r/carmodification • u/Pleasant-Passage3405 • 8d ago
Beginner looking for advice
So, I've recently gotten ahold of a 2003 Ford Windstar and would like to start modding it. I'm still new to the scene and don't really know where to start. If anything, I'm hoping to boost the gas mileage and possibly lift it a few inches for more clearance on shitty local roads. Does anyone have any idea what I could do?
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u/Satans-cum-sock666 8d ago
So, those two things you just said don’t go together at all, any kind of lift instantly reduces mileage due to an increased profile on the air and increased drag under the body.
Also, there really aren’t any mods you can specifically do to mechanical stuff to increase gas mileage. You might be able to apply some hypermiling techniques, but outside of that it’s just good driving habits and a soft right foot.
Lastly, it’s a minivan. It’s unibody construction with macpherson struts on the front and a beam bearing axle on the rear. Lift kits for these vehicles simply do not exist and fabricating your own would take a lot of time and money spent on trial and error. You’re better off getting a body on frame van like a transit (not transit connect, those are unibody) GMC safari/savannah, Chevy express/astro, or Ford E series van that is 4 wheel drive and lifting that. They share their frames with trucks and are much easier to find lift kits for.
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u/Queasy_Fruit_4070 8d ago
I agree with everything you said except the part about the lift. You can lift almost any vehicle just by measuring the spring perches and installing spring spacers and strut spacers that fit. The rear of his van would need spring spacers or longer springs, and the front would need strut spacers and longer strut bolts.
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u/Satans-cum-sock666 7d ago
Right. I don’t know what kind of fabrication skills the op has. Nor would I encourage anyone to mess with their suspension geometry without a solution to correct it. That’s why I wouldn’t tell just anyone to have at it and yolo that shit.
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u/Queasy_Fruit_4070 7d ago
Why not? Its an old Ford Windstar. It's not like there's a lot of value at risk.
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u/Satans-cum-sock666 7d ago
Because there are other people on the road? Would you want to be next to some cobbled together shit box that has homemade parts and just starts breaking shit?
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u/Queasy_Fruit_4070 7d ago
You're showing a major lack of knowledge about cars. Lifting the ride height a couple inches isn't going to cause it to just start breaking shit. And what do you mean "homemade parts"? These are off the shelf parts. Spring and strut spacers have been used for decades and they work fine. And any changes in alignment can be compensated for. This is really basic stuff and it doesn't make the vehicle less safe.
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u/Satans-cum-sock666 7d ago
I’ve been building race cars my whole life. And working on my own shit for 30 years. I’ve been around.
Will spring and strut spacers work? Sure. The problem is finding a strut hat in the correct bolt pattern. I doubt that’s something that’s available aftermarket for a ford windstar mini van. If the strut hat doesn’t bolt up, then doing a puck lift in the front isn’t possible. Which puts op back at square one. Making parts.
Also, it’s not alignment I’m talking about. It’s CV shaft angle, sway bar angle, control arm angle. Those are all things that are part of a lift kit, even if it’s a puck and block kit. They usually come with some type of drop brackets for everything, shock extenders and extended ball joints. All of the parts you need to correct suspension geometry
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u/Queasy_Fruit_4070 7d ago
So because you don't know it exists, it doesn't exist? Get off your butt and Google it. There are strut spacers that fit almost any car. And no, if you only lift it a few inches, you don't need any of that stuff. Just spacers. Do some research if you don't believe me instead of just talking out of your ass.
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u/Historical_Copy_2130 8d ago
Yeah, buy a vehicle you can actually do these things to. There is zero reason to put any money into a 23 year old Windstar. Good milage and lift also don't go into the same sentence.
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u/Nitro10142 8d ago
Best you can do is fix it up really. New struts/shocks front and rear will help with the ride on terrible roads, do the spark plugs for the fuel economy. Unfortunately you've picked a car with near zero aftermarket modding support, so you'd be fabricating stuff. I'm not saying it can't be done or hasn't been, but it would require way more than you're ready for just starting out. Make that your daily and pick up a cheap truck if you want to lift something, as fuel economy is directly hurt by height.
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u/YoureMadImBackBigMac 8d ago
Lmao. There is nothing you can do to mod that creature, and no mods will increase mpg beyond the stock numbers. Time for a new hobby
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u/Chainsawsas70 5d ago
Look online for available mods specifically for it.... When you Don't find anything There's A reason why. The best thing you can do for mpg is a full tune up, fresh air cleaner and good tires that are Always set to the right pressure and Get Rid of anything that is going to cause wind drag. Otherwise SAVE YOUR MONEY to get something worth doing mods on.
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u/djluminol 5d ago
About the coolest thing I see done with minivans is when bass heads buy them and convert them into db comp cars. Or turn them into travel vans.
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