I have an 88' 5.0, e303 cams, GT40 heads (not sure if p or x), bbk headers, cold air intake (upgraded to MAF), cobra intake manifold, 19# injectors, and it's bored .030 over. Brakes upgraded to disc, 3.73 gears I believe, subframe connectors, back end lowered for better traction, cobra "R"s, flow master dump exhaust, and I think that's about it. I'm not sure what I'm pushing to the wheels right now but I would like to know what I can put in it or replace to give me more power. Long term, no budget. Ideas? Thank you!
More Power?
- Thread starter Gregg Wohlman
- Start date
-
Sponsors (?)
foxbodymike87
Active Member
- Jul 12, 2011
- 739
- 35
- 39
Do a complete tune up of what you have - spark plugs, cap, rotor, spark plug wires, fuel and air filter. Dump the codes and fix any that come up.
Avoid cold air kits - they work good on the 2005 and later Mustangs but don't do much for the Fox body cars. Above all, stay away from setups that put the uncovered air filter in the engine compartment: they suck up hot, turbulent engine air and cost HP rather than improve it.
The stock airbox minus the silencer horn in the fenderwell is one of the best you can have. A K&N flat panel filter is a good choice as long as you don't use too much oil to coat it with.
Look at a 65 MM throttle body as a possible next step. Don't get foolish and try a 70 MM throttle body, since it is overkill for what you have. The V8 Explorers 1995-2000 have one that can be modified to fit if you are on a tight budget and have some fabricating or machinist skills.
If you want to stay with the 19 LB injectors, consider a larger MAF. The OEM Ford MAFs are not calibrated to injector size. The injector sizing is done in the computer’s internal programming. Aftermarket MAF’s “lie” to the computer in an attempt to fool the computer into changing the injector pulse on timing to match the increased airflow.
The only other MAF that is a one for one swap for a 93 and earlier 5.0 Mustang is the 94-95 Mustang 70 MM MAF.
94-95 Mustang GT MAF - $40-$100. It is 70 MM instead of the stock 55 MM on regular stangs built prior to 94. It uses a slip on duct on the side that goes to the throttle body and a 4 bolt flange on the other. You need a flange adapter to fit the stock slip on air ducting that goes to the air box. Wiring plugs right in with no changes. *1 *2
Once your replacement 70MM MAF is in place, disconnect the battery for about 10 minutes. When you reconnect the battery and start the engine, the computer will relearn the settings for the new MAF.
*1.) Metal flange adapter http://www.kustomz.com/cat3.html Buy the TR70 for $44.95. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.
*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1995-94 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1995-94 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Grand Marquis 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
Evidently the –A1A, -A2A, AA, etc. on the end of the part number is a minor variant that did not change the operating specs. You should be able to ignore it and have everything work good.
A 155 LPH fuel pump, 24 lb injectors and a custom dyno tune & chip would be the next step after doing the tuneup addtional items listed above and fixing any codes you find. You may have to replace the MAF as part of the process.
Avoid cold air kits - they work good on the 2005 and later Mustangs but don't do much for the Fox body cars. Above all, stay away from setups that put the uncovered air filter in the engine compartment: they suck up hot, turbulent engine air and cost HP rather than improve it.
The stock airbox minus the silencer horn in the fenderwell is one of the best you can have. A K&N flat panel filter is a good choice as long as you don't use too much oil to coat it with.
Look at a 65 MM throttle body as a possible next step. Don't get foolish and try a 70 MM throttle body, since it is overkill for what you have. The V8 Explorers 1995-2000 have one that can be modified to fit if you are on a tight budget and have some fabricating or machinist skills.
If you want to stay with the 19 LB injectors, consider a larger MAF. The OEM Ford MAFs are not calibrated to injector size. The injector sizing is done in the computer’s internal programming. Aftermarket MAF’s “lie” to the computer in an attempt to fool the computer into changing the injector pulse on timing to match the increased airflow.
