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Thread: 302ho questions

  1. #1

    Default 302ho questions

    My question today is regarding the 302ho motors, mainly if anyone can point me to a source of accurate info as to what cars did have these from factory (ive gotten so much conflicting info of the google machine that i dont know who to believe). I intend on buying a running donor car so i can swap alot of parts over, so if there are cars that share parts with the mustang and have this motor, thatd ideally be the info im after.

    Also, if anyone has experience with different setups on the top end of these motors, as well as carb vs efi, input there would be appreciated, keeping in mind i dont have experience tuning either but intend on modifying and tuning my vehicle and squeezing some power, while keeping a small amount of drivability. My goal is to have a 300whp car without spending to much money, allowing me to focus some funds on suspension/brakes/wheels/tires.

  2. #2
    FEP Member brianj's Avatar
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    What will you be using the car for? The reason I ask, is a 270 to 290 rwhp car is easy and cheap to build with a plain old iron headed Explorer motor and the front dress off of a mustang. 300rwhp and up will require aftermarket heads, etct and a lot more expense. 280hp is a very fun driver, and into 12 sec. quarter mile times with tires, suspension and a good driver.
    1983 Mustang G.T. No-option stripper- I like strippers.
    5.0, GT40P heads, Comp Cams XE270HR-12 on 1.6 rockers, TFI spring kit, Weiand 174 blower, Holley 750 mechanical secondarys, Mishimoto radiator, Edelbrock street performer mechanical pump, BBK shortys, T-5 conversion, 8.8 rear, 3.73 gears, carbon fiber clutches, SS Machine lowers, Maximum Motorsport XL subframes, "B" springs.

  3. #3

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    The primary use will be daily, but the car will also see autocross action. Long term i would like alot more power then 300 but i do not think a factory 302 block can handle the numbers i have in mind. My concern regarding the explorer motor is whether or not it has factory forged internals, ive heard differing info on which engines had what, and i do intend on boosting this engine in the long run (once i have the car driving and worked out any gremlins). 300 number is my minimum for what i want to do with the car.

    Essentially, this car is going to be a daily driver for a year or two, until i can sort out my truck as a daily/tow vehicle, at which point this car will see alot of autocross/track day duty.
    Last edited by Alex98sc10; 02-18-2017 at 06:12 PM.

  4. #4
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Start with an 87-91 5.0L HO motor found in a Mustang, Thunderbird, or Lincoln Mark VII. 86 will also work but it limits your head options or forces fly cutting the Pistons.

    these have forged internals.

    Get a quality re-ring kit with nice gaskets and a fresh oil pump. A stock Mystang HO cam with 1.7:1 rockers will work as will letter FMS cams with stock 1.6:1 rockers but you will benefit from a conversation with Comp Cams tech line.

    Convert an Explorer 65MM throttle body over to foxbody following Tom Moss' write up. Port the EGR spacer to match or buy one. If you run 89+ mass air, get a 70 MM MAF with "normal" calibration for 19lb injectors and an A9L computer for a manual only or A9P for automatic or manual - whatever you can find.

    Another great option is a 1993 cobra computer Oreiley or AutoZone because then you can run 24 lb/HR injectors without getting a custom tuning board or chip - much better given the likely end power output.

    Get an Explorer intake and have the lower ported if you only plan to rev to 5800, or get an aftermarket such as Typhoon EFI if you want to go to 6250 or even 6500, etc.

    Get Explorer GT40 heads or GT40P heads. Aftermarket such as Trick Flow twisted wedge will work at higher lift and duration than stock heads or standard valve alignment heads like Edelbrock or AFR or Procomp. A quality set of heads with only complementary parts have frequently added 100 HP to a 5.0L

    Get equal shorty headers and a good cat back kit


    what can you choose depends upon what idle behavior and peak power you want.

    Most people say the limit on a 50L roller block is 500HP. There are examples of cars with power adders and a soft tune that have stood up to 625+ for many dyno pulls and multiple passes on the drag strip but just know it's a ticking time bomb. A total blast but a time bomb.

    Roundibg out a street car.... Most people prefer a 3.27:1 or 3.55:1 rear gear when spending time around town and on the freeway with an AOD or a WC T5 with 3.35:1 low gear, 0.68:1 overdrive like found in the 1993 GT or 1999-2004 V6. (watch it if you do the V6 T5 as there are differences that impact installation parts required). SCCA guys tend to prefer 3.27 because the 5.0L doesn't often willingly rev past 5500 unless you pick parts just right.

