Below Is An Email I Received From An Engine Reman Guy, I Scoff

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Yes, gears are definitely the next thing I'll do. Actually was getting ready to order them once I get my summit bucks for ordering the K&N filter through them (my old one was all dry rotted)..

You recommend 3.73s over 4.11? I was going back and forth between the two? What's your RPM at like 80MPH? With the 2.73's I'm at 2k. are the 3.73's still under 3,000?

I assume you mean 4.10's. It all depends on how much city/highway driving. Some guys go with the lower 4.10. I feel the 3.73 is the right gear for me. You will notice a huge difference in acceleration and actually it is easier on the AOD around town as you are not lugging around. Your mpg will also go up a little in the city.

Your rpm will go up a about 500rpmvs the 2.73

http://www.coastdriveline.com/htmlfolder/calculator2.html

at 70 mph
2.73 1700 mph
3.73 2200 mph

at 80mph
2.73 1900 rpm
3.73 2600rpm

Do yourself a favor and only get FORD gears and the upgraded install kit that has all of the bearings, shims, and the gt500 pinion bearing. A much better quality kit than the standard install kit. This has everything needed, including the gear oil and friction modifier. Stangnet members get a discount as well. I bought this exact same kit and the install went very smooth. No whines or howls.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-4209FRB-K/Mustang-88-373-Ratio-Rear-End-Gear-Kit
 
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I assume you mean 4.10's. It all depends on how much city/highway driving. Some guys go with the lower 4.10. I feel the 3.73 is the right gear for me. You will notice a huge difference in acceleration and actually it is easier on the AOD around town as you are not lugging around. Your mpg will also go up a little in the city.

Your rpm will go up a about 500rpmvs the 2.73

http://www.coastdriveline.com/htmlfolder/calculator2.html

at 70 mph
2.73 1700 mph
3.73 2200 mph

at 80mph
2.73 1900 rpm
3.73 2600rpm

Do yourself a favor and only get FORD gears and the upgraded install kit that has all of the bearings, shims, and the gt500 pinion bearing. A much better quality kit than the standard install kit. This has everything needed, including the gear oil and friction modifier. Stangnet members get a discount as well. I bought this exact same kit and the install went very smooth. No whines or howls.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-4209FRB-K/Mustang-88-373-Ratio-Rear-End-Gear-Kit
I have the same, gears weren't too pricey but the install was
 
300hp is not unheard of with stock E7 heads. There are even guys doing that at the rear wheels. There is probably some port work done as well on those heads, but the bowl area is a large restriction on the E7 head. I don't doubt that it gets close to that number.

Kurt

Yeah, and I've got some swamp land in Florida for sale.
 
I assume you mean 4.10's. It all depends on how much city/highway driving. Some guys go with the lower 4.10. I feel the 3.73 is the right gear for me. You will notice a huge difference in acceleration and actually it is easier on the AOD around town as you are not lugging around. Your mpg will also go up a little in the city.

Your rpm will go up a about 500rpmvs the 2.73

http://www.coastdriveline.com/htmlfolder/calculator2.html

at 70 mph
2.73 1700 mph
3.73 2200 mph

at 80mph
2.73 1900 rpm
3.73 2600rpm

Do yourself a favor and only get FORD gears and the upgraded install kit that has all of the bearings, shims, and the gt500 pinion bearing. A much better quality kit than the standard install kit. This has everything needed, including the gear oil and friction modifier. Stangnet members get a discount as well. I bought this exact same kit and the install went very smooth. No whines or howls.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-4209FRB-K/Mustang-88-373-Ratio-Rear-End-Gear-Kit

Thank you for the information. Based on that, I am now convinced the 373s are the right gear. On nice days when I do take the car to work, it's all tollway where I'll drive at about 80. Not sure I'd want much more then 2600 rpm.
 
I think it would've made a better point if you would've said swamp land in AZ, Florida- plausible

Plausible or not, the point is....nobody in their right mind would want to buy swamp land.....

....nor would anyone in their right mind believe 300fwhp/336tq, (never mind 300rwhp) on a stock bottom end 302, with stock compression .498 camshaft with E7TE heads....ported or not.

If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it.

There are guys barely scraping those numbers...and most not coming anywhere close with GT40/GT40P castings and they're twice the head the E7TE is....and they're nothing special either.

On an engine dyno....these number I could believe...in which case, big deal. Those aren't that far off from stock HO numbers.....but rating them SAE, or on a chassis dyno, I'm raising the :bs:on their claims.
 
Plausible or not, the point is....nobody in their right mind would want to buy swamp land.....

....nor would anyone in their right mind believe 300fwhp/336tq, (never mind 300rwhp) on a stock bottom end 302, with stock compression .498 camshaft with E7TE heads....ported or not.

If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it.

