New fish here

[Mike Wolking]

Whats up guys, great sight, much better than the attitude on corral. I'm new to mustangs and the EFI world. Well if you read my sig i have payed attention to everything but the motor. It handles like a slot car but doesn't go like a rocket. What are some of the first things to do to motor, previous owner added a K&N and i did a tune up and 14* timing (82kmiles). Can't really afford heads right now so i need to think small. Is there a guidline of does and don'ts and what has to be done together. Thanks for the input guys and great sight. Mike

[joe4speed]

Well welcome to MW! The Corral can be a bit much at times! I believe in the quality, not quantity thing. Hope ya enjoy it here!

[Mr 5 0]

Mike

Welcome to Mustang Works Online. Where generally friendly people gather to talk Mustangs - and stuff

I would consider underdrive pulleys as a 'next' mod, just to keep busy and feel like you're 'doing something' to improve the performance, but frankly, before spending much more money, you need to analyze where you're going.

Think about what you want the car to be when you're finished with it. How much do you anticipate doing to the engine? Supercharger, nitrous or N/A?

What do you want to run? 13's good enough? 12's? 11's?

Daily driver or weekend cruiser? Drags or Road Racing?

All of these factor into your game plan for modifications.

Basically, you'll need better heads, intake, 65mm TB, upgraded FP/regulator and a few other parts to see 13's with ease. Lower et ranges require more aggressive parts or power adders, depending on your goals. You decide.

[Mike Wolking]

Sorry that this is so long, lots of questions and probably to much thinking.......Thanks Mr 5 0, This car is my summer toy so it doesn't matter to me if it eventually turns into a weekend brute on the streets. I think most everybody wants a street car that is on the ragged edge. I would rather ask what kind of times i can expect to get out the stock block. I would prefer staying NA but am not opposed to a supercharger. As to further the cars intent i bought it almost stock and wanted to do some suspension/brake/wheel tire mods. Since there really isnt a 1/4 miles worth of staight stretch in town and i only take the car to the track everyonce in a while, the road race suspension suited my needs better. Everybody with mustangs intown have Bigs and littles and i simply like the look of Bigs and Bigs. Anyway you look at it the suspension is better than stock. As far as new parts, I don't want to buy parts over and over again as i upgrade even though you have to in some areas. I try to do searchs on who makes the best version of a certain product but i am overwhelmed with all the company's in the industry. Lets say i have $500 to spend, what would you buy. I have heard mixed emotions about pulleys and affects an amperage. I don't have amps or big speakers so that isn't a problem, will i really notice the power and who has the best. Some people only run certain pulleys? Why and how do i know if thats me. Car runs fine until i hit A/C and i watch the needle bounce. I like my A/C by the way. I talked to a guy at local speed shop who soounds very Knowledgable and has a 9 Second stroked, supercharged race coupe. He says buy a supercharger and when your stock motor finally gives in you can unblt it and bolt it on to your new motor without any problems VS. investing in heads intake cam etc and when the motor goes, most everything else will too. Im not saying that i'll never do heads intake, etc. But on my stock motor? I know it still has plenty of life unless i do somehting stupid but what are some key things to do to get me in the door and be competetive with the other guys? Thanks for the help and sorry it was so long. Mike

[Mr 5 0]

I take it from your last post that you want to keep the 5.0 engine basically stock and not invest in big mods at this time, waiting until you can buy a new engine and start fresh. Sounds like a plan.

The underdrive pullies are worth about 8 HP and do help but yes, if your cooling or charging system is weak in any way, you could have problems. I don't have underdrives for that reason: too much (possible) hassle for too little gain, but I'm not cruising for races every weekend, either.

You already have a good suspension system, the rear gear of choice (3.73), a shifter and exhaust mods, leaving little to add at this point beyond major mods so I would consider getting creative.

For $500., I would consider looking for a set of GT-40 iron heads for sale, cheap (they are), then have them polished and ported by a professional shop. Adding a Cobra intake and a 65mm TB won't hurt and combined with your aftermarket exhaust this should give you a nice step up in power without spending large dollars. The stock cam is fine with this combo, the stock ignition is too and all you might want to add is a higher output FP and adjustable fuel regulator to maximize the better-flowing heads.

The idea of adding a supercharger to the stock 5.0 is feasible (been done many times) but of course you still need additional modifications so this gets quite expensive and the stock engine won't last as long, as you already know.

As far as your engine 'going', if that should occur, you can always re-sell the GT-40's and use some of the other parts on another engine or just buy a H.D. shortblock and build it up from there.

Lots of options are available for the mighty 5.0 but take your time and don't be in a rush; you'll find a combination that works for you (performance and dollar-wise) eventually.

Hope this helps a bit in giving you some direction.

[1BAD89]

Welcome to the board!

