Opinions On 'Top End Bolt Ons'

[Makdaddymac]

hey stangerz,
i was just wondering about how much work and sweat i put into my car...
my part list(see sig) isn't bad and my heads(rebuilt),intakes,and roller rockers(came with heads) totaled $$600.00, so about under 750.00 after new bolts and gaskets and some trial and error fair deal IMO; when considering you rich guys are dropping 1-2k on bolt ons .....

Anyways my question or purpose of this thread is to ask, am i really selling my self short with my mods. i mean some afr's would have been about 500 extra but i see people making 300hp with just afr's and a cheap typhoon intake although the gt40 intake flows good i dont think im making close to 300hp which is my goal...... i think im at 250whp...maybe higher ...
just thinking what you guys think.....
i really wonder if my car can pull on some 99-07 gt's or 95-00 cobras??? considering i pretty much have a 5.0 cobra engine in a lighter car.....

ps. would a speed denisty cam and 65mm intake be worth my time. or am i ok with stock cam and intake....i know i could upgrade my intake but i just dont know if its worth the 5-10 hp gain

the reason im questioning my car is i got a shot at a 95 cobra( idk why the hell im falling for sn95's) for almost a fair trade. and my car needs some minor body work,paint,and imo any rims except the turbines to look good next to the all white with black leather interior 95 cobra

 

[strtrcr50]

As far as the intake goes, check out tmoss's site. IMO, the exporer/gt40 is the one to have if you mostly under 5500 rpms.

 

[stykthyn]

tmoss can work magic on your intake and thumper can really open up those heads. even with a stock cam you should be close to if not over the 300 mark with some port work.

as you sit now you should be able to pull on the PI cars, if not then there is something wrong.

 

[NIKwoaC]

So, do you still have the stock, 60mm TB? If so, its choking your combo. A 70mm TB will bolt right up to an Explorer intake and match the intake opening with no grinding. See my sig for reference. I touched up the lip on the opening with a Dremel just to remove the sharp edge, but the 70mm BBK EGR spacer was a dead match for the Explorer intake. That would probably free up some noticeable power for your car.

I say you should stick with the Explorer and maybe spring for a set of AFR 165s. You probably can't do much better on a street driven 302 without stroking it or 'charging. I've seen plenty of GT-40-style intake 302s make 300 rwhp with decent heads.

Oh, and by the way, your car should be able to eat stock 99-04 GTs for breakfast.

"You eat pieces of **** for breakfast?!" - Happy Gilmore

Sorry, it made me think of that movie haha.


Shhh... I like SN-95s, too.

 

[stykthyn]

So, do you still have the stock, 60mm TB? If so, its choking your combo. A 70mm TB will bolt right up to an Explorer intake and match the intake opening with no grinding. See my sig for reference. I touched up the lip on the opening with a Dremel just to remove the sharp edge, but the 70mm BBK EGR spacer was a dead match for the Explorer intake. That would probably free up some noticeable power for your car.

I say you should stick with the Explorer and maybe spring for a set of AFR 165s. You probably can't do much better on a street driven 302 without stroking it or 'charging. I've seen plenty of GT-40-style intake 302s make 300 rwhp with decent heads.

Oh, and by the way, your car should be able to eat stock 99-04 GTs for breakfast.

"You eat pieces of **** for breakfast?!" - Happy Gilmore

Sorry, it made me think of that movie haha.


Shhh... I like SN-95s, too.

say,you wanna go down to the bay and eat some hay?
I just may

 

[Makdaddymac]

lol^ happy gilmore..

yeah it feels like i could pull on some PI's but what about the non boosted cobras??? isnt weight on my side...
as far as pulling off the heads/intake for porting im good, i just got my car running good/driveable....
As far as a 70mm throttle body i will hunt for a good deal and snag one, since that is an easy install....so 70mm is recommended for my exploder ay? i could have sworn my stock tb matched the intake perfectly???!?!?!???!?!??!?!?!

 

[stykthyn]

like mentioned earlier your combo is perfectly suited for a dd that has plenty of grunt.
if you think you need to be faster hunt for the 70mm TB also 4.11's are an option, but your 3.73's should be all that you need
I also noticed that you didnt have headers. you should grab a set if you dont have some already.

also dont rule out nitrous if you think you need it, I think you'll be good though.

 

[cenok is family]

you're probably around 250hp to the tire, 265 max. and 8.8's use 4.10's, not 4.11's. yeah definitely spring for a bigger t/b if you're still using the stock one. have you converted to mass air? if not, you might want to get the car tuned. what cam are you running? exhaust?

 

[Makdaddymac]

no mass for me yet, only if i boost....way down the road from now.......

no tune, how can i get SD tuned btw.....
stoch headers,to mac offroad x pipe,into uninstalled pypes catback......

once someone confirms the 70mm to my explorer intake. i'll budget in some shorties and a tb. HP $$

i was thinking the stock headers would be good for back pressure. but what do i know...

1)so what mod to yeild the most gain since both are a pretty basic install the tb. for the intake side or the shorties for the exhaust side??
2) i once knew the answer to this, but do i need equal length shorties or unequl length shorties....to match my mac offroad x,which fits perfect with the stock shorties

 

[stykthyn]

back pressure =bad
flow+velocity=good

where people go wrong with an exhaust system that is too large is that the exhaust gasses bounce around inside the tubing and this will actually slow down escape velocity and make for poor performance.
a properly matched exhaust set up is not large, but tuned and designed to aid the escaping exhaust gasses, thus the improved design of aftermarket shorties or longtubes over stock.
with the gt40 heads/intake your car is taking in much more air and trying to push it out the same tiny openings. at this point I would say that your exhaust is holding you back more than the TB.

 

[Makdaddymac]

ok so one vote for shorties!

i agree but i figured with offroad x,into some str8 through mufflers the stock shorties would be ok??

 

[cenok is family]

confirmation. yes. the throttle body opening on your intake is 70mm.

you "tune" it by taking it to a dyno and having a chip burnt.

just get unequal FMS shorties. great quality and won't break the bank.

 

[Makdaddymac]

thanks guys,

so shorties to be first mod.....then a 70mm
and unequals match the stock design?, i can find some bbk or macs around here for under 100.00 any day of the week.....

 

[cenok is family]

$100? do it!

 

[stykthyn]

I wish I got mine for 100

 

[Makdaddymac]

local add posted today: BBK shorty 1 5/8" headers new 87-93 $125 , ive bought parts of this guy before i know he'll give them to me for 100.00......and how come some say the equal length will bolt right up and some are saying unequal are the way to go. i dont want to irritate my x pipe!!!!! i want a smooth bolt up/on i can install my headers,mid pipe, and catback all in one shot this way...

btw; headers can be installed without doing nothing more than taking off the spark plug wires right??!?!?!?! wish i would have done this when i was doing my heads now i have to waste header gaskets

 

[stykthyn]

equal lengths are just as good

 

[cenok is family]

equal lengths are good, but unequals are just as good, and don't make it a PITA to change the spark plugs. either will bolt to your x pipe the same way. and yes all you'll need to do is pull the wires. you can leave the plugs in, just be careful not to bang up against them and break em.

 

[stykthyn]

I prefer long tubes personally, I've had em on every muscle car I've ever owned. I just love the sound they make.

 

[Makdaddymac]

okay i just figured out the equal vs. unequal just has to do with the pipe being kinked or not so im aiming for unequals to make spark plug changes possible