Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

well guys i have almost 130,000 miles on my 5.0 and today it just started to ping on me  and i dont feel liek wasting money on it. I want to build a quick motor and i need some help. I know heads, cam , tb, nice block, uppper intake pistons and such is in need but the thing is, which brand and which combo. I would really wanna make my 88 t bird do some good numbers. maybe 11's??  help is wanted and very appreciated. thanks in advance

How old are you? You would kill yourself running 11's.

Anyways, an engine pinging isnt a sign of death, its a sign of bad fuel, too much timing, or a malfunctioning EGR system.

If you have to ask some of these questions, you have to take more time and read. We cant spoon feed you everything you need to know, you need to learn a lot on your own, or you wont know anything other than what youre told.

I think the quickest person on here is in what, the mid 12's?  Just grab another 5.0 long block, bolt your parts on and be happy.

we've got one or two in the 11's, or capable of the 11's, and i think one in the 10's.

The thing is, ive almost killed myself with about 300 horsepower at the flywheel, and im a relatively experienced driver. You need a whole lot more than 300 to run 11's.

Yeah..just throw a number out there..

"I wanna run in the, 13's...no... 9's...err no.........11's!! That's it"

You can't just throw a bunch of money and parts (will be mostly money) and expect the same results as the next guy.

It's good to have goals, but have attainable ones.....

you are very correct and i have read and i have been doing my homework. didnt mean to say 11's liek I really am gonan do it, but im just saying i wanan do some good numbers. I know our cars weigh alot. and i know pinging is nothing but i wanna mak e achnage and be a little quicker thats all.

your correct chuck. i shoulda said it ina different way. but i still wanan do much better then having a 5.0 so with wat i have now i would like to be quick but be safe at the same time

Find a HO 5.0 out of a wrecked GT or MK7, bolt your stuff on and there you go.


Scott

how about a 331 street pro from chp with some afr 185s?  and a holly systamaxx intake ??? wats does everyone think?  bad idea??  too much power"??  r u gonan say that im an idiot?cuz people luv bashing on one another

get a nice warmed over H.O. it'll do more than satisfy your needs nice cam and those E7's will make you happy

not "11 second happy" but "ill own that camaro down the street happy."


btw i believe 5.8 fastcat is in the 10's or early 11's

yes he is thats y i said 11's  before.

See...heres a problem.

You dont just go down a list of parts and say "i want this one, that one, a little of this...does it do good?". Youve got to do your homework on each part, see what each one does, its RPM range, and find out what works best with eachother.

You build the most power with a good combination of parts, not the most expensive, biggest, prettiest, or most commonly used.

Fix your ping, do some more work to your 5.0, save some money, and do more research.

I researched the Turbo Coupes for 3 years before i got one.

Well 1st of all if it's time that's your issue, not $... then just go to your local ford dealer or summit racing and grab a 345 HP long block Ford racing products motor, throw on the recomended EdlebrockEFI intake 70mm Tbody and that 8.8 with 3.55s, stay off the 3.73s if you want 11 sec. or you'll be wound out around 95mph. They'll recomend in the literature with the engine the fuel injector psi range, fuel pump volume, and if you care to, get a custom burned chip at a shop with a dyno who actual tell what the motor's doing, not just what desktop dyno says it oughtta be doin'. If you're like the rest of us though $ might be , at least in part, an issue. If that's the case, then deal with the pinging ( could be slack in timing set) and get a 3.55:1 rear end in there,trust me you'll like it. PS- that engine combo is around $4500 as desribed, but without the custom chip and trip to the dyno.

ok never said im going down and list and picking the most expensive thing and calling it as if its the best thing and it will match up, thats just str8 retarted if u do that . second i  been doing my homework i jsut wanted some second opinions

I might have missed it but I dont see any mention of the kind of budget are you talking about. Basically speed costs money, how high is your credit limit... Or how fat is your wallet?

If you are starting with an SO...

I would say you should do a basic HO conversion first and then maybe hit it with a 75HP (I'd be afraid to go more than that with 19# injectors) shot of nitrous. The HO conversion will probably run 5 or 600 bucks and the nitrous kit done right will cost you around $900 if you go with a NOS 05115 dry shot, window switch and bottle heater. Add a set of TFS TW heads, 1.7 roller rockers and decent shorty headers and you'll tack on another $1500. But if you do that, you'll want at least a ported HO intake if not something better from the aftermarket (aftermarket intake $350 to $550). Dont forget a 65mm throttle body and mass air conversion... while your at it you might as well get 24# injectors so you can hit it with a 100 HP shot. But in order to fuel that extra 100HP dry shot you'll need at least a 255 L/hr fuel pump in the tank. All that should add another $600 or more. If you are going to rebuild your short block add another $1500 or more... If you want a better cam your looking at $200 to $350 depending on what you get. So I think the grand total is somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000.

