I am going to attempt to build my first motor.I have a stock 302HO and am undecided on what to do.Some of my friends tell me to put a 347 stroker kit in it.I would like to have around 350-400 horsepower.This will be a street only 92 Fox just to have fun in.I would like to have different opinions on what to do and if possible a list of parts that work together with one another.I only have a 3000 dollar budget.Thanks in advance Mustang Fans.
PLEASE HELP !!!
- Thread starter lil l
- Start date
Cobra912
Active Member
3G's will burn up fast. I'd do up a nice H/C/I combo with some supporting upgrades and call it a day
You need to really think about what your goals are and be realistic. Also consider used parts...that will help your budget a lot. There are a lot of ways to get 350-400hp but 3k is going to be pretty tight. I went the used route and bought my stroker block with the cam already in it for $1350, and just getting it installed into the car ended up costing me right at $2k after gaskets, balancer, flywheel, and a few random things. It's the little things that add up fast. I already had my heads and the rest of my combo...i'm not sure you could do it for $3k unless you found a mostly complete engine used for around that.
A supercharger would be a good option, but then you're also looking at dyno time and possibly a short engine life. Nitrous is also another easy option, with similar drawbacks. Heads/cam/intake can be done for your budget if you can install everything yourself. If labor is going to be a part of this...you might wanna save up more cash.
You can go the super cheap route, and get some junkyard GT40P heads, a set of used headers, a used Trick Flow Stage 1 cam, and any decent intake and with traction and good driving you'll have a 12 second combo...but it won't make 350-400hp.
A supercharger would be a good option, but then you're also looking at dyno time and possibly a short engine life. Nitrous is also another easy option, with similar drawbacks. Heads/cam/intake can be done for your budget if you can install everything yourself. If labor is going to be a part of this...you might wanna save up more cash.
You can go the super cheap route, and get some junkyard GT40P heads, a set of used headers, a used Trick Flow Stage 1 cam, and any decent intake and with traction and good driving you'll have a 12 second combo...but it won't make 350-400hp.
On a budget? do the junkyard upgrade... Start at the top of the list and work your way downward. You'll have a nice kick in the pants when you stand on the accelerator and still have money in your wallet for other things. As a plus, you'll have done a lot of the simple bolt on stuff first and will have a feel for what is required to do the more complex engine work in a Head/Intake/Cam upgrade.
Gears - 87-88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe rear axle - disc brakes and 3.55 or 3.73 gears in one package for $125-$300. Add another $100-$200 or so to complete the brake upgrade.
94-95 Mustang GT MAF - $40-$100. It is 70 MM instead of the stock 55 MM on regular stangs built prior to 94. It uses a slip on duct on the side that goes to the throttle body and a 4 bolt flange on the other. You need a flange adapter to fit the stock slip on air ducting that goes to the air box. Wiring plugs right in with no changes. *1 *2
95-97 Ford Explorer intake manifold & throttle body $150-$300. The intake manifold flows 220 CFM +, much better than stock. Throttle body is 65 MM, bigger than the 60 MM on stock stangs. I got a 96 with EGR passages that match the stock setup, so my smog gear works just like factory. You’ll need a 65 MM EGR spacer & new gaskets for $65-$90 so you have a place to mount the EGR & throttle linkage.
3G alternator from 94-95 Mustangs or other Ford. $20-$120. A must have to make the electrical system work like it should or if you have an electric fan. You’ll need a 4 gauge power wire and a 125-135 amp fuse to go with it about $15- $30.
Lincoln MK VIII electric fan -$40-$160. Free up some HP by not having to drive the stock fan. The 3G alternator upgrade is a must have prerequisite before you do the MK VIII fan. You won’t have enough electrical power if you don’t do the 3G upgrade.
Aluminum driveshaft: (courtesy of shawn13) It needs to be from a 92-93-94 Aerostar AWD. It measures 45 ½” center of the front U-joint to center of the rear U-joint. You will need the U-joint, part #PUJ353 from NAPA. The Canadian NAPA pat number is 1-0134BF. It should bolt right up after the U-joint swap.
Note: This driveshaft is not an exact duplicate of the Ford Racing part. It is 3” in diameter while the Ford Racing part is 3.5” in diameter.
*1.) Metal flange adapter Kurtz Kustomz Motorsports, Inc. KKM Buy the TR70 for $40. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.
*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1995-94 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1995-94 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Grand Marquis 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
Evidently the –A1A, -A2A, AA, etc. on the end of the part number is a minor variant that did not change the operating specs. You should be able to ignore it and have everything work good.
Gears - 87-88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe rear axle - disc brakes and 3.55 or 3.73 gears in one package for $125-$300. Add another $100-$200 or so to complete the brake upgrade.
94-95 Mustang GT MAF - $40-$100. It is 70 MM instead of the stock 55 MM on regular stangs built prior to 94. It uses a slip on duct on the side that goes to the throttle body and a 4 bolt flange on the other. You need a flange adapter to fit the stock slip on air ducting that goes to the air box. Wiring plugs right in with no changes. *1 *2
95-97 Ford Explorer intake manifold & throttle body $150-$300. The intake manifold flows 220 CFM +, much better than stock. Throttle body is 65 MM, bigger than the 60 MM on stock stangs. I got a 96 with EGR passages that match the stock setup, so my smog gear works just like factory. You’ll need a 65 MM EGR spacer & new gaskets for $65-$90 so you have a place to mount the EGR & throttle linkage.
3G alternator from 94-95 Mustangs or other Ford. $20-$120. A must have to make the electrical system work like it should or if you have an electric fan. You’ll need a 4 gauge power wire and a 125-135 amp fuse to go with it about $15- $30.
Lincoln MK VIII electric fan -$40-$160. Free up some HP by not having to drive the stock fan. The 3G alternator upgrade is a must have prerequisite before you do the MK VIII fan. You won’t have enough electrical power if you don’t do the 3G upgrade.
Aluminum driveshaft: (courtesy of shawn13) It needs to be from a 92-93-94 Aerostar AWD. It measures 45 ½” center of the front U-joint to center of the rear U-joint. You will need the U-joint, part #PUJ353 from NAPA. The Canadian NAPA pat number is 1-0134BF. It should bolt right up after the U-joint swap.
Note: This driveshaft is not an exact duplicate of the Ford Racing part. It is 3” in diameter while the Ford Racing part is 3.5” in diameter.
*1.) Metal flange adapter Kurtz Kustomz Motorsports, Inc. KKM Buy the TR70 for $40. Or spend some time on eBay looking for one that may fit.
*2.) MAF & sensor interchange
The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 MAF & sensor is also found on:
1995-94 Mustang 3.8L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Crown Victoria 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1995-94 Mustang, Mustang Cobra 5.0L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Town Car 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
1994-92 Grand Marquis 4.6L F2VF-12B579-A2A,
Evidently the –A1A, -A2A, AA, etc. on the end of the part number is a minor variant that did not change the operating specs. You should be able to ignore it and have everything work good.
The maf, fan, alternator, and intake just need a good cleaning. I would have heads checked by a shop and upgraded valve springs installed. The alternator can be hit or miss. Have it checked by a local part store. Return it if it doesnt well.
If you plan on stepping up to aftermarket heads down the road dont worry about putting money into rebuilding junkyard heads. Money you spend on a valve job can go to other things. Try to find an explorer with low miles and pull the heads.
Explorer heads will at the very least need upgraded springs. To have a shop check to make sure they are straight, install new springs, freezeplugs, and guides is not very costly.
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