Yall Think I'd Be Disappointed W/ Gt40 Heads On The 95?

90lxwhite · Jun 11, 2013

Ok so I believe I'm going to sell the 90 lx and I'm thinking about purchasing a set of heads for the 95. Yes this is another poor man thread on trying to make power but anyways I found a set of rebuilt gt40 3 bars from a company called promar, they are asking $650 shipped. That doesn't seem so bad but I won't be installing the heads myself no time and I've never done it so time I will need. So we're looking at around $1450 for a set of rebuilt gt40s installed (estimate) I guess my concern is after 1500 bucks spent am I most likely gonna come out with say 220 hp? The last dyno was 209 and the only motor mods since then have been ported stock lower, cold air (yes just for looks) and the only exhaust mods since have been pre-cats removed and a set of forza flow mufflers. (the old flowmasters were rusted out, holes n sht) I realize its about the combo of parts but for now it is what it is, yes I could use a better intake manifold I know and maybe one day it'll come but then again maybe not. So I guess Im gonna beat the dead horse one more time, do you think the gt40's would suffice or is there another head out there that'd be a better choice for comparable $? other than the usual you get what you pay for get tfs or afr, yes I know I know. I'd like to reuse my rockers as well so I'm lookin for a pedestal mount if possible. At one time I was considering the Windsor jr's they run around $900 but need new rockers etc. or maybe a set of these promaxx aluminums http://www.jegs.com/p/Patriot-Perfo...ll-Block-Ford-Cylinder-Heads/2788544/10002/-1
I have a .512 lift cam and I think i'd settle for 250 rear horse or so I just don't wanna spend 2 grand and come up with a gain of 15 hp , if that's the case I'll leave it alone I think

Rick 91GT · Jun 11, 2013

You may pick up 15-20fwhp with the gt40s but I wouldn't expect much. However if needed all your stock rockers would swap over which will save you money.

Personally I'd save till you find a good deal on a used alum head (seen TFS for $750) add a quality rocker $175 and pushrods $90 plus $75 in gaskets and you'll be much, much happier with the gains.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

revhead347 · Jun 11, 2013

I agree with Rick. In a time when a head gasket cost $18, and coolant is $14/gallon you end up just pissing money away on small head upgrades. Save up until you have enough money for aluminum heads.

Kurt

90lxwhite · Jun 11, 2013

I hear the both of ya but I don't want to buy sight unseen used heads, it'd potentially and mostly like would turn into a headache. What if I ran the trickflows with the ported stock lower, wouldn't work very well would it? Dang it sucks when 2 grand won' get ya di*k sht[/quote]

90lxwhite · Jun 11, 2013

revhead347 said:
I agree with Rick. In a time when a head gasket cost $18, and coolant is $14/gallon you end up just ****ing money away on small head upgrades. Save up until you have enough money for aluminum heads.

Kurt

Hey how is it that the 95 cobra was factory rated at 305 hp at the crank. It was only g40 crap and 24lb injectors

FiveLiterSN95 · Jun 11, 2013

It wasn't. The 96-98 Cobra was 305, but the 95 was only 240.

90lxwhite · Jun 11, 2013

FiveLiterSN95 said:
It wasn't. The 96-98 Cobra was 305, but the 95 was only 240.

ha yeah my bad, I was just fixing to come back and edit, I forgot it was in 96 when it got 305. Damn fords and their weak crap.. the z28's of the same year were doin 275 and ran in the same price range as the gt's w their whopping 215 hp

revhead347 · Jun 11, 2013

240hp, and most of that was the intake.

Kurt

rowekmr · Jun 11, 2013

2k will go farther if you look harder. I agree with others unless that is all the power you want out of your car I would wait (or buy N02 for now). I bought a 95 GT for 3.5K that had TFS heads, intake and stage II cam plus full length headers and off roads. It needed some paint work and other loose ends but laid down 300 hp at the dyno as is.

90lxwhite said:
I hear the both of ya but I don't want to buy sight unseen used heads, it'd potentially and mostly like would turn into a headache. What if I ran the trickflows with the ported stock lower, wouldn't work very well would it? Dang it sucks when 2 grand won' get ya di*k sht

[/quote]

JJ95GTID · Jun 11, 2013

90lxwhite said:
ha yeah my bad, I was just fixing to come back and edit, I forgot it was in 96 when it got 305. Damn fords and their weak crap.. the z28's of the same year were doin 275 and ran in the same price range as the gt's w their whopping 215 hp

The 5.7L (350cid) vs 5.0L (302cid) helped them in that department.
Had Ford put the 5.8 (351cid) in the Mustang GT or GM put the 5.0L (305cid) in the Z28 it would've been more of a fair fight.

