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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shovel" data-source="post: 1549901" data-attributes="member: 29855">-keep the stock bottom end  if you're an adult about fluid maintenance and drive with any sympathy at all you can run a stock bottom end NA forever.  -SVE 170cc aluminum heads   a lot of work for "a little more power" -  there's 300hp NA builds on E7 heads.  remember when you swap heads you also want new pushrods (length might change, springs might be higher rate..) and you're gonna stretch out the tune enough you might as well go aftermarket ECU and then you're going to need widebands and injectors and...   -1.7 roller rockers (does that mean I can keep the stock valve covers?)  - I'm real happy with 1.72 pedestal rockers on e7 heads and a stock cam.  I already own SVO X heads that I'll install some day but kinda not in a hurry to do the work since the motor feels good already,  in fact I'm almost more excited for the weight loss of the aluminum heads than I am about any increase in power.   -double roller timing chain? -  well yeah on an old engine replace the timing assembly if your timing's not steady.   If the car's had good maintenance and isn't high miles and you don't get creepy timing then there's no problem to fix here. -keep the stock cam as I've read it's not bad?  - a cam would be a lot of work for "a little more power"  what do you mean by "a little" ?  the wild thing is 90% of the time when I see someone talking about a cam they don't even care about driveability or power all they want is to go bub-ka-cha-bub-bub-ka-cha in their instagram idle videos.  -can I keep the stock pushrods and lifters or do I need to replace those?  -  you can keep them if you don't replace the heads or cam. -ported GT40 intake (from a 1996 explorer)  - this is going to make the biggest difference.  I don't know the fitment nuances on Explorer intakes, I got a regular Cobra intake when those were still cheap-stock 65mm TB or should I get a 70mm? - if you're keeping stock heads and stock MAF there's not going to be any appreciable benefit to changing TB,  you'll just give up resolution off-idle without gaining anything at the top,  maybe like single digit hp at absolute peak where you won't notice it on the street.  -stock MAF or should I go to 24lb injectors and upgrade the maf too? - no need to fool with this on "a little more power" - you're a few steps down the road by the time you can make good injector choices and by then, ditch the MAF entirely. -shorty headers - you won't get much from this while close to stock but it's a pretty painless install so yeah, why not.  -currently has h pipe and muffler delete - not my bag..  the OE four cat assembly is like 34 pounds so you've saved weight at least but loud and smelly ain't for me.   anyway performance wise that's fine, no real difference vs. performance cats/mufflers.  -CAI - biggest waste of money since war. -after all this I do need a tune correct?  Or because I'm keeping the stock cam I wouldn't? -  you kinda need a tune just on account of replacing the intake manifold.   it would be a real good idea to lock yourself into a plan right now because if you're going to play the horsepower treadmill game then you should put a modern ECU (ms3 or holley) in the budget right up front.   stretching the stock computer's legs made sense 10-20+ years ago because there weren't any other options.   with ms3 you can ditch the MAF and accommodate basically any pokemod you catch at any time into the future - but there are frustrations on that learning curve too.  </blockquote>