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Topic: v6 headers,air intake (Read 3986 times) previous topic - next topic

v6 headers,air intake

i cannot find anyperformance air intake system or headers for my 86 3.8L cougar any suggestions that will fit. i looked on summit for 88 t-bird parts and i still cant find any?

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #1 –
Your pretty much SOL&JWF on that part that I know of. All I've ever heard is chrome valve covers for 3.8's. If you had a CFI I could probaly get you a few more HP though. Where ya located at?

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #2 –
alto mi

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #3 –
my car does have cfi though what could you do with that

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #4 –
Do some simple mods to it, maybe get ya 15 more

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #5 –
like what

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #7 –
You COULD go all out and do a split port transplant/upgrade.  Of course that involves finding the right year 3.8/4.2 equipped donor vehicle with a return style fuel system.  You'd also need an EEC-V for a return style system and a manual trans car (the EEC-V for auto trans cars controls some stuff on the trans itself-you don't want the hassle).  Once I get my hands on a 83-86 'bird with a good body,V6, and AOD, it's what I plan on doing.

If you don't feel like going to that extreme (The car would need some downtime) You could try a set of 1.8:1 ratio rocker arms.
There are aftermarket companies that make headers for the 3.8, but they list them for the SN-95/New Edge Mustang (94-04).  I'm not sure how fitment would be.
-- 05 Mustang GT-Whipplecharged !!
--87 5.0 Trick Flow Heads & Intake - Custom Cam - Many other goodies...3100Lbs...Low12's!

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #8 –
i read about a 3.8 stroker kit somewhere...
:cougarsmily:5.0 HO, E303 cam, Exploder/Cobra intake, smog pump delete, Ford Taurus electric fan, MAF conversion, BBK headers, MAC 2.5" off-road exhaust w/x-pipe, AOD w/shift kit, 8.8 Trac-Loc rear w/disc brakes, 5-lug conversion w/'98 Mustang GT 17" wheels, Mach 1 springs:cougarsmily:

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #9 –
Get some stock headers from a 94-98 3.8L mustang, get an h-pipe for a 5.0 mustang, and your catback of choice. Avoid anything loud on a 3.8L.

Use an electric fan from a taurus. Advance the timing to 14* BTDC. Get yourself a K&N filter. Thatll give you a little boost. If you feel like spending a little bit more money:

-Torque converter
-3.73 rear gears
-Traction lock
-shift kit
-transmission cooler

Even with those mods, youll probably only run high 15's. The 3.8L doesnt have the potential that most cars do.
It's Gumby's fault.

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #10 –
I feel yer pain.  My 3.8 is now toast, and a transplant is in the works.  For money spent, dollar for dollar, a used 5.0, exhaust, and motor mounts would net you better gains than sprucing up the 3.8.  IMO.

The 3.8 was built to do what it was meant to do, and does it well....move a car with some weight and do it economically.
1987 TC

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #11 –
I like the 3.8 engine.  If you want to keep the 3.8 the first thing to do would be get heads and intake off of a multiport 3.8 and an engine harness from an 88 car. That was the only fox year to get the multiport engine.  That harness would not be hard to modify to work in an 86.

Or you could modify (heavily) a 91 to 93 mn-12 harness as that would give you sefi and maf. Personally I would stick with an 88 speed density harness.  The 88's are batch fire engines not sefi.  If you ever needed the computer heavily tuned you could use a truck computer as they are all batch in the 80's and early 90's, they sell chips and tuners for them.  You would just have to back the fuel down a bit but it could be done.

I gasket matched the lower intake on my 88 3.8 and noticed an increase in power that made me want to pull it back off and hog the thing out really well.

Stock 3.8 mustang headers are good to about 300hp.  There easy to be found as many stang bangers upgrade their headers thinking they are going to get power.  they get near nothing but by golly they have aftermarket headers!  Cruise the v6 mustang boards for a set, you can get them for around 30 bucks.  Also you could get the H pipe designed for a 3.8.  They fit fine and are only like 10 bucks more than the 5.0 one.

Stock throttle body is amazingly small.  There is a way to get a stock mustang throttle body on the 3.8 intake.

Also the BEST thing to do to your 3.8 would be a 5 speed.

Rocker arms would be a good mod too as Paul suggested.  But upgrade your valve springs as the stockers are soft and float at less than 5k rpm.

Open the heads, intake and exhaust and throw an adjustable fuel pressure regulator on and you will be surprised. 

Gears would be a must too.
One 88

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #12 –
dont overcomlicate it,, just install the 4.2 lower end inside your 3.8 and modify the crank pull a little to fit over the 4.2 bevel .

If you keep your motor and CFI, this is much simpler and all you need is the donor motor to obtain the lower end parts.
If you want to go to six injectors,, then your gonna have to basically going the long way around an you will need the intakes, heads, crank, rods, pistons.  So... its your choice.

your existing harness is fine if you stay with CFI.  Just make sure to find a 5.0 CFI, split it in half, bore out the lower half of the cfi so it is the same diameter bore as the upper half

Your existing CFI has and adjustable fuel pres regulator already.  Pop out that round freeze plug on top of the reg and adjust the allen screw CW to increase presure, CCW to decrease. 1 turn is approx 2psi.

if you go to six injectors, snag the intakes and inector harness and heads from a JY.  This would be the real long way around and simply overkill when you could swap in an 88 3.8 w/ eec and harness and stroke that one instead.  your current injectors both share the same power wire.  your driver side injector is wired back to pin 58 on the eec.  Just tap into that wire and jumper it into two more injectors.  This will give you three injectors fo install on cyl's 4, 5, 6.  The pass side has a wire that leads to pin 59 on the eec.  Splice in and add two more injectors and install them on cyl's 1,2,3.  This will mean that each side of the engine is firing alternatly  (NOT TRUE SEFI AS STATED ALREADY).  There may be some math involved with the total resistance value also as you have added two more low impedence injectors in parallel with on existing one.  I just suggest you holler at us before you do this because im pretty sure substituting in the 88 injectors will be fine.  I dont know the resistance of these but ill take a gander than they are likely to be like the ranger injectors which are 14 ohms each.  ,,,meaining  a total resistance of about 4ohms there abouts for each bank.
You currenly have about 2 ohms on each injector.  This tiny little detail is very important in order to keep the eec happy.

other than that,, its a done deal other than a couple foot notes.

the crank in the 4.2 is steel and balanced differently.  The 4.2 crank will come out of an internally balanced engine.  I have no idea what effect this would have on an externally balaned motor such as the 87 and down motors as my project went to hell when i was finally able to discover all the unuable parts in my donor 4.2L 

Your ideal 6 cyl motor to stroke and poke would be the 88 v6 engine since its more exactly built like the 4.2 internally.


The 87 and down motors are to say the least, a lot different on the inside when it comes to the timing chain design as well as the internal balance shaft provision and other little things. 

Again, your biggiest issue is getting yoru existing 3.8 pully and external balance harmonic to adapt to the 4.2 crank. 

Ive been down the road of the 3.8 so many times its getting too easy for me to recall details like this.

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #13 –
paul
if you are serious about doing this and are researching it, i can share with you what i know to date.  304 772 4082.

v6 headers,air intake

Reply #14 –
Quote from: jcassity;145894

304 772 4082.


If you stay CFI, this is the last phone number you'll ever need. I did everything this guy said, and I'll testify, that the car ran better, without any problems. He walked me through almost every step:bowdown: