What Kind Of Top End Kit
- Thread starter ry94stang50
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mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
Let me give you some free advice. Drive the car the way it is now until you decide what your long term plan is and what you really want to do with the car- not a compromise. No sense doing the same job twice.
Case in point. I swapped out the top end from an explorer last year- heads, intake, plus some other bolt ons like TB, MAF, headers. Now it was a budget build and didn't want to spend the 2-3 grand- so I spent less than $200 for the heads, intake + another $300 or so for springs and machine work. Add in another $100 for the 70MM TB and EGR, $40 for the 95GT 70 MM MAF, $100 for FMS headers, $100 for U/D pullies, H pipe, Taurus fan and VSC and another couple of hundred for bolts, gaskets, fluids, etc, and I probably have about $1500 invested in parts. Most of the parts were used from either the JY or off CL. Still have the stock cam. Guessing maybe 260 hp? Now it does feel quicker but like always, you grow used to it and a year later, I wish I would have just waited and did either a TFS or Holley Intake and TFS/AFR heads with set of 1.7 RR or a TFI cam. I'll have to buy new gaskets, head bolts, fluids, etc. not too mention the time.
Case in point. I swapped out the top end from an explorer last year- heads, intake, plus some other bolt ons like TB, MAF, headers. Now it was a budget build and didn't want to spend the 2-3 grand- so I spent less than $200 for the heads, intake + another $300 or so for springs and machine work. Add in another $100 for the 70MM TB and EGR, $40 for the 95GT 70 MM MAF, $100 for FMS headers, $100 for U/D pullies, H pipe, Taurus fan and VSC and another couple of hundred for bolts, gaskets, fluids, etc, and I probably have about $1500 invested in parts. Most of the parts were used from either the JY or off CL. Still have the stock cam. Guessing maybe 260 hp? Now it does feel quicker but like always, you grow used to it and a year later, I wish I would have just waited and did either a TFS or Holley Intake and TFS/AFR heads with set of 1.7 RR or a TFI cam. I'll have to buy new gaskets, head bolts, fluids, etc. not too mention the time.
Eventually ill get another car to drive and I will go all out with it but right now I want to make the car rwally fun to drive witout going crazy and ruining the dd status. 300 hp will do that for now. Then after I finish this car ill buy a jeep or something I won't want to mod the engine so I can call that my dd. When that happens its cobra jet time 
lol
lol
Wow a coyote powered sn95 sounds nice right about now....I bet not to many people have that lol its re alistic too the wngines only 6500 tranny prob what 2 grand? Harness 500? Everything else a grand maybe?
Suspensions done could upgrade the brakes but there decent drilled and slotted not sure what kind stock calipers.
To do the new 5.0 coyote swap add about 4k to what you already mentioned you're way off. Sorry but you need to make a plan and then follow through all dreaming aside
sorry but the coyote builds that I have seen documented were in the 20k range. thats a swap for team funded racing or middle aged yuppies.
Yeah I figured I was way off.. I am dreaming because in reality that would bever happen. I would probably upgrade the block to a 347 stroker and supercharge it. Thats more of a doable scenario. But for now I want to get my top end straghtened up. Even if that means its sits in the boxes for a couple months untill I can do it right and rebuild the block to something better. That way I can set the block up to run the best with the teickflow kit.. and randomly buy new parts so when I have it rebuilt ill have the parts to give the builder.( Cooling system upgrade, new hoses just random stuff)That way ill be comfortable with what was put on the engine
That's my plan . Then ill have the tranny rebuilt and get the driveline figured out. Then its onto the fun stuff. Ill be doing the body work and paint myself. I'm actually excited about that. I have all the tools to do it and I'm experienced in painting. Been painting big dollar high end signs for 7 years. A lot of the prep side of things is automotive like primer fillers sealers etc. Pretty much the same steps as painting a car. I just don't use too much automotive paint so I'm not sure what's a good automotive paint I should look for? Stock color.
All these people saying to get explorer heads, where in the h*ll are yall finding them for $200 and less, junkyards? Certainly not on the World Wide Web for that cheap.
mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
Regarding the explorer heads. Last time I was at the local U Pull they have no less than ten 1990s V8 explorers there with complete top ends- heads, intake, TB.
For the TFS kit... take a look at this video on the install. Now granted, it is the nutswingers on Horsepower TV, but they installed the kit- H/C/I and only saw 276 rwhp which was about a 60hp increase. Certainly not worth $2500 in my book. If you want a laugh, watch the video and see how these hacks did the install. Try and count how many essential steps they missed/jumped over.
http://www.powerblocktv.com/episodes/HP2006-09/project-lx-mustang-heads-intake-nitrous
For the TFS kit... take a look at this video on the install. Now granted, it is the nutswingers on Horsepower TV, but they installed the kit- H/C/I and only saw 276 rwhp which was about a 60hp increase. Certainly not worth $2500 in my book. If you want a laugh, watch the video and see how these hacks did the install. Try and count how many essential steps they missed/jumped over.
http://www.powerblocktv.com/episodes/HP2006-09/project-lx-mustang-heads-intake-nitrous
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How much were they asking for the explorer chit? The horsepower fellas can build a whole car in 30 min. Hm wonder why only 56 hp from that kit? Before I watched the video I was guessing lowish numbers due to old bottom and compression but they said it was relaitvly low miles. They also had headders and exhaust work. So what didnt they have that others do who hit the magic 300 w their topend kits? Could it be the dyno itself maybe? Well guess not because they got the 220 or whatever from same dyno...
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Grabbin' Asphalt
5 Year Member
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