More HP On A 5.0L 302 Small Block Push Rod

[RedSN95Cobra]

Hello SN95 fam.
I have a 95 Cobra SVT and and plan to add more HP to the engine. How much HP can the 5.0L 302 small block take? What ways can I go about adding more power to the engine without superchargering it, which will be my last option. Hope someone can help. Thx

 

[RAU03MACH]

good set of heads that match cam and intake
and the right added power providers
320 340 horse

 

[RAU03MACH]

thats just on pump gas
no turbos or supercharger

 

[ttocs]

any reason ya don't want the supercharger? They are a tried and true way to increase power

 

[shovel]

This question is sort of like the "what size tires can I fit" of every 4wd forum. The folks who have been there, done that and know all the info that you want about it are also the folks who are tired of answering the same question into the void.

There's not enough information here. If the car already has some modifications it would be good to know what those are for example. Anyway good luck with your build, search button is in the top right.

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

thats just on pump gas
no turbos or supercharger

Thx man for that info.

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

any reason ya don't want the supercharger? They are a tried and true way to increase power

I do want a supercharger but not in my budget right now giving there cost. But I did see a 2004 cobra stock SVT supercharger in Facebook Marketplace but I'm trying to find out if they are compitable with the 95 cobra stock engine hence me upgrading some stuff on the engine to accommodate that supercharger.

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

This question is sort of like the "what size tires can I fit" of every 4wd forum. The folks who have been there, done that and know all the info that you want about it are also the folks who are tired of answering the same question into the void.

There's not enough information here. If the car already has some modifications it would be good to know what those are for example. Anyway good luck with your build, search button is in the top right.

You feel better bro? No need for stupid replies on the the question. I have done alot of research on youtube and google but wanted to get more feedback from other sources.

 

[shovel]

Thanks for reinforcing my preconceptions and good luck with your build.

 

[RAU03MACH]

best head for a build will be the ford race heads x2
a good cam that is compatible is the b303
the best intake would be the tubular gt 40
a good set of roller rockers nonadjustable ford cobra crane
headers long or short its all about the same
and a decent tune

 

[ttocs]

good -- cheap -- fast : You get to pick 2....

Building power no matter naturally aspirated or with boost and keeping it reliable is not cheap. You can just go the old gt40 head/intake route and gain a few hp but personally if I am going that far into the motor I would spend the extra to put better heads on it and that =$. Also if you are that far into then you should consider a cam, and with that then often comes tuning which gets expensive fast even if you can find someone local to tune your stock ecu(which is not easy to do anymore). Offboard ecu's can solve this but now you are really able to drop some $$$ fast. After all that you should be able to break the 300 hp mark.

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

best head for a build will be the ford race heads x2
a good cam that is compatible is the b303
the best intake would be the tubular gt 40
a good set of roller rockers nonadjustable ford cobra crane
headers long or short its all about the same
and a decent tune

Thx!

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

good -- cheap -- fast : You get to pick 2....

Building power no matter naturally aspirated or with boost and keeping it reliable is not cheap. You can just go the old gt40 head/intake route and gain a few hp but personally if I am going that far into the motor I would spend the extra to put better heads on it and that =$. Also if you are that far into then you should consider a cam, and with that then often comes tuning which gets expensive fast even if you can find someone local to tune your stock ecu(which is not easy to do anymore). Offboard ecu's can solve this but now you are really able to drop some $$$ fast. After all that you should be able to break the 300 hp mark.

Thx for the info man. Much appreciated!

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

Thanks for reinforcing my preconceptions and good luck with your build.

You are the only one in my thread not giving me any reliable info. Why are you even in this community? Smh!! Have a good day brother.

 

[joemomma]

Very open-ended question, and really hard to answer because it's so broad. The biggest factor here will be budget. What do you want to spend?

With it being a Cobra, he already has GT40-style goodies (heads, rockers, intake).

What is your target for HP? You trailering it to the track or driving it to Sonic for an ice cream with the old lady on Saturday night? "How much HP it can handle" is largely a factor of tuning. A good tune and it'll live at 500HP+ for a long time. A bad tune and it will window the block on the first WOT pull. Without spending boat loads of cash, it isn't going to live at high RPM long, regardless of the route you take.

There are two basic ways to build power with a SBF - NA, or boost (turbo, supercharger). Budget will determine which route you go for the most part. High HP NA builds typically aren't a whole lot of fun on the street. Turbo/SC will drive like stock until you get into boost.