The only other MAF that is a one for one swap for a 93 and earlier 5.0 Mustang is the 94-95 Mustang 70 MM MAF.
94-95 Mustang GT MAF - $40-$100. It is 70 MM instead of the stock 55 MM on regular stangs built prior to 94. It uses a slip on duct on the side that goes to the throttle body and a 4 bolt flange on the other. You need a flange adapter to fit the stock slip on air ducting that goes to the air box. Wiring plugs right in with no changes. *1 *2
Once your replacement 70MM MAF is in place, disconnect the battery for about 10 minutes. When you reconnect the battery and start the engine, the computer will relearn the settings for the new MAF.
*1.) Metal flange adapter http://www.kustomz.com/cat3.html Buy the TR70 for $44.95. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.
*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1995-94 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1995-94 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Grand Marquis 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
Evidently the –A1A, -A2A, AA, etc. on the end of the part number is a minor variant that did not change the operating specs. You should be able to ignore it and have everything work good.
A 155 LPH fuel pump, 24 lb injectors and a custom dyno tune & chip would be the next step after doing the tuneup addtional items listed above and fixing any codes you find. You may have to replace the MAF as part of the process.
Suspension upgrades are important too, they won't make more power, but will allow you to better use the power you do have. Also a simple thing to consider is under drive pulleys. Other than that, aftermarket heads and upgrade the rest of the valvetrain and look into a dyno tune. Also forced induction and stroker kits are always fun
Disagree on the throttle body thing, the GT-40 family of intakes have an opening that's right around 68-69mm, with a few minutes and a Dremel they fit 70mm TBs perfectly. I ran a 70mm TB on an Explorer intake and a much more stockish setup than his for several years with no problems whatsoever.
Also, I'm all for budget-minded upgrades, but the 94-95 Mustang MAF meter is hard to find these days and is only marginally better than the stock 55mm unit. You could certainly go that route, but MY suggestion would be a nice aftermarket MAF, 75mm or bigger. A GOOD "calibrated" MAF will offer reasonable drivability with a 19/24/30lb injector. A real computer tune is always going to be better, but a bajillion 5.0 owners have run "calibrated" meters successfully for many years.
The 65 MM TB was a recommendation based on the fact that with a 70 MM throttle body, a very small change in the throttle butterfly position causes a much larger change in airflow than it would with a 65 MM throttle body. This can be annoying in stop and go driving, trying to get a smooth start without jumping onto the car in front of you.
The MAF recommendation was based on cost and ease of adaptation. The 55 MM stock unit is roughly 2 5/32", while the 70 MM unit is 2 3/4". There is a significant difference in the amount of airflow that the 70 MM unit allows.
How much you wanna spend? You could supercharge it, spray it, aluminum heads, stroker kit, throw a windsor in it. You can go as fast as you want to spend. I see you have headers, if they aren't long tubes that would be a cheaper spot to start. Some underdrive pullies will give you a couple horsepower. Have the heads worked
Like I said, I've driven a 70 mm TB for many years, in city traffic, without issue. The throttle angle/airflow argument is used a lot on the internet, but I have yet to see any real evidence or data that it actually causes drivability issues. In fact, I know of a couple guys who have managed to get 90mm TBs to work on street driven 302s (something I plan to experiment with this summer).
Is this one of those rare twin cam 302's? I never thought of lowering the back end for better traction.....Brilliant!
I'm assuming this is sarcasm. I'm not much of a mechanic, I just bought the car about 3 months ago and haven't done any real work to it. You can mock me all you want but I posted on this forum to get help, not to get worthless comments from people like you.
Roll with the punches buddy, there is a considerable amount of ball breaking that goes on here! I can appreciate how that came off and certainly mean no harm from that.
He is cool man it's all in good fun and has a real slick ride and knows his stuff
Sent from my iPhone using my fingers
if that got his panties in a wad im just going to keep my comments to myself...
Similar threads