There are guys barely scraping those numbers...and most not coming anywhere close with GT40/GT40P castings and they're twice the head the E7TE is....and they're nothing special either.

On an engine dyno....these number I could believe...in which case, big deal. Those aren't that far off from stock HO numbers.....but rating them SAE, or on a chassis dyno, I'm raising the :bs:on their claims.
Yes I agree. Ps: the history chan made rich guys out of "swamp people"
 
Plausible or not, the point is....nobody in their right mind would want to buy swamp land.....

....nor would anyone in their right mind believe 300fwhp/336tq, (never mind 300rwhp) on a stock bottom end 302, with stock compression .498 camshaft with E7TE heads....ported or not.

If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it.

There are guys barely scraping those numbers...and most not coming anywhere close with GT40/GT40P castings and they're twice the head the E7TE is....and they're nothing special either.

On an engine dyno....these number I could believe...in which case, big deal. Those aren't that far off from stock HO numbers.....but rating them SAE, or on a chassis dyno, I'm raising the :bs:on their claims.


Believe it or not there are guys with 300rwhp with stock E7 heads. It requires more than .498 of lift and more compression. Once you start porting all the Ford iron heads flow about the same. There is no real advantage to buying GT40 or GT40p heads.

Kurt
 
Believe it or not there are guys with 300rwhp with stock E7 heads. It requires more than .498 of lift and more compression. Once you start porting all the Ford iron heads flow about the same. There is no real advantage to buying GT40 or GT40p heads.

Kurt
Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a set of aluminums to hit 300 hp than to rework a stock motor until it reaches 300 if a fella was paying labor and parts?
 
I wouldn't say it would be cheaper, but it would be easier and more reliable. There are a handful of guys running over 300rwhp on E7 heads. That last 20 or 30 hp is hard to come by. It means running over 10:1 static compression, coupled with a cam that creates a lot of dynamic compression. It means being right on the edge of detonation all the time. Being on that edge makes it tough to drive the car in a wider range of conditions and the fuel has to be spot on. If you get a tank of gas that wasn't quite 93 octane, it's going to detonate; if it's just a little too hot and humid, it's going to detonate. Unless you are using those heads for a specific purpose, you are better off going with aluminum heads, or giving up some hp to make the car more drivable.

Kurt
 
I wouldn't say it would be cheaper, but it would be easier and more reliable. There are a handful of guys running over 300rwhp on E7 heads. That last 20 or 30 hp is hard to come by. It means running over 10:1 static compression, coupled with a cam that creates a lot of dynamic compression. It means being right on the edge of detonation all the time. Being on that edge makes it tough to drive the car in a wider range of conditions and the fuel has to be spot on. If you get a tank of gas that wasn't quite 93 octane, it's going to detonate; if it's just a little too hot and humid, it's going to detonate. Unless you are using those heads for a specific purpose, you are better off going with aluminum heads, or giving up some hp to make the car more drivable.

Kurt


I'd say you'd need a decent amount of work on the heads- especially the exhaust side to get anywhere near that range, and frankly after the time and money spent you could buy a set of aftermarket heads that will out of the box flow better with a quick cleanup of the bowl area. The small valved E7 just doesn't flow enough in stock form IMO.

The tried and true Explorer top end swap gets you around 260-270 hp. Add a decent cam, better springs and you are around 300hp. Or just swap on a set of TW 170 or AFR 165's. Different strokes for different folks.
 
A set of thumper E7s are around $700. It's about the same as an Explorer top end considering they are rebuilt heads. They will definitely out perform the Explorer heads.

Kurt
 
A set of thumper E7s are around $700. It's about the same as an Explorer top end considering they are rebuilt heads. They will definitely out perform the Explorer heads.

Kurt

Kurt,
Who has $700 into a set of Explorer heads? Certainly not me. More like 3-400 with upgraded springs. The heads, intake, 70mm TB and EGR, fuel rail, injectors, all set me back $150. I sold the injectors for $40. Used the Explorer intake. Sent the heads out for a quick check,cleanup for $150. New TFS springs set me back $150.

You can get the intake and heads all day long at the local JY for under 200 bucks here.

To be honest I should have waited and just done the TW 170's and been done with it, but I'm happy with the results for now.
 
Ok, so it's $200 for the heads. Then you usually have to sit in a nasty mosquito ridden junkyard for a few hours to pull them and get Malaria. That's worth something right there. Then it's at least $200 to get them rebuilt. You are up to $400 + hardware. A ported E7 is going to out perform a stock Explorer head by a pretty good margin. I'd skip the Explorer head, and go straight to a performance E7. It's a better bargain in my book.

Kurt
 
Ok, so it's $200 for the heads. Then you usually have to sit in a nasty mosquito ridden junkyard for a few hours to pull them and get Malaria. That's worth something right there. Then it's at least $200 to get them rebuilt. You are up to $400 + hardware. A ported E7 is going to out perform a stock Explorer head by a pretty good margin. I'd skip the Explorer head, and go straight to a performance E7. It's a better bargain in my book.