    There are a lot of options with a lot of parts variations as you are finding out. You have to know what your goal is in terms of power and RPM when you start.

    In in terms of a cheap junk parts performer, A 1.7:1 rocker equipped 5.0L HO from an 86 with E6 heads and free breathing intake like the typhoon EFI and open exhaust like BBK equal shorties has been known to willingly rev to 6000+ if the oil pressure is good (keeping the lifters stiff) and even run lean on fuel with 19 lb injectors with aggressive timing because it needs more fuel via larger injectors but it will only put out a little shy of 300 at the crank ... less than an 87-93 E7 head will. But it also won't destroy your tires coming out of a corner on an SCCA track like higher power combos tend to.

    Working brakes and suspension have a lot more to do with going fast around a course than power does. You can always control what happens by tweaking the advance curves on timing and adjusting base timing.

    Getting a panhard or watts link and getting corrected front suspension with caster/camber plates and 94-95 spindles and 4 wheel disc brakes will do more for your track times on a road course than going from 200 to 1000 horsepower will. Everything has to work together.
    Last edited by erratic50; 02-18-2017 at 07:26 PM.

  5. #5

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    Models with H.O. 5.0L:

    1982-86 Capri GS (opt) and RS/5.0L (std)
    1982-95 Mustang GL/GLX/LX (opt) and GT(std)
    1984-85 LTD Police Package/taxi (opt) and LX (std)
    1985 Marquis LTS (std)
    1986-87 Mark VII LSC* (std)
    1988-92 Mark VII (std)
    1991-93 Cougar LS (opt) and XR7 (std)
    1991-93 Thunderbird Sport (std)

    *1985 Mark VII brochure says the LSC got tubular headers, dual exhaust, less restrictive air filter housing and a performance camshaft but I have yet to see a 1985 Mark VII VIN with anything other than an "F" engine code. In 1986 and 1987 there was both an "F" (S.O.) engine and an "M" (H.O.) engine.
    Last edited by FoxChassis; 02-18-2017 at 08:26 PM.
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  6. #6

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    The 302HO from 92-95 in Mustang and many more years later in the Explorer did not have forged pistons, they are Hyperutectic. BUT, obviously those engines are all newer and therefore are going to be much easier to find with less miles. There is no question that Forged pistons are stronger. That can't be argued. If you are BUILDING a motor, get forged pistons. If you are buying a used engine, that is a whole different story.

    The '12-13 Boss 302 and the new GT350 both have Forged pistons so even Ford realizes that hyperutectic has a limit. That being said, you can go buy a new 5.0 GT with a 7,000 RPM redline and 435HP that has Hyperutectic pistons in it and you even get a teenage stunt-driving 3 year warranty on it so it's not as though they are weak. It just depends on your end goal. If you want 300HP, Hyperutectic pistons will live forever. Apparently Ford draws the line at @450HP and/or a 7,400 rpm redline.
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  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by erratic50 View Post
    Start with an 87-91 5.0L HO motor found in a Mustang, Thunderbird, or Lincoln Mark VII. 86 will also work but it limits your head options or forces fly cutting the Pistons.

    these have forged internals.

    Get a quality re-ring kit with nice gaskets and a fresh oil pump. A stock Mystang HO cam with 1.7:1 rockers will work as will letter FMS cams with stock 1.6:1 rockers but you will benefit from a conversation with Comp Cams tech line.

    Convert an Explorer 65MM throttle body over to foxbody following Tom Moss' write up. Port the EGR spacer to match or buy one. If you run 89+ mass air, get a 70 MM MAF with "normal" calibration for 19lb injectors and an A9L computer for a manual only or A9P for automatic or manual - whatever you can find.

    Another great option is a 1993 cobra computer Oreiley or AutoZone because then you can run 24 lb/HR injectors without getting a custom tuning board or chip - much better given the likely end power output.

    Get an Explorer intake and have the lower ported if you only plan to rev to 5800, or get an aftermarket such as Typhoon EFI if you want to go to 6250 or even 6500, etc.

    Get Explorer GT40 heads or GT40P heads. Aftermarket such as Trick Flow twisted wedge will work at higher lift and duration than stock heads or standard valve alignment heads like Edelbrock or AFR or Procomp. A quality set of heads with only complementary parts have frequently added 100 HP to a 5.0L

    Get equal shorty headers and a good cat back kit


    what can you choose depends upon what idle behavior and peak power you want.

    Most people say the limit on a 50L roller block is 500HP. There are examples of cars with power adders and a soft tune that have stood up to 625+ for many dyno pulls and multiple passes on the drag strip but just know it's a ticking time bomb. A total blast but a time bomb.

    Roundibg out a street car.... Most people prefer a 3.27:1 or 3.55:1 rear gear when spending time around town and on the freeway with an AOD or a WC T5 with 3.35:1 low gear, 0.68:1 overdrive like found in the 1993 GT or 1999-2004 V6. (watch it if you do the V6 T5 as there are differences that impact installation parts required). SCCA guys tend to prefer 3.27 because the 5.0L doesn't often willingly rev past 5500 unless you pick parts just right.

    There are a lot of options with a lot of parts variations as you are finding out. You have to know what your goal is in terms of power and RPM when you start.

    In in terms of a cheap junk parts performer, A 1.7:1 rocker equipped 5.0L HO from an 86 with E6 heads and free breathing intake like the typhoon EFI and open exhaust like BBK equal shorties has been known to willingly rev to 6000+ if the oil pressure is good (keeping the lifters stiff) and even run lean on fuel with 19 lb injectors with aggressive timing because it needs more fuel via larger injectors but it will only put out a little shy of 300 at the crank ... less than an 87-93 E7 head will. But it also won't destroy your tires coming out of a corner on an SCCA track like higher power combos tend to.

    Working brakes and suspension have a lot more to do with going fast around a course than power does. You can always control what happens by tweaking the advance curves on timing and adjusting base timing.

    Getting a panhard or watts link and getting corrected front suspension with caster/camber plates and 94-95 spindles and 4 wheel disc brakes will do more for your track times on a road course than going from 200 to 1000 horsepower will. Everything has to work together.
    Alot of info to take in, really appreciate it. I think the aftermarket intake route is the one i want, would like to have an engine that can handle some decent revs. The trans will be a t5, i have an 8.8 to go in with the new engine but i have yet to see what the ratio is. 4 wheel disc is on the to do list but i need to sort out the powertrain first to get the car driving, then start modifying for performance. as far as the heads are concerned, would i need an aftermarket head to get the higher rpm range im looking for, or would the gt40P head be sufficient? also, would one head option interact better with an aftermarket intake and exhaust setup?

    with regards to the computer/tuning: i would like the ability to tweak the tune on my own, obviously after a lot of homework on the dos and donts. Which of those ecus would interact best with some sort of a chip or tuner, and what should i look for as far as the chip/tuner? i have no experience tuning an ecu, in fact i have no experience tweaking an engine besides adjusting a carb for better idle quality and correct idle speed so i lack a bit of knowledge in the tuning department, want to use this car as a way to learn and make something fun and fast, after i get it driving anyways.

  8. #8

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    another consideration i have is the ability to turn down the power when need be when i start autocrossing the car, as i wont have the benefit of hot sticky tires or clean track surface to get traction, vs a proper track where the surface may be cleaner and ill be able to warm up my tires before flogging the car and seeing what lap times i can get out of it. essentially being able to adjust the power output dictated by how much can actually used based on traction and usage. this is only a consideration if i absolutely go EFI, which i would prefer in terms of performance and tune ability, may be a bit of a pain on the install.

  9. #9

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    Don't be too quick to dismiss the Holley Brothers Amazing Petrol Toilet. EFI was a game changer and no mistake, but a not-insignificant number of factory injected cars were sporting Holley mixers before the ink was dry on the sales contract. Keep in mind that in drag racing, at least, the injected cars never demonstrated any sort of power advantage over the carb cars, and in fact the carb/nitrous combos often proved to be more than the injected/supercharged cars could handle. In fact carb/nitrous vs. blown/injected was actually a thing 25 years ago, sort of like Ford vs. Chevy.

  10. #10

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    the selling point for efi in this instance is quick adaptability and learnability. While someone who has made it their profession or long term hobby to properly set up a carb may get the job done quickly, ill never be able to re-tune my car on a carb as quickly as i could with an intuitive efi system.. a few clicks and buttons or alot of messy mechanical work, not to mention the biggest advantage i have due to age is my exposure to tech, meaning ill be able to learn ECU tuning and computer shenanigans alot quicker then properly tuning a carb and tweaking the dist. for timing. The tools for the efi will cost me more then swapping to a good intake and carb, but as erratic already pointed out, power is not where i will be making up the most time on track, especially not if i cannot use all the power, and efi would let me adjust my power output quicker and get back out to turn the fast laps or make another run through the cones before the tires and brakes lose too much temp.