[Mike Wolking]

Thanks for the info.....Im still not sure what i can do with EFI motors though. Although i'm younger, i come from the background of carburators (60's cars that is) where there are no computers to flash codes and there are only four fuses in the whole car. Can i throw on a 65mm tb and not need a new Maf? Do you ONLY need a Bigger Maf if you have more engine to require it? On the old stuff im used to just slapping on a Carb and a dualplane, Spend 10-15 mins with a vacuum guage and go. Im just not used to ,or know what im supposed to match up or what has to be "calibrated" to work with each other. I need a 5.0 for dummies handbook. Thanks again for the input guys, great place.Mike

[Mr 5 0]

Mike:

I understand your worries about EFI but once you get past the initial fears it's actually not that scary. Knowledge is power so I strongly suggest you buy a book on basic Ford EFI systems which will help you a lot.

As far as adding a 65mm TB, you don't need a new MAF for that. On the other hand, a bigger MAF will give you some HP boost and set you up for bigger mods later. Not a bad investment for your Mustang at it's present state, now that you mention it

The great thing about the EFI/EEC sytem is that the computer does most of the calibrating and adjusting for you. This saves a lot of time and work and eventually, you'll love it.

Glad you like the site. We aim to please.

[Mike Wolking]

Sounds good, What would be a good brand and sive of MAF. I hear a lot about C&L. Should i go with there 73mm and is a 70 mm TB to big right now? With that in mind, my buddy just installed a B303 in his COMPLETELY stock 95 stang. He is trying to get me to do the same.

What is the bettercam- Bor E or should i go custom because i hear a lot of complaints(probably false) about motorsport cams. I dont think i need a custom grind untill i get into a stroker and SC engine combo-agree.

would a 70mmTb benefit the cam or would i be wasting money.

Does the 70mmtb require larger injectors that would probably flood my somewhat stock motor if i installed a cam?

These Q's may not make sense. Before i ask questions or while i read posts i look at sigs to see others improvements and there are very different combo's out there. And for what reason people choose these parts i don't know(Not saying that they are wrong but that i don't have the experience yet).

If i did a cam change i would install a kit and use 1.7 rockers to compliment the cam. What do you feel about that? Thanks for the info. Mike

[Mr 5 0]

Mike:

I quoted your post, as it was long and this made it easier to reply to.

Originally posted by Mike Wolking

Sounds good, What would be a good brand and sive of MAF. I hear a lot about C&L. Should i go with there 73mm and is a 70 mm TB to big right now?

The C&L 73mm is a good piece. For more info, check out the thread: 'Bottom line on Mass Air Meters' on this forum. Lots of good info regarding the various MAF's.

Yes, a 70MM TB is way too big for the stock intake and stock heads. 65mm is plenty and the stock 60mm is fine on a stock intake & head combo.

With that in mind, my buddy just installed a B303 in his COMPLETELY stock 95 stang. He is trying to get me to do the same.

What is the better cam- B or E or should i go custom because i hear a lot of complaints (probably false) about Motorsport cams. I dont think i need a custom grind untill i get into a stroker and SC engine combo-agree.

The stock cam is fine unless you get into high HP mods or power adders. The stock 5.0 cam is fairly aggressive and is often underrated. Leave it alone, for now.

would a 70mmTb benefit the cam or would i be wasting money.

The latter.

Does the 70mm tb require larger injectors that would probably flood my somewhat stock motor if i installed a cam?

No, a 70mm TB doesn't require bigger injectors. The 19-pounders can handle up to about 300 HP. The FP may need upgrading soon. It's rated at a weak 88 lph. A 155 or 190 FP is a good choice, just on general principals.

These Q's may not make sense. Before i ask questions or while i read posts i look at sigs to see others improvements and there are very different combo's out there. And for what reason people choose these parts i don't know(Not saying that they are wrong but that i don't have the experience yet).

No harm in asking, Mike.

If i did a cam change i would install a kit and use 1.7 rockers to compliment the cam. What do you feel about that?

Probably overkill and would cause idle and possible drivability problems. Easier route (with stock heads intact) is to install 1.7 rockers to compliment the stock cam. It works and is easier than a cam change.

Thanks for the info.

Mike

Glad to help out.

[Mike Wolking]

Thanks again for all the help. I decided not to do the cam from reading a couple posts and the other post on bottom line on MAF told me alot. I think i will take your advice on porting some gt-40 heads and then add the rockers, but first a MAF, Thanks-Mike

[Unit 5302]

If you go with the GT40 Irons used, I highly suggest picking up a used Ford Explorer intake from a 1996-2001 Ford Explorer.

The stock E7 heads flow right around 155cfm max. The stock intake flows about 136cfm. It's already weak for the combo. If you're really pressed for cash after the purchase of the GT40's, port the stock lower intake. A ported lower will really help it out. The Explorer intake flows about 190cfm, and so does the GT40 intake. The GT40, Cobra, and Explorer intakes all use the same lower, but slightly different uppers that result in the GT40 and Cobra flowing 200cfm. I think you can pick up an Explorer upper for about $200-250 used. The Cobra intake will run you $250-300 used.

Definately note the GT40P "Explorer" heads and the GT40 Irons "Cobra" heads are not the same. The GT40P's, while better, will require the use of special $200 headers which aren't worth your money at this point.