Ideas for the next best $150 mod or upgrade

[bucfan1234]

I dont think it uses a motor. I think those pulleys offer some type of mechanical advantage on late model GT that is separate from the intake.

I think the thing that looks like a motor is the filter air box, I also don't think it would be that noticeable below the valance. That said, they are quoting 15hp on a 220hp GT, so we prob aren't talking much on our sixes. It would be somewhere between 4 and 8 hp based on their numbers and a broad range of base HPs on the six. Does that sound right based on your experience or do you think more, less?

 

[ludwig]

I have no numbers to go my. Just the seat-o-meter. But it made a noticeable difference. Ram air is for real, how ever you get it.

BTW, that 15 hp on a 220 hp engine is only 7 or 8 percent. So if you get 4 to 8 hp on ours, you are approaching the same percentage of gain.

 

[bucfan1234]

Hmm, maybe I'll give this a shot. Even if it just gets 4-6HP, it would be a pretty good return on $100. No?

At the minimum it would look really sweet. haha

Serous question, does it make you run lean at speed? If so how did you adjust for it?

 

[MPGmustang]

so, I've been lookinga round for a while, and found out that the big six 300 had serpentine belts in 1990, maybe earlier, I'm sure at a junk yard you can find your pulley's for less than $150.

I'm not positive but so far the fan pulley is the same size, I think you just might have a trial and error on the H-balancer. but AC and alt are easy enough to swap over to serpentine pulley. then find a $15 tensioner pulley at autozone and have the belt run all 5 pulley's. I was thinking of the tension in the middle of the 4, that way you can wrap it around the alt and AC... at least it's easier for me to picture

I don't think there would be power gained from it, but the option to run a serpentine belt would be a "cool" factor... if only CI had a setup on it's site...

 

[ludwig]

Serous question, does it make you run lean at speed? If so how did you adjust for it?

Hasn't been a problem. OTOH, I had knocking on regular (87) so i use mid-grade (89) and no knock. But that could be several other issues. I solved them with a fuel hose.

There are off the shelf serpentine sets. I have seen them advertized in Mustang Monthly. Looks cool.

X(cost factor/cool factor) = cootie factor Where Xf is < $150.

 

[bmbm40]

Going from a c4 to a manual t5 would be 15-20 hp increase from what I have read. It would cost more than 150 but would have a lot of benefit like driveability and mileage. If your engine is in good shape compression etc I have heard of cam changes that worked out but have no personal experience.
That ram air that ludwig has is good mod I think and very reasonable dollar wise.

 

[bucfan1234]

T-5 is definitely on the list!

Spectre makes a set of serpentine pulleys, and I found some ford racing underdrive v-belt pulleys. Above the underdrives were tested to increase HP to the rear wheels by 12.5hp. I wonder if there is much drag on our sixes, I am thinking it would be a fraction of that. Both sets are about $170.

 

[falcon fanatic]

I don't think I'd spend any money on a ram air system that is designed for a different car. You could make your own ram air for the cost of a rain gutter junction, some pop rivets and a riveter, and a length of aluminum dryer hose. You'd still have $120 left over with which you could buy a dremel, a porting kit and a head gasket and do some porting on your current head. Together you'd probably pick up 15% more power for your budget of $150.

Porting kit: $30
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G1060/

Dremel: $62
http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-300-1-24-V ... 387&sr=1-2

Head gasket: $26
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/ ... _111659_0_

Downspout outlet: $3
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... ogId=10053

3" dryer hose: $10
http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances-Lau ... ogId=10053

Riveter: $14
http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-RH200-Faste ... 90&sr=1-22

Rivets: $5
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware ... ogId=10053

There, cold air intake and a mild head porting job for exactly $150!! If you start Friday night you can be done with everything including tuning by Sunday afternoon. Not bad for a 15% power boost and another couple hundred rpm to your power band. Throw in an extra week and another $50 to have the head milled to raise your compression to around 9.5:1 and you'll easily round that number up to 20%.

 

[falcon fanatic]

Oh, and add another $25 for beer

 

[ludwig]

I preferred the look of racing duct. to dryer duct. Plus, it was also an excuse to go to a speed shop. I saved the cost of pop rivets by using sheet metal screws from the coffee can in the garage.