NA - heads, cam, intake. $3000+ to get in the door. Probably more now with the way things have gone up. I think good heads are $2000 now.
Turbo - On3 kit. 400HP all day. I think they're in the $2000 neighborhood to start before you add any upgrades.
SC - Figure $5000+ unless you come across a good deal on a used one, and you never know what you're getting with used hot rod parts. The used Eaton from the Cobra on FB Marketplace won't work on your car (unless someone has made an intake for them I'm not aware of, DOB maybe?). They're good at making heat, not power anyway.

Again, give us more details/goals, and we can be more than helpful.

 

[badass98svt]

A good rule of thumb for the 302
400/400 is pretty much safe.
450/450 and you're just waiting for the block to crack.
A good clean tune can change those numbers though.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I do want a supercharger but not in my budget right now giving there cost. But I did see a 2004 cobra stock SVT supercharger in Facebook Marketplace but I'm trying to find out if they are compitable with the 95 cobra stock engine hence me upgrading some stuff on the engine to accommodate that supercharger.

No, that blower won't fit your vehicle without a lot of custom design and fabrication.




I have a H/C/I 302, and i'm going to take a less popular POV here. If i could go back in time I would have left the engine stock, and just bolted on a supercharger. Price of parts have gone up, the misc items you'll need will nickel and dime you driving up costs (fluids, gaskets, lifters, pushrods, VC"s when you find the stockers don't clear the aftermarket roller rockers you bought, etc etc). Then you most likely will need to throw tuning costs on top of that. Most cams people like sometimes buck at low RPM, so some drivability issues may arise. On and on. Most driveable combo's i've personally driven/ridden/worked on retained the stock camshaft, but not many people want to do that because they want the chop chop.


You already have the GT40 goodies and I assume excellent driveability with your car. Unless you are itching for a project, buy the entry level Vortech combo and bolt it on and keep all your driveability and reliability. Later on, you can upgrade the vortech with an intercooler and upgrade the fuel system and go for even more HP. Car will drive like stock until you get into the go pedal and build some boost.

Vortech advertises 320HP/370TQ on 6-8psi. That's about what you'll get with a modest HCI setup on a 302 as well. You can probably get 350+ with really good heads (TFS 11R) and a 331/347. I think the driveability/reliability of the blower setup will be better than the HCI setup but that all depends on parts selection and skill of the installer.

 

[Musturd]

If the budget allows best heads would be some trick flow 11r’s . I’ve always liked the comp cams . The ford racing letter cams work great and pick up decent gains . Anderson ford Motorsports makes some really stout camshafts as well . As far as intake manifolds go the gt40 stuff is a restriction if you’re going for the nostalgic look they’re ok but you pick up a good bit of power with a Holley systemax or similar .

 

[Musturd]

A good rule of thumb for the 302
400/400 is pretty much safe.
450/450 and you're just waiting for the block to crack.
A good clean tune can change those numbers though.

I think a lot of it had to do with tuning back in the day and shitty fuel . Tons of cars making well over 500 with aftermarket ecu’s and living .

 

[RedSN95Cobra]

No, that blower won't fit your vehicle without a lot of custom design and fabrication.




I have a H/C/I 302, and i'm going to take a less popular POV here. If i could go back in time I would have left the engine stock, and just bolted on a supercharger. Price of parts have gone up, the misc items you'll need will nickel and dime you driving up costs (fluids, gaskets, lifters, pushrods, VC"s when you find the stockers don't clear the aftermarket roller rockers you bought, etc etc). Then you most likely will need to throw tuning costs on top of that. Most cams people like sometimes buck at low RPM, so some drivability issues may arise. On and on. Most driveable combo's i've personally driven/ridden/worked on retained the stock camshaft, but not many people want to do that because they want the chop chop.


You already have the GT40 goodies and I assume excellent driveability with your car. Unless you are itching for a project, buy the entry level Vortech combo and bolt it on and keep all your driveability and reliability. Later on, you can upgrade the vortech with an intercooler and upgrade the fuel system and go for even more HP. Car will drive like stock until you get into the go pedal and build some boost.

Vortech advertises 320HP/370TQ on 6-8psi. That's about what you'll get with a modest HCI setup on a 302 as well. You can probably get 350+ with really good heads (TFS 11R) and a 331/347. I think the driveability/reliability of the blower setup will be better than the HCI setup but that all depends on parts selection and skill of the installer.

Thank you man. I appriciate your imput and recommendations. I will look into this more.