Best O.E. 5.0 swap heads, headers & x pipe ????

[montegoman351]

Alright here's the deal, I just bought a '92 Lincoln MK7 LSC with, of course, the 5.0HO. Basically a "cream puff" type car, garage kept, Ford dealer maintained, it was the guys 60th birthday dream car...yeah...it's a "cream puff". Anyway, it's still speed density, and I'm going to leave it that way for a while. Well, it recently got new plugs, so I swapped on my old (6mo old) FMS 9mm wires, new MSD cap & rotor, took out the air silencer, swapped the air tube to a 86-88 Mustang tube, I've got an Explorer intake, Borla mufflers, and some Saleen oval tips I'm debating putting on.

Here's my questions:
1) What are the best 5.0 heads to swap on, I know of the GT40 & GT40P heads, but they are getting harder to locate. I've heard D0OE 351W heads are good, how about the D0OE 302 heads, which in order to use those I need hardened seats, and roller cam rated springs. Any more heads good? What about the GT40 351W lightning heads? I do know that in order to use 351W heads I need undercut studs, or the 1/2" to 7/16" spacers.

2) Do any of you recommend any x pipes? I really like the BBK, Borla, Powermax, etc. style X pipe crossover, they look less restrictive than the standard X pipes. Also, this is an AOD car for the time being, untill I feel like swapping in a 5 speed...it'll be when I have trouble with the AOD. I would really like an x pipe with cats, so I don't have to swap it over every year to pass emissions...but I could get an off road pipe and weld in some high flow cats cheaper, and I could put the cats closer to the engine to get more heat, and to eliminate the smog junk.

3) Headers, are there any you'd suggest, any to stay away from?

Basically, I want a smooth driver, but still be a little snotty when the need be.

As you can see, I know a little, but not enough...I'm new to the 5.0s...they're a little different than my Cleveland.

If any of this makes sense, let me know, and if you have any pointers, or suggestions, let me know. Thanks, Chris.

 

[v8only]

lol, with the 96-01 explorers coming of age for the junkyard era, gt40 and gt40p heads and the intakes are becoming easier by the day to find.

start there.

 

[samickguy15]

GT-40P's are the best bang for the buck as far as stock bolt on. They flow better than the D00E Windsor heads and offer a slightly higher compression ratio due to chamber size. I would suggest running a matching header and h/x-pipe combo to avoid fitment issues. I believe the set I have is MAC and they seem to fit the GT-40P heads with room for the plugs just fine.

 

[maxine-70]

i agree with v8only....the gt40 variants of the explorer engines are becoming more and more common in the junkyards. it doesnt take a genius to realize that its a better flowing unit. while youre at it, get the heads too. i have gt40's on mine, never run the P's yet, but i dont think theres enough difference in them to pass one up over the other, expecially if its a good buy. grab the heads and intake off an explorer of any year, buy a TFS stage one cam (cheapest brand of roller cam and i love the power of a stage 1 on the street), and a used A9* computer and mass air unit and hoses, and a mass air retrofit harness kit ($40). P heads require specific headers, so be aware of that. all that and you'll be one happy guy on the cheap.