Buying a new engine for the stang...some questions..

[Pokageek]

Hi everyone,

I am buying a new engine for my stang. It is a 94' gt vert. The engine manufacturer said the most you can get out of a stang 5.0 na engine (306ci) is about 330hp with a e-303cam, flat top pistons, heads and intake and headers. He said thats a lot of power for my car and I will be happy with the performance for a long time. But that doesn't leave much room to beat ricer cars like the WRX and what about all these imports pumping out 250-300hp from a freakin v6!??

Why is it so hard to get the horses out of a 5.0 when the nissan 3.5 puts out 260-300hp? I read mtor trend and lots of cars put out 300HP and more now. So I want an na with potentially 400hp or more to stay ahead of the game maybe. Should I go 347ci? How much more power? Can I get into the 12's with a 330hp 5.0? You guys think that will make a big difference? How come the 5.0 ain't so bad anymore?? Thanx.

 

[wytstang]

Hi everyone,

I am buying a new engine for my stang. It is a 94' gt vert. The engine manufacturer said the most you can get out of a stang 5.0 na engine (306ci) is about 330hp with a e-303cam, flat top pistons, heads and intake and headers. He said thats a lot of power for my car and I will be happy with the performance for a long time. But that doesn't leave much room to beat ricer cars like the WRX and what about all these imports pumping out 250-300hp from a freakin v6!??

Why is it so hard to get the horses out of a 5.0 when the nissan 3.5 puts out 260-300hp? I read mtor trend and lots of cars put out 300HP and more now. So I want an na with potentially 400hp or more to stay ahead of the game maybe. Should I go 347ci? How much more power? Can I get into the 12's with a 330hp 5.0? You guys think that will make a big difference? How come the 5.0 ain't so bad anymore?? Thanx.

Most built 302's are putting down 295-325rwhp, so a 306 should be able to pull more. It all comes down to the combo you put together as a whole not just the engine but the entire car i.e. suspension, proper gearing, correct stall, etc,etc. Look around before you buy an engine that comes with a cam in it already you're stuck paying for something that may not be the best for you. The E cam is not the best cam out there others have come along and out perform the "old" ford letter cams i.e. crane 2031/Steeda#19/ect,ect. I would purchase a short block and put together a head/cam/intake combo that fits YOUR needs. Also don't bother comparing 10+ year old technology to today’s technology it's just not fair there more efficient. The cars of today are faster but you have to remember the #'s being shown are flywheel NOT rear wheel horsepower. Besides horsepower is just a byproduct of torque and torque is what wins races. Good luck..

 

[S/CBlack95GT]

You can easily get 330RWHP out of a 306 if you spin it up. Most 302s can make 300rwhp under 5800rpms. I have seen several 302-306ci stangs putting down 350-375rwhp. If you have the right cam, heads, and intake you can turn the sucker to 6500+rpms and make a ton of power.

It is all about compression and RPMS when you are talking NA. Remember, Nascar cup engines are only 358s and they are making 800+hp.

 

[Pokageek]

Thanks for the responses guys! I will take your advice into consideration for sure! Maybe I will start off with the packaged 306 they are offering for now and change it around later. Especially considering some of those are hitting more hp in the higher revvs like you say.

The reason I like this package is they are a reputable company offering me a starter long-block with flat top pistons, upgraded cam, honed and decked (not sure what that means) and stronger bolts and stuff good for 290hp for $1400 shipped. That is the everything the usual long block has but with my heads on it. I will have my heads restored for like $120 on the side, bolt them on and go. Then I can upgrade to a higher RPM package like you are mentioning by adding an intake and alumn heads I guess when I have more $$.

 

[GRGT1994]

Remember that 330 hp at the rear wheels equals about 400 hp at the flywheel. I think the ricer numbers you were talking about are at the flywheel.

 

[Car Nut]

Put in a 347 and you'll get torque that will take care of most ricers. Add some good heads and intake and you'll make plenty of power in the neighborhood of 400 or more at the rear wheels (that's deep into the 400s at the crank).

Some here may be able to verify that a 347 can do a bit more.