e303, sniper, afr heads

what do you guys think about this setup (5.0)
holley sniper efi
hyperspark box, coil, and distributor
e303 cam
enforcer afr 1351 heads
weiand 7515 intake
3.73 gears
stock bottom end
will this hold up, or too much power or should I go with different heads or cam or anything or is this a pretty good set up
 
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what do you guys think about this setup (5.0)
holley sniper efi
hyperspark box, coil, and distributor
e303 cam
enforcer afr 1351 heads
weiand 7515 intake
3.73 gears
stock bottom end
will this hold up, or too much power or should I go with different heads or cam or anything or is this a pretty good set up
 
Depends. How hard are you stressing the engine (5000 RPM clutch dumps or street cruiser with a 2000-5000 operating range).

What kind of power do you think you will have with this setup?
 
He's a young gun, probably on a budget. That being that , if you already got these parts and have blown the budget then I say go for it. Now a custom cam is always a good thing , it'll help get the most out of it.
Don't beat it so bad and you should enjoy it for awhile.
 
Sounds like a really random combo. Like you picked parts using a scrabble board. Is there any logic to this?

Kurt
Holley sniper for tuning made sense because it has a basic set up start up tune and then I can fine tune, also with the 94 computer it’s hard to tune anyway so why not rip it out and use a holley top of the line, the intake I know a guy selling it to me and did my research and it isn’t to bad and i can get a good deal on them, the heads i changed my mind and just going with gt40 for two reasons. the deck on the afr heads are half inch and i read somewhere they tend to overheat or blow head gaskets and i do not feel like ripping apart a motor the second would be money the gt40 would be much less. the cam everyone loves a e303 and a tfs stage one, I am leaning more to a tfs because better power range and also people sometimes have problems with the e303 idle so yes method to the maddens
 
He's a young gun, probably on a budget. That being that , if you already got these parts and have blown the budget then I say go for it. Now a custom cam is always a good thing , it'll help get the most out of it.
Don't beat it so bad and you should enjoy it for awhile.
I haven’t bought the parts, I thought about a custom cam but don’t know anyone that would do it, also yes budget defiantly that’s why cheap aluminum heads or gt40’s
 
Holley sniper for tuning made sense because it has a basic set up start up tune and then I can fine tune, also with the 94 computer it’s hard to tune anyway so why not rip it out and use a holley top of the line, the intake I know a guy selling it to me and did my research and it isn’t to bad and i can get a good deal on them, the heads i changed my mind and just going with gt40 for two reasons. the deck on the afr heads are half inch and i read somewhere they tend to overheat or blow head gaskets and i do not feel like ripping apart a motor the second would be money the gt40 would be much less. the cam everyone loves a e303 and a tfs stage one, I am leaning more to a tfs because better power range and also people sometimes have problems with the e303 idle so yes method to the maddens
Wherever you read that info about a 1/2” deck thickness causing overheating issues and increasing the potential for blown head gaskets is facebook group crap. The added thickness increases the rigidity of the head, and REDUCES the likelihood of a blown head gasket. ( not that youll ever have to worry about any chance of that at the potential power level of this combo)
1. If you did nothing other than add a good set of heads to the engine, versus cripple a modded engine by sticking on a set of GT40 heads, you’d be well ahead of the game. And,…if what I’m reading from you is right, and you don’t want to pull the heads off again, then do yourself a favor and put a good set on the first time.
2. Nobody here loves an e303 cam.
3. There are threads here listing what the common, popular choices are when considering a H/C/I swap. Instead of filling up a shopping cart with random “instagram expert” junk pieces parts, why don’t you take a couple of hours and research this forum and see what the guys that know better have used that works?
 
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Does the car currently have a functioning stock EFI setup? If so no way would I rip that out for a Sniper setup. With the right cam it will run just fine without a tune.
 
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I'm going to have to agree, this setup does sound random and poorly thought out.
Those afr's appear to be 185's. Which is fine, if you compensate with the right cam.
But it's senseless to run one of the best sets of heads (although slightly oversized) and then use an e cam.
In this case, it's possibly you would truly need a custom cam. Where with 165's you probably could (but shouldn't) get away with something off the shelf.

I think you have to do some more research.
You are at two ends of the spectrum with the heads. One of the best sets or the worst set. Maybe find a middle ground.
Not sure where you heard people "love" the cam and tfs stage 1.
I'd say they are tolerated because they can be had for $50.
I don't love or hate either, but i certainly would not be using them with afr's.

No clue where this theory about the heads blowing head gaskets.
You blow a head gasket on a NA engine and it's only for one reason, you screwed up when you installed them.
 
