 2nd to 3rd shift has already bit me a couple times in the high rims, gonna look at that mgw, how is the install on that?

MGW Install is not to hard. First one took 2.5 hours. Second about half that. Download the videos and follow the steps. Did mine on jack stands. MGW now has a new rear mount which is said to reduce noise and vibration. I have two kits waiting for me to install. Last I looked the new mount was not on their web site. Give them a call if you are interested.

One other popular mod is upgraded speakers. Just about any quality name speaker will improve the sound. I have installed three sets of Pioneers. Not top of the line, sound nice and wont break the bank.
 
Forgot to mention I have activated the track key and removed the side plates (exhaust). Also replaced the factory audio (JL mids, JL stealhbox 13.5” sub, JL 5 channel amp, Audison 10 processor).

Exhaust – it sounds great as is, does changing the exhaust really improve the sound or is it for gaining more performance? Any recommendations? I see the Cooltech (full system) is a Kooks exhaust system – any others you guys would suggest?

Any thoughts on doing the oil cooler + thermostat?
http://www.cooltechllc.com/Boss/Boss_Oil_CoolerNoTherm.shtml

Oil separator – who makes the best or least intrusive (drilling, easy mount, quality material, etc)?
http://www.cjponyparts.com/jlt-oil-separator-passenger-side-kit-gt-boss-302-2011-2013/p/OILSEP4/
Or
http://www.brenspeed.com/jltosp-fmg11-c.html


I am going to get started with the following:

Redline hood struts $119
http://www.redlinetuning.com/QL-FORD-MUS-05-BOLTIN.html

Sound tube delete kit $12
http://www.cooltechllc.com/Boss/Boss_SPD_Kit.shtml

MGW short throw shifter $390
http://www.mgwltd.com/2011-short_throw_shifter.shtml

Zaino – wax and get a good coat

Has anyone else installed a front or rear tow hook?

Master cylinder leaking? This is the first I have heard of this but will do my best to see if this is happening. Thx for the tip! Dot4 flush fluid as well –

As stated previously I am not going to track the car but I would like it to run in tip top shape and I probably will be banging some gears on the hwy depending on what other vehicles I happen to come across. :)

Thanks for the feedback everyone – I really appreciate your input!
 
Or this oil separator?

http://www.americanmuscle.com/moroso-oil-separator-1112gt.html

Its hard to tell from the description what features or benefits differentiate them.....
 
jneuman said:
Or this oil separator?

http://www.americanmuscle.com/moroso-oil-separator-1112gt.html

Its hard to tell from the description what features or benefits differentiate them.....

That's the one. The moroso one has a nice bracket that mounts it to your strut tower. The JLT one just hangs there and those fittings break.

I wouldn't jump on the Zaino bandwagon just yet, but depending on how serious you take car detailing, you can drop some serious cash. I would recommend taking a look at the detailers forum here, http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ and www.adamsforums.com
 

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