If you are keeping it EFI, then yes 89-92 are the "best". They are Mass Air Flow ('88 also in CA) and they have fordged pistons. All 87-92 5.0 HO's have forged pistons. In '93, Ford went to hypereutectic pistons. Nothing wrong with them though. Saved Ford money. They don't take as much boost or nitrous as forged do before failing.
There really isn't a "best" 5.0 engine. Just differences to consider given your intended useages.
the swap is going to take the same amount of effort with whatever donor engine you decide to go with...as long as EVERYTHING comes with the engine. IE...all accessories.
the swap is going to take the same amount of effort with whatever donor engine you decide to go with...as long as EVERYTHING comes with the engine. IE...all accessories.
allcarfan, that's what I was thinking. If your buying the whole car, it runs, and isn't in TERRIBLE shape, why not just drive it instead of tearing it up?
A 92 or 93 which ever has the fuel pump relay under the hood and not the front seat will make wiring easier. The pre 93 engine for the stated forged pistons.
Don't worry too much about the 93 hypereutectic pistons if you happen to find one in good shape. First of all almost any donor car you find these days is going to need a rebuild in the near future anyway and you can put any piston you want in at that time. Secondly, the hypereutectic pistons are much stronger than most believe and really are not much of a concern to most people. We had a stock 93 coupe with heads and an ATI Procharger running 17 lbs f boost making 507 RWHP and never had a problem with the internals. The head gaskets were a problem but not the pistons.