stock 5.0 HO engine specs

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Some 5.0 H.0. engines also have forged connecting rods(not sure exactly which years) but in the dealer literature for my 88 GT says it has forged connecting rods, and the 1986 5.0 H.O. motor that I'm rebuilding right now had forged connecting rods. You can tell a forged con rod (and alot of parts for that matter) apart because a cast piece will have a crisp, distinct parting line from where the die was separated, and a forged part will not have such a sharp line, but a more rounded ridge caused by the forging process.
 
supposedly the way they measured the cars hp changed and it went down to 215. other then that i don't know. the pistons in 93 were hyperu's, but i don't see that making less hp. if anything slightly more because they are a little lighter than forged.
 
jpctln said:
What exactly did they do in '93 to drop the HP to 205?


From what I have come to understand, the HP did not drop in any way, even tho the pistons were different, no other mechanical changes were responsible for the power drop. The 93 was dropped from 225 hp to 205 hp, and from 300 lb ft to 275 lb ft of torque. Supposedly this was because ford recognized many restrictions, including the intake silencer. This silencer was considered a "body part" and not considered a factor in the testing. It was found to choke off 5-7 hp in tests, we all know this is true. Also there was a minor cam profile change in late 88, this affected approximately 3 hp. Another reason the rating dropped is because the smog-pump specifications were not made yet and the 5.ohs were dynoed without the 3 hp loss of the smog pump. Also the original 1987 5.oh motor was dynoed at 225 hp with no a/c system, and the belt driven cooling fan on maximum slip. Also, the original rating was made while the mustang was still a speed density car in 88, and the switch to a mass air system, with a slight bit more restriction and tendency to run slightly richer was also worth about 2-3 hp. On top of all this, Ford thought it acceptable that all mustangs under promise and over deliver, and some cars were not made as well as others, resultiong in some cars being a little less powerful. This is why Ford dropped the power rating in 93. The motors make the same power between 92-93, but IMO the forged 86-92 motors are (obviously) the best.
 
in addition, supposedly they wanted the '94 model year stangs (SN's) to look at least, if not more, appealing power-wise. the SN's have less power than the foxes - i think a new computer, emissions, and space constraints (the last one is a guess. different snout, overheating and detonation are common issues) had something to do with the lack of power. the 5.0's are a dirty little motor and may have been detuned to help with stricter emissions......

feel free to flame away, but i seem to recall this from several sources.
 
does anyone know what the stock pushrod size is? cause i need to order new ones but im not sure about diffrent sizes i got a crane cam made for the computer controlled engine and planed on keeping the rocker arms but i really cant figure out what pushrods to order also if anyone can give me any tips on building an engine it would be awesoem this is my first rebuild in my sig it says pretty much everything i got (the push rods i acually ordered were longer than the ones that came out of the engine)