OTOH, I did go through $25 of beer WITHOUT the porting job. Maybe I'll spend another $25 on beer and do the porting as well.

 

[falcon fanatic]

A writeup on my head: http://falconfanatic.blogspot.com/p/engine.html

 

[falcon fanatic]

I should also clarify for the porting that if you mar a valve seat, and you probably will, you'll need to have a valve job done. And really, porting creates an incredible amount of metal dust so you should thoroughly wash the head when you are done. So my budget might be a hair unrealistic and you might consider budgeting for a milling and a three-angle valve job before you start pulling your head and grinding on it or else you'll end up pulling your hair and grinding your teeth. You can probably get the machine work done for around $150 depending on where you live, so you could plan that as a $300 upgrade with an interesting learning experience included.

An article on porting:

http://www.max-boost.co.uk/max-boost/in ... 0Guide.htm

 

[bucfan1234]

Thanks for the ideas on the head work. I am still undecided as to which direction I want to go there.

 

[bucfan1234]

I read both articles you posted, and I think it is something that I can do. I may just have to give this head work thing a shot after all!

Btw, really nice work on you car.

 

[falcon fanatic]

Thanks! I'm starting the reassembly work on the floorpans and frame modifications. Hopefully it will be driveable in a week or two and I can get it painted. In spite of my "you can do it in a weekend" statement, I do think you should take your time with a first-time project like that.

Do all your porting, polish the chambers as shiny as you can get them, and then take it to the machine shop to do the valve job and milling. You'll need to cc your combustion chambers and measure a cylinder bore at top dead center to determine you current compression ratio, and then communicate all that data to the machinist so that he can mill your head to get you to the target compression ratio.

Earlier in this post it was suggested to get a D head, and I kind of poopooed the idea of modifying these heads, but if you are going to be budget conscious and take your time, there is a big advantage to having a head to work on without having to disable your car. I had my head for 18 months before I installed it. I still spent a small fortune, but remember that $700 of my budget went into roller rockers and fancy valves and springs. If you start with a head that already has big valves and you are running a stock can so you can keep your stock springs, you can do this job for less than half of what I spent.

 

[bucfan1234]

I may have to try to find a D7 head somewhere around here to work on. If I could find one for cheap or free, then this may be doable after all. I though milling and valve jobs were much more expensive than the $100-$150 you posted above.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back Bucfan:

If I were doing a budget head rebuild with upgraded performance at the lowest cost, I take a close look at reusing as many of the parts in the '77 and later head as are in good, serviceable shape. On disassemble, carefully examine all valves and springs. If they are rebuildable, plan to have a three angle performance seat valve job done along with a back-cut on the intake valves. Plan to shim the valve springs up .030" to make them a little stiffer. Once the head has been stripped and cleaned do your own porting and chamber polishing. Remember that the greatest gains will come from work with in an inch from the valve seats. Spend some time smoothing the transition from as cast to machined surfaces in the intake valve pocket. Not buying the beautiful SSI valves and performance springs will greatly help your budget and the difference in performance will only be noticeable at higher rpms and probably only on a dyno. The head work will get the most out of your header and carb upgrades, and will be a good foundation when you get ready to do the cam.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Adios, David

 

[rocklord]

I may have to try to find a D7 head somewhere around here to work on. If I could find one for cheap or free, then this may be doable after all. I though milling and valve jobs were much more expensive than the $100-$150 you posted above.

The E0 head would be a good one to look for also. Larger log intake than the D7.

 

[64 200 ranchero]

im going to build a cowl induction hood, iv'e seen them on ebay cheep like 60 bux, im thinking it will add alot of power by cooling off the intake and header, that may be a easy way to go

 

[bmbm40]

I have recently thought about a budget head build for my Bronco and question which of the mods have the best return. So what percent would the direct mount be, porting, three angle valve work, backcut, 1.5" exhaust valves and so on. Keeping in mind my limited experience I would think the direct mount is alot maybe 70% or so. The hole for the direct mount is about three times larger than stock and going from 200 cfm to 300 cfm or so has to have a large impact.