  11. #11
    FEP Senior Member gt4494's Avatar
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    Do keep in mind that the odds are if you do not have good tires and a great suspension you will either be plowing (pushing the nose not turning) or smoking the tires and cutting doughnuts instead of being able to follow the tight turns most auto cross courses have.

    Mustangs will turn but they LOVE straightaways a lot more.
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  12. #12
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Really on most small block ford combos, adjusting performance is as easy as adding or removing base timing on the distributor.

    Cars with carbs have base advance plus mechanical plus vacuum advance

    Cars with EFI have electronically controlled advance that is adaptived by RPM by the ECU but again it operates off of base timing ( advance)

    E6 head and Edelbrock head cars tend to swirl more going into the combustion chamber which is great for low end and mid torque. E6's give up 15-20HP compares to E7's at peak but area under the curve is greater as evident by the faster 0-60 on the 86 cars. Edelbrock tend to come within just a few HP of the AFR and twisted wedge but need to be timed differently as they don't tolerate as much advance.

    A lot of guys with 87-93 talk about running as much as 16 or even 17 degrees of base timing on premium. My 89 rag top with AOD tolerated but didn't love 17 but was faster with 16.5 than either 16 or 17 where I would take it out and test it.

    On the other hand my 86 would only tolerate 14.5 but is a 5 speed and will flat blow the doors off the 89, no contest.

    A stock E6 or E7 head will flow within just a few CFM of each other. 155 for E6, 160 for E7. The limiting factor on a stock motor is the terribly restrictive stock intake. 112 CFM front and back hole, 130 CFM to the other 6 is all you get -- yikes! No wonder they run out of steam at 5000-5300 regardless of throttle body, header, can, etc.

    When you get out the old ideal engine simulators you'll see that with only 302 CID either one is sufficient to run 6500 if it's cammed right. Step up to something with 230+ CFM like the Edelbrocks or AFRs or Twisted Wedge heads of the world and the ideal algorithms say it will pull to 8700. Now look at engine mechanics and realize the speed in the bore in feet per second is determined by the length of the stroke.

    Watch this - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy2r3p...ature=youtu.be

    Without exotic parts you should never spin a 302 past 7000.

    My 1986 GT with an E6 head flat top piston motor and a very mild speed density friendly cam that is no more aggressive than a stock HO can with 1.7:1 rockers has a Typhoon and 65MM throttle body and spacer and headers. And over 440K miles... It pulls past 6000. I run it with a T5Z and 245/45/17 tire and for now a 2.73. I usually ride the clutch out of the hole hard to avoid bog or tire spin. I go for a power shift at 6100 unless I'm running a 0-60 contest in which case I bounce it off the rev limiter at 6250 and never shift it. It runs very well for no more than what it is.

    Peak power and torque is nowhere near what you get with better heads and cam but it does have an unexpectedly good rev range. Laugh a minute to wrap it up. Sounds strong with plenty of timing making tone in the pipe but otherwise about stock until 5000 then 60's muscle car-ish the rest of the way to the limiter..

    Odds are the miles have retarded the cam several degrees. Tom Moss suggests +4 on a street motor and a stock cam or as much as a -4 on a race motor. No idea where mine is but likely a lot close to -4 than +4 for sure. My cam was installed straight up back in the late 80's with a new double roller timing set..... 400K miles ago...
    Last edited by erratic50; 02-18-2017 at 11:25 PM.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Droog View Post
    Don't be too quick to dismiss the Holley Brothers Amazing Petrol Toilet. EFI was a game changer and no mistake, but a not-insignificant number of factory injected cars were sporting Holley mixers before the ink was dry on the sales contract. Keep in mind that in drag racing, at least, the injected cars never demonstrated any sort of power advantage over the carb cars, and in fact the carb/nitrous combos often proved to be more than the injected/supercharged cars could handle. In fact carb/nitrous vs. blown/injected was actually a thing 25 years ago, sort of like Ford vs. Chevy.
    I Don't think a carb is ideal for autcrossing which is one of the goals in this scenario. All your points are accurate, however the large swings in G forces from side to side can cause fueling issues, float issues and stumbling.
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    FEP Senior Member gt4494's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by homer302 View Post
    I Don't think a carb is ideal for autcrossing which is one of the goals in this scenario. All your points are accurate, however the large swings in G forces from side to side can cause fueling issues, float issues and stumbling.
    As a minimum you would need a center pivot carb. The problems go up from there.
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    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Ran a carb on a stock car out on the dirt track. The amount of effort it took to make it run right while only turning hard left was not something I want to talk about in detail but it eventually came out in therapy.