Why are you considering the GT40 iron heads at all? Is it money or performance or convenience?

If you are afraid to buy used parts then you have to buy new parts at the new part price.
I don't know where you're located but maybe hit up the local mustang website classifieds or craigslist for used parts and meet up with the person selling the parts so you can inspect them yourself.

You need to decide what you want out of your Mustang in the end.
You can have only two of these in a car: cheap, reliability or fast.
The stock Mustang is cheap and reliable.
To make your pony fast can be done cheaply but it won't be very reliable.
Or, it can be fast and reliable but it won't come cheaply.
You can learn to do a lot of work yourself which will cost you time and hopefully not a lot of money.
Everyone knows that time is money. But, experience is forever.
Make your choice grasshopper.

And, like Kurt said, the intake was where most of the Cobra's HP came from over the stock GT.
You'll feel the difference with an intake swap.
It is an easy swap that can be done in under a day for the first timer.
Couple hours tops for a person who's done the swap more than once.
Its a better choice for a first mod over heads of the cast iron variety.

Gearbanger 101 · Jun 11, 2013

90lxwhite said:
Ok so I believe I'm going to sell the 90 lx and I'm thinking about purchasing a set of heads for the 95. Yes this is another poor man thread on trying to make power but anyways I found a set of rebuilt gt40 3 bars from a company called promar, they are asking $650 shipped.

Just an FYI. I bought my GT40X aluminum heads, complete with minor port work and fresh out of the machine shop (new guides, valve job, valve seals, decking) for only $50 more shipped to my door. And all my stock rockers, pushrods, etc bolted right up to them.

There are deals out there, you just have to be patient.

VibrantRedGT · Jun 11, 2013

I was also going to mention I got my GT40X Aluminum with Ferrau Valves (instead of the stock Manley valves) with slight work for under a grand. My car in N/A made like close to 300HP at the wheels with them and over 300 ft lbs of torque.

I'd pass on those GT40p heads, even for $650 it way too much work for not enough HP in my opinion. A few hundred more bucks and you can get aluminum.

Black Stampede · Jun 11, 2013

Yet another ditto. Listen to everyone here. Save your money. We know you are chomping at the bit to buy, but it will be a waste of money. Save another year or whatever time you need to save, and get some nice trick flow heads. The car game is NOT cheap, but what is more expensive then anything else is changing your setup over and over because you didn't do it right he first time.

Save your money and do it right the first time.

90lxwhite · Jun 12, 2013

they are the gt40 p's just reg gt40's but anyways so the gt40 intake is where the power was made not the heads, damn tmoss and his oh my ported lower will be like a gt40 intake, I haven't dyno'd it since its been on and I'll say this about it, it pulls real hard to out 4-45k and then falls on face. It's better than it was but not awhole lot, butt-o-meter would say ten horse maybe?? Yes I hear ya bout the cheap, fast reliable, Im just lookin to get maybe 250 rear horse and call it a day, not a good day but a day. I already have too much $ wrapped up in the 209 horsies that I have now, it's a sore subject. Yeah the gt40x heads would be ok but then I'd be needing another intake to make it work. A sheesh time is money and gas aint cheap.. Saving money would be cool, but in all reality I don't have the disposable income these days to throw another 4 grand at it. I'm no longer single and childless and I'm not an engineer.

90lxwhite · Jun 12, 2013

JJ95GTID said:
The 5.7L (350cid) vs 5.0L (302cid) helped them in that department.
Had Ford put the 5.8 (351cid) in the Mustang GT or GM put the 5.0L (305cid) in the Z28 it would've been more of a fair fight.

Why are you considering the GT40 iron heads at all? Is it money or performance or convenience?

If you are afraid to buy used parts then you have to buy new parts at the new part price.
I don't know where you're located but maybe hit up the local mustang website classifieds or craigslist for used parts and meet up with the person selling the parts so you can inspect them yourself.

You need to decide what you want out of your Mustang in the end.
You can have only two of these in a car: cheap, reliability or fast.
The stock Mustang is cheap and reliable.
To make your pony fast can be done cheaply but it won't be very reliable.
Or, it can be fast and reliable but it won't come cheaply.
You can learn to do a lot of work yourself which will cost you time and hopefully not a lot of money.
Everyone knows that time is money. But, experience is forever.
Make your choice grasshopper.

