Best performance-mpg for 94 5.0

[HollisArmstrong]

Hello everyone. This is my first day on here. I am new at trying to build a 5.0. I am not a mechanic and have no experience tuning a car with a computer on it. With that being said I would like to pose my situation and get some feedback on what you all suggest and then do some searching on here to verify what all the best options are.

What I have
I have a 1961 Ford Falcon Tudor. I have almost every part that you can think off taken from a 1994 Mustang GT Convertable.
5.0 stock engine with all the wiring harness and computer
AODE transmission
Floor pan/firewall w/ heater core and air conditioner, floor shifter, and bucket seats
8.8 Mustang rear end-8.8 Explorer rear end

What I desire
I want a daily driver that get good MPG (24-30)
300-400 HP
Some weekend fun at the local track

What I was thinking of
I am thinking of rebuilding the engine
swaping the heads for AFR 165's
swaping the intake for a Cobra Intake
Adding MAF
Adding cold air
Changing to new distibutor (dont know which one yet)
Not using the smog stuff
Going with equal length shortie headers (dont have brand picked out yet)
I will be using the air conditioning and power steering
Cutting the long side of the Explorer 8.8 rear end to match the short side and will be doing a mini tub for wider tires.
I will NOT be using that CATS but I did save the "X" Pipe
Using tweecer tuner to fine tune computer (will need lots of help on this one)

Dont know if I have left anything out except maybe that I plan to rebuild the trans with a shift kit and stronger clutches and other parts to eliminate some of the short comings of factory design.

I will post now and see what you all think about it so far.

Thank you all in advance for your help

Hollis

 

[HollisArmstrong]

Forgot to list the planned cam

I am thinking of going with the Steeda #19 cam. I have spoken with Steeda representative and they say that they are back in business as far as cutting the #19 again as their previous cutter relationship had gone away.

Hollis

 

[final5-0]

Hello everyone. This is my first day on here. I am new at trying to build a 5.0. I am not a mechanic and have no experience tuning a car with a computer on it. With that being said I would like to pose my situation and get some feedback on what you all suggest and then do some searching on here to verify what all the best options are.

What I have
I have a 1961 Ford Falcon Tudor. I have almost every part that you can think off taken from a 1994 Mustang GT Convertable.
5.0 stock engine with all the wiring harness and computer
AODE transmission
Floor pan/firewall w/ heater core and air conditioner, floor shifter, and bucket seats
8.8 Mustang rear end-8.8 Explorer rear end

What I desire
I want a daily driver that get good MPG (24-30)
300-400 HP
Some weekend fun at the local track

What I was thinking of
I am thinking of rebuilding the engine
swaping the heads for AFR 165's
swaping the intake for a Cobra Intake
Adding MAF
Adding cold air
Changing to new distibutor (dont know which one yet)
Not using the smog stuff
Going with equal length shortie headers (dont have brand picked out yet)
I will be using the air conditioning and power steering
Cutting the long side of the Explorer 8.8 rear end to match the short side and will be doing a mini tub for wider tires.
I will NOT be using that CATS but I did save the "X" Pipe
Using tweecer tuner to fine tune computer (will need lots of help on this one)

Dont know if I have left anything out except maybe that I plan to rebuild the trans with a shift kit and stronger clutches and other parts to eliminate some of the short comings of factory design.

I will post now and see what you all think about it so far.