    Not all carbs are created equal and some are easier to make work than others. In an autocross application multiport EFI is going to work better.

  16. #16

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    86-88 tbirds are s.o. Motors, not high output. The 91-93 years were, but used a lower lift cam later used in the 93 cobra.

    I run 17-18° timing with the cruddy e10 gas blend we have here. Gives ya some of the power back.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex98sc10 View Post
    My question today is regarding the 302ho motors, mainly if anyone can point me to a source of accurate info as to what cars did have these from factory (ive gotten so much conflicting info of the google machine that i dont know who to believe). I intend on buying a running donor car so i can swap alot of parts over, so if there are cars that share parts with the mustang and have this motor, thatd ideally be the info im after.

    Also, if anyone has experience with different setups on the top end of these motors, as well as carb vs efi, input there would be appreciated, keeping in mind i dont have experience tuning either but intend on modifying and tuning my vehicle and squeezing some power, while keeping a small amount of drivability. My goal is to have a 300whp car without spending to much money, allowing me to focus some funds on suspension/brakes/wheels/tires.
    Alex, you should check out the build of my car on here cuz its exactly what you are talking about. Check out the drivetrain stuff.
    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...83-Tbird-build

    Im using a mostly stock 97 Explorer motor and Im installing a Vortech right now.
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  18. #18

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    For clarification, the 88-92 LSC mark VII with a v8 is NOT the Ho 302, correct? found one sub 100k that could be an engine donor IF it is an Ho.
    Quote Originally Posted by FoxChassis View Post
    Models with H.O. 5.0L:

    1982-86 Capri GS (opt) and RS/5.0L (std)
    1982-95 Mustang GL/GLX/LX (opt) and GT(std)
    1984-85 LTD Police Package/taxi (opt) and LX (std)
    1985 Marquis LTS (std)
    1986-87 Mark VII LSC* (std)
    1988-92 Mark VII (std)
    1991-93 Cougar LS (opt) and XR7 (std)
    1991-93 Thunderbird Sport (std)

    *1985 Mark VII brochure says the LSC got tubular headers, dual exhaust, less restrictive air filter housing and a performance camshaft but I have yet to see a 1985 Mark VII VIN with anything other than an "F" engine code. In 1986 and 1987 there was both an "F" (S.O.) engine and an "M" (H.O.) engine.

  19. #19

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    Lsc models were infact h.o. Motors and so were some others. I beleive all 87 up Mark's were h.o., but they kept speed density, never "upgrading" to mass air.

    Simple check, s.o. Motors were 14# grey injectors whike h.o. Were orange 19# injectors. Also if you remove the cover plate in the upper intake it will have h.o. Stamped in there. S.o. Motors also had cast iron exhaust manifolds, while all h.o. Motors had the tube style factory headers.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  20. #20

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    Lsc models were infact h.o. Motors and so were some others. I beleive all 87 up Mark's were h.o., but they kept speed density, never "upgrading" to mass air.

    Simple check, s.o. Motors were 14# grey injectors whike h.o. Were orange 19# injectors. Also if you remove the cover plate in the upper intake it will have h.o. Stamped in there. S.o. Motors also had cast iron exhaust manifolds, while all h.o. Motors had the tube style factory headers.

    *edit*

    All 88 up were h.o. Motors. In 86 and 87 the lsc was sort of a "mid" h.o. With a 200hp rating. Likely just exhaust and intake are different. The ones to look out for are the 86-87 bill bass or whatever it's called editions. These were the standard s.o. Motors just like the 86-88 cougars/tbirds got and the 1986-91 crown vic/town car.

    The only real changes between h.o. And s.o. Motors are the injectors, upper intake/throttle body, exhaust and computer and camshaft. They also had dished pistons instead of valve releifs, but there shouldnt be any clearance issues with a stock h.o. Camshaft.

    You could easily peice a s.o. Motor together.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  21. #21

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    is there any benefit to the s.o or h.o? not exactly a ford engines expert, was under the impression that the H.O motors are the ones to get
    as far as power levels as long as i can get to the numbers i want with cam/intake/heads/exhaust im fine, preferably have an engine i can power adder later but that is not within the initial budget, and thats a target for after i hit my 300whp goal.

    edit-> I assume S.O means standard output correct?
    Quote Originally Posted by Haystack View Post
    Lsc models were infact h.o. Motors and so were some others. I beleive all 87 up Mark's were h.o., but they kept speed density, never "upgrading" to mass air.

