What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Topic: What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird. (Read 5312 times) previous topic - next topic

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

February 02, 2017, 07:10:23 AM

I've been considering swapping out the 87 T-Bird 5.0L stock upper intake, throttle body and EGR with that from a 87 Mustang 5.0L HO. That will be going from 50mm opening to 65mm. Has any one ever tried this or have just upgraded to an aftermarket 65mm setup? If you have done this what effects/results were achieved?

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #1 – February 02, 2017, 09:14:12 AM

Messing with a speed density system is like play Russian Roulette if you do not understand what you are doing. If this will result in more air getting in to the cylinders then you just hope that the EEC can compensate but my experience with SD has only been with race cars and tuned with a laptop.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #2 – February 02, 2017, 10:42:29 AM

I can't remember what the EEC can adjust for until it pegs out the trim tables. 25%? I think the WOT fuel tables are also updated by the closed loop trim tables.

Stay under ~25% increase in engine airflow and you're probably okay. Go beyond that and you'll begin to lean out at WOT and start to encounter a bunch of other issues that can't be 'learned' for.

SD is great for reliability and cost for OEMs, but I think MAF systems are way easier to tune. You're directly given air flow, so you mainly have to make sure mods don't screw up timing tables.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #3 – February 02, 2017, 01:48:43 PM

I did the HO upper/TB years ago along with factory HO headers and 2.25 dual exhaust. The factory SO speed density computer handled it fine with no issues.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #4 – February 02, 2017, 02:15:16 PM

Quote from: thunderjet302;459071

I did the HO upper/TB years ago along with factory HO headers and 2.25 dual exhaust. The factory SO speed density computer handled it fine with no issues.

I did a similar upgrade but with headers also a few years ago and had no SD issues. If you're like the rest of us though, you probably won't be able to stop the mods at that point so you might want to brush up on the MAF conversion.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #5 – February 02, 2017, 03:57:55 PM

Gotta start somewhere, right?

It shouldnt bug the computer much. Check out the "mid h.o.conversion" on coolcats.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #6 – February 02, 2017, 04:19:51 PM

The SD system is fine with mods till you start messing with cams and big valve heads... Even then the Mustang system with 19Lb inj is OK with something like GT40 heads, still basically have to leave cam close to stock...

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #7 – February 03, 2017, 06:52:03 AM

As a direct response to OP, my answer is almost nothing. While the 50mm opening and small plenum volume of the SO intake are a limitation, they're not THE limitation. Your largest obstacles are going to be the single 2" exhaust (even with y-pipe in, y-pipe out duals, you still only can flow as much as can get through the single between the Y's, so it's still single exhaust), and after that the E6 heads, after that you run out of intake (with SO upper and TB), and shortly after that the cam is too small, and once you go to a larger cam, you'll immediately require higher capacity injectors.

HO life is all or nothing.

Heads, cam, intake, exhaust, EEC. Every upgrade you take from the Mustang 5.0 market will require that you're first converted to HO, if not HO and MAF.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #8 – February 03, 2017, 03:43:32 PM

I noticed a bigger difference from pulling out the silencer from the fender then the h.o. Intake on a stock s.o.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #9 – February 04, 2017, 09:39:21 AM

Stock SD setup, I added HO upper and TB, stock mustang headers, 2.5 H pipe, with dual exhaust. Noticed no running problems, not sure if I noticed much change performance. It was along time ago since I drove a stock one though.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #10 – February 04, 2017, 10:35:16 AM

Quote from: 87tbird_org_owner;459062

I've been considering swapping out the 87 T-Bird 5.0L stock upper intake, throttle body and EGR with that from a 87 Mustang 5.0L HO. That will be going from 50mm opening to 65mm. Has any one ever tried this or have just upgraded to an aftermarket 65mm setup? If you have done this what effects/results were achieved?

Actually that will be going to 60mm, no 5.0 Stang had a 65mm TB stock... The opening in a SO upper is approx 60mm, the 200Hp '86 HO used this intake with a 58mm throttle body...

