best bang for your buck?

[bolsen]

im new to the site but i have loved my marauder since the day i got it, over five years ago.

my question is this - what is the absolute best mod or mods you can do to a marauder for under $500? if you look at my sig it shows what i have done already. im really looking for adivice here. shift kit? megs tips? tune? marauder door sills and custom carpet? im really open to all suggestions. thanks, brahs...

[Vostok]

As far as performance goes...

Top 3:

-Tune
-4:10 (gears)
-J-Mod (shift kit)

If I was to add a 4th i'd say CAI but you already have that :)

If the right resources are acquired all 3 can probably be done for less than $500

[bolsen]

what exactly is the jmod? ive seen people talk about it for years.

[Vostok]

what exactly is the jmod? ive seen people talk about it for years.

It is a modification to the transmission valve body. Essentially drilling out some holes in very specific locations to allow the passage of more transmission fluid to allow for harder/faster shifting and also enhances the life of the transmission by keeping it a little cooler in the process. Not everyone does the removal of the 1-2 shift springs but if you get an aggressive tune and like getting your neck snapped that's the way to go. :)

The process was designed by the creator of the 4R70W transmission for the more performance oriented type person.

Details on the process here:

http://www.crownvic.net/tech/4R70Wnotes.pdf

[MyBlackBeasts]

what exactly is the jmod? ive seen people talk about it for years.

Stands for "Jerry's Mod". Reference: http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/

[Vostok]

Stands for "Jerry's Mod". Reference: http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/

That is a much better link to the process than the one I provided.

[bolsen]

i dont think that is a job i can do on my own.

[Vostok]

We have a couple guys maybe floating around here that may assist you......too late tonight for me to bug them. Where at in Illinois?

I'd like to try and tackle this but it's really annoying without a lift...

[DOOM]

Tune.......

[ctrlraven]

Tune.......
x2 A tune was my first real mod and if you are going to only do one performance mod then it should be a tune which cost $380 from either Lidio or Dennis Reinhart.

If you end up getting one you'll wish you got one years ago, it makes that big of a difference in the car.

[Siege]

Definitely a tune for the revised shift schedule.

[Blackened300a]

Tune, you can gain over 20rwhp from a tune alone. These cars are very detuned from the factory.

[SC Cheesehead]

Yup, hands down, THE best mod for a NA Marauder is a tune from either Lidio or Reinhart.

[Ms. Denmark]

Tune.......


x2 A tune was my first real mod and if you are going to only do one performance mod then it should be a tune which cost $380 from either Lidio or Dennis Reinhart.

If you end up getting one you'll wish you got one years ago, it makes that big of a difference in the car.


Definitely a tune for the revised shift schedule.


Tune, you can gain over 20rwhp from a tune alone. These cars are very detuned from the factory.


TUNE!!!!!!!!! It Makes A HUGE Difference...............

[massacre]

I'd like to try and tackle this but it's really annoying without an engine lift...

Why would you need an engine lift to remove the transmission?

[Mike]

i dont think that is a job i can do on my own.
Where at in IL do you live? Maybe if you gave Zack a call he could help. He did mine and I was extremely happy with the workmanship and results :beer:

[mrjones]

If you haven't already ordered a tune yet, you're wasting time. I have a Lidio's tune and it's great.

[texas1]

is there a big difference between the xcal 3 and xcal 2

[Vostok]

Why would you need an engine lift to remove the transmission?

I didn't say it was necessary, just annoying.

And oops I didn't mean to put 'engine' in there...just meant a lift. Fixed it :P

[99SVT]

Go for the tune, it'll also help if you want to add gears later on, just order a 4.10 tune as well, so you don't have to spend money twice.

The factory timing curve sucks, when I had it on the dyno it was only running 18* total with the stock tune. To put it into perspective, when I got it tuned later with a blower and headers I was able to run that much timing with not signs of detonation.

[bolsen]

We have a couple guys maybe floating around here that may assist you......too late tonight for me to bug them. Where at in Illinois?

I'd like to try and tackle this but it's really annoying without a lift...
25miles east of st louis.

[bolsen]

Go for the tune, it'll also help if you want to add gears later on, just order a 4.10 tune as well, so you don't have to spend money twice.

The factory timing curve sucks, when I had it on the dyno it was only running 18* total with the stock tune. To put it into perspective, when I got it tuned later with a blower and headers I was able to run that much timing with not signs of detonation.
can i get a 4.10 tune with stock gears? wont it mess stuff up? i know my mph will be waaaay off but cant it harm other compnents?

[bolsen]

Where at in IL do you live? Maybe if you gave Zack a call he could help. He did mine and I was extremely happy with the workmanship and results :beer:
thanks. 25 mi east of st louis.

[bolsen]

with all the responses it seems the obvious choice would be a tune. any major difference between Lidio's and DR's?

[99SVT]

can i get a 4.10 tune with stock gears? wont it mess stuff up? i know my mph will be waaaay off but cant it harm other compnents?

You can probably get both tunes on the same programmer from the vendors here, just use the one you need and when the time comes to do gears it's already there. Depending on the handheld you may just be able to adjust the gear ratio yourself as an end user change. I find it's best to get a custom tune for gears with automatic cars due to the way the electronic trans is set up for part throttle and WOT shifting. Any time I've had my car on the dyno, more time is spent setting up the trans shifting than altering air/fuel.

[Siege]

can i get a 4.10 tune with stock gears? wont it mess stuff up? i know my mph will be waaaay off but cant it harm other compnents?
The SCT comes with three slots for different tunes. You can get a tune for the modifications you have now, what you plan for the future and for different grades of gas.

[sailsmen]

im new to the site but i have loved my marauder since the day i got it, over five years ago.

my question is this - what is the absolute best mod or mods you can do to a marauder for under $500? if you look at my sig it shows what i have done already. im really looking for adivice here. shift kit? megs tips? tune? marauder door sills and custom carpet? im really open to all suggestions. thanks, brahs...

Nitrous - buy a used kit.