And, like Kurt said, the intake was where most of the Cobra's HP came from over the stock GT.
You'll feel the difference with an intake swap.
It is an easy swap that can be done in under a day for the first timer.
Couple hours tops for a person who's done the swap more than once.
Its a better choice for a first mod over heads of the cast iron variety.

oh and yeah no replacement for displacement

Gearbanger 101 · Jun 12, 2013

90lxwhite said:
Yeah the gt40x heads would be ok but then I'd be needing another intake to make it work. A sheesh time is money and gas aint cheap.. Saving money would be cool, but in all reality I don't have the disposable income these days to throw another 4 grand at it. I'm no longer single and childless and I'm not an engineer.

Truth be told, although the intake why physically "bolt up" and can be port matched for any of the GT40 family heads, you're going to need another intake anyway to make any sort of horsepower or RPM. TMoss Porting is certainly better than stock untouched, but will only take you so far. The stock ports can only carry so much volume before you run out of port wall. My out of the Box Trick Flow Track heat embarrasses even the most heavily ported stock, or even GT40 piece....and it's untouched.

I know you say you'll be fine with "250hp at the wheels", bit I can tell you from experience....you won't be. You'll always be wondering and that's where you'll start spending money.

The GT40/GT40P heads IMO should be set asside for the cruisers....the Convertibles that want a little extra "punch" over stock. Nobody serious about performance should consider them as any practical means of making power.....not in todays day and age. Sure, there are those out there who've found ways to make their cars run with them, but look what else they've had to add, or sacrifice to make it happen. Take a look srtthis's build for starters. He's spent thousands and sacrificed a lot to get his car into the low-12's. Probably more than he would have had he just done it with better parts....but his is a "purpose built ride", which is why it's taken the work and cost him what it has. It's not for everyone.

It's certainly all your decision, but I promise you it's going to leave you wanting more in the end. Just keep saving man.

VibrantRedGT · Jun 12, 2013

You don't need another intake, don't know who told you that. You current intake will work with any of the heads mentioned. Don't settle on 250HP, my SUV has 288HP with a 3.6L V6. For the money you're gonna drop and the work you're about to do the goal should be 285-300HP to wheels minimum period. TFS, Edelbrock's, AFR, GT40X should be on your radar, there are deals out there.

I don't think $650 for GT40p heads are good deal at all, that's expensive. They will make ported stock head power, so take a huge pass on these. Plus aluminum heads vs. iron is a 28-46lb weight savings on the nose of the car. I weighed the stock head, one was 45lbs and my GT40X were 22lbs. Don't have to explain weight saving to you, I'm sure you get it.

You asked the question here and we answered. You will not be pleased with the performance of these heads and 250HP is not a goal most shoot for. My car made 241HP to the wheels with the stock heads and cam. Your goal should be much higher.

srtthis · Jun 12, 2013

Gearbanger 101 said:
The GT40/GT40P heads IMO should be set asside for the cruisers....the Convertibles that want a little extra "punch" over stock. Nobody serious about performance should consider them as any practical means of making power.....not in todays day and age. Sure, there are those out there who've found ways to make their cars run with them, but look what else they've had to add, or sacrifice to make it happen. Take a look srtthis's build for starters. He's spent thousands and sacrificed a lot to get his car into the low-12's. Probably more than he would have had he just done it with better parts....but his is a "purpose built ride", which is why it's taken the work and cost him what it has. It's not for everyone.

.

money wise its hasnt been as much as you would think. i wheeled and dealed on a lot of stuff. more so then anything its been time. i have a lot of time porting the lower porting and blending the intake.

90lxwhite · Jun 12, 2013

VibrantRedGT said:
You don't need another intake, don't know who told you that. the tech on the phone from ford racing said the gt40x heads wont work with stock manifold

You asked the question here and we answered. You will not be pleased with the performance of these heads and 250HP is not a goal most shoot for. My car made 241HP to the wheels with the stock heads and cam. Your goal should be much higher.

90lxwhite · Jun 12, 2013

I think I'm going to search out a vortech kit and call it a day. Yeah goals should be higher than say 250 hp range but I don't have another $5k to throw at it really so I was just throwin the 250 number out there as a ballpark hoping that a set of gt40 heads or something of the like would get me there. I'm not building a race car just fixin up the 95 that has been in the fam since 95. Dad bought it late 95 or early 96 w/ 15k mi on it and it put over 300k on er. It set for some years then motor was rebuilt 2 years ago

Yall Think I'd Be Disappointed W/ Gt40 Heads On The 95?

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