Don't worry about getting flamed for speed. We will only
suggest to slow down. In fact there are many racers on this site. One of my favorite build threads is Vekke's:
VW Lupo 3L --> 2L. You might want to check out his thread for some inspiration.
If you do the splitter/air dam, it would definitely help with an attachment point for the belly pan. I would start the belly pan in the front for 4 reasons. 1st, you have a good place to have an attachment. 2nd, you will have better warm-up times. 3rd, you can figure out the exhaust issue later on. 4th, if you start in the back, you will end up with a parachute effect.
With regards to the exhaust, I don't think you have to worry about it too much. Many on here have just left their pan material a few inches away from the exhaust on either side. OEMs have started doing this too, take a look at the Audi a5 for an idea:
Audi a5 Undercarriage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gk_ghig14
Would also allow me to mount something to even the front with the front tires(think that was one of the aero mods I read for mpg somewhere)
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I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you talking about making wheel spats?
Wheel Spats
Quote:
Originally Posted by gk_ghig14
Which grille should I block? The bottom or the top, or both?
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Tough to say without seeing a pic of the front end. Most here say to block the upper grill. On my Corolla, I'm working on the bottom grill though, because the bottom is so big and the upper is so small, there isn't much gain in blocking in. My bottom grill is also inset, so my original block was also inset, gaining me nothing. If I push the block out to make the whole front bumper even, it will provide a much better benefit than the upper block (pure conjecture). Long story short, it depends. Only block both if you can get away with it cooling wise. You'll have to play with it. Maybe instead of doing 100% on one and nothing on the other, you can do 80% on both. Only how much fuel you pump at the gas station will tell you which option is best.
Does Ford say if you can run E85 or not? I'm not recommending it for fuel economy, but it does have a higher octane.