    Simple check, s.o. Motors were 14# grey injectors whike h.o. Were orange 19# injectors. Also if you remove the cover plate in the upper intake it will have h.o. Stamped in there. S.o. Motors also had cast iron exhaust manifolds, while all h.o. Motors had the tube style factory headers.

    *edit*

    All 88 up were h.o. Motors. In 86 and 87 the lsc was sort of a "mid" h.o. With a 200hp rating. Likely just exhaust and intake are different. The ones to look out for are the 86-87 bill bass or whatever it's called editions. These were the standard s.o. Motors just like the 86-88 cougars/tbirds got and the 1986-91 crown vic/town car.

    The only real changes between h.o. And s.o. Motors are the injectors, upper intake/throttle body, exhaust and computer and camshaft. They also had dished pistons instead of valve releifs, but there shouldnt be any clearance issues with a stock h.o. Camshaft.

    You could easily peice a s.o. Motor together.

  22. #22

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    Yes, S.O. = standard output

    In 1985 (carb only) and 1987 and later, heads were also different between H.O. and S.O. They were not different in 1982-84, 1985 with CFI, or 1986.
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  23. #23
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    HO firing order was borrowed from big brother 351W. Things went this direction after dyno pulls showed the 351 firing order made both more torque and more power.

    Heres a nifty little calculator for seeing the relationship between head CFM and engine CID and expected max power range. helps pick a cam designed to complement CID with a given CFM flow head on it. http://www.wallaceracing.com/calcafhp.php

    A 302 with a 160 CFM head measured at 28 with street/strip cam shows 303 gross at peak of 5500 so really the calculations are not too far off. The stock HO is slightly undercammed. It's characteristics with more cam do show more power - hard to fathom how much more when a mountain motor style cam shows nearly 400 HP on this calculator - yea right! On this simulator it also believes the motor is 'all done' at 5500 but open breathing setups seem to be able to go a little past this even as a stock head motor. 6000-6100 is where the limit with a little more cam seems to be. Mine with a typhoon and E6 head noses over at or near 6100 (give or take the inaccuracies of a factory 7K tach) but will continue to rev until the 6250 limiter.
    Last edited by erratic50; 02-22-2017 at 11:01 PM.

  24. #24

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    Should be able to hit close to those numbers with a stock h.o. Cam and a ford explorer intake and heads.

    The s.o. Motors are exactly the same bottom end as h.o. Motors, only difference is the h.o. Motors had valve reliefs and slightly lower compression and cruddy hypertec cast pistions. The s.o. Motors had forged pistions, but no valve releifs.

    Standard output = 150hp, high output = 200-225hp. If you do a ford explorer motor, you could just swap acessories over to that engine and be sitting close to the 300ho goal with decent exhaust.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  25. #25
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    If you find a D0OE cast 351W head those flow 180 CFM untouched and have more room for porting than a GT40 or GT40P has.

    Explorers and mountaineers up until 2000 had 5.0L. Early 5.0L trucks like the 1996-mid 97 had an emissions style cobra or GT40 style lower and a long runner upper that makes power to 5800.

    later explorer intakes do not have the passages for emissions.

    lots of guys run these intakes on their Mustang because it's an instant power upgrade. They flow around 170 CFM unported or north of 240 if ported following the instructions Tom Moss published. A lot better match for the 155 CFM E6SE heads found on 86 HOs and also many SO engines .... or the 160 CFM E7 heads from 87-93 HOs.

    Personally I picked up a Typhoon EFI because it's less money by the time you port and explorer and it makes more power because its runner length is better for R's and likes to rev past 6500.

    GT40 heads are found on Explorers and mountaineers up to mid 97. Then Ford introduced the GT40P head which has been shown on the dyno and at the track to make more area under the HP and torque curves but they are a pain to deal with header fitment on.

    A HO short block, decent heads,1.7:1 rockers, free flowing intake like typhoon, 65-70MM throttle body, 70+ MM MAF, 24 lb injectors, a 1993 Cobra computer, and decent headers with dumps or free flowing exhaust will go well north of your number and respond very well to boost or nitrous.

    You would benefit some from more cam but at the expense of street manners most likely.
    Last edited by erratic50; 02-23-2017 at 04:18 AM.

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