Stock Cougar, please help!!

[CAPONE]

Hey everyone,
I just purchased a 99 Cougar ATX V6. It is stock, and I would like to set up MODS to drag race. I am starting with the tires but am lost on where to go from there. There are so many things to be done. Can someone give me advice where to start?

[Axio]

start by reading all of these posts by various people, you will learn so much. If you find something interesting and you want more info, hit search on the toolbar and type in what you want more detail on. You can spend weeks just reading this forum, and learn something new everyday. :)

[CatMan]

Yea, read all the info you can. Some good starting places (you can also put these in the search tool to get more info on them) would be: Intake, exhaust, headers, chip, SVT Upper/Lower intake manifold, SVT Throttle Body, and last but not least, check out levelten.com for ways of upgrading the POS automatic tranny that Ford gave us (I've got an ATX too), so you can drop from the 25-30% drivetrain loss to something more like 10-15%.

[exigent]

Mtx tranny with diffrent gears will give you the best cost to time improvement. If not... then you need to get over to Level 10 and get that Atx redone and regeared. The stock atx is geared for 178mph at redline in 5th... thats like a 6-7 sec 1/4 mile time iirc which will NEVER happen in a cougar unless you get a solid fuel booster engine :-) Look at the mustangs..... there is a very good reason the first mod they do is gears...

Gearing a mtx75 with a top speed of around 139 will give you awesome acceleration and a trap speed of 139= about an 11sec car :) Obviously youd have to throw some hp at it to get there that fast but it would be MUCH easier.

It wont be cheap but if you are serious I can show you how :tongue: Get your wallet though :)

[MrFroge]

If you are really interested in drag racing, the ATX Cougar is not the car to own. Before you put any money into mods on the car, hurry on down to a dealer and trade it in on a MTX..:cool:.... If you plan on being a serious drag racing person.. Sell the Cougar and get a Mustang or Vet for starters..

I know.. I know.. I'm being disloyal but it is the truth..:goofy:

[jjennings]

Keep the ATX!!! Send it out to Level 10 get it upgraded!!! Swap out your block for a 3.0L block (not a 3L/2.5L hybrid) and add a turbo!! You'll be a high to mid 13sec ATX cougar!!! The car will still be very easy and very fun to drive!!! You don't have to have a MTX tranny to have a fast cougar, it just that with the MTX you can get there a little bit cheaper!!

[FastCougar]

ACTUALLY, Automatics are great for drag racing since you don't have to worry about shifting and you get very consistant ET's. HOWEVER, the ATX in the Cougar is crap ... you will need a purpose build ATX (recalibrated valve body, high stall torque converter, beefer clutch bands, stronger gear solenoids, better seals, ect.). Before you even begin, you need to set goals ... to turn it into a drag racer is pretty vague ... what is you goal time? What are your class rules/restrictions? Answer these questions first and then we can start pointing you in the right direction.

[CAPONE]

Thanks everyone, for all your info. Anything helps me at this point. I am reading alot about my car. I'm about 1/2 through the repair manual and have been reading about the car on the internet for the last 2 months. Unfortunately my stupid @$$ doesn't know how to drive a stick yet. I know, I know. I'm in the process of learning through, so please don't hate on me. I'm looking at a 1-2 year time frame. I first want to learn all that I can about my car before I start with the MODS. I would like to start with basics and work my way up, so I don't have to go back and update the stuff that I first added. My car currently has 44,000 miles on it, when I get the 60,000 done I will go for the engine upgrades. So you guys think the ATX is where is should start? Do I need to buy a new one, or go for a rebuild?

[CatMan]

Whenever you're modding, you should start with a basic intake, exhaust, headers setup. This will help the car breath a lot better. Then I'd either go with the levelten upgrades or drop a 3.0 liter in.

[Andy]

Intake/Headers/Exhaust is the great start!
You'd be suprised what can be done with an ATX.

Use the search feature on the board and start reading into them.