But you wont go 11's without gears, a fresh differential and an upgraded clutch... or if you have an AOD you will definitely need a new tranny. Go price a Lentech with convertor. Realistically I think you could go 11's for around 9000 dollars... maybe 10 grand. Because you'll need wheels, tires, shocks and some other suspension stuff so you can get a decent launch.

I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just being realistic. Set small achievable goals and dont try and do it all at once... Unless you have tons of cash, then go for it!

General engine pricing from an engine machine shop is approx $3000-$4000 for your basic rebuild for approx 300+ HP and for every $1500 you spend you will get approx 50 more hp.
Moral of the story HP cost money. That why people say including engine shops how much do you want to spend.

It doesn't matter what parts you throw at it...tuning is what's going to get you the most out of whatever combo you put together.

I'm guessing a bolt-on warmed over 5.0HO is what's going to be your budget...

well i know hp cost money and i want to go all out on my t bird. i have a new suspension and  the rest i know everything costs money but i wanna make this happen.  of course i will be changign the gears and getting a new tranny a long with a new drive shaft .  i plan on spending 6000 on the motor and then another 1000 on a tranny. i will do one thing at a time though. i will do the motor first and then the tranny. i think i will be buying a whole short block or long block depending on teh type of heads i will be puting.

Badbird has a sweet engine for sale, he's got plenty of money in it that's for sure. I believe he's run around 10.0 in it with all the supporting hardware. Personally I couldn't afford the amount of machine work he got into it, but if you got the money, give him a call.

"6000 on a motor 1000 on a trany" i dont think the trany will last long. a rebuilt aod is more then 1000

6K, will get you a nice engine. With the AOD you'll need a good valve body... I'd get a Lentech Street Terminator that electronically locks out OD and a 2400-3000 stall convertor. You'll need at least 3.55 gears but you'd probably be safer with 3.73's or 4.10 to keep you "out of the convertor" while cruising around town. You'll spend around 3 grand on a good tranny, gears and rebuilt diff... Assuming you already have an 8.8. If you have a 7.5 install that in the nearest s metal bin and find an 8.8.

Personally, although it's not as "shagy" and nobody can see it, I'd do the Tranny and gears first. Otherwise you'll install this bad ass engine and run high 15's. CarCraft mag proved that point a few years back when they installed a 500 HP 383 in a Nova with a stock drive train that had a peg leg rear. They were stuck in the 15's all day long. When they completed the drive train the car eventually went low 11's with the same engine untouched.

Just remember you cant go fast on motor alone. You gotta have a good foundation to lay down that power. The rule of thumb that I follow is to "work your way from the rear axle to the front leaving nothing untouched along the way".

Plus doing all that heavy stuff under the car first is a good "gut check". You'll find out exactly how commited you are to getting this stuff done... heheh...

spending 6000 on the motor - If you're gonna spend that Seriously look into a Ford Motorsport ( now known as Ford Racing Performance) Engine. They come with warranty & all Ford parts, selected and erected by Ford's SVO group, ir.- ENGINEERS WHO DESIGN & BUILD MOTORS! Like I said before the long blocks go for $3500. As for the tranny, an AOD can & will take it, just be sure it stays cool. Higher speeds, higher RPMs= higher temps. The AODs were designed to handle 700 foot pounds of torque ( in a perfectly operational condition).Anyway, $3500 long block, $1000 in Tbody, intake,& injectors + fuel pump ( maybe)= $4500, leaving you $1500 towards a super charger ( Powerdyne=$2300).=$6800 if you go all new, name brand, and FORD! Or you can shell it out to Schmucko's Machine shop where they'll take your money & build it their way, but I put a lil more faith in SVO.Lastly, a buddy has an 89 mark 7, stock bottom end HO, GT40X heads ( 2.02 Int valves), GT cam, 65mm Tbody, mass air conv, and Vortechs Super charger ( @ 8-10 pounds boost) - Dynoed at 415HP! 380 foot pounds!- $4200 invested into the original HO, & I'll bet it does 11's almost as easily as leavin' an 80' patch of smolderring rubber,.Personally, I think it's a bit much for the street.

thanks everyone for informing me of these things. I was thinkin the same thing about rthe costs and stuff.

Keep us updated, I for one, like to know current pricing for stuff, and wheather it's worth it or not. If you come up with a killer deal on a sweet combination...SHARE! Good luck.