Kurt


Kurt, don't hurt yourself stretching to try and make that dog hunt! lol

Comparing a worked set of any heads to a stock GT40 is apples and oranges. Second, take the $300 difference and port the GT40's. They would destroy the E7's. Third Thumper hasn't sold E7's in some time if I recall, Finally, I'm in agreement with someone like Buddy Rawls who I greatly respect. For that same $700 you can get a set of used TW or other alum heads that are far better choices than E7's and are 50 lbs lighter.

Originally Posted by 90lxwhite View attachment 122502
I was looking at a set of thumper e7's a year or so back but they were like $800 and some odd and I couldn't justify that. That's just too much for used reworked stock heads

Buddy Rawls
Thats exactly the point of my earlier post. Unless you are very specific in your need for the E7 casting, or any 125cc, or 144cc castings for that matter, there are far better selections within the aftermarket for similar money (used), and many new heads are not drastically more. If you are going to drop some decent money into a stock head, ported or not, then there is likely an important reason (whether its valid to others or not); not simply the want for a better head.

But hey like I say that's why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors.
 
Ok, so it's $200 for the heads. Then you usually have to sit in a nasty mosquito ridden junkyard for a few hours to pull them and get Malaria. That's worth something right there. Then it's at least $200 to get them rebuilt. You are up to $400 + hardware. A ported E7 is going to out perform a stock Explorer head by a pretty good margin. I'd skip the Explorer head, and go straight to a performance E7. It's a better bargain in my book.

Kurt

While I agree a heavily worked over set of E7's is going to outperform a set of Explorer castings....it's by no major margin. A good 3-angle valve job on a set of GT40's will have it on par with any hand ported E7TE. And remember....as far as port work goes, what can be done to the E7TE, can also be done to the GT40.

As far as initial investment....Any rebuilding needing to be done to the Explorer heads are going to apply to the E7TE's as well. Valve guides, seals, seats, faces are going to be just as worn, or more so in a 25-year-old set of E7's than a 10-15 year old set of GT40/GT40P's. Valve springs/jobs are junk in both heads and will need to be replace/redone regardless.

The GT40 is by far the better bargain....up to a point. Then neither one is worth a damn. My GT40X's out of the box move more air, provide more compression and allow more ignition timing than any worked over E7TE and cut 50lbs off of the front of my car in the process. I paid $700 for them, fresh out of the machine shop, shipped to my door.....and they're not even considered a "middle of the road" head at this point!?!

There was a time that modified E7TE's were the hot ticket....and that was more than 10-years ago, when the 5.0L OHV engine was still in production and used aluminum heads were scarce and expensive. I used to be all over these heads back in the day and must have done 4 or 5-sets of them. The sad truth though, is that playing with E7's isn't worth a damn unless you're doing it yourself for free and you have realistic power goals in mind. And I'm sorry, but 300hp just isn't a realistic number for 90% of users.
 
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A set of thumper E7s are around $700. It's about the same as an Explorer top end considering they are rebuilt heads. They will definitely out perform the Explorer heads.

Kurt
Thumper quit doing the e7 heads and towards the end of their run he was wanting a lil over $800 for em if you went w the spring upgrade for cams over .500 lift. I know this because I was kinda lookin at em and I have a cam w .512 lift. I didnt get em bc $800 is just too much for e7 w stock valves. During the period I was interested in them I researched the sht outta em and the reviews were iffy. Ed Curtis flowed a set and they weren't much better than stock really (deff not $800 better) He also had a "combo package deal" that came w a cam, believe it was a trickflow cam. That he marketed that package as "a proven 12 second combo" and it was around $1100. Well a guy on the corral ran that 12 sec combo in 14 and some odd seconds. So while the thumpers might have been a decent bang for buck alternative when they were $600 or so I would strongly disagree they were worth purchasing once they hit the $800 mark. I think ported stock parts are only worth while if you're doing the work yourself. I was a sucker and paid a lil over $200 to have tmoss port my lower ho intske. I think I was a sucker anyways I'm going back to dyno dec 2 to find out how big a chump I am. One more rant and I'll get outta y'all's hair: It kinda chaps my azz when I do google searches for reviews for parts that guys are modifying at home and are supposed to be bang for buck items ie: tmoss, silverfox, thumper and when you read the reviews that are like 3-5 yrs old it sounds like a good deal bc the price is right. But when you go to the website you find out that current prices are several hundred dollars more for the same part/service and often times they are only a few bucks shy of a "name brand." I was going to post a link to a tmoss/thumper dyno but I can't find it now. Before the heads and intake he made 170 rwhp after he made 215. Oh and mike "thumper" is only doing Mini Cooper heads now. Tough guy huh.....