Advice on beginner mods

[RoNiN77]

I have a silver 03 MM. I will need a replacement front grill (preferrably made of metal instead of plastic), chip and air intake system. I just need to get advice on what to get or what to stay away from. I may do other mods in the future. I'm really new at this whole thing. Any advice would help. Thanks!!

[Bowman9]

I have a silver 03 MM. I will need a replacement front grill (preferrably made of metal instead of plastic), chip and air intake system. I just need to get advice on what to get or what to stay away from. I may do other mods in the future. I'm really new at this whole thing. Any advice would help. Thanks!!

Welcome RoNiN77,

The basic mods most of MM.net have performed have been 4:10 gears, underdrive pulleys, a cold air intake, and a chip/tuner to bring it all together.

As to what brands to purchase that is really up to you, I would stick with name brands that you have heard of like, Ford Motorsport, Steeda, March, K&N...etc

But when it comes to chips/tuners it's not necessarily the brand, but the programmer who created the files for the chip/tuner so you'll need to do your homework there. :)

As for grilles, the only ones available are the chrome Grand Marquis and the color Marauder. Zack here on the site does create custom badgeless grilles from donor stock grilles and I am told he does very nice work.
At this time their are no aftermarket grilles available.

[DEFYANT]

What are your long term plans? Is a supercharger a remote possiblility? Will you stay N/A?

Search around. I have no regrets regarding any of the performance mods. Click the link in my sig and save me the key strokes.

[ckadiddle]

Welcome to the site! Let the fun begin! If you never do any other mods, a tune makes an awesome difference in the way the car drives.

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site.

[Rider90]

I have a silver 03 MM. I will need a replacement front grill (preferrably made of metal instead of plastic), chip and air intake system. I just need to get advice on what to get or what to stay away from. I may do other mods in the future. I'm really new at this whole thing. Any advice would help. Thanks!!
First off, what is your budget like? "Beginner Mods" may consist of a blower, gears, and widened tires for some people. For others we could be talking about a tuner and a JLT or K&N air intake setup.

One thread that may be of intrest to you is the Modifications Thread (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=17791). From there you can see what everyone else is doing and conclude a common modification, and do a search for feedback. We would be more than happy to help you out, but i'm serious when I say that about 90% of it has already been covered in the past so always start with a search. You'll get your answer faster that way too.

Good luck and welcome aboard.

[Rider90]

A thread you may also want to check out are the mods that people regret doing.

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25732

[rayjay]

Welcome, good advice above. I would suggest reading as much as possible here, digest it, then make a plan. Many have gone before you, benefit from theri experience.

[jgc61sr2002]

Welcome aboard.:D You definitely came to the right site.

[Wake Champ]

welcome!! After programming, go with Kooks headers.

[Wake Champ]

welcome!! after programming, go with kooks headers

[KillJoy]

Welcome Abord!

KillJoy

[RoNiN77]

Thanks for all of the good advice. For the time being I'm just going to get a chip and cold air intake. I've tinted the windows and switched out the stereo set. I took Defyant's advice and went to Lowes to buy a screen for the lower intake. It took 20 minutes to install and looks awesome....To answer his question, it's unlikely I'll do the supercharger in the near future. I have too many other expenses at this time. I would like to know what it takes/costs to get the 4:10 gears and exactly what that does to the car. And what is an underdrive pulley???

[fastblackmerc]

I would like to know what it takes/costs to get the 4:10 gears and exactly what that does to the car. And what is an underdrive pulley???
The cost of installing 4.10's is around $450 - $600. It will depend on the cost of the gears, related / necessary parts and the labor rate of the shop that installs them. 4.10's will help get our 4,000+ pound beasts rolling quicker. You'll be amazed by the transformation! With the 4.10's you'll also need the speedo recalibrated. I'd suggest getting an SCT tuner with some tunes. That will also wake the beast up. Underdrive pulleys decrease the RPM that the accessories turn (on the MM it's the crankshaft and water pump) freeing up some HP. The engine will also "spool" up a little quicker. Againg you'll need a tune to increase the idle speed about 200 RPM so the alternator still charges the battery enough at idle with all the accessories on - lights, A/C, radio, etc.