As others have stated you'll get more performance with headers and true duals than the intake swap... All that's beneficial on top end would be the 60mm TB & EGR spacer... At that point either go big(full HO) or leave it alone...

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #11 – February 05, 2017, 12:47:41 PM

My car did well with Mustang upper and tb. The power increase wasn't huge, but it was noticeable. I was conditioned to the stock car and no experience with any other vehicle at that time (it was my first car). I believe it simply leaned out a rich factory WOT mixture a tiny bit, which shoots for around 11.6:1 AFR for 100% gasoline. I didn't do any other work until the entire motor was swapped out years later - stock exhaust, heads, etc.

When working with only ~150hp and the limited acceleration you get, small increases are noticeable. Going from 150hp to 160hp (not saying this is what to expect) could feel like a much bigger increase than going from 400hp to 450hp.

I don't think I'd notice a small power increase today. Upper intake and silencer is a cheap update to make though - you can get them for $20. Electric fan is another easier swap that can help free up power and increase fuel economy, but I had a (Mark VIII) fan failure within the first year, leaving me without active cooling.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #12 – February 06, 2017, 03:45:00 AM

Quote

Actually that will be going to 60mm, no 5.0 Stang had a 65mm TB stock... The opening in a SO upper is approx 60mm, the 200Hp '86 HO used this intake with a 58mm throttle body...

Now that you mention that you're right, 65mm was an aftermarket upgrade.

Magazine articles always talk about the Mustang and those changes but nothing for a T-Bird. I was just not sure that the stock ECM in the T-Bird could handle changes.

Other changes I've made in the past are as follows:
>Removed air silencer in early 90's and have a KN filter.
>Replace stock exhaust in 95 when it rotted out with the Borla Turbo Coupe 2.5" stainless steel of that time ( No longer sold ). Wanted stainless steel and if I recall there were no Mustang stainless systems at that time. To get it to work it only required a custom bent pipe between Cat and Borla pipe.
>Changed rockers to 1.7 ratio in 98 hoping to gain some extra hp but did not notice any extra.
>Had to replace Cat in 2005 when car failed EPA pollution test. Discovered the inside of Cat was hollow. Now since my state only tests cars with the OBII I am free to do whatever changes my wallet allows.

Have never felt any hp increase with any of those changes. So I was thinking that either the stock intake or exhaust manifolds is holding back power gains. ( Heads are a big change for me. ) I know if I went with shorty headers I'd have to get Mustang duals because of difference in the exhaust connections. So I'm thinking of changing to the upper HO and since the lower manifold is the same on either engine.

Ford did a disservice when it limited the standard 5.0 engine in T-Bird to 150HP. When I bought the car back in 87 every dealer I went too was always asking more than MSRP on the TC just because of the 190HP. I remember they never allowed a test drive either on the TC. I wonder what 190HP or more feels like in the T-Bird? Probably twisted the hell out of the body because the body on my car has about a 1" twist in it.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #13 – February 06, 2017, 04:22:05 AM

GT40 Explorer intake and TB are 65mm. If you're going to start swapping stock parts for performance, I'd completely skip over HO parts, except the HO cam and EEC. The GT40 heads are good, and actually breathe, and even the Explorer variant intake runs within 10% of the flow (when ported) of the best the aftermarket has to offer, and offers more low end torque than anything.

What effects can I expect from swapping a Mustang HO intake with the stock T-Bird.

Reply #14 – February 06, 2017, 10:39:37 PM

Quote from: TheFoeYouKnow;459137

GT40 Explorer intake and TB are 65mm. If you're going to start swapping stock parts for performance, I'd completely skip over HO parts, except the HO cam and EEC. The GT40 heads are good, and actually breathe, and even the Explorer variant intake runs within 10% of the flow (when ported) of the best the aftermarket has to offer, and offers more low end torque than anything.

At this time my funds are limited and the HO TB/EGR, Upper intake are parts I have on hand.