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Depending on your budget, it seems like a better course of action would be AFR 165s, 1.7 rockers, keep the stock cam, and get an Explorer, GT40, or Cobra intake. You can always buy a Tweecer or quarterhorse for tuning if necessary. (I'm not sure how the T4M0 reacts to higher flow heads with the stock cam - would love to know if anyone from the forum has experience with that.) In addition, have you budgeted for rear gears and exhaust upgrades to support this combo? Is this car a daily driver or a dedicated project car?

Here are my concerns with your list: 1) AFR 185s generally don't work with stock pistons - PTV clearance. 2) The E303 cam is a mess to tune. Everyone I've known who tried them back in the day, before there were a lot of options, ended up pulling them for a cobra or '86 HO cam with big rocker ratios to work with EFI. There are much better options out there now if you do need a bigger cam, but keep in mind that Mustang 302s are a bit touchy with cams because they are smaller V8 engines in mid-weight cars. 3) Swapping in an aftermarket EFI system is no small task. There's going to a lot of re-wiring required if you want your fuel pump and fans to work.
 
this is why i love stangnet i’m 18 snd honestly just got my 302 last year and just trying to upgrade and put together a budget motor but so many people say so many different things so thank you guys i will do some more research and will keep you guys updated and yes i am doing 3.73 in a AODE car (i asked for 4.10 but got 3.73 so already have them) and yes i do already have a free flowing exhaust but i will keep you updated
 
Holley sniper for tuning made sense because it has a basic set up start up tune and then I can fine tune, also with the 94 computer it’s hard to tune anyway so why not rip it out and use a holley top of the line, the intake I know a guy selling it to me and did my research and it isn’t to bad and i can get a good deal on them, the heads i changed my mind and just going with gt40 for two reasons. the deck on the afr heads are half inch and i read somewhere they tend to overheat or blow head gaskets and i do not feel like ripping apart a motor the second would be money the gt40 would be much less. the cam everyone loves a e303 and a tfs stage one, I am leaning more to a tfs because better power range and also people sometimes have problems with the e303 idle so yes method to the maddens
Mike has some pretty solid advice and is on par. Although 1/2" deck is pretty thin, the standard for an aftermarket aluminum head is 3/4" deck. That being said, I have absolutely never heard of someone having trouble with AFR heads blowing head gaskets. They are pretty well respected throughout the industry. I have all the specs on the Cobra 302 we did, and it put 302hp to the tire with GT40x (aluminum) heads. If you are interested. I like the G40x heads, because it's a Ford part, and it bolts up perfectly. Mike's right about the cam, nobody likes an 'E' cam anymore. The alphabet soup cams are all outdated, they don't perform very well, and they are actually harder to tune. The 'F' cam is a little better, but there are still way better cams out there. Piston to valve clearance is going to be something you have to consider.

I will contend that finding people who can tune these old OBD1 cars is getting a lot harder. The self learning on the Holley is really cool. However, that's a crap ton of work to get them working, plus all the nightmares of rewiring the car. If you don't know anyone that can tune an OBD1 car close to you, then I think the DIYauto box, or the PIMPXS is a better option. It plugs right into the factory harness, and is easy to tune. That being said, I am running darn close to 600hp with a stock computer with a mail in piggy bag chip on it. It's do able.

I'm definitely not going to recommend anything that has a carb style, or throttle body style intake. You should be fine with a factory bolt on style intake, like a Cobra, or a Trick Flow. Now, with all that being said, Trick Flow and Anderson Motorsports offer complete HCI packages. There's no guess work. You are going to have a tested package at a better price without having to worry about piston to valve clearance. There isn't much justification for working out your own combo these days.

Kurt
 
I'm not a fan of the letter cams or 4.10 gears even in a convert with an auto, maybe with tall tires in the back but that's another conversation, like the head gasket, computer and even everybody loving the E cam is all stuff from 1990,
 
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After having an e303 cam I actually like them. It was in a 306 efi car with ported heads, ported cobra intake, bigger valves, and 24lb injectors. There are much better cams now but the sound through Flowmaster cans was nice. Had respectable power. I did have an idling issue at first but flipped the TB and never had a problem again. ( don't know why that worked but it was a mod back in the old days ) moved the throttle cable to the front and IAC to the top.
 
150k miles
gt40 heads
holley sniper efi
truck flow stage one cam
heads would have bigger springs and things to make the cam work
I have had people tell me this would blow the bottom end because you’re throwing a lot of power to something that is not made for it and has so many miles is this right or would it be just fine and last for a long time i wouldn’t be drag racing it and doing 5000k clutch dumps just normal driving with fun here and there because i’m 18 also i thought it would be fine because the gt40 cam stock on mustangs and it would just be the cam and holley sniper but it acts like a fuel injection system anyway so can anyone help or should i just rebuild bottom end i really do not want to rip the motor out so
 
I swear someone just asked this. It might blow the bottom end out if you do GT40 heads AND a 300 shot of nitrous. Just the heads? No you are fine.

Kurt