5.0L budget build

JohnnyLS89

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Well I have a tight budget for a 5.0 build. I have a 95 Mustang GT with 152,xxx miles on it with an AODE auto trans thats starting to slip. I want to get a good block and supporting mods to make around 450-500hp. I will be wanting to spray but not that much so any advice and info will help. Keep in mind I have a very tight budget.
 

mcglsr2

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Others can correct me, but for that kind of power I think you will be looking at some form of FI. Unless a 100+ shot of NOX is okay - not sure what "not that much" means to you.
 

mcglsr2

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Are you going to stroke the 5.0? I think 350 to 400 is a fairly tall order for the 5.0 with bolt-ons and N/A. There are folks that have done it, but it's certainly not on any sort of stock block. Those numbers are easier to reach with FI. Also, are you planning on running that power on the stock bottom end, or are you thinking about a DART or Boss block?
 
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JohnnyLS89

JohnnyLS89

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Stock bottom end. And just a quick street car is all I want
 

mcglsr2

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Well this depends on your definition of "quick" and what your budget consists of. There are really 3 ways to go:

1) HCI: the standard N/A way to get power. New heads, cam and intake. With the right set of parts, you can easily see at least 100 hp bump in power. Will require a tune. Stock bottom end will be fine - though I'm not a NOX person so I don't know if a 100 shot on top of this will be okay. Used sparingly and at the right times I don't see it being a problem though. You will have to of course upgrade your fueling so things don't blow up. Just for HCI with awesome parts will run you about ~$2200 not counting labor to install (~$300 for cam, $1500 for heads, $400 for intake). On top of that, you will new injectors, new TB, new MAF, a tune, fuel pump and you'll probably want a new set of roller rockers as well. Probably another ~$1500 or so. You can knock down that price pretty good if you are able to source good, quality used versions of those parts.

2) FI: some form of supercharging. Turbo's are are an option as well, but even more expensive and more complicated. You can keep the stock HCI and just run boost. At around 6psi you'll get a little less than 100 hp. Supercharger kits run around $3000 to $4000 new. You might be able to source a good used good for a lot less. Quality turbo kits will run $4000 to $5000 if not more for all the supporting mods (intercooler, piping, etc.). You can run more than 6psi off a supercharger but you will need to think about intercooling at that point or perhaps meth injection. For a supercharger you will need to decide in the beginning how much boost you want to run. It's easier to crank more boost out of a turbo without going out of it's efficiency range - a supercharger typically has a narrow efficiency range than a turbo. So more planning required for a supercharger. There's also a little more flexibility with FI over pure engine - it's easier to get more power out of the engine assuming it can take it - just crank the boost. You will also need supporting fuel mods like option #1 - same mods for about $1500.

3) BOTH!!!!!! No really, you can combine FI with a better cam, better flowing heads, etc. Because you are using FI, you don't need the top of the line heads, cam, etc. Just something that flows better then the stock stuff. With this setup, 600hp is quite obtainable. This is of course the most expensive option. Probably ~$6000 at least for new stuff. At this point, you'll also be wanting a new, upgrading block with 4 bolt mains and the works.

The challenge is the target HP you are shooting for. If you wanted like 60 to 70 more hp over stock, you could get that fairly easily with cheap (as in "doesn't cost a lot," not "bad quality") HCI stuff like GT40 heads, intake, TFS cam or something like that.

It depends on what your limiting factor is. If it's budget, then I would be serious about picking a budget, and then try to maximize the power you can get for that, rather than starting with hp and then trying to make the budget fit. Because you will go over budget.

I hope this helps?
 
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JohnnyLS89

JohnnyLS89

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I think 60-70 hp over stock would be around what I want. I would just like it to be more fun
 

mcglsr2

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I think 60-70 hp over stock would be around what I want. I would just like it to be more fun

Okay, that can be done with a quite reasonable budget. I would suggest looking into a GT40 setup (GT40 heads, GT40 intake), with your cam of choice. There are lots of folks out there that have done something similar, and there are tons of threads here on this subject. You can also find good used parts for decent prices.

Edit: you can also find good used prices on TFS heads and such. Pretty much any decent head (AFR 165, Edlebrock, TFS, etc.) and decent intake (GT40, Track Heat, etc.) paired with a good cam will get you what you want. I'd still recommend doing the fuel upgrade just to be safe, but it doesn't have to be as extreme. And for a tune, you can get a Bama tune from AM that will be decent. You may leave a smidge of power on the table, but a Bama tune will be cheaper than a custom/pro tune, unless you can find a deal or know someone.

Edit edit: also take a look at this thread, similar to what you are trying to do: http://www.sn95forums.com/showthread.php?68407-Slapping-on-AFR-185-heads

^ okay just read through that thread. Jesus what a mess. Ignore everything LaserRed95GT says in that thread, and read everyone else's comments. That should help you in the right direction. Seriously, read the first LaserRed95GT post so you know what the question is, then ignore every post of his afterwards.
 

red94

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I wouldn't push over 400 on a stock block. They tend to want to split in half. Gt40 heads with cobra Gt40 or exploder intake. Will give you a nice fun car. With a 3.73 or 3.90 gear the grin factor goes up. Plus you start making more power than that, you have to start beefing everything up as well.
 

RichV

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HCI, and a dry or wet 100 shot will be close. Not quite 450-500, but it will be enough going from a stocker.

However the HCI is gonna be either top shelf parts, or cheap stuff with a lot of port work. Pick your poison, both cost. Plus tuning to get every last ounce of power.

If your bottom end is healthy, I bet you could do it for $2-2500 including tuning and nitrous. At that point, a GT40 top end plus a used s/c and tune/fuel system is something to consider as well.

If you need a bottom end too, add at least a grand for stock rebuild. You doing all the work yourself? Any experience with engine work?

And, what about the slipping tranny?
 
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JohnnyLS89

JohnnyLS89

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I was either going to do a 4r70w or j mod a junkyard aode
 

Keith5.0

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I would address the tranny issues first as no matter how much power you make, you're not putting any of it down with a slipping trans,
that being said there are plenty of combos to look at for 60-70hp over stock and most can be had fairly cheap if you're doing the work yourself and are able to find the parts you need used.
 

DavidBoren

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Any time I hear budget build in relation to the five-oh, I immediately think of two things:
A) used vortech kit (~$1500), injectors/maf/fuel pump (~$500), or...
B) GT40 heads/intake (~$500), 70-75mm TB/maf/24# injectors (~$300), maybe a cam and springs (~$300)... although the stock HO cam, with 1.7 roller rockers (cobra GT40 heads will already have these) will work pretty well, really well, all things considered.

Those are craigslist prices, and both of those options are very well documented, been done a million times, easy to find people who have done it to get help from. Combining the vortech with the GT40 top end will give you enough power to grenade your block if you want to.

Either way, you need to fix your transmission before you bother thinking about adding power to the engine.

My advice, start with 4.10 rear gears and a 3000rpm stall torque converter, and rebuild your transmission. That will be noticeably more fun to drive, and you need to fix your transmission, anyways.

Then, move on to the GT40 heads and intake. After that, add the vortech.
 

Addermk2

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351w swap.

A good H/C/I will make 350 all day.

Add FI to a stock 351w and make 450 minimum with ease.



Also, the people who say that going turbo is expensive, haven't actually done it on these cars. I can turbo (reliably) a 5.0 for under $1200.
 

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