My '88 LX a complete redo?

[dkhl]

I love my car, I came from an '92 Toyota Tercel [lol my dads] to a '88 LX 5.0L V8.. I just love it.. and trust me.. I scare myself sometimes with the power.

Basically, I want more power.. I want to get at least into the 300 horsepower range for the first phase of my complete restoration.. any suggestions on how this could happen?

First and foremost, engine is gonna be clean, bored .30over and rebuilt with forged internals, then well AFR Heads, Comp Cam camshaft [is there a better?] and Edelbrock intake.. Lookin to spend maybe $3-4k.. this possible with this combination?

Here's a pic of her with her old owner, dont have a cam

 

[YellowLightning]

Nice looking car.

You should be able to easily get over the 300 HP mark for 3K, no problemo.

I don't think you need to waste the money on the forged internals unless you are looking to head into the 400+ HP area. Forged pistons may not be a bad idea, but not the rods and crank and all of that. You can spend that money on something else that will have more of a positive effect on power. Forged parts don't build any power, they just add beef so engines can hold up to blowers and NOS and other power adders.

I hear the GT40P heads from 5.0 Explorers are a great set for some added bolt on power.

Cobra Intakes are a plus.

Headers, and some free flowing mufflers with an Xpipe.

A good street cam.

Just that stuff should put you above the 300 mark I would think.

 

[xplo89gt]

If you get a little more cash together, and plan on doing the internals anyway, might as well stroke it to a 331 or 347. Slap on the heads and a nice cam and you will be up around 400hp.

 

[YellowLightning]

I don't think you can build a good solid stroker for 3 or even 4k though.

 

[The Shape]

Nice car man. I know how you feel I went from a four door white '95 cavalier (looked like a boiled egg with 4 wheels attatched) to my 5.0. It is a whole nother world! Welcome

 

[_jb_]

I don't think you can build a good solid stroker for 3 or even 4k though.

DSS stroker kit will cost about $1500
heads - $1300
Intake- 500
Exhaust- 600

Right there is $3900, ouch. Maybe for another grand or two the job could get done.

 

[dkhl]

Thanks for the comments, I'm relatively good with cars.. but I'm embarassed to say I am rather stupid when it comes to some basic terms..

Well, $3-4k is definitely what I'm going for right now.. I can't exactly remember what a stroker kit does, something about being able to fit more fuel/oxygen in each cylinder? lol.. [laugh, i wont deny im stupid].

I know forged internals are stronger components, but exactly what parts are forged? Basically what I want to do is forge the parts that don't really affect engine performance, but engine reliablity.

Anyways I'll get back to you guys on how things are gonna go..

 

[YellowLightning]

DSS stroker kit will cost about $1500
heads - $1300
Intake- 500
Exhaust- 600

Right there is $3900, ouch. Maybe for another grand or two the job could get done.

Exactly. That's not including any gaskets, or other misc parts that you always end up needing along the way but didn't count on at the start.

 

[CobraWannabe]

If you're looking to make 300 hp with 3 or 4 grand, supercharge it.

 

[YellowLightning]

Thanks for the comments, I'm relatively good with cars.. but I'm embarassed to say I am rather stupid when it comes to some basic terms..

Well, $3-4k is definitely what I'm going for right now.. I can't exactly remember what a stroker kit does, something about being able to fit more fuel/oxygen in each cylinder? lol.. [laugh, i wont deny im stupid].

I know forged internals are stronger components, but exactly what parts are forged? Basically what I want to do is forge the parts that don't really affect engine performance, but engine reliablity.

Anyways I'll get back to you guys on how things are gonna go..

Forged components don't effect reliability one bit unless you have pushed your power output to the point that you have exceeded the limits of the stock internals. You won't reach this limit with the HP numbers you are shooting for.

Forged internals can be the pistons, rods, crank, or all of the above.

In your situation, I would skip the forged stuff for now. It's expensive, it doesn't add power, and in your case, it most likely will not effect reliability either.

Spend your money on some items to open up the vaulve train. An engine is nothing more than a big air pump. The more air you can get it to move, the better, so.......

For more airflow: Heads, Intake, Exhaust, Cam. Line these basics up right, and that little 302 will breathe a lot better, and in turn, haul butt a lot quicker. These are probably the best bang for buck, and some of the most effective mods you could do.

If, as according to your first post, you already scare your self with the power your car has at times, then you will probably be in need of frequent underwear changes if you do these mods.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[_jb_]

Don't forget the suspension. All the power in the world won't do you any good if you can't get it to the ground.

 

[YellowLightning]

True. You could put some of that saved money there too.

 

[dkhl]

I've already put aside roughly $50.00 for new underwear.. so I should be good on the pants wetting scenario...

I agree, maybe forged internals isn't the exact way to go for now. I will shoot for intake, exhaust, heads, headers, cams.. uhhh and I'm pretty sure I'm missing something. Thanks YellowLightning and the rest of you guys.. lol

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Going from FWD to RWD and having 300 lbs/ft torque is utterly scary for me.. my stang has literally 3 times more torque than my old car hahaha.. I have so much fun, it definitely takes a while to get used to, espescially parking in tight spots.. I'm not that great of a stick driver, I sometimes do peel outs trying to leave my parking space.. so I'll probably end up hitting something someday.. LOL

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Anyways I generally have an idea of what I want.. Bassani Exhaust, AFR Heads.. but I'm not sure what Camshaft or Intake? Since I'm planning on completely REDOING the car, I honestly don't mind paying a premium.. This isn't to sound arrogant, lol... I really appreciate all the info you guys are giving me. This car is mainly for street use, I'm not hardcore drag racer, so like..

Basically, I want to get as much performance as I can while maintaining street legal status..

 

[xplo89gt]

I was just thinking we have no idea what your current mods are if any. If the car is stock, your not gonna want to just do heads,cam,intake. You need to open up exhaust which you plan to do, but that includes all exhaust, headers, hpipe (or xpipe), and catback. You definately need gears, especially if you do engine mods which will result in moving your power band up a notch. If it is a street car, go with 3.73s. And another important thing that is a must get, is subframe connectors.

I would do it in this order:
subframe connectors
gears
exhaust
engine mods

good luck

 

[YellowLightning]

And get some good practice with a stick before you add the power too. A great way to learn skillful shifting and how to modulate a clutch well, is off road driving, if that's a possibility for you. It will turn you into a stick shifting pro in no time, or fry your clutch, one or the other.

 

[_jb_]

I sometimes do peel outs trying to leave my parking space.. so I'll probably end up hitting something someday.. LOL

Be slower with the clutch. When I first started to drive my car, I would either spin the damn tires or kill the car (Damn 2.73s). It takes a while to learn how to drive a stick, but the hardest part is getting the car moving.