Thank you all in advance for your help

Hollis

Hello Hollis

300 or better to the wheels will NOT yield the mpg you seek

I do around 19 to 20 out on the open road
but
Around town is much less ... never checked but most likely around 12

Looked at your plan

I'm not a fan of the steeda19
but
Many have used it for sure

Its a bit soft on the low end for my tastes

The Tweecer gives you the option to pick a cam to make max power
as opposed to
Non tuning and picking a cam to place nice with the pcm

I'd go aftermarket over the OEM Cobra intake for the goal you seek
but
Again ... many have gone that route

The shorties will hold you back a bit
but
If you must go shorties ... go with the regular type

Save your money on the aftermarket ignition and go OEM if yours is
in good condition

The auto trans is gonna sap a good bit more power than if you go with
a stick trans

For the most part ... Your plan looks pretty good

Grady

 

[BlackVert]

imo, a stock 5.0 with a smallish supercharger (or turbo) would be your best bet. staying at the 5 liter size, your MPG will be as good as it can be, and the more you can keep your right foot off the skinny pedal, the better your mileage will be. when you want the power, well, that is under the control of your right foot too.

and welcome to the board

 

[Zero Signal]

A nitrous system will give you power and not affect your mileage when you're not gunning it. A semi best of both worlds, if you can live with the consumable aspect.

 

[Bullitt95]

An H/C/I 5.0 with AFR 165's, Tmoss ported Cobra intake (or Edelbrock Performer), and CompCams XE270HR-14 cam combined with a low boost turbo should give you the off-boost response/fuel economy and on-boost performance that you're looking for.

 

[HollisArmstrong]

Thank you for all of your input. I have owned (2) turbo cars in the past, (1) 1985 Dodge Daytona with a 2.2 Turbo I and (1) 1989 Dodge Shadow 2.5 Turbo II and loved the MPG when I was cruising and the HP/Torq?response of the Turbo.

I like that idea very much. This way I can get my MPG (as many of the Falcon owners with stock or just above stock 5.0 swaps are getting 26-30 mpg from their lightweight Falcons plus I will have the option of having 400+ HP at my becon call.

Dont you just love to see a youngin with a Civic that has that pop corn popper pipe sticking out of the back pull up beside you and want to race stop light to stop light? Imagine the look on his face when I step on the Falcon sleeper (Turbo) and dust his little rice burner!

I like it!!!

I looked at the HP Turbo kit and like the quality. Anyone here have any experiences with this kit? Does anyone know if you will need to do a Tweecer tune on a stock engine with a Turbo or if I should only build the engine back stock with maybe some forged innerds and a port and polishing of the intake?

Now to get my project ready for all the upgrades and finished will take a while but when I get to the wiring harness and everything with the engine I will need some help.

Thanks guys for the inspiration.

Hollis

 

[Zero Signal]

You know, for the money you will spend on a good setup, you could just buy a crappy used civic or something if you want an economy daily driver.

 

[HollisArmstrong]

John,

Take a trip with me. I drive 48 miles one way from my house in a small rural town (county seat) by way of a 4-lane hiway to a larger city that has no by-pass, after meandering through the city traffic for 10 minutes or so (depends on the traffic light at the river bridge and the various RR X-ing's) I have a 5 mile stretch of 60 mph 4-lane and then finally I get to embark on the frantically congested Intrastate to the 4th largest city in the state where everyone has a left-lane mentality but seems to be in no hurry to go anywhere. Then I must exit off to a stop-light riden 45 mph 4-lane before approaching the gate guard in order to gain access to the Military base. Then I have to cautiously abide by the speed limit for 4 miles until I turn into streets where all the soldiers prefer to run their PT (physical training) and by law you can only pass them @ 10 mph before finally turning into the parking lot of my work place. I have 9 1/2 hrs before I make the return trip and it seems that no matter what time I come to work even more people are leaving at the same time I am. Over 36,000 people pass through the gates here everyday.

I have four children and a wife that I have to fight for the bathroom, kitchen, and so on every morning before I can even start this adventure. Then I must get gas and a can of Grizzly Snuff (smokless tobacco) in my county because its cheaper there than in the city.

I am an aggressive driver with over 1,000,000 miles of accident free driving in all 48 Continental States covering every major city, almost four years of driving in five different countries in Europe, and my driving theory is if someone is going to have a wreck let it happen behind me, which means I must stay out front. Are you getting the picture here? To top it all off I give myself 50 minutes to complete this task and with the kids and wife factor sometimes I am stretching the 50 minutes to the limit.

My goal is to eventually have nothing sitting in my drive way except 1960-73 Fords. I hope to have my current 1961 Falcon accompanied by a 64-65 Falcon convertable, early 60's Econoline pick-up, round body Falcon station-wagon, roundbody Falcon Ranchero, and a 49-55 fat fender Ford F-100. So the purchase of a rice-burning Civic is totally out of the question. It would defeat the whole concept of driving a cool Ford product that can out perform and still have acceptible fuel economy.

However I appreciate your concern upon my budget with your suggestion.

Hollis

 

[BlackVert]

...
My goal is to eventually have nothing sitting in my drive way except 1960-73 Fords.
...

awesome goal!

 

[SorsCode]

with my current tune on the V6 Swap car i'm seeing 27HWY mileage and 18 City. Its your basic bolt on 302, AFT 165's 58cc, TrickFlow Track Heat, TFS1 Cam, underdrives, CAI, 24LB injectors, Pro-M meter, and AEM EEC. Thats with a T5 and 3.73 gears. Speed Limit here on the HWY's is 65-75MPH. Its all in the tune. Without a tune I was seeing 22HWY. So it can be done.

392 miles on last fill up, took 14.2 gallons to fill = 27.605

 

[HollisArmstrong]

How many HP?

About what HP are you getting with that set-up?

Hollis

 

[SorsCode]

I'll have to dig up my Dyno sheet, It was 330ish HP, and 310ish TRQ.... Sorry its been a long time... wasn't to worried on Horsepower numbers, I look at 1/4mile numbers. 12.86@109 with 205/65/15 Stock V6 wheels and horrible 60ft.

 

[revhead347]

Just put a supercharger on it. The blower (centrifugal style) will actually improve your gas mileage by 1 or 2 miles a gallon provided you aren't getting on it all the time. That will easily yield you 300 to the wheels without doing anything internal to the engine.

Kurt

 

[HollisArmstrong]

Which one is better super charger or turbo?

Hollis

 

[BlackVert]

a turbo is more efficient and makes more power, but is more difficult to install and usually costs more.

 

[revhead347]

Yeah, doing the turbo is a hassle, regardless of what anyone says. The blower kits out there are so straight forward, and they've all sold like a million units. It just makes life so easy. You'll have it on with one day of wrenching, and you can get a tune for it with one phone call, and you're off.

Kurt

 

[HollisArmstrong]

I am not made of money but to be honest I rather spend more if it is worth the extra cost. This build is still very much in its infantcy stage even though I have been hard at it for a year now. So it is not about how long it will take me to do it. I have yet to find any major undertaking on this project to be a simple bolt on since I am converting a 1961 car into the modern era.

I am not implying that the supercharger is not worthy of further investigation however I do have concerns that are mainly due to my lack of knowledge and experience with them. As stated beforehand I have owned two turbo cars and had no problems from either of them.

I am not one of these types that like to play around with their car every weekend adjusting here and there. I dont mind doing regualr maintenance or repair when it is neccessary but some/not me like to tinker all the time. I prefer to do it right the first time and then enjoy the fruits of my labor for as long as possible without havuing to tinker.

Im looking for the best option that will give me the results that I desire. I know that HP and MPG are not exactly synonimous. However I think it should be achievable to get a little of both worlds.

I will not be a frequent racer at the local track but when I step on the pedal and bring it to WOT I expect to get out front and stay there. This will be my daily driver to work and want it to be better on fuel than my present 19 mpg Blazer.

Hollis

 

[BlackVert]

for a turbo kit, these guys have a good reputation, and i think their prices are pretty reasonable.

B&G SINGLE TURBO KITS : B&G Turbo Kits

 

[HollisArmstrong]

Thanks BlackVert I will take a look.