Alright, I can see you're an LT1 fanboy with a 5.0 Mustang. So I'll stop the argument, but will leave you with 8.77 is not anywhere near enough to talk smack about stock headed/intaked 5.0s. Just cause you haven't run into them, doesn't mean they aren't common.
If you want to stick to the e7s based on your budget, then that's one thing, but since thumper porting isn't exactly cheap, have you considered going with an aftermarket set of IRON heads? Here's a good thread for you to knowledgify yourself: http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/best-flowing-iron-heads.804115/
As far as the intake, you can try porting out the stock intake, but have you considered an on-the-cheap exploder intake (essentially a GT40) like the one pictured above? The difference between chevy's engine design back then, and Ford's was that chevy, especially with the LS1, gave it big heads and a tame cam, whereas Ford gave the Mustangs asthmatic straws for heads. But, thankfully GT40s came on the Cobras, and GT40Ps came on the explorers. These are cheap iron heads that'll pick up about as much power as you'd pick up by porting the stockers, you can get them for less, and you can still port them if you want to (though I'd rather just upgrade to a better aftermarket head than porting a GT40 based head. You could still essentially call these heads stock, too. They did come stock on 5.0s for a long time. There are some pretty badass iron aftermarket heads in the link earlier, but I wouldn't even consider bothering with them without an upgraded intake.
Now, I'm sorry to hear you have an AOD. That is just a
With an AOD, 4.10 gears are a good idea, but 3.73s would be a good pick too. Get some traction and throw on the basic bolt-ons that I mentioned in my last post, and you can get that car into the 12s without touching the intake or heads, though it will be tougher with a auto than a manual. Also, use the search feature to look up Bob Cosby's 12 second recipe. I posted it here some time last year.
If you want to stick to the e7s based on your budget, then that's one thing, but since thumper porting isn't exactly cheap, have you considered going with an aftermarket set of IRON heads? Here's a good thread for you to knowledgify yourself: http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/best-flowing-iron-heads.804115/
As far as the intake, you can try porting out the stock intake, but have you considered an on-the-cheap exploder intake (essentially a GT40) like the one pictured above? The difference between chevy's engine design back then, and Ford's was that chevy, especially with the LS1, gave it big heads and a tame cam, whereas Ford gave the Mustangs asthmatic straws for heads. But, thankfully GT40s came on the Cobras, and GT40Ps came on the explorers. These are cheap iron heads that'll pick up about as much power as you'd pick up by porting the stockers, you can get them for less, and you can still port them if you want to (though I'd rather just upgrade to a better aftermarket head than porting a GT40 based head. You could still essentially call these heads stock, too. They did come stock on 5.0s for a long time. There are some pretty badass iron aftermarket heads in the link earlier, but I wouldn't even consider bothering with them without an upgraded intake.
Now, I'm sorry to hear you have an AOD. That is just a
With an AOD, 4.10 gears are a good idea, but 3.73s would be a good pick too. Get some traction and throw on the basic bolt-ons that I mentioned in my last post, and you can get that car into the 12s without touching the intake or heads, though it will be tougher with a auto than a manual. Also, use the search feature to look up Bob Cosby's 12 second recipe. I